Issue 3 Fear

Dear reader,
You may have heard about the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and
we feel strongly that they were an attack against freedom of speech,
liberty and the right to have a voice. Satirical comedy by its very nature
is meant to challenge and confront the status quo and, therefore, the
purpose of the gunmen was to silence those who, in their opinion, were
shouting too loudly.
As an outlet for those who have something to say we, at Snippet, would
like to show our support to the ‘je suis Charlie’ campaign and to our
neighbours in France because any unjustified attack on the media is a
passive attack on us and our shared values of free speech and democracy.
Unfortunately for the gunmen, the world was not prepared to let this
heinous act go unnoticed and the considerable response from publishers
around the world was met by millions of individuals who felt the
need to say their own piece by taking to the streets in reflective and
peaceful protest.
Everybody should have the right to have a voice.
We are Charlie.

Current Affairs: Space Exploration… Is It Worth It?.............
Butterfly Poem……………………………………………………………………………
Freedom and Liberty……………………………………………………………….
Poem: Fearful.......................................................................................
Wreck Diving.......................................................................................
Debate: Is Fear Good or Bad?.....................................................
Freaky Dingbats..................................................................................
Dingbat Answers...............................................................................
Fear: This Calls For a Scary Story................................................
Autumn and Winter Bucket List................................................
Book Review.........................................................................................
Pantophobia.........................................................................................
Beats and Blockbusters....................................................................
Media and Technology: Slenderman.......................................
Science: Breakthrough Surgery Saves Man’s Hand...........
A Day in the Life of a Vegetarian Vampire............................
Cinophobia...........................................................................................
What’s Around The Corner?........................................................
Pointless Page: Abnormal Fears…………………………………………...
Sports Infographic: How to Win the Premier League……
Sports: Time For a Change…………………………………………………….
The Cut…………………………………………………………………………………….....
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Space exploration…
Is it worth it?
On Friday the 31st of escape by parachuting to safety.
October the first SpaceShipTwo US investigators say it
exploded mid-air in a horrible crashed due to the failed tail
accident.
boost when the “feathering”
There were two people in system, created to increase
the spacecraft at the time: a drag and ensure a smooth
pilot named Peter Siebold and a downfall, was activated too
co-pilot named Michael early and too slowly. The speed
Alsbury. Of the two, only one at which the “feathering”
survived. After the tragic system was supposed to be
accident Peter Siebold was used was Mach 1.4, however it
declared dead, however was supposedly activated at
Michael Alsbury managed to Mach 1. This meant that, as the
The awful disaster killed Peter Siebold this Halloween.

DEFINITIONS:
Mach is a measurement used
to show the ratio of the
speed of an object relative to
the speed of sound for the
fluid it is in. It can be written
as Ma or M.
Fluid is a term used to mean
a substance that can be
poured or that can flow for
example water or air.
tail boost was activated too
early, the Space Plane
ultimately exploded due to
the lack of speed.
Overall, the crash has
only delayed the project of
space exploration by around
six months and has had no
major effect on the sales of
the tickets. As few as 20 of
the 700 tickets were
refunded. That is only
around 3% of all that were
sold.
So, after such a long
wait for space tourism, it
turns out we will have to
wait even longer as a result
of the crash. Despite the
fact that testing any new
form of transport carries
risks (as this case shows), a
successful test can be a
move in the right direction.
Every step, no matter how
small or inconvenient, is a
step forward. Thus, if you
were to ask me, “was it
worth it?”, my answer would
be a resounding yes; the
universe is our future…
Richard Branson says the British
coverage of the crash was “the
British press at it’s worst”.

I bless thy bed of a butterfly’s wings,
that they may carry you safely.
Away, away on a summer’s wind,
to your new found haven.
Their strength, their courage, their undying love,
will shepherd you into the sunset.
Like the passing of peace by a dove,
you will slumber at rest.
The still skies above and
the great oceans below.
Nothing will slow you, nothing but love;
the passionate calls urging you into your heaven.
Think of me dear when you see,
my carrier, guardian and guide to me,
a beautiful butterfly flying free,
fluttering into the sunset.

Freedom and Liberty
The world is calm, the early morning breeze
Brushing past my ears, the morning sun rising into the clear sky,
A vast golden orb, alight,
I watch, as the streets, flooded in a stampede of shoppers, a normal day
Unaware of life without freedom, democracy, things we take for granted
A privilege many still don’t have. They live a life of fear and insecurity
The pain, anguish, torment caused by various afflictions;
No Freedom to speak your mind
To live or die,
To laugh or cry
No Freedom to talk,
No Freedom to walk
No Freedom to live in peace,
To eat, sleep, to freedom to play,
No freedom to be who you want to be
Who you should be, who you need to be,
yourself.
The once calm world, frozen in time,
In a single moment.
The world is still, that sort of deadly calm you experience
After a deadly and evil moment.

