Amandeep Atwal was stabbed to death by her father for having a relationship with a Canadian boy.
Anita Gindha was strangled to death in front of her baby son for refusing an arranged marriage.
Ayesha Baloch was mutilated two months after her marriage on the suspicion of premarital sex.
D. Kannagi was forced to drink poison in front of witnesses, then burnt for marrying outside her caste.
Hatin Surucu was shot for “living like a German!”
Banaz Mahmod Babakir Agha disappeared from her home in London in January 2006. Her body was later found in a suitcase – she had chosen to end her arranged marriage.

Each one of these women were supposedly “stepping out of line” and rather then forgiving them, these women were killed in order to protect the honour of their families. The numbers of these honour killings are endless – at least three quarters of the world know someone or has heard about a victim of honour killings. But there are still thousands of women whose births haven’t been registered, nor their deaths. No-one would even realise that they have mysteriously “disappeared”.

Honour killings are global and they happen on a regular basis. Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Uganda, Turkey, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Ethiopia. These are just a few places in which honour killings occur and what’s worse, is that half of the murders in these places aren’t even noticed or reported – it is considered to be a “private family affair”. According to the UN’s reports, every year, at least 5000 women are murdered for honour. When will it end? When will equality between men and women be granted? When will women stop being shown as the inferior sex?

In a lot of circumstances, it is the father, brother, son or even the husband that is kills women for honour. Every so often you hear of the woman’s mother doing it! Women killing women! How many more women must die because of honour?

According to Indian writer and publisher, Urvashi Butalia, Heshu Yones was 16 and in love with her fellow college student. When her father found this out, he slit her throat – killing her. The young man belonged to a different religion to Heshu and the two were planning to marry against her father’s wishes. Urvashi wrote that before Heshu ran away, she wrote a note saying: “Me and you will probably never understand each other, I’m sorry I wasn’t what you wanted but there are some things you can’t change.”

A lot of murders that occur are due to religion or race. Why? What is so different between a black man, and a white man? What is the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim? Is there any? Aren’t we all human beings? If you are for or against honour kills, please comment and send in your opinions!

By Gurpreet Kaur Sihat

In Conversation with Arjun Rampal

“I can honestly say that I’ve never been bored with acting or modelling. Anxious, nervous, sad, frightened, yes. But never bored, because I never know what’s going to happen next!”

For a man who only spent 15 days at acting school, Arjun Rampal has sure made his mark in the Indian film industry. But it’s not just his incredible good looks and his professionalism that makes him so bloody sexy!

Arjun, or AR as he is sometimes known, was born on November 26th 1972 in Jabalpur, India, to proud parents, Amarjeet and Gwen. Arjun was initially keen to make an international career and became a model in 1994. However, once he was abroad, he realised that the modelling scene wasn’t the best to go into as the most popular male models were all between the ages of 17 to 21 and according to him, it would have taken him at least a few years to make it big.

He began shooting for an ad in Monte Carlo when he met Ashok Mehta who expressed his desire to get Arjun to work for him. Arjun had read the script almost eight times before he decided to give it a shot. Although Arjun’s movie, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, didn’t do well in the box office, his acting was amazing and he has left a huge impact on the audience even after the movie didn’t do well and that’s what’s so remarkable about him.

I went to interview Arjun on the set of his new movie. Interviewing him was one of the hardest and easiest things in the entire universe. You would wait and wait outside the interview room for ages, wishing that he would just hurry up and finish acting and then you’re pushed inside a small room to wait a few more seconds for him.

You hurriedly make sure that you have everything, that there isn’t a single hair out of place and that you haven’t got any lipstick on your teeth. Slowly and carefully, hoping that you won’t crease the trousers that you spent hours ironing that morning, you sit down, butterflies in the pit of your stomach. And then, he walks into the room with such presence, wearing jeans and a long sleeved blue t-shirt. He shakes your hand with the hugest smile on his face, and you quickly sit down, wishing that you’re knees would stop shaking.

You ask your first question, your voice shaking and nerves taking over…he answers calmly with that gorgeous smile on his face, cracks a joke at the same time. You laugh! And then, the butterflies go and the nerves disappear. You’re actually having fun interviewing him and before you know it the hour that you’ve booked with him flies by and soon it’s time for you to be kicked out so that he can get back to the filming.

If only it was real but dreaming isn’t reality. Bummer huh!

