March-April 2015

EditorMaya BrennanJournal istsLeona QuigleyJulie GartlandPatrick DonoghueRoisin ClarkeMairead ButlerMatilda HedewigMarketing DirectorKristin BatanEmai leditor@top-mag.com

music and culture to sport andarts & crafts. Because we haveso many different teenagers -both girls and guys alike -involved in creating themagazine, we try to include adiverse array of interestingarticles that will appeal toeveryone.The magazine is divided intoseven sections that will bepresent in each issue:Entertainment, Sport & Health,Culture, Studies & Careers,Special Topics, the CreativeSection and Puzzles.This month, we've reviewed the

latest music, book and filmreleases, we're giving you a tourof Germany in our Culture Pageand we've also got some handytips to help you study for anylooming Easter Exams. As wellas this, you will find an articleabout the upcoming Formula 1Championship, a super-easyFashion DIY tutorial and anintriguing debate on whether ornot you should drink milk.

I'm delighted to announcethe publication of the first issueof Top-Mag Teenmagazine.My name is Maya and I'm theeditor. Oh, and I also happen tobe 15 years old. Actually, everysingle one of Top-Mag'sjournalists, designers andmembers of staff are agedbetween 13-18 years too :)You see, this magazine iscompletely created by teens,like you and me. My team and I

strongly believe that allteenagers are talented anddeserve to have a medium ofshowcasing and sharing theirwork. This is why Top-Mag isboth a free and online magazine,so that teens around the worldcan have access to it.But anyway, you're probablywondering what you'll find insidethe magazine, right? Well first ofall, Top-Mag is not your usualteen mag that only focusesmainly on one particular subject(celebrities, sports, fashion etc).Instead, our issues cover a widevariety of topics ranging from

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So far, this year has been abrilliant one for music. All of thegenres are coming out withbrilliant new tunes! Here is asnippet of the music this month.In pop, we have the ever popularUptown Funk byMark Ronson,featuringBruno Mars. I meaneveryones singing it, including myteachers!

The Theory of Everything, directed by James MarchThe theory of everything, tells the exceptional love story of Stephen Hawkingand his wife Jane Hawking. It is based on Janes memoir Travelling to infinity:My life with Stephen. Jane and Stephen meet at a party in Cambridge, whereboth are studying, and get together shortly afterwards. When doctorsdiagnose him with a nerve disease and tell him that he has only two years tolive, Stephen tries to push her out of his life, but she stays with him. He is

Of course we cant forget theunstoppableMeghan TrainorwithAll About that Bass and My Lips areMoving, which are firm favouriteson the charts. I expect that well behearing more from her this year.In classical music,Andre Rieuis in,his song Love in Venice at the top.Accompanying him is Jim Liu withhis song Piano Encores perfect forrelaxing.In rock,Fall Out Boyhas nabbedtop places with Centuries, Uma

The latest Book,Movie, Musicand AppReviews...

Thurman and Irresistible. Youcant beat a bit of Fall Out Boy,and I personally love his music!In the dance charts,PhilipGeorgeis at the top with Wish YouWere Mine. A close second isHeroes (We Could Be) byAlesso ftTove Lo. Both real dance floorfillers if I ever heard one.

by Mairead

getting weaker and weaker, but with her support and love, he comes tofame as a theoretical physicist that exceeds all his doctors expectations.The touching movie shows the difficulties for both of them to managetheir children, Stephens career and his disease while still keeping theirrelationship and love alive. Eddie Redmayn and Felicity Jones did a greatjob as the main actors - Redmayn's performance as Stephen Hawkingespecially was very emphatic. by Matilda

Title: WonderAuthor: R.J. Palacio

"Wonder" is a wonderful book, ifyou'll excuse my pun. It is about ayoung boy, ten years old to beprecise, named August Pullman. Hehas a skin disease which has led toa facial deformity hence, leading tomany reconstructive surgeries and a

lot of time in hospital. So, he hasnever gone to a proper school.However, in the fall, he begins fifthgrade at Beecher Prep MiddleSchool.This book portrays an excellentinsight to what happens in thecrucial age where a child/adolescent

