As the girl turned to look at Mr Arkuright for the second time, tears filling her eyes, he barked aggressively at her, that if she does not do her chores she will be skinned. In any other circumstance I would have thought this a threat, but as the words were being said by him I could well believe it. She hastily glanced one last time at the crashing pistons of the machine then quickly dived under it. I could see that she had the terrible unfortunate job of a scavenger; it was her job to pull out bits of cotton that would become entwined in the machinery, (before it became clotted up and was forced to a halt). As the girl was crawling beneath it, desperate to get the horrible job over and done with and be allowed home she (in her anxiety) lifted her back up too high. The cogs and pistons caught onto her shirt at once! She was pulled in savagely like a leopard lunging and grasping at its prey. Her screeches rang out as the machinery slashed at her and her screaming could have been heard by the whole town. I stood frozen with pure horror. Surely it was not possible that such a thing could have happened, but alas it was possible and it did happen. To add to my terror and disbelief, and to set alight the kindling of my fears that she could have been slaughtered and her life snatched cruelly away from her (as yet I did not know her true position), I  was met by the most horrible stench you could imagine. She had been alive just ten minutes ago, miserable and unhappy, then she had been killed. I personally think as I am certain many will agree, that she is in a much better place now. However, that does not in the least soften the wickedness and mal-treatment to workers in not just this factory, but many others too. This grotesque smell which came wafting out of the factory was an atrocious mixture of both burning skin mingled with blood soaked cotton and the putrid smell of sweat which was intensified by the nauseating odour of her unwashed clothes when they were torn apart by a deadly piston.

             Mr Arkuright briefly glanced up and put the whip by his side, robotically he turned his head to the group of child-workers who were clustered around each other, horrified. “Well, don’t stand there gawping, do your work,” roared the factory leader, his hands shaking in totally unnecessary anger. “The colour of her blood on the cotton won’t be seen when it’s dunked in the tannery,” he added, more to himself than to the children. The poor children immediately continued doing their duties, too frightened to look up, too frightened to mumble to each other (although that would be extremely hard to do above the thunderous voice of the machinery). Every child in the factory was similar; they all look half-starved, streaks of dirt covered their faces and they wore tatty clothes, for their feet they did not where shoes but instead battered sandals. They tried to fight back tears with great effort but to no avail. Dust would get into their eyes temporarily blinding them, in spite of this nothing would stop them working, they did not work because they respected their leader but because he petrified them out of their wits to work. Wheels would spin at a rate that would make one giddy, after staring at it for any length of time. If you were weary after a long days work and accidentally put your finger in one of the wheels it would be fatally cut off by the lethal spokes in an instant. The children are young and therefore weariness comes quickly to them and very serious accidents happen often as you have found out from above. On top of that nearly all cotton factories in existence force their labourers (who are mainly children) to work for sixteen gruelling hours starting at five in the morning and ending at a ridiculously late hour of 9.00 pm. Also we need to be aware that a numerous amount of these children live a great distance away and often children will have to rise at 4.00am in the morning if they are to get there on time and earn there measly wage. However, this small amount of money (usually seven to ten pence a week) can help to sustain that child’s family. This does not mean that they can live in luxury though, far from it. Generally speaking the family could consist of four to six members and more often than not two of the children will be very young and sickly, suffering from cholera or typhoid, as in the poor areas there is no proper drainage system. With all of these disadvantages (that are around us) you would think that factory owners who can also see all of this poverty because it is everywhere would try to counter for it. Thereby giving higher wages and allowing them more time to get to the factory, and reducing the amount of working hours to ten. However this is not the case, and there is worse to come and my heart bleeds with sorrow for these children who have no other possible choice than to endure the cruel hardships which often are intentionally flung at them. If you are a child-worker, then you would know that in the morning a bell rings for certain a length time, you would know that if you arrive to the factory after the bell has stopped ringing then you are late and thus shall be whipped per minute that you are late, no matter however strong your excuse is. Is this not dreadfully mean? I am quite positive that as readers of this newspaper you would agree that it is. To add onto this atrocious nastiness and despicable cruelty and to help them have a shorter life-expectancy the children get fed oatcake for breakfast and lunch and potato pie with traces of over boiled bacon for dinner. This is not a balanced and healthy diet. After I had researched that piece of information I realised why they were all weak and mal-nourished. 

