For centuries, the Gretna Blacksmith’s has acted as a useful and romantic place to get married for couples of any nationality. It is a world-famous ‘chapel’ to say ‘I do’ to one another. This is largely because of the convenience of the area, as it is situated right on the border of Scotland and England. Many years ago, this was halfway between London and Edinburgh and the stopping point for a large amount of couples. From 1887 to 2011, not a lot had changed.

However now in 2012 and it being a leap year, the age old tradition of a woman proposing to man prompted thevendy to investigate. In just one wedding chapel in Gretna, we found that there were a massive 16 weddings on Valentines Day. Of course, we were not able to find if any women proposed to their male partner. Most young people we talked to found it strange for a woman to ask a man for his hand in marriage. But from surveys in Britain, 44% of men would accept their girlfriend’s proposal.

We asked why people felt it was strange to be asked by the woman. Katie Griffin said ‘I think it should be asked whenever, and not just 2012, but it just seems strange, it’s not traditional!’ Whilst George Beamish agreed by stating ‘It’s just weird, I would probably say no.’ If people in Great Britain think it’s strange look at Scandinavia. In Finland, the tradition is that if a man refuses a woman’s proposal on a leap day, he should buy her the fabrics for a new skirt. In Denmark, the tradition is that women may propose on the bissextile leap day, February 24th, and that refusal must be compensated with 12 pairs of gloves. If you are thinking love is lost in Dumfries, then the conclusion cannot be jumped to immediately.

St. Joseph’s College holds a number of love struck couples within it. Thevendy investigated what the couples did for each other on Valentines Day. Iain Park received tickets for the Scotland vs. France rugby game! We didn’t know if this was a present to watch Scotland play! But still, a very thoughtful present from his long-term girlfriend, Emily Carroll. Fellow journalist, Katie Johnstone, was also spoiled by her significant other. She said she was ‘swarmed with chocolates and kisses.’ She was joined in the same fate by another fellow journalist, Lewis Grant. ‘My beautiful petal gave me all the cakes I love, roses, a poem and made me lunch. But the best present of all, was an evening with her.’ Those words really separate the men from the boys.

Our favourite gift of all comes from the very popular, Greg Jardine, who is a well-known ‘Casanova’ of St. Joseph’s. He gave his target of love a bunch of white roses, with a single red rose in the middle. The roses were accompanied by the sickly sweet side note of, ‘There’s always one that stands out from the bunch.’ To dismiss any possible mocking through ‘boys banter’ he was quick to claim, ‘They were Tesco valued at £2.99!’ In the words of Albert Einstein, ‘You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.’

The Golden Globes is one of the most famous award ceremonies behind the Oscars. It’s red carpet hosts some of the most fabulous dresses and also some of the worst. Many try to take a step out of the box and it just ends in a fashion disaster. Having seen the newspapers photos and takes on the dresses the morning after The Vendy bets you may not have agreed with who the press say were the best dressed and who were the worst. Despite it all here’s the Vendy’s opinion. 

Emma Stone managed to steal the best dressed crown two years in a row with her elegant and sophisticated style. Last year she wore a plain backless peach dress by Calvin Klein which emphasized her effortless style. This year she stunned in a purple/burgundy Lanvin dress. As well as changing the designer she wore she also changed her hair colour, this year showing a more rock chick look showing her diverse style. 

However, Natalie Portman went from bad to worse over the two years at the golden globes. In 2011 she sported a rather unflattering satin dress, by Viktor and Rolf, which draped over her baby bump. The dress was accented by the over sized red rose that made the whole outfit look cheap and tacky. One critic said “It reminded me of a Valentines days chocolate box.” This year her style didn’t get any better. Again, she opted for a pink satin gown that looked frumpy and unflattering.

Overall, the dresses were much better in 2011 than they were in 2012. 2011 seemed to be the year of plain and elegant with actresses like Diana Argon and Claire Danes pulling off the look with ease. Whereas, 2012 was full of over the top and frumpy dresses worn by the likes of Freida Pinto, Lea Michele and Elle Macpherson. 

After allegations of racism from Patrice Evra, claiming he was racially abused by Luis Suarez, the world of football has taken on a domino effect into chaos. This is often blown out of proportion by, in our opinion, the media. Up until last year English football could look upon racist incidents including Roberto Carlos and Marc Zoro and say that there wasn’t a problem here. However, ever since the Suarez incident there have been a number of racism issues in the English game.

