BBC School Report

Amishi Invites Celebs

Amishi is the new Nightclub opened in Cleethorpes on the 4th of September 2008 and was opened by the son of the then well known George Best. Callum Best, who is known for being a reality TV star.

Amishi is the 'only place to be' and the 'classiest club in the North East Coast.' The aim of the nightclub is to put Cleethorpes back on the Clubber's map.

This isn't just any Night club; it also invites celebs to party with their fans.

Will Mellor (32), appeared at Amishi in September 2008 and sung his heart out for all of his (women) fans. He said, "I think the club is great, and in the short time I've been here, I have had a great reception from the lovely people of Grimsby and Cleethorpes."

Will is known for playing 'Jambo' in Hollyoaks and then went onto a singing career.

Another Hollyoaks star appeared at the Nightclub also in September, Jamie Lomas (28), better known as Warren Fox. He had a fun time partying with his fans.

Yet another star of Hollyoaks made a special appearance at Amishi, Ricky Whittle, (27), who plays Calvin Valentine which he has played since July 2006. Ricky quoted, "It's the second time I've been to Cleethorpes and the people are wonderful. The club is brilliant and I'm looking forward to spending time here."

Scott Maslen came to Cleethorpes this year in January. Scott (37) is Eastenders' hard man Jack Branning.

Scott was happy to sign autographs and have photos taken with his fans.

"I have been to the area before as I do a lot of fishing. The great thing about this job is that you get to go all around the country and meet different people from all walks of life!" quoted Scott.

He also said "I'm really glad to be here, I think Amishi is a lovely club - It's beautiful. And hopefully it will stay busy in these doom and gloom times!"

The most recent soap star to hit Grimsby and attend the club is Robert Kazinsky, who plays bad boy Sean Slater on Eastenders. Fans welcomed Rob (25), and he had a huge reception with chocolate fountains, fire breathing and circus tricks. Kazinsky enjoyed staying at Cleethorpes saying, "We might spend the weekend having a look around and go to Cleethorpes for some fish and chips."

Amishi also welcomed Hollywood star Verne Troyer at the end of January 2009. Troyer plays 'Mini-Me' in the Austin Power films.

The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate quoted, "It's nice because I like London so being able to see other areas in the UK is pretty awesome!"

Amishi has proved to be one heck of a nightclub and our celebrities think so too. Maybe soon we will get to see more celebs around Cleethorpes and Grimsby?

Lauren, BBC School Report Journalist

BRITS 2009 - What A Night!

Welsh star Duffy was the queen of the Brits on Wednesday 18th February, scooping up an incredible three awards on a superb night for the songstress. Duffy won Best British Album for 'Rockferry', Best British Breakthrough and Best British Female. She also performed her Top 10 hit, 'Warwick Avenue' receiving a standing ovation.

Kings Of Leon were the International success of the night, winning Best International Album and Best International Group.

British girl group, Girls Aloud were the winners of Best British Single, 'The Promise', which they had performed earlier in the night. I Kissed A Girl singer Katy Perry flew to the UK to pick up Best International Female, "I'm so sick right now, but they said I should show up for the Brits because something special could happen. Obviously, I have worked really hard because I want to die now." The singer said whilst accepting her award.

The Pet Shop Boys were the winners of the Outstanding Contribution To Music, finishing the night off the with a medley of their big hits, joined on the stage by American superstar Lady Gaga and The Killers lead singer Brandon Flowers at various points of the performance.

Coldplay, nominated for four awards, went home empty handed, shockingly beaten to Best British Group by, Elbow, despite their album only reaching #5 in the UK Albums Chart, and their lead single from album 'The Seldom Seen Kid', 'Grounds For Divorce' only reaching #19 in the Singles Chart. This in comparison to Coldplay's second best selling album of the year.

The hosts of the night James Corden and Matthew Horne, most famous for their roles in comedy show 'Gavin & Stacey' were joined by Australian beauty Kylie Minogue, who sported 6 different dressed on the night. The shock winners of the night were Iron Maiden who won Best British Live Act.

Here is a rundown of all the winners:

Best British Album: Duffy - Rockferry
Best British Single: Girls Aloud - The Promise
Best British Female: Duffy
Best British Male: Paul Weller
Best British Group: Elbow
Best British Breakthrough: Duffy
Best British Live Act: Iron Maiden
Best International Female: Katy Perry
Best International Male: Kanye West
Best International Album: Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
Best International Group: Kings Of Leon
Outstanding Contribution To Music: Pet Shop Boys
Critics' Choice: Florence And The Machine

Rob (13), BBC School Report Journalist

New Clubs Keep Kids Off The Street

As of January this year two new clubs have been set up in Waltham. The idea of these facilities is to encourage young people to get off the streets and partake in some football matches and other exciting games.

This scheme started in the centre of Grimsby and is now being spread out to villages in the wider community. Police, the council, and local football coaches have joined forces to create a safe environment for young people to meet and socialise.

The football club takes place on Monday evenings from 6pm to 8pm and has portable floodlights so that participants will be able to play outdoors during the dark winter months. Local councillor, Keith Baker, has reported to the Grimsby Evening Telegraph that more than 40 young people have taken part in the football academy. It is hoped that they will compete against other Fair Play League teams already running in North-East Lincolnshire.

Waltham Methodist Hall on Cheapside offers an alternative, safe environment for teenagers to meet and socialise. Nintendo and Wii games are included in this facility, allowing teenagers to have fun and compete without causing any trouble.

It has the approval of the local community, particularly in and around shops as it stops teenagers gathering and causing trouble. Local police officer, Richard Lawson, has told members of the Parish Council that so far, "calls about nuisance teenagers had dropped by 50 per cent thanks to the activities".

Following this success a new Street Dance group is due to start on Thursday evenings in late March.