Thurman and Irresistible. Youcant beat a bit of Fall Out Boy,and I personally love his music!In the dance charts,PhilipGeorgeis at the top with Wish YouWere Mine. A close second isHeroes (We Could Be) byAlesso ftTove Lo. Both real dance floorfillers if I ever heard one.

by Mairead

is in middle school. It is all about thedifficulties that each child faces inschool, including being bullied, andbeing the bully.My favourite character in this bookis, like most people, Auggie. This isbecause I find him inspiring. The factthat he is so different to everyone,yet by the end, he makes you feellike he is perfectly normal. As it saysin the book: "You can't blend in whenyou were born to stand out", which Ithink is a very important message tosend out to today's younger society.The book was written in theperspectives of seven different

people who are close to Auggie,whether in a good way or bad, whichI thought was very smart as you getto see what different people thoughtof him and his uniqueness.My favourite part was probablyreading all of Mr Browne's (Auggie'sEnglish teacher) precepts, whichwere very inspiring, and just mademe think: "#TrueDat" as ourgeneration would probably saynowadays ;)I give this book extremely highrecommendations. 10/10 easily!By Risn

APP:Pic Collage PRICE:Free from the App StoreThis month, I have beenlooking for a photoediting app that willcontain everything that Ineed to perfect myphotos and makecollages. Then I foundPic Collage, that claimedto be just that andmore. It had loads ofgood reviews, so I

decided to check it out.PRACTICALITY:I can see why a majorityof the reviews for thisApp are positive.- It is fast loading.- It gives you manyoptions at yourfingertips, literally whenyou enter a newcollage, tap the screenand you will get multipleoptions such as to addphotos, text, stickers, abackground and layouts.

- You can add your ownphotos or search forthem on YouTube,Facebook, Instagram orthe web.When you arefinished, it will give youthe option to post tosocial media as well asadd a watermark andsave to your library!VERDICT:This App is definitely forall of you creativepeople. The colours andpatterns are vibrant and

will help you to addyour own personalstyle to each collage.Ireally enjoyed testingout this App;withinminutes you can havepersonalised a photoor collage and have ituploaded (or saved)in no time!by Julie

Tricks, shortcuts orcheats that you can usein your day-to-day livesthat will help you to bemore productive!1. FILLING GOOD.At your next BBQ ormeal, use a muffin trayand scoop your fillings- ketchup, mustard,mayonnaise, intoeachindividualhole ofthe tray to serve.

2. MESSNO MORE.Next time you eatanice-pop, slide acupcake case uptheice-popstick so itsitsdirectlyunderneath theice-pop this willprevent the stickymelted liquidfrommessing up yourhands.3. BAGEL CASE.Turn a CD spindle intoa container for yourbagels!4. STRAWBERRY STEM.

To remove the greenstem of a strawberry,slide a straw from thebottom up the centreand out the top of thestrawberry, until thestraw pushes the stemout with it.5. PERFECT PANCAKES.When makingpancakes next time,fill a washed ketchupbottom with thepancake mix for theperfect control andshape!

1. Spice Up a Top or Tank Top!Cut a slit 1/3 of the way in themiddle front of the top.Tie the two separated loose ends ina knot or a bow.Voila! You have a new, cute top!Easy as that.

2.The Five-Step Dress1. Cut across the middle of an oversized t-shirt to separate the 2 halves ofthe tee the top and the skirt.2. On the top half of the cut t-shirt, about 2 inches from the end, cut asmall hole (make sure you can fit 1 middle and 1 index finger in ittogether!)3. Where you previously cut the skirt half of the oversized t-shirt cut a 2inch straight slit down the middle of it. Dont make it too split, or thebottom will be very short and loose!4. On the skirt half, gather the 2 sides of the split.5. Loop one at either side of the hole you made in the top and knottogether to tie the top to the skirt.And there you have it an easy way to make an old dress look classy inseconds.