You’ve really made an impact on Indian Cinema, and especially on teenage girls all over the world. (Arjun laughs) I’ve been told to tell you that you’ve got “heavenly looks…just beautiful”. What would you tell teenage girls that say this? That’s one of the funniest things I’ve heard all day! Thanks but that’s got to do with God and nothing to do with me! (he laughs again). As for me making an impact on Indian Cinema, I just hope that it lasts.

What inspires you the most? I guess I would have to say life. That and when other people have faith in me, mostly that spurs me on.

You say that you are more spiritual than religious. What does God mean to you? God is a friend – someone that I can always ask for help.

As our readers know, you’re happily married to Indian Super Model, Mehr Jesia. What does marriage mean to you? It’s a rule made by society. (seeing my face) No, seriously, it’s something sacred and it’s incredible security you’ve found your companion for a lifetime. It’s all based on honestly, I’d say.

A lot of people would describe you as good-looking with awesome professionalism. How would you describe yourself and state of mind? How would I . describe myself? Erm…cool, casual and comfortable. As for my state of mind, I would say that I am peaceful. I’m comfortable with myself and the people around me.

Tell us three unknown facts about yourself. Three unknown facts. Alright, I’m disciplined, I’m really very honest, and I’m not lying about that! (he laughs) and I’m very hard working.

Are you a good liar? I’m a very bad liar – one of the worst!

What do you think is the cutest thing about you? I guess it would be my laugh.

What’s the best place to be? And what would your best holiday destination be? The best place to be would be home but for my perfect holiday destination, I would go anywhere! New York, Paris, anywhere.

What was your reaction when you first saw yourself on screen? I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe I was there and it was finally happening after 5 years of waiting.

Who would you love to have lunch with? Jim Morrison and not lunch, an all night party for that whole sex, drugs, rock and roll thing. But one night only…

What is your wardrobe essential? My underwear! (he laughs)

You only went to acting school for 15 days! Any comments on that? I went basically to get rid of my inhibitions. Those 15 days really helped me loosen up and be totally relaxed in front of the camera because as a model you tend to be very stiff and preoccupied with angles.

What are you planning for the future? Well at the moment, I’m undergoing training in Indian classical vocals, basically for voice modulation. I’m also taking Urdu lessons to get my dictation right, and lessons in Hindi filming. For the future, I just want to be retired!

And final question, do you think that Angels exist? (laughs) Defiantly. If anyone has any doubts, then they should meet me!

After the interview, we also got Arjun to answer questions from fans who had e-mailed in.

Neil says: Hi Arjun, you are a slick action hero. (he laughs) I’d rather be called a slick actor, but thanks.

Rayees_Arjun writes: Arjun, can I get you on the phone one day? Are you buying me Rayees?

Malaysian says: Arjun, my mother wants to dance with you. When are you next in Kuala Lumpur? I’ll be in Kuala for the Gifa awards to launch “I see you” music. Bring your mum and we’ll dance there.

Miss SITAPHAL states: I’m in love with you Arjun. (Arjun blushes and laughs a bit) I love you too.

SJ asks: Arjun, how was working with Shah Rukh Khan on Don? Well, Shah Rukh is a rockstar, a totally wonderful human being.

Raj Shergil asks: What character have you like playing the most in your career so far? And why? Well, I really liked playing the character of Shekhar in Ek Ajnabee and Jasjit in Don. The reason being that they’re both real as well as totally unreal.

Cooldude wants to know: With which heroin are you comfortable in working with? (laughs) The one who takes the least amount of time in make up.

Dushu says: Hey Arjun, I like your dimple when you smile. It’s really looking great. (Arjun smiles and shows off his dimples) Thanks. I’ll try to smile more often then.

Arjint writes: Arjun, are you still smoking or have you given up? You look so cool when you do. Sorry, I know it’s not good for your health. I’m still trying to quit but thanks for saying that I look cool!

The White Darkness By Geraldine McCaughrean

The White Darkness is a book that I expected to enjoy a great deal. However, I was not expecting to be able to relate to the main character in any way! The story is about 14 year old, Symone Wates, who goes to a school where all the girls are...well the kind of girls that think that boys and sex are the only things that matter in life.