Flinching,
Shaking,
Trembling,
Scuttling,
Pupils dilated,
The shrinking of height,
Body slumping;
Burning tears that screamed their painful way down my icy cheeks.
Fear is irrational,
Ridiculous,
Ludicrous,
A frivolous weakness that should never be indulged in.
And yet…
Fear is malicious;
The laughter that creeps its way along the darkened corridor,
The scratches,
The silent tears,
That night when you walk in darkness alone and hear a noise behind you.
I couldn’t run;
Fear is impulsive,
Inescapable…

Wreck diving is where a group of divers visits a wreck. The wreck can
either be purposefully or accidentally sunk. In a wreck dive, divers can
then either stay outside of the wreck or enter the wreck: This is known as
a penetration dive and requires special equipment and training. Wrecks
can be anything from helicopters to submarines, cars to planes. They can
be any size or depth, ranging from massive Naval Battleships to small inflatables.
Each wreck has its highlights and artefacts. However, divers are
discouraged from removing these. There are two reasons for this:
1) It makes the wreck less interesting
2) Archaeologists may want to research these.
PADI offers a wreck diving speciality course. To take this course the
diver needs to be 15 years old and an ‘adventure diver’. To reach ‘adventure
diver’ status the participant needs to have completed their open water
training and then made three additional adventure dives. These dives can
be picked from a list of 16. This includes Deep, Fish ID, Search and Recovery
and Night.
There are many risks involved in wreck diving. Many of them can
cause severe injuries or even death. One of the most common risks is
DCS, also known as ‘The Bends’, in which nitrogen, which is not used in
the body, is not given the chance to escape from the body. To prevent DCS
a diver performs a safety stop at 5 meters for 3 minutes. This allows nitrogen
to leave the body.
Another common problem is running out of air. To prevent this, the
diver will carry a bottle that they attach to their tank and if they run out of
air they use the smaller tank. Another way to receive emergency air is for
the to swim to their buddy and
breath using their alternative
air source. A buddy will have a
yellow hose so it is easily located.
Also when wreck diving, a
diver can cut them self on the
wreck. This problem is easily
avoided by wearing heavy duty
gloves.
Nature colonises underwater wrecks.

Fear:
Good
or
Bad?
Nobody likes being scared. Neither the stomach-churning stab of a
startling surprise nor the festering stench of a lingering worry is
very appealing. So why bother writing a debate that argues for (and
against) a sickening, negative emotion that can not only can reduce
grown men to tears but can also hold back the most ambitious, capable
people from doing what they love, merely for fear of failure.
Why would anyone defend this?
One of the main arguments for keeping fear is that it stops us from doing
stupid, life threatening things that we would be doing if we were not
scared of them, but I think that if we couldn’t feel fear, we would still be
able to use our logic to assess and avoid a dangerous situation. For example,
I’m sure that someone may still be able to a work out that an
open flame is dangerous, and despite the fact they would not actually be
scared of it, they would still be able to realise that it has the potential to
cause pain which is bad and thus should be avoided.
Fear is definitely a vital emotion. It protects us from making mistakes
that put our well being at risk, both immediately and in the future.
Whether it’s choosing to take a taxi late at night rather than
walking down potentially dangerous route, or wearing oven gloves
when getting something out of the oven instead of risking burnt fingers,
it’s a useful mechanism.
Fear is a very good motivator as well. Yes, we all hate worrying
about our overflowing homework schedules, or stressing about the
revision you have to do for that terrifying test, but doesn’t it push
you to just bite the bullet and get it done?

Also, here simply we must understand the difference between understanding
things that could potentially hurt us and is the only thing that makes
us being scared of harmless things.
People love horror films at Halloween, sleepovers or at the cinema. They
are an integral part of the movie industry and of our culture, without fear,
they are no longer enjoyable.
I agree that fear cannot logically calculate outcomes of situations, but it
causes the person to want to aim to the potential pain the outcome might
cause. The avoidance of pain is through fear, and we would not be so
cautious around dangerous things if we did not fear them.
Don’t look at fear as something that merely makes us avoid
unpleasant, but known, outcomes, but also as something that protects us
from things we don’t know. It’s all very well being scared of fire because we
already know it will hurt us, but this is a different kind of fear from what
makes so many scared of the dark. The unknown nothingness is so
terrifying because it is just that, unknown.
Fear holds us back, not only as individuals but also as a society.
Maturing and growing up into functional adults is not only stressful, but
terrifying. So many people spend their lives stuck in careers they hate,
merely because they were too frightened to pursue the pathway that they
were destined to. Have the most successful people in today’s society
climbed the career ladder because they are the best qualified for their jobs
or just because they are able to ignore the fears that hold back so many
others?
Let’s look at the long-term effects of being scared. Small children that
are exposed to things that frighten them may be scarred for life, and posttraumatic
stress disorder is just one mental health issue brought on by
fear. Constant worry can lead to anxiety and depression. How can you
think fear is a good thing after all the pain it causes people?
Whether you think fear is necessary or not, we are
stuck with it, so our only options are to feel it, and
face it anyway.

