www.thecourieronline.co.uk Monday 15 February 2016 Issue 1325 Free
The Independent Voice of Newcastle Students Est 1948 PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT FUTURISTIC GAMING LGBT+ WEEK Th e future of videogaming is Various views on current INSIGHTS p.40 coming and it looks good. p.39 LGBT+ student issues p.12
RAG Week raises £5000 for charity By Mark Sleightholm Deputy Editor RAG Week 2016 raised nearly £5,000, with around half of this coming from the week’s evening events. The money will be split evenly between six charities: the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, Age UK Gateshead, the Great North Air Ambulance, CentrePoint, which provides accommodation for young people. 353, a military charity, and TUSK, which promotes sustainable development in Africa, are the other charities to benefit from RAG’s efforts. This year was the first that saw RAG Week organised by a RAG society, as opposed to the separate RAG organisers of previous years. Although the organisers were not able to secure a license from the council for street collections in Northumberland Street, several RAG members travelled to the Metrocentre to collect money. Every night saw an event to raise more money, including a pub quiz, barn dance and the return of last year’s popular Take Me Out. All of the evening events were well attended, but it was Take Me Out that drew the biggest crowds. (Full feature on page 18)
Uni accused of censorship in nationwide report By Sinead Corkett-Beirne News Editor Newcastle University and its Students’ Union have been criticised for censoring free speech as it has been ranked one of the worst in the country. Spiked, an online magazine, organised The Free Speech University Rankings 2016 which takes into account the policies and actions carried out at institutions to rank them using a traffic light system. Newcastle University was given an overall red ranking, despite the institution being given an amber classification as it bans initiations for societies. The University argues that initiations encourage members to partake in excessive binge drinking. The University has also im-
plemented a Code of Practice for Free Speech that prohibits individuals whose aims and objectives are not compatible with the University from being able to deliver speeches. The Students’ Union received a red ranking by Spiked as it bans transphobic speech, advertisements for payday loans and smoking, and commercial pub crawls. A ban to prohibit The Sun and Daily Star newspaper from being sold in the Students’ Union was implemented
in May 2013 to show support to the No More Page 3 campaign. According to the President of NUSU, Dom Fearon, “The article as it was written was ridiculous. It is important to have free speech on campus while simultaneously providing an inclusive environment for all students. The reasons given for us receiving a bad grade were having a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment and banning transphobic speech. I cannot imagine how Spiked or anyone for that matter
“ It is important to have free speech on campus while simultaneously providing an inclusive environment for all students”
Image: TCTV
Survey attacks “lack of free speech” in UK universities Newcastle’s ban of initiations, Page 3 and transphobia sees it ranked ‘red’ can see this as a bad thing.” A statement issued by Newcastle University says, “[We] pride ourselves on providing a diverse and welcoming campus. Universities should be places where debate happens and there is an opportunity to hear a range of views. However, this is balanced with the need to provide an inclusive environment for all our students and staff.” Newcastle University was awarded an amber classification in 2015 which is defined as having “chilled speech through intervention.” The deputy editor of Spiked, Tom Slater, has defended the magazine’s decision to give Newcastle University a red ranking, as he claims that the institution treats students like “overgrown children.” Slater criticises universities and their student
unions as they feel the need for censorship in order to protect the wellbeing of their students. This may include advertisements, initiation ceremonies, and drinking games. In order to carry out their findings, Spiked assesses the policies and actions undertaken by universities and extracurricular activities, including social and politically orientated ones. Spiked collects its information through Freedom of Information requests, as well as looking closely at policy documents and reports. This year Spiked assessed 115 institutions from the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s list of UK universities that it funds.
2
News
thecourieronline.co.uk/news
The Courier
Deputy Editor: Mark Sleightholm News Editors: Peter Georgiev, Antonia Velikova, Sinead Corkett-Beirne & Sophie Norris courier.news@ncl.ac.uk | @TheCourier_News
Coding challenge inspires young programmers
NEWS
5 7
Monday 15 February 2016
Ex-Sabb’s death prompts gay marriage debate New Safezone App Launched
COMMENT
10
EU Referendum Brexit discussed
CULTURE
14 15 25 33 38 43
The great library stand off
Images: Phoebe Ng
Blind Date:
Vicky meets Ritwik
Beauty resolutions for the new year Star Wars: opinions on the force’s newest part Looking into the future of gaming Zika: facts on the deadly virus
By Phoebe Ng Newcastle Coding Challenge 2016 was held on February 6, attracting over 60 keen coder despite the wet weather on Saturday. The “Hackathon”, which took place in the Lindisfarne Room in King’s Road Building, was organized jointly by Computing and Technology Society (NUCATS) and Scott Logic. Scott Logic is a growing software consultancy based in Newcastle. Participants gathered to assemble teams of up to 6 members. The teams were required to derive an algorithm to trade shares in a virtual market and competed to earn the biggest profit. The task was undisclosed until start of the Coding Challenge. The contest ran from 12pm to 4pm, demanding not only creativity, skills and teamwork but also a high level of concentration. The winning team, who optimistically named themselves “Winners 2016”, made a record amount of over £35,000 virtual profit. Speaking of how their algorithm works, “Winners 2016” said it divided the weightings to each stock basing on stock values. If a stock was rising quickly, the algorithm would buy as much as they could and sell it. For stocks falling quickly, it would do nothing so that they could make sure they would not get in-
NUSU, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB. Tel: 0191 239 3940
The Courier is a weekly newspaper produced by students, for students. It’s never too late to get involved in the paper, whether you’re a writer, illustrator or photographer. Email editor.union@ncl.ac.uk for more information.
volved. Apart from the honourable title as the champion of the challenge, each of the teammates was awarded a £20 PizzaExpress discount. Jake Towers, now studying MComp Computer Science after attending Sunderland College, was part of the winning team with his friends Joe Honour, Chris McQueen, Gary Peel, Rob Hamilton and Andrew Webber. “We turned up just to have some fun coding”, said Towers. “We were very pleased and proud when we saw our solution had won.” “It (our algorithm) is magic”, said runner-up “Netflix and Chill”. The team earned over £22,000 profit. They did it by using combining two algorithms - the long-term and short-term algorithms were working together to maximise profits. During the contest, founder and managing director Gary Scott made a brief appearance. Before the announcement of results, NUCATS presented three lucky raffle winners with Amazon vouchers. There was also a presentation given by Scott Logic’s staff. To finish off the event, participants had chance to mingle to other students and staffs from Scott Logic over beer and pizzas, when they had chance to ask about application procedure and other coding or career advice.
Scott Logic started the outreach project with Newcastle University and other colleges in its office since 2013. This year is the first time to have the Hackathon taken place in the university. “The support from NUCATS has been invaluable in making this one [Coding Challenge] our most successful yet”, said John Wright, Scott Logic’s Recruitment Manager. Part of the company’s recruitment strategy is aiming to attract students
Editor Victoria Armstrong Deputy Editor Mark Sleightholm News Editors Antonia Velikova, Peter Georgiev, Sophie Norris and Sinead Corkett-Beirne Comment Editors Jack Dempsey, Hanson Jones and Daniel Robertson Culture Editors Ellie McLaren and Laura Staniforth Lifestyle Editors Lauren Exell, Ruth Loeffler, Katie Ackerley and Fiona Callow Fashion Editors Sara Macauley, Ellen Dixon and Liz Rosling Beauty Editors Lucy Cochrane, Ellen Walker and Flo Davies Arts Editors Holly Suttle, Jade Holroyd and Emily Watton Film Editors Rhian Hunter, Simon Ramshaw and Emma Allsopp TV Editors Helen Daly, Jack Oliver Parker and Hannah Bunting Music Editors Jamie Shepherd, Dominique Daly and Connor McDonnell Science Editors Iqra Choudhry, Louise Bingham and Anna Jastrzembska Gaming Editors Ollie Burton, James McCoull and Michael Hicks Sports Editors Calum Wilson, Alex Hendley and Lewis Bedford
to apply for their 2016 internship and graduate programmes. “We do take real notice of applicants who find opportunities to immerse themselves in technology outside of their studies, so our advice is to take advantage of events like ours and just get involved”, explained Wright on a further note. He is hoping to see a spike in applications after the success of the coding challenge.
The Courier is printed by: Print and Digital Associates, Fernleigh House, 10 Uttoxeter Road, Derby, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, DE3 0DA. Established in 1948, The Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Students’ Union at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge. The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of The Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s comment pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of The Courier, the Students’ Union or Newcastle University.
The Courier
news.3
Monday 15 February 2016
RenewCastle kicks off Go Green Week for a sustainable campus
Go Green Week was promoting sustainable nature-friendly living Image: Sima Nikolajeva
By Sima Nikolajeva Last week a newly established sustainability society – RenewCastle – played a host to Go Green Week on campus – a nation-wide annual celebration of sustainable development, meant to raise awareness of and facilitate debate on a variety of global environmental issues. The campaign became inaugural for RenewCaste, giving rise to their ambitious plans. The week featured a series of daytime and evening events, aiming to carefully consider a particular problem and its impact on global ecology - be it food waste, meat and dairy consumption, global warming and climate change, transport use or clothing production - as well as to prompt its possible solution within the course of discussion. An interactive Go Green Week tent, selling drinks, dried fruits, tinned food, herbs and spices - all organic, fairtrade and ethically sourced, was also set up outside the Students’ Union main entrance each day from 9am to 4pm, and served as a hub for debates surrounding each day’s theme. According to Rob Noyes, one of the organizers of Go Green Week, the response RenewCastle got in the tent during the week was quite broad and diverse, with this visualised campus presence provoking thoughtful conversations in both positive and negative manners. “I’m really amazed by the amount of students’ support we have got, and I hope to stay surprised in the future as well”, he said. The week promoted a wider collaboration within a number of societies and sustainability projects around the campus, marked by RenewCastle joining their efforts with A Second Life project. “If we can create a society which is an umbrella for all these great initiatives around the idea of sustainability on campus, and provide a platform for them to ‘get with’ people (rather than ‘get to’ people) – then that is the progress on our protest, that’s for the creation of a sustainable change that we need,” Rob said. The first evening session of the week on Monday, advertised as “The ‘Bring A
Sceptic’ Film Showing”, was headlined by Cowspiracy documentary screening, exploring the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, and draw an audience of over thirty people. “The highlight of the day for me was the fact that one guy, called Simon, who was a meat eater, felt confident and comfortable enough to stand up and talk about it in that setting, and there was absolutely no awkwardness around this situation, which on a personal level made me feel like we were going in the right direction”, Rob told The Courier. “At the end of the day, there is no helpful purpose in becoming eco-chamber, and rather than telling people all those ‘do good’ narratives, we want to help them to take ownership of these ideas, resulting in conscious decisions,” he added. The second event of the Go Green Week on Tuesday was focused on the environmental movement. Jess Poyner, member of the BAME Network, conducted talk on the issues of representation around the environmental movement. “The people most effected by climate change are women of colour and indigenous women in nonwestern countries, and the fact that the Paris’ COP 21 talks undermine indigenous land rights goes some way to showing how this imbalance of power negatively effects climate change action, so I’m really glad the BAME Network got the chance to participate in Newcastle University’s Green Week and discuss the ways in which racism and neocolonialism leaks into the movement”, Jess said in her talk. Wednesday afternoon was dedicated to upcycling workshop, carried out by Cheryl Lumley from All Round Creative Junkie. The upcycling materials were used to decorate photo frames, ceiling lamps and other things. Amy, the main inspiration behind the project, believes that upcycling methods can be applied in many different areas of life. “There are loads of ideas out there, with some being very simple; it is also helpful to both people and the environment,
“To be stewards of a more sustainable future, we need to engage everybody”
as we not only reduce the waste, but at the same time reduce the stress within us during the upcycling process, so anyone, young or old, should consider upcycling.” ‘The Green Man Festival’, which took place in the Venue on Thursday evening, presented an assemblage of stalls from all Go Green Week’s displays, accompanied by a spoken word poetry show, acoustic sessions, fashion displays, food from the Magic Hat Café and drinks on behalf of Stu Brew. The Venue also showcased the artwork of Fine Art students and musical installations.“I guess what we’re trying to do here is to make out of all these sustainable expositions “normality” rather than something exotic and one-off ”, said Callum, another member of the organizing team. “The acoustic sessions performed by fellow students, the good food, friendly company and the atmosphere itself were somewhat a therapeutic experience, and, in my mind, the event was a huge success!” Saffron Mee, an attendee, said. “It was extremely refreshing to see so many people volunteer for, and turn up to an event promoting waste prevention, natural eating and community projects - it’s literally ‘renewed’ my faith in the student community as raising awareness of the bigger environmental issues - bravo, RenewCastle!” The week culminated in a Tynemouth Beach cleanup, followed by ‘Heads in the Sand’ display for climate action to oppose government cuts on solar subsidies by 64%, and ‘Show the Love’ for the planet photo opportunity. According to Rob, the preparation of the events week took about a month’s time, with an initial number of those involved raising from 7 organizers to around volunteers. “To be stewards of a more sustainable future, we need to engage everybody”, he said. “Surely, these lifestyle choices that we support are not easy to comprehend entirely, and there are signs that there are aspects within the movement that have some kind of stigma attached to them. Our society is here to strike new conversations and facilitating the debate, which at times gets shut down from both sides”, Rob said.
Image: Lynsay Blake
“The people most effected by climate change are women of colour and indigenous women”
A basket made from recycled issues of The Courier Image: Sima Nikolajeva
4.news
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Conference focuses on global mobility By Scott Houghton The International Development Society will host their annual conference on the 20th to 21st of February at the Barbara Strang Teaching Centre. The main theme on this year’s conference is: ‘Exploring Mobility: The World in Flux’. The conference is ran by students and includes a host of key speakers throughout the weekend tackling various issues on international development. The topics of conversation will be incredibly relevant to the general public of 2016 with topics including refugees, development, poverty alleviation, and accountability. Whereby most will have a particular North-East angle, such as Lucy Philipson’s development work for COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas) an NGO based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Other speakers include Michael Salomans, who has spent over twenty-five years working for the UN in ten different countries, who will be speaking especially on the mixed-movement of asylum-seekers and migrants into Europe. Another is Newcastle Universities’ own Silvia Pasquetti a Sociology lecturer speaking on asylum, mobility, and inequality in Europe focusing on two refugee centres in Italy. Alongside lectures, workshops will also be held by individuals and organisations on international development, such as David Measures who has extensive expertise leading small teams
in conducting research in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East on improving people’s lives in poverty and conflict situations. Another is Hope for Justice a group which hopes to help the millions of men, women, and children who are trapped in modern day slavery which comes with the shocking statistic that “Today there are 20.9 million estimated slaves worldwide with around $150bn made each year from forced labour.” Attendees of the seminar will be given the opportunity to become a member of Hope for Justice and becoming part of the drive to end modern slavery within our lifetimes. The conference will run from 9.30am until 5.30pm each day and music and refreshments will be provided in between breaks accompanied by a variety of stalls in the foyer. Previous attendees said that the previous conference was “A very worthwhile and informative conference […] It was very encouraging to see the wealth of experience present and the shared commitment to making the world a fairer and better place for all.” And another writes that “This was a very well organised and very informative event. It was great to be able to hear from people and to be able to speak to them and ask questions.” The conference will be held from the 20th of February to the 21st starting at 9.30am and is open to the public, student tickets cost £15 for two days.
The Courier
news.5
Monday 15 February 2016
Ex-Sabb’s death prompts gay marriage debate By Sophie Norris News Editor
Newcastle University graduate David Bulmer-Rizzi, who died on January 16, has had his same-sex marriage legally recognised by South Australia. The 32 year-old died whilst on his honeymoon in Adelaide last month. He suffered severe head injuries after falling down the stairs of a house that he was staying in with his husband to celebrate their honeymoon. The ex-Education Officer, who worked at the Students’ Union between 2005 and 2006, married Marco Bulmer-Rizzi in South London last June, following ten years together. In an interview with Anna Foster for BBC Newcastle, Marco said: “He was very outspoken, very loud. “We grew with one another. “We didn’t get married until the Same Sex Marriage act was passed. We didn’t just want a civil partnership. “Marriage meant the recognition that we were each other’s family.” Senior Advisor Jill Lincoln said: “David was heavily involved in the Students’ Union. “I’ve never met such a dedicated person. He stood up for what he believed in and was a very big character. “He made a dull day shine.” Jill continued: “Everyone who ever knew him remembered him. “He argued like mad at the Student
Council and was involved with the SHAG week campaign.” Same-sex marriage is not currently legalised in Australia however some states do recognise such marriages if they have taken place abroad. South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territories do not currently have this legislation. Following protests from family, friends and the wider public, the South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill contacted David’s family to inform them that his death certificate would be issued to legally recognise his marriage. It previously stated that he was ‘never married’. Discussing his experience, he stated: “As far as they were concerned I was nothing. “It came from nowhere. We were recognised in law as a family and they were denying that. David donated some of his organs. Marco added: “The transplant coordinator told me that David’s heart went to a man who had been waiting for 1250 days and who was attached to a pump in order to live. “I was told about his liver that went to a man in his forties with two young children. “I kept thinking that those children could wake up in the morning knowing that something magical had happened.” On 12th March, the university will be hosting an event to celebrate David’s life and raise money for Young Minds, the UK’s leading charity for the mental health of young people.
“Marriage meant the recognition that we were each other’s family”
David (right) with fellow RAG week volunteer Image: Marco Bulmer-Rizzi
Creative Careers give headstart in job market By Imogen Scott- Chambers Creative Careers Week ran from 8 to 12 February and provided a smorgasbord of events hosted by Newcastle University Careers Service, with the aim of giving students from all degree backgrounds the opportunity to network, question and learn about jobs within the creative industry. These events included: Getting into Journalism, Getting Experience in Radio, Northern Film & Media: Breaking into the Film Industry, Self-employment for Creatives, A Day in the Life of a Press Journalist - James Harrison, A Day in the Life of a Creative Advertising Agency Press Association Showcase and Is the CV dead? The week kicked off with a powerful session about how to tackle getting into the world of journalism. The panelists were Robert Matthew Cooper, Kieran Southern, Chris StokelWalker and Tom Wilkinson. In his interview for The Courier after the session, Stokel-Walker said he very much enjoyed being involved in such an event. “To my knowledge, we didn’t have similar events when I was at the university, and it seemed like something I’d have gone to were it available when I was there.” “From what students were saying after the event to the panelists, it seemed as if they appreciated the practical, rather than theoretical, advice that these sessions give”. Speaking with students after the journalism session; everyone was very pleased that attention was being paid
to the creative sector, especially an area such as journalism that is infamously hard to get into. Masters student Ritwik Sarkar told The Courier: “I thought the session offered practical insight and talked about more than one path to get into the industry”. He was especially pleased with the networking opportunity it provided, he was able to swap email addresses with one of the panelists in order to discuss his CV. Creative Careers Week has been running since 2011. One of its main organisers, Fiona Hartley, told The Courier: “It has always been a week, in order to have a dedicated, focused time for thinking about careers rather than events scattered throughout the year”. Each year the program of events is bigger and better; in the past there have been sessions focused on everything from gaming to art therapy. Hartley explained that past alumni are always happy to get involved and give back something to the University, and this also shows attendees that it is possible to get the jobs they want, the speakers that come are living proof of that. According to figures published in 2014 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Creative industries now account for 1 in 18 (5.6%) of all jobs in the UK. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2013, within the creative industries, there were increases in jobs of greater than 20% in the East of England (27.1%), the East Midlands (25.0%), the West Midlands (20.6%) and the Yorkshire and Humber (20.1%).
“The week is aimed at everyone, not just those on Arts degree programmes”
Creative Careers week ran from 8 to 12 February. Image: Imogen Scott-Chambers The Creative Careers Week is inclusive and wide ranging, Hartley and another main organiser, Laura Brown, explained. “The week is aimed at everyone, not just those on Arts degree programmes. At the Northern Film and Media session we had a student of computing science
which was really cool”. Moreover, it is not just all about people delivering talks; at the end of the week there was a CV workshop entitled “Is the CV dead?” in which people worked on their CVs in groups with the experts at the Careers Service and each other.
“The Creative Careers Week is inclusive and wide ranging”
“I think the sessions are good because they give you the opportunity to mingle afterwards and the people had lots of advice”, said international student Phoebe Ng In case you couldn’t attend the series of events last week, visit the Creative Careers Week website which has all the content from this year’s sessions and other from previous years.
6.news
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Students start up Model United Nations society By James Sproston A new society, whcih gives students the opportunity to hone their debate skills in a simulation of the United Nation committees, has started up and is open for sign-ups. Model United Nations is a simulation of the committees within the United Nations. In these committees, solutions to global issues are proposed and debated in the quest for achieving world peace. Each member in attendance is a delegate representing a country, and does their best to represent their country’s views. Resolutions can often range from rather sensible decisions to some more radical solutions such as swapping the Falklands for Lionel Messi, and the strong alliance between Azerbaijan and Oldham. The Newcastle MUN society itself is new this year with a membership fee of £5. For that fee a member can come to all the weekly meetings and it is used to subsidise conference fees. These conferences take place all across the UK, with Newcastle sending delegations down to Leeds and up to Edinburgh in the coming months. At these conferences several committees simultaneously operate, each with
their own speciality. Here delegates are given the opportunity to flex their debating muscles. MUN is not just reserved for experienced debaters - engaging in these debates provides an opportunity to develop public speaking, debating and writing skills, as well as generating a broader awareness of current affairs. Model United Nations society President Abhishek Jani told The Courier: “[The society] helps you become a global citizen. In this ever changing world, it’s essential to keep up with all the ups and downs and this society is a platform to help you do that. But like all societies, it needs to be fun as well and that’s where the conferences come in. “Annual conferences all over the UK and the world help you meet so many new people and make new friends. I’ve met some of my closest friends due to this and I hope you all get the same opportunity to do that.” Due to the broad nature of global issues, MUN interests people with a variety of interests. Anyone with a passion for debating, politics, law, international economic and business issues, world health or anything relating to current affairs is welcomed by the society to join and find something to do. With 50 members joining in the first four months of existence, the society’s popularity is surging among the student population.
“In this ever changing world, it’s essential to keep up with all the ups and downs and this society is a platform to help you do that”
The Model United Nations society will give students a chance to flex their debating muscles. Image: Tom Page; Logo: NUMUN Society
Reforms rejected again at Student Council meeting By Mark Sleightholm Deputy Editor Student Council rejected proposals to introduce slate campaigning in elections and payments for Part-Time Officers, having previously rejected both proposals last year. Hannah Goring, NUSU’s Activities Officer, put forward a motion to allow slate campaigning during elections, which would enable campaigners to support two candidates for different positions simultaneously. As the regulations currently stand, students are not allowed to campaign on behalf of a candidate for one position at the same time as campaigning for a candidate for another position, which Goring felt was too restrictive, since many candidates have mutual friends who want to support them both. Goring’s motion was defeated, with only 49% of students supporting it, well short of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass. A similar motion last year, put through by then-President Clare Boothman, also failed to pass council vote. Goring said afterwards: “Regardless of whether the motion was passed or not, I feel that giving the students the opportunity to look at how their elections are run is really important. With so many rules and regulations, elections can be a particularly stressful time for candidates, and for those students who wish to actively campaign for a candidate.
“Allowing candidates to support each other in their campaigns could help to boost morale and encourage more students to actively engage in the election process.” Rohan Kon, Chair of Student Council, submitted a motion calling for PartTime Officers to receive some kind of monetary reward or incentive, in line with school reps. Noting that a similar proposal was rejected in the previous academic year, she argued that the current PTOs have made a substantial contribution to NUSU and that the roles deserved more recognition. The motion explicitly stated that the changes would only come into effect from September, meaning that the current PTOs would be unaffected. Kon suggested that criteria could be introduced for the incentives, so that only PTOs who went above and beyond what was already expected of them would be eligible for any reward, which could take the form of a voucher. The main arguments against the motion came from students who were concerned that rewarding PTOs would lead to calls to also reward, for example, society presidents, and that this would be an ineffective use of NUSU’s budget. After a ten minute discussion the motion was defeated, with 31% of members voting for and 60% voting against. This was a bigger defeat than last year’s motion, which 45% of Council members supported.
The Courier
news.7
Monday 15 February 2016
SafeZone app comes to Newcastle campus By Antonia Velikova News Editor
SafeZone, a new location-based app, which provides round-the-clock security for students and staff, is launching today, Director of Student Services and Academic Registrar Lesley Braiden announced last week. “Your privacy is respected at all times as SafeZone only shares your location with our security team when you ask for help, or check-in because you want us to know your location,” the email said. The app will be available for students and staff for free. Shed Coulthard, Estates Security Manager, Newcastle University, said: ”The personal wellbeing of students and staff is our top priority and while we uphold an impeccable record on safety – in a city widely regarded as one of the safest places to study in the UK – we are always open to innovative use of technology to ensure that we continue to deliver the best possible student experience. “I think it is fantastic that the university are taking a more direct response to students safety, making that ability to call for help that little bit easier.,” Luke Allison, Welfare and Equality officer for the Students’ Union, told The Courier. “I believe that this model has been reported successful in America and we are one of the first implementing it in the UK. I think that this system will bring university security into the smart phone age.” “While our campus is already very safe, the SafeZone app will give extra
re-assurance to our students and staff. It will also help us to work closer with partners across the city and to continue providing efficient response to incidents at any scale.” With the app rolling out, Newcastle University joins forces with Northumbria University and other local agencies, including Northumbria Police, to maximise the benefits of the SafeZone service as part of Newcastle’s Safe City initiative. Darren Chalmers-Stevens, Director EMEA at CritialArc, developers of the app, said: “Newcastle University is part of a growing number of universities in Europe and Australia to offer SafeZone. The app will complement the outstanding work of the University’s security team while giving staff and students a simple and quick means to request assistance when they need it.” The cloud-based service will be supported on campus and geo fenced safe zones in the city, including popular routes between campus buildings and halls of residence. “We already have a great record for safety on campus, being one of safest places in the UK to study, and we hope to maintain and strengthen this by using innovative technology to support us. “ Lesley Braiden said in her email. “Please take advantage of this new service to offer you extra reassurance when you’re on campus.” The SafeZone team will be running pop-up information sessions on campus, raising awareness of the app and how to use it between 15-17 February.
“This system will bring university security into the smart phone age”
The app is free for students and staff and provides extra security. Image: Newcastle University Estates Security
Teddy Bear Hospital society to host health Funday By Louise Hall NUSU’s Teddy Bear Hospital society will be holding their annual ‘Funday’ event at the Centre for Life on 20 February. The society aims to reduce childhood anxiety in clinical environments along with educating children about the importance of other health related topics such as dental hygiene and a healthy lifestyles. Volunteers from the society, who come from all degree programmes provide fun-filled weekly visits for both Primary School children, Rainbows and Beaver groups. Their ‘Funday’ will be no exception as parents are encouraged to bring their children, and the children their teddies, to a free admitting day of healthcare activities. At similar events the society provides five stations for the children to get involved in: a hand washing station, healthy living station, teeth brushing station, sensory station and the doctor’s station. At the doctors station volunteer ‘doctors’ treat children’s ill teddy bears with doctors kits and plasters and bandages. Melissa Carson, the Teddy Bear Hospitals Funday coordinator commented that their annual Funday is “a much larger scale of what we normally offer to children at schools, rainbow and beaver groups.” The event will run from 10am to 4pm, and will be open to children of all ages. Last year the society raised money
for two charities, the Great North Children’s Hospital and The Great North Museum and the society will repeat their fundraising efforts for two different charities this year. The activities for the ‘Funday’ event will include most of the stations regularly offered at their events, excluding the hand washing station due to practicalities. However many more will available specifically for the ‘Funday’ like an xray station, first aid and ambulance station, safety around medicines station, and an anatomy teddy table, which enables children to learn about how the insides of bodies work. The team will also be providing scrubs for the children to dress up in. Last year over 160 children attended the event to get involved in the projects on offer. Mellissa told The Courier that “the aim of the Funday is to reach more children than we could possibly reach during weekly visits, and also to open up the Teddy Bear Hospital to children of all ages. It’s intended to be a fun and educational Saturday, held in the February half term of all local schools.” The society intends to provide a comfortable platform for children to communicate their concerns regarding hospital visits and better educate them about what to expect in the future in a fun manner. If you are interested in attending the day visit http://www.teddybearhospitalncl.co.uk/ for more information.
“It’s intended to be a fun and educational Saturday, held in the February half term of all local schools”
The society aims to reduce childhood anxiety in clinical settings. Image: Debbie Preston
8.nationalstudentnews
Monday 15 February 2016
Image: TCTV
The Courier
NEWSTACK Guest lecture leads to outbreak of violence King’s College London An investigation is being launched by Kings College London after a pro-Israel talk held at the university led to an outbreak of violence, believed to be from a Pro-Palestinian group. The building had to be evacuated after demonstrators from the KCL Action Palestine group intruded and began throwing chairs and smashing windows. They also set the fire alarm off more than fifteen times. It is estimated that over two hundred people attended the event organised by Esther Enfield, a member of the KCL Israel society. Enfield was assaulted during the event. Fifteen police officers were called to the scene to break up the violence, however it has been reported that no arrests have been made as of yet. A former head of the Israeli secret service Shin Bet and commander in chief of the navy, Ami Ayalon, was present at the lecture.
Protest over rent fees University College London
More than 150 students at University College London are refusing to pay rent as a form of protest against the rising costs of student accommodation. The average rent has increased by over fifty percent since 20009 for individuals studying at UCL. Many students have to rely upon other sources of income, whether it is borrowing money from relatives or finding part-time employment, as they struggle with the affordability of living in the capital city. Protesters are believed to be living in Ramsay Hall, where rooms cost between £159 to £262 per week, and Max Rayne House, which charges £103 to £232. The protesters hope that the university will meet their demands of reducing rent by forty percent.
RAG Week 2016
Breathalyser at uni bar Cardiff
Closing Date: 14/02/2016 Newcastle Work Experience - E-portfolio Development Assistant Newcastle University | Newcastle upon Tyne | £700 bursary
Newcastle Work Experience - Career Mentoring Intern Newcastle University | Newcastle University | £700 bursary Newcastle Work Experience (NWE) is a flexible 100 hour placement scheme providing undergraduate and postgraduate students with the opportunity to undertake challenging project-based placements within Newcastle University and North East businesses. The Careers Service runs a Career Mentoring programme to link students to mentors working in industry. In its second year of running, the Career Mentoring programme is rapidly growing and some research into comparable schemes at other universities is required to help steer the development of the programme, shape resources and identify potential areas for additional activities. Closing Date: 14/02/2016 Newcastle Work Experience - Reading Group Facilitator Newcastle University | Newcastle upon Tyne | £700 bursary Newcastle Work Experience (NWE) is a flexible 100 hour placement scheme providing undergraduate and postgraduate students with the opportunity to undertake challenging project-based placements within Newcastle University and North East businesses. The successful candidate will assist a group of staff from the School of Psychology working on an educational research project. These staff are members of a research group interested in understanding, evaluating and improving teaching in higher education. One of the group’s areas of interest is how to facili-
tate reading in undergraduate psychology students. Despite the importance of reading for learning and attainment, published research suggests that only 20 to 30% of students engage in wider reading. The placement student will assist with a research project involving running some structured reading groups for Stage 1 and Stage 2 undergraduate psychology students. Undergraduate students will be asked to attend these groups on a voluntary basis, reading given journal articles before the sessions. In the sessions the reading group facilitator will lead a series of activities designed to encourage students to critically engage with the material. These might include, for example, debating two opposing theories or designing an experiment to test a particular hypothesis. Closing Date: 21/02/2016 Newcastle Work Experience - Jarrow Crusade Impact Project Worker Newcastle University | Newcastle University | £700 bursary Newcastle Work Experience (NWE) is a flexible 100 hour placement scheme providing undergraduate and postgraduate students with the opportunity to undertake challenging project-based placements within Newcastle University and North East businesses. The School of History, Classics and Archaeology is a vibrant research-intensive school with an agenda of civic engagement and impactful public-facing projects. This project will involve organising preparations for the 80th anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade with historians at Newcastle University, as well as partners in Tyne and Wear Museums, South Tyneside Council and Jarrow Library.