Weve all heard themilk hype. Drinkyour milk, its goodfor you, Drink yourmilk, dont you wantto be strong? Drinkyour milk or yourbones will snap liketwigs at the first gustof wind.Well actually, itmight not be as greatas you think, it mightnot be great at all.Have you ever noticedthat no other animalon earth drinks milkafter early childhood?

And how no otherspecies steals the milkof another animal!Have you everwondered why weneed milk so muchwhen there werehumans around forthousands andthousands of yearsbefore we begandomesticatinganimals?Well thats because itisnt really necessary atall, billions of peopleworldwide dont drinkmilk because theyre

lactose intolerant andthey get on just fine.Were told about thedangers of sugarydrinks, yet sometimeswere told to drink upto three cups of milk aday which containsmore than 36 grams ofsugar (more than therecommended dailyintake)!But I bet youreworried about yourbone strength well,theres plenty ofresearch to say milkisnt at all crucial forbone health. In 2011

the Journal of Boneand Mineral Researchpublished the findingsof a team ofresearchers who triedto gather allprospective studieslooking for a linkbetween milk intakeand the likelihood ofdeveloping a hipfracture, which arecommon among thosewith poor bonestrength. There was nostatistically significantdifference.On top of that a studypublished last year by

JAMA Paediatricsrevealed the findingsof a long standingstudy in which theyasked 96,000 teenagersabout their milkconsumption and thenfollowed them over thenext 25 years. Therewas no significantcorrelation betweenthe number of hipfractures and theamount of milk theydrank.And, believe it or not,too much milk caneven be dangerous.Accordin

g to Duke UniversityHealth System Cowsmilk is low in iron andcan actually preventiron from beingabsorbed from thediet. Low iron can leadto anaemia- when thebody does not produceenough of the redblood cells resulting infatigue. As well as thismilk can actually causebleeding in yourdigestive tract, whichcontributes further toanaemia. Children areoften hospitalised dueto these anaemia.Sometimes at a

point of anaemia thatwould kill an adult.Dont get me wrong,Im not saying give upmilk altogether. Whatelse will you dunk yourOreos in? How else willyou soften your cerealto that impeccablydelicious texture? Butplease dont godrinking litres of thestuff, no matter whatyour mother says.

2.The Five-Step Dress1. Cut across the middle of an oversized t-shirt to separate the 2 halves ofthe tee the top and the skirt.2. On the top half of the cut t-shirt, about 2 inches from the end, cut asmall hole (make sure you can fit 1 middle and 1 index finger in ittogether!)3. Where you previously cut the skirt half of the oversized t-shirt cut a 2inch straight slit down the middle of it. Dont make it too split, or thebottom will be very short and loose!4. On the skirt half, gather the 2 sides of the split.5. Loop one at either side of the hole you made in the top and knottogether to tie the top to the skirt.And there you have it an easy way to make an old dress look classy inseconds.

Healthy eating does notnecessarily mean having to cut outsugar, fizzy drinks etc. If you wish toeat and live healthily you should takeeverything in moderation. Example;

apples are good for you, but eatingonly apples is not good. So try newthings! Continue to have youroccasionally treat, like a chocolate barwith your lunch, just as long as youdon't go overboard on a vendingmachine spending spree! Simpleexercise such as being droppedfurther from your school can reallyhelp. Again with exercise there is noneed to go crazy so take it easy. Hereare some healthy lunch ideas to helpyou get started on your way to a newand healthy you! Plus feel free toexperiment and mix up your lunches.

Monday:Homemade jelly, apple,banana, tomatoes, brownbread Cajun chicken and saladsandwich, water.

Tuesday:Popcorn, veggie salad, kiwi,mango, yoghurt, fruit juice.

Wednesday:Fruit salad, carrots andcelery dip, tuna and sweetcorn panini, chocolatedigestives, water.