Matthew (12), BBC School Report Journalist

Octuplets

For the BBC school report team / have chosen to write about the octuplets. Here is my story and information on the extraordinary miracle:

The mother of the octuplets is called Nadya Suleman: aged 33. Octuplets are very rare and has only ever happened three times in history. In one of these cases one of the octuplets didn't survive longer than 6 hours. It has nearly a one in affinity chance of happening and Nadya is only the second person in history to have eight healthy and well babies to survive. The last set of octuplets celebrated their 1oth birthday in December. Unfortunately one died during birth and there are only seven of them alive now. They were born in Texas, USA.

Nadya is a well known woman as she already has six children and does a little to help her environment. She is single and has never had a boyfriend or a lover! All of her 6 children are under the age of 7 with the youngest being just 9 months.

Two elderly people, who claim to be the octuplets' grandparents, have claimed that of her six children three of them are a set of triplets. They state Nadya has got 14 children: 9 boys and 5 girls.

Nadya was warned that her fertility treatment that she was given could increase her chance of a multiple birth. She had been given this treatment before and she ended up with triplets so Nadya carried on with it. The doctors gave Nadya the option to reduce the amount of embryos/eggs. However, yet again she declined. When she was told she was going to have seven babies she was offered an abortion to kill the babies as it was highly unlikely that they would survive, but Nadya didn't take this advice and continued the pregnancy.

The fertility treatment that she was given is called the, 'Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act'. This is when doctors transfer eggs/embryos to a lady. The embryos that Nadya used were fertilised from frozen sperm, which was kindly donated by a friend she met whilst working a at fertility clinic.

Nadya is seeking commercial sponsorship deals from nappy companies, clothes and food companies. With giving birth to the octuplets Nadya is making a lot of money, she has demanded $1.3 million from a TV show. Many Americans have already turned against her, one of them being her neighbour who stated, "It is very sad to see that a local woman has now become famous just because of her cliildren, she has become some kind of global superstar." There has also been another disturbing comment which read, "Whoever treated this woman or helped her has done much harm."

Nadya has managed to grab a lot of money from publicity and chat shows and as a result many Americans have turned against her, with a media commentator saying, "This is beginning to look like a get rich quick scheme!" Nadya has apparently demanded constant TV show viewing as a parenting guru on part of an interview deal. However, the nation have been shocked by her terms.

The Octuplets were 9 weeks premature and were delivered by caesarean section in a hospital near Los Angeles, California.

The hospital team included forty six trained midwifes and five nurses. All the equipment was set out ready for seven babies, however an eighth was found whilst Nadya was having her caesarean section. The babies are all now breathing on their own without any apparatus.

The baby delivery timetable:

10.43 - Baby A - Boy
10.44 - Baby B - Girl
10.45 - Baby C - Boy
10.45 - Baby D - Girl
10.46 - Baby E - Boy
10.47 - Baby F - Boy
10.47 - Baby G - Boy
10.48 - Baby H - Boy

The babies are all fit and healthy and breathing on their own without any apparatus.

For many weeks after the birth Nadya was still confined to a hospital bed but when she was dis-charged she returned to her two bed roomed bungalow. Soon Nadya will be moving into a very big house, which is all paid for by the nation.

Nadya has been talking about long-term deals going way into millions. She has described herself as a student and is currently living off educational grants and handouts from her parents. Her mum (who has cared for all six cliildren) has described her as "evil". It has been said that Nadya has got an obsession with children, and that her mum wished she had become a kindergarten teacher.

Ship-Ahoy

'Ship Ahoy', Troupe aged under 10 years. Silver Medal Winner.

The talent in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area has risen over the past decade. And a good example of this talent is 'The happy feet Dance School' of Humberston. Owned by Rebecca Merrison, it opened just a few years ago and has already achieved many awards.

In 2006 'The Happy Feet Dance School', danced in the first pantomime of the Parkway Cinema, in their production of 'Aladdin'.

Just Recently, three girls aged 12 were sent to Manchester to compete after receiving top marks in their ballet exams. Some dancers have also auditioned for the royal ballet in Leeds.

Every two years, the dance school holds a show, with all proceeds going towards charity. Dancers compete in annual competitions, one in April, one in August and one in October. These competitions can last from approximately 1-2 weeks. The type of dance varies, which includes Ballet, Tap, Modern, Character, National, Song and Dance, Acrobatics, mime, and Greek. Competitors can compete in solos, duets, trios or groups. A different adjudicator is selected every competition from anywhere in the country.

'Carwash', Troupe under 10 years. Gold medal winner.

Georgia (12), BBC School Report Journalist

The New Coach

Earlier on this year, CADS' coach, Nathan Hilton received a job up in the West Midlands. So CADS desperately needed a coach. Dan Higgon was 1 out 14 who applied. Dan who is from Derbyshire has recently graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a degree in Sports Performance Coaching. Before he got the job as Chief Coach, he was Head Coach of Leeds Met Carnegie Swim Team. Also assistant coach of Chesterfield Swimming Club. Dan says "I will miss my club, but I am looking forward for a new beginning with CASA."

Top local swimming club, CADS, hosted the first gala of the 2009 Barnsley Minor League at Scartho Swimming Pool on Saturday 24th January. This league is often a swimmer's first experience of competitive galas and also, as swimmers can only compete in these galas if they have not achieved a top 8 place at the County Championships in that stroke, it gives them a chance to compete in events they might not normally be selected for. The CADS swimming team did very well at the weekend. They came second. The other 3 team were; Scunthorpe, Barnsley and Edlington. Chief Coach, Dan Higgon says "Tonight was a great gala and there was some great swims from the team of our swimmers achieving personal best times in 35 of 49 the events." He then carries on, "This shows me we are making excellent progress and I will be pushing the team a lot harder since it is coming up toward the gala season." He leaves Scartho Swimming Pool feeling that CADS has a lot more to give.