1. Wish Upon a Star
2. Over My Dead Body
3. Alice Through The Looking Glass
4. First Aid
5. High Priest
6. Three Wise Men
7. Four Wheel Drive
8. Holy Water
9. Hot Water Bottle

Autumn was thinking. She did this a lot. But her thoughts now were
greater than any before. Many believed she had the insight of a cat, seeing
everyone, creeping everywhere, and knowing everyone's secrets.
The continuous perplexity of one thing however, it was heavy, like
pressure on her shoulders, never to release.
This thought, however bothersome, was important. Men and boys, of
all ages were disappearing, all over the town, even though it was very small.
It bothered her that others came to her, as she was known for her
knowledge.
Ultimately, this was annoying. When the farmers son came to her, all
apprehensive and young, he obviously knew what had been happening to
the boys. On that subject, he asked Autumn the looming question that she
knew would bid farewell to his mouth.
“Will I disappear like all the others?” he said.
She didn't know what to say. Even though she knew what she would
be asked, the question still surprised her.
“Well, that depends on whether you are a good boy or not!” she said,
trying to weave a sort of positive view on the matter.
The look on the boys face made Autumn want to laugh, but she tried
to hold it in so as not to upset him.
Later that evening, Autumn was wondering what would happen to the
boys. When they all disappeared, who would chop down the trees, and

milk the cows? There weren’t enough girls or omen to do it. This gave her the
idea. The treacherous, dangerous idea that would probably get her killed. Even
this thought did not dishearten her advance in her quest. She was going to take
matters into her own hands.
The following night, in the pitch black darkness, she packed a bag of only
the necessities: food for three nights, spare clothes and enough water for her to
survive. When her parents had retired to sleep, she crept out of her room,
down the stairs, careful to miss the creaky 12th step down, and collected her
keys. Before she exited her home, she did something she had never even
thought of doing before. She prayed. She prayed for the boys, the boys that
had gone and the ones that still remained. Finally she prayed for herself that
she would return to her home that she loved.
Then she left her once snug home behind, unsure if she would ever return.
smoke exited from the chimney and the door was open. She could hear sounds.
Undistinguishable. But there. She crept towards the hut, and crouched under
the low window. She panicked as the door creaked open and a male, ominous
voice said, “You may as well come in dear, you don't want to catch a cold outside.”
All she could do was go in.
What she saw scared the wits out of her...
—————————————
The strong wind howled, tossing her to and fro from her
path. She didn't know where she was meant to be going. She just
knew she had to go somewhere, to help the people who disappeared.
Her water had run out three nights ago, two days after she
departed. Her food was now gone.
When she was about to give up, she spotted the best thing
she was going to get in her situation. Smoke. She ran towards it,
and this proved favourable. A log hut. The smoke exited from the
chimney and the door was open. She could hear sounds. Undistinguishable.
But there. She crept towards the hut, and crouched
under the low window. She panicked as the door creaked open
and a male, ominous voice said, “You may as well come in dear,
you don't want to catch a cold outside.” All she could do was go
in.
What she saw next scared the wits out of her...

Have a hot chocolate with squirty cream,
marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles.
Go out into the forest for a walk through
the autumn leaves on a weekend.
Wrap up and go out to watch a
local football match.
Find a good film and watch it in front of a
roaring fire.
Bake some cakes or biscuits and decorate
them with a friend. (then eat
them!)

To keep with our theme of fear this issue, we have chosen three
terrifyingly fantastic books that you should all read.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman – Many of you will have
seen the film, but did you know that it was based on
a novel? Coraline is a lover of adventures and when
she moves into her new home, the first thing she
does is explore. She finds a hidden door behind the
wallpaper in her room and in the middle of the night,
disappears into the world beyond the door. She discovers
a parallel world, where her Other Mother and
Other Father live. Everything seems perfect until,
around the dinner table, her Other Mother offers her
a pair of buttons. How charming, you may think, until
you realise that these buttons were to be sewn onto
Coraline’s face. From this moment on, Coraline struggles to escape her ‘perfect’
world when the monsters start to affect reality.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – This story presents
a beautiful comparison of the extremes of emotion.
Frankenstein is an intelligent and talented
scientist, who creates a living being out of
flesh. It escapes from his laboratory, and is never
seen again, until it begins to reappear in Frankenstein’s
life and makes terrible demands of him.
Will Frankenstein comply? This is a chilling story
for those that want to challenge their reading
abilities.
The Imaginary by A F Harrold and Emily Gravett –
This story tells the tale of Amanda and her imaginary
friend Rudger. Except he’s not really imaginary
– he’s AN Imaginary. Her friends don’t believe he is
real, so when Mr Bunting turns up on her doorstep,
claiming to be able to see Rudger, both she and
Rudger are pleasantly surprised. However, this acceptance
is soon to be lost, as Mr Bunting reveals
his intentions to capture and devour Rudger. He is a
hunter of Imaginaries and will not stop until he has
feasted upon Amanda’s imaginary friend and made
him fade into nothingness. How will Rudger survive
and keep his friendship with Amanda?