Thursday:

Roll and flask of soup,orange, pomegranate, olives,homemade jelly, fruit juice.

Friday:Roll with filling of yourchoice, banana, raisins,grapes, crisps, fruit juice.

At the end of the day your weightand your looks are the way theyare. You are all amazing in yourown way, and this beauty does notdepend on whether you're talleror shorter, bigger or smaller. Loveyourself for who you are and stayhealthy! by Mairad

Last year, 425 million TVviewers worldwidewatched the F1 season -though that's notsurprising. We all love agood race - its one of theoldest sports known tomankind, dating all theway back to AncientGreece. Only the horseand chariot have beenreplaced by F1 cars, thefastest road courseracing cars aroundreaching incredible

speeds of up to 360km/h. These engineeringmasterpieces race in theFIA Formula One WorldChampionship, thehighest class of single-seat auto racing in theworld.The first international F1was held in 1950. Eachseason consists of aseries of races calledGrand Prix held invarious countries aroundthe globe. The elevencompeting teams havetwo cars in each race, thewinner being the first

driver that crosses thefinish line after havingcompleted a set numberof laps on a circuit (whichadd up to a total distanceof about 305km).Sound interesting? Thendon't miss the 2015season, which was soonkicked off this month bythe Australian GrandPrix. Of course, the realquestion is - will LewisHamilton win once again,or will a new racer claimthe title of F1 WorldChampion this year?Only time will tell.

Everyone's excitedabout this year'sFormula One WorldChampionshipstarting March 15th.Are you a F1 fan?

Monday:Homemade jelly, apple,banana, tomatoes, brownbread Cajun chicken and saladsandwich, water.

Tuesday:Popcorn, veggie salad, kiwi,mango, yoghurt, fruit juice.

Wednesday:Fruit salad, carrots andcelery dip, tuna and sweetcorn panini, chocolatedigestives, water.

Thursday:

Roll and flask of soup,orange, pomegranate, olives,homemade jelly, fruit juice.

Friday:Roll with filling of yourchoice, banana, raisins,grapes, crisps, fruit juice.

At the end of the day your weightand your looks are the way theyare. You are all amazing in yourown way, and this beauty does notdepend on whether you're talleror shorter, bigger or smaller. Loveyourself for who you are and stayhealthy! by MairadAn advanced societyDespite the fact that Aztecs are oftenportrayed as a savage-likecivilization, this isn't true.For a start, education for childrenwas mandatory until the age of 14 .The Aztecs had their own languagecalled Nahuatl which had a picturealphabet - a bit like the Egyptianhieroglyph system - and they had avery advanced system for writingand keeping records. They were alsovery artistic , being excellent pottersand sculptors, as well as possessinga love for poetry and drawing. Infact, to honor militaryaccom

plishments artistic tattoos wereoften designed for warriors. TheAztecs also played a variety of gamesespecially Finally there was,Ullamaliztli, an important team sportthat involved throwing a rubber ballthrough a stone hoop.Of course, we can't forget thefamous Aztec architecture. One oftheir greatest achievements was theTemplo Mayor (Great Temple) builtin their capital Tenochtitlan (nowMexico City) to honor their patronGod, Huitzilopochtli, and the God ofrain, Ttaloc. The temple, measuringan enormous 100 m x 80m, was builtin 1325 and later destroyed in 1521

by Spanish conquistadors. MythologyReligion was very important to theAztecs. They worshiped many godsand goddesses, often adopting thedivinities of the tribes theyconquered . The most important deity was Huitzilopochtli, the God ofwar, the sun and sacrifice. Thefamous Aztec Stone Calendar calledthe Sun Stone is thought to bededicated to him. Other godsincluded Tlaloc, God of rain andwater, Quetzalcoatl , God of life andwind, and his rival, Tezcatlipoca whowas associated with