Newcastle Work Experience (NWE) is a flexible 100 hour placement scheme providing undergraduate and postgraduate students with the opportunity to undertake challenging project-based placements within Newcastle University and North East businesses. The University is seeking to improve the help and support materials for ePortfolio. There is currently some instructional documentation aimed at students but much of this is starting to be out of date. We would like the a student to create a full set of new instructions for ePortfolio, including the benefits to student learning, and examples of where various elements may be used in an educational context. The instructions should work as one complete document, that could be split apart into smaller sized handouts and used in online context-sensitive help. Closing Date: 14/02/2016
Students at Cardiff University are being subjected to breathalyser tests prior to entering union bars. The scheme is designed to discourage students from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol before going out, however it will not necessarily mean that students will consume a lesser amount of alcohol. Some have claimed that it is a money making scheme to encourage students to purchase more drinks from the bar, Those over the drink driving limit will be denied entry inside. The breathalysers have been funded through the Welsh Government Substance Misuse Action Fund and have been endorsed by police and local authorities.
Medical society banned Liverpool The University of Liverpool has banned a student medical society after they allegedly mocked antirape campaigners. The university has said that they will no longer recognise Liverpool Medical Student Society, which was first established 170 years ago. The LMSS will not be allowed to book or use any of the facilities or services provided by the university, nor will they be able to promote the society or affiliated events. The university will not reference the medical society in their publications and a number of doctors who studied at the institution will remove themselves from the alumni society. The LMSS has over 1500 members and over one hundred guest lecturers attend the university each year. An investigation conducted by the University of Liverpool into the LMSS reveals that its annual charity dinner was traditionally only attended by men which conflicts with equality legislation.
By Sinead Corkett-Beirne
The Courier
.9
Monday 15 February 2016
Comment thecourieronline.co.uk/comment
Comment Editors: Dan Robertson, Hanson Jones & Jack Dempsey courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk | @Courier_Comment
The limitations of ‘positive thinking’
Positive thought may be viable for those of privilege, but to those that are not, the distinction is a little greyer .
Nina Keen
S
tudy after study has shown that thinking positively can have a genuine positive impact on your mental and physical health. Replacing self-limiting beliefs with optimistic ones can help you achieve more. Treating yourself like you deserve love, respect and happiness reinforces the internal idea that you do. If only we could all stop standing in the way of our own happiness. So what could be wrong with encouraging positive thinking, self-motivation and the like? Well, nothing - if positivity is a viable option for you. If you really are the only thing in the way of your own happiness. If you really can achieve anything by setting your mind to it and trying. But what about if you belong to a social class for whom reality is getting by on the bare minimum and just about being able to carry on existing, and treating yourself is an idea so unrealistic it’s almost
laughable? A race that gets paid consistently lower by employers - the ones that don’t systematically discriminate against you in the hiring process? What if your gender is constantly erased by societal norms, invalidating your experience? Positivity is all well and good when you’re privileged. When you’re not, the message that you can be your own solution - because you are your own problem - can feel like a slap in the face.
“like some homeopathic placebo that doesn’t heal anyone in any real way from the sickness of oppression” In an increasingly secularised society, pro-capitalist neoliberals are trying to turn vague and apolitical messages of self-care, self-love and positivity into a new opiate of the masses - only to far lesser avail, because their promise of “it gets better” is becoming more and more obviously an insulting lie. Everything will work out if you just believe and are rich, white and cisgender. Being straight and male helps too. And people who aren’t quite so lucky are noticing. While it may be true that sometimes the problem is the way we’re thinking, a lot of the time it just isn’t. In one of my Cognative Behavioural
Therapy groups, I was told that my problem - believing everyone was judging me on my appearance and deciding whether I was a worthwhile human on that basis - was imaginary. I explained to the (male, well-meaning) therapist that, with respect, I am a woman, so no it wasn’t. Similarly, my assertiveness group was full of well-off white people, for whom there was genuinely nothing standing in the way of their control over their lives except their confidence, or lack thereof. Whenever a person of colour came to a session and gave real examples of external causes barring them from happiness, the therapist was at a loss. This “be your own solution” model simply didn’t work for them, because they weren’t their own problem in the first place. Society was. Thanks to various societal factors to do with accessibility as well as the sickening frequency of employment discrimination, most therapists are rich, white, straight, cisgender and able-bodied. This could partially explain (though not excuse) why their advice is so often individualistic, introspective, apolitical and often fundamentally unhelpful: it just doesn’t occur to them in their position of privilege that some of these ideas of not being worth anything, of deserving criticism and loathing, might come from outside. As a well-off, white, straight, cisgender and able-bodied woman, my own experience of this has been minimal, but even I have known psychiatrists who will tell me that what I’m feeling - often an internalised version of male gaze - all comes from in my head, and then will make small talk about various sexist laws or events in the news and exclaim “can you believe
it?!”, to which I will always respond “well...yes”. What is there left that we can do then, now that these messages of self-care, self-love and positivity are revealed to be counterproductive and offensive?
“self-care isn’t self-indulgence, it’s self-preservation, and that’s an act of political warfare”
The solution lies in activist self-care; self-care that takes a specifically political, intersectional stance, that recognises these problems come from without and the only way to face them is with recognition and solidarity. In a world that tries to reduce women to never acting and always being acted upon, all movement is revolution. In a world that tries to suppress POC (People of Colour) out of existence, there is rebellion in selfhood. And self-care isn’t self-indulgence, it’s self-preservation, and that’s an act of political welfare. The self-preservation version of self-care is helpful, laudable, and indeed essential, both to activist circles and to life under oppression. Many intersectional feminist groups (including Newcastle feminist society) put an emphasis on self-care for this reason. But we cannot let this idea be appropriated by neoliberal procapitalists, in a form so watered down it’s like some homeopathic placebo that doesn’t heal anyone in any real way from the sickness of oppression.
We need to stop UBERreacting to the ‘taxi crisis’
Last week, protests by traditional taxi drivers took place against Uber - but is this means of transport the future for British travel? Max George The Uber experience is becoming ubiquitous. The amazement of virgin Uberers as they realise they can, in seconds, order and pay for a ride that arrives in minutes and costs markedly less than usual taxis is testament to its success. Disruptive industries have been the engines of economic development through the ages – and those who seek to stand in its way are not judged kindly by history. Uber is succeeding because it does what consumers want. In much the same way that the iPhone revolutionised user-friendly electronics, the Uber model is the disruptive revolution that the transportation sector has needed. Why should we not be able to hail a ride from a smartphone? Why
should we be happy to pay more just to protect the existing industry? Uber aficionados do not have to endure the struggle of hailing late-night cabs off the street or endlessly calling booked-up taxi firms. Arguably, Uber’s popularity and success derives not just from its convenience and value but also from the superior service and safety it offers. Traditional taxi unions claim that since Uber drivers are unlicensed, they cannot be trusted. On the contrary, recording your trip online – with the all the driver’s details – makes them more trustworthy. If something goes wrong, all is recorded; if something is lost or stolen in the taxi, the vehicle can be tracked. By allowing drivers and passengers to rate each other, the bad are sifted from the good. The wallowing drunkard does not ruin it for the rest of us. The maniacal mad-head running red lights will get fewer, if any, rides. Different styles appeal
to different customers – my last driver, Murshad, seemed to be auditioning for a job as a stuntman, but he got me to St. James’ Park in time for kickoff. I gave him full marks for fucks given; a more tentative passenger would be able to avoid him in future.
“a disruptive revolution that the transportation sector has needed”
Capitalism only works when competition and challenger start-ups can thrive if they provide a better product or fail if they don’t – and when established insiders can thrive and fail equally. Far too often governments and regulators are in hock to trade unions, industry groups and big business
protecting ‘insiders’ with taxpayers’ money at the expense of ‘outsiders’. This is all too evident in the squeamish and pathetic way many governments are seeking to restrict or ban Uber to protect the market share of traditional taxis. ‘Black cabs’ have no divine right to exist: they do so only as long as there is a demand for their service. All of the most important technological advances have come from mavericks being able to disrupt the existing order. Industries that cannot adapt to technology and consumer sensibilities deserve to flounder. It may be lamentable for those whose livelihoods are at stake, but history shows that creative disruption benefits us all: the consumer gets a better, cheaper service; the worker discovers new ways to make a living; the innovator is heartened to innovate further. And society becomes richer, healthier and happier. The sharing economy is here to stay.
ny
10.commentfeature
Monday 15 February 2016
the STUDENT
PERSPECTIVE
The Courier
EU Referendum
With the inevitable EU referendum looming and on the forefront on British politics, our write Robin Richards
LEAVE
F
or some the election of 24 UKIP MEP’s in the 2014 European Elections represented a chance to enforce a new British nationalist agenda, to fly St George’s Crosses anywhere out of Emily Thornberry’s reach and to begin the resumption of fish and chips as a world conquering cuisine. However, for anyone moderately less purple the more interesting statistic was the paltry 35% turnout. Political apathy is rife within our society. Almost everyone you meet at University looks towards Westminster not as a shining beacon of our democratic process but rather an isolated, piggish hideout of those detached from the life of the citizens of their own country. We complain about the London-centric aspect of our politics, about the ability of the Cabinet to dictate policy for regions that are so diverse they range from the rough streets of Winchester to the high-rise blocks of Tower Hamlets and the indifference of our politicians to problems in localities. It is therefore with some shock that I learnt that the political consensus, for those only smart enough to follow a trend, seems to be an unfaltering belief in the European Union and therefore in further centralisation. We are willingly giving the power of binding legislation to a group of politicians not only further away but also far, far less accountable. I challenge anyone reading this to name more than a couple of the European Commission, these are the executives of the EU – but we, the populace, have absolutely no say in their appointment. We are sabotaging our own democracy and sovereignty by remaining in the EU. We sacrifice not only the ability for our government to affect change but also our ability to hold that government to ransom over these changes. The solution to voter dissatisfaction will never be simply passing control to a larger, less personal body. Yet in this referendum we have the very opportunity to say just that, that we no longer accept impersonal, inaccurate and unhelpful legislation being forced upon us by faceless, politicians from Westminster, let alone Brussels.
Helena Vesty
STAY
W
e can all admit that the terms of Britain’s membership in the EU definitely aren’t perfect. Whether speaking from a financial point of view, or a foreign policy perspective, people have never been more vocal about those controversial aspects that impact the way the UK operates. With a so-called ‘Brexit’ apparently on the horizon and several incredible, headline-grabbing apocalyptic theories about Britain’s future should it choose to stay, we should really consider the possibility of what leaving might mean in the face of global changes. We really cannot predict with any cer-
tainty the dangers that might come to the fore in the next 50 years, let alone the next 10. As Russia continues to flex its muscles in Eastern Europe, and the Middle East remains in turmoil, there are multiple significant threats and challenges waiting just around the corner. A likely consequence of leaving the club would be that the UK would never be welcomed back into the fold and such a result could be catastrophic in the event of increased international hostility, or potential war. Left without influence and few friends, as The Economist suggests, Britain would struggle in an intensely political, highly militarised world. Whilst Eurosceptics say that the UK could rely on a military partnership founded in the ‘special relationship’ with the USA, there is still a significant risk of abandonment should more localised security issues arise. Without our powerful place in the European forum, there is even doubt as to whether the US will continue its association with Britain in the same way. Acknowledging the growing capabilities of formerly less developed countries such as Iran, or the spiralling extremism of groups including ISIS, future military action could unfortunately be a very real possibility. For the security of the people in our own country and for members of the international community, we should choose to preserve a strong European force, which has some authority in the shaping of world events, rather than destroy it.
Max George
LEAVE
I
f you cannot remove the people who make your laws, you do not live in a democratic system. So said Tony Benn, that most revered of democratic socialists. It amazes that so many democratic leftists and liberals seem entirely comfortable with the unaccountable cronyism of the European Union. The EU is a racket; it is a cartel; it is, in spirit if not in law, corrupt. It serves the interests of big businesses, banks and interest groups who lobby for regulations and tariffs that will help cement their established positions, suffocating competition in the process. This corporatism is emblematic of the modern malaises within capitalism. It is hardly surprising that such cronyists wish Britain to remain in: they get access to cheap labour from the East and the ability to stifle competition from beyond Europe’s borders and from disruptive start-ups. Meanwhile British voters are powerless to effect change. Those who want to see power returned to the people, to small businesses and to communities must end Britain’s detention inside what is the world’s only receding trade bloc. There is a wider geopolitical reason for unshackling ourselves, too. The EU is on a trajectory to disintegration as the Eurozone’s fatal fault lines and contradictions are exposed and as refugee crises and terror attacks bring down the border-free Schengen zone. Britain can and must show that there is another way. Another way to engender European trade, cooperation and friendship without the undemocratic and ineffec-
tual political structures of Brussels – structures which only foster resentment within the Union. To those who say Britain would flounder outside the EU, consider this: Britain has the world’s largest 5th largest economy and defence budget; English law and language are the most ubiquitous in the world economy; the UK is a permanent seat-holder at the United Nations Security Council and major power within NATO. Leaving the EU is not about isolationism; it is about opening Britain to the rest of the world. The protectionist instincts of the Eurofederalists are holding us back. Britain can forge a new European order, based on free trade, sovereignty and democracy.
Emma Bancroft
STAY
D
espite there being many legitimate angles to consider in the argument of whether or not Britain should stay in the EU, a great deal of political rhetoric would have us believe that the only thing staying means for our country is immigrants stealing our jobs, filling our school places and taking advantage of our benefits system. Yet how often do we consider what the negative cultural impact would be if Britain left the EU, or how much value immigration actually brings to us as a country? Not often enough. When considering voting to stay within the EU, we ought to strongly reflect on how we would be affected if we lost the current principle of free movement given to all EU nationals. A passport from a country within the EU is a powerful tool for travelling; this principle of the Schengen Space not only allows us to move freely as tourists and holidaymakers without having to pay high prices for visas, but it also allows us to exchange aspects of culture such as cuisine, music and film. On top of this, students are able to broaden their horizons as part of language exchange programmes such as Erasmus and employees from British business to gain ground on the international stage by travelling abroad. Surely investing in the youth of today alongside increasing the international competitiveness of our businesses is not something to ignore? Instead of thinking about what the EU takes from us as a nation, let’s contemplate what it brings to us. Remaining in the EU is culturally enriching, immigration shouldn’t be a taboo word and immigrants bring energy and innovation that enhance the country. Belonging to the EU will mean that we can continue to be part of this dynamism in both our own countries and as part of others.
Tom Shrimplin
STAY
I
‘ve always believed that being part of the EU has considerably more positives than it does negatives. Leaving it would be a very risky move,
especially in these uncertain times. One benefit of being in the EU is what it brings to the economy, allowing us access to a large free market and the largest trading bloc in the world. Without this easy access our economy would surely suffer, with job losses expected to occur. The likes of Farage tend to forget that we are not an empire anymore but a small player in world politics; a Brexit would diminish our global influence even further. Moreover, while some may complain about the idea of free movement within the EU, without it this would mean that travelling to a European country (e.g. “lads” holidays to Ibiza or romantic trips to Rome) entailed large-scale inconveniences in airports due to stricter border controls and passport checks. That’s not even mentioning the difficulties a Brexit would cause to British people who have emigrated to EU countries, such as retirees in sunny Spain.
Now I am not pretending that the EU is perfect because it isn’t, playing victim as it is to too much interference from a somewhat inflexible and intrusive bureaucracy. Nevertheless, we at least know where we stand within Europe by remaining a member. By staying in the EU, we could change it from the inside, helping not just ourselves but other countries too. If the UK exits the EU, not only would it be one step backwards but also a massive leap into the unknown with forecasts of another global recession looming large. Ultimately I suppose the question is whether it is worth the risk, and for me personally, the answer is no.
The Courier
featurecomment.11
Monday 15 February 2016
m - the Channel’s hostile waters
ers have outlined their thoughts on whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union. Patrick Kaczmarczyk
STAY
E
ven though I am a strong supporter of the European idea, I think Daniel Hannan has a substantial point. The European Union used to be a term of hope when it was founded in 1993: social security, progress, opportunities, solidarity, peace and democracy were supposed to be the values that characterise a strong community that is “united in diversity” (Motto of the European Union). Who would have thought that in 2016, there would be war in Europe and countries drowning in debt? Or that there would be extreme poverty and high child mortality rates in member states of the EU? The EU is without a doubt in its deepest crisis since its foundation and has created most of the problems – if not all of them – through a destructive organisation and the negligence of the interests of its people. Alongside this, most of the decisions made in Brussels are influenced by lobbyism to an extent that goes far beyond the original and useful purpose of lobbyism, which was to provide vital information
directly from the industry. The powerlessness of the European citizens and the influence of lobbyism are currently evident in regards of the negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement (TTIP). The members of the national parliaments have no influence on these negotiations and there is an absolute lack of transparency about everything surrounding the agreement. Is this how democracy should look like? Tony Benn, a long year member of the parliament between 1950 and 2001 asserts that the EU utterly fails to
justify a democratic legitimacy. Apart from easing trade, the EU certainly did a good job in representing the interests of particular multinational corporations and banks, and strengthening the position of certain member states that highly benefit from the deep crisis in Southern Europe – such as my home country Germany for example. Coming back to my initial point, Daniel Hannan is definitely right in his complaints about the undemocratic structures in Brussels. But is leaving the EU the right thing to do? In this regards, I think it is not. Leaving the EU means leaving the Single European Market, which is the biggest free trade zone in the world, and Britain will still be highly dependent on trade with EU member states – and therefore be bound to EU regulations anyway. So in these terms Britain’s independence from the EU would not give the country any advantage but only the drawback of not having any influence in shaping these regulations. The importance of the EU as a trading partner and its importance for the British economy is an unquestionable fact. In 2014 the other EU states accounted for 45% of all exports and 53% of imports. The argument that Britain’s trade with the EU has been declining in recent years is flawed, as it does not take into account that the economy in the Eurozone has been shrinking. Looking on the consequences of a ‘Brexit’ from a global context I think it is utopic to assume that Britain would be in an advantageous position as a single state between the two superpowers of China and the US and in competition with the EU. Furthermore I think that potential tensions with Scotland and its effects on the domestic policy and economy should not be neglected either, when considering to vote for leaving. Interestingly, a large part of the politicians
“Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, Great Britain will remain a part of Europe as it obviously cannot detach itself physically from the continent”
who pressured the Scottish to vote against independence in 2014, now use the same argumentation for leaving the EU that the Scottish had for their independence. Another very oftenmentioned point by EU-Opponents is the high amount of bureaucracy that is slowing down growth. In this point I agree with the overall concerns but this is rather a problem that could and should be solved within the European Union – and this leads me to the points of why I think Britain should vote to stay. Unfortunately most European politicians so far rather focused on threatening the British “what would happen if leaving the EU”. I think a more useful strategy would be to focus on what has to change and show future
opportunities that the British want to be part of. As indicated above, currently it appears that there are very few reasons apart from trade benefits why a country should remain in the EU. Threatening the British to lose this benefit will only strengthen the minds of the opponents, especially as many think that the costs of a membership outweigh its benefits anyway. The referendum can be a great chance to make the European public aware of the lack of democracy and the high bureaucracy which not only affects British but all European businesses.
“Europe in my opinion has great potential” Europe has in my opinion an incredible potential. It is hard to find a continent that has such a high density of diverse cultures, rich history and civilisation. We have to find ways to use this diversity to create a European Union for the European people and societies and bring it back on the road to the original European idea. In many ways this would imply to do the opposite of what Brussels has been doing so far. The great Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci once described that the mentality needed to change politics for the better as the “the pessimism of the intellect and the optimism of the will” – meaning critically assessing the existing situation and believing in what we as people can achieve. Naive optimism or complete pessimism are both wrong approaches. Those who say nothing will ever change and therefore it is better to leave the EU, overlook the fact that the ideas that were shaping this world and leading it to where it is now, have always been changing throughout the history. I think everyone with the “pessimism of the intellect” knows that the way the European Union is organised and working is not sustainable and will have to change. “The optimism of the will” on the other hand can give us the aspirations that, when acting together, the EU and all its members can create a better life for all. The main thing for the near future will have to be to stabilise the national economies. By doing this, many of the problems that exist within the EU that are attached to the discontents and hopelessness of the people will be solved – and most of the problems are mainly caused by these aspects. First tiny steps into the right direction with the new regulations against tax avoidance might have been taken. The EU could use existing institutions such as the European Central Bank to invest into more illiquid forms that would significantly boost the economy. Currently the ECB is buying € 60bn worth of government bonds every month. The European Investment Bank, a fantastic institution whose full potential has not been fully exploited yet, could also support this programme. Instead of large scale bank lending and increasing debts, more direct investment and private equity is needed, so that money will be more attached to the real economy. Otherwise all these liquid investments will remain distant from the reality and financial markets will keep on growing despite an economic downturn. Another major contemporary prob-
lem in the EU, the refugee crisis, is also manageable. According to the latest OECD figures the asylum seekers currently make up 0.3% of the entire European population – an integration of those people whose lives have been torn apart by war and violence is certainly possible and could benefit Europe in the future. Unfortunately, this whole debate is too often overshadowed by emotions of fear and hatred rather than facts and rational actions to improve integration. Creating the right economic structures and promoting sustainable growth from which the majority of the people – not only the elites – will be able to benefit, will help to ease the integration process. In long term there will be no way around democratising the European Union so that it will become an institution for the European citizens. The EU must be accountable for its actions to the European and respect the sovereignty of each country as long as it complies with basic democratic rights such as the freedom of speech and human rights. These are just a few general ideas that show that there can be ways out of this crisis. The European idea is not entirely dead, but we need to take action and correct past mistakes in order to exploit its full potential. Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, Great Britain will remain a part of Europe as it can’t detach itself physically from the continent. However, I hope that the British will vote to stay and try to shape their own and Europe’s future within the European Union. If this referendum happens to be a wakeup call that things cannot go on the way they do (and they certainly will not), then Europe might be thankful to Great Britain in the end.
Jack Bradley
LEAVE
T
he rise of virulently reactionary anti-EU parties in Europe mirrors dissatisfaction with the culturally inclusive and socially liberal side of the EU amongst disillusioned citizens of the continent. However, the EU holds a deep, dark secret, for which it receives remarkably little flak from the left. Where is the accountability? How can any ordinary citizen have any leverage on Brussel’s grandees? The European Parliament is toothless as Donald Tusk tries to out-muscle our elected officials’ attempts to re-negotiate Britain’s membership of the EU. The left was founded on the principles of mass democracy, and accountability to powerful interests. The cruelties of Stalinism and Maoism warped that, but at its heart, the left should be defending our right to influence those who have power over us, rather than limply bowing over to the EU due to it’s perceived “liberalism”. Of course, it has made great strides in environmental legislation and defusing nationalism in Europe. But, if in 30 years’ time we are at the mercy of a shady and impenetrable European technocracy, with no say in our lives, will it have been worth it? The EU is a worthy and admirable project, but its laudable principles have been corrupted by a lack of accountability. Leaving would demonstrate that to the “untouchables” in their glass and steel towers.
12.lgbt+weekfeature
Monday 15 February 2015
LGBT+
The Courier
AWARENESS WEEK 2016
Following the success of last year’s LGBT+ Awareness Week, we are returning for another week coinciding with LGBT+ History Month but this time more colourful and informative than ever! Come learn about and celebrate LGBT+ people, the history and the icons. Come and remember those lost in the fight for equal rights. Join us standing for a campus supporting its LGBT+ students.
I
MON 15-WEDN 17 LGBT+ AWARENESS TENT 11AM-4PM OUTSIDE NUSU MON 15 FEB TALK FROM NUS LGBT+ OFFICER 5PM-5.30PM HISTORY ROOM
WEDN 17 FEB ALBERT KENNEDY TRUST (ALK) TALK 1.30-2.30PM WALKWORTH ROOM KINGS ROAD CENTRE QUEER WOMEN IN 21ST CENTURY TALK 5-6PM HISTORY ROOM
LGBT+QUESTION TIME INTERNATIONAL LGBT+ 5.30-7PM DISCUSSION HISTORY ROOM 6.15PM HISTORY ROOM TUES 16 FEB TRANS* HEALTH TALK THURS 18 FEB 3-4PM GENDER NEUTRAL TOIMEDICAL SCHOOL LETS- ACTION DAY LECTURE THEATRE FRI 19 FEB LGBT+PEOPLE WITH COLOUR FESTIVAL FAITH TALK 4PM 5-6PM MENS BAR HISTORY ROOM
magine this. You leave a toilet cubicle and several people look at you in confusion, and even ask if you knew you were in the women’s toilet. You’re trying to use the library toilets and someone literally blocks the entrance so that you can’t get in. You go into a public toilet and are told by a person you’ve never met that you ‘don’t belong here’. These are all experiences that I and many of my fellow non-binary/transgender/genderqueer pals have experienced a fair few times in our lives. I am a non-binary androgynous individual, so you can imagine that when a handful of gender neutral toilets were introduced in our Union I was elated. Finally, a space where I wouldn’t be questioned, harassed and mocked. A place where I could pee in peace. However despite these being introduced, gendered toilets still exist in the SU and through the rest of campus. So, in certain situations I have to resort to using the female toilet, which is where I receive those lovely double takes and murmurs under the breath. I feel inadequate and ostracized – like I don’t belong. It takes me back to that old high school mentality. If you looked or acted dif-
WE NEED GENDER NEUTRAL TOILETS SAFFRON KERSHAWMEE
ferent you were instantly judged and humiliated for being so. What I don’t understand in the first place is why society chooses to gender a room in which the sole purpose is to take dumps. It’s illogical, and completely unnecessary. We need to fully acknowledge that gender is a spectrum and ensure the comfortability of all students with all identities. To do this, we must commence #operationgenderneutral. Many other university institutions have had a complete overhaul of gendered bathrooms, and we can do the same. In the mean-time, if there’s someone in the bathroom you’re using who doesn’t look like the gender on the door, here’s what you do. Don’t worry about it.
The Courier
W
featurelgbt+week.13
Monday 15 February 2016
WHAT IS PANSEXUALITY? ZOE GODDEN
ithin wider society, and occasionally within the LGBT+ community itself, there is one queer identity often neglected – one I personally identify with. Pansexuality, also known as omnisexuality, refers to sexual or emotional attraction towards any sex or gender identity. It is not the attraction to kitchen crockery. Nor is it quite bisexuality either. Although the terms do overlap, bisexuality is defined by attraction to at least two genders (importantly not limited to cisgender men and women). The Greek prefix ‘pan’ contrarily means ‘all’, hence a pansexual is attracted to all types of people, regardless of gender or sex. This therefore aims to be inclusive of non-binary genders/sexes and trans* individuals who feel they don’t fit the traditional binary. Demi-gender, two spirit, and intersex – it’s irrelevant. You’re attractive if I like you as a person. Pansexuality and bisexuality are thus contrasting but interrelated identities. This confusion has however caused some tension within the LGBT+ community - after all, there isn’t a ‘P’ in the aforementioned group title. Panphobia has arisen via accusations they’re trying to ‘one up’ bisexuals, meanwhile the latter battle accusations they’re trans*phobic and are less inclusive than pansexuals, all whilst a select few gay individuals accuse both parties of jumping on the Pride bandwagon. It’s a difficult subject considering some see the terms as interchangeable, but ultimately whichever label you chose to define yourself with (if you use one at all) is a matter of personal preference. Nonetheless, these similarities have led to pansexuals facing a number of affiliated misconceptions in wider society. For starters, we aren’t confused. My sexuality lies on a spectrum between gay and straight, unrestricted by binary gender and sexual characteristics that would define my ideal partner. Of course, I can still adhere to societal expectations if I so please (I’m currently in a heterosexual relationship with a cis male), but the idea is that I’m not limited by such restrictions should I wish otherwise. Furthermore, pansexuality doesn’t equate to promiscuity. Just because I can be attracted to anybody doesn’t mean I am attracted to everybody. That isn’t to say polyamorous pansexuals don’t exist, and likewise an asexual can identify as panromantic. However to make assumptions about someone’s sexual behaviour based on their sexual identity is downright degrading. Most importantly, pansexuality is real. Google Trends shows the term had significant web activity more than 3 years prior to Tumblr’s internet prominence, and the recent infamous YouGov survey found 49% of students were ‘not completely heterosexual.’ Sexual fluidity is thus a real phenomena; one that is thankfully becoming more recognised and accepted. I’ve come to embrace that my love is universal – and many other pan, bi, and queer students are now doing the same.
INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA AND STEREOTYPING MEG HOLTOM
S
o far the 21st century has been triumphant for the LGBT+ community with same sex marriage laws being passed worldwide and a generally more accepting society. According to AVERT, the international AIDS charity, the current average age that young LGBT+ people begin coming out is 16 which, when compared with around 20 in the 1980’s, should imply that internalised homophobia is dropping. This phenomenon is, in a nutshell, when a person is subjected to other people’s negative perceptions to the extent that they start to feel that way towards themselves. Therefore instead of embracing who they really are, the person will start to deny their sexuality to others and themselves and this can lead to issues with mental health. So why are some people still suffering from internalised homophobia if society is becoming more accepting of the LGBT+ community? In my opinion, it’s a matter of stereotyping. Stereotyping is something that happens too often within the LGBT+ community. The idea that gay men have to be camp and camp men have to be gay is outdated and simply untrue and yet, particularly within the older generation, this idea is still very much bounced around. This can put pressure on people in the LGBT+ community to feel they have to act a certain way to be accepted. I hear comments far too often from people saying, “he must be gay” or referring to their ‘gaydar’ because of the way a person acts, dresses or speaks. I know LGBT+ people who do fit the stereotype and those who don’t and I don’t think any less of either. There is a very specific social stigma that is associated with being an LGBT+ man where he may be pressured into being someone’s ‘GBF’ (gay best friend). People will use their friend’s sexuality as an excuse for anything. No - it’s not okay to show your GBF that weird mark on your boob “because he’s gay”, and its not okay to ask him if red is your colour “because he’s gay” - it’s just not. However, despite stereotyping still being a problem, the LGBT+ community is in its prime. Gay Pride is getting bigger and better by the year and slowly but surely it’s killing internalised homophobia. Walking through the streets of Newcastle it is plain to see that more and more people are showing their true sexualities and show no discomfort in engaging in public displays of affection with their other halves no matter what their genders are - and I love it.
A
STEREOTYPING WITHIN THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY LEWIS ELLIOTT
s of 2016, it can be safely said that the situation for LGBT+ people in the UK, and indeed more widely, has made a lot of progress. For example, we can now get married and can expect fair and equal treatment in most areas of society – however there are some issues that persist. One of these is stereotypes, and in particular how they affect the lives and wellbeing of LGBT+ people. Even as people of different sexualities and gender identities have become more accepted, many damaging assumptions and stereotypes still exist. These can be based on historical factors or just misconceptions about LGBT+ people, and can range from the relatively innocuous to the extremely harmful. Amongst gay men for example, there is the stereotype of being ‘effeminate’; which although true for some men, is by no means the case for all. The same applies to lesbian women who are often stereotyped as being ‘butch’, and indeed for bisexual people who may be regarded as being ‘indecisive’ as to whether they are gay or straight. These stereotypes can be damaging to the mental health of those affected, and can also cause divisions within the communities themselves. Indeed, if people do not feel they fit into one of these categories, it could lead to feelings of low self-esteem or perhaps difficulties in coming to terms with their true identity – and equally this can apply to those who might fit those categories but who feel victimised or ashamed for being so. The fact that stereotyping is still rather prominent today means that there is a great deal of work to do in order to get rid of it. The primary focus has to be education – by tackling stereotyping of LGBT+ people and homophobia at an early age, we have more hope of removing such problems in the future. People aren’t born with such prejudices – rather they learn them, and by removing such misconceptions earlier, through outreach programmes, workshops, or even by making the curriculum more inclusive, an elimination of stereotypes would become much more of a possibility in the future.