John Terry is another culprit of the racism epidemic, or is he victim? Video evidence of Terry shouting racist abuse at Anton Ferdinand has sent The FA and theEnglandteam into worry. John Terry who is also captain of theEnglandside, could face a ban long enough to keep him out of the European Championship. As much as we firmly believe that The FA andEnglandare thoroughly against racism, we feel that John Terry’s place in theEnglandteam is too crucial to the FA for them to ban him. We feel that there may be a “reduced punishment” in order to helpEngland’s chances in the upcoming European Championship.

 This may well not be the case as it is perfectly likely that the FA fully intend on punishing Terry just like Suarez. Although who really is the worse offender? Racism is racism, no if- no buts. In the region ofUruguaywhere Suarez calls home, the word “negro” is considered inoffensive. Suarez’s own wife, apparently calls him negro at home. This is Suarez’s defence over the affair but does that justify the action of Luis? If we look at what Suarez said, “I tackled you because you’re black” – there is no defence against this statement and this combined with inconsistent evidence, sealed his fate.

 So Suarez quite obviously has been caught up in the heat of moment after what he feels was an attack on him. Could he be forgiven for over reacting in one of the biggest derbies in the world? Evra himself has even stated he does NOT believe that Suarez is racist. So we can gather that Suarez was caught up in the heat of the moment, but what does this mean for John Terry? There was no visible altercation between Terry and Ferdinand that could provoke this. John Terry appears to have just decided that he would unleash a verbal assault on Ferdinand, although this is only what we can see. The possibility of an altercation outside of the pitch is plausible.

So we believe that Suarez may have just been a bit of idiot who started running his mouth in the heat of the moment. John Terry on the other hand had no reason, as far as we know, for doing what he did. At this point in time Terry’s fate is undecided but Suarez has already been handed an 8 match ban and a £40,000 pound fine. On February 1^st John Terry goes to court. Racism, IS a problem in football, but not in the way that it is “filled with racists.” Racism is something we cannot tackle, whether it’s the fans, players, officials or bosses. There will always be that one fool who thinks he or she is the hard case in front of their pals and wants to hurl an insult someone’s way. The best we can do is keep punishing the culprits.

First Minister Alex Salmond is considered one of the SNP’s biggest assets – last year alone he won Spectator magazine’s 2011 politician of the year award, The Times’ Briton of the Year award and Best Politician award at The Scottish Green Energy Awards 2011. The significance of his decision to hold the referendum in 2014 is not to be overlooked – not only is he deliberately defying the 18 month deadline given by David Cameron, but also the referendum will coincide with the year that Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games and the 700^th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn. Presumably he is hoping that the sense of Scottish patriotism will help secure a “yes” majority, as well as assuming that the upward trend in support will continue.

However, whilst support for the SNP is sky-rocketing – the last poll showed that 51% of voters backed them – and support for independence is rising, polls still show a strong majority of people oppose independence, with the only 38% of people in favour. These reservations are not without good reason. Although supporters of independence point to the North Sea oil and gas as a means of supporting the country financially, a 2009/2010 report showed that, even with that taken into consideration, Scotland would have a £9bn deficit, 6.8% of its GDP. This highlights the dangers of relying heavily on something as changeable oil prices, as revenues halved in that year alone.

Similarly the 2008 economic crisis showed the vulnerability of small countries. For example, Ireland, previously praised by Nationalists as an example of a successful small country, went bankrupt. Being part of the UK provides some degree of security that an independent Scotland wouldn’t have. Splitting up the Union would leave both sides in weaker positions as well as diminishing their voice and influence in a global context.

There are a number of other issues surrounding independence that haven’t been properly answered by the Nationalists – for example currency, defence, the BBC and the Royal Family. However it is wrong to view this debate purely in a logical manner – there will be people on both sides of the argument who will make their decision without much consideration of the economic and political implications, and base it more on their personal feelings towards the Union. The SNP in particular have been able to capitalise on people’s anti-Westminster and anti-Conservative feelings. The Conservative-lead coalition Government has strengthened the argument for independence, as many Scots see it as unfair, given that there is only one Conservative MP in Scotland. Recently David Cameron attempted to lay down some rules with regards to the referendum; since then there has been a surge in SNP membership. However it is opportunistic the Conservatives will not be in power forever, making this Government a relatively short term problem. Also, this discontent is not just felt by Scotland; there are people south of the border who disagree with their strategy and are feeling the effects of their cuts.

