5.3.17

G.L.O.V.E.

Knackered, overworked and loaded with mounds of homework, I staggered into the lift too tired to take the stairs. As bad as the day had already been, on top of that the lift got stuck mid way. Hysterically I punched every possible number on the display and suddenly the cart plummeted. As the doors opened there was a strange capsule directly in front of me. I cautiously made my way inside step by step and suddenly the hatch closed abruptly, the capsule lurching forward. It came to a sudden halt and the hatch opened.

An ear-piercing alarm sounded “Intruder alert, code red, I repeat code red.” Then suddenly countless uniforms slammed me to the ground. I awoke in a sterile room, slumped on a hard stool, the only other pieces of furniture were a stool with a table opposite me.

The door swished open as a smartly dressed woman appeared in the doorway giving me a cold stare as she marched toward the other stool. A file slammed onto the table in front of me. “Now, Mr Francis Watson, born 2000 at 0700 hours July seventh. Parents work at the EU, one mother in cyber security and the other in media.”, she read from the file. How did she know all this? “What is this place?” I asked scared to my core. “You are at G.L.O.V.E also known as Group, lex, ordo, verum, ebire. We are a secret organisation working to protect the law and order of the EU and it’s executives.” “Look I shouldn’t be here.” I responded."Actually all of this was orchestrated to get you here, you see we believe that coincidences do not exist."

"You have two choices either you can forget this ever happened or you can work for us.” “Get me out of here.” “Well why don’t you listen to our proposal. We have our suspicions about someone in your school, the European School of Brussels II“ “Oh you mean EEB2.” “Yes. We need you to be our eyes and ears. We have credible information that someone will attempt to assassinate the President of the EU. We believe that the suspect is either an authority figure or a student in 6th or 7th  year.” I thought about it for a while and asked: “If I were to agree hypothetically, would I get gadgets? “ “Now you are not 007 but never the less you will be provided with a wrist communication device and your glasses will be fitted with a camera which will send information to our monitoring system.” “Do I have to tell my parents?” “No, of course not, if you decide to work for us you will have a higher clearance level than your father.” “Okay, may I think about it?” “No, we have to know your answer before you leave the premises." "Oh, okay"  "Before you make your decision I want you to meet my boss." 


As the door swished open I heard a familiar voice saying ”Hello Francis.” I knew immediately who had just walked through the door as I felt my face go red from embarrassment. Out of shock I shouted out “Mummy, what how even-“ “Francis Alistair Peter John Watson I had you pegged for this job your whole life.” “But-but you-are a se-secretary at cy-cyber-security.” “Well that is partially correct just that I’m the head of G.L.O.V.E. Now it's decision time.” I probably looked like a tomato but never the less I had an odd feeling that agreeing to work for them would be the right decision ”Yes I will work for you.” “Good there is a lot you need to learn so we better get started. Allis take him to the Dojo and then he has to take the TEST.” “Yes ma'am, right away.” What did I just agree to?

By Tristan Francis Watson Brown
1.3.17

How Donald Trump Got Elected - Or How the Neoliberal Moderate Left Led to America's Downfall

In the past few months, all the way through the American presidential elections, the world has been shocked by one man: Donald Trump. How a racist, xenophobe, wall-preaching so-called businessman, who has gone bankrupt a staggering four times, managed to become the leader of the free world is a question people all over the world have been asking themselves ever since the last ballots were drawn. 


17.2.17

How technology is changing our lives

Thousands of years ago early humans were already using technology to hunt, gather and harvest crops. Since those very first spears and axes, technology has developed very far. Today we live in a world where information travels almost instantly across the Earth. We are in a place where people can travel faster than the speed of sound and where we keep discovering new things and new ways to improve. 

New technology startups are being formed everyday and revolutionary technologies are being developed faster than ever before. Facebook recently bought the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset for two billion dollars after it had been a startup for only a short period of time. Google is building driverless cars which means that future generations may never need to learn to drive. Other companies like Tesla have developed electric sports cars that can go 270 miles in one charge.
Anyone can make a successful startup with a good idea and some hard work.  Well, no you need to be very lucky. You need to be able to betray your close friends and lie straight to peoples faces. You need to be willing to do many things to get your idea out there. Whether it includes sleepless nights or not spending any time with your friends and family, that is all part of the pack. With more and more technological advances it has become increasingly difficult to succeed. 


8.2.17

The Silent Train


The man hurried up the steps, slightly breathless. Just minutes before he had taken a

glance at the clock and realised he would miss his train with his slow pace. The platform

was empty, but he did not think much of it. It was only seven in the morning on a Saturday,

was it not? His hurrying paid off, for the train arrived exactly on time, as if called by the

man.




He stepped into the clean and modern train and made himself comfortable in a seat.

The long train seemed to stretch to infinity with all its identical, silent seats. He did feel a bit

lonely in the empty train, but it could not be helped. His station was the first on the

trajectory. This wasn’t his first ride deprived of company.
7.2.17

Experience as a volunteer in India

This summer I had one of the best experiences of my life. I participated in a solitary project in India.