I
LGBT+ MENTAL HEALTH IS A BIG ISSUE SARAH MAIN
t is well known that mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are significantly more common in LGBT+ individuals than in the non-LGBT population. Studies suggest that up to 44% of LGBT+ youths have considered suicide, as opposed to around 20% of non-LGBT people of the same age. Investigations have also recorded higher incidences of drug and alcohol abuse in LGBT+ individuals. This is likely to be linked to discrimination, which a majority of self-identifying LGBT+ individuals face throughout their lives, and is especially prevalent in the form of the bullying of LGBT+ youths, often in high schools. A greater awareness or education in this area would likely be of benefit to the LGBT+ community, as well as to the wider public. Due to the incredibly high incidence of these issues, it would be logical to provide more support to the LGBT+ community, whether at a local or national level. PACE was a mental health charity specifically targeted to LGBT people, which disappointingly, was forced into closure in January 2016 due to a lack of financial support after the cuts to local authority budgets. Small charities such as PACE may benefit from greater public awareness of mental health issues in the LGBT+ community, which is one of the many things that LGBT+ Week 2016 aims to focus on. Fortunately, other larger mental health charities such as Mind are focussing campaigns on the health and wellbeing of LGBT+ individuals, to offer information and support to those affected. The targeting of mental health services to LGBT+ youths may be favourable, as numerous studies indicate that this is often the most difficult time period for LGBT+ individuals. This is possibly because of a lack of inclusion in LGBT+ communities, which may be more easily accessible to many people after leaving school.
14.lifestyle
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Lifestyle Editors: Katie Ackerley, Ruth Loeffler, Fiona Callow & Lauren Exell
The Robinson vs The Marjorie
Robinson
Up until this January, the Robinson Library has been the only real place on campus to get your head down and do some work (unless you do Law or Medicine and are fortunate enough to
escape the rest of us with your own library). You can try and convince yourself that your crappy little desk in your student house will suffice in order to avoid the added stress of fighting for a desk in the beloved Robbo during deadline weeks, but you’re lying – you’ll end up on your phone scrolling mindlessly through your Instagram feed or watching telly with your housemates. The struggle for desk space in the Robbo peaks around deadlines and exams to the point where you’re circling the floor waiting for someone to give up and go home. Finally, our prayers have been answered and the Marjorie Robinson Library opened this year just in time for exams. Is it a new and improved version of the original or just a couple of computer clusters not really worth checking for space?
The Great Library Stand Off
Whether you prefer the atmosphere of the Robbo or want a change in the Marjorie, the library you choose is a serious commitment, but don’t fret, Charlotte Broomfield is here to help you make one of the biggest decisions of your student life
The Café
The Robbo café is the social hub and is pretty decent. It is often used as a meeting place to help you keep your sanity during those long days staring at a laptop. The selection of food is quite varied although most of it fairly expensive, which I guess you deserve if you can’t be bothered walking down the road into town to get food. While Marjorie Robbo’s café has a similar selection of sandwiches which make perfect brain fuel, the café there isn’t half as sociable and it closes before four, which is pretty naff if you’re staying late. I think The Robbo gets a point back in this round.
Marjorie
Group Work Space
The Robinson provides you with a large area for group work which allows you to talk while you work. There is also the option to book a room for a bit of privacy. Admittedly, the YourSpace section of the Robbo downstairs is overly colourful, always packed and the lack of windows makes it way too claustrophobic. Also, it’s actually way too noisy to do any real work so really, the only positive is the abundance of vending machines. Marjorie, on the other hand, has got it all. The desks are better, the seats are better and you don’t feel like you’re in a weirdly colourful cave that’s been designed by a CBBC presenter. It’s not too loud but it’s also not too quiet so that you feel awkward for actually talking, making it the perfect place for your project or a bit of group revision. Marjorie wins this one.
Silent Study
As much as we all hate to admit it, the silent study area is the most important part of any library. Marjorie doesn’t have quite as much space for silent work, while the Robbo has endless desks for when you need to get your life together and actually get down to business. While the Robbo can feel a bit intense when you’re stuck next to someone doing their dissertation while you’re just doing a mid-module essay, seeing people as stressed or more stressed as you are is the motivation you need to actually get through. Even though you have to get up earlier to get a space, the classic Robinson has to win this time.
The Verdict
Robinson 2 - 1 Marjorie I know that sometimes it can be hard to let go but let’s be honest, overall, the Robbo still comes out on top. Marjorie is more aesthetically pleasing inside and has more chilled out vibes, however it’s only open eight thirty until midnight and is dangerously close to Northumbria. The Robbo has actual books in it (although I bet they’re barely ever used) and is there for you when you’ve stupidly procrastinated to the point of needing an all-nighter. Where else are you going to get your celebratory bacon sandwich? The good old Robinson is definitely the alpha-library.
The Courier
.15
Monday 15 February 2016
Culture thecourieronline.co.uk/culture
Culture Editors: Laura Staniforth & Ellie McLaren Sections: Lifestyle, Fashion, Beauty, Arts, Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Science courier.culture@ncl.ac.uk | @CourierOnline
Blind Date
Ritwik on Vicky Where did you go? As You Like It, In Jesmond. And did you like it? It’s really nice! We couldn’t find a table for two so we ended up taking one of those bigger booths, so it was just two people in one of those bigger booths which was slightly odd. How did you greet each other? I don’t know, I just kind of stood up and said hello and then she sat down. So you were there first? Was she late? No, I think she was driving. So what did you drink? I guess if she was driving she didn’t have any alcohol? Oh now that you mention it, thinking back that explains it, I mean she just had a Diet Coke, and I had a Jameson’s and ice. What was your first impression of her? Very driven I suppose, she’s doing an accountancy degree, so she seemed really smart, maybe a little tried because she’s doing a lot of stuff for RAG Week. Any notable topics of conversation? There wasn’t even a moment of awkward silence, we just kept talking, just talked about everything I think, like uni, work, holidays we’ve taken, where we see ourselves in the future that sort of thing. And… [laughs] We had a long conversation about Tinder. About Tinder?! On your date? [Laughs] Well we were talking about this date and how we both volunteered for it. Bonding over that fact that you both volunteered for the date! How did Tinder come up? She was on the phone briefly to her roommates, because they had finished their exams and wanted to go out, and she explained one of them went on a lot of Tinder dates and thought it was really funny. Then I asked her how this was different from Tinder, I mean all she knows is my Facebook profile and my name, she knows nothing about me, for all intents and purposes, this is kind of the same! And I guess you hadn’t even had the chance to talk beforehand? Yeah, all we did was message a time and place, like we didn’t know each other at all, unlike some of the not-so Blind Dates at The Courier. I don’t know what you mean… so if your date was an animal, what animal would she be? I prepared for this question in my head! [Laughs] Erm… I think she seems more like a bred horse, not a wild horse, one that’s built for… I don’t know why, it just entered my head… Not a show pony? No no, like one you take on like equestrian events… like round a track, just like a proper bred horse. She seems like she’s really driven and doing a lot of stuff, and has focus and I don’t know why but I associate that with horses. Would you like to see her again? How dates like this work out is normally really good conversation, but it kind of doesn’t lead to anywhere more than that… I really enjoyed talking to her, and I would like to see her again. I was going to go to Sinners the same night for a friend’s birthday and she said she’d be there too, so I messaged her telling her I was there but no response, but I know she’s busy with RAG Week, that’s why we had the date on Friday, because she’s really busy. If you had to rate your date out of ten, what would it be and why? Purely for what it was, I’d say an eight, very nice conversation, no awkward silence, she laughed at some of my jokes which is nice! But I don’t think either of us were going into this date expecting anything.
Ritwick Sarkar MA Journalism meets Vicky Kelly, 3rd Year Accounting and Finance
Vicky on Ritwik
What were your first impressions of him? He looked nice. Very smart. What was he wearing? He was wearing a blue shirt and a silk scarf, and a pair of… skinny jeans I’m going to say? What did you have in common? Jade Holroyd, because he writes of the Arts section of the Courier which is the section she edits. We were laughing at her a lot. Why? I was just telling him some of her dirty antics that he wasn’t aware of. So he had Jamesons on ice, on the rocks, what did you think of that? Thought he was pretty hardcore, I was quite impressed. Bit jealous, I wanted some. What did course did he do? I don’t know the answer to that question, so don’t ask that. Okay, lol. So you were talking about Tinder, why were you talking about that? Because one of my flatmates was going on a Tinder date, and I was telling him about her antics. Have you been on many Tinder dates? No, I said I couldn’t pluck up the courage. He has, but he said it went awfully so he’s never doing it again, that’s why he was nervous about how this was going to go. If you could go back in time and change one thing about the date before it happened, what would you change? I wouldn’t drive so that I could drink, and I’d ask us to go somewhere in town. Was As You Like It not nice? Yeah it was alright, bit expensive though. £3 for a Coke! Had you Facebook stalked him before the date? No. When he said ‘oh I saw we had loads of mutual friends’, I just had to play along with it. I didn’t know anything about him. Did you feel guilty that you’d done no prep and he had? Yeah, I did. He’d read all the past blind dates in the Courier to see where guys had gone wrong before, and I’d done nothing. You were also in last nights makeup and hadn’t brushed your teeth, right? [Laughs] Yeah… I felt pretty bad about that too. I didn’t mean to, but I’d only got out of bed about a quarter of an hour before. He said you’d be like a well bred horse, are you happy and proud? Yeah! I love it, it’s a great compliment. Would you see him again? Yeah, if he wants to. If he was an animal what would he be? He would be a panda, because he’s from India. Pandas are from India, right? No… they’re from China. Hahaha okay, he’d be an Indian tiger then. He’s fierce. What’s your rating out of 10? 10, because he made a lot of effort, and he called me a well bred horse.
Looking for love? Send in your details to c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk
16.lifestyle
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Keep Calm and Carry On
The rules of coolness
Benazir Parween gives some tips on how to keep the faith in second term
I
W
e are done with the first term! Exams, projects, essays, presentations and everything in between is done (for now)! Aren’t we all glad that we did not give up, not completely at least, or end up hiding under our covers until it was all over? I hope you have given yourself a good treat or two for surviving another mad term. Because it’s back to business now. Already? Yes! Time can be evil like that sometimes. We will all be right back in the same place in a couple of months. But don’t you worry, we’ve got your back here.
“Reread all the positive feedback you got from your lecturers, and feel good about your passion and that your work is being appreciated” “Why did I choose to go to university? Was I in a sane state of mind?” “Do I really want to be a architect/artist/writer? I mean I could go back to my childhood dream of becoming a duck,” “Are we done yet?” Plus so many more ridiculous feelings and questions must have passed our minds. It’s normal. But always go back to the root of it all. Why did you decide on pursuing this particular degree? You must have put in very serious thought into it. If you didn’t have a passion for it, you wouldn’t want to put yourself through all that stress. Nobody should be forcing you because you are the one living your life. Reread all the positive feedback you got from your lecturers, and feel good about your passion and that your work is being appreciated for its merit. Print it out and paste it around your room. Who cares if anybody judges you, you should be proud of it. Something about starting a new year that gets everyone excited and inspired for what the year has to offer them. It is a blessing in disguise that we have our second term starting in a new year. You are probably getting back your grades from before. Some of you may rejoice, some disheartened and some still feeling lost. Whether you fall into any of that group, set yourself reasonable goals for this term – remember you made it through before.
“Have little notes throughout your diary on what you could be doing to get prepared” Maybe try pushing yourself for the next grade, attend all classes like you promised in the midst of exam terror. Most importantly plan ahead for your assessments. You probably think I’m crazy asking you to do that but it will actually help you to calm down your nerves. Have little notes throughout your diary on what you could be doing to get prepared – choose your essay question, start your readings early, a (super) rough draft. That way you have a clear idea of your assignment by the time you get to writing or studying. We have talked about the beginning of choosing a university/course, the middle of working through your assessments and now think about the end. No, not the end-end! Let’s not be morbid. But every time a term comes to an end, it means we are getting closer to attaining that degree. Getting all dressed up, walking up on stage (without tripping, but if you trip so what! That will make a good anecdote) in front of your loved ones and completing one chapter of your story with pride and happiness. Let’s not panic about getting a job now. Take tiny steps because we will all eventually get there. Keep going, we are never stagnant. So guys, good luck!
Some of us are born cool, some of us achieve cool and some of us have coolness thrust upon us. And others? Well...Abi Dodwell is on hand to help us all achieve greatness
t is a common misconception that being cool is something people are just born with, but after reading this short article you will be left with the tools you need to release your inner chill and finally become the best version of you. Firstly and most importantly it is crucial to understand that confidence is key. At no point ever let it cross your mind that you aren’t in fact cool and it might all, in fact, be in your head, just keep reassuring yourself that you are a winner at life. When you sit at home on your throne, just know that you can achieve whatever you want. You can predict the outcome of any Come Dine With Me or Four in a Bed that comes your way. No biggy. You have a shelf dedicated to alcohol which you display like a line of trophies. And what? All you need to do is sit and survey your Jesmond Kingdom patiently waiting for good things to happen. When you make that walk into Uni let people know, whether that’s a snap on your story that all your fans can screenshot or just a simple tweet so everyone can know that you are about to hit the streets.
“All you need to do is sit and survey your Jesmond Kingdom and wait for good things to happen”
As you strut on your way to the library, make sure that you acknowledge all your fellow pedestrians, whether you know them or not. A wave, smile, wink, even shoot a few slick air pistols to the people who really look like the cool cats in town. The chances are by the time you reach the library you will have picked up a couple second years trailing
your path who are just looking for an idol to follow. It is also important to believe that no matter what room you enter, you have the best music taste by far. And every time you enter a pres, it is simply your duty to plug in your own playlist and bless everyone with your music wisdom. As the night progresses and you head out, convince yourself that you know everyone and can jump a queue into a club and squeeze in next to one of your buds. Funnily enough you then just happen to know the guy on the door and so you waltz in and head straight behind the decks. You do a cheeky set or two before you realise you have accidentally just broken into the club, the guy on the door was in fact the usual homeless man and your set just involved playing Justin Beiber over and over again whilst the DJ fetches a bouncer to have you removed.
“A wave, a smile, wink, even shoot a few slick air pistols to the people who really look like the cool cats in town”
in complete daylight just blind the judgemental passers-by with your sass. Boy or girl, just own every step and make them truly understand the phrase ‘don’t hate me because you ain’t me’.
“Make them truly understand the phrase ‘don’t hate me because you ain’t me’” Trust me, turning up in these wavey garms will guarantee a queue jump straight into Swingers
And so you come crashing down to reality that maybe you aren’t as cool as you once thought. But being truly cool you are able to give the middle finger to these thoughts and swagger on over to Chicken Hut. You know that at least there you can be truly appreciated as the man behind the counter is just waiting for you to come and brighten his evening and hear yet another one of your hilarious stories. The next morning when you’re walking back
The worst traits of the Toon
Obviously the North-East’s reputation as an amazing place to work and study (and drink!) is indisputable. But nothing is perfect and Kotryna Kairyte boldly takes the step to point out the niggles in Newcastle- and why we still love it regardless!
W
ith the Fenwick’s windows changing back to their normal self and the last bits of holiday spirit leaving our bodies, January became the month when everything about your toon seems worse than ever. For those who are in need of a good old rant, I present four worst things about Newcastle. And the reason why you shouldn’t care!
Public Transport
The wind blows my mind
You know one of these little self-promotion posters that all buses are full of now at the beginning of New Year? “According to a survey, 94% of our busses last year arrived on time. We pride ourselves in the quality of our service”. Every time I sit down in a bus that I just waited for extra fifteen minutes and look at it, I laugh. Perhaps it’s just me, but the busses I take regularly seem to be an exception to this utopian survey that have been conducted with happy people who never oversleep, arrive to a bus stop ten minutes early and leave extra time to get where they need to be. It’s a shame I’m not one of those people.
No, seriously. Coming from an Eastern European country, I thought I knew windy. I thought I knew cold. I was wrong. Winter in Newcastle is a different thing. I’m not a small lass, but sometimes I have to literally fight my way to University through that wind. Friends are telling me that it gets windier the further North you go, but I assume people then were coats. Which leads me to my next point…
Match days, bloody Match days
I know Newcastle prides itself in its football team and traditions, but Dear God, does it have to be so intense? As someone who works in a sports pub, I can definitely say that even the loveliest and friendliest people in the town becomes wide-eyed predators when Newcastle United is playing. Especially if Newcastle are playing their deadly rivals *whispers* Sunderland. Then the centre of town is a nogo area, because either Newcastle will have won, in which case you’ll have to pick your way across the minefield of happily-passed out drunks, or they’ll have lost in which case beware. Just don’t call them Maccames!
“The town is a vibrant, youthful, fun place to study and work. And all its flaws just give Newcastle a undeniable character and charm”
Scantily clad... everyone! I remember one of my first nights out in Newcastle – let’s just say I was the weirdo of the group. While every other girl did a ‘bar crawl’ in their sexy mini dresses and skirts, I cozy tugged my winter body in a fluffy coat. It doesn’t surprise me anymore now, but I still wish there was a way to teach girls they would look much more attractive without blue veins and goosebumps on their shivering arms. Nothing screams ‘friendzoned’ like being hospitalised for hypothermia I’d rather wear my thermals than brave the Swingers queue in my strappy top. The Big Market’s appeal, however, is still a great mystery to me.
The Courier
lifestyle.17
Monday 15 February 2016
Striking a pose: analysed
thecourieronline.co.uk/lifestyle c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk | @CourierLifestyle
In the golden age of Selfies and Instagram, Miranda Stoner explains what your choice of pose says about you, whether you’re a Kylie Jenner or the new Zoolander. It is a truth universally acknowledged that any university student in possession of a good camera must be in want of a photo. Therefore we all have a go to camera pose, one that works when you don’t have the front camera to ensure the perfect level of eyebrow elevation or the exactly right degree of head tilt. So which particular posture do you affect when faced with the flash and what exactly does it say about you?
e k f ac This is a pose for all the Duc aspiring models whose Instagram account is practically identical to the portfolio of Cara Delevigne. It’s a pose that can leave no one in doubt that you are absolutely gorgeous as it accentuates all those qualities you have in common with the likes of Derek Zoolander.
Raised
Smile and peac
e
This is a gesture reserved exclusively for the cool kids. It shows a sense of love for the world or could alternatively be someone striking an ironic pose.
glass
are There are few artistic and ve st i philosophical enough to s n Pe carry off this pose, however when
This pose should be familiar to those partial to a night out. The friendly gesture shows that you are an approachable and fun-loving person. When the glass in question is full to the brim with prosecco it creates a sense that you are built of sophistication and class, whilst for those whose glass consists of an almost drained pint- make that bucket- of mystery mixture this action quite simply gives the idea that you are very, very drunk- and proud.
done by a true deep thinking individual this can bring out the inner guru and make you look as if you never finished your gap year. Gazing into the distance creates a sense of mystery and intrigue about your persona and seems in absolutely no way at all in the slightest bit pretentious.
Cheesy
hug Side Whether it’s a best friend, friend,
acquaintance, stranger, homeless man this pose gives the ubiquitous effect of showing your popularity and outgoing personality. It can also be adopted by couples to show their eternal love for one another, in a way that no one could ever possibly perceive as smug.
Photobomber
This isn’t a pose so to speak but it can still say a lot about you. There is a vast array of poses you can take as a foreign body in the picture but perhaps the most common is the dive. This can mostly be found around the edges of the frame complete with tongue sticking out. This pose shows a chaotic and humorous person who can’t bear the thought that they could ever be forgotten or left out.
grin
This is always a risk. Not enough teeth and it looks fake, too many teeth and you look like a clown and then there’s the potential danger of getting carried away and developing a double chin! However when this is done correctly it shows someone of a naturally cheerful disposition who is so happy that they have lost all control of their face. Illustration: Katie Wiseman
Let them eat cake!
Looking for a sweet escape? Talia Alise Gillin goes all Marie Antoinette on us, and commands that we checks out The Great British Cupcakery for some sweet respite.
T
ired of sticky floors, acidic trebles and clubs that are fragranced with the lingering smell of sick? Then get yourself down to The Great British Cupcakery for a spot of afternoon tea, a white washed haven of sugar and spice and all things very, very nice. Nestled amongst the winding banks of the River Tyne lies this hidden cake lovers paradise. Situated on 15 Queen Street, The Great British Cupcakery is home to (arguably) the best cakes in Newcastle, tempting even the most committed calorie counters into a heaven of chocolate filled goodness. Brimming with scones, sandwiches, cakes and its now toon- famous mighty milkshakes, the parlour is perfect for those with a sharp sweet tooth and the ideal setting for a catch up with the girls for a Valencia- filtered #lunchdate or somewhere to wind
ing to try something just that little bit different. Reasonably priced with enough choice to satisfy even the pickiest of taste buds, I settled on ordering
“Was I disappointed as I took my first sip of this pint of milk and chocolate loveliness? The answer is a resounding no”
“I’ve done Quay Ingredient. I’ve exhausted Olive and Bean. Semester One had seen me practically live in Quilliam’s”
down during exam period over a quick bite to eat. I’ve done Quay Ingredient. I’ve exhausted Olive and Bean. Semester one had seen me practically live in Quilliam’s. So after hearing raving reviews from many of my friends and course mates alike, I decided to take the plunge and was interested to see whether this den of baked goodness did in fact truly live up to the hype. Arriving on a Saturday at the peak of midday, the cosy and quaint setting was a welcoming sight from the cold harsh wind. Decorated with fairy lights, pink gingham buntings and Victorianesque cake stands, the parlour is perfect for Bake off fans and all round food enthusiasts who, tired of commercialised Starbucks and Costas, are want-
the smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich before feasting my eyes on the milkshake menu. Overwhelmed with choice, I was tempted by the salted caramel flavour but instead played it safe and stuck to what I knew best; cookies and cream. First arrived my sandwich. Generous in portion siz e, it was accompanied by crisps and garnished with a side portion of salad. As a hearty eater, I was very much satisfied by this and looked forward in anticipation to the remainder of my meal. Was I disappointed as I took my first sip of this pint of milk and chocolate loveliness? The answer is a resounding no. Filled to the brim with whipped cream and laced with milk and white chocolate, this mother of all milkshakes is topped
Can you resist the call of the most chocolatey of hot chocolates? Strictly not for any potential dieters!
off with two warm and gooey chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream. Heaven in a cup. Literally. The only downside to my Cupcakery experience is that we had to wait around 25 minutes for a seat, something that can prove testing when surrounded by appetising display cakes and the saliva-inducing smell of freshly baked goods. However this slight grievance melted away as we sipped our milkshakes overlooking our view of the Tyne bridge and can be easily avoided by visiting on a quieter day other than a Saturday. So alas, join the bandwagon and visit The Great British Cupcakery- your waistline might regret it, but I promise you won’t. 15 Queen Street, Quayside, Newcastle, NE1 3UG
Foody Foddy
Resident foodie Emma Foddy embraced her inner Carnival when she checked out Viva Brazil
M
y boyfriend and I stumbled upon Viva Brazil after a bad experience at a nearby restaurant, which led to us leaving in search of somewhere else to rescue the night. I won’t go into it now but we had to abandon our starters and down our wine. I might rant about it in a future review!! Anyway, we left the first restaurant in poor spirits and ran down Grey Street in the rain, by now extremely grumpy and desperate to find an alternative.
“We stumbled upon Viva Brazil after a bad experience at a nearby restaurant”
We were attracted to Viva Brazil by the fact that it offers the opportunity to try fifteen different meats (fifteen!) and, what’s more, it’s all-youcan-eat. We were met by a very enthusiastic waiter who explained their system, which I will attempt to summarise... There is an all-you-can-eat buffet area serving all sorts of Brazilian delicacies, including sweet potato wedges, black beans and deep-fried bananas, which were surprisingly delicious. I’d advise you not to go too crazy here (unless you’re a machine with a bottomless stomach), because the meat is also unlimited and that’s where the quality is. The meats are brought over one at a time on a skewer, sizzling hot and straight out the open kitchen. The portions they give you per piece are quite small, but you can always ask for more and remember you have a total of fifteen types to try! There’s a disc on every table. If you place it green-side up, it indicates to the waiters that you’d like them to bring you more meat. Red-side up indicates you’re done or would like to take a break. I have to say we found the system a little slow at first, however this might have been because my boyfriend was using the disc as a beer mat. Not helpful. However, as the evening progressed, they were brought over more frequently until they were bringing one straight after another. There is a piece of paper that has all the different types of meat written on it and the waiters stamp the ones you have tried. This doesn’t mean to say you can’t have them again, it’s just so you know what you are eating! Some examples are pork with parmesan, smoked gammon, leg of lamb and various cuts of steak. My favourite was the cap of rump, which is served rare and utterly melts in the mouth. Caramelised pineapple coated in cinnamon is brought over at the end. Alternatively, you can request it between meats as a palate cleanser! It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever tasted. I cut it into tiny bits to make it last longer and savoured every mouthful. It is sweet, sugary and juicy, with the added bonus of being slightly healthy. Viva Brazil is a unique experience, fun and perfect for social events. People were coming in just
“Caramelised pineapple coated in cinnamon is brought over at the end”
to drink at the bar, clearly enjoying soaking up the vibrant atmosphere. It is, as you’d expect, a little expensive. It would have been out of our price-range at £24.95 per person for dinner (-it is cheaper at lunch and there are some less pricey alternatives available!) However, with a taste card it was £24.95 between the two of us, making it more affordable. If you are an avid meat-eater and want to experience something a little different, Foody Foddy recommends. The meat was of an exceptional quality and the atmosphere was light-hearted and relaxed. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; we couldn’t have stumbled across a better restaurant!
18.features
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
RAG Week spectacular e c n a d n r a b e Th Last week, Raising and Giving (RAG) Week came to campus in a blur of bad fancy dress and hilarious events all in the name of charity. Lifestyle editor Lauren Exell gives us all the details Photos: TCTV
Each January, just after exams have finished, RAG Week comes around. This year the organisers, Ellie Higgs and Lauren Williamson, decided to opt for Tusk (a charity protecting wildlife throughout Africa), 353 (which aims to help members of the military community), the Great North air ambulance, Centre Point (for young homeless people) and Age UK Gateshead as their chosen charities to raise money for. The week is filled with various daytime and evening events such as a Pub Quiz, Take Me Out, Man Vs Food, a Talent Show and many more. It’s a great way to blow off some steam post-exam season, and
“‘It was a great week and raised nearly £1000 per charity”
the infamous RAG crew - dressed in a bad fancy dress which gets gradually dirtier throughout the week - are there to attend and help out at all the events in order to raise as much money as possible. RAG crew also helped out throughout the days by taking old people shopping around the Metrocentre with Age UK, building crates for Stu Brew and attending a bucket collection around Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. It was a great week and raised nearly £1000 per charity. There will also be future RAG events outside of RAG week, such as the Fashion Show (10th March) and the RAG Masquerade Ball (19th February) which will help make the total even higher.
Venue, the bottom floor of the Student’s Union was covered in fairy lights and country decor for an evening filled with fun.
“‘Members of the dance society came down to teach the clutzty participants how to do it properly”
One corner of the room had a table for beer pong, while a ‘saloon’ cardboard cut out to stick your head through proved very popular. Members of the dance society came down to teach the slightly clutzy participants how to do it properly.
Man vs Food
T
How long does it take to wolf down an 18 inch burrito from Zapatistas? Harry Young gives us the low down of the various challenges, from eating ‘the hottest thing ever eaten’ to munching a Creme Egg using only your mouth
he return of RAG week meant that the annual ‘Man vs Food’ competition was back on campus. Starting with burrito challenges provided by Zapatista, these were held outside the union for passers by to come and spectate and fourteen lucky (or unlucky) contestants took on the challenge. The first burrito challenge was who could eat a huge burrito quickest, with the winner, Jamil Al-Ajooz, munching down his burrito in an impressive 10 minutes leaving his competitors with bad indigestion and no victory. Following on from the giant burrito challenge came the spicy burrito challenge, where Zapatista had really outdone themselves and invented a whole new level of spiciness. Whilst the winner found the challenge a breeze, Scouts RAG Crew member James Rowan had a whole different story.
“The winner munched down his 18” burrito in an impressive 10 minutes leaving his competitors with bad indigestion and no victory”
He wasn’t even a contestant, yet James thought he’d still give the burrito a try, which resulted in him running to find the nearest hedge in fear of the dreaded burrito making another appearance. Nick Downing and Harvey Brown from the Firemen RAG Crew said it was ‘the hottest thing they’ve ever eaten’, but it still wouldn’t stop them going for the hot and spicy salsa next time they visited the Mexican food outlet. With the chaotic scenes caused by the spicy burritos, along with the milk running out and tears streaming down contestants (and other fools), it was time to move onto the other Man vs
Food events downstairs in venue. First up was the cracker challenge, where contestants had to eat seven dry crackers as fast as possible, on stage in front of a crowd of anticipated onlookers. With the six contestants sat down, whilst some had prepared for the event by lubing up their mouths with water, amateur cracker eaters struggled after eating just one cracker, leaving the winner to storm to victory with ease. With the dry cracker challenge over and done with, RAG Crew volunteered to take part in the donut challenge.
“There were chaotic scenes caused by the spicy burritos... tears were streaming down contestants who took a bite”
With contestants forbidden from eating their donut using their hands, it was going to be a messy display for all involved. Donuts were licked, bitten and tossed on stage, with one contestant on their hands and knees eating the donut off the stage floor in a bid for the champion title. With a swift movement (and a large mouth), Robot RAG Crew member Ross Easton stormed to victory with his technique of finishing off each donut in two bites. With the donut challenge over fairly quickly, we moved onto the final round of Man vs Food: The Creme Egg Challenge. Contenders were challenged with unwrapping and eating a creme egg using only their mouths. Whilst the size of creme eggs isn’t a problem, the foil wrapping is a barrier to overcome. James Prowse, also from the scouts RAG Crew, was the winner after successfully opening and eating his creme egg first. James said “The months of feverish training paid off, I didn’t crack under pressure and performed egg-cellently. I can now die fulfilled”.
The Courier
features.19
Monday 15 February 2016
Take me out!
Let the raising see the giving! Remember Paddy McGuinness’ ITV show Take Me Out? Newcastle Uni’s RAG has its very own version, and here are some of the lucky couples that managed to bag themselves a date Harry Young,2rd year Maths and Economics, picked up Lucy Dodman, 4th year Chemical Engineering after she showed off her flexibility by performing the splits on stage So Harry, did you know Lucy before she got on stage? Yes, we met during Freshers’ crew, and she was dressed as Elsa from Frozen. That’s when my attraction from her first came about, I’ve got a thing for princesses. Why did you leave your light on for Lucy? She’s not my usual type, but I fancied going for a blonde for a change. So you didn’t actually really fancy her then? No not really, but I was partial to her Leeds accent. Were you turned on when you saw her talent was the splits? Yeah, I like my girls nice and flexible. Do you think it will last?
I hope it will last, we’ve not been for our date yet but I’m definitely up for giving it a go. Would you shag her? Yeah, she’s fit, and she’s got massive tits. Lucy, what caught your eye about Harry? I’ve met him before so I know he’s really good fun. You had two lights on at the end of the show, what was wrong with his competition, Liam? Well, for starters Liam is seeing one of my friends. Liam also made a deal with Maeve that he’d keep his light on for her but then she sacked him off for Hugh. Soz Liam. Wow, that is awkward. Well, now you’ve picked Harry, do you think it will last? I dunno, he’s fun but there’s a three and a half age gap. Don’t wanna seem like too much of a cougar.
Host Emil interviewing some of the female panellists Maeve Hanna,3rd year Law, managed to make Hugh Vermont, 3rd year Geography fall for her Irish charms after showing off some sexy balloon animal making
RAG committee member Hayley Allen with her new date Harry Dyson
Maeve, was Hugh your love at first light? No my love at first light was Liam Day, because he’s my best pal. Why did you pick balloon animal making as your talent? I wanted all the boys to know I’m good with my hands, but regretted my choice once I heard all the other girl contestants had talents such as belly dancing and the splits. All of the boys left their light on, what made you turn off everyone else and pick Hugh? He said he would give me a prod and it’s been a while. Also he’s best friends with my friend George
Snape so I figured he must be a gem. Will it last? Who can say, if not hopefully a new friendship forged. What happened on the night out after you picked him? Good question, neither of us really remember. We downed trebles, kissed a lot and according to onlookers he passed out outside Sinners. We woke up in the same bed in the morning, I was naked but he was fully clothed, so obviously nothing happened. I was very confused.