Courteney, BBC School Report Journalist

Twilight Film Review

Twilight is an action packed love story between two regular teenagers. But there's only one twist; one of them is a vegetarian vampire! Bella Swan, a typical teenager not bothered about popularity or anything for that matter, is sent to live with her father as her mum re-marries a young pro baseball player. She stumbles upon the pale, cold skinned mystery boy called Edward Cullen. Edward is a seventeen year old vampire who chose not to be the monster he was born and drink animal blood, not human. Edward is an intelligent and witty vampire who soon falls deeply in love with Bella, as he tells her more about his past he becomes more and more addicted to her scent; as if it is his own brand of heroin. While they fall deeper in love, they come across a group of vampires thirsty for Bella's blood. Will they be able to save Bella from a group of blood hungry vampires?

Twilight is great example of a love story but not just for girls, as it has humour and action. Although the beginning lacked spice; the film balanced out- as the end was full of suspense and gripping action. The plot of the film could be re-arranged as the film was slow and hard to follow, plus it didnít help matters trying to decipher the mumble of words spilling out of Edwards mouth, as you would have to be a professional lip reader to know what he was saying!

Actors:

Kristen Stewart ... Bella Swan
Robert Pattinson ... Edward Cullen
Billy Burke ... Charlie Swan
Ashley Greene ... Alice Cullen
Nikki Reed ... Rosalie Hale
Jackson Rathbone ... Jasper Hale
Kellan Lutz ... Emmett Cullen
Peter Facinelli ... Dr. Carlisle Cullen
Cam Gigandet ... James

Running time: 122 min
Certificate: 12A

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Stat rating: This film deserves three stars as it is a great film but lacks the vampire action that I was hoping for. ***

Luke (12), BBC School Report Journalist

Young Enterprise Trade Fair!

Young Enterprise groups were preparing for their first ever trade fair this week and the tension was high.

The four main young enterprise groups for Tollbar, (Seren, Image, Jam Hot Jewellry and Soul Edge) were all preparing for the first trade fair of the year. Stress levels were high as some groups struggled to get products made and some groups still needed to think of a product to sell!

Every group needed to have a high quality trade stand and products made up to a high standard. Some people went for a more sophisticated trade stand, such as 'Seren' who had a black and white silhouetted cityscape whilst others such as 'Jam Hot Jewellry' chose a funkier eye-catching scene. "The trade stands looked great when they were put together, it's good to see how much effort people have put into this." Bryony 15, 'Image'.

The trade fair was held at Freshney Place on Saturday 7th February between eight o'clock and five thirty pm. The trade fair was very busy and buzzing with curiosity as customers quizzed the teams about Young Enterprise, their products and their businesses.

"I wasn't really phased by answering the questions, I just answered honestly and truthfully, though some members of the team were a bit nervous." Tamar, 14, 'Seren'.

There was a surprise in store for the teams when it was announced that there were to be two mystery shoppers throughout the day. This got the teams on edge but everyone soon forgot about it as the customers started arriving!

"The customers were very generous to our business, they were very kind and accepting to us all," Said Mel 15, 'Image'.

Towards the end of the day aspirations of selling more products were running low and teams needed ways to sell their products, fast. Seren decided to lower their prices and sold off their items at £1.00 each; while other companies took different approaches and kept their prices as they were or by offering special promotions.

At the end of the day there was a presentation in which three awards were presented:

Best trade stand
Best sales team
Best product or service.

The winners were announced and 'Atomic' from John Leggott College, Scunthorpe won the best sales award, 'Just Phoenix' from The St Lawrence Academy, Scunthorpe won the best product award and 'Seren' from Tollbar Business, Enterprise and Humanities College, New Waltham.

"I felt quite overwhelmed really, I knew that the trade stand was nice but I didn't think we would get an award for it." Said Courtney 14, a representative of Seren.

Though nothing could have been possible without the commitment and aid from the various link teachers and business advisors that have seen the pupils through the project and given them important tips to ensure their success.

"It's great that they've given up their own time to help us," Bryony, 15, 'Image'.

So, overall Tollbar left the day with an award and big smiles on their faces. All of the teams should be proud of their efforts as they have surely paid off.

Poppy and Olivia, BBC School Report Journalists

Blue Cross Charity Report

Our report has been split in to three parts and this is the second of the three. They are called: (1) Awareness (2) Helping out (3) How we are helping.

We are doing it for The Blue Cross. They are a charity that needs help and here are some ideas:

Donate money

  • Buy a pet from the headquarters, but only if you're sure that you have the money.
  • Adopt
  • Buy from the shop and all proceeds go to help the animals
  • Donate animal food/ collars/ beds ECT...

A pet is not just for Christmas!

Here are some excuses people use:

  • It doesn't match my new carpet
  • It's grown too much
  • I can't afford to keep it
  • It's ruined my garden
  • It eats everything
  • I can't train it

Pretty poor aren't they? But even the 'not matching the carpet' one is common.

We donated £15 pounds only but every penny helps! Not to mention that last year Mr Hampson (Tollbar Principal) donated a whopping £3000 for a room to be refurbished. That room was called the ‘Rest room’; where the owner and pet can go if the animal is going to be put down.

We went to find out more...

We visited the Blue Cross to learn more about abandoned animals. Luckily we were available to have an interview from their head nurse, which we have on video. We donated £15 from our pocket money and donated it to the hospital, which will be used in improvements to the hospital or go towards cost for medication.

We all hope that the video will encourage you to help these poor animals yourselves.

Every year, approximately over 500 pets are abandoned in North East Lincolnshire every Christmas. This is terrible and must be stopped. If you can no longer care for your animal, why not donate it to a rescue centre, or sell it in the newspaper? Before you buy an animal, think - can I really afford this? Remember - a pet is for life, not just for Christmas.

Cats and dogs are said to be the most expensive dogs to buy and pay for, especially dogs. These are the most common pets to be abandoned. Again, some pets are very expensive, but there are some cheaper animals like fish or hamsters.

On Monday 9th March, me, Aimee and Lois went to the Blue Cross to interview one of the workers and to give in a donation of £15, to help the animals and the hospital.

We managed to get answers; we were surprised to hear how many animals get taken sick or struck by an illness, which is why it is very important to keep the Blue Cross running.