So naturally, Sym is outcasted and thought of as a "dork" or a "nerd". One unusual thing about Sym is her "overactive imagination".Captain Titus Oates, the hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for over a century! But in Sym's head, he is her companion, her soul mate! Sounds a bit weird but that is what I related to, and I'm sure many of you can relate to as well.

Children often have an imaginary friend, but Sym's "imaginary friend" was someone who was once real. It's not that hard to believe! I myself used to, and sometimes still do when I'm angry or upset, talk to the posters on my wall. Other children may have talked to themselves but assumed that they were talking to someone that no-one else could see, and others may talk to their teddies - I know that I was one of those children.

One day, Sym goes on a trip to Paris with her "uncle" Victor (who is in fact, her late-father's business partner). Victor takes Sym on an expedition to the South Pole and throughout the book it does seem as though she well share the same fate as the man that she believes to be inside her head.

This book is wonderful in many ways. I believe that it really is something that people can relate to - wanting to do what their heros have done, having imaginary friends! The book is written in Sym's point of view and some of the conversations that are going on in Sym's head are the funniest things that I know I have definatly had in some point of my 15 years of life!

The story is gripping and is very adventurous and the use of McCaughrean's discription is excellent. I loved the idea that you can love a man who died even before you were born! The ideas in the novel are fantastic, and the characters and story lines are believable. I would give this book a straight 8 out of 10 and I suggest that you all read it!

By Gurpreet K Sihat

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton once again join forces in order to bring to life the adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical thriller “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.

Depp stars as an innocent man, unjustly sent to prison, who vows revenge, not only for the cruel punishment he was forced to undergo, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who “shaves the faces of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again.”

But it’s not only the gorgeous Johnny Depp that stars in this fantastic movie: Helena Bonham Carter stars as Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s passionate accomplice who creates diabolical meat pies; Alan Rickman portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Todd to prison; Timothy Spall is Turpin’s wicked associate Beadle Bamford; and don’t forget Sacha Baron Cohen as the rival barber, Signor Adolfo Pirelli.

The funny thing is, is that Depp is scared by the sight of his own blood. The Hollywood star admits to being scared of cutting himself and wary of visiting the doctors because being “prodded and poked” makes him squeamish. At the premiere of Sweeney Todd, Depp said: “There’s a lot of blood-letting in the firm but I like to keep mine inside me thank you very much. I’m not very good with the sight of my own blood.”

Despite using gallons of fake blood during filming, director Tim Burton also admitted to sharing Depp’s fear of bleeding. “I always look away when I draw blood at the doctor’s office. The blood we use is very theatrical. That’s one of the reasons it still feels like a play to me. The realistic edge is off.”

In New York, Burton and Depp sat down to talk about Sweeney Todd with interviewers from moviesonline.com. If only I was old enough to check him out for ourselves ;-)...

Mr Depp Why did you want to do this?
Depp: I was familiar to some degree with the earlier versions of this, this stuff that you know I’d seen the, the video of um Angela Lansbury quite extensively. And I’d seen the more recent production of it and then just thought it might be, you know certainly a great opportunity to, to try to find a, a new Sweeney, a different Sweeney. Just like a little contemporary in the sense of like also the punk rock Sweeney you know.

We already heard that you created a kind of situation of suspense because nobody knew if you can really sing it so and you came round to do late with it. So was it also fun for you to, to let them wait a little bit? How would you describe the process?
Depp: Yeah. I was I think probably more frightened than anyone, [CHUCKLES] except maybe Tim. He really trusted me with it you know and I was very lucky that he allowed me to … cos I didn’t have a process really you know in terms of the singing. I’ve never sang before in my life, so I had to kinda find my way to it. And thought it was important that I, you know, keep it very, very low key and, and so yeah I initially did these demos in my friend’s garage studio cos I didn’t know if I would be able to hit a note. I wanted to make sure I could do it for Tim.

We talked to Helena earlier and she was joking and saying how you made her audition for the role and that you didn’t talk about it for the five weeks and during that period you were auditioning other women for the role. Um can you just talk about that process? [CHUCKLES]
Burton: Sounds very sleazy the way you put it. Yeah well I mean you know it was, I thought it was important that er cos I’d never done anything like this before myself so, er and it’s quite a difficult musical to do. And you know like in the stage thing that was a, you know that was a ha… it’s a hard role, the roles are hard, and I just didn’t want it to seem like I was just giving the job to my girlfriend or anything. So, er I really was probably harder on that for that reason, and I just wanted to make sure that er it was basically she was really, really right for her, which she is, which she was and is. So it just was, yeah I probably was a bit harder on her than, than others, for the reason on just wanting to really make sure it was right.