            I would like to add that it is not only children in factories who suffer; it is also chimney sweeps that again get poor pay and die at a young age due to soot and dust that gets in their lungs giving them cancer. I have heard of a terrible incident where a young boy got stuck and was totally helpless, so the owner of the house, a certain Mr Aiken  told his servants to light the fire and pile wood onto it so the flames roar and shoot up the chimney. The servants had no choice but to obey him. The idea of this was to force him to get himself free because he well knew he would die if he didn’t. You can imagine the terror that the boy was going through, his heart pounding, his mind racing, all of this purposefully designed for him by a man who is pure evil with no goodness in him what so ever. The boy died from suffocation and when they pulled out his carcass, he was burnt all over and for weeks you can imagine how it would stink of burning hair.

            Young girls as well have to bear immense hardship, a typical example of this would be in match factories. The process of making matches includes phosphorous which is harmful and very dangerous. When working with this you can develop ‘Phossy Jaw’ which is a disease that rots your entire lower jaw.

            Also many parents are eager to send their offspring to do factory work. I hope that after reading this newspaper you will think twice before sending your children to these dreadful places.

What are the secrets of dating?   

There are no secrets.  It’s a simple process, really.  Our natural instincts drive us toward it. Men want to date women.  Women want to date men.  It should be as natural as ice cream and apple pie.

So why is so complicated at times? 

Because we’re human and we’re complicated.  Our thoughts interfere with our instincts. We think too much. That’s both our blessing and our curse.  Here are a few tips to remember:

The Other Person is There Because They Want to Find the Right Person.

There’s a motive.  They want success as badly as you do. So there’s always that in your favor.  But it’s a big world, so remember…

You Might not be the Right Person

It’s a big world.  There are billions of people in it. Odds are that you will sometimes find someone that you don’t click with.  That’s OK.  Relax.  It’s a process.  You didn’t discover your favorite food the first time you took a bite.  It took lots of eating to discover your tastes.  (Otherwise, we’d all be eating baby food.) 

You Might Actually be the Right Person

So be yourself.  Being relaxed and natural is far more important than creating a specific impression.  You want to be with someone who likes you for you, don’t you?  It’s a numbers game.  Sooner or later, the odds will be in your favor as long as you don’t give up.

Everyone Puts on a Show on the First Date

  We try to be the funniest or the coolest or the most non-chalant person we can be.  The sooner you get past that, the better.  It will be easier on you to just be yourself.

Don’t Place Conditions

Laying down the law on your date is a bad idea.  Men and women sometimes place expectations in their conversations about what is important to them as a way of warning the other person of what they want from them.  You can’t change anyone.   

Listen

Don’t just wait to speak.  Don’t spend the time when your mouth isn’t moving thinking about what you are going to say next.  Just listen.  It shows you care.  It also teaches you so much about the other person.  Stuff you need to know. This is the best way to find out if they meet your expectations. But don’t expect too much.  We’re all human.

Don’t talk about the EX

The EX isn’t there so don’t bring them into it.  Three’s a crowd.

Stop Thinking

It’s not a math problem or a puzzle.  A date doesn’t have to be ‘figured out’.  It either works or it doesn’t.  If it does, you know it.  If you have to think about it, it’s probably not working.  Or you’re too far removed from it to let it work.

Have Fun

Hopefully, this one speaks for itself.  Be open to the experience.  It’s a date, not work.

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Paper is one of the most wonderful inventions of China. Before the invention of paper people used to write on bamboo slips and silks. Tsai-lung (48-118 AD) an official of Imperial Court during the Eastern Han Dynasty was the creator of first paper in the world by drying pulp from bark, mulberry fibers, old rags and hemp. However according to a recent archeological discovery near Dunhuang, paper had been used for wrapping and padding in China since the 2nd century BC. They used paper as a writing medium by the 3rd century and by the 6th century they began using toilet-paper. Chinese were the first people to preserve the flavor of tea in square bags which were made from the folded and sewn paper during 618-907 AD, Tang Dynasty. The technique of paper making was slowly spread. It reached the Central Asia by 750 AD and Europe in the 14th century.

Printing

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Chinese used printing pattern on the cloths before 220 AD. Woodblock printing on a paper is a process in which the individual sheets of paper were pressed into wooden blocks with the text and illustrations carved into them. This technique was first used by Koreans in 751 AD.