The talent show
Deputy editor Mark Sleightholm reviews the various acts that hit the stage for one night only
T
uesday night saw the RAG Variety Show take over Venue, hosted by Emil Franchi, who took a break from the big time to return to his RAG roots. The night began with a performance by the Newcastle South Asian Society, and then Jordan Scudder, dressed as a pig (naturally), tried his hand at stand up. Both proved popular with the crowd, and set the tone for a diverse and entertaining evening. Keeping with a comedy theme, this was followed by improvisation by Newcastle University’s Comedy Society. Various society members took part in several improvisation games, including a kind of miming Chinese-whispers and some human puppetry. There were lots of innuendos, and the delight of the audience says something about Newcastle students. But one innuendo-based activity was undermined by their attempts to imagine a situation in Ann Summers. You can’t really make innuendos about the stuff you find in Ann Summers, it’s already pretty dirty. Or so I’m told. After a short interval the A Cappella Society came on stage to sing, a cappella. They performed a medley, a mash-up and finished with a performance of “Counting Stars”, so there was something for everyone.
Still to come...
The RAG and 20 Minute Society present The Masquerade Ball on the 19th February, with all money raised going to Cardiomyopathy UK. Tickets can be bought from the Santander staff in the students’ union or bought online and collected from Santander.
Comedian George Zach
The RAG Fashion Show will take place on the 10th March. It’s always a top night with some fabulous clothes on show and models to match.
Next up was Irish dancing, which drove the crowd wild. Every dance seemed even more spectacular than the last, and by the time the (apparently only) male dancer came on the audience was besotted with Irish dancing. This Celtic celebration was followed by some Continental comedy from the “Greek Geordie” George Zach, whose sharp jokes went down a storm, setting him in good stead for his upcoming tour of Australia. George’s gags gave way to Tom Merson’s music, with a guitar solo that went on for an eternity but was popular with the crowd. And then as a finale Emil and Hannah Goring, NUSU’s Activities Officer, tried their hands at a lip sync battle, where Emil became Beyonce (“Crazy in Love” vintage) and Hannah became Miley Cyrus (a chronology of Miley’s many phases). No act could possibly surpass this, so this marked the end of the Variety Show.
20.fashion
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Fashion Editors: Ellen Dixon, Liz Rosling & Sara Macauley
#TheDollEvolves Alexia Gilbert discusses the return of Barbie, over 50 years since first appearing on our shelves.
The five fashion faux pas better left behind
Zofia Zwieglinska discusses why we should ditch some of 2015’s most popular trends for good.
F
ashion trends come and go every year- in fact, there are even those that gradually swing into the next in the hope that a trend will get ‘reimagined’ with a new colour or cut. Trends are a notoriously precarious thing, and no one will admit to wearing midriff-revealing tops and the combat trousers and heels that were so popular in the late 90’s. Nowadays, the trends are less extreme, but that does not mean that there aren’t some truly disastrous creations that certainly need to vanish in the new year.
1. Fur on everything
T
he proportions of the original doll were so unrealistic that scientists revealed a real woman with the same figure would find walking, digesting and, well, living, impossible. But after years of controversy, the company has just released Fashionistas, a new line of dolls featuring a more diverse range of skin tones, hair textures and body shapes. The collection has received praise from many and has even made it onto Oprah’s ‘Favourite Things of 2015’ list. Coming from a woman who’s often regarded as the most influential in the world, that’s pretty good going and will no doubt reassure many parents that these dolls are a sensible toy to give to their children. But is this the right decision and will the new dolls be as popular as the original? Despite the collection featuring 23 different hair colours, 18 eye colours, 14 face shapes and 8 skin tones, given the choice as a child I almost definitely would’ve stuck with the classic Barbie or one of the almost unrealistically skinny dolls from the new range. Perhaps this is a direct result of playing with Barbie dolls like these during my childhood. After all, the dolls have long been used as a standard for what’s considered beautiful. This will not be helped by the fact that the old Barbie will continue to be produced alongside the new range. Not only does this make a child’s preference to own the original doll possible but it also gives the impression that this is the ‘normal’ one. In the words of Oprah ‘the new Fashionista Bar-
‘‘The company has just released Fashionistas, a new line of dolls featuring a more diverse range of skin tones, hair textures and body shapes” bie collection lets all kinds of girls see themselves in their dolls.’ And, for me, that is precisely the issue. Whatever the case, young girls are forming a perception of what they should look like (based on a piece of plastic) at an age when that really shouldn’t matter. There are so many other toys on offer that have nothing to do with physical appearance and instead encourage children to use their minds in more creative, constructive ways that are proven to have a positive long-term effect. For me the best thing about this new line is the increased racial diversity of the dolls, something I think will prove incredibly popular amongst children and will almost certainly have a positive effect. Quite honestly, it is a shambles that this hasn’t been done sooner. However, other than that there are still flaws in the Barbie brand that need to be seriously considered. Let’s hope Vogue is right when it says: “Here’s to celebrating a new generation of children who will grow up referencing a more expansive, inclusive definition of beauty – and the healthy self-esteem that comes with it.” I personally believe the best way of achieving this would be to ignore Barbie entirely and instead opt for toys that have nothing to do with body image whatsoever. Instagram @Barbie
Who, at any point, thought that the Celine shoes that looked like you had slayed a yeti would enrich their fashion life? Unfortunately, as the daze of the craze let go of our fashion crazed minds, we slowly realized that the furry shoe is no longer an essential item in our shoe closets. In fact, they really should be binned. Not to mention of course that in a practical sense, there is nowhere in the UK where those shoes would work, let alone not smell like a wet dog when they come into contact with water. This also applies to any fur on coat edges, skirts with furry hems etc. Inefficient use of fur is out. With the boom that was the Apple Watch, other
2. Wearable Technology companies also came out with wearable gadgets that wouldn’t look out of place in a jeweler’s cabinet. There were necklaces, rings, watches that looked like classic timepieces. However, nothing could detract our attention away from the fact that the vast majority of these were very ugly, slightly too big and sometimes downright strange. There is nothing wrong with trying to maintain a healthy routine, so if you do want to use a tracker, make sure it looks sporty, and not like it’s trying to imitate something it’s not. So if you do have to wear anything techy in this coming year, let’s all agree not to buy those that try and blend with the jewellery you may already have around your neck or fingers.
3. Fringe
Setting aside my own personal aversions to this horrendous trend, fringe (in the boho, I’ma-rockstar kind of sense) can be very cool. However, many companies that prefer to use cheaper fabric for a cheaper dress don’t understand that putting strings around your hem will not make you look rock and roll at all. These pieces also have a tendency to fray and look uneven if not straight, so why bother with such a troublesome trend in the first place? There are so many easier ways to look like a rock and roll chick, like wearing a leather jacket, or simply styling yourself with grungy hair. Let the fringe go please, and don’t ever let it come back.
harder to find a bra that doesn’t have bands across the cleavage area, or triple-banded knickers. Why do this to anyone? Apart from the obvious fact that if these are not the correct size they could leave large marks all across your body, these are just not pretty. Nor have I ever heard a woman or man say that they want their underwear to have more gaps than a cutout snowflake. So again, please let this trend go! Nothing good could ever come from this trend, and scrappy underwear is certainly not sexy.
4. Over the knee boots I may ruffle some feathers with this one, but I personally believe you have to be over 5 foot 9 to even try to look effortless in this trend. Not only do shops not cater to those of us with more skin to squeeze into fake suede without losing all circulation, but they also expect you to love these shoes that are extremely troublesome to make an outfit with. I have come to the conclusion that only very short skirts or shorts would work with this trend, and unless you are used to braving wet winds in tiny hot pants, give this trend a wave goodbye for 2016.
5. Caged underwear Now this may not strictly be a trend, as many people don’t actually show their underwear (thank god), however it is most definitely a big fashion moment for 2015. Every lingerie shop seems to sell these encasing creations, bringing to mind bad S&M and the inner dominatrix. It is now even
Instagram: kyjsteiner
Barbie is back:
Modern muse: the celebrity style icon This week, Hannah Bullimore muses over what it means to be a style icon in 2016 I Instagram @ tixymara
Instagram @ kimkardashian
Instagram @ kimkardashian
n a recent interview with Laura Craik for The Telegraph, Manolo Blahnik discussed his love of the muse and the way that they should be a representative of their era. Talking of Kim Kardashian as the muse of the moment, Blahnik said: ‘Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy… these kind of girls were idols. I don’t even know who is what any more. And there are so many. So famous. Celebrities – I hate that word “celebrity” – because in my time, people did things. They used to be copied because they were doing something.’ But the question is, are the celebrities of today really muses in the way that Hollywood actresses and supermodels of the past were? Is it even fair to make a comparison in this moment of hyperactive, all-intrusive social media? First of all we have to think about our understanding of what a muse really is. The muse of the twentieth century to which Blahnik is referring, Twiggy, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel, were beautiful women who were more than just beautiful. They were actresses, designers, models and socialites. Those lucky enough to meet them talked of their charm and their effortless style. They were the women men loved and women wanted to be. So, how does Kim K compare? First of all, I have to admit that I am not her biggest fan. If I were to pick a muse for our era I would look to Keira Knightley, Rosie HuntingtonWhitelely and Lilly Collins. To me they have that effortless style and beauty that we see in the muses of the past. Kim Kardashian is just a little more try-hard, her look is more synthetic. Although this look is certainly current in this moment of Instagram filters and photo-shopping, I don’t think that it lends itself to the near-mystical allure of the muse. Kim Kardashian and other socialite, reality TV stars are too close proximity to the mass
produced goods that the high-street is churning out. They make promises of aesthetic beauty and a glamour that is attainable, but that in itself is the problem. A muse is not supposed to be easily attainable. Designers want to create for someone who is unique and who will only wear their clothes if they want to. What is the point of designing for someone who follows every trend?
‘‘No longer is the muse meant to inspire the designer to create, as with models such as Twiggy. Instead, the modern day muse is meant to inspire the consumer to
Times have changed and trends are appearing every couple of weeks. There are now pre-season shows and mid-season collections and trends are being forecasted a year in advance. No longer is the muse meant to inspire the designer to create as with models such as Twiggy. Instead, the modern day muse is meant to inspire the consumer to buy. Images of these women in looks that can easily be replicated by online stores and high street shops are plastered across every social media platform, they tell us that these looks are original and beautiful and we can be original and beautiful too - if we just ignore the irony of wearing the exact same thing as the other millions of girls and women who are also following the Kardashians on Twitter. The role of muse has been turned on its head. No wonder a traditional designer feels disillusioned by the celebrities that claim the title of muse nowadays. The muse is no longer there to inspire, they are there to sell.
The Courier
fashion.21
Monday 15 February 2016
thecourieronline.co.uk/fashion Instagram:@thecourierfashion | Facebook: facebook.com/thecourierfash |Email: c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk
Blogger of the week: Confetti Crowd Chloe Laws tells us about her fave bloggers of the moment, the psychadelic girl gang Confetti Crowd
O
ur blogger of the week is a bit different this time, as it comes in the form of a blogging girl gang called ‘Confetti Crowd’. The group is made up of five girls: Heidi a singer/songwriter who founded the group, Tiger a photographer and blogger, Lucy a fashion designer and blogger, Helena who is the owner of ‘sassy world’, and finally Cheyenne who is a DJ/presenter. They have dubbed themselves as the UK’s first girl group of creatives, and although that seems like a big title, it is definitely true! The five girls all met at a shoot for the brand Motel, and within a month Confetti Crowd was up and running. Their idea was pretty simple; to unite as a sort of ‘anti’ group. Blogging now-a-days acts as a prototype of how to be successful, and those with the most followers usually have on-trend and neutral wardrobes…but not these five! Lucy stated in an interview that “the most successful bloggers are very similar, very safe.
Miranda Stoner on the increasing popularity and easy alternatives of vegan fashion Instagram: @petauk
Instagram @confetticrowd
for example I’ve always been a fan of Lucy ( @lulutriaxabelle) and Tiger (@Ttigerlily), but didn’t know who the other three were; now they have all become regulars on my Instagram stalking list. What makes them even better is that the clothes they wear don’t cost a bomb, as they are all fans of charity shops and vintage, with Helena even owning her own vintage online store. So for once trying to emulate an outfit you’ve seen a blogger wear isn’t impossible, and you won’t need a tonne of dollar- just a love for sifting through bargain buckets. If thrifting isn’t your thing, don’t worry, Confetti Crowd are great at finding sassy bargains on the high-street or from places online such as LaModa.
A
s January comes to an end so do exams. You’ve done all you can in the fight for good grades and now it’s time to find a new cause. So why not make February about the animals, after all if Stella McCartney and Queen Bey can dress without wearing animal materials why can’t we? Veganism has seen increasing popularity as health, environmental and moral reasons become more widely published in films such as Cowspiracy and Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Eating Animals. Support for veganism has grown especially in the New Year as thousands sign the pledge for Veganuary, which is an international initiative where participants go vegan for 1 month cutting out animal products in food, cosmetics, shoes and clothing. The idea of living without steak and ice cream can seem daunting but limiting your ability to buy clothes is something else, especially as we aren’t as used to checking the labels of clothes for materials as we are to ingredient lists on food packets. Going vegan means no more thick wool sweaters or leather shoes, and silk blouses and fur coats are off limits too. That said, as with food, many alternatives exist which can often be cheaper, for example faux-leather, cotton, faux-fur, denim and jersey. Considering all of that choice there is no need to compromise on style, and faux-fur trimmed hoods are back on the menu.
“for once trying to emulate an outfit you’ve seen a blogger wear isn’t impossible, and you won’t need a tonne of dollar”
“What makes them even better is that the clothes they wear don’t cost a bomb, as they are all fans of charity shops and vintage”
The girl gang all bring something different to the table. Lucy, Cheyenne and Tiger are 90s lovers, whereas Helena and Heidi sway towards the 70s/80s. You may be thinking that yes they look fab, but in reality if I dressed like this would I just end up looking like a clown? And I’d disagree, Tiger and Cheyenne’s looks are the most wearable so looking to them for inspiration may be the best place to start. Taking elements from each individual would be a recipe for sassiness; Lucy’s make-up is exceptional, Cheyenne’s hair is always amazing and Heidi’s jewellery is super quirky! Even if their style really isn’t your cup of tea, their taste in music or clubs may be, as they all have seriously eclectic tastes. So basically, if you love a bit of girl power and like dressing a tad out there, head on over to @confetticrowd for oodles of wardrobe envy.
I hate that word. But if you’re crazy, you won’t have as many followers”, and with that motto their aim is to brighten up the streets of London! Joining forces for these girls means they are far more likely to be able to make blogging their full time profession, as their individual followings pulled together amounts to a hefty number. They have already landed some pretty big campaigns, for companies such as Nike, XXY Magazine, Nylon Magazine and Missguided; not bad for only a year of being together! The best thing about a blogging group is that it widens who you’d usually follow,
We’re libbin’ da vida loca Izzi Watkins teaches us how to balance comfort and style when library life gets tough Topshop Cape £35 Topshop Lucas Jeans £42
Topshop Mesh Backpack £28 Adidas Superstar 80’s Trainers £85
W
Unique Scarf £125
Leather Drawstring £56
ith deadlines looming over us like turn-itin thunder clouds it can be hard to feign any fashion enthusiasm. Have no fear however, there are some really simple things you can do to ensure you knock out those assignments, and maybe even your library boyf too (metaphorically I mean, don’t actually hit him…poor guy). The serious lack of desks at the Robbo means you’ll have to be there by nine for any chance of nabbing a spot, so the ‘I woke up like this’ look must be taken to a whole new level. Unless you’re one of those mythical creatures that makes a pack up lunch and plans their outfit the night before, it’s likely you’ll need to grab whatever’s closest/ cleanest. An oversized jumper teamed with some skinnies is a staple look. You can ensure you’re not dwarfed by it by rolling up the sleeves and tucking in a section. And for those of you feeling slightly risqué, flash some ankle and watch everyone fight to play footsie with you. Onions have layers, cakes have layers… you should have layers. The Robbo’s questionable cli-
mate has been known to range from tropical jungle to Arctic Circle, so it’s a good idea to leave yourself with plenty of options. Boyfriend shirts, camisoles and knitted scarves are all good basics. Take inspiration from Burberry AW14 and wrap yourself up in a cosy cape, which are also handy for sneaky library naps. If you don’t happen to have a spare grand lying around for an exact replica of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s, check out Topshop and Urban Outfitters for some snuggly alternatives.
‘‘The Robbo’s questionable climate has been known to range from tropical jungle to Arctic Circle, so it’s a good idea to leave yourself with plenty of options.” As far as footwear goes, comfort is key. A decent pair of trainers is a must have, and they will come in useful when there’s a mad sprint to the last desk or for the coveted mozzarella panini. The
Veganism has never bean so easy
Topshop Oversized Shirt £32
huge trend for Nikes on campus last year seems to have been overtaken by the classic Adidas styles in the past few months. A pair with brightly coloured detailing, are ideal for tying them in to the rest of your outfit via some clever accessorising. Although during exam season it can feel like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders, it’s much more practical to carry it around on your back. Rucksacks have been a student staple since forever, and are never more necessary than when you’ve got two tonnes of textbooks to transport. ASOS have a huge selection ranging from bright canvas to chic leather, and consider spending a little more for a bag that will last longer and has that all important space for copious library snacks. Realistically, if Britney could make it through 2007, shaved head and all, you can make it through the next few weeks. After all, your library boyfriend should love you for you, and if he’s cool with your unwashed jeans, mismatched socks and unflattering eye bags, then at least you know he’s a keeper.
“The Vegan Fashion Awards show that refining your purchases to vegan clothing means not having to compromise on style or affordability” To prove this, PETA’s hosted their own version of London Fashion Week in 2015- The PETA UK Vegan Fashion Awards 2015. PETA’s Yvonne Taylor explains “These are exciting times as compassionate consumers change the face of fashion” and “forward-thinking designers are experimenting with innovative, high-tech materials that are vegan and, therefore, more eco-friendly.” Prizes not only went to top-end designers such as Vivienne Westwood for her mock-croc bag and Karen Millen’s faux leather pleated skirt, but also to new labels such as Piñatex, who received the innovation award for their faux-leather made of pineapple leaves. The material is made especially sustainable due to a low water consumption and ability to thrive without pesticides and fertilizer. Affordable brands also got recognition for their cruelty free clothing with ASOS’s padded gilet with hood picking up the prize for most stylish down-free item and Zara’s sky blue suedette jacket winning most stylish fauxleather item. Meanwhile Dr Martens Vegan 1460 boot made of a synthetic material instead of leather claimed the title of most stylish boot. The Vegan Fashion Awards show that refining your purchases to vegan clothing means not having to compromise on style or affordability. However, these awards took only a handful of the many designers and well-known brands who don’t use animal based materials. Further examples include Toms’ new vegan shoe collection, coats from Shrimps’ the faux-fur brand straight off London Fashion Week’s runway and American Apparel’s cotton jumper collection. All these options prove that although wearing only vegan clothes seems like a challenge, once you get used to checking the label, wearing animal friendly clothing isn’t particularly restricting and with the internet it is becoming even easier to find even more stylish brands.
22.beauty
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Beauty Editors: Flora Davies, Ellen Walker & Lucy Cochrane
Don’t forget to Detox
I
s January possibly the most depressing month of the year? I think it might just be. It’s defined by post-Christmas muffin tops, a bank balance that leaves much to be desired, countless failed resolutions, and not to mention the dreaded January assessments. However, it’s important not to go too much down the selfloathing / life’s not fair path. Just a few little daily lifestyle tweaks can help you flush away those Christmas caused toxins and leave you starting the New Year revitalised and ready to ‘own it’!
Water is life
First and foremost, water is your new best friend. Water is the ultimate cleansing/detoxifying/beautifying essential. Staying hydrated will get your skin glowing, your hair and nails shining and your digestive system into super mode. Top tip: add some fancy garnish to your water such as mint or cucumber for refreshing tastiness. You will be inclined to drink more of it and your chosen garnishes add extra health benefits too.
1 squat, 2 squat, 3 squat, score
Chanel couture, backstage beauty
Melody Ramsey goes behind the scenes of Chanel’s recent couture show, giving us an insight into the beauty and hairstyle looks that graced the catwalk
I
f I were to impart any piece of advice to those wanting to keep up with the ins and outs of fashion week, it would definitely be to follow hair expert Sam McKnight on instagram (@ sammcknight1). Although the stylists’ feed is usually a fun scroll on a normal day, with shots of his work on various magazine covers and the occasional silly selfie, McKnight became an insta-obsession last week after posting exclusive backstage photos from Chanel’s Spring/Summer show at this years’ Haute Couture week. Followers were treated to a detailed look at the hair especially designed by McKnight for the highly anticipated show at the Grand Palais in Paris, which he himself described as the ‘Chanel croissant’
“His team spent three days making 80 large croissant shapes from wired foam that were then covered in human hair and carefully colourmatched to each of the 65
It’s no myth that exercise is good for you. Dragging yourself to that spinning class on a Saturday morning or ending the weekend with a Sunday evening swim will flush out those toxins, shed the Christmas blub, and up your energy levels. Pair that with healthy eating and you’ll be looking and feeling like Kayla Itsines come Easter.
Dry January
Whilst the inner wild child within you may revel in exploiting a 2-4-1 cocktail offer, your body is, unfortunately, not in agreement with you on this one. Why not plan to participate in dry January next year? It’s exam season, so you’re unlikely to be out drinking anyway, you can save a hell of a lot of money, and you can give your body a chance to recover and detox after the boozy Christmas and New Year parties. In addition, you’ll feel good to be contributing to a great cause.
Don’t forget to chill out
Stress can lead to spots, sleeplessness and the much feared dark-under-eye-circles. Try to allocate one evening a week to do nothing but relax. Perhaps you can pencil Sunday evenings as ‘me time’ so you can start the week feeling calm and refreshed. Take a bath, treat yourself to a Lush face mask, and get a good night of beauty sleep. Hannah Sharratt
in reference to the sculpture, with a simple middle parting and hair pushed away from the face. The skilled hair team spent two days at Chanel before the show fitting the pieces to the models to ensure they were matched to precision. Amongst those models were Lagerfeld’s favourite it-girls of the moment Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Lindsay Wixon, who McKnight used to show off his hair wizardry in a few of his instagram posts on the day.
A handful of these photos also displayed the makeup look from the show, which included a graphic eye complimented by a peach-toned blush and lipstick that was created by makeup artist ex-
Care about what you consume
Photo credit Instagram : @sammcknight
“Amongst those models were Lagerfeld’s favourite it-girls of the moment Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Lindsay Wixon, who McKnight used to show off his hair wizardry in a few of his instagram posts on
“The main focus of the look was undoubtedly the striking eyeliner, which was swept in two lines above and below the eye. With the rest of the makeup having been kept simple with a splash of natural colour”
“Getting your fruit and veg from Grainger Market has triple benefits: it’s fresh and organic, super cheap, and you tone your arms carrying it all home” If you want to feel good from within, take into consideration what you eat pre and post lecture. Making meals from scratch with fresh ingredients is crucial and far cheaper than buying readymade meals or sauces. Getting your fruit and veg from Grainger Market has triple benefits: it’s fresh and organic, super cheap, and you tone your arms carrying it all home. Try to avoid eating too much refined sugar or processed foods, if you can. But stay realistic. Don’t deny yourself of treats, completely rule out one food group, nor eat too little. It is simply unsustainable. You will lack energy by doing this and when you do cave, which is almost inevitable, you’re likely to cave in a big way.
Despite the name, the style was inspired by something a little more complex than a breakfast pastry. When asked about the story behind the look, McKnight explained that head designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld had showed him a photograph of a 1932 sculpture by Picasso, which had its hair shaped at the back. Using that design as a stepping-stone, his team spent three days making 80 large croissant shapes from wired foam that were then covered in human hair and carefully colour-matched to each of the 65 models in the show. These were then placed at the back of their heads
traordinaire Tom Pecheux. The main focus of the look was undoubtedly the striking eyeliner, which was swept in two lines above and below the eye. With the rest of the makeup having been kept simple with a splash of natural colour, this allowed the eyes to be amplified and made for an effective catwalk creation. Chanel’s own makeup range offer a couple of eyeliners that would allow you to recreate this bold look for yourself, including the Precision Eye Definer in 001 Noir. Described as an eye pencil with intense and long wearing colour, this product would be perfect for drawing the precise lines demonstrated at the show. For a good high-street alternative, try Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes waterproof kohl eyeliner for a modest £3.99. All you need is a steady hand, and if that fails a cotton bud to clean up any mistakes! So if you wake up one morning and feel particularly high fashion, get that croissant in your hair, sweep on the graphic liner and channel your inner Kendall.
Best beauty bloggers
Louise Cassidy shares with us why she thinks you should be tuning into her favourite beauty blogger of the moment, YouTube sensation, Zoe Sugg, better known as Zoella
B
logs are swiftly becoming the Bibles of beauty. With so many people taking to the world of blogging, it’s hard to know which Blog to read. Just simply googling “Beauty Blog” will bring coutless pages of beauty advice, from skincare to makeup tutorials. Beauty lovers are keen to know the latest trends and products, so we spend our time glued to a screen eagerly reading page after page of reviews.
“The world of beauty can be a daunting place; who truly knows the difference between buffing, bronzing and blending?” The world of beauty can be a daunting place; who truly knows the difference between buffing, bronzing and blending? Well panic no more, the secret of beauty Blogger Zoe Sugg is revealed. She will help you navigate around the world of beauty. Zoe Sugg (most commonly known as Zoella) won the Cosmopolitans Blog award for “Best established beauty Blog” in 2011 so it’s clear to see that Zoe’s Blog is the go to for all things beauty! Zoe is a self-taught beauty fanatic, and openly shares all her beauty knowledge throughout her Blog. From teenage beauty horror stories (we’ve
all been there) to entering the world of high-end makeup Zoe has it covered. This Blog has left me spending hours reading through reviews and beauty tips. For those who prefer a visual breakdown of tutorials, Zoe’s Youtube channel is filled with quick and easy video tutorials. The videos give a run down of which products work best for which skin, and how to apply makeup for long lasting wear. The makeup techniques remain simple to follow; but have brilliant results, they leave your smoky eyes looking on point. She also has a really cute pug, which often Instagram @zoella
makes appearances in her videos if you want a little beauty break. The Blog includes reviews and recommendations for fashion, makeup and hair. Within each post, Zoe includes a high end product such as Tom Ford or YSL (for those of us wanting to blow the student loan) and a drug store alternative to ensure that all price ranges are covered.
“For those who prefer a visual breakdown of tutorials, Zoe’s Youtube channel is filled with quick and easy video tutorials” This is such a great feature with a Blog, there’s nothing worse than reading about a miracle product, and realising you’ll have to save up a fortune in order to get your hands on it. Every single product is listed below the review with the price and a link to the various websites all ready to purchase! If her reviews aren’t persuasive enough, she makes it far too easy to click and grab the product for yourself! I cannot recommend this Blog enough, you’ll be greeted by pretty pictures and pastel pinks. Follow Zoe’s guidance and just wait for the compliments to role in.
The Courier
beauty.23
Monday 15 February 2016
thecourieronline.co.uk/beauty Instagram @courierbeauty_ | Twitter @CourierBeauty
Beating the wintery blues
Lois Johnson provides us with the scoop on all of the best beauty newcomers on the market, to help you beat the new year’s cold weathered and empty pocketed vibes.
T
he first two months of the year have got to be the hardest to get through. With the dark mornings, and the cold weather, it doesn’t make anybody jump out of bed in the morning, does it? But never fear, the make-up world has some new products to get us through this dreadful time and give us something to get out of bed for! The first new release is a mascara that you may have already seen being advertised by the beautiful Gigi Hadid, the Maybelline Falsies push up drama. This mascara claims to give your eyelashes that false eyelash look without the fuss of false eyelashes. Instagram @anastasiabeverlyhills
I’m not sure about the longwinded name or the promotional advert where they use questionable quality eyelashes on one eye and their mascara on the other but, being a big fan of Maybelline’s lash sensational mascara; I have high hopes for this new release.
“Anastasia Beverley Hills Glow palettes, for everyone who loves the new strobing/ glowy/dewy skin trend or wants to brighten up their dull winter skin”
One of the most exciting new winter-beauty releases for everyone who loves the new strobing/ glowy/dewy skin trend or wants to brighten up their dull winter skin, is from the queen of make up Anastasia Beverley Hills who has brought out two new Glow palettes.
“Obviously no new-in beauty product article would be complete without a new MAC release” The palettes each contain four metallic highlighting powders that can be used on the face eyes or body. The first is the That Glow which is warm toned and perfect for darker skins and the second is Gleam with cooler shades and will be better for paler skin tones. All the powders can be applied wet if you want
a stronger glow but they are quite pigmented and have a very buttery feel so I think that for an everyday look one layer would be plenty! Also new from Anastasia Beverly Hills is the brow definer which is an angled eyebrow pencil. Obviously no new-in beauty product article would be complete without a new MAC release. A bit late onto the liquid lipstick bandwagon, MAC have recently just launched their new liquid lipstick line which contains a wide span of 15 colours. They have continued the classic packaging theme from the normal lipstick line by using the same lid on these lipsticks. I am not a huge fan, however and think that this could have been a great opportunity for them to bring out something different. The lipsticks have received rave reviews and despite the hefty price tag of £21.00 and few criticisms about how hard it is to reapply them, they are well pigmented, have a lovely small love heart applicator and also have good staying power. If all that good stuff doesn’t seem worth £21.00 to you though, drugstore giant Maybelline have also released their own line of liquid lipsticks which although don’t have as large range of colours have also received rave reviews. MAC have also just announced their future collaboration with Selena Gomez for later in the year and their new Viva Glam lipstick collaboration with Ariana Grande whose proceeds go to help those with HIV.
Golden globes red carpet beauty
Nathasya Gundawan brings us her favourite beauty looks fresh off the red carpet from this years Golden Globes awards.
T
he Golden Globes are often regarded as the relaxed version of the Oscars and seems like many of the ladies on the red carpet took it to heart and choose to let their hair down and opt for fresh and natural makeup look. As anticipated, there were striking lips colours here and there. Jennifer Lopez with her glossy blood-red lips, a deep burgundy lips for Rooney Mara, matte scarlet red on Amber Heard, and Jennifer Lawrence’s bright red lips that matched her dress. Other than red lips, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Olivia Palermo, and Viola Davis treated us to hot pink hues. Laverne Cox stole the show with her graduated purple lips. However, in general, nude lips dominated the red carpet. Almost everyone from Kate Hudson to Amy Schumer chose nude lips paired with dark eye makeup. Instagram @goldenglobes
Matching your eye makeup to your dress was having a major moment on the red carpet. Olivia Wilde stood out from the rest with her shimmery berry eye makeup that matched her scarlet dress.
“Matching your eye makeup to your dress was having a major moment on the red carpet”
Nevertheless, the biggest beauty trend of the night was glowing, dewy complexion. Many actresses glowed with the help of highlighter. Regardless of her lip colours, elaborate up do or effortless tousled wave hair, every woman on the carpet had luminous skin. From variety of look this year, there are plenty beauty and hair inspirations for all of us from this year’s Golden Globe red carpet.
The January blues often has us chronically consuming anything that will restore our will to live. This can be pretty tough on your body so February calls for detox season! Here are your top tips to getting fit in 2016!
Sweat it out Exam week comes with an automatic pass to eat unlimited snacks during revision sessions and drink whatever you want when it’s all over but now it’s time to get yourself moving and get rid of all those nasty habits. Many people have a gym membership so go out and USE IT. You’ll never be ready for summer if you don’t start by shedding that Christmas podge. Don’t have a gym membership? Fear not! I have discovered the most perfect app designed to suit any lifestyle. It’s called SWORKIT and it’s FREE. You tell it how many minutes you want to do, which part of the body you want to train and it creates a work out for you on the spot. No gym? No excuse! Not a fan of exercise? The ‘alternative’ can burn around 180 calories in just one Netflix episode, just saying…
Buddy Up You are so much more likely to stick to any health plan when you’re doing it with a friend. People are naturally competitive and social comparisons give us that incentive to try harder. Do you really want to get to your weekly weigh in to find that she has lost 2lbs and all you’ve done is gained a 12 inch dominos cheesy crust?