For many people a “devo-max” option would be ideal, and Salmond is yet to rule out a second question on the referendum offering that. However this could potentially lead to a constitutional crisis – hypothetically, if the independence question got a “yes” majority of 51% and devolution option got a “yes” majority of 95%, this would be sure to lead to a huge dispute over which has the stronger mandate. Even if the questions were phrased in a way that would prevent such an outcome, the fact remains that both issues are far too important to be merged into one referendum. Increased devolution of powers to Scotland is a very reasonable demand, and it is a discussion all political parties should be willing to have, but it should remain separate from the separation debate.

ERROR 404: LEWIS AND GARTH NOT FOUND. (Censored)

Tiresome – isn’t it? Having to go to extensive lengths just to read something harmless, of course that’s not how the U.S government feels. Times are changing and the social and political winds are bending into a colder chill; our lives are being controlled by the monolithic hand that dictates the freedoms and liberties in our lives – America, perhaps the greatest adversary to freedom is gradually piecing together an abject government that is all too reminiscent of Geroge Orwell’s novel 1984.

1984? Realistically the sordid scenario in 1984 is still a great distance away. In the book the government is a, controlling presence that dominates people’s lives; it chooses who you speak to, what you do, how you act – a God born of politics. It was a dictatorship. It controlled people’s lives 100%. Truthfully such a sombre state doesn’t exist now…however if we allow these minor chills of change to amplify into bellowing tempests…could this soon be how the government controls us? Home of the Brave and Land of the Free my [Censored]

Earlier this week it two U.S bills came to the attention of most the world population, these two bills were the Stop Online Piracy Act – SOPA - & The Personal Internet Protection Act – PIPA. The foremost of the two, SOPA, is a bill that has existed for quite a while, both have. The problem is that the U.S government is adopting various changes to the bills to which the consequences are unfathomable and may jeopardize the internet in its entirety. The audacity of the U.S government has earned it a stern and brutal reprisal as people protest to great lengths, something of a virtual martyr, Wikipedia, the world’s largest online dictionary has famously sported a black screen in order to represent censorship. Why? What are the two bills?

SOPA is the most vicious of the two. Dealing with online piracy it crafts together immoral and unfair laws which if put into practise will greatly damage the internet. In short this law is [Censored]. This is the source of the great outcry in the news and internet recently. The bill is a re-enforcement of previous piracy laws; the initial problem that it enforces too harsh a punishment for those who violate the bill, what would have been seen as trivial and minor violations of the law will now resulted in more harsher punishment [preceded by less clear and obvious warnings. For instance on Youtube if a video violates a law in regards to music copyright, the owner of the video is warned. With the passing of this bill, awareness  will be made scarce and the website facilitating the illegal and copyrighted  material shall forcefully  be shut down. This is where Wikipedia's protest came into the picture. With so many pages in it, the website is left completely at the mercy of  these gargantuan forces of government. Effectively, we are be censored from the internet. We are being told what we can and cannot access.  The bill will have a diverse multitude of implications that may lead to the crumbling of the internet as we know it. Mass censorship? Our knowledge being controlled? This law also includes a great gathering of intricate rules prohibiting the sponsoring and charitable actions of any persons towards a foreign website. PIPA is somewhat more complex, this means that the government has the right to actively influence what you look at. In other words, they are effectively allowed to control what you look at, directly, by choosing which websites you look at by redirecting you.

Our school has seen a fair share of control regarding internet access we often find ourselves staring at that single screen informing us of our failed attempts to access a website; a cruel and daunting screen which often is the cause of animosity within the school.

Mr Boyd, our own technician had this to say on the matter, "Something does need to change as people are losing money because of piracy; however their actions are far too broad. What about media that we can no longer access physically? [ROMS and Emulators] We’re losing memories…what if you just want to have fun with a friend? What about memories?” 

This is a valid and reasonable question. Physically some people may not be able to obtain more foreign or unique songs, films, games or multimedia items. Other people may simply which to play a ROM game on an emulator, TheVendy agrees that certain games, for instance Super Mario Brothers (1985) cannot be purchased physically unless paying perhaps £60 and the game console we found was going for a somewhat extortionate $399.99! 

Although it is being viewed as an inevitability many people beg to differ; in a somewhat futile effort, the rapacious claws of government have already taken effect. The famous P2P website, a file sharing website, was taken down yesterday. TheVendy reporters, Lewis Grant and Garth O’Reilly whom are avid fans of Japanese culture find it a nuisance when attempting to listen to Japanese music when it is nearly impossible to listen to it online.

