INVENIRE

A nation is not a plot of land with settlements upon it. In fact, I believe that a nation has little to do with any aspect of its geographical location. A nation is constituted of its people, its values and its traditions. When describing a nation, it is important we comment on its traditions rather than its geographical location. If we were to treat the geographical location as more important, then in a case when the people are exiled from their land, the nation ceases to exist. Historic accounts of exile prove that a nation is made up by its people. When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem, Israel remained a nation; its people were still unified, its values were still upheld, and its traditions were observed. For this reason, I believe that any group of people worth calling a nation could be placed in any other environment and that there would be no reason to say that the nation had changed. The history of a nation is equally as important as its people; the histo...

In some American towns, high school football (or American football to the rest of the world) is a big deal. In the state of Texas alone, there are 50 stadiums  (with a capacity of 11, 000 are more) that were built with the purpose of hosting high school football games. To many Americans, this is no news story, but many others across the world likely have many questions. How large is high school sport exactly? When did this frenzy over youth sport begin? And how much money is being spent on the game? For many towns across the United States, there is little to do on a Friday night. Take the example of Aledo, Texas. It has a population of just under 3,000 and, therefore, is understandably void of the amenities found in a major city. The town's eponymous high school provide the entertainment on a Friday night with weekly American football matches in the autumn. The Aledo Bearcats, as they are named, are something of celebrities in this rural community; how else would they fill t...