You know the scene when Sweeney Todd is re-united with his razor in his shop for the first time. That scene reminded us of some part of the Edward Scissorhands. Instead of Scissorhands maybe Razorhand it’s like. But that scene, you know the silhouette or the look or the posture or the face, facial expression, did it have any connection with that movie Edward Scissorhands? Was that any inspiration or?
Burton: Yeah I mean I think for me it’s only the fact that we did that movie and we did this movie. I mean you know we’re not lost on the, sharp instrument angle. But you know the thing about this character which I love that’s different from that is that you know we did that a long time ago and we’re probably much more… I certainly was much more optimistic in, you know, which that character sort of represented and now the Sweeney character is a much more interiorised darker character, which I love.

To see Johnny do both of those things is really amazing for me to see because you know I think this character for me is one of my favourite characters he’s done just because I love the interior brooding quality of the character. And then you put that with him singing and it just created to me a really amazing new thing to me.
Given that the movie is very violent and is a musical do you see this as a challenge at the box office? Is that something that occupies your mind, you know making your money back?
Burton: Well you know it’s always a risk. I remember when I first saw the show in London back when I was still a student. I didn’t know anything about the music and I remember seeing the show and these two ladies, these very proper, British ladies were sitting in front of me and they were kind of chatting throughout the show…
…and then when Joanna came up and the blood started spurting across the stage they both stopped and paused for a minute and, one leaned over and said "Was that really necessary?”
Burton: But in fact it was necessary and I’ve seen other productions of it where you know they’ve tried to be a bit more politically correct and skimp on it and it really lost something, because I mean the show is based in those old, grand cinemas, horror theatre melodramas, where you know they had buckets pouring out over the stage.
So, it just felt like that was true to the spirit of what the show is, it was and is over-the-top It’s more of an emotional release than it is a reality thing in this movie. So the studio they were cool about it, they accepted it, they knew it because they knew what the show was so there wasn’t you know. But you know anything, any movie is a risk, but it’s nice to be able to do something like that where you know it doesn’t fit into either musical or slasher movie category; kind of its own category.

What does having Johnny do for you as a Director that maybe you can’t do with other actors?
Burton: Well I mean he just tries anything. I mean the fact is that he’s not a, a singer, you know he’s musical and that he would try like one of the hardest musicals ever to do. You know that just says it all. You know he’s just willing to go out there and believe me, something I learned is singing especially if you’re not a singer is it’s a very exposing process. Anybody that can do that can basically do anything you know and, for me it’s just an artistic pleasure to see somebody try different things and, and actually achieve it and achieve it beyond your expectations so.
The other thing is he’s great because I love that he isn’t like looking at himself, which is great for me. You know I mean, you don’t have to spend you know, after a take "I’m gonna go look you know and see. Oh that’s not a good” you know. He’s just completely open to like, "Okay. Whatever” you know and "I don’t really care to look at myself or wanna look at myself,” you know. He just does a great job and believe me that’s a huge issue for me to not have that kinda, you know, certain kind of vanity of like looking at yourself and you know stopping. It kinda keeps the process going, keeps it vital and that means a lot to me and I think the crew and everybody else. They get into the spirit of just doing it you know not sitting around and you know analysing everything.

By Rohin Thind and Gurpreet Sihat

The Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper

The Vampirates are books for both children and adults, and as you can tell already, is about Vampires and Pirates. The book is set in 2505, off the coast of Australia after the oceans have risen. The story is about two 14 year old twins, Connor and Grace Tempest. Their father, the lighthouse keeper, has died and now they must fend for themselves. Connor is unusually strong for his age, and Grace unusually bright.

It could be seen as ironic that their father used to sing them a shanty about creatures known as vampirates, perhaps he was "preparing" them for what he knew would happen. The twins take their fathers ship and goes out to sea, running away from the island where they were born (they obviously didn't fit in there) but unfortunatly, their ship is destroyed in a storm and they are left in the water to fight for their lives.