Blue Cross Interview

How many ill or injured animals do you get per week?
Well, we probably see about, at least 100 people a day coming through the doors. That's a lot of people - about 18,000 a year. Most of these animals are either ill or injured in some way.

What illnesses do the animals get the most?
A lot of animals have problems with their skin - that's very common. Problems with their ears, sickness and diarrhoea - all the kind of things you'd expect to see at a human doctor, I suppose.

Do you go out to farms and stables to help the animals there?
We don't, no. We tend to just deal with small animals - dogs, cats, that kind of thing. We don't do horses or anything like that.

Do you manage to save many animals' lives?
Yes, most animals we get here are saved.

Do you get attached to the animals that come here?
Yes, I think we all do, especially the nurses that work in the kennels. I think that most members of staff have even taken in an animal that needed a new home!

How long do the animals tend to stay?
Depends exactly what the problem is. If an animal comes in with a broken leg, and it needs an operation, the after-care is quite important as well. It might stay with us for a week, for example. It depends how serious the condition actually is.

Do you get people coming in from schools, like us, often?
We do occasionally, yes, but not too often.

What kind of animals do you get here the most?
Mainly dogs and cats, but we do see a lot of rabbits now. I think rabbits are becoming very popular.

What is the most unusual animal you've ever had?
I think we had a goat brought in once! It had an accident on the road, and although we don't normally deal with that sort of animal, it was an emergency, so we had to treat it fast. We do occasionally get snakes, but I think the goat has to be the most unusual case.

What is the most unusual illness you've ever had?
I suppose we do get some rare conditions that we don't usually see, but... I'm just trying to think of one out the top of my head! I think I'll have to come back to you on that one...

How does it make you feel when an animal dies?
It's very, very sad. We always try to do all that we can, and then of course, we have to tell the owner, which can be very upsetting. We've all got pets ourselves, so we understand how they feel and how much you love your pet, especially if you've had it, say, 10 or 11 years.

How does it make you feel when you save an animal?
Brilliant. That's why we're all in the job, really, to feel that joy, and knowing that you just saved an animal. It's just amazing when that happens.

After we had finished the interview, we thought we had finished our article, but there was an added bonus. The lady in charge of all the donations came to pay us a visit, and offered us a tour around the hospital itself!

We accepted this generous offer and were given a full tour. As some teachers may remember in 2008, Tollbar gave the Blue Cross a very helpful cheque, to go towards the hospital. The money has now been funded into a special room, which is where owners can spend time with their pets for upsetting reasons. We were also shown the equipment used for potentially life-saving operations and shown special kinds of medication for different animals. After we had seen everything, it was time for us to leave. We sincerely thank the Blue Cross for taking time out of their busy schedules to talk to us, and we hope we can encourage more people to donate to their charity. We all hope that this article has made you think about animals, and why not to abandon them. Thank you for reading our report.

Aimee, Millie and Lois BBC School Report Journalists

My Report Credit Crunch And Redundancy

The credit crunch originated in the USA, over eighteen months ago, due to banks lending money to high risk borrowers who were then unable to repay the loans. Because all of the banks lend to each other, this started to affect the banking system around the world. As the banks stopped lending and equity started to fall, the American government had to start putting money into the banks to prevent total collapse.

In this country we started to see the effects of what was happening in the USA during the middle of last year. The economy is going round and round in circles. As the lending from the banks reduces, businesses begin to struggle and go bankrupt. As more people lose their jobs through redundancy, and fear redundancy, they stop spending money. This makes things worse, as then shops began losing business from the loss of customers. Then the shops close down. And so this cycle goes on and on. The economy suffers and because there is little growth then the country goes Into Recession.

An example of a large business that is soon to be closed is Huntsman Tioxide. Huntsman have factories in France, Spain, Italy and the USA as well the UK. Huntsman that is being closed down is in Grimsby and has been running for 60 years none stop. It was built in 1964, but the main production started in 1949. This year, due to the world recession, Huntsman announced a closure of the site because of the high manufacturing cost caused by Energy prices, raw materials and lack of demand for product. The pigment made at the factory is used in Paint, plastics, coatings, Inks and toothpaste, but because of recession, less of these products are being purchased.

This is an example of recession striking a large business, though the credit crunch is affecting many other companies, and not just here in the UK, but worldwide.

Courtney, BBC School Report Journalist

Abortion Adds Overload

Emotions have been brought to the surface as Abortion advertisements have been set to reach the television for the first time. As well as abortion information, condom manufacturers will also be able to advertise freely. It has been brought to my attention that condom manufacturers are already able to advertise however, with the restriction of after the 9:00pm watershed 7:30pm was the cut off line
for channel 4.

A secondary school teacher had this to say; "I think it's a bad idea to advertise abortion clinics on TV because it’s just saying don't worry about the consequences of your actions, something will be sorted out. It is not really sorting out safe values for the younger generation".

Another person interviewed was a 13 year old boy. These are his views; "I think they are wrong because it is encouraging women to have an abortion, maybe if they don't want to. Also, it is confusing their mind when a pregnancy can be a very hard time".

The last person interviewed was a 12 year old female. Here is the interview; "I don’t think they should advertise abortion clinics. People are aware of the clinics, there is an age of which you should start learning about it and before 9:00pm in a household is not acceptable".

I think the advertisements should be shown, but to a certain extent. Promoting it is acceptable to have unprotected sex with the option to abort straight after, I feel should most certainly be turned down. However, simply telling the public there is a place for friendly support if needed is something no one should have a problem with.

Agony Aunt Ashlie

Your problems, Ashlie's answers.

David (13).
My girlfriend and I have been together for 2 months. Whenever I invite her somewhere, she makes up silly excuses, saying she can't come. I don't know what to do?

It seems that you have to make all the effort with your girlfriend. You should ask her why she keeps making excuses, because it is not fair on you. It's not fair that you only see each other at school; you should see each other at weekends too as it will make the relationship stronger sacrificing your time for each other. My advice is; talk to her, and tell her how you feel. If she doesn't want to be with you anymore, she should tell you straight up, instead of leading you on like this.

