Iran is known to have very strict gender laws, including when it comes to sports. Women have to cover their heads with a ‘rusari’ and wear a ‘manteau’ or ‘chador’, resembling a long coat. Some universities don’t let women study ‘manly’ subjects such as engineering, and women often need permission from their fathers/husbands to travel or work.
Are you familiar with the term ‘NIMBYism’? It stands for ‘Not In My Back-Yard’. Let me tell you a story to help you understand this concept in practice. About 6 years ago, my family together with many others in our community woke to discover that a neighbouring house had become a residence for homeless young people; this coincided with a spike in car crime and petty house burglaries in the area. Conversation about the subject became very interesting. The government had to do more to support young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, and, of course, they it was necessary and a great idea to open up more homes to care for the homeless youth population… However, “not next door to us!” “For Heaven’s sake, there is a school down the road”, “the area is quiet and respectable”, and, above all, “house prices will inevitable suffer”. You see, anywhere else it qualified as an out and out duty, but Not In My Back Yard. Six years on, the home has closed its doors, been auctioned off, and a collective sigh of relief was breathed by the community.
Hong Kong’s recent protests regarding their promised independence are causing pain and national trouble, and the matter isn’t getting better. Hong Kong’s protests started this year due to the recently passed bill put in place.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of a small musical phenomenon that hit Broadway in August 2015 called ‘Hamilton’. And if you know me at all, you’ll know I’m a massive musical theatre fan, and therefore will happily talk about musicals at any given time. So, given the school’s recent focus on ‘Rising Up’ (think back to that beautiful reciting of ‘Still I Rise’ at speech day), how could I not talk about one of the most iconic lines from the show, ‘Rise Up’, when given the chance?
All of us should be doing regular exercise. Yes, you may groan, but please take this coming from someone who is rather ‘un-sporty’. If you told my Year Eight self who dreaded PE every week that she would later be advocating for the importance of sport, she would indeed let out a groan. Four years down the line into both my academic and rowing careers, I am a believer in the benefits of exercise for the following reasons.