“Not a fan of exercise? The ‘alternative’ can burn around 180 calories in just one Netflix episode, just saying”… Avoid Yo-Yo diets This means avoid cutting out the naughty things you really like. Everything is fine in moderation. If you go on a health plan where you cut out all chocolate biscuits for four weeks then you’re going to over dose on them when you eventually can eat them and you’ll find yourself back to square one. Allow yourself treats if you’ve worked hard - you deserve it!
Food is your friend! Significantly cutting down your calorie intake will make your body activate starvation mode where it will hold onto any fat. Eating little and often will boost your metabolism which is what you need to burn that fat off ! What you eat after a workout is also very important – try things like sweet potato, avocado, fish and grilled chicken and of course make sure you’re getting in your 5 a day! Charlotte Smith
To complete their look, most stars picked either slicked-back updos or tousled, undone hair. Olivia Wilde completed her look with low and loose ponytail. Tousled, beachy waves are also popular with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lily James, and Julianne Moore opted for this hairstyle. Although the I-woke-up-like-this beauty and hair dominated the red carpet, there were still some who went for sophisticated, glamorous old Hollywood look such as Lady Gaga and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet wore their hair in faux bob. To name a few Eva Longoria, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Bosworth all opted for simple chignon or ballerina bun. Swedish actress, Alicia Vikander swept her hair into side parting, twists the front section of her hair towards the nape of her neck and tied it into a low, twisted chignon. Olivia Palermo gave us major hair envy with her slicked back half up, halfdown hair, separated with braids fastened together. Saoirse Ronan also had her hair in similar style but opted with two braids in gold thread instead.
“Regardless of her lip colours, elaborate up do or effortless tousled wave hair, every woman on the carpet had luminous skin”
Getting fit in 2016
Beauty Tip of the week
Instagram @goldenglobes
This week’s beauty tip is on how to make your eyes look bigger. First of all, you will need a black liquid eyeliner pen with a sharp paintbrush tip. Draw a long pointed crescent shaped line about 1.5cm long at the end of your eyes for an elongated look. Use a card cut out if necessary for precision. Then, when both sides are perfected, apply a light shimmery eye shadow on the tear duct area (corner of your bottom eyelid closest to between your eyes) to enhance the whites of your eyes. Finally, apply two coats of mascara. Focus on extending your lower eyelashes longer than usual to create that perfect Twiggy look! Christina Lau
The Courier
featurebeauty.25
Monday 15 February 2016
@clarinsind
Lucy
Ellen
1. Remove makeup before bed
T
he first and most important beauty resolution which everyone should abide by is to never ever sleep with make up on. Even though the temptation is there after a night out to tumble straight into bed fully clothed, with makeup and even eyelashes intact, always remember to take it off. Whilst it may be optimistic to think of doing a thorough cleanse at 4am, using an emergency face wipe will take less than five minutes. Sleeping in makeup definitely makes you break out, not to mention ruining your bedding and making you feel even more awful and disgusting the next morning.
“Whilst it may be optimistic to think of doing a thorough cleanse at 4am, using an emergency face wipe will take less than five minutes” Keep a pack by your bed so you remember, or better yet remove it in bed so you have no excuse for skipping and your skin will be sure to thank you the next morning.
2. Wash your brushes It is just as important to wash your makeup brushes and sponges regularly, especially the beauty blender which gets filthy as I use it every day. This is by far my most detested beauty chore, but it has to be done at least every month before things get too gross so try and get into a routine so you don’t forget. At least make sure you wash your foundation brush or beauty sponge regularly in order to minimise breakouts. While there may be products available designed especially for cleaning your brushes, I have always found that using baby shampoo and warm water works just as well. Rub the brushes into the shampoo and rinse until the water runs clear, then leave them to dry naturally overnight.
3. Research your products Although makeup is the first thing I am tempted to buy, this year I want to spend money on products which I know will work for me as opposed to randomly buying makeup impulsively that I have heard nothing about. Researching products beforehand and finding out which products are highly recommended give you a better chance of finding something that is worth the money, especially if you are buying more luxury makeup. If you are going to buy something on a passing trend, go for a cheaper option. If you’re going to splash out, splash out on something that you will get a lot of use out of such as a good foundation or your perfect nude lipstick. Save blue mascara for the drugstore.
4. Change isn’t always needed New Year, new you? Although it may feel like you have to mix up your makeup bag with the New Year and change up your style, you don’t necessarily have to. Don’t worry about sticking with the look that works for you. Of course it’s fun to experiment now and then to avoid becoming stuck in a makeup rut, but it’s good to know what suits you and more importantly, what does not. If you know the nude lips trend will just wash you out, then stick to your more bold shades as it’s more important that you feel comfortable. I have started to wear the same makeup look on most occasions and have become more boring in terms of experimentation of trends, but if this works then stick with it. Instead of experimenting with passing trends, hunt for similar products to those you love already and be faithful to what you know suits you.
2016 Beauty Resolutions Even if you haven’t got off to the best start this year, it’s not too late as the Beauty Editors are here to share their resolutions and help you clean up your beauty regime
Flo Exfoliate 2015 away
W
hat is exfoliation? The use of a skinresurfacing product with micro particles to slough away dead skin cells on both the face and body. You may be asking why do we exfoliate? We exfoliate to smooth, brighten and deep clean the skins surface, and
Body: encourager better cell turnover. Say goodbye to dead skin cells by fitting an exfoliating body scrub into your regime. Having beautiful, clean skin is great, but not if there are lots of dead skin cells to cling onto it! Exfoliation removes dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, unclogs your pores and prevents uneven skin tone. Soap & Glory’s Scrub ‘Em And Leave ‘Em body buff with babassu oil and moisturising jojoba and mandarin oils, scented with notes of bergamot, vanilla and musk, offers exfoliating properties, as well as a sweet scent.
“Exfoliation removes dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, unclogs your pores and prevents uneven skin tone” Enriched with sea salt, helps soften the skin, the sugar-based formula both glides onto the skin and rinses off easily. For best results, first cleanse your skin with a gentle body wash to banish the day’s grime. Next, apply the exfoliator while it is still damp, rub the product over the palm of your hands as if you’re cleansing and use small circular movements to apply the product. Be gentle and keep a light touch while applying your exfoliator, as the gentle buffing motion is supposed to be anything but harsh! Let the beads do the work. Remember, the more product you use, the more powerful the treatment, yet a 50 pence size normally does the trick, (dependent on what areas of the body you are focusing on). The nourishing formula of this scrub leaves your skin in tiptop condition, whilst also providing for a well-prepped base for skin more amenable to moisturization and pre tanning. Preparing your skin before you fake tan is one of the
key aspects to achieving a jaw dropping, long lasting glow that will be the envy of all your friends. For the most part, generally, aim to exfoliate twice a week, if your skin is particularly oily or sensitive, do so only once as to avoid any irritation.
Face: Is there any sensation quite like washing your face at the end of a long day? Acting as both purifying ritual and practicality, a good cleansing session can be one of the most satisfying parts of your beauty routine. It also serves as an important first step to keeping skin balanced and replenished. Over time, your skin can easily became dehydrated and dull looking, face scrubs—in their many forms—are beauty’s proverbial icing on the cake. Revitalizing and enriching, Neal’s Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Facial Polish (a la Rose) exfoliating polish is the answer to all your troubles. Enriched with antioxidant milk thistle, aloe vera and gently exfoliating wild rose seed powder to provide you with booted and rejuvenated smooth skin boosted.
W
hen it comes to our beauty routines, we’re all slackers in some way or another. From avoiding that expensive haircut for far too long to sleeping in your make up after a boozy night out, we’ve all got some bad beauty habits we’d rather not admit to.
“What better time than the new year to make some small changes to your habits that could make a big difference to your appearance”
When these become part of your every day routine, it can be hard to snap out of it and take a little extra time to nip these in the bud, however, what better time than the new year to make some small changes to your habits that could make a big difference to your appearance. My problem with my beauty routine is that I’m incredibly lazy, for me, convenience is key and you while I’d happily spend hours doing my make up, I’m not quite as likely to spend my time caring for my skin in between. My worst habit is by far neglecting to clean my brushes. It’s not as if I’m unaware of the fact that it’s pretty unhygienic, I also struggle regularly with the problem that I have to use whatever colour is left on my favourite eye shadow brush from the last time I used it, but for some reason I still go weeks, if not moths in between washes. Bathing your brushes can also help them to stay in great condition for longer, saving money in the long run by avoiding the need to replace them. To start myself of, I treated myself to a new brush cleaner spray (£2 from Primark, probably a load of crap)which will hopefully sit on my desk as a reminder, fingers crossed!
“Bathing your brushes can also help them to stay in great condition for longer, saving money in the long run by avoiding the need to replace them” My other bad habit, again, comes from pure laziness. I really enjoy doing hair and make up and therefore have no problem spending the majority of the time I should be doing uni work playing around with new lipsticks and trying out hairstyles. However, when it comes to the actual skin underneath, I tend to neglect it entirely. Forget hours of exfoliating, buffing and polishing, a simple make up wipe and a quick rinse with soapy water is the extent of my daily routine. Sometimes I’ll push the boat out with some moisturiser during the winter months but that’s really my limit. This year, my aim is to really start looking after my skin and preventing any damage or wrinkles that will inevitably appear somewhere down the line. I’m not saying I’ll spend hours every day cleansing away (maybe next year) but I think daily exfoliating and moisturising is a good and reasonable place to start.
“Acting as both purifying ritual and practicality, a good cleansing session can be one of the most satisfying parts of your beauty routine” The enriching olive and coconut oils replenish moisture, whilst cooling and soothing rose extracts restore your skin’s natural radiance. Too reap the benefits of this glorious product, use on damp skin and apply with a circular massage motion to cleanse the skin. Simply wash off with a washcloth and pat the face dry.
@Sigmabeauty
@makeuprevolution
26.arts
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Arts Editors: Holly Suttle, Emily Watton & Jade Holroyd
Katie Read Book Review: Life After Life Life After Life, the 2013 novel from Kate Atkinson, offers a fresh insight into the mystery genre – how would your life be affected if you had made a different choice? Is your fate set from the moment of your birth, or could things have gone differently? The story begins on a cold, snowy night in 1910. Sylvie Todd is in labour and the doctor can’t make it to her in the snow. Her baby soon dies, and ‘darkness fell’. The next chapter starts with the same scene, Sylvie Todd in labour, the snow outside, but this time, the doctor is able to reach her in time and her baby lives. At least for a while. Each part gives a snapshot in the life of Ursula Todd, the baby given a second chance at life.
“Life After Life also highlights the ever-present dangers in life, people who are not what they seem”
Atkinson weaves the story around stages in Ursula’s life and show how far these events affect her life and cause her death. Each time, the segment ends with ‘darkness fell’ and then Ursula is given a second chance at the critical moment to change the outcome, even ending up in war-torn Berlin in 1945. Though some parts seem a bit too farfetched, such as Ursula ending up at Hitler’s mountain retreat as a friend of Eva Braun and with a high-ranking Nazi official for a husband, the overall story is brilliant. Atkinson is able to write about many issues, including attitudes towards rape and abusive marriages in the mid-20th Century, which are intertwined with the idyllic picture of Ursula’s comfortable upper middle class family life.
“Atkinson is able to write about many issues, including attitudes towards rape and abusive marriages”
While the premise of Life After Life seems as though it could disengage the reader’s interest, its actually very compelling in its ability to draw the reader into the story. The reader is always able to empathise with Ursula even though her story changes drastically at each new start and the ending is always completely unpredictable. The nonlinear structure of the novel, also a break from ‘normal’ literary techniques, supports the theme of fate and renewal. In all, I really would really recommend this book – yes, it is just pure fiction, but it does get you wondering, what if? What if you’d chosen to do something differently, or if something that was out of your control hadn’t actually happened? Where would you be now? With who? Although the book starts again so many times, Ursula and her family members remain the same, allowing them to remain likeable, an anchor in the constantly changing novel. Life After Life also highlights the ever-present dangers in life, the people who are not what they seem, bombarded London during the Blitz where two seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
“Each part gives a snapshot in the life of Ursula Todd, the baby given a second chance at life”
Kate Atkinson is also the author of the Case Histories series featuring the detective Jackson Brodie. These books are also fantastic, so rather than just recommend this book, I would recommend Kate Atkinson as an author – try any one of them! Also, the “sequel” of Life After Life came out last year under the title A God in Ruins, and features the younger brother of Ursula.
Read a good book and want to write us a review that will be in the paper? Email us! c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk
Give your feet an artistic treat
Zoe Godden visits Scorpio Shoes in the heart of Grainger Market to discover what artistic wonder hides in our soles
F
eminist artist icon Frida Kahlo once said,“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” Perhaps this statement was once true, but in a society where art and fashion have merged, footwear has become a go-to for stylistic statements and self-empowerment. Gone are the days of black flats and lacedup trainers; shoes have become a canvas of creativity, often resembling works of art rather than serving their desired purpose. Scorpio Shoes understands the importance of this unique form of aesthetic expression. Based in Grainger Market, it’s pretty hard to miss them, sporting a giant lace-up boot on its roof situated between a number of cafés. The store itself is designed unlike any other shoe shop in the city, inspired by rockabilly, pop art and underground grunge. Own-brand soup cans display products in an odd reference to Andy Warhol, whilst metal grids hang up Gucinari leather slip-ons in a fashion akin to works recently featured in The Baltic, with B. Wurtz’s current exhibition on reused mate-
Another big seller for Scorpio is Irregular Choice, a company known for their overly-kitsch and elaborate pieces. For something more conventional, there’s plenty of collage-style shoes to try on, adorned with corsages and lace to give your outfit all the accessories it needs. If you’re feeling brave though, the brand is famous for their weird and wonderful high heels, with plastic pandas, flamingos, lightsabers, and many more unorthodox items giving the shoes their support. They’ll take some practice to walk in, but will give you the satisfaction that you’ve become a mobile gallery. And once you’re done wearing them, your new pair of luxury footwear can become an instant piece of art for your home; though it’s probably best to clean
“Decorated with bullets, cogs and spikes to create gorgeously gothic and steampunk footwear”
“It’s not just the shop that resembles an art gallery; the shoes are the main exhibits”
them before putting them on your mantelpiece. However, if you want some more sturdy footwear for your day-to-day activities, Scorpio’s impressive collection of Doc Martens is sure to please. No longer must you have to choose between boring primary colours, as Scorpio’s stock features artwork from across the ages. Most obviously, you’ll spot William Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress printed onto the iconic ankle boot, and contemporary designer Mark Wigan has created a number of pieces for the brand, utilising strikingly colourful, often Aboriginal-influenced graphics similar to the works of Keith Haring. The prices are rather steep, much like most real works of art, but Scorpio Shoes are worth investing in. You’re paying for the insane level of detail these pieces showcase, highlighting the talent of their creators and the bizarre side of the fashion industry. Just make sure to watch your step.
rials offering notable similarities. It’s of course not just the shop that resembles an art gallery; the shoes are the main exhibits. The most eye-catching brand you’ll spot in their window displays are from Hades, a collection of selfconfessed ‘intricately designed shoes made not only with elegance but a dangerously addictive sex appeal.’ These are not for the light-hearted, decorated with bullets, cogs and spikes to create gorgeously gothic and steampunk footwear that could literally slay the catwalk. A significant bestseller is a pair of knee length white boots that sport vintage buckles and a skeleton-like metal heel, perfect for telling others you mean business.
Theatre Interview: ‘The Nether’
Emily Watton interviews the director, Ruaidhri Johnston, and members of his cast for the NU Theatre Society’s upcoming performance of ‘The Nether’
T
his is a relatively recent play set within a futuristic dystopia where people connect their entire lives to a virtual reality called ‘The Nether’ that allows users to experience taste, smell and sex. The NUTS production operates on two time-lines: the torrid fakery of ‘The Nether’ versus the intense seriousness of reality where Morris, the female detective, tries to unravel that virtual world. ‘The Nether’ is a futuristic internet that contains a ‘site’ called ‘the Hideaway’ where customers can have sex with virtual children. This controversial content stimulates some fascinating complexities about morality and the consequences of actions, even if no real children were involved. Paedophilia is a highly controversial and uncomfortable topic to tackle which made still more unnerving by the possibility of simulated paedophilic situations being a possibility someday. When reading the script both the female lead, Charlotte Wood, and the director, Ruaidhri Johnston, agreed how close this dystopian future is to our present day. The producer, Luke Robson, the director, Ruaidhri Johnston, and the cast consider it best to face this taboo subject as it illustrates that the play about relationships and that actions lead to consequences, even if those actions are not perhaps literally child abuse. The director and cast seemed brave about, yet sensitive to, the topic at hand and ultimately showed their professionalism. This is particularly shown with the ‘Iris Problem’ where the original production had an actual nine year old girl play an avatar in the game where she undresses on stage. Obviously, with a NUTS production, the role must be played by an eighteen year old at the youngest but this offers casting problems that must consider a youthful appearance, a consistent talent and mature instinct to handle such a delicate role. Rosie Bonner casually says her role is ‘simple’ as
her role is to appear innocent and superficial as befitting a servile avatar, however, some scenes with ‘Hideaway’s creator Papa and Iris have caused the director and those watching to suddenly remember that she is a twelve year old character and shudder out a simultaneous ‘urgh!’ The disgust for the content causes some awkward moments but said content being handled to make the play as inoffensive as possible. Though they have resigned themselves to offending some, however, the aim is to provoke discussion and about the relationship between morality and legal legislation. The idea of showing contrasting settings of real life and a virtual brothel side by side on one stage has caused some logistical challenges for ‘The Nether’. Some aspects of the script the producer, Luke Robson, swears were deliberately put in to scupper amateur productions. However, ‘The Nether’ team have tackled some of these difficulties ingeniously. For instance, they have enlisted the help of Fine Art student, Petra Szeman, to create anime-style projections for three backdrop settings in ‘The Nether’. This draws a link between our internet experience and gives another layer to the façade created. Such details are rampant in this production, like the music designed just for it that sets the scene perfectly with Victorian nursery rhymes underscored with industrial sound. The creativity of the team is brilliant, and considering its short length of 90 minutes and status as an amateur stage production handling high-maintenance settings and content, they seem very competent and confident enough to provide a show worth thinking about. A sci-fi dystopian thriller complicated by different realities and complex characters unusual to the genre, ‘The Nether’ seems to promise a disconcerting but riveting experience which makes you look twice at the ‘freedoms’ allowed by the internet today.
Thursday 18th February 2016 – Saturday 20th February 2016. Doors open at 7.45pm on Stage 2, Northern Stage, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Concessions: £9/£6.
The Courier
arts.27
Monday 15 February 2016
The Art of Language: Hindi Ritwik Sarkar discusses the hidden beauty of the Hindi language J
o baat Hindi mein, voh kiski aur mein nahin What is told is Hindi, cannot be told be any other voice. Much like Independent India, the language of Hindi, is a motley accouterment of cultures, oral tradition and language. Essentially a form of Urdu, Hindi is written in the traditional Hindu Devnagiri script. Not to be confused with it’s religious association, Hindi has largely been a language of the masses. Formed during the mid to late 18th century, began to increasingly associated with the subjects of the Mughal Empire. A communicative identity that brought together large parts of the empire began to form a linguistic identity, amalgamating a multitude of traditions under one linguistic banner. Fastforward two hundred years, and not much has changed. Hindi has become the national language of the country, which is spoken by over 260 million people (National Census, 2012), that’s nearly the entire population of South America! It’s not hard then to imagine that the language has become a unifying asset of Independent India bringing it into the 21st century firmly grounded in it’s cultural roots.
“Hindi gives literal life to phenomenon that seem almost impossible to express in words ”
In written form, the language is incredibly phonetic, and anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the alphabet will be able to construct and pronounce even the most complex of words. Hindi might not seem so alien to the large English speaking population, as the language served as one of the largest cultural exports to the west. Words such as ‘juggernaut’, taken from the name of
NUTS:Spring Season Calendar 15-17 February Company, Northern Stage 2 18-20 February The nether, Northern Stage 3 21-23 February Abigail’s party,The Cluny 2 24-26 February A view from the bridge, St Luke’s Church 27-29 February The madness of King George, the Miner’s Institute 2-4 March A Midsummer Night’s Dream, St Luke’s Church
the Indian God, Jagganath and the word ‘shampoo’, taken from the Indian word Champi. Moreover more known words such as ‘karma’ ‘nirvana’ are essentially Hindi words, popularized by western culture and beyond.
Holly Suttle The Hatton Gallery
S
ituated on our very own campus at Newcastle University, The Hatton Gallery is overlooked by many students. Some of you might even be surprised to find out that there is indeed art exhibitions so close to our “Unihomes”, and if this is the first you have heard of the Hatton Gallery, I would definitely recommend you take a visit soon. Home to sculptures, pictures, drawings and even artistic wall designs, the Hatton Gallery is a great aspect of our University grounds and perfect to visit in between lectures. Even better, the gallery is completely free to visit.
“Hindi’s true beauty lies in the fact that it’s near to impossible to translate” On a more universal level however, Hindi gives literal life to phenomenon that seem almost impossible to express in words. The phrase Guzaarish translates roughly to ‘an earnest request’ but has often been used by Hindi and Sufi poets alike to signify a prayer to the eternal, requesting him to free them from their earthly bonds. The word Masakali translates to ‘an aspiration to fly high, through peace and liberation’, often being associated with the poetic flight of a songbird. Perhaps one of the most poignant phrases in the language’s entirety, is one that is used so sparingly, people often forget it exists. The term Moksha implies the liberation from the eternal cycle of re-birth and reincarnation. The desire to break the cycle of mortality that binds us, is the fabled an-
“This acrylic on canvas painting is both peaceful and thoughtful and also reminds me of warm weather”
cient Indian dream, but it’s spiritual essence and expression through the medium of Hindi, serves as evidence of how Hindi has hardly lost touch with it’s traditional roots. In the modern age, the amalgamation of Hindi and English or hinglish in large parts of India, is unsurprising, yet, the culture that the language creates is one that is boundless by time, making the best of the expressive nature of the past, while adapting to the linguistic challenges of the present. Hindi’s true beauty lies in the fact that it’s near impossible to translate. Cultural normativity is replaced with a near unbridled source of self-expression that leaves you in a state of bewilderment.
Creative Writing Event: James Rebanks
Arts, J Writing, Action!
Tate Britain: BP Spotlight Hockney’s Double Portraits
T
thecourieronline.co.uk/arts c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk | @CourierArts
Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy 1970-1 My Parents 1977 George Lawson and Wayne Sleep 1972–5
his is a highly concentrated exhibition, a small room sheltering three large format paintings. The colour palette is very dated—synthetic teals and greens, powder blue and violet of the early colour-television variety, skin unsettlingly apricot-toned and reminiscent of coloured toilet paper. It’s extremely evocative, and places the paintings both neatly and accurately within the window of the seventies whilst conjuring the crackling atmosphere of all-new mod-cons, prosperity, and emergent affordable luxury. The figures are used as formal elements of the composition — I would go as far as to dispute that they are portraits, and suggest that the figures of themselves are not. The interiors, the objects, the clothes, project a lifestyle but there is precious little opportunity for psychological engagement with the sitters, except perhaps his Parents. There is something charming in his mother’s patience and neatness and the contrast it makes with his father, head bent over a magazine to occupy his hands and his heels hovering just above the rug with pent up restless energy, every muscle working hard. In terms of “painting a picture” of these couples, who could possibly comment on his success without being acquainted with the sitters. One suspects his approach is not dissimilar to that of the Tudor court painters and later artists such as Hogarth — domestic objects meticulously selected for significance and arranged throughout the setting to convey the status, interests, character and achievements of the persons depicted. Mr and Mrs Clark are shown to be people of means and of taste by a discreetly minimal interior with carpet thick enough to engulf the toes of the male figure, the designer Ozzie Clark. Art objects book-end the composition: a painting in a narrow gold frame, and an unusual decorative lamp balancing the picture on the opposite side. The use of domestic architectural features to break up the surface of the painting and create abstract interest is reminiscent of the James McNeil Whistler painting colloquially known as Whistler’s Mother. George Lawson and Wayne Sleep has an interesting flatness and scratched detailing and patterning which might not have survived the finishing process if it had not remained incomplete. Katie Wiseman
ames Rebanks is no ordinary shepherd, even if that’s precisely how he’d like people to think of him. In 2012 he opened a Twitter account with the handle @herdyshepherd1, specialises in Herdwick sheep, the tough mountain breed synonymous with the Lake District. He now has more than 40,000 followers. The success of his Twitter feed led to a commission in 2013 to write an article for Atlantic Monthly and that, in turn, led to interest from half a dozen publishers in a book; Penguin won the bidding war, and the book – The Shepherd’s Life – is already winning critical plaudits. Newcastle University held a creative writing event at the Culture Lab which saw Rebanks in conversation with creative writing lecturer, William Feinnes, and the turn-out on the night was even busier than anticipated. On stage, the two writers were demonstrably juxtaposed – Rebanks ruddy faced in a tweed jacket, checked shirt, looking every bit the Shepherd he describes in his book; and Fiennes, bespectacled, wearing a smart blazer that wouldn’t look amiss with a set of elbow patches and a pocket dictionary in toe. Even Rebanks’ Northern accent set against Fiennes’ Southern one made for some phonoaesthetic fireworks. But once the two men began talking about the process of novel writing there was little to tell them apart. Both writers agreed that what makes a novel successful is its subject matter. A novel should be about something specific, but with the knowledge that that ‘something’ is representative of something much broader. In other words, a novel should be aware of its place in time and space. Rebanks’ book is fundamentally about sheep herding in Cumbria, but it doesn’t take much reading to see that it is also a tribute to the two men who farmed this land before Rebanks – his father and grandfather. It’s a book about family. As Rebanks poignantly remarked to his audience at the talk’s dénouement, Rebank’ father read a proof copy of the book before he died and loved it, “he told my sister it made him look like a bloody legend” and that was critical acclaim enough. Charlotte Firth
Despite being a third-year student, this was in fact my first trip to the gallery, which I only now realise is hugely disappointing. Why is it that we travel to foreign countries to experience different cultures and visit all these other museums and galleries, and marvel at their beautiful exhibitions, but we fail to visit the one gallery we all pass by on a daily basis? Well, let me tell you a bit about the Hatton gallery – it may be small, but, like other small things in life, it’s not about size. I will whittle it down to my two favourite pieces of artwork: the first, a portrait of a romantic looking man, reading a large book with a pen in his right hand whilst wearing a deep pink shirt with a dark, navy blue robe gently hanging off his shoulders. If I had to take a guess, I would say that the painting is set in Venice, Italy, due to the style of the buildings illustrated behind him. It very clearly appears to be St. Mark’s Square. This acrylic on canvas painting is both peaceful and thoughtful, and also reminds me of warm weather (a good reason why I would hang this in my house).
“The moulded metal of his face is beautiful and intricately perfected to give this older man a strong gaze”
My second favourite piece of artwork currently being displayed at the Hatton Gallery is the most marvellous sculpture of a man in a bronze, solid metal. His face is intimidating and the moulded metal of his face is beautiful and intricately perfected to give this older man a strong gaze. His metallic beard and moustache truly replicate the man who he once was, and I thought this particular work of art was inspiring. How close can we get to recreating a human being through the use of such different materials? Exchanging flesh and bones for metal, whilst recreating every single crease in his jacket gives this man a sense of authority and also expresses the artist’s unbelievable talent to produce such a masterpiece.
28.music
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Music Editors: Jamie Shepherd, Dominique Daly & Connor McDonnell
Living La Vida Local People from the North East get themselves out there. Music Editor Jamie Shepherd looks at the moments when fellow Sunderland dwellers make the big time
T
here’s a saying that me and my mam use whenever we go on holiday to sum up the inevitably of bumping into someone from our neck of the words who we might have a few vague connections with. The phrase is “people from the North East get where shit doesn’t” and this is definitely true in the world of music. Now with this column I’m not per se looking at the success stories of local lads and lasses like Sting, Dave Stewart, Mark Knopfler and all but more the times when the North East weirdly gets into the mainstream. The best example I can think of in modern times involves the pint-sized popstar Prince and his unlikely championing of Sunderland band Field Music. The Purple Rain star recently tweeted the band’s single ‘The Noisy Days Are Over’ which, in typical esoteric Prince fashion that throws grammatical structure to the wind had the band’s name interspersed with the YouTube link in the middle. As much as this song is an absolute banger you’ve got to wonder how the fuck has Prince hear about this song? The only reason I can think of is somewhere in Prince’s team there has to be a secret Mackem pulling the strings somewhere, manipulating the purple-loving starlet.
“The only feasible answer without donning a tinfoil hat and barricading myself in my bedroom is quite simply that Banks is from Sunderland” Prince isn’t the only American artist with a secret Mackem side. Feisty rapper Azealea Banks’ Twitter activities a few years ago convinced me that she must actually be from Sunderland. In 2014 she tweeted lyric from The Futureheads ‘Stupid and Shallow’ from their debut album. Imagine my confusion when I saw this on Twitter in the pits of hell’s worst hangover. I thought I’d dreamt this or was still heavily intoxicated so imagine my surprise a year later down the line when Azealia Banks then tweets this “’Stupid and Shallow’ by The Futureheads is always stuck in my head. I think I’ve sang that song three times a week since I heard it at 14”. To top off her Futureheads fandom, Banks also shared a video on YouTube of Bizarre magazine’s favourite burlesque star from Sunderland Katrina Darling performing. The only feasible answer without donning a tinfoil hat and barricading myself in my bedroom is quite simply that Banks is from Sunderland. Someone I was surprised to find out was actually from Sunderland, or more accurately spent quality time growing up in Sunderland, is Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand. They played a gig a couple of years ago in Sunderland’s Pop Recs and he shared his affection for being home and even joked about how great it was to get the Metro through to Newcastle from their hotel in Newcastle. Franz Ferdinand were essentially giants for me when I was a fat indie youth growing up in Sunderland so this revelation was a bit of a bombshell. It’s always encouraging when Sunderland folk make it in the limelight and probably the best moment like this was that time Frankie and the Heartstrings got that Domino’s Pizza advertising contract and their aptly named song ‘Hunger’ became associate with cheesy and carbohydrate takeaway foods. Rumours abounded back in Sunderland that the band were given a lifetimes supply of pizzas as payment but what is true is that this definitely gave the band the best exposure they could have asked for. I felt pretty smug that every time a hungover student decided to clog their arteries with cheesy shite, a bunch of boys from Sunderland had something to do with it.
Be sure to follow us on Spotify so you can have a little listen to local music and more at - https://play. spotify.com/user/thecourierdoesmusic
Say a little prayer for appropriation Daniel Pye and Sunil Nambiar consider whether Coldplay’s new video for ‘Hymn For The Weekend’ is culturally offensive or the victim of media hype, ready for a good, old gripe
S
ince the video was put on YouTube last week, ‘Hymn for the Weekend’ has been stirring up ‘controversy’ over the Internet for appropriating Indian culture. I’ve put the word controversy in quotation marks because this appears to be one of those forced viral disputes that is only an issue because the media decreed it should be. Of course, the video is hilarious. Like pretty much all of Coldplay’s content it’s overblown and pretentious, with Chris Martin swaddling around in a tuk-tuk like a drunken eighteen year-old on a gap year. It’s standard procedure that all of the band members and their instruments end up covered in fluorescent paint, this time surrounded by dancing children at Mumbai’s Holi Festival. Would it really be a Coldplay video if we didn’t have Chris singing to the sky with his eyes closed while fireworks are going off in the background? Sure, some may argue that video is nothing more than a list of Indian clichés but have you considered that this video is also nothing more than a list of self-parodying Coldplay clichés? For me, the only thing that in any way approaches an issue is the scene where Beyoncé is playing a Bollywood actress. At least with the rest of the video, Coldplay come off as a bunch of awkward Westerners that accidentally discovered a great party after taking a wrong turn on
Google Maps. Beyoncé is actively portraying herself as the Anglo-American stereotype of an Indian woman, and is acting the part that should really be performed by an Indian actress. I would argue that this is misinformed more than it is controversial. Beyoncé still looks recognizably like Beyoncé. Perhaps the creative team could have put a bit more critical thought into their production and considered how associating Beyoncé with such an idealized view of Indian culture could be a mistake, but this hardly warrants a huge debate on the Internet.