Rebecca (14).
I have been with my boyfriend for a year and we have a great time together. Though the arguments are getting more frequent, and I don't know if I still want to be with him or if he loves me anymore. If I do want to leave him, how do I say it?

Well first, you need to make your mind up. Do you want to stay with your boyfriend, and try and sort the arguments out, or do you want to just be friends. Arguments between couples this age are usually just simple problems that can be solved, and if you're having a great time together, I don't see why you should throw it all away. If you do want to leave your boyfriend, texting, emailing or instant messaging are all instant no-no's, especially since you've been with each other for a year. Calling or even better talking face-to-face is the way to do it.

Richard (14).
I think I am gay. I don't seem to have any feelings towards girls, and I am more attracted to men. I'm not like all of my friends, they all have girlfriends or fancy someone and I don't. I feel lonely and I don’t know who to talk to?

Just because you don't fancy girls, doesn't mean you are gay. Many boys AND girls at your age, feel the same too. Boys go through different stages in their teenage years; some are attracted to females, some are not. Give it time. If you need to open up to anyone, this should be a family member or even a friend. You shouldn't feel embarrassed about this issue, talking about it, will extremely help you. Being gay is perfectly normal, don't be ashamed.

Jessica (13).
My emotions are swapping all over the place. This has been happening for a few months now. One minute I’m happy, next I'm really upset. I don't know why. I'm falling out with my mum and my friends, and I just can’t stop. Please help!

This is your hormones. It is perfectly normal, don't worry about it, you'll face many problems like this in this time of your life. Just explain to your mum, the way in which your hormones are controlling you, and ask her not to get upset with you for it. I'm sure she will understand, and so will your friends. Its fine to be upset at times, everyone is.

Ashlie (13), BBC School Report Journalist

Women's Winning Ways End Woes

England has finally won something in the cricket, and unsurprisingly, it's not Andrew Strauss and his disgruntled team that have. The female cricket team won their third world cup in a thrilling four wicket win over New Zealand at the north Sydney oval.

The opening partnership of Taylor and Atkins got England on their way, Atkins top scoring with 40. There was a point in the match when the match seemed to be swinging the Kiwis' way as England collapsed from 74-1 to 149-5. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th wicket going for only 13 runs but England recovered with 17 from Shaw.

There were joyful, tearful scenes as Colvin smashed the winning run past the boundary. Nicki Shaw, a late replacement for Jenny Gunn was a surprise hero, gaining four wickets in the bowling attack. Lucy Doolan was undoubtedly the losing sides' star taking 3 crucial wickets in the early stages.

Captain Charlotte Edwards hailed her team's efforts throughout the tournament but admitted feel jittery after her team lost 5 wickets for 40 runs midway through chasing the runs. The coach, Mark lane, was extremely proud of his team and ecstatic his team peaked at the right time.

So despite me being male, I feel I will follow the Women's cricket team as they go into the world Twenty20 cup on home soil, and yes I admit it, probably more than the male team.

Harry (13), BBC School Report Journalist

Over Pampered Pets

If you have a pet yourself you will know how big the responsibility is. You have to play with them, care for them, and of course feed them so they can be fit and healthy. We associate animal cruelty with abandoning pets, and not bothering to care for them. There is now a new kind of animal cruelty, and it's caused by pet owners being too kind to their pets.

Pet's bodies work the same way as humans. If you give them a healthy, balanced diet then they will feel and look healthy. If you overfeed them then they will become fatter. This is the crisis that is happening to pets, mainly cats and dogs.

can be hard to resist those puppy dog eyes that stare up at you from underneath the kitchen table, but by reducing the amount of treats that you give to your pets, they will be much happier.

The main problem is feeding pets what may be alright for our bodies but not necessarily your pets. Stop and think before you feed your pets. Their health, and lives, are in your hands.

These animals are carrying extra weight with them, therefore restricting there activity in their day to day lives. Because of the strain it is putting on there legs and even their heart, it forces them to become lazy therefore it becomes almost impossible to lose the weight.

So is allowing your pets to become obese a form of cruelty? Are we killing our pets with kindness? Or is being more cruel the new kind? Remember: Reduce your temptation, Increase your pet's life.

This cat is in serious danger of dying early, just because of its weight issues.

Courtney (13), BBC School Report Journalist

Should Whales Be Killed After Being Washed Up?

In this report we are going to be talking about whether whales should be killed whilst they have been washed up, or not.

More than 60 whales and bottlenose dolphins have died after being washed up on beaches in southern Australia.

The Japanese insist on killing the whales for frozen whale meat. They have at least 5000 tonnes of it but nobody seems to be eating it! Also they are killed to take tissue samples.

Vets have shot the last three groups of whales after being stranded on the western coast of Australia for the second time. They said there was no hope to save their lives so it was for the best.

The six long-finned pilot whales, three of which died before rescuers could reach them, were part of a pod of 10 that rescuers guided back out to sea on Tuesday.

Research has shown that most beached whales in Britain have fatal damage to their internal organs. This means that even if people put them back into the sea they will still die.

Animal rescue groups claimed that stranded whales should be humanely killed rather than rescued. A group of British charities, led by the RSPCA, said attempts to save beached whales cause 'horrendous' suffering and do more harm than good. The move follows new evidence that the whales have 'little or no chance' of survival once they are trapped on the shore or in shallow waters.

Most stranded whales have already endured weeks of dehydration, hunger and stress. Once they are out of water they suffer hours of painful muscle damage and kidney failure. Out of more than 50 whale stranding in Britain between 2002 and 2006, not one whale survived. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals acknowledged that its new policy was controversial - but said it had to put the welfare of whales first. Science officer Adam Grogan said: ‘Each case will be assessed as an individual, but the presumption will probably be that the animals are euthanized unless we have a very good reason not to.' Below are some comments of what people think about whales being washed up then killed;

Lois (12), Aimee (11) and Millie (11) - They shouldn't be killed because soon they will become extinct and an endangered species.