Connor is picked up by a pirate ship and soon finds that he is turning into a pirate. Grace on the other hand is picked up by a more unusual shhip and is kept locked in a cabin by Midshipman Lorcan Furey, a handsome 17 year old Irish vampire (someone that you would totally want to meet in a dark allyway as he seems to be one of those guys that you just want to take home to meet your mum! - if only he wasn't a vamp!).

Despite Lorcan's best efforts, Grace realises that she is on the ship belonging to the vampirates.The chapters alternate between the twins, both trying to keep hope that the other is alive. Finally, their hopes are kindled in different ways. Grace is shown a vision of her brother by the Captain of the Vampirates, and Connor is told by the ghostly voice of his father that his sister is still alive.

The story is rather intresting and the characters are well thought of and are realistic (even if they are vampires and pirates!). The book is the first of a series and having read the second book, The Vampirates: Tide of Terror, myself, I believe that this series is definatley one to read. The third book, The Vampirates: Blood Captain, has just been released and Justin Somper wrote a short book called The Vampirates: Dead Deep which is also worth the read!

All in all, I give this book a hearty 8 out of 10, keeping in mind that this is a children's book and is totally entertaining. If you want to know slightly more about the book, the author, or any of the characters, or even if you've become a fan and want to download the wallpapers or screensaver, check out the website. www.vampirates.co.uk It is well worth the look, trust me!

By Gurpreet K. Sihat

Interview with Michelle Pavlova

Michelle Pavlova is the Deputy Editor of “Shout Out!”. We interviewed her to find out more about her and the magazine.

How Did you get involved?
Gurpreet (the editor) asked me in a science lesson if I can help her by commenting on the articles written by the magazine crew and I managed to edit most of the articles and she liked what I had done. Then she asked me to work with her, and I said yes!

Do you think that you play a good part in the magazine and why?
Oh yes! Because I love to criticize things and I did it in a way that helps that magazine crew to improve their work.

Do you think the magazine will be successful and why?
Yes, to all the pupils who appreciate work done by the students in the school and no, to the students who just don’t care.

How Did you get involved?
Gurpreet (the editor) asked me in a science lesson if I can help her by commenting on the articles written by the magazine crew and I managed to edit most of the articles and she liked what I had done. Then she asked me to work with her, and I said yes!

Do you think that you play a good part in the magazine and why?
Oh yes! Because I love to criticize things and I did it in a way that helps that magazine crew to improve their work.

Do you think the magazine will be successful and why?
Yes, to all the pupils who appreciate work done by the students in the school and no, to the students who just don’t care.

Do you think magazines are more appropriate to sell to students than a different type of media source?
Yes, because it is a widely recognised source that can be easily purchased and viewed compared to other sources such as videos and radio.

What price do you think the magazine should be?
Prices should be slightly lower than a pound due to students being very tight with money. I think that they should put the prince range between 70-80p. However, the cost of production of the magazine, e.g. printing, paper, colour and labour towards creating this magazine loses its profit. But the lower price range will appeal more to students and a larger consumption will occur.

Thank-you.

You’re welcome.

Interviewers - Sanjay Bhatti and Shanka Fernando

Is Gifted and Talented a good thing to have in Greenford High?

Gifted and Talented is an important part of Greenford High School but is it a good thing, or is it a bad thing?

Do you think that Gifted and Talented is a good thing to have in Greenford High School, Ken?

In a way yes because it gives people someone to aspire to within their own peers.

Curtis, considering you’ve been in Gifted and Talented for most of your subjects, how would you respond back to Ken’s point?

Well no because it kind of shows up the other students who might work even harder than them.

How do you feel being in all the top sets for every subject though not being chosen to be in the gifted and talented?

It doesn't bother me too much because personally I already know that I have some intelligence which does not require any recognition.

Do you think people in Greenford High not being in the Gifted and Talented team decreases their ego to, how you say, “aspire”?

It depends on their personality since you can take it in two ways either, using it to boost yourself and achieve higher, or you can use it to put yourself down and an excuse to not do well in school. Personally i choose to use it to encourage myself to achieve good results (which i am still working on).

Do you think that being in Gifted and Talented improves your ego and your sense of knowledge to do better or is it just for the trips?

I think its half and half as some people take advantage of the situation whilst others just rest on their laurels.

Teachers Opinion

I understand both arguments: that G&T can be motivating to some while demotivating or discouraging to others. I think the most important thing is that students who want to challenge themselves and work on independent and creative projects have a chance to do so.

By Peter Armah