One national musician, David Henderson, whom resides in Dumfries claims that past all the piracy facet of the bill  “All this really is, is American paranoia…nothing new there.” When asked if he thought this seemed somewhat familiar in regards to 1984 the novel, he gave a light chuckle. TheVendy agrees with Mr Henderson.

So what do you think of this? Mr Duncan, an IT teacher at our school maintained that “This just goes to show something about the government.” Then in a somewhat more serious tone affirmed that “This is where censorship ends…and control begins…”

So in light of this, where do you stand? The complex nature and intricacies of such bills may lead some people to be uncertain of their standing position and may have an ambivalent attitude towards it. But jus t think, where will this go in a few years? President Obama has stated he is against these bills; yet some conspiracists maintain that this is all  a plan for Obama to cunningly recollect his votes as this is election year. Is he just giving people what they want as part of a bigger picture? Regardless…if indeed this isn’t and these bills are to pass…then think about this… what if there was no way to see this text? Unhighlight this text – you can only see somethings, correct?  We wonder how long it will take until the entire internet is like this…

Top 10 games of 2011? To hear the exclusive podcast, click on the picture below.

Link to the Skyrim article: http://thevendy.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/the-game-that-dawned-in-fire-fame-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/

START GAME?

The recent PIP implant scare has brought plastic surgery back to the attention of the British media and public. It has also reignited the debate over whether plastic surgery can be justifiable as a quick fix for insecurities.

PIP implants were created by a French company who stopped using a medical grade silicone and began using industrial grade instead without warning anyone. This has resulted in ruptured implants and thousands of women needing and wanting their breast implants removed whether they are causing a problem or not.

Countries such asFrancehave recently announced they will underwrite the costs of surgery for those women with PIP problems whether it be public or private. Should the same undertaking be given in theUK? Even though the industry does have regulation we at The Vendy say…no. On the NHS the women have a profound and pressing reason for receiving the implants, whereas in most cases in the private sector the surgery is carried out for the women who want implants just to improve their body appearance.

The NHS will remove implants fitted by the health service and women who are anxious to have them removed or whose private clinic refused to remove them or no longer exists. But they will not pay for the surgery for new implants to be put in. This means many women will be faced with a bill of thousands of pounds.

For women who had implants put in due to medical reasons this must be a devastating blow to them as now they may be faced with more health problems and could be back to square one. There were indications of the implants being faulty amongst surgeons around 18 months ago, but it was ignored and they continued to use them.

The Vendy believes that if this was dealt with earlier, the current problem/situation could have been avoided or at least dealt with sooner. If women have had implants done as part of a health problem and organised by the NHS then they should be properly looked after and implants redone by the health system. Whereas, women who have had their surgery done in a private clinic or just for body modification, the NHS can care for them but not pay for their surgery.

February 1^st of this year will mark the 48^th year anniversary of the British breakthrough takeover of America. The Beatles number one hit, ‘I want to hold your hand’ held 7 weeks at the number one in America, starting the British revolution over the pond. From then on, The Beatles boasted a record 19 American number ones from 1964 to 1970. Following this impressive act was David Bowie, The Bee Gees and George Michael’s, Wham who have all held top spots. However, there were spaces inbetween. A drought of almost 20 years left British music behind and almost forgotten.

The Vendy is happy to say the times are a changing however with Adele, the talented London based singer who has broken records by selling the most records in 2011 in America for her track, ‘Rolling in the Deep’. She also received awards at the 2011 American Music Awards for favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21.

Clearly it is not just about tallying number ones abroad, in the case ofUK hip-hop saviour, Tinie Tempah. His collaboration with other American artists such as Jay-Z and up and coming rapper Wiz Khalifa has put British hip-hop on the map for the first time. However it is clear to see that the Americans prefer ballads and soulful music compared to hip-hop. In the billboard top 200, Adele and Amy Winehouse both hold places in the top 10.

The alternative/rock genre glories of the past have been lost after The Beatles. Only recently has it been revived through Coldplay. With millions of hits on YouTube for their live show feeds and influential album songs, they have reached number 8 in the billboard top 100 albums. Along with Coldplay, Mumford and Sons have also been popular in America. They recently received an award for favourite alternative artist.

It hasn’t all been that simple for British artists. Many have attempted to take their music to higher levels in America, but have left with their tails between their legs. Robbie Williams and his band Take That have both crash landed in their attempt to fly into the American music charts. It is clear to see that rock bands are a lost interest in the States such as Oasis, who were considered one of the greatest British bands in their generation. Also rans were The Klaxons (remember them)?