Courteney (12) and Georgia (12) - We think it is horrible to kill them and that they have the right to live.

Luke (12) - If possible I think they should be put back onto they sea, however if they are ill and going to die then it will save them pain and stress. Sometimes killing them is for the best.

Andee (11) - I think if they are in a decent condition then they should be put back into the sea, but if not then kill them.

Matthew (12) - I think it is cruel unless they are going to die.

Josh (12) - I think if they are hurt then they should be cared for if not they should be put back into the sea.

Us (Lauren and Emma) (12) - We think it is unfair because if the people who killed them were put in a similar situation they wouldn't like it. It is cruel and before we know they will be extinct.

This is a picture of one of the many whales which has been stranded and then killed:

Here is a picture of hundreds of dead whales laid out on the coast of Australia:

Lauren and Emma (12), BBC School Report Journalists

Social Network

People all over the country aged 11-17 are using social internet sites such as: 'Myspace', ‘Bebo’, ‘Facebook’, and ‘Twitter’. The children will put personal information on their profile page like, name(s), age, and address. They also will put personal photos of them and their family or friends. Which anyone can easily look at there profile page. We asked children from Tollbar BEC on their opinions on the social sites and if any pupils used them. Here are some opinions

Georgia aged 12, “It’s dangerous because, all sorts of people can access personal information. I think children should be more educated on online safety.”

Emma aged 12, “I think it is good because it is a way of communication, but it can also cause bullying.”

Lauren aged 12, “I think it is good because you can get in touch with people you want but it can be bad because someone could end up pretending to be someone you don’t know.”

Millie aged 11, “I think social networking systems are a good way of communicating with your friends, although people can hack into your account and some people may be pretending to be someone they're not.”

Lois aged 12, “They are great ideas but some people don’t use it safely. As long as you’re sensible, then this is a good way to chat to friends.”

Aimee aged 11, “I think that they are good ways of communication but could get a virus from the other people and you may not know them. They are good and bad.”

In my opinion, I think children should all be legally taught about online safety and social networks should be allowed if children behave appropriately. I also think there should be two types of social networks, one for adults and one for children. Would you trust your children to behave correctly on social networks, or not?

Courteney, BBC School report Journalist

How Would Today's Students Improve Schools?

How would children improve on today’s schools if they had the chance? Would they change the facilities available and lessons? Antony Gormley (Sculptor) Said ‘I should have done more cooking at school. Making things should be a key part of the curriculum.’ Deborah Bull (Ballet Dancer) said: ‘I wish I had been taught home technology. DVD players are a still a foreign language to me.’ Anish Kapoor (Sculptor) : I wish I had been taught about opera at school - or even what it was. Learning about high culture is the greatest gift a child can be given.’

But although children could have a more rounded education, they still need intensive work on the main subjects, in order to pass their GCSE’s and A-Levels.

I interviewed children aged 11-12 on their views on schools:

Shakeela Aged 12: ‘At school I would like to learn how to fix household items so I know how to use them around the home.’

Daisy Aged 11: ‘For my benefit, I would like to know how to care for animals and people and to do everyday tasks.’

Courteney Aged 12: ‘I would like to learn more languages like Turkish and German. I think it would help students to interact and learn more about culture.’

Food Technology used to be a main subject a decade ago and is slowly making its way back into the modern schools of today. It prepares children for later life as parents or owning a house.

In my opinion, children should be allowed to debate what they would like to at schools but should still be taught the main subjects.

So children should have the right to chose what they would like to do. It might make them more enthusiastic about school and the lessons.

Georgia, BBC School Report Journalist

Global Warming - The Real Problems And Solutions

Global warming is one of the biggest problems of our generation and probably for many generations to come, so the sooner we can get back on track the better.

For those who don’t understand the huge effect of global warming ill put it simply, the planet is getting hotter. This may seem like a great thing but trust me its not.

The hotter the planet gets the quicker the ice caps will melt and the quicker sea level will rise. For some countries the results will be devastating, they’ll be completely under water before this century is out.

Some people believe that there’s nothing we can do now, that it’s too little to late. That’s not true, anything we can do to change the fate of the planet is worth trying.

It appears that we’ve come out of an ice age and gone into a plastic one. Supermarkets are wasting thousands of tonnes of plastic every week, it can’t even be recycled. Excess packaging is a scandal.

We should have these problems in the bag but it isn’t going so well. If supermarkets reduced their waste by using only recyclable plastic or use maize bags & packaging (Maize is an all natural material that is not harmful to the environment.) that would make a huge contribution to the solution.

I think the best solution to this would be to fine supermarket for unnecessary waste so they would make sure to cut down.

Another problem is that not enough people use enough sustainable fuel. The fuels that are being used at the minute are all natural fuels and take millions of years to be made so we cannot get them back quickly enough. The increase in demand for wood burning stoves last winter has fuelled the debate regarding the use of renewable energy sources.

Solar power and power from the sea are alternative ways of collecting energy, sea power being one of the ideas being explored at the moment. Scientists believe it is not being used to its full potential.

These are just a few ways to save our planet. Now it's down to all of use to do our bit for future generations, to make sure there is still a planet left for them to live on.

SOS-Save Our Seals!

Once again, Canada’s annual seal cull is approaching, but not everybody’s happy. Seal culls are events where poachers can freely kill seals, just for pleasure. In these events, up to 280, 000 innocent seals can be mauled to death, so animal rights protesters are expected to lead a protest at the beginning of the event.

The Canadian government allow people to kill seals, because they claim it will let people make money from the animal’s oil and fur. The Canadian authorities say that the animals are killed quickly by either a blow over the head or shot, although the Animal Rights say this is cruel, and are hoping to place a ban on importing the goods into Europe. So far, America, Belgium and the Netherlands already have a ban for seal products. However, seals are still getting killed in the seal cull, so even with the ban, seals could go extinct.