Fear can come in many different forms. It is quite ironic that they
invited me to Snippet to add an aspect of comedy and my first issue is
on fear. I, myself, am afraid of clowns, which in some strange people’s
minds are funny so perhaps the line between comedy and fear is smaller
than you think. I find some fears amusing like triskaidekaphobia. If the
name isn’t hilarious enough, what it means is even weirder. The fear of
the number 13 is its definition. I don’t really understand why a number
can be frightening. I find some things related to numbers scary for
example certain math’s teachers. However not any numbers in
themselves. Here is a story about how things can be scary for one
person but not for another…
Pantophobia. I have pantophobia. My friend said it should be
called irrational moaning disorder but I didn’t listen to him because I
am afraid of friendship. Also listening. Pantophobia is the fear of
everything for people that don’t know. People also scare me. He told
me I should go outside but I ignored the idea,
“I could be caught in a breeze and be blown off a cliff or I could
be attacked by a large dog or an angry cat or even a particularly vicious
rabbit.. “Why would I want to ever go outside?”
“OK but at least get something to eat,” he said with a hint of
urgency. I had not eaten for the past 3 days although I had drunk some
water. I know what you’re thinking and yes I do have a fear of water but
my fear of having a dry mouth is far worse. “I will not eat a single
thing! What if something gets lodged in my throat or I get food
poisoning. Do you want to get me killed?
“I don’t know,” he said shrugging his shoulders, “it might be a bit
of a relief for both of us! In fact I am going to leave right now.”
“Good. I’m not quite sure why I let you in at all. You are making
my house unsanitary just by being here. Leave, and leave quickly, but
not so quickly that you fall and die and become a trip hazard. Now go
and shut the door behind you but don’t slam it. Loud noises frighten
me.”
“Don’t ever try to make contact with me again!” he said.
“I wouldn’t,” I yelled in retort, “Telephones scare me!”

This issue we are talking about
fear, so as usual I’ve picked two
music items and two films to
relate to our theme.
Beats
In music I’m all about Bastille right now, I
especially love the song ‘Pompeii’ as it really
sums up the fear of Pompeii’s inhabitants as
the terror of the volcanic eruption unfolds.
The rest of their album ‘Bad Blood’ continues
the theme of tragedy and fear, in particular
another single called ‘Icarus’. This English
rock band were nominated for four Brit
Awards in February 2014, taking home the
British Breakthrough Act. They have recently
shown their charitable side by partaking on
the Band Aid Single for 2014. A band that can
take famous events and make them a
modern hit single is a definite: 10/10!
Lorde– Yellow Flicker Beat
Lorde’s catchy new single ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’
was on the soundtrack for the new Hunger
Games film: ‘Mockingjay Part 1’. This song sums
up the fear and sadness of Katniss as she comes
to terms with the consequences of her actions in
‘Catching Fire’. It is a very catchy song, also it’s
the first of many brilliant songs from the
soundtrack. Catchy but it doesn’t stand out from
the crowd: 6/10!
Blockbusters
In cinemas there has been one major release:
Mockingjay Part 1. This film is pretty much fear
in film form, with the shadow of civil war
hanging over everything that Katniss does. With
the constant fear over Peeta, Katniss is once
again in a cliché of teenage films: the love
triangle.
Mockingjay Part 1(cont.)
The plot of this film hinges round the decisions
Katniss must make, such as whether to choose
Gale or Peeta (the love triangle). Another
decision that really drives the plot is about
Katniss possibly becoming the Mockingjay, the
symbol of the rebellion. Whatever her decision
is, it will have widespread consequences for all
the citizens of Panem and the Capitol itself. A
fast-paced film, which is a spectacular build-up
to the series finale next year! 9/10!
Guardians of the Galaxy
Out on DVD is Marvel’s latest superhero flick,
‘Guardians of The Galaxy’. Marvel is famous for
its superheroes, this family film is just the latest
in a long line of superhero films. The difference
with this film is that the superheroes are ‘rouge’
superheroes, their team consists of an assail,
two bounty hunters, a hardened criminal and
the main character: Peter Quill. This unlikely
team must band together to defeat the evil
Ronan, who is working for Thanos to recover the
orb (which contains an Infinity Stone) that Quill
stole right at the beginning of the film. The fear
throughout the film is about the robbery and will
the orb be regained by Ronan.
It is a little bit of clichéd plot that I have seen in
countless Marvel movies. However, it works to
build both hype and storyline for the second
Avengers, which is out next year. For an
interesting spin on the stereotypical superhero
it’s a 7/10.