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The first movable type system (made of clay) was invented by Bi Sheng in China around 1040 AD. Later, movable wooden type was developed by Wang Zhen by the late 13th century.

Gunpowder

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Chinese were the first to recognize sulfur and saltpeter as essential ingredients for gun powder. Though many people wrote about the inflammable mixtures during 300-650 AD, some historians claim that the invention of gunpowder was dated at 850 AD. However the true gunpowder formula was first published in the history by Tseng Kung-Liang around 1040 AD.

The Compass

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The Compass was used by the Chinese during 1040-44 AD. They used this device as a direction finder to recognize the directions of north and south poles. The first compass was an iron fish pointing to the south, floating in a bowl of water. However, the compass that many used was in the form of a magnetic needle floating in a bowl of water.

Seismometer

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The first Seismometer was invented by Zhang Heng in 132. He was an astronomer and mathematician of the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). The instrument is described as a large metal urn-shaped which used a suspended or inverted pendulum to study earthquakes. Zhang Heng also invented the Odometer and he was the first person to construct a rotating celestial globe.

Cast Iron and Steel

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According to the available archaeological sources, Cast iron (made from the melting iron) was developed by Chinese by the early 5th century BC during the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 BC). Chinese were able to hold iron at high temperature for a week in 3rd century BC. Chinese developed the process of refining iron into steel in 2nd century BC. Interestingly they made a process named as “Hundred refining method” in which carbon is removed from the iron by injecting oxygen into the blast surface. They repeated this process many times, hence the name. The finished product from this process had excellent strength and can hold an edge on a sword. Chinese workers made different types of metals of modern times at that time.

Winnowing Fan

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Many people thought that rotary air conditioning fan was invented by Din Huan in 180 AD. But archaeological sources claim that rotary winnowing fan was made during the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) for separating chaff from the grain.

India Ink

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India ink, a mixture of soot from pine smoke and lamp oil, mixed with the gelatin of donkey skin and musk, was invented by Tein-Lcheu, a Chinese philosopher in 2697 B.C., yet it became popular by around year 1200 B.C. It was designed for blacking the surfaces of raised stone-carved hieroglyphics.

Matches

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Chinese were the first people to invent the matches in the year 577 AD during the kingdom of Northern Ch’i. Early matches were made of sticks of pinewood with sulfur and the description was written by Ta’o Ku in the book “Records of the Unworldly and the Strange” in around 950 AD. However there is no evidence of using matches in Europe before 1350 AD.

Paper Currency

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Paper currency was first developed in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) according to the wishes of merchants who would like to avoid the bulk usage of copper coins in large commercial transactions. The Central Government adopted this system during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).

Suspension Bridge

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The suspension bridge was invented by Chinese in as early as 1st century AD. Rope made from bamboo was first constructed in 300 AD on Min River. However there is documental evidence that an iron chain suspension bridge was built in Yunnan around 600 AD.

Umbrella

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Umbrella was invented in ancient China in around 2nd century BC. Available sources suggested that collapsible umbrellas were designed with mechanical sliding levers during Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). Wang Mang, an official of Han Dynasty had designed a collapsible umbrella for a ceremonial four-wheeled carriage.

Silk

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Silk was first developed in ancient China by 3000 BC. According to a legend, Leizu, Chinese Empress, wife of the Yellow Emperor of Chia, discovered silkworms spinning cocoons. She collected some cocoons and dropped a cocoon into the steaming water and amazed when a shining and soft thread started to separate itself from cocoon. Thus she invented silk loom in 28th century BC. Later Chinese used silk threads, silk belts and pieces of woven silk approximately in 2570 BC.

Chop Sticks and Forks

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King Zhou of Shang was the first person to make the chopsticks out of ivory in the 11th century BC. Chopsticks made out of bronze that belonged to 1200 BC were found in the archaeological sources. According to the available sources bone forks had been used in China during 2400-1900 BC. This suggests that fork had been used in China long before chop sticks.

Porcelain

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Though archaeological sources claim that porcelain was used in 3rd century AD, the true porcelain was made by Tao-Yue during 608 – 676 AD. He mixed white clay (found along the Yangzte River) to other types of clay which in result gave that white porcelain.

There are many others that were first started and used by Chinese, like toothbrush, ice cream, salt, spaghetti, tea etc. The list seems endless.