Overall, there is a clear and present popularity with British music and with young artists coming through such as soul/acoustic singer ‘Michael Kiwanuka’, Ed Sheeran, who intertwines acoustic with r ‘n’ b, and Jessie J, a unique and original artist who, like the other two, has came up through the old fashioned way, without television talent shows, such as X Factor. Obviously, there is hope for a wider variety of artists to storm the UK, before conquering America.

New evidence has come to light that children as young as 13 are dabbling in class A drugs such as cocaine and heroin. However, we ask, is it a dabble or is it a swim? Although the government have tried their very best to stop drug taking by shocking children with facts on the dangers of drugs, it has become clear that is has failed to work. Children as young as 8 have been taking dangerous drugs which could seriously harm their health, although they are aware of the risks. The question is, who is to blame? And can these young children be expected to take responsibility for their actions at such a young age?

Many factors may influence these children like society, their parents, school friends and teachers. School seems to be the biggest problem as peer pressure from classmates has resulted in 29% of this drug taking to happen at a friend’s house and a further 9% taken at parties. However the biggest shock has been that 29% of children have admitted to taking drugs at school. So is it the teachers fault that they haven’t been paying enough attention to these youngsters or have they not been giving out enough information to them? Although using ex drug users to teach children about the dangers of drugs may seems like a great idea as they know what they are talking about and have experienced it, is this not conveying mixed signals to children? The fact that these people are friendly and, although parts of their life are ruined, everything else seems to be alright now that they have quit so this may confuse the children and lead them to think, ‘he’s done it and his life’s alright so why can’t I?’

Another issue would be the children’s parents. Some underage smokers admitted to smoking 50 cigarettes a day and their parents had no idea. So if their parents are failing to notice that, then what else will they fail to notice before it becomes too late.

Society is also to blame as there is a very easy availability of drugs and even if you do not seek out to find drugs, the dealers will go out and offer them to you. Just over one third of 15 year old pupils and 12% of 13 year old pupils had been offered drugs like cannabis but 1% of 13 year old pupils had been offered more dangerous drugs like heroin and methadone. Pupils this age can be very easily influenced by those around them and easily pressurised so an offer like that may be hard for them to say no to.

There is no doubt that people taking drugs are starting at a much younger age. Schools need to teach children the dangers and consequences of drug taking well before there is even a chance they may be taking it. Parents need to be more aware of what their children are doing and need to be notified of the age at which they may start from these findings. The government must find the sources of these drugs and shut them down. However, the fact that they have let it get this bad leads the Vendy to think that they don’t really care and I doubt they will do much about it now.   

Hug A Hoodie

A terrible impression of teenagers was given of young people after the London Riots in 2011; that we have been categorised all the same in our rebellious ways. After these typical accusations, another riot came about; a very different one.

Adolescents began to speak out to those who had the patience to listen, something rare amongst the British society today. When our words wouldn’t be heard, our actions spoke instead. Young people all over London took a brush and shovel and cleaned the streets up after the riot, a desperate attempt to put our good reputation back in tack.

Did it work? Of course it didn’t. We are still little thugs in the eyes of the politicians, elderly and even amongst our own generation.

The Vendy was interested to see how much impact politics had on 6^th and 5^th year pupils at St.Josephs College. We made up a survey full of questions relating to politics. We surveyed 45 people in total. We found that 35% of pupils would vote in local elections, and 35% said that they would not vote.

The lack of interest could be down to the how little young people are involved in the council. However, when asked would they vote in Scottish elections, 64% of young people said that they would vote. This is interesting as recently in the news, the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond is fighting to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 for the Independence  referendum and as our survey proves, this would be beneficial for young people to get a chance to vote.

As most of our readers are aware, Alex Salmond is also trying to achieve Scottish Independence. We asked pupils would they want Scottish Independence, and only 17% said that they would support it. The majority of pupils said that they would likeScotland to have more control over its own issues but not to be independent.

But how much do young people actually know about politics? We found that 75% of young people felt that there was a lack of teaching in politics at St.Josephs College and that they majority of pupils would exchange Religious Education for lessons on politics. A few students said that they had taken Modern Studies, and they felt that they had learned enough about politics in that class.

We explored young people involved in politics, and found on the University of Birmingham website that 87% of working young people feels they do not have a say in which services are provided.

The Vendy feels that this is a disturbing amount of young people who clearly want to be involved in politics. We fully support lowering the voting age for young people in Scotland and that we feel we deserve to have a say for our future. It is about time that we got rid of our bad reputation and gave ourselves a chance to be viewed as worthy in the eyes of politicians.