Slender Man has been gone for a
while now. The first big game came
out almost 2 years ago and since
then there hasn't been much of anything.
Maybe he has given up a life
of stalking you around forests and
making you scream. He might just
be living on a farm now. Or maybe
he’s on a beach in the Bahamas enjoying
the sun on his pale face. But
let’s face it: he hasn't been doing much.
So where has he gone? Is Kate (the character you play) bored?
There are so many questions that we have to answer so let’s get
on with the most important, where is Slender Man?
First off we are going to be looking at the two main slender
games; Slender: The arrival and Slender: The eight pages. Where we
will look at what Slender Man is so as to guess where he is and
what he is doing
In the eight pages you find, well, eight pages which carry some
interesting comments but the one that is different from the rest
says “he sees you … no eyes”. This is different from the rest as
it doesn't reveal any troubled feelings and all but one of the
words is underlined! Next we look at a notice you find at the
start of Level 2 in the arrival which says “do not interact with
marine life”.
This has no significance at the moment but it might sug-

gest that Slender man is a sea creature. This might explain the
“no eyes” from before, as down in the depths of the ocean you
can't and don't need to see. So what would be the point of
eyes? This could also explain his long thin body as that would
be good for swimming. Why was he here then?
So in the arrival, Level 3 you can find a note:
This could mean that Slender man was disturbed by the mining
company. Meaning he would come up and start stalking forest
walkers. But there is no sea near there I hear you say. Well there
isn't one above ground but researchers have found underground
oceans below America and they have been undisturbed
for millions of years so a creature like Slender man could belong
to a whole species that has been trapped under America
for years which would mean they would need eyes because it is
pitch black down there. So where is he? Well he could have
gone back to his underground water cave to feast on the dead
body of your character and maybe he will come back but with
more of his kind!

Chinese surgeons have saved a man’s hand by grafting it to his foot.
After a work-related accident Xiao Wei’s entire right arm was crushed
and his hand severed. Unfortunately, the arm had too many injuries to be
able to re-attach his hand immediately.
There is a very small window of time within which a surgeon can
successfully reattach a limb to its original place on the body. This is usually
no more than a couple of hours. Putting the limb on ice does lengthen
this window but not by much.
Without a blood supply, the muscles and other structures in Xiao’s
hand would die, so to keep his hand alive long enough for the arm to
heal, the surgical team stitched it to Wei’s left ankle and ‘borrowed’ a
blood supply from arteries in the leg. This is called grafting.
One month after the injury, Wei’s arm had healed enough to reattach
his hand to his arm.
Xiao Wei’s doctors say he will need to have several more surgeries
but are optimistic that he’ll regain full use of his hand.
Grafting body parts to unrelated body parts to keep them alive has
become very successful with Chinese micro surgeons.
Mr Ciaran Healy of the Royal College of Surgeons in England said,
“Although procedures like this are rare, they are not inconceivable. The
Chinese are pretty experienced in microsurgery.”
Another example of successful microsurgery is that a
man grew a new nose on his forehead after the cartilage in
his original nose started disintegrating after a traffic accident.
“Sadly,” says Ciaran Healy, “not all replantations are a
success. Some patients don’t like the end result and may
later opt for amputation because of side effects such as
pain and stiffness.”

A Day In The Life Of A Vegetarian Vampire
My life as a vampire used to be extremely repetitive,
but I enjoyed it. I’d go out and hunt down a couple of
humans, then go to the vets and suck the blood from one or
two kittens. Id usually go to the “Blood Bar” twice a yearwhen
it was my birthday, and when it wasn’t, so people
couldn’t really call me a bloodoholic. If a vampire stops
drinking blood they are at risk of blood loss, so I made sure
I had at least five litres a day. But then something changed
my mind.
I was at the “Blood Bar” drinking my usual pints of dog’s
blood, when I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. I couldn’t
breathe. I was rushed into hospital by the strangers around me
and I was operated on. I had to go down to the hospital every day
for a week! Imagine that. And guess what had got stuck in my
throat? An eyeball. AN EYEBALL. That made me feel so sick I
went off blood completely and suffered from blood loss.
That meant my life was at risk. Something had to change.
I was on my way to the hospital one morning when I saw a
poster. “VVAT tonight at the square.” Never seen that before.
So I went along to find out what “VVAT” was. It stands for
Vegetarian Vampires Alone Together. Weird. They were going on
a “mission” as they called it, so I went along too. After all, I
thought they’d all die of blood loss?
There were about thirty of us all together. I wasn’t quite
so sure where we were going but I was pushed along with
everyone else.
We arrived at some sort of building labelled
“Supermarket.” All I know is that’s in the human world because
we learnt about it at school. We smashed through the glass and
lights flashed on like lightning. I could see rows of food next to
each other. We ran straight to the “quorn” isle. I remember
having no idea what quorn was, but I went along with it anyway.
The “VVAT” began to rip open packets of what looked like
meat and sink their teeth in to it, sucking some weird juice
from it. Someone came up to me and offered me a bit of
“quorn chicken” but I leapt back suddenly remembering the
eyeball.
I had no option but to eat it as I didn’t want to be rude.
To my surprise the taste was delicious. I still love “VVAT”
and go everyday but there is one problem.
I have become a quornoholic.