magic, the night and the earth .Teotl, the central idea of Aztecreligion, is thought to be a sort ofgod-like force that created the earth.In the Aztec religion, there was anumber of levels of the afterlife andthe way you died would determinewhere you went. Warriors who diedin battle, for example, would go tothe 'highest' level of heaven. Thosewho drowned would go to theunderworld. Human Sacrifice No matter how advanced the Aztecpeople were, there is no denyingthat there is some truth to their bad

reputation. You see, the Aztecsbelieved that in order for the sunto rise each day, it needed a littlepersuasion - or in this case, theblood of human sacrifice. What'smore - these sacrifices weren'texactly rare. S ome historians thinkthat more than 20,000 peoplewere killed every year.Just two years ago, 50 five-hundred-yea r old skulls werefound buried in the Templo Mayor.And it gets worse.... those whowere sacrificed were often eaten,as part of the sacrificial ritual,

though some think that thiscannibalism was really due to thelack of meat in the Aztec diet.PolygamyAn Aztec man was allowed to haveseveral wives, but the first one hechose was considered to be hisprincipal wife. However, thoughthe other wives were only'secondary,' the man was stillsupposed to respect all of hiswives equally . While in Aztecsociety the man was the 'head of

the household,' women were stillwell treated. In some situationsdivorce was allowed, thoughadultery by either spouse waspunishable by death.Slavery:The Aztecs' idea of slavery wasvery unlike the idea we have of ittoday. Slaves' children didn'tautomatically belong to theirmaster. They could have their ownpossessions and sometimes even own other slaves. As well as this,

there were different ways forslaves to free themselves. One waywas to present themselves in atemple. Another way was to simplybuy their own freedom. It was alsonot unusual for the poor to selltheir own children - or eventhemselves - into slavery.End of the Empire

In 1519, five hundred Spaniardslead by the conquistador, HernanCorts, landed on the Mexicancoast. At first, Corts was

welcomed by the Aztec people andthe King, Montezuma II . Why?Because they were worried thatCorts might be one of their godsvisiting them in a mortal disguise.When they eventually realized thatthis was not the case, the Spanishhad already started taking overparts of the empire. Soon after awar broke out which, ended in 1521along with the fall of the AztecEmpire.However, what many don't know isthat the majority of Aztecs didn'tdie from battle wounds, but from

the smallpox disease that theSpanish brought over from Europe.So the question is, would the Aztec shave won had it not been for thesickness? Would th e Empire havesurvived?by Maya

North

East

West

South

by Matilda

Many forget that the north of Germanyhas a beautiful seaside, bordering on theOstsee and the Nordsee.

The Currywurst (sausagewith curry sauce) is one ofthe specialities of Germanyscapital.The two Famous Germanwriters, Schiller and Goethe,experienced a great time ofcollaboration here. Theperiod of their common workis calledWeimarClassicism.

CulturePage

Brezeln (or Pretzel) is a typical Bavarianpastry that has become known around theworld. The Alps: the highest mountains inEurope, situated in southernGermany are perfect for hiking orskiing.Bavaria is also home toSemmelknde, traditional germandumplings, served as a side dish.

In 1920, a man called Hans Riegelfounded the company Hans Riegel Bonn,today known for its cute gummy bears.The Klner Karneval is one of thebiggest carnivals worldwide. It takesplace from the 11th of November untilAsh Wednesday in Cologne.In the middle of the 15th century,Johannes Gutenberg started printingbooks in Mainz and triggered a mediarevolution.

1. Heat the milk (but do not boil it)and pour over the rolls. Cover andleave to soak for 20 minutes.2. Chop the parsley and onions andsaute with the butter and a pinch ofsalt. Take of the heat and mix thatwith the bread, until it forms adough-like mixture.3. Whisk the eggs with a fork thenadd them to the dough and kneadit. Take a bit of dough and form 6cm-wide balls. Cook them in boilingwater for 15-20 min.