“Coldplay come off as a bunch of awkward Westerners that accidentally discovered a great party after taking a wrong turn on Google Maps” In essence, I honestly think that this video is more reflective of Coldplay’s idiosyncrasies than anything else. Take out the whole cultural appropriation argument and this is little more than a typically pretentious Coldplay video. I’m not going to deny that this video does cater to a lot of Western stereotypes of India, but at the same time I do not think that it is worth all of the antipathy that has spread over the Internet. It is the classic example of how something on the Internet that to most people is barely even an issue has been blown out of proportion by the Western media.
“Like pretty much all of Coldplay’s content it’s overblown and pretentious, with Chris Martin swaddling around in a tuk-tuk like a drunken eighteen year-old on a gap year”
T
o the traditional Western frame of thought, Asia is fluid. It is, occasionally, a continent of the unscientific and patriarchal, and then at other times, it is a cradle of ancient wisdom. Sometimes, it is a shroud of cultural flamboyance. An indigenous Asian voice is often difficult to locate in these narratives. The identity of the region, it seems, is balanced by the whims of Western imagination. Last month, Coldplay, featuring Beyoncé, released their Hymn for the Weekend music video. This time, Mumbai was to be the landscape of the ethnically obsessive: a blur of holy men whose saffron-coloured robes danced in the breeze at a temple, a child painted blue to resemble a Hindu deity, and men bathed in vibrant festival powders indifferently navigating derelict roads. Mumbai became the realm of peacocks and bioscopes, of fire-breathers and slums. Outside this narrative, Mumbai is
Daniel Pye
a metropolitan city amongst the principal centres of international commerce. It is the largest part of a country that, through resolve and innovation, has become the fastest growing major economy worldwide. And, interlinked with this success is a continuing appreciation of heritage amongst a portion of its population. The music video – written, produced and sung exclusively by Westerners – shapes around Mumbai a chronicle of fixation with spectacle that overwhelms a civil entwinement of enterprise with culture.
“Attempting to rationalise the underpinnings of racism does not lift its destructive effects” In 2013, Katy Perry, engaging thick geisha makeup and lacquered hair while donning a kimono unsuitably tightened and cut, prolonged the colonial typecast of the servile Asian wife in her American Music Awards performance of ‘Unconditionally’. In the same year, Lady Gaga modeled a burqa, relegating the religious outer garment to that of a sexual accessory – she questions in her song ‘Burqa’, “Do you want to peek underneath the cover?” And, last September, Taylor Swift revived an imperialist fantasy of Africa in her ‘Wildest Dreams’ music video: the diverse continent became a white-persons-only panorama in which Swift embraces her lover, frolics with lions and poses before sunsets. When a race that enjoys diversity in representation – in this age, the white Westerner – tells the tired narrative of a sub-
ordinated community, it dismisses the opportunity to deliver an understanding of a real milieu. As fragments of less privileged ethnicities are appropriated as embellishments for musical performances without respect to history and context, Asia becomes in our imaginations only a continent of religious marvel, Africa of boundless safaris, and the West a haven of progress, assortment and economic success.
“The music video...shapes around Mumbai a chronicle of fixation with spectacle that overwhelms a civil entwinement of enterprise with culture”
Perhaps absent in these artists’ confabulations of Asia and Africa is a conscious want to degrade. I hopefully imagine that it is ignorance surrounding less privileged landscapes that has undermined careful thought by much of the West toward the broader impacts of narrow Asian and African portrayals. But, attempting to rationalise the underpinnings of racism does not lift its destructive effects. Beyond symbolic homage to less privileged cultures, solidarity with native artists must be established. What distinguishes fair cultural exchange from appropriation is a particularity toward nuance and an inquisitive understanding of multiple perspectives. We can do better. Sunil Nambiar
The Courier
music.29
Monday 15 February 2016
Burgers, Beth and bullshit Serena Bhardwaj reviews Beth Cosentino’s recent essay slating sexism in the music industry
S
exualisation; ‘when individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness’ - according to the American Psychological Association. Thanks to popular culture, it’s difficult to avoid sexism and society is all too wary to associate themselves with the dreaded ‘F word.’ Not long ago, a car mechanic politely told my mum that she should put more effort, time and money into looking after her car instead of her hair and nails. It shouldn’t take the fact that I’m a female to notice that his comments were completely inappropriate. One context where sexism has frequently angered me is within the music industry. ‘Outspoken boss’ and front woman of Best Coast, Bethany Cosentino seems to feel the same way. In her recent article; ‘Burgers, Bitches and Bullshit’, the janglepop singer expresses her increasing dismay towards the treatment of females in the industry.
“Beauty ideals are plastered across our culture telling females that their intelligence, talents and abilities will be assessed alongside their appearance” Although I wholeheartedly agree with the majority of what Cosentino says in the article I thought I’d first mention one argument which is slightly less convincing. She tells an anecdote of having a burger thrown at her during a gig and which she felt had ‘everything to do with the fact [she] is a female front woman’. I’m not so convinced. Tampons
Is the Is Are
were thrown at One Direction, a bottle was thrown at Morrissey and Oasis had mud thrown at them. As a result it’s difficult to assume that the only reason Cosentino was burger-ed was due to the fact that she is female. It’s slightly presumptuous and almost as though she’s pulling at threads to prove her point that sexism exists in the industry. To be honest, male and female singers get heckled and hit by objects frequently and it shouldn’t be accepted irrelevant of the gender. Irrespective of this, in her essay Cosentino goes on to highlight some valid problems relating to the sexualisation of women. When reading a recent review, it claimed that the band ‘sounded great’ whilst Bethany looked ‘sexy’. It’s a disgrace that her performance was assessed in terms of her appearance instead of her actual talent. Beauty ideals are plastered across our culture telling females that their intelligence, talents and abilities will be assessed alongside their appearance. A prominent example of this is shown in the music video for Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’. Whilst the males are dressed normally, ‘singing’ sexist lyrics extremely poorly, ‘you the hottest bitch in this place’; the females prance around in skimpy outfits. The whole song and video lacks any musical substance but instead suggests ‘norms’ of society today - in other words, it focuses on the need for female beauty. It seems as though we can treat women in any which way we desire. I use the specific word ‘desire‘ crucially here as sexism appears to be driven by want and lust. Bethany Cosentino is not the first to speak up against sexualisation and unfortunately she won’t be the last. In 2013, indie singer Grimes revealed that she’s often molested at shows yet this never happens to her male peers. I hope others read the articles by Cosentino and co because they couldn’t be more important in the sexist era we’re living in today. Something has to change.
Pool
Diiv
Curve of the Earth Mystery Jets
I
T
A
t’s been a rough few years for Diiv. It’s nearly four years since they released their quite excellent debut Oshin, and for a while it seemed like a follow-up was never going to happen at all. Exhaustion, infighting, failed recording sessions, and various drug addictions (resulting in the departure of drummer Colby Hewitt) have all played their part in the bands protracted return. After frontman Zachary Cole Smith spent some time in rehab - after he and his girlfriend Sky Ferreira looked like they were on a way trip to Syd & Nancyville - they’ve managed to pull themselves back, and with a cracking album as well. Is the Is Are begins pretty much where Oshin left off, with the opening two tracks, ‘Out of Mind’ and ‘Under the Sun’, delivering layers of spacey sunshine delay with pleasantly simple chiming hooks. There hasn’t been much of a change in sound, but an increased focus on sonic sound textures, most notably on the Neu-like title track. This gives the album an air of claustrophobia and anxiety that makes this a much less fun affair than its predecessor. But it is all the more interesting for it, mirroring the intensity, confusion, and overindulgence of addiction itself; Cole is unglamorisingly honest with his lyrics in ‘Dopamine’, singing ‘Burning out, running in place / Got so high I finally felt like myself.’ A few tracks later we’re being drowned in the oozy dripping textures of ‘Incarnate Devil’. At 17 tracks clocking in at just over an hour, there’s quite a lot to get through, and at times the album could do with a little more room to breathe, with a couple of tracks like ‘Yr Not Far’ and ‘Loose Ends’ getting a little bit lost in the mix. All in all, Is the Is Are takes a few listens, but it’s definitely an album worth hearing. Jamie George
he upbeat, adolescent origins of the Mystery Jets seem cold and distant in their fifth studio album. Despite their grounding in the commercial success of boy-meets-girl, happy-go-lucky indie pop, Curve of the Earth sees the 4-man outfit drifting in more introspective space. ‘Telomere’ arrives ghostly and very serious. It’s naming for the DNA strands that determine the rate of aging in human cells neatly describes the song’s grappling with mortality. For fans who turned onto the band for their simplistic odes to drunken one-night stands and public transport infatuation, ‘Telomere’ is a rude awakening. It is minimalism, expressing more with less. ‘The End Up’ dissolves into a warm and melancholic lamentation. They’re at their best in this regard on ‘Saturnine’, where we sail with them through updrafts of newfound romance and tenderness. The most memorable aspect of Curve of the Earth is its capacity to plumb the depth of post-adolescent anxiety. On ‘1985’, a decidedly darker and stripped-back offering, piano and strings are used lightly while forlorn vocals implore the cosmos to turn two starcrossed lovers back to their year of genesis. This is nostalgia at its most destructive, and it inspires the unexpected turns into rocky refrains in ‘Taken By The Tide’ and ‘Bubblegum’, shattering the illusion that this is mere self-indulgent moping. It helps earmark Mystery Jets as curious tinkerers, channelling angst that is intriguing, if not always revelatory. Curve of the Earth captures the bend in the arc of growing up. While they struggle through growing pains that often leave them falling flat, with songs that reap a dullness that was never a criticism of their earlier hits, the ultimate product is something grasping at the profound. Jack Marley
Porches
aron Maine used to make experimental songs on his Casio CA-110. In 2013, he released his debut Slow Dance in the Cosmos: a collection of shimmying, lo-fi arrangements. This year he has delivered Pool. The opening of the album is an ambient flurry of keys. The bubbling theme plays throughout the song and seems pertinent to the aqueous, ‘Underwater’ identity of the track. ‘Be Apart’ sounds like a slouchy pastiche of Crystal Castle’s ‘Untrust Us’, until the tone descends in to a dark madness. The lyrics recall a strange existential plane of absence, like the song belonged in a Beckett act, involving wordplay: ‘I will go out tonight / cause I wanna be apart / of it all’. Maine becomes a pensive spectator, taking himself away while remaining aware of his environment. This creative endeavour reels itself through Pool. The title track includes auto-tuned vocals to put you in to the ‘slow motion’ and dreamlike doze, and is concerned with being left alone. ‘Shaver’ is a song which begins ‘I made / my face / smooth for you’, leading to a strange declaration of a romantic blend which is addressed towards the listener and ‘her’ who walks ‘through the room’. ‘Shape’ wobbles in, with oscillating deep notes. The song descends in to a collapsing dream and blank madness after the lyrics ‘I’m only real / in my longing / down low to be.’ The poignant arpeggio chimes above the rumbles of the fluctuating bass. The final track on Pool is ‘Security’. It is melancholic in character and has an R&B accent. By the end of this tribulation, Maine seeks sanctuary. Pool is eloquently about self-destruction and detachment. The use of elusive lyrics would usually be overly quirky, but Porches evokes emotion by loosening himself from the persona in the songs and binding you to where his shadow is. Connor McDonnell
Electronic Blanket Sophie Ahmed ponders Wiley’s no-show and revels in some 80s old school Acid House
In recent news, Grime fans around Newcastle were brutally disappointed by Wiley’s last minute cancellation of a scheduled set at World HQ last month. Also known as Eskiboy, the MC allegedly emailed the guys at Pirate Material hours before he was supposed to perform, understandably causing the excited cries of ‘ayayaya’ to deteriorate into insults. On the Sunday night, the headlining Godfather of Grime had been booked to play an underwhelming 40 minute set, so even if he had turned up there wouldn’t really have been much point. Rather than admitting defeat and cancelling the event, Pirate Material hosted a rave with their residents in Wiley’s place, and I’m going to say that it was musically superior to an arrogant prick whining about some chick nicking his Rolex. Pirate Material’s high reputation is still intact too, as they still danced the night away following such a blow, and have since booked the likes of Ms Dynamite and Dub Phizix & Strategy. Acts cancelling on the day isn’t rare unfortunately, as last term I was supposed to see Jungle DJ at Future Funk but they pulled out for undisclosed reasons. As someone who isn’t a Jungle fan, this didn’t bother me and I was over the moon by their replacement of DJ Luck & MC Neat, and the wonderful Benton. You Need To Hear: Floating Points Last week I got tempted into paying £15 to see a DJ that I hadn’t heard much about. Bringing his geek chic from Manchester, multi-talented Producer and Neuroscientist Floating Points has notably been generating a buzz amongst my peers at uni. So, I took their word for it and headed down to my second home of World HQ for a night of ‘ambient techno’, as someone had described his music to me. This niche genre did shine through in parts, but the disco diva within me was ecstatic to find that Sam Shepherd’s set was dominated by Funk and Soul, fresh from the vinyl. This is just a minor example of this classically-trained musician elegantly floating between electronic and live formats, as he was recently awarded with the accolade of ‘Best BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale Session’ for bringing 16 live performers into the studio to form the Floating Points Ensemble. If you like your music served chilled and jazz-infused, you’ll love this. Listen To: Floating Points – For Marmish Preview: A Guy Called Gerald, 12th February, World Headquarters One of this term’s most highly anticipated musical events takes place on Friday, as the legendary A Guy Called Gerald makes the rounds to Newcastle’s World HQ. Renowned for the Acid House anthem ‘Voodoo Ray’, this Mancunian producer from the late 80s is bringing his diversity to a place where it is more than welcome. With over 10 albums to his name, Gerald Simpson’s work boasts the electronic likes of House, Techno and Drum and Bass, with a Trip Hop flavour on some tracks. This is especially potent on the 2000 album Essence. Personally, I’m yearning to hear the bass-heavy tracks led by a female vocal from this record which I associate so much with A Guy Called Gerald. The wellknown ‘Humanity’ sung by Louise Rhodes will go down a treat, as well as my own personal favourite, ‘Hurry To Go Easy’ which opens with twinkly Connan Mockasin-esque guitar work and features vocals from Deee-lite’s Lady Kier, of ‘Groove is in the Heart’ fame. Although the central theme of this ethereal tune seems to be substance abuse and ‘magic mushroom jazz’, I can guarantee that Gerald’s set alone will get everyone’s ‘senses wide awakening’. Although I’ve only listened to Essence so far, a minute fraction of A Guy Called Gerald’s discography in the grand scheme of things, his Boiler Room set proves that familiarity isn’t necessary to enjoy this guy’s soundscapes.
Go follow us on intagram for live gig updates, fun pictures and the latest music gossip- @courier_music
30.filmfeatures
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Film Editors: Emma Allsopp, Rhian Hunter & Simon Ramshaw
#OscarsSoWhiteRoundTwo Since the announcement of the Oscar nominees a few weeks ago there has been intense backlash since they have yet again whitewashed. Iqra Choudry examines this injustice
F
Creed
With the eagerly awaited Christmas holidays sadly over with we asked our readers to tell us what they watched in those three weeks. Jordan Olomon saw the new Rocky film, Creed, starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan. Here’s what he thought of it... When I thought about watching Creed, all I could hear in the back of my head was Balboa groaning “ADRIAAAAN” and the second-hand embarrassment that was the Cold-War propaganda piece, Rocky IV. Since then, we’ve had a dodgy reboot in 2006 which failed to meet expectations, and don’t even get me started on Grudge Match, the wild comedy tribute movie with DeNiro and Stallone that tarnished the memory of both Raging Bull and Rocky. So, I was incredibly surprised by Creed. I was judgmental at first, I thought it was going to be some sort of last dash cash-in while the meat is still fresh, but it’s actually not. Helmed by Ryan Coogler, director of the brilliant Fruitvale Station (also with Michael B. Jordan in the hot seat), this film actually calmed my nerves about the Black Panther flick Coogler’s currently in the works.
or the second year running, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a list of Oscar nominations with not a single black or brown person acknowledged for a major award (and most of the minor awards, too). You’d have thought that the Academy members would have learned from the original #OscarsSoWhite scandal last year, but here we are - #OscarsSoWhiteRoundTwo. A few people I’ve spoken to asked ‘what’s the big deal? It’s a merit thing; maybe there were that many great movies this year, and those with black actors just didn’t make the cut?’ Let’s be honest. That stance wouldn’t really hold up to any serious scrutiny anyway, but even less so when the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominated a slew of amazing and diverse talent, giving recognition to Idris Elba for his role in Beasts of No Nation, and again for Luther, Uzo Aduba for her role as ‘Crazy Eyes’ in Orange Is The New Black, and Viola Davis for How To Get Away With Murder. Leonardo DiCaprio also won for his role in The Revenant, but then again, he’s just as likely to miss out on an Oscar for it, isn’t he? It would seem that TV is a damn sight better for diversity than film. It’s not for a lack of talent – it’s a lack of recognition that is the issue with the Academy. It’s 2016 – people of colour should not be passed over when they deserve recognition. So why is the Academy so notoriously rubbish (with some serious racist undertones)? Someone once said that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was like the Rockies, because ‘the further up you go, the whiter it gets’. And this isn’t wrong. When having a nosey at the stats for diversity amongst Academy members, you find that in 2012, 94% of Academy members were white; 77% were male, and 86% aged 50 or over, with the median age being 62. The board of Academy mem-
bers is made up of 43 people, only one of which is a person of colour, and only 6 of which are women. Do we still think that with a membership that is typically pale, male and stale, that the nominations are fairly allocated and still based solely on merit? When films like Selma are ignored, with the incredible David Oyelowo being snubbed in the Oscar nominations last year, and this year, when massive movies like Straight Outta Compton are simply relegated to the Original Screenplay category, this systematic snubbing is getting ridiculous. The Academy have responded to the ongoing diversity scandal with a pledge to increase diversity within its membership, aiming to have more
women and people of colour by 2020. To which I say – that’s cute, but it’s not enough. Things need to change, and faster. With ongoing scandals in the entertainment industry, such as Joseph Fiennes being cast as Michael Jackson, Oscar-nominee Charlotte Rampling claiming reverse racism (get a grip, honey) and the stunning lack of diversity in the music industry, where black artists are constantly passed over in favour of white ones, the #OscarsSoWhite scandal is integral to raising some awareness. Things need to change. And maybe with Chris Rock hosting the ceremony, they might start to. But we still have a long way to go.
Battle of the pre-teens and toddlers
With the recent release of Room, one of its stars, Jacob Tremblay, has brought child actors to the fore again. Errol Kerr fills us in on the best and worst ever
W Centred on the orphaned son of Apollo Creed, Rocky’s old opponent and friend (who got punched so hard, he died), it’s your typical underdog story. However, it follows the formula well. He quits his silver spoon upbringing and healthy job to go dukes up in the ring, with Balboa in his corner. The plot is basic, and it follows the narrative beats you think it will. What makes it shine really is the acting. Stallone underplays his part with in a cool, repressed but emotive demeanour, and there are some honestly heartfelt moments in Creed. I couldn’t call Stallone Oscar-worthy, but for a bloke past his prime, he does incredibly well and I was impressed. Jordan is a bit boring, but I wasn’t expecting a lot of dynamic acting from him here. He does everything expected of his part. The dude got ripped for the film and it shows. He plays off Stallone well, and it’s also quite a funny movie at times. The homages aren’t too acidic, and the montages are actually tasteful and not cringe-worthy. They certainly made me feel involved in the story, much like any underdog movie. One thing I would say is that it’s a bit of a slow-burner, and a slog until the main meat of the narrative comes about, but if you can keep your composure, it’s a rewarding experience. I’d say it’s worth a watch, but it’s more of a split decision than a knockout. Jordan Oloman
ith the critical success of Room in cinemas, it has drawn a significant amount of attention to young Jacob Tremblay. As Jack, he portrays an abductee who is led to believe that the titular Room he lives in is the only real thing in the world. His character arc is spectacular, which is unusual considering the range of child actors, so perhaps it’s worth looking at the very few decent ones in relation to the awful rest of the little starlets… Everyone loves Home Alone, I’m sure. Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin was the most entertaining character in it, with his role immediately grounding him as one of the best child actors of all time. Sure, his character arc mightn’t be the best, but he represents what it is to be a naughty kid unbelievably well, and his bad behaviour comes into its own when defending his house from two (really stupid) burglars.
“Bawling, blonde, bowlcut that was Jake Lloyd’s Anakin Skywalker. As poor acting goes, this little Sith Lord-to-be easily tops the list”
Alongside him in the ranks of decent child actors is Dakota Fanning. Multi-faceted, able to portray emotions, not entirely robotic; she’s almost perfect! That is, until you see her in War of the Worlds as Rachel. My God, she got stuck with the ‘Girl That Screams At Anything Remotely Abnormal’ role, and it doesn’t help that the film itself is pants. I almost feel bad for Dakota in this film. Other than that, cannot complain! That’s…about it for decent child actors, however, so let’s look at the…‘fun’ ones. So, who likes token stereotypical characters? Who loves Indiana Jones? Enter Short Round. Jonathan Ke Quan’s character exists as an awfully offensive sidekick to the hero of
a good old ‘White Person Saves a bunch of POC’ tale. As if the endless shouting of “Doctor Jones!” wasn’t bad enough, he acts more like a pet to the archaeologist than an actual human. Nice going, Spielberg.
“What on Earth happened to them? Perhaps exposing children to fame might be a pretty bad idea. Who’d have thought?”
The Harry Potter trio may now have a lot more acting practice now, but in the early films, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson left a lot to be desired. Radcliffe’s somewhat robotic, angsty nature (which, to be fair, hasn’t really changed), combined with Emma Watson practically just *existing* in those films (and being petrified in half of the Chamber of Secrets) is only really saved by Rupert Grint’s sheer enthusiasm. Let’s face it, everyone fell in love with Ron after the whole giant Wizard Chess scene in The Philosopher’s Stone. The worst, however, is probably one many would agree with…Remember Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace?? Yeah, I wish I didn’t, either. You’ll also remember the bawling, blonde, bowl-cut bastard that was Jake Lloyd’s Anakin Skywalker. Remember little ‘unnecessary-to-the-storyline’ Ani? As poor acting goes, this little Sith Lord-
to-be easily tops the list. Understandably, Jake Lloyd now looks back and hates his prior role, but that doesn’t excuse his awful acting skills. Child actors and actresses tend to be incredibly poor at what they do, which is almost a given – yet it’s always entertaining to laugh at them slightly. I mean, looking at certain individuals, you can see a huge amount of change – Radcliffe and Watson, for example – however, with others… not so much. I mean, look at Jake Lloyd and Macaulay Culkin? What on Earth happened to them? Perhaps exposing children to fame might be a pretty bad idea. Who’d have thought?
The Courier
reviewsfilm.31
Monday 15 February 2016
thecourieronline.co.uk/film c2.film@ncl.ac.uk | @Courier_Film
The Hateful Eight (18)
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Samuel L. Jackson
I
’m speechless. Not for all the wrong reasons, but not for the right reasons either. I just don’t know where to begin – and apparently, Tarantino didn’t either, considering The Hateful Eight didn’t seem to start until I’d been sat there an hour and a half. Don’t get me wrong, I am a reasonably loyal Tarantino fan – I don’t think he’s amazing, but I do greatly enjoy most of his films – but this just felt like a shade of his former cinematic excellence. Inglorious Basterds is his masterpiece, in my opinion, closely followed by on-a-par Reservoir Dogs and Django Unchained, while the others sit pretty equally in my estimations. So you’d think The Hateful Eight, which basically uses the same basic plot as Reservoir Dogs combined with the racial tension and long run-time of Django, I’d really enjoy this film. But it had almost none of the gripping dialogue that sustained my attention during the longer scenes of the aforementioned films, and bordered on plain dull for the first hour. It’s such a shame, because the latter half of the film almost saved it. Despite this, the cinematography is stunning, and Samuel L. Jackson’s ‘Lincoln Letter’ provides a great backdrop from which the rest of the film builds. Kurt Russell’s ‘the Hangman’ also has an intriguing backstory, and the two, with Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Daisy Domergue, provide just enough intrigue to retain your attention until it really gets going. Moving on to the second half, a bit more of the old Tarantino – shameless, crass gore, a glorious
The Good: Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
speech fuelled by racial tensions from Samuel L. Jackson, and storytelling with a bit of intricacy – shines through. The few twists and turns aren’t predictable, and Jackson’s presence in particular creates the tension Tarantino is renowned for. But it’s still not quite enough. The plot isn’t too convincing, and a few of the characters are simply redundant; the film could’ve easily managed without one or two of them. I don’t wish to condemn the terrific performances of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson, but they all just felt like diluted versions of characters we’ve seen before. For me, The Hateful Eight served as a reminder that because Tarantino is Tarantino, Tarantino can do what Tarantino wants and whether it’s objectively
shit or objectively excellent, it sells. There aren’t many other directors we’d sit through an hour and a half of straight-up boring and un-engaging dialogue just to see what happens. And then another hour and a half of what alone, would be a decent film, but not a great film for any other than diehard Tarantino fans. I guess I wanted something new, and I was bitterly disappointed – so if that’s what you’re after, steer clear.
Youth (15)
Goosebumps (PG)
Point Break (12A)
More like this: Reservoir Dogs (1992)
D
ie Hard was already a pretty kickass franchise before Jackson was cast as Bruce Willis’ reluctant partner in the series’ third instalment. No one said John McClane needed to be thrown into a buddy cop movie, but Zeus Carver is a perfect foil, acting as the no-nonsense brains of the duo who is quick to call out everyone on their bullshit (but in all fairness, you’d probably be pissed off too if you had to deal with Jeremy Irons’ mind games all day). Carver is able to hold his own both physically and verbally, giving us more of Jackson’s sweet flair for speeches, and creating one of cinema’s greatest bromances.
Rhian Hunter
The Bad: Jackie Brown (1997)
Most remakes struggle to justify their own existence, but whoever commissioned the remake of Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 cult classic must have been begging for a Pointless Break pun to be made. So, there you have it, I’ve made it. Efforts to move away from the original’s surfcentric cheese are evident, with rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (a low-rent Chris Hemsworth, Luke Bracey) going undercover with a bunch of extreme sport nuts who want to be Robin Hood while completing the fabled Ozaki 8, a series of insanely dangerous stunts that supposedly get you closer to God or nature or some other secret truth of the universe. These (admittedly incredible) include everything that Warner Bros. can possible spend their money on; from BASE-jumping to parachuting into sinkholes to extreme motocross away from avalanches. The scale of the spectacle in this modern take on Point Break often means that the film completely forgets about its own script, and although the globe-trotting antics make the film bigger, it makes progression from point A to B cheap when they work out where the next crime will be committed, etc. Totally undercutting the peril, the stunts would be breathtaking if they had any soul. Alas, the forced spirituality of the adrenaline junkies is as close to a soul as the film gets. Patrick Swayze’s original Bodhi had a wild-eyed craziness about him, but Edgar Ramirez broods through the pretentious, hippy-dippy mumbo-jumbo about respecting nature (particularly hilarious when he destroys a goddamn mountain), which gets boring very quickly. The film deals exclusively in gap-year philosophy, so if that’s for you, then enjoy getting lost in endless slews of yawnworthy spiritualism. Director Ericson Core has a more radical name than anything in the film, and although there’s some hilarity to be found in the increasingly-ludicrous stunts, this resuited and rebooted Point Break is dumb, dumb and full of dumb. More like this: Point Break (1991) Simon Ramshaw
Y
outh provides the world with another Michael Caine-anchored double act of sheer class. He and Harvey Keitel do a lot of the heavy lifting in Paolo Sorrentino’s follow-up to 2014’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty. But unlike Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Youth shows great ambition in attempting a level of cultural irreverence that gently avoids a bitter aftertaste, whilst also providing more sombre meditations on age and humanity. It is a fine exhibition of Euro-indie cinema’s double-edged sword; the excellent performances grow ponderously into the rich landscape and excessive run time. It’s safe to say it’s the longest two-hour film I’ve ever seen. Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) is a retired composer, renowned for his contribution to music. When approached by an emissary of the Queen to perform for the royal family and receive a knighthood, he declines for personal reasons. The film takes place at an extravagant Swiss hotel, filled with colourful guests, many of whom are famous including Ballinger’s close friend, film director Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel). Most of the (looselytermed) plot is driven by the interplay between these two, and their various conversations with actor Jimmy Tree (Paul Dano) and Fred’s daughter, Lena (Rachel Weisz). Youth may have benefitted from a little more time on the editing table. While Sorrentino’s flamboyance and enthusiasm oozes through all the cracks in the flow of the film, Caine and Keitel’s commitment deserves a more measured approach to the thematic elements. The musings on age, the human body and the changing nature of art just don’t tessellate coherently. What it means is there is an overly generous serving of borderline-pretentious dialogue between the unique characters. Sorrentino’s overzealous approach is both his greatest strength and weakness. Yet, while it is refreshing to see a director’s orchestra playing so purely for their conductor, not all the instruments are in tune here.
A
More like this: The Lobster (2015)
More like this: Monster House (2006) Imogen Scott-Chambers
William Leng
s an avid reader of the Goosebumps books and dedicated watcher of the TV series, when the news broke that a Goosebumps film was in the works, I was fearful that it could not live up to the extremely accessible, well-written books which developed my love of horror. My doubts grew after the trailer’s release, as, realising that the film would be an attempt to incorporate most of the books into one film, I was dubious. Moreover, I wasn’t overly enamoured that R.L Stine was to be characterised in the film by Jack Black. As a fairly ‘hit-and-miss’ actor, I was doubtful that Black could fill the enormous boots he was attempting to. Given all this, I was actually completely surprised by just how good the film was. Jack Black is perfectly cast as an eccentric, introverted horror writer with a dark secret. He combines scary and quirky to create a lovable loner that the viewer instantly connects with. The protagonist, Zach (Dylan Minnette), plays the ‘fish out of water’ new kid very well, falling for his neighbor, Hannah (Odeye Rush), upon first glance. Instantly, he is warned away by her father, Black doing his best ‘Robert De Niro from Meet The Parents’ impersonation and the stage is set for a mushy rom-com. However, this is Goosebumps (not Heartbeats) and through various misunderstandings and bad decisions, The Abominable Snowman is unleashed on the town of Madison and the action ensues. The ventriloquist dummy, ‘Slappy’, nearly steals the show away from Black, (lucky for him, Black also voices Slappy!) as the orchestrator of the mayhem. Throughout, the film plays homage to the original books, igniting nostalgia in those raised on the series. For newcomers, hopefully it will inspire them to read the extremely well-crafted horror books. Ultimately, the film has something for everyone: unpredictable twists, romance, fear, comedy and family fun. In years to come, this film will undoubtedly be up there with Hocus Pocus as a family-friendly Halloween favourite.
A
lthough most would consider Pulp Fiction to be the prime example of Jackson’s status as THE badass motherfucker, it’s arguable that the underrated Jackie Brown shows us far more of his acting range whilst still retaining his philosophical sharp-shooter aesthetic. His first time playing a true antagonist, Ordell Robbie is able to switch between emotions faster than he kills his colleagues; warm and inviting one minute, his gun at your head the next. It’s this that makes him a truly terrifying character, standing out alongside Pam Grier as the film’s strongest aspects. No wonder he rates it as his favourite Tarantino collaboration.
