Author Topic: News of the Mountains (Ruasliabh)  (Read 2612 times)

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Offline FFion

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News of the Mountains (Ruasliabh)
« on: April 09, 2022, 09:41:06 PM »




MOUNT ARDAGH "READYING ITSELF"

The National University for Science has today confirmed that the series of small tremors in the region of Mount Ardagh suggest that the mountain is likely to erupt in the next few weeks. The volcano is central to the nations folklore and records show that it erupts roughly every 200 years. With the last eruption coming in 1798 it is overdue. The Aos Si faith believe that volcano is a way for the spirit world to enter our world and that an eruption is usually an omen for great change within the world. Experts have for decades now monitored a series of seismic sensors in the region to monitor its behaviour and that of several other small volcanoes across the nation. While most are classed as "highly unlikely" to erupt scientists have warned those visiting the region, which is mainly upland cattle grazing, to be prepared to take precautions.

Edward Finn is one of those sheep farmers who live close to Ardagh. "In the back of your mind its always been thought we might have to do something but you always believe that perhaps it will have erupted its last. Now we're likely going to see it for ourselves. Most farms have various defences that date back hundreds of years, ditches, barriers and the like. We've been told that if an eruption takes place it is likely to mainly just cover the ground with some ash and be an extremely slow lava flow that will not be a threat. Our biggest concern is what impact it could have on the feed for animals."

The government have prepared the military to step in should circumstances demand it with them already beginning to stockpile animal feed at various depots.

Offline FFion

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Re: News of the Mountains (Ruasliabh)
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2022, 10:58:17 PM »




NEW INTAKE ARRIVES AT PHRONTISTERY

The Phrontistery school in the town of Pheofharain today has welcomed 50 first year students. The incoming group of fifty students are those who scored highest in the entrance exam administered in May and will now be living and studying at the prestigious school for the next seven years. Those eligible for the school must be members of the Aos Si, a religiously marked out set of citizens who are considered closest to the Gods. While being a member of the Aos Si gives no real advantage in life graduating from the Phrontistery seems to give an individual a great number of opportunities. To be a member of the nations upper legislature you must have graduated from the school and monarchs must be educated there. There has often been much discussion about the school as even though race, class or gender are thought to play no role in the admission process there have been in the past clear imbalances. In previous years the fifty new students have been slanted towards favouring girls. The last five years have seen around 60% of those admitted being female. Another imbalance tends to be on the grounds of class with 30% coming from existing nobility, 25% from the Upper Classes, 20 % from the Middle Class and 10% from Working Class backgrounds, the remaining 5% of students come from Deprived backgrounds. This figure seems to have changed very little this year. The school also currently has 6% of students from non-white backgrounds, which is broadly speaking in line with the nations racial demographics. The current head-teacher is Professor Bhaltair Coburn who has been in charge of the school for the past four years. Speaking at the annual first day photograph he said, "The statistics shouldn't be a surprise. With it being a selective school it is always likely those who have had the best education up to their 11th birthday will do best. The nobility and upper class are usually able to tutor their children and as such we should not be amazed they dominate the school population here despite being a smaller per-cent of the population of the Federation. As for the gender imbalance we are not so sure as to why it exists apart from perhaps the fact that girls tend to get to grips in my experience with more academic subjects earlier than boys." The school have considered expanding the number of places each year with some being ring fenced for certain groups to ensure a better balance.

One of the new starters is 11 year old Catrina Lithgow whose mother Malina is also a graduate of the school. Catrina got the third highest score in the entrance exam and told us, "Mum had brought me here a few times in the past when she visits for special events. I really like it here, they have nice gardens and loads of fun activities. The other school we looked at had just a few sports clubs but here we have things like a Virtual Reality club, a radio station and even a stables. I'm hoping I can make lots of new friends and I know I'm really lucky to be here." Her mother spoke of her pride at a family connection contuining. "I was lucky, I finished 49th in the tests and got to come here from a very working class background. My father was a fisherman and my mother cleaned at the school. I got an education they could only have dreamed of and its helped me do well in life. I'm confident that Catrina can do even better than me because she's a lot brighter than I was at her age."

Jamesina McCrum is at the other end of her time at the school. The 17 year old will graduate in the summer next year and is hoping to train to be a Doctor. "I'm from the city of Macmerry. Our street back home was not great, we had a few people out of work, drugs were a big problem and the local school had one of the highest exclusion rates in the country. I've been able to come here and get an education that is the envy of Mundus. I've been really lucky. I can't think of anyone from our area of Macmerry that has even been to University but now I will hopefully be able to get to medical school and be a doctor. The schools been a great way to improve my chances of social climbing." Over the last ten years 92% of those who have graduated the school have gone on to University with 8% either joining the Priesthood or military.