(Fear of dogs)
Strange, abnormal fears are hilarious. We all love laughing at someone
who thinks that peanut butter on the roof of their mouths is literally the
most torturous thing imaginable. Why? Firstly, because we don’t
understand their phobias, but mainly because they are so unrealistic, and
you are never going to run the risk of offending someone by laughing at
their phobia of chins or wigs, simply because you will probably never meet
such a person.
I have a rather strange fear. I am scared of dogs. Yes, those little, cute,
fuzzy balls of love. Yep, even the small ones.
A few nights ago I lay awake in bed, wracking my brain for points for this
article. I thought I had sorted everything I needed to say. Yes, I would talk
about the miscellaneous difficulties that accompany such a domestic fear, I
would maybe mention some celebrities who are also scared of dogs, and I
might even quote some of the ruder people I have met in the past who
told me to “get over it” and “stop being such a baby”.
But then I realised that this was all in vain, and that you, my dear reader,
are quite a heartless soul in reality. Of course you do not want to read
about the arrogant, over exaggerated qualms and complaints of someone
who, let’s be honest, doesn’t exactly have a difficult life otherwise. Because
each quote, name drop and grumble would only push you further from the
only thing I need bother saying. Everything that I could write to try and
make me look like some sort of victim, lumbered with this terrible disease
of fear, would not satisfy you, because I would only be avoiding perhaps
the only question that you want answered in this article: How?
How on earth can, in this day and age,
anybody possibly be scared of such a sweet,
emotive, beautiful creature? How could
someone, when faced with a bouncing beagle
or luscious labrador, do anything but
immediately submit their hearts in admiration
to the wonderful beast?

I have been struggling to answer this question for fourteen years, and
had not found the answer until the said night when, racked with
insomnia, I began a midnight brainstorm for this piece. Then, as if by
magic, something in my mind clicked, clunked and rattled, and
deposited the answer at my fingertips, which I shall now proceed to
type for you.
As humans, it would be impossible to predict, at least not with one
hundred percent accuracy, what a dog is thinking at any given time.
This is true of any given animal: it is very difficult to completely tap into
their psyche. Perhaps your perfect parrot is a psychopath; your kitty is a
killer, and your hamster a Hannibal in the making. But, and I must
confess this is where I may start to slowly descend into my “sob story”
part of the article, I am a weakling. Many a time has my inability to lift
heavy objects (classroom tables, really light weights, piles of books)
been met with suspicious, judgmental glances. And don’t get me
started on arm-wrestling. However, I know that If one of my guinea
pigs snaps one day and threatens me at knifepoint, I would probably
be able kick their little furry bottoms in a fight situation. A dog though?
With their sharp teeth and wolf ancestry? I’m not so confident…
The combination of never being quite sure just what a dog is thinking,
combined a their sheer weight and bulk that would knock me over like
a feather in a hurricane, is probably the root of my fear. And what
about little dogs? The thought of their quick teeth and agile claws only
makes them scarier! The terrifying unpredictability of any dog is, in
conclusion, why I am scared of dogs.
It’s going to
eat me!
Throw the bone,
come on… THROW
THE BONE!!!

What’s
Around The
Corner ?
People have always had
fears and been scared of
what could possible happen.
Of course, we may not often
worry about being cursed or
eaten alive, but this
mechanism, which makes
us fear the worst, is
essential to our survival. It
uses the tool of fear to make
us do everything we can to
prevent us letting
everything go. It isn’t
unusual to be scared of
cancer, or being burgled,
but there is, in my opinion,
one terrifying, yet likely,
near-future event that is
surprisingly rarely feared.
We are unusual—maybe
unique—in that we are organisms
that have broken free of our
evolution. With culture,
learning, science and
communication, adaptations that
would usually take millions of
years to evolve now only need a
few centuries to invent. This is
because people can write their
ideas down, other people can learn
these ideas for themselves and we
can create organised society. It
may have taken millions of years
for birds to develop wings, but
modern science has only been
around for a few centuries and we
have already invented wings, along
with several other ways of flying.
The result is that we have been
able to vastly improve people’s
lives, especially with medicine,
intensive farming and education.
So, there is no debating that
modern life is better than our
primordial hunter-gatherer
existence; attacking woolly
mammoths and dying in our
twenties and thirties.
The speed of improvement in
our lifestyles has escalated since
around 200 years ago. Machines
have enabled manufacturing of
products; intensive farming and