Brezeln (or Pretzel) is a typical Bavarianpastry that has become known around theworld. The Alps: the highest mountains inEurope, situated in southernGermany are perfect for hiking orskiing.Bavaria is also home toSemmelknde, traditional germandumplings, served as a side dish.

Take al l electronics (phones being number one on thel ist) or anything else that may distract you out of theroom you are in. Even ask your parents to take yourdevices unti l you have completely finished.

Make sure you have EVERYTHING you may needbefore you start l ike a drink, a smal l snack, books,copies, calculators, etc.

It is best to choose somewhere quiet, where sibl ingswont be shouting and T.V. 's won't be blaring.

Focus on studying each subject you need to study fora certain period of time depending on how big of a testit is, e.g. Maths - 15 minutes, History - 30 minutes, etc.

In the lead up to a studying time, l ike the fortnightbefore exams, make sure you have everything youneed to know highl ighted in your textbook, or as I do,copy it down into a hardback A4 copy, and keep itaccessible!

Make sure you have on hand extra copies, refi l l pads,paper and pens of multiple colours with you, tohighl ight extremely important notes, rewrite pieces youneed to memorise clearly, and even create your ownessays for subjects such as Engl ish, History, etc.

When you bel ieve you have finished studying, cal l upa friend or gather a sibl ing or a parent and give themyour notes and books and get them to quiz yourandomly no matter how much you think you know. Ioften find that during exams, the things I feel I know

best are the things that I end up losing marks onbecause they sl ip my mind as I haven't recently studiedthem.

BONUS TIP - If you are bringing a drink, try water ormi lk, as they do not contain lots of sugars and additivesso you become hyperactive and are unable to study.The same goes for snacks. Bring a few cream crackersor some toast, not a packet of crisps, or a nice bowl ofice cream, or else you wi l l get a serious sugar-rush, andyou wi l l be jumping around, unable to keep sti l l andconcentrate.

Did you know that English, the thirdmost spoken language in the world, isonly spoken by a tiny 5.43% of theplanet's population?Now with that in mind, can you guesshow many spoken languages exist,today, in the entire world?The answer is roughly 6,500. Now,divide that figure by two - that is thenumber of languages that areestimated to die out by the end ofthis century. If we continue to donothing, over 3,000 languages rich inculture, heritage and history willdisappear very soon.

Why bother saving these languag esin the first place?Well, think of it this way: language islike a brilliantly-preserved exhibit at amuseum. What started off as a simplemeans of communication hasbecome part of the foundation ofevery human civilization and societyon earth. Through time, languageshave become embedded with eachcultures' stories and history. It's notjust a bunch of words that are indanger here, it's thousands of yearsworth of cultural and ancestralknowledge.

What do we mean by 'endangered'?According to UNESCO experts, thereare nine different factors that shouldbe taken into account whendetermining whether or not alanguage is endangered. Theseinclude the total number of speakers,the passing of the language to futuregenerations, the proportion ofspeakers within the population andthis community's attitude towardstheir own language.There are a little less than 600languages classified as 'critically

endangered' by UNESCO. Forty fourlanguages that have only 1-2 nativespeakers left in the world. These aremostly South American tongues, suchas Andoa (Peru) and Bare (Brazil).However, almost every country in theworld possesses one or moreendangered language.Is there any hope of saving theselanguages?I'm happy to say that yes, there is.UNESCOs Endangered LanguagesProgramme aims to "supportcommunities, experts and

governments" in maintaining andrevitalizing their mother tongues andpassing them on to the youngergenerations. They plan to do this byproviding expert services to helpthem with this project, as well as byproducing tools for monitoring thetrends and variations of differentlanguages.Considering the enormous amount oflanguages that we have already lost(115 in the last five centuries) we canonly hope that this program issuccessful in its goal. Only recently, in2003 Marja Sergina, the last speakerof Akkala Sami (Russia), died along

with the language. Luckily, languagesaren't just disappearing, new onesare appearing as well. Some are afusion of several languages spoken inone community, others such asEsperanto, are intentionallyconstructed. by Maya