Back here in England, we love seals, so we have a special seal sanctuary where you can freely visit the seals. We also have a special seal sanctuary in Skegness, where seals are kept in captivity, where they get released back into the wild when they are old enough. Back in Skegness, they also treat injured seals, which is vital if seals are expected to pull through.

Here is what other people think of seal culls:

Emma, 12, “I think killing seals is wrong because it’s unfair and they should be able to live.”

Lauren, 12, “I don’t think it’s very nice to kill the seals as people wouldn't like it if it happened to them.”

Josh, 12, “Aww. It’s really cruel, I mean, they’re a living creature. They should deserve a life.”

Although the Canadian government say it’s alright to kill seals, although the people we interviewed strongly disagreed. I think we should stop seal culls.

The future of the seals depends on us.

Small seals like this one are big targets for seal poachers.

Millie, Aimee and Lois BBC School Report Journalists

How Do You Survive Two Atomic Bombs?

Tsutomu Yamaguchi miraculously survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

This lucky man must have a guardian angel as he has survived two nuclear bombings within one week in 1945.

His first attack happened in Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945. He then found him self in another moment of hell when he went on a train back to his home in Nagasaki.

Even though he was 3km (under two miles) from the blast point he still suffered severe injuries. It destroyed his left eardrum and inflicted agonising burns over his top half of his body. He then dared a huge amount of radiation to go into the heart of Hiroshima to catch a train home to Nagasaki.

Two days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing 70,000 people. Again Yamaguchi was 3km away from the blast when he was telling his boss how he’d just survived the bomb in Hiroshima. He said “ I thought the mushroom cloud had followed me from Hiroshima.”

At the ripe old age of 93 he is slowly dying of cancer probably from the atomic bombs. For many years he was in horrific pain and until his daughter was 12 he had to wear bandages for his skin burns and he went completely bald. Both his son and his wife died from cancer and his daughter in his words has been “sickly.”

Yamaguchi says “How can they make these horrible weapons, they do not realise the pain and destruction that they cause.”

Luke, BBC School Report Journalist

The Premier League Title Race

"Manchester United are still favourites" admits Liverpool captain, Gerrard.

Despite, losing 4-1 to their title rivals, Liverpool, Manchester United are still favourites to win the Premier League title for the third time in a row. However, after Manchester United losing to Fulham 2-0, Liverpool are catching up with United just a point ahead and a game in hand.

Liverpool’s fixtures are mainly against teams in the bottom half of the table but still have to play Arsenal. United’s fixtures mainly include teams in the top half and they have still got to play Aston Villa and Arsenal who are in 4th and 5th place.

I think that Manchester United will win the title because they always are strong at this time in the season and have capable players. The fact that they had two players sent off during the Fulham defeat will not help their title chances.

Matthew (11), BBC School Report Journalist

African Elephants May Be Extinct By 2020

African elephants may be extinct by 2020, said Samuel Wasser, a biology professor, due to high rates of poaching in Africa. African elephants are being killed for their tusks at a growing rate since the international ban on the ivory trade in 1989. Wasser also states that most people are blind to this problem, and more needs to be done to protect them.

Eight percent of elephants in Africa are killed per year due to poaching.

The most recent survey (1st August 2008) shows that less than 470,000 African elephants remain on the whole Earth - this may seem like a lot, but when you consider that there’s 6 billion humans on the Earth, it’s not.

Elephants can be just like us humans!

But it looks like hunters are targeting certain areas, so we can help the African elephants. The problem is, to do this, we need a lot of funding to make this work, and as mentioned before, nobody seems to notice this problem. At the moment, this looks impossible. That’s where we humans come in.

There are many places and websites where you can adopt, sponsor and donate to African elephants. If we want the future generations to see and understand about African elephants, we need to help these beautiful animals. Help the African elephants - make them more than just a memory.

We interviewed some people about their views on African elephants:

Martha (12) - They should have stopped poaching a long time ago, they should kill the poachers. It's cruel to kill the elephants because they haven’t done anything to you. Just because they have pretty tusks!

Courtney and Georgia (12) -
It's very sad.
Yeah it’'s not really fair on the elephants.
Yeah. Like I said, it's very sad.
It's unfair.

An elephant tucking into lunch!

Lois, Aimee and Millie BBC School Report Journalists

Lance May Miss Chance

7-time Tour de France winning cyclist Lance Armstrong has suffered a major, and potentially fatal comeback blow after breaking his collar bone whilst cycling in a race in Spain. He had an x-ray at a hospital in Vallolid and this proved his worse fears. The 37 year old American arrived home on Tuesday night looking very distressed and concerned.

Armstrong has been very successful during his career, winning overseas sports personality of the year 2003, ESPN’S best athlete for 4 years in a row and a Prince of Asturias award In Sports in 2000.

He is well known over the globe for his cycling feats and world record smashing. He originally retired after the 2005 tour de France, later to return.

Most broken collarbones restrict cycling for four weeks and stop his training for the three week Giro D’Italia. Tragically, in 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer which quickly spread to his lungs, brain and abdomen. He had surgery and a below 50% chance of survival but incredibly did. So now his latest, and hopefully not fatal, injury is threatening to dent his hope to win the 2009 Tour de France. Hopefully, he’ll be back on the bike and raising arms in joy, rather than despair.

Harry (13), BBC School Report Journalist

Dramas & Soaps - Do They Give A True Reflection?

In our current time, TV is bombarded with dramas and soaps, with their heart-breaking storylines, and arguments. But the question is, is it a true reflection on real life? Waterloo Road is a superb drama on BBC1, it entices the viewers with the great acting to the mouth-watering plots, however does it give people the wrong idea on youth nowadays. With storylines like, kids getting a boob job to be like models and being tricked into taking pills to get you to improve at a sport. It, perhaps, gives people the wrong impression, makes people think this is how the youth of today really is. It is understandable, that sometimes things like this happen in life, and it is only a drama on TV, it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. But whether this ongoing saga of terrible things would happen within a school, may not quite be a true reflection.