fast travelling, among too many
other improvements to list here.
We have many more things in our
lives than we used to.
Meanwhile, our effect on the
environment has grown too. One
example is that forests have been
slowly reducing in area in the UK
since the Middle Ages. They were
felled for wood, which was used to
build and as fuel. The process was
largely sustainable because the
majority of the wood was obtained
from hazel coppicing, where stems
are cut down every few years and
allowed to regrow.
While there was destruction of
woodland, this was over hundreds
of years. Less woodland and a
more tidy countryside, along with
many other factors, such as
persecution by people, did result
in the loss of a few animals. Some,
long forgotten, top predators were
lost from our islands, such as
wolves, bears and lynxes, but the
ecosystems largely managed to
continue. Now, however, the
destruction has moved abroad, to
the tropical rainforests.
Modern technology, such as
vehicles and chainsaws, has made
an unprecedented rate of
destruction possible. Technology is
not to blame, because many factors
have made from a possibility into a
(Above right) Four species that have become extinct in the
British Isles due to a wide range of human activities, including
the loss of habitat, pollution and hunting. (Descending
order) Orache Moth, Apple Bumblebee, Eurasian Brown
Bear and the Eurasian Lynx. Luckily, these creatures survive
elsewhere in the world.
reality. Poverty, exploitation from
international corporations and
illegal activity are challenges for the
rainforest that it has never
encountered before. Technology is,
however, what has made the
change so rapid in recent years.
According to most estimates, every
day around 80,000 acres of
rainforest is lost and a further
80,000 acres are degraded. At that
rate, an area of around the UK is
lost about every two years. The
rainforest is part of the planetary
system that is essential for our
survival. As we lose the habitat, we
lose the species that live there—
around 50,000 a year.
Farming trees, such as in
Rendlesham Forest, means that the
woodland habitat is not

(Above) The frightening loss of the rainforest is threatening animals, plants and fungi that have not yet been identified
by modern science.
destroyed, but these dark, pine
forests offer home to little nature.
If you looked from space at
various points since modern
humans reached Britain, you
would see the forests decreasing
and fields and towns increasing in
size. Our once mostly forested
country is now only around 7 to
12% covered in forest.
While the issues are
complicated with many possible
solutions and limitations for all of
them, it is certain that we must
preserve as much wildlife as
possible. Ecosystems are
reliant on all of their
parts. There are many
ways we are disrupting
ecosystems all over the world and
all of this will ultimately impact us,
because agriculture is dependant
on nature. The soil must have
worms in it and many crops need
insects to pollinate them. There is
no doubt that the more habitats
are destroyed and the more species
that become extinct, the closer we
get to our own peril.
I am not saying that the
landscape should be reverted to
how it was before humans were
around. What I am saying is that it
should probably be terrifying that
we are quickly losing nature.
Species of plants and animals are
slipping through our fingers like
gold dust. Without nature, we can’t

grow food, enjoy the right weather for
our climate, or even breathe, for that
matter (a lot of carbon dioxide is being
released into the atmosphere, but we
won’t be suffocating any time soon!) I
have only really explored a tiny
proportion of the problem and why
ecosystems are essential to our survival.
Developed nations, such as the UK,
will not be the first places to suffer the
impacts of the scariest element of how
we are changing our environment.
Global warming, caused by the
pumping of greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere is truly terrifying. How
could changing the composition of the
atmosphere, our shield from space, not
cause fear? How could sea level rise
that could cause people living in lowlying
land all over the world not worry
us? How could the possible disruption
of the ocean currents that prevent the
UK being as cold as Moscow not make
us anxious?
In geological history, there have
been five mass-extinction events. This
is when the world has simply stopped
working, for whatever reason. Many
types of animals, plants and fungi
disappear forever and the Earth resets
itself over millions of years. The
extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million
years ago happened at one such event,
where a huge asteroid smashed into the
planet. This was good for us, because
our ancestors filled the gaps in the
environment that dinosaurs left behind.
It was not good for 75% of the species
that were around before then, because
scientists reckon that was the amount
that disappeared. Did you think that
was bad? Around 250 million years
ago, 96% of all marine species died out
in another extinction event. In rocks
laid down during this time, a layer can
be seen where forests turned to deserts.
Imagine Woodbridge covered in ice all
year long. Imagine Paris as a desert.
This is the sort of change that would
have been seen 250 million years ago.
Some scientists think that the speed of
extinction of species today is as fast, or
even faster than it was in this event. We
should be quaking in fear!
But, we are not and it is, in my
opinion, better that way. While fear
keeps us on our toes, I think it is no
use for this situation. We could be
running around terrified, trying not to
step on rare wildflowers, or we could
be sitting in front of the television with
the heating on high. Either way is no
good to change anything. What we
need is to wean ourselves off
unsustainable dependence on limited
resources. We need to waste less. We
need to preserve the wildlife we have
left. We need to use cleaner, greener
electricity and we need to help
developing countries improve people’s
lives, without unsustainable destruction
of the precious, vital and sustaining
environments being destroyed. We do
not only need to do this because nature
is extraordinary and beautiful, but
because we ourselves are the only
intelligent life that we will ever
encounter. Without a change, the
human mass extinction will
end in our own demise.