The Ugly: The Star Wars Prequels (1999-2005)
H
ow do you take an actor renown for their epic delivery and slick dialogue, and make them about as uninteresting as explaining the science of midichlorians? Simply have George Lucas write the script. Though of course not the only actor in the franchise to suffer from bad direction, Jackson’s take as Mace Windu should be seen as a criminal offence, taking what was a genius casting choice for the series and reducing it to monotone speeches about space politics. And what’s the point in that purple lightsaber if he’s just hopping around on a green screen? Anakin definitely did him a favour by killing him off. Zoë Godden
The Courier
featurefilm.33
Monday 15 February 2016
The Force Opinions When my dad was young, he grew up on Star Wars; and like all good nerdy parents, he passed his adoration onto me. In turn, I grew up on the prequels, the era of spectacular special effects and questionable narrative decisions. So I just couldn’t contain my vicarious joy at seeing kids as young as five holding Star Wars Annuals plastered with Kylo Ren’s mask, making the lightsaber noises as they ran around. There is nothing so endearing as knowing that another generation of kids will grow up with their very own era of this undeniably historic series. The Force Awakens isn’t just a fucking brilliant film – although it very much is that – or even a gorgeous piece of cinema – although, again, it’s that too. It’s a wonderfully heartwarming return to a series that was very dear to the last couple of generations, and will now be very dear to this one too. James McCoull
Rather embarrassingly I only watched the original Star Wars films just before The Force Awakens was released. As many people will tell you I was probably the least enthusiastic person out there in the run-up to release. However, something inside me changed as I gazed in wonder at the opening in the cinema. I found myself gripped by what I was watching, and thoroughly entertained. In the scene where Person A fought Person B I was practically cheering and utterly thrilled. Though it was probably The Empire Strikes Back which made me a fan, it was The Force Awakens which had me looking at toys, action figures and mugs in shops (mainly BB-8 stuff ). Thanks to The Force Awakens the force awakened in me. Emma Allsopp
Haven’t we seen this before? You know, back in 1977? Secret plans on droids, desert planets, an intergalactic super-weapon taken down by one design flaw? Much like Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Force Awakens is another J.J. Abrams’ childhood love letter that relies too heavily on fan nostalgia. The homages are greatly appreciated, but by following A New Hope’s plot so closely, the film limits itself by staying in a comfort zone of Original Trilogy memorabilia; even John Williams score feels like a carbon(ite) copy. Is it worth the hype then? The new leading trio share fantastic chemistry, Kylo Ren is young Anakin written properly, and yes, I cried at that bombshell of a scene. And with so many questions left unanswered, it’s nice to have breathing room after the exposition-laden prequels. So long as Episode VIII refrains from exposing paternal relationships, the series has a chance of remaining light-years ahead of its imitators. Zoë Godden
I was genuinely ill with a bad case of the hypes in the lead-up to The Force Awakens being released. Thankfully, my condition didn’t worsen when I actually saw it, as JJ Abrams’ nerd-magic resurrected Star Wars better than its own creator ever could. A joyous combination of new and old, the cast are pitch-perfect, with the awkward real-life duo of John Boyega and Harrison Ford working surprisingly well together, given the amount of memes created about Boyega’s unrequited bromance with the man behind Han Solo. But it’s Adam Driver’s petulant villain that stands out, achieving a level of complexity that Darth Vader had to develop through the god-awful prequels in a single film. Kylo Ren is a fascinating figure, and a figure that is sure to sell lots of action figures too (that I will be buying when I have sufficient dollar). 22 months to wait for a sequel is too long… Simon Ramshaw
34.tvfeatures
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
TV Editors: Jack Parker, Hannah Bunting & Helen Daly
So long, Steven With the announcement that Steven Moffat is to leave Doctor Who next year, Helen Daly looks at his career on Who
I
t was back in 2008 that Steven Moffat announced that he was taking over from Russell T. Davies, and for me, it was then that my love of Doctor Who changed. It was out with the old of Davies and Tennant and in with the fresh faced enthusiasm of Matt Smith backed by the writing of Steven Moffat. Moffat was no stranger to the show when he joined. Declaring himself a life-long fan and gaining a guest-writer spot on the show when it returned to the BBC in 2005. Penning fan-favourites such as ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’ and ‘Blink’ during Ecclestone and Tennant’s era, the show was sure to be in safe hands. What we got with Moffat was a man who was able to regenerate the show, just as its actors regenerate. From the very beginning of his tenure, Doctor Who became more mature, more darker, and as some might argue, more complicated. But all of these factors combined to create one of the best opening series for a brand new Doctor, culminating in the wonderfully epic ‘The Big Bang’, often labelled as one of the best finales seen of Nu-Who.
“Moffat has a terrific talent in creating memorable characters; none more so than the complex River Song”
Not only did Moffat pen some of the best episodes of recent years, he was also the writer in charge of the 50th Anniversary episode. ‘The Day of the Doctor’ had a lot riding on it, and Moffat managed to pull of an exceptional episode. Shot like a big budget Hollywood film, the episode showcased Moffat’s ability to not only write big showcases, but also demonstrated his talent for genuinely touching moments - if you didn’t shed a tear or several at Tom Baker’s surprise appearance, then do you really Doctor Who? Aside from being able to nail the essence of four different Doctors during his time on Doctor Who, Moffat has a terrific talent in creating memorable characters; none more so than the complex River Song. To put it simply, her timeline runs in the opposite direction to the Doctors; his firsts are her lasts. So what does Moffat decide is the best narrative for River? That’s right, she’s the Doctor’s ‘wife’. Only on Doctor Who could you have such a ‘timeywimey’ relationship that broke every heart string possible. Moffat is a risk-taker. When he took over Davies as head-writer, he changed the Doctor, the tone and even the titles; but it was a risk that payed off, giving Doctor Who real global popularity that it had never had before. From New York screenings to a recent worldwide Doctor Who tour, the show has never been bigger and more ambitious, evidenced again in Capaldi’s most recent series of which ‘Hell Bent’ is the only episode in ‘Whostory’ to only have one actor’s name on the cast list. It’s a testament to Moffat and his confidence to push boundaries; after all, let’s not forget that Doctor Who is a science-fiction show and should be pushing boundaries with every episode. We still have one more series and a special with Moffat. With rumours flying around that the end of Moffat will also coincide with current Doctor, Capaldi’s departure, it’s looking set to be a cracking finale for Moffat. So thank you, Moffat, for giving Doctor Who the worldwide success it deserves. You will be missed, but as the Doctor himself knows, regeneration is necessary.
Read the full article online thecourieronline.co.uk/tv
Back on the net
With the legend that is Alan Partridge returning to our screens in a new series of Mid Morning Matters very soon, Andrew Stark looks back at his top six favourite ever Alan moments from over the years
S
teve Coogan’s alter ego Alan Partridge is one of the most loved and well known British comedy acts, with his cringe worthy and quotable catchphrases making him rememberable and instantly recognisable. With the new season of Alan Partridge’s Mid Morning matters set to come out mid February, let’s have a look at Alan’s funniest moments on television, from getting crushed by a cow to his eccentric taste in Parisian fashion.
“They instantly hit it off because of their shared use of Lynx deodorant, the word ‘Lexii’ and the Daily Mail”
1) In season two, episode two of I’m Alan Patridge, Alan is asked to present the sales conference for ‘Dante’s of Reading’. His pranks on the country club staff earlier on in the episode lead to the police being called, meaning he has to climb the fence for the conference. As he tries to climb the fence however, he ‘pierces his foot on a spiiiiiiike’. The show must go on though and Alan refuses to go to the hospital and tries to do his speech with his wound wrapped up in a makeshift bandage, but vomiting and blood loss lead to it being a complete disaster. 2) Alan makes a new friend in the next episode at the BP garage Michael works at, Dan, who owns ‘Kitchen Planet’. They instantly hit it off because of their shared use of Lynx deodorant, the word ‘Lexii’ and the Daily Mail. Definitely one of the most popular Alan Partridge moments and one that epitomises his embarrassing character is when before presenting ‘The Colman’s Mustard Norfolk Bravery Awards’,
he spots Dan in the car park, leading him to shout ‘DAN, DAN, DAN’ repeatedly in vain. 3) After making some insensitive comments about farming on his radio show and enraging farmers, Alan invites the leader of the local Farmer’s Union on but instead of apologising he makes even more mad and outrageous remarks. This doesn’t go down well with the farmers and hilarity ensues when whilst recording an advertisement for a small-boating holiday company he crushed by a dead cow as revenge leading to him calling out ‘Help! I can feel an udder on my leg’. 4) In episode four of his chat show Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge, a special episode recorded in Paris, Alan shows of his taste in fashion with ‘A Partridge in Paris’. He goes through numerous outfits to help the audience achieve the Parisian look, including Cruiser Arivist with tan leather string back driving gloves, ‘a look that says i’m in control of my vehicle’ and the Man of Sport, a cool customer who’s tossed pink sweater says “‘I’m in Paris and nothing’s going to stop me’”. 5) Alan appears on ‘The Day Today’ as a
presenting a preview of the 1994 World Cup, show-casting his commentary skills. This included many hilarious and inappropriate comments about goals scored which highlighted Alan’s complete lack of understanding of football including ‘TWAT!’, ‘he must have a foot like a traction engine’, ‘The proof is in the pudding and in this case, the pudding is a football’ and ‘the goalie has got football pie all over his shirt’.
“Vomiting and blood loss lead to it being a complete disaster”
reporter at the Marple races where he comments on the crowd and reads out the horses names and their odds including, ‘Trust me I’m a stomach’ and ‘MASSIVE Bereavement’. He also interviews a jockey, shocked at his age and asking why he isn’t in school. The best moment is his observation of two children ‘fooling around’ which he hopes ‘doesn’t escalate into blind ugly violence’. 6) Alan also appeared on The Day Today
The changing face of television
With more and more of us turning to online streaming services to watch our favourite shows, Luke Acton examines whether there is a future for television.
T
he plus side of the advent of on-demand viewing, apart from its enabling of your binge-watching, is the heightened standard that all successful drama is now meant to meet. People expect shows that they can put a long-term viewing investment in and have their cathartic, climactic ending that epitomises all of their dreams and fanfictions. Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Orange Is the New Black are all products of what is being called the ‘Golden Age of Television’. Through the invention of the internet and the streaming sites on it (like Netflix) TV execs and producers are keener than ever to bring up ratings through developing the kind of shows pioneered by HBO with the likes of The Wire and The Sopranos. They want to emulate the popular and critical response that these shows created, as well as the cultural impact that their success made and perpetuates.
“Never have we had so much choice, nor such a direct way to display that choice, as we have with on-demand”
The gatekeepers of the TV industry used to fear any programming that was not accessible to the new viewer at every part of the season, now they crave shows that drive viewer loyalty in their ability to entrap them through compelling and consistently present narrative arcs. The ability for writers create a cohesive, plot-
“Breaking Bad was shown weekly, bringing the audience in slowly...creating an atmosphere of near-mania prior to the final episode’s release”
oriented show without the need to cater to the ignorance of new viewers, which, coupled with the most direct means ever of view choice, shot the TV drama, as a genre, high in the popular and critical perspective. Never have we had so much choice, nor such a direct way to display that choice, as we have with on-demand. But what this is killing is the traditional, ad-funded model of TV production, with companies not knowing how to make up the numbers in their revenue streams. The answer may be sponsored content, or socalled ‘native advertising’. Native advertising is already being used in text-based media as a replace-
ment for the banner ad. You see it on Buzzfeed a lot. Native advertising in its attempt to entertain is usually disgustingly patronising, with users more fluent than ever in their consumption of media, they see the lumps in these not-so-subtle product placements. As usual the solution is in the problem: the ability to predict your audience, what they watch, and obviously what they buy. The sale of the data that you inadvertently supply the company from which acquire your media (but this is for another article). Another thing that on-demand has killed is the communal anticipation of the weekly showing. House of Cards was put up in its entirety on its premiere date. But Breaking Bad was shown weekly, bringing the audience slowly in, attaching them to the characters, creating an atmosphere of near-mania prior to the final episodes release. It’s a moment in our collective pop-culture consciousness that may not have happened, had it gone by the on-demand formula. The instant gratification that this new form of consumption affords shows the increasingly individual means of our viewing. Although with the internet grew the fandoms as well, in both their size and in their ability to communicate a community. When God closes a door, he opens a window. The emergence of these fandoms and the increased expectations in terms of quality, has increased pressure on the industry to capture these audiences and cultivate new fan bases through the development of forward-thinking content. Luke Acton
The Courier
highlightstv.35
Monday 15 February 2016
thecourieronline.co.uk/tv c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk | @courier_tv
Geek Peek
W The Walking Dead Fox UK, Monday, 9pm
T
he Walking Dead promises a deadly return to screens as the three month long hiatus finally comes to an end this week. Back at the start of season six, fans were promised a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode, although to varying degrees of success, with the first half of the season covered just a matter of days in the post-apocalyptic universe. Now, with Alexandria far from the safe haven it once was, Rick Grimes and co. again face a fight to survive against all odds. Yet with the group scattered and separated, both behind and beyond Alexandria’s walls, The Walking Dead is in prime position to return to its very best. A slow start to season 6 was always likely after the dramatic climax the season prior. Yet this lull was forced back with arguably the greatest run of episodes in the show’s history. It was no coincidence this included the largest herd of walkers imaginable and the introduction of the Wolves after months of teasing. It all came crashing down, however, with
‘Glenngate’. So much so, it took the perilous situation in which the group now finds themselves for the show to recover. For as much as Rick yearns for safety, viewers long for the struggles of life beyond the walls. It’s easy to grow restless in The Walking Dead’s universe, with Hershel’s farm, the prison and even Alexandria struggling to stay interesting towards the end of their arcs. Despite being overrun, who knows if this is the end for Alexandria? Whether the remainder of season six takes place on the road or still behind the walls, the days of cosy house parties and cheery cooking remain firmly in the past. With a main cast as extensive as The Walking Dead, it’s hard to keep everyone relevant, especially as the residents of Alexandria begin to flood the screen. Yet while new doctor Denise and comic favourite Heath have their charm, the majority of the locals remain little more than walker dinner. The concern remains solely for Rick’s gang. Nevertheless, Michonne and Abraham have largely taken a back seat so far, while Father Gabriel’s involvement has also been limited, although not necessarily a bad thing. The biggest absentee,
The X-Files
Limitless
B
Love
Streaming now on Netflix
Channel 5, Monday, 9pm
Sky1, Wednesday, 9pm radley Cooper returns to the NZT riddle universe when the follow up to his 2011 film hits the small screen this week. The series is set four years after Cooper starred as Eddie Morra, a struggling writer whose use of NZT allows him to access 100 per cent of his brain. Of course, it is a myth whose path has been well trodden now, but buy into the theory and an exciting sequel awaits. Yet while Cooper does return, it’s merely in a recurring cameo, with Jake McDorman stepping forward as Brian Finch. Finch’s story is a familiar one though, with the aspiring musician struggling for inspiration in his lonely world. When Morra, now a US Senator, offers Finch the chance to become limitless, he doesn’t need much persuading. The power to recall everything ever seen, read or heard exists in just one small pill. Yet with this supreme intelligence and a sense of invincibility, it isn’t long before the dangerous history of NZT comes calling. Caught in the midst of the drug conspiracy, Finch quickly becomes number one suspect as the bodies of NZT related murders begin to pile up. Yet when FBI Agent Rebecca Harris, played by Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter, enlists Finch’s help, Limitless takes the anticipated police procedural twist. A modern day Sherlock Holmes, Finch’s powers are unparalleled. The closer he gets to the truth behind NZT, however, the more dangerous life in New York becomes for Finch. While the side effects of his new batch of NZT appear limited, the motives behind Morra’s return remain as mysterious as the creation of the brain boosting drug itself. Reece Hanson
however, is undoubtedly Daryl Dixon. Granted one episode of note, Daryl rarely featured other than as bait for the herd. Once Rick’s right hand man, Daryl continued to put his life on the line as a recruiter alongside Aaron for Alexandria, a job that kept him away from the happenings in town. Now robbed of his crossbow and seeking revenge, Daryl is in line for a much bigger role this time round. Yet anyone hoping for him to ride in and save the day will likely be disappointed, as his own perilous arc begins. The final minutes of November’s mid-season finale teased the introduction of Negan, with Daryl, Abraham and Sasha in the firing line of his men. Between Negan and the Wolves, there is plenty to be fearful of. As for the bloodthirsty gore-addicts among us, the second half of season six is guaranteed to deliver. From the guts disguising Rick to the tornapart residents, The Walking Dead’s return will be a messy one. Reece Hanson
C
oining the ephemeral phrase from the original hit series X-Files “I want to believe” – I want to believe…that this new miniseries of X-Files will amaze and impress me as much as the original. However, I have my reservations. The original show was massive; running from 1993 to 2002 with over 200 episodes packed full of twists, turns, ghouls, ghosts and not least of all aliens. Many of the original ingredients that made the original series so great are coming together again for our viewing pleasure. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reprising their roles as Fox and Dana. Moreover, the original creator Chris Carter is back on board calling the shots. My main fears centre on the modern tendency to use CGI to create all manner of ghosts and demons to scare viewers. This barely works in horror films, and certainly wouldn’t work with the XFiles. One of the best things about the old series was the believability of the paranormal elements. The viewer barely ever saw the scary creature, and the aliens weren’t green glowing sticky things, they looked real. Also, the music was spine-chilling, if that is being changed for the miniseries, they can kiss success goodbye. The internet is alive with discussion of where this new X-Files is heading, with diehard fans divided on whether to support or stifle the reprisal. For me, if the main characters can reignite their smouldering chemistry and the audience can be taken to the edge of their seat once more – I think the series is destined to please old audiences and inspire a whole new set of believers. Imogen Scott-Chambers
L
ove is more than titillating. The viewer is warned of explicit full-frontal sex and Noe fulfils this promise from the outset; the opening scene confronts you with the characters Murphy (Karl Glusman) and Electra (Aomi Muyock) in a state of graphic foreplay, the camera lingering unashamedly on the writhing bodies until Murphy eventually ejaculates. The story of the couple’s relationship and sexual explorations is told through a series of flashbacks catalysed by Murphy’s discovery that his former girlfriend has been missing for several months. Murphy is unhappily settled with partner Omi (Klara Kristin) and their young son Gaspar, the mundanity vividly contrasting with the memory of his highly charged relationship with Electra. The colour palette is used to beautiful effect; Murphy’s despair is shaded a muted blue whilst all encounters with Electra are projected in a visceral rainbow which portrays the couples dangerous obsessions and hedonistic dispositions. The impossible beauty of the actors is difficult to escape as they romp around in their birthday suits; Glusman is an all-American handsome whilst Muyock is wholly je ne sais qua. There is a staggering amount of sex and as the couples relations degenerate towards the end I do feel that Noe is a little heavy handed with it and endangers what is erotic art with becoming a porno fest. Film-maker Murphy articulates Noe’s own aspirations when he explains his desire to make a film about real in-love sex which seems to me an impossible aim, although Noe comes close to achieving it. His candid rendering of the couple’s sexual journey is achieved through his favouring of a two shot camera angle which captures all their
hen The 100 started, back in 2014, it was a show full of stereotypes and clichés, a fairly typical teen drama, except for the concept of the show. Survivors of a nuclear apocalypse living on a spaceship (named The Ark) decide to send down 100 juvenile delinquents to see if the Earth is habitable once more. Over the course of season 1, there was some improvement as characters developed and the dystopian future revealed a world reset, with the tribal Grounders acting as the primary antagonists. As the dramatic stakes increased in the finale, the show was noticeably better. Season 2 really expanded on the world that the first season had set up – the politics between different factions began to play a much bigger role, and a darker tone was adopted. The least interesting plotlines in show were changed or cut, and major character deaths were not only shocking but dramatically changed the dynamic of the whole show. Furthermore, the world became much more detailed and expansive, with the Grounders’ society in particular being built up with nuanced social customs and political complications. Entering season 3, it’s hard to believe how much the show has changed since its inception. Straightforward stereotypes have become incredibly complex characters while being very believable. Nearly all of them having committed or been involved with some atrocity or another, morality within the show is in a constant grey area. The primary focus of the series so far seems to be a war between the Grounders and the Ice Nation, a clan that plans to overthrow the coalition that already exists. At the core of this is the show’s primary protagonist, Clarke, now known as the infamous ‘commander of death’. Her reputation is central to the outcome of the war, as her allegiance will influence the perceived power of either side. Though the Ice Nation quickly position themselves to be an antagonistic force, Clarke’s loyalties aren’t so clear, after her betrayal by the leader of the Grounders, her on-off friend/enemy/ally/love interest, Lexa. The relationship between Clarke and Lexa is one of the highlights of the show, with both intense chemistry and deep respect running between them. However, as leaders of different factions, the two are quite often forced to make decisions of behalf of their people to the detriment of the other. After the second season’s finale, things between the pair are at an all-time low, with Clarke heading off into the wilderness to avoid civilization.
“At the core of this is Clarke, now known as the infamous ‘commander of death’”
The show also seems to be venturing further into sci-fi territory with the City of Light and shady AI, Ali. Former antagonist turned anti-hero Murphy is disturbed by what he uncovers while former chancellor Jaha falls into a pseudo-religious fervour. At the moment, it’s unclear how this plotline will reintegrate with the rest of the show but something big and ominous seems to be taking place. The rest of the primary characters are tied up in their camp, now named Arkadia. The power structures are interesting to see with the former members of the council, Bellamy and Lincoln leading, while Octavia distances herself and Jasper’s sanity continues to slip. With one of the biggest developments of season 3 thus far being the inclusion of Arkadia into the Grounder coalition, it will be interesting to see how things change and how different characters react to this. Seeming more and more like a Game of Throneslite, the show goes from strength to strength, with a growingly complex (while accessible and understandable) world and cast, and strong points of tension and conflict, it’s 100 times better than it was and definitely worth a watch.
Dominic Corrigan
36.gaming
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Gaming Editors: Michael Hicks, Ollie Burton & James McCoull
Top 5 game What I’m playing: Rayman Legends soundtracks Errol Kerr revisits an old friend in a new armless adventure
Jared Moore opens his ears to the best sounds in videogaming
F
or this top 5, it must be said that there were at least twenty soundtracks and themes alike that could have easily had a place. To name a few that narrowly missed out; Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dragon Age, MGS, Super Meat Boy and Journey. But in the end, I decided on the following 5 each for their own individual characteristics.
5. Super Mario Bros. (Theme) At number five, this first piece is quite possibly the most iconic video game theme in existence. So why then, is it not number one in the list? Well, although it would probably win “feelgood video game theme of the year”, personally I feel like there are soundtracks and themes further up on the list that have more compositional depth... Which has to be the lamest possible reasoning behind that possible there...
4. Tetris (Theme)
A
s a child, I grew up playing two game franchises, both of which are engrained into my childhood memories. One of these, involving a pistol-wielding relic-hunting young woman, has delved fully into the modern concept of “make the thing gritty as hell”. The other game franchise hasn’t seen anything even remotely resembling grit in its 20-year life. We’re talking Rayman: Ubisoft’s famous, limbless, blonde-haired, big-nosed platform-jumper who stole many of my childhood hours. Therefore, when I discovered that the rebooted franchise was to follow up from Rayman: Origins with the similarly-artsy Rayman: Legends back in 2012 on the Xbox 360, I couldn’t help myself from buying it then, and more recently downloading it now (free - gotta love Games with Gold) on my Xbox One. The gameplay style is simple to get the hang of, but incredibly hard to master. The side-scrolling, platforming, enemy-punching element of the original Rayman is back, albeit with a far faster pace. It’s easy enough to get through the stages themselves - and incredibly entertaining to do so, but to collect every single Lum, free every single caged
Teensie, unlock and complete every single character unlock level, timed stage and bonus level? Therein lies the real challenge of this game, should you choose to accept it.
“The gameplay style is simple to get the hang of, but incredibly hard to master”
The really marvellous aspect of this game is in its visual aesthetic - UbiArt’s simple, interactive art style is instantly recognisable and unbelievably entertaining. Whatever kind of game design you’re into, you will appreciate the hand-drawn work that’s gone into this game, even if some sections make you feel like you’re tripping balls – the musical sections and boss-fights are definitely culprits in this regard. Certain design elements call back to previous Rayman games, with the wooded medieval stage harkening back to the very first stage of the original 1995 game, and the final stage (which I won’t spoil – good luck unlocking it!) making reference to Rayman 3’s Land of the Livid Dead. It’s just one huge artsy nostalgia trip, and don’t we all love looking back at the better times of our child-
hood before we got old and had responsibilities? As you’d expect, the soundtrack is as entertaining as the game and artwork - Christophe Héral’s prior work on Beyond Good and Evil and Rayman: Origins already made clear his penchant for entertaining and fun video game soundtracks, and Legends is no exception. Each themed stage of the game has an accompanying soundtrack, with the initial medieval-inspired stage’s entertaining marches and flute, and the underwater spy-themed stages echoing Bond films with slow trombone and surf-rock guitar. And to top it off, the end of stage levels are entirely musical and based on different well-known songs. Who doesn’t want to run down a collapsing castle whilst ‘Black Betty’ by Ram Jam is playing during your escape? Or even better, jump through a flowery Mexican Day of the Dead dreamscape whilst Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’ is played on Spanish guitars and a kazoo? This game is perfect for anyone wishing to escape back into the entertaining and colourful game-worlds that made up our videogame childhood, and if you haven’t explored Ubisoft’s Rayman franchise, despite this being the latest game, it might just be the best place to start for you!
Let’s face it. Tetris as a concept, although addictive and highly colourful, would likely not be as successful if it weren’t for the quirky theme playing throughout the background. Whether you’ve played the game once, a thousand times or never at all, arguably most people would recognise its iconic soundtrack. Not only that, but the theme makes for some great covers as well, seriously, go take a look on YouTube.
3. Hotline Miami (Soundtrack) Not only is Hotline Miami one of the best indie games out in well, forever. Its quick restarts aren’t the only thing that it has going for it. Playing as an easily killable bloke with worlds biggest death wish means you’ll probably spend most of your time in game hitting the respawn button. For that reason, the game needed a soundtrack that wouldn’t become tedious, but that also wasn’t irritating and annoying. Whilst the soundtrack in many ways aligns its self to a retro rave scene, it is both superb and well worth listening to.
2. Uncharted (Soundtrack) With Uncharted 4 being moved back until April 29th, all I can do to pass the time is listen to the games incredible music. Drake’s theme is quite possibly one of my favourite pieces of music ever. It pretty much uses a group of brass instruments to create a piece of music so inspirational that you almost feel guilty for not being on an adventure yourself. What also makes this piece great is that it’s completely exclusive to Playstation, and that in its self is reason enough.
1. Fallout 4 (Soundtrack) Maybe I’m biased because I love Fallout. But, the theme is one of my favourite pieces of music in the history of forever. Whilst the rest of the fallout soundtrack is also incredible. Who needs Bieber, Beyoncé or Bruno Mars? In Fallout, none of these artists existed. Instead, we’re left with a slightly older generation of superstars, ranging from Dion and the Belmonts to The Five Stars. Whether you need a bit of classical or fast pace doo-wop, the soundtrack to Fallout 4 is sure to make you feel like the wanderer you’ve always dreamed of being.
New challenger approaching!
Michael Hicks checks out Super Smash Bros.’ latest additions
A
t last, we can finally get off Sakurai’s wild ride. As of February 4th, the final two pieces of downloadable content for Super Smash Brothers for Wii U and 3DS have been released to much fanfare. Following a widely publicised poll in which the community could decide who they wished to see duke it out with Nintendo’s titans of gaming (a poll which was repeated highjacked by websites such as 4chan Reddit with hilarious results) and one final Nintendo Direct, the two final characters added to this iteration of Smash are Corrin, the protagonist in the upcoming Fire Emblem Fates, and the wicked witch Bayonetta from, well, Bayonetta (with the series itself a recent addition to Nintendo’s lineup with Bayonetta 2, which graced the Wii U with its presence in 2014). Nintendo (a company which has been infamously backwards historically in regards to their online policy) has really hit out of the park with supporting their flagship titles with regular (and pretty substantial) updates. Splatoon has been receiving tons of free updates since its release in May; allowing what was seen as a radical departure for Nintendo as Splatoon was both a new property and a multiplayer-focused shooter to foster and maintain a large and devoted fanbase. Smash has been adding a huge amount of fan favourites to the roster, such as Lucas from Mother 3, Mewtwo from Pokémon, Ryu from Capcom’s Street Fighter and Cloud Strife from Square Enix’s beloved Final Fantasy VII (an especially intriguing and surprising
choice considering Final Fantasy VII’s status as a Playstation exclusive on consoles).
“Splatoon has been receiving tons of free updates since its release in May...” It seems that Nintendo has learned from its previous mistakes and has seemingly embraced the idea of downloadable content with both arms. Nintendo’s policy of free, frequent updates delivered in piecemeal and more substantial paid updates with real effort put into their creation is, in my opinion, putting a lot of other developers to shame. With the increasingly common trends of withholding important parts of the game (be it multiplayer maps or story-vital missions) being locked away as pre-order incentives or behind a paywall, even though the content is there on the disc being eschewed by Nintendo in order to deliver downloadable content which provides real value. The doubled down focus on downloadable content also helps Nintendo in what is possibly one of the most difficult and precarious positions they’ve found themselves in. With the Wii U entering an early retirement after a strained and (initially) lacklustre life, and the 3DS soon to follow, Nintendo seems to be gearing up for the release of their next piece of hardware (currently only known as the NX and steeped in rumours). This natural winding
down was coupled with the very sad and untimely passing of then CEO Satoru Iwata, afterwards followed by a very turbulent period of restructuring and mourning. This focus on downloadable content not only allows them to support their games in a period of transition but also gives them valuable breathing and thinking room; something at the minute they desperately need.
Image; Hina Ichigo on Flickr
The Courier
gaming.37
Monday 15 February 2016
Club Trope-icana: Remasters and Remakes Tom Shrimplin examines the recent trend of updating old titles.
F
or Club Trope-icana this week, following the sense of nostalgia I felt over the story of the iconic first level of Spyro the Dragon being remade using the Unreal 4 engine, I decided to not look at a trope in video games, but the video game industry as a whole, which is the world of remasters and remakes. Similar to other forms of media such as music, remastering has been common throughout the gaming industry’s history. Most of the time this has been the transfer of old arcade and retro games like Space Invaders to game consoles and involved encompassing entire series of games into collections. For example the massive, but admittedly buggy Halo: Master Chief Collection, comprised of the games up to Halo 4 and also remastered Halo 2 and its seven multiplayer maps for the Xbox One (although it shamefully was not remade for the PC).
“There was an explosion in the amount of remakes in 2014, primarily because of the move to the brand new PS4 and Xbox One”
However there was an explosion in the amount of remakes in 2014, primarily because of the move to the brand new PS4 and Xbox One from the current (or rather old) generation consoles. While it can be seen as greediness by companies, it was thankfully not just a repeat of the game on the next console with graphic enhancements. For example, the new-gen versions (and PC version) of Grand Theft Auto V also included the key new feature of a thorough, finely-detailed first person mode alongside significant enhancements such as more traffic and increased draw distance, the latter improvement especially useful when flying around Los Santos. Another successful remaster, The Last Of Us Remastered, included the fantastic story-based DLC Left Behind, a new Photo mode to freely take images within the game while paused and even utilises
T
hese past few weeks I’ve been trawling the Twittersphere for interviews with those who work in the industry and are involved in either the critique of games or the making of them. I was fortunate enough to get a reply from Mark Brown, editor at Pocket Gamer and head honcho behind popular analytical game design series Game Maker’s Toolkit, on YouTube. I thought his aptitude for game design and creative writing was intriguing, and decided to pry further with a few questions. Which games/ features made you want to pick up a pen and start writing about games? I have loved games all my life, and had dreamed of a career where I’d get to write about them. But I think it was the developer commentaries on Valve’s games, like Portal and Half Life, that made me realise that there was a real art to game design: of systems and mechanics, of guiding and teaching players, of level architecture and layout. Those really spurred a desire to learn more. What is your favourite recent example of brilliant game design? I’m enjoying The Witness, a game set on a dazzling island that’s filled with riddles. You routinely come across puzzles that you have absolutely zero idea how to solve, only to come back several hours later and realize that you now know exactly what to do, thanks to everything you’ve picked up in other puzzles. It gives you this awesome sense that you’re becoming more knowledgeable about how the world works.