Soaps like Eastenders and Coronation Street are watched by millions every day, some episodes watched by over 10 million people. But, once again, the question is, is this really a true reflection of every day life. Currently in Eastenders, viewers are glued to the screen, as a character, Danielle, would like to tell Ronnie that she is Ronnie’s daughter, whilst Archie who is related to Ronnie, is getting married to Peggy, but Archie has a plan in store. Within one family, there are 4 or 5 dilemmas occurring. Is life really this dramatic? Kids watch these soaps; will they want to be like the soap celebs that they see on their TV’s almost every night?

Your Opinion:

I interviewed a teacher at the school, Mrs Berry, to see what she thought of the issue:

Do you think that these stories reflect real life? I think they exaggerate parts, for example, I’m not sure whether things that happen on Waterloo Road would actually happen in schools. However, the programmes are very entertaining and make good watching. And, some of the characters may portray real life characters.

Do you buy into these programmes and actually believe that they are real? I treat it just as pure entertainment, really.

I also interviewed a girl called Laura, aged 13, to get a younger view on this:

Do you think that these programmes such as Eastenders are very real? I don’t think some of the stories are very real.

Sometimes there are storylines were there are 3 terrible things going in within one family, do you think this would happen? I doubt it if this would really happen, but I guess it could happen, its just unlikely?

Do you believe these programmes you watch or do you just simply enjoy them for the entertainment? I do mainly watch it just for entertainment, but you find it hard to follow if there is a storyline that just wouldn’t happen.

Rob (12), BBC School Report Journalist

Eating Disorders: Obesity and Anorexia

Teenagers around the world are either counting calories or taking too many trips to McDonalds. In the current world, the U.S is number one for a country with the highest obesity rate for over 15’s followed by Mexico and the UK. This is the cause of premature death.

With a vast variety of fast food restaurants and modern technology such as computers and televisions children are not getting a healthy diet and lots exercise. Obesity is caused by an over consumption of sugary foods and ‘fatty foods’ such as chocolate and cakes. Obesity is associated with various dieses and cancer.

On the other hand anorexia is another extreme body weight. Teenagers are starving themselves in order to look like their favourite celebrities. A person suffering with anorexia may have these symptoms: Dry Skin, Creaking Bones and Joints, Chapped lips, thinning of the hair and constantly feeling cold. It takes months for a person to recover from anorexia.

People should me more educated on obesity and anorexia awareness. It helps a lot of young teenagers understand the consequences of extreme dieting or consumption.

An interview with Courteney Aged 12: I think if a person is obese or anorexic, they should see a doctor immediately to get their lives back on track.’

So in conclusion, I think everyone should be happy with their body size and people should be educated on the importance of exercise.

Georgia, BBC School Report Journalist

Size 0

Size 0 is a woman’s clothing size in the US catalog system. A lot of celebrities are taking the system on board such as Victoria Beckham, Karen Carpenter, Kareena Kapoor and many more. It is very unhealthy for your body and teenagers all over the world are inspired by the celebrities doing this. Here are some thoughts about size 0.

Georgia aged 12, “I think it is very over rated and there are much more important things in life.”

Millie aged 11, “People are starving themselves to make them look better, but I think they are making themselves look awful.”

Lois aged 12, “I think it is bad for your body, but I suppose it is up to yourself if you want to starve yourself.”

Emma aged 12, “It is not very nice, and it is too skinny,”

In my opinion, size 0 should be banned. It is awful to look at and I don’t know how people cope. Healthier looking bodies are so much nicer to look at with a natural glow.

The dangers of a size 0, you could end up looking like this. Not very happy, or happy.

Courteney, BBC School Report Journalist

Gordon Brown Is On A Three Continental Your To Help Save The Worlds Economic Crisis.

Gordon Brown is heading to Brazil to talk to their President, Luiz Inacio da Silva.

In New York earlier Mr Brown urged the leaders to take action and reform the banking system, protect people's jobs and help countries that are poor.

Gordon Brown has said, "Doing nothing is simply Not the option." He also said, "We need strong growth and recovery."

And due to the Global downturn over 100 million people have been pushed in to poverty and we need to help those people.

Nick Robinson, BBC Politic Editor, said, "Mr Brown believes that they can be no conversation about economic is possible without including the worlds ninth largest economy.

Mr Brown's last place on his triple continental trip will be Chile after Brazil.

Governor of Bank of England, President Barack Obama and Gordon Brown all disagree with each other. In my opinion they all need to come to a final decision.

Gordon Brown also wants wealthy countries to step in and help make the economy right again. Although Barack Obama wants each country to help put in money instead of just using wealthy country. Meanwhile, Luiz Inacio da Silva says that the plans are just a "way to hell." Gordon Brown carries on injecting more borrowed money in to the economy.

If the three don't come to a final decision then nothing will get done and things will just get worse. Everyday more and more people are losing their jobs.

Joshua, BBC School Report Journalist

Record Smasher 130 Years Old

129 year old Sakhan Dosova turns 130 this week about to smash the record for the oldest person in the world.

Sakhan Dosova was born in 1879. A nun with ten children and an incredible record for the oldest person in the world. Tomorrow (Friday 27th March 2009) she will celebrate her record breaking 130th birthday.

The secret to her success is that she has never eaten sweets nor visited a doctor. This incredible spectacle can show us that we should try to eat better food, live in a clean and healthy environment and enjoy life while you can. Obviously the clean native northern Kazakhstan air and her great sense of humour has kept her going these tough 129 years.

Facts

  • She was born the on the same year as Stalin and Einstein were born.
  • She was ten when Hitler was born.
  • When Lenin led the Russian Revolution she was thirty eight.
  • She reached retirement age at 60, the year the second world war began.

I think Dosova is a great role model that many of us should look up to and follow her healthy ways. She must be a great person as her good sense of humour drives her on. Many of us 'not so healthy people' should take a leaf out of her book.

Sakhan Dosova is soon to celebrate her 130th birthday.

Luke, BBC School Report Journalist

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