Do you have any abnormal fears? Any peculiar phobias that keep you awake at night? Well, just check these out...
Ablutophobia - Fear of washing or bathing.
Alliumphobia - Fear of garlic.
Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Barophobia - Fear of gravity
Cathisophobia - Fear of sitting.
Consecotaleophobia - Fear of chopsticks.
Dextrophobia - Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
Eleutherophobia - Fear of freedom.
Epistemophobia - Fear of knowledge.
Euphobia - Fear of hearing good news.
Geniophobia - Fear of chins.
Genuphobia - Fear of knees.
Helminthophobia - Fear of being infested with worms.
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - Fear of the number 666.
Ideophobia - Fear of ideas.
Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables.
Levophobia - Fear of things to the left side of the body.
Linonophobia - Fear of string.
Melophobia - Fear or hatred of music.
Metrophobia - Fear or hatred of poetry.
Mycophobia - Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
Omphalophobia - Fear of belly buttons.
Panophobia or Pantophobia - Fear of everything.
Phobophobia - Fear of phobias.
Pteronophobia - Fear of being tickled by feathers.
Sitophobia or Sitiophobia - Fear of food or eating.
Vestiphobia - Fear of clothing.
Zemmiphobia -Fear of the great mole rat.

Time
For a
Change?
For the last seven years of my life I
have made the trip every other
Saturday to see Ipswich Town.
Every August, I hope. Every
Saturday at 2:55, I hope. This
season, for a very much welcome
change, these hopes may not be
shattered and we may finally return to the
Premier League.
The day I was born Ipswich were third in the
Barclays Premier League, six and a half years
later, as I made my own sort of debut at
Portman Road, we were fourteenth in the Coca
Cola Championship. Over the next year I
witnessed a fantastic season, I attended nearly
every home game, I saw us lose only once and
I witnessed us smash in 65 goals at Portman
Road. As a seven year old when you see your
team scoring goals for fun, getting large
attendances, and rarely losing; you cannot
help becoming attached. We finished seventh
and just a couple of additions could see us
launch ourselves into the Premier League.
Over the next five years I was to see four
managers come in and out of the door, us be
dragged out of the relegation zone numerous
times, and our arch rivals Norwich get two
promotions and enjoy life in the top flight of
English football. That was before Mick
McCarthy.
Tyrone Mings
Jonny Parr
He built and he built, and he is still building.
Mick McCarthy has, without doubt, created a
superb squad. He has developed surely the
best back four in the division, with three
fantastic centre backs fighting for a place week
in, week out. We also have possibly the best up
and coming left back in the Championship;
Tyrone Mings’ attacking play has drawn
scouts from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to
Portman Road in recent weeks, whilst at right
back we have a defensively secure, and
offensively exciting, player in Jonny Parr.
We now have excellent depth across the
midfield. Last season’s creative black hole in
the midfield has been filled with the

unearthing of talents Teddy Bishop and
Kevin Bru, McCarthy now has an
embarrassment of riches across midfield.
times could be described as dire football,
these have without doubt been the best
weeks I have ever had following Ipswich.
But surely the area that excites Town fans
the most has to be the striking partnership
between Daryl Murphy and David
McGoldrick; last year they scored 29 goals
between them. This time around they have
hit 24 already.
In goal there have been doubts over the first
team quality of our men between the sticks.
Despite both goalkeepers making some
errors this season, Bartosz Bialkowski and
Dean Gerken have shown signs of being topclass
keepers and there is now a healthy
rivalry between them for the number-one
jersey.
If this is not a squad capable of a promotion
push, what is?
Kevin Bru
Teddy Bishop
Despite a 1-0 loss to fellow promotion
challengers Derby, Town are still within a
point of first and second placed teams
Bournemouth and Derby. The next nine
games are all against teams outside the top
10 and it is the perfect opportunity to move
back into the top two and open up a
substantial gap on the teams below them.
And if the club do fail to make the automatic
spots, they stand a very good chance of
promotion in the play-offs having already
beaten the three other teams occupying the
play-off places.
Bartosz Bialkowski
Dean Gerken
Mick McCarthy’s first full season was the best
in half a decade. Could this season be the
best in fourteen long years? Could it be the
best since we shocked England with a 2001
fifth place finish in the Premier League? Who
knows? One thing is for sure however - even
if my hopes are shattered again - as a
fourteen year old growing up with what at
Mick McCarthy

The
Cut
Miss Baynes-Robinson
Harry Bradley
Riki Buckles
Alexandra Cole
Sky da Silva Peters
Sonny da Silva Peters
Polly Dawson
Elena Feretti
Mati Feretti
Alex Foden
Miss Foster
Olivia Goldsmith
Jack Gowland-dale
Ms Hargadon
James Frost
Miss Mardle
Euan Mckenzie
Emily Mitchell
Sam Neil
India Parkinson
Maria Reed
Beth Scahill
Mr Tighe
Alistair Wells
Josh Wright
Rachael Vickery
Raffy Zoio

Look out for
the next issue
of Snippet:
Technology
Coming
soon