Image; Playstation.Blog, Flickr
Memory card: Nanosaur 2 - Hatchling Pikachu the Great Mouse Detective
Richard Liddle gives us the skinny on Game Freak’s shocking new puzzle game
P
I
f you were ever to ask me the exact moment I became a gamer, I’d tell you it was at the young, impressionable age of nine, as I stared in sheer adoration at the picture of a gun-toting Velociraptor while the voice of God (presumably some distant relative of James Earl Jones) grimly introduced me to the year 4122; an age when time-traveling dinosaurs rule the galaxy, brains the size of oranges be damned! It’s hard to pin down exactly what game genre Nanosaur 2 belongs to. If I had to describe it with only one word, it would probably be “cool”, but only because autocorrect keeps telling me that “radtacular” does not exist in the English language. You play as The Hatchling, a jetpack-wearing Pteranodon on a mission to retrieve stolen eggs, all while battling both ancient dinosaurs and futuristic machines with the aid of a colorful assortment of weapons. Now, if you were a kid who’d broken his VHS player trying to rewatch “The Land Before Time” like me, this came short only of meeting an actual live dinosaur. But the question is, does it still hold up to this day? The game’s strongest point is definitely the graphics, vital to a game with such an absurdly over-the-top setting; with the exception of a few odd textures here and there (the Hatchling has a bad habit of exploding into a cloud of confetti-like stars whenever the player clumsily crashes him into a tree trunk...), they have kept surprisingly
well over the past decade. The flight system is also exceptional, and it is quite easy to immerse yourself into the situation as you dodge barrages of AA fire while you propel yourself across the sky. Unfortunately, the game also has quite a few flaws too big even for a time-travelling dinosaur to fix. While the combat system is fun and dynamic, the rest of the general gameplay is rarely so; collecting the eggs and taking them back to the extraction area is rarely more than a chore, and God help you finding one back when you end up dropping it by accident. The soundtrack (all seven minutes of it) is great the first few times you play the game, but it can also easily take a turn for the grating the twelfth time you get shot out of the air. Luckily, it makes up for the lacking areas in its Adventure mode by offering surprisingly great splitscreen, a function which has slowly disappeared from most PC games over the years with the rise of the online matches, allowing for incredible one-on-one Pteranodon dogfights and races, along with significantly less incredible egg-collecting competitions. Bottom line, I still strongly recommend giving this game another chance up to this day; despite it’s extremely light size, the singleplayer is challenging enough to keep one entertained for hours and the local multiplayer helps to give it something of a replay value, despite its flaws. Overall, I’d say this is an old fossil you don’t want to miss.
What’s in a game?
An interview with Mark Brown Jordan Oloman talks to the editor of Pocket Gamer and the writer of the Game Maker’s Toolkit
the Dualshock 4 controller’s trackpad to help navigate the inventory menu. That is not even mentioning a significant increase to 60 frames per second that meets the PC standard and the enriched visuals that ensure the game is even more breathtakingly beautiful. You may argue that a great number of these changes and features are minor add-ons so that greedy companies can take more of your money. On the other hand, I believe remasters can be an improvement on what are already fantastic games. Grand Theft Auto V on current generation consoles somehow even more vibrant and beautiful than it was on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, in addition to much smoother gameplay. Remasters and remakes aren’t necessarily a bad aspect of the video game industry as long as it is done properly and is not just a game released with a higher resolution. The game released, depending on its age, should try adding a number of new features as well as further improving on any flaws previously present, or being a remastered collection of the best entries in a video game series. The gaming industry should be careful not just to rely on the feelings of nostalgia to sell their games. Remasters should be done out of love of what has been created in the past and thoughtfully restore it for the present, not for greed from the profits that will be inevitably made via a remake. Now if only the entirety of the original Spyro trilogy was given a remaster using the Unreal 4 Engine; Alas, a gamer can dream.
Nicholas Valori heads back to this prehistoric classic
thecourieronline.co.uk @Courier_Gaming
okémon has spawned numerous spin-off titles in the twenty years since it first took the world by storm, from roguelikes to war games to on-rails photography, but the series’ latest offering, Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo, is by far one of its strangest. Whilst on the surface the prospect of a detective game set in the Pokémon world isn’t that Farfetch’d (sorry), the titular detective is, frankly, bizarre. A deerstalker-wearing Pikachu with an absurdly deep voice, a love of strong coffee and a penchant for chatting up attractive women (yes, really) is the star of the show, solving crimes in a bustling metropolis. Whilst that sounds like the recipe for a gritty reboot of Pokémon, in reality it looks about as lighthearted as ever - far from hunting down murderous Jigglypuffs or shutting down a crime syndicate led by the Squirtle Squad, the first case involves retrieving a girl’s necklace from a mischievous Aipom. There does seem to be a slightly more serious side in the characters’ backstory, however - Pikachu’s old partner, who happens to be the father of his new sidekick Tim, is shown to have disappeared following a car crash, with the two detectives aiming to solve the mystery of where he went. How intriguing, and certainly a digression from what we’re used to. In terms of gameplay, Detective Pikachu is mainly centred around looking for clues at crime scenes, talking to witnesses (both people and Pokémon) and solving puzzles in order to crack cases, in a similar vein to Ace Attorney’s investigation segments. There are also signs that this will be an episodic series, with the subtitle suggesting it’s the first part of a longer tale and a “To Be Continued” message after the credits seemingly confirming this. There’s no word on a Western release yet, but given it’s the franchise’s 20th anniversary this year it seems likely Detective Pikachu will be among the flood of other Pokémon games we’ll be seeing in 2016.
“There are so many beautiful worlds. The one that comes to mind for me, though, is the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout”
The best worlds in gaming can create the most amazing sense of wanderlust. Could you pick out one that manages to induce the feeling, and why you think that is? There are so many beautiful worlds. The one that comes to mind for me, though, is the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout. I love discovering the stories of the people who lived in these places just before the bombs went off. You feel like an archaeologist. Which game are you most looking forward to in 2016? Right now I can’t wait for Firewatch: a game about being a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989. It looks to have a great mix of exploration, character building, and creepiness. And it’s by the lead writers of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, which was an incredible achievement for video game storytelling. Any tips for a bunch of university students who love writing about games? Write, write, write, and read. Delve deep into games and look at them from a fresh perspective. And challenge yourself to try games you haven’t tried before, or to approach a much-loved game in a new way. Also – look into video production. It’s a great skill to have, as games journalism rapidly shifts onto YouTube and Twitch. Finally, I want to thank Mark for giving me his time for an interview. You can catch him on twitter @britishgaming, or type Game Maker’s Toolkit into YouTube.
Upcoming Campo Santo adventure Firewatch
38.gamingfeatures
Monday 15 February 2015
Virtual Reality. Displays with more pixels per inch and frames per second than your eye can possibly process. New and unpredictable ways to interact with games. How far away is the ‘future’ of gaming? Not very far at all.
The Courier
Flickr: Defence Images
The future is now.
Jordan Oloman sets his sights on the hi-tech hardware of 2016’s gaming scene
I
t is completely undeniable that 2016 is going to be a huge year for gaming. Future trends like Virtual Reality, Esports, and Augmented Reality are finally starting to come to mainstream fruition, and hopefully it’s going to be picked up and utilized in bold new ways. I personally don’t think much of the Oculus Rift, mainly due to its price point. I think it’s simply too expensive and will push people away because of the so called ‘death of the demo’. Only a select few have tried VR, and banking almost 600 pounds on headgear is a huge amount of money and risk for something that will probably go through many Iterations. Further to that, even if you buy an Oculus Rift, you’re going to need a gaming computer that can run it, which means a 2015+ graphics card, which will probably set you back another fair sum. The HTC Vive is far more interesting to me,
mainly because Valve is fronting it as a partner, and that could possibly mean some very interesting new games on the horizon. We know for a fact Valve is developing Left 4 Dead 3, and at the very least thinking about a new Half-Life, and whatever they plan to do with it will
railed, it’d be interesting to at least see Valve create something for the next-gen, instead of focusing on sustaining micro-economies in their successful esports games. Beyond that, we’ve got PlayStation VR, which also will be released this year, with a bloody Psy-
most likely be announced in conjunction this year. I’m sure at some point one of the faux-ARG’s that Valve has been throwing at us will turn up something interesting, and although the hype train for me - after 9 aching years - has been totally de-
chonauts game of all things (colour me interested). This might actually come out on top depending on how the Vive plays its cards (i.e., if it releases without a huge new Valve game). PSVR is accessible, you don’t need a gaming computer for it, and will certainly undercut the incredibly expensive Oculus - I can’t wait for that to rear its head. E3
“We are in a full on nostalgic gaming revival, so anything could happen”
2016 is another highlight of the year to look forward to, especially for the late nights and no revision, smack bang in the middle of peak exam season. Nintendo needs a complete turnaround strategy, and I think they’re hoping to do it with whatever they release. I personally, would love another GameCube, a console dedicated to quality games with no infringing gimmicks. Motion control is fun in its own right, but Nintendo shouldn’t squander their main franchise by tacking on gimmicks. I’m talking new Metroid Prime, new Mario Sunshine-esque game, new Smash with Sora from KH3. Other games I’d put bets on are a follow up to Red Dead Redemption, Kojima’s new franchise, that cancelled Star Wars game 1313, Sonic Adventure 3, a Jet Set Radio Future remaster from SEGA, Skate 4, and the cult revival of Crash Bandicoot, or at least The Last of Us 2. We are in a full on nostalgic gaming revival, so anything could happen. New Monkey Island? Please?
Future perfect Editor James McCoull imagines the state of gaming ten years from today...
T
Flickr: Mike Mike
he year is 2026. You strap on your VR headset, fitting the connector electrodes along the studs grafted into your skull. Slotting jacks into the ports embedded in your skin, you flick through the display with deft hand gestures. Maybe something classic today? The Dark Souls VR Remaster is always a treat. No, something more relaxing. The Sims 6, for example? Better not – your partner’s been complaining about the, ahem, vulgar mods you’ve been using with your virtual spouse. The latest Call of Duty? Well, you tend to think yourself better than that, but if it’s only for a quick play… You make a tapping motion, the distinctive logo flaring up to fill your vision. As the menu loads in, the sounds of distant gunfire seem to fill your house and the streets outside – all simulated, of course. You briefly wonder if you’d even know if a real war broke out while you were wearing this thing. You hover your hand – now gloved and clad in digital camo – over the ‘quick match’ button, and after a few seconds close and open your eyes to find yourself stood in a dropship, bulky rifle strapped to your chest and engine throbbing somewhere around you. The usual imminent fear drops into your gut like a rock, and as usual you remind yourself that it’s just a game. The dropship touches down, the hatch swinging open, and‘Your daughter wants to play,’ says a voice as something lifts the headset and the electrodes away from you. Your hands still plugged in, you
can feel the rifle heavy in your hands, but nothing is there. You unplug them, and sulk as you hand the gear over to your beaming child. ‘What do you want to play, sweetheart?’ ‘Minecraft!’ Some things never change; since its release seventeen years ago, Minecraft has been one of them. The new immersive textures are nice, though, even if the force-feedback they added to the mining made it feel more like a chore than ever. You reluctantly slip on the spectator headset and watch in first-person as your daughter destroys a sheep with her bare hands. It’s not long before you get sick of this. Where are those old consoles you had years ago? Where’s that old gaming rig you spent so long building that seemed so advanced at the time? It’s funny; one terabyte could barely store a single game these days, but you used to go crazy for storage like that. Overcome with nostalgia, you head to the garage to a box endearingly labelled ‘OLD GAMING STUFF’. The smell of obsolete tech fills your nostrils: it’s the smell of dust and heatwarped plastic, an Xbox that you vaguely recall red-ringing some time in the past, a Playstation that seems both hilariously massive and weirdly light. You consider plugging them in and indulging yourself, but you know nothing’s ever as good as you remember it. Still, it won’t hurt anyone if you take them all upstairs and speedrun Half Life 2 for the fiftieth time when your daughter’s gone to bed.
The Courier
featuresgaming.39
Monday 15 February 2015
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe
What’s editor Michael Hicks looking forward to in 2016? Virtual Reality and Nintendo’s secret project
L
ast year was a very strange year for video games. After much uncertainty and weariness as to whether the Playstation 4 and Xbox One would be a success or not, 2015 saw the two of them come in to their own, selling millions and seeing the release of the first major exclusive games such as Bloodborne and Halo 5, as well as the bolstering success of big games such as The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4. We also saw one of gaming’s oldest and most influential hallmarks burn all bridges, eschew decades of good will and alienate both fans and their most famous names, leaving the business in about the most tumultuous way imaginable. With all that in mind, 2016 has a lot to live up to. We’re in luck though, as 2016 could potentially be one of the most important years in gaming history. The biggest advancement in gaming since the advent of 3D games during the Playstation and N64 era could potentially take place this year with the release of the much-hyped virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Rift, the HTC
Vive and the Playstation VR. This isn’t the same clunky red-and-black of old a la the ill-fated Virtual Boy however: the tech has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and the first impressions of the new headsets have been overwhelmingly positive. With these VR headsets, gamers can now place themselves within games like never before, and the potential for new, exciting gameplay ideas are near limitless. The clincher for the take-off of
This year looks like it’s going to be huge for Nintendo too. 2015 was a very rocky year for one of gaming’s oldest and most beloved names, with the Wii U and 3DS winding down and the very sad and untimely passing of CEO Satoru Iwata. However, 2016 looks like it’s going to be a much better year. Nintendo has been increasingly (and annoyingly) tight-lipped about their new console (currently tentatively named the NX), but it looks as if
“This biggest advancement in gaming since the advent of 3D games could potentially take place this year...” virtual reality, however, is the sheer expense of it. The official price for an Oculus Rift has been given as $600 and a bundle with a computer especially designed for it has been priced at $1500. That’s one of the cheaper options, as well; the HTC Vive is more powerful and set to be much more expensive as a result.
it’s going to be a major departure from the norm of the company, with rumours and insiders tipping off some sort of home console/handheld hybrid. With the relative failure of the Wii U lingering in the boffins at Nintendo’s minds, I’ll be paying a lot of attention to what the Big N does next.
The rise of the big-budget indie title
Editor Ollie Burton peels away the veil of obscurity on some of the promising hidden talents to look forward to in 2016
G
iven the ridiculous backlog of games I have yet to touch, yet alone complete, I have decided to be quite selective throughout 2016 with my purchases, lest I become forced to live in a fridge box under a bridge, albeit a fridge with a large collection of videogames. As such, I plan to only pick up the more interesting new titles, first amongst them The Last Guardian, after years of hardware difficulties and unfortunate staff departures from the developers Team Ico. The basic premise is you control a young boy who interacts with a giant avian-canine-cat-monstrosity. You interact with said creature to make your way through the game world, scaling cliffs and defeating enemies by luring it with food, for exam-
“My inner fangirl quakes in her weaboots”
ple. I am a huge fan of their previous titles Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus, and if The Last Guardian bears even the faintest of resemblances to those entries, then we’re in for a real treat. While my hopes have been raised impossibly high by the long incubation period and endless release date changes, I have every faith that I will not be disappointed. Secondly, upcoming sci-fi adventure No Man’s
Sky from indie studio Hello games has piqued my interest. Given the ambition of the project I’ve been following its development closely, and the core concept is stunning. Almost everything about the game is generated using pseudorandom number engines, from the locations and types of planets you’ll encounter during interstellar travel, to the minutiae of the flora, fauna and terrain that occupy them. Decades of research into physics, geology and biology all come together to enhance this: a video game, of all things. Even the music is comprised of a vast library of complementary loops that be combined and contrasted to produce a range of ambient tones. And of course to conclude, my inner fangirl quakes in her weeaboots for the release of Atlus’ long-rumoured Persona 5.. The new addition to the Shin Megami Tensei spinoff series looks to promise a darker turn, certainly when compared to the more upbeat themes of P4.. The shadows look to be removed entirely so far, with the return of the ‘demons’ from Shin Megami Tensei. The protagonist, rather than being out with any ‘good-guy’ notion of saving the world, is instead a slick thief. Additionally the series’ use of mask devices will apparently feature overtly in the plot, so there’s something to watch out for. Hopefully I will succeed in my goal to remain fiscally conscious. Rather more likely is that I will be mercilessly pummelled by Humble Bundle week after week, but a man can dream. Dream of a wallet more full of money and less overflowing with broken promises and receipts for video games that I don’t need.
What to look out for in 2016 With Dark Souls 3, Uncharted 4 and DOOM kicking off the first half of the year, here’s what you’ll want to keep an eye on Far Cry Primal (February: PS4, Xbox One) Superhot (February: PC) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (March: Wii U) The Division (March: PC, PS4, Xbox One) Dark Souls 3 (April: PC, PS4, Xbox One) Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (April: PS4) Total War: Warhammer (April: PC)
Image: Persona 5
The VR gear you’ll wish you could get your hands on
DOOM (May: PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Here’s the rundown of the space-age tech that’ll make you weep into your empty bank account Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst (May: PC, PS4, Xbox One) No Man’s Sky (June: PC, PS4)
Image: Sony
Playstation VR Price: Unconfirmed
Sony’s entry to the VR war boasts a lower price tag at the costs of the higher-end specs of the other, um, specs.
Image: Oculus
Oculus Rift Price: $600
The poster-child of the VR era, the Oculus Rift has been in development for years but is finally approaching release.
Image: HTC
HTC Vive Price: $600
This underdog could pose a legitimate threat to the bigger-name competitors with its high performance.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (August: PC, PS4, Xbox One) Other release dates TBC
40.feature
Monday 15 February 2016
the STUDENT
PERSPECTIVE
The Courier
Insights from the In December several Newcastle students travelled to Paris for the COP21 climate conference. Jack Marley went with them and wrote about his experiences
T
he first suggestion of France’s tragic recent past came on the ride in. Far off the motorway were the outer walls of Charles de Gaulle airport, and on the afternoon of 11 December they were lit up in sombre rainwracked tones of red, white and blue. As it plunged deeper into the rolling grey of the Northern French winter, the coach windows caught the tricolour’s reflection and for a while, all of us on board were bathed in the memory of a month earlier. The attacks of Friday 13 November had prompted the declaration of a state of emergency, which lingered on everywhere in an inescapable feeling of unease. The far-right Front National had made significant gains in local elections, no doubt benefiting from an anxious public that had weathered a year that began and ended in terror. In the midst of this, the capital was playing host to world leaders who arrived in their thousands in late November for the 21st Conference of the Parties. COP21 was billed everywhere in the media as the world’s last, best chance of actually doing something about climate change, but at the time of my journey into France the outlook was bleak. Talks had begun to falter with vanishingly little time left for leaders to arrive at anything meaningful. Specific values and dates for emission cuts were jettisoned for bland, non-committal “statements of intent”. Debate was spiralling past agreed deadlines and into the early hours. Every day the draft text got a little shorter, and every day less of the problem was addressed. Seeing all of this from afar was described simply by one source within Fossil Free
Newcastle as “frustration and disappointment”. But the kind of direct action pressure groups had advocated before the attacks was no longer viable in their aftermath. From French police, stretched taut with angst, the message was clear: stay away from Paris. Knowing they risked arrest, three Newcastle students travelled to the French capital at the end of last term to join the thousands demanding an ambitious climate treaty. With only a sleeping bag, some clothes and my notepad, I set off after them. After a 16-hour coach journey from Newcastle I got off the metro at a place called DenfertRochereau and met up with Fossil Free Newcastle’s Rob Noyes, Cléophie Alexander and Hannah Jack. Cléophie (Fi for short) had family in Paris we could stay with, and her knowledge of the city helped us keep track of everything. In spite of the state of emergency, Friday night in Paris is still something to behold. For frequent visitor Fi, the underlying tensions remained but did little to dampen the appeal of a spirited French evening in the city. “I didn’t feel as much of a change in atmosphere other than amongst my family members when we were in their house. But I could feel that they were worried,” she said. On our way to a rendezvous with other demonstrators we passed a restaurant welcoming COP21 pilgrims with live music and hot food. A sign offered “bowl du jour” for only a few Euros, but a voice called us over to a doorway down the street. We followed it into an empty art gallery where
“COP21 was billed everywhere in the media as the world’s last, best chance of actually doing something about climate change”
the walls were bare but two-dozen people sat to hear the plan for tomorrow’s demonstration from spokespeople for People and Planet. Tomorrow, Saturday 12 December, would be the date of the D12 demonstration on the ChampsÉlysées. The “motif ” of the whole day was the idea that “red lines are not for crossing”. And that’s why we were all advised to wear red, and questions flitted back and forth to determine who would roll out the big, red banners, and who would be ready with the red inflatables… As I listened it sank in that we would effectively be the red line that policy makers at COP21 crossed at their peril. The more People and Planet thrashed out the logistics of the day, the clearer the image of a living, thriving, twisting and writhing red line became in my head; funnelling down the narrow streets of Paris- a metaphor that leapt from the shreddings of draft texts to haunt negotiators on their own doorstep. Us: the human embodiment of their banal, bookkeeping approach to carving out the future of our shared planetary home. But what were the red lines we embodied? It’s possible that everyone there had their own impression of what the red line should be, but the official line was 2°C. That’s the generally agreed limit to which the planet can warm without inviting “dangerous climate change”. Implicit within this estimation however, is the unspoken fact of acceptable loss and collateral damage. From the floor of the repurposed exhibition room, it occurred to me that we’re already at the precipice of 1°C. If we
make our stand at two degrees, what kind of world will we be fighting for? Indeed, what will be left to fight for? At any rate, the reality of Paris’ heightened security brought me back to the gallery. Clearly People and Planet weren’t ruling out confrontation with the law, and so after a lengthy discussion of how to react in the event of tear gas being used, we were each given a small sachet of what looked like mayonnaise. On closer inspection it was “Maalox”, a reassuringly lemon-flavoured fluid you mixed with water to treat the temporary blindness from exposure to the gas. A moment ago we’d been deliberating theatrics, now we faced down the prospect of violence. Organisers were mired in talks with the police but nobody knew how tomorrow would play out. For those intimidated by the police presence at D12, there was an alternative however. Early Saturday morning there would be another demonstration, held by representatives of the Indigenous Environment Network, protesting the annexing of indigenous rights from the working draft of the Paris Accord. The Fossil Free Newcastle delegation were interested. “Indigenous people have been moved aside in other protests”, Rob explained. “It’s part of a longterm white washing of the environmental movement.” With the opportunity to see another perspective on the climate talks other than our own, we decided to follow it up.
“If we make our stand at two degrees, what kind of world will be fight for? Indeed, what will be left to fight for?”
The Courier
Monday 15 February 2016
feature.41
Paris climate conference We set off just before dawn down cold and rainswept streets. Our route crossed paths with military patrols and upon reaching Notre Dame we were greeted by armed soldiers standing watch over the square opposite. We warmed our hands, stamped our feet and waited while people accumulated like snow. Early flurries in the dark brought students and veteran activists to the square, eyes darting from one to the other for a sign of intuition for what came next. Everyone remained wary of the police cordon in the distance, but before long members of the Indigenous Environment Network arrived, dressed in the traditional garb of their respective homes. We were urged to form a circle, while a native North American woman stepped forward: “Let us join together today… to honour the Earth, the waves and our ancestors. Let us pray that we can help our leaders understand that you cannot buy and sell the air. That the water herself has life, and is life and she is not for sale.” I scanned the crowd and there was that word again, only here it had grown another letter. “REDD”, the acronym which was struck out on the banners and badges of people from the IEN stood for “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”. At the time it seemed odd to hear so much anger directed at what I had always thought of as part of the solution to climate change. But the research I did after I left Paris made me realise that protecting the forests and wilderness that indigenous people rely upon isn’t always the primary aim of climate negotiations. When it comes to emissions from deforestation, big business may still clear ancient forest, plant saplings elsewhere and call the whole thing carbon neutral. “Pray for those in their square worlds”, she continued, looking around at the prayer circle, evoking images of the COP21 delegates somewhere in the city. In square buildings, at square desks. “History runs in a circle… Even stars, they twinkle in a circle.” The police kept their vigil, but religious observances in the shadow of Notre Dame were not to be disrupted by the recent trouble. “That’s why we told them we’re Catholic” joked one indigenous woman from South America. A tentative sun was peering through last night’s rain clouds by now; the prayer was nearly over. “We pray for the leaders of this world, over in those meetings. These are the final moments. We pray for them to include indigenous people in their treaties in a strong way. We pray that more and more are awakened to the Earth.” The bells of Notre Dame bellowed “amen”. 9 tolls; 9am. Just then the circle was broken by police rushing forward. Gesturing toward artwork on the ground and the leaders of the prayer circle, “pack up and go” was the wordless translation. A call for everyone to hold hands and stick together went up and my vacant left hand was grabbed by a stranger. My right followed and we all moved in unison from the scene toward the Seine, hugging the banks of the river and stumbling onwards, connected in a single lumbering line. It was going on midmorning by the time we reached a bridge for the big photo opportunity. We helped unfurl a banner over the side and then we were each given a red ribbon to tie onto any spare patch of railing we could find. While we worked a Canadian First Nation woman sang a song about a wolverine and a hunter. The hunter, having been cut adrift from his ancestral home became dependent on alcohol. Unable to feed his family, he wept, and the wolverine took pity on him. An Aboriginal woman from Australia followed it by raising a traditional chant used in defiance against British colonists. In English it meant, “I shall fight for ever and ever and ever.” “Just as we survived 500 years of imperialism, so shall we survive carbon colonialism,” she con-
cluded. We finished up and took a step back- one half of the bridge now stood as a red, threadbare panorama. Light poured through, it was patchy and almost lost on the breeze but nevertheless, we’d made a red line. Dallas Goldtooth, an organiser of the IEN from North America spoke up. “You’re gonna hear a lot of talk today about red lines”, he said, surveying the crowd. “You’re gonna hear- ‘we can’t cross this red line’… Well, we’ve come to acknowledge that we are the red line. Our salmon, our buffalo, our caribou… our way of life is the red line.” Passers-by swapped puzzled looks and the low rumble of a tour boat passed beneath us. The sights and sounds of a Parisian weekend prevailed but those of us gathered to listen stood in rapt silence. Dallas shrugged. “It’s not numbers, it’s us.” Standing on the Champs-Élysées, we reasoned that negotiations with law enforcement must have gone well. Aside from a brief rummage in our bags, police let us into the main demonstration area without obstruction. Surveying the crowds around us at D12 confirmed it. The atmosphere was charged. Crowds huddled beneath red linen lines, stretching all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. When the moment arrived, there was a silence and then a distant sound from the back- a cheer that rolled like a Mexican wave all the way to the front. Holding onto edges of the red material, we marched in our lines and shouted, cheered, played music and generally made as much noise as possible. I got a chance away from the hysteria to talk to another student who’d made the (admittedly, much smaller) trip to D12: Alice, a politics undergrad at the University of Paris. “Now that my holidays have started, I have come to take part in the actions. I think it is important to promote ideas… It is one thing to learn about ecology, but when you are thinking about it alone it changes nothing. If you want to experience politics then you have to get out and make your voice heard.” Behind me, red inflatable cubes were released and I turned long enough to see them bouncing down the procession, twisting and falling and then being batted upwards once again. They moved with the line, over the heads of the smiling faces below. The news lit up Rob’s phone as soon as we emerged from the metro. Aside from the words “ambitious” and “historic” I don’t remember much from the announcement that a deal had finally been struck. We sat and watched the red line slide down Trocadeo and towards the Eiffel Tower. I’d later find out from a BBC report that I was witnessing an en masse celebration of the deal. Maybe I was, it’s difficult to say with any certainty since even I was glad at the time to hear that at least something had been decided. In theory, the red line was even further from destruction than we’d dared hope. One and a half degrees, although the deal wouldn’t guarantee that. It just gave us something to work towards. I wondered dimly what else was simply recommended. T.S. Eliot once wrote, “between the idea and the reality… falls the shadow”. My thoughts kept coming back to it in the weeks that followed, and that morning on the bridge. What had we expected to see? Like everyone else at D12, the idea of a popular uprising on behalf of all the world’s people. But the reality… “We used to say, when the tide is out, your table is set.” A woman from the Lummi Nation of North America had said, while around her the low sun cast long shadows. “But now our fishers struggle. Today our mothers worry about how they will feed their children.”
“Let us pray that we can help our leaders understand that you cannot buy and sell the air”
“Aside from a brief rummage in our bags, police let us into the main demonstration area without obstruction”
Images: Jack Marley
42.science&technology
Monday 15 February 2015
The Courier
Science Editors: Louise Bingham, Iqra Choudhry, & Anna Jastrzembska
Countdown to catastrophe
Alex O’Brien investigates the validity of the Doomsday Clock and humanities potentially impending demise
T
he ‘Doomsday Clock’ is a symbolic clock face that represents how close humanity is to its own extinction. The idea is that the closer the clock ticks to midnight, the closer the human race is to a complete global disaster. The clock was updated on January 26th by the ‘Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’. Although there is no way of predicting (with absolute certainty) when this catastrophic event will occur, or indeed what it will entail, the Bulletin team, comprising of 16 Nobel Laureates, has as good a chance as anyone at successful prediction. The clock has now been updated and this years’ time has remained the same as last year; 3 minutes to midnight. In a statement released by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, they described the main factors that have led to the unchanged clock face. In their statement they expressed concerns over the tensions between the United States and Russia that “remain at levels reminiscent of the Cold War”. They also considered the danger posed by climate change, and (of course) ever increasing global nuclear concerns.
“They expressed concerns over the tensions between the United States and Russia that ‘remain at levels reminiscent of the Cold War”
The last time that the clock reached 3 minutes to midnight was in 1984. As in the statement released this year, the first point made in the 1984 statement referred to the U.S -Soviet relations, proclaiming that their relationship had reached their ‘iciest point in decades’ and voicing concerns on the on-
set of a possible new arms race with the creation of space-based anti-ballistic missiles. But how much has the clock’s hand fluctuated over time since its creation in 1947? Well the closest the doomsday clock has ever been to midnight was in 1953, worryingly only 1 minute closer to midnight than the point we are at now. The hand of the clock was poised at 2 minutes to midnight. The reasoning for the prediction of humans being so close to self-destruction was of course, yet again, mainly influenced by the United States of America. The USA began to pursue the hydrogen bomb and tested a thermonuclear device, completely obliterating a small island off the Pacific Ocean. This in turn sparked the Soviets to test their own Hydrogen bomb not long after. The farthest hypothetical point from the apocalypse was experienced in 1991 when the clock was reset to a refreshing 17 minutes to midnight. The reason for the human race being further from extinction than the previous years was thanks to the singing of the ‘Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty’ by the Soviet Union and the United States. The Cold War had ended and the signing of this treaty meant massive cuts and budget reductions in the pre-existing arsenals that both countries possessed. As one of the Bulletin’s main concerns was the nuclear weaponry held by these countries, the sudden cuts in this area subsequently caused the clock’s hand to move further away from midnight, and the extinction of the human race postponed just a little while longer. Within the Bulletin’s statement this year, there were further intense warnings. Firstly that “the probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon” followed the devastat-
ingly simple assertion that “wise leaders should act immediately.” But is it all just a scare tactic? After all, the Bulletin of Nuclear scientists did aid in the creation of some of the first atomic weapons. Are they warning us because they feel responsible for the possible effects nuclear weapons can have? Or is this clock just some kind of annual egotistical plug about the end of the world to keep us looking up at them in awe?
lion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the rate of sea level rise. The board also takes account the efforts to reduce dangers, and how strictly negotiated agreements are followed. But don’t panic just yet. I can’t guarantee it, but I’m pretty sure we can continue to plan our lives beyond the next three minutes.
“The farthest hypothetical point from the apocalypse was experienced in 1991 when the clock was reset to a refreshing 17 minutes to midnight”
The science may not have exactly been sound initially, as when the clock was created, it was set at 7 minutes to as the artist for the Bulletin (Martyl Langsdorf) thought “it looked good to my eye.” But they have come a long way since then. No longer does an individual have control over the time. Since 1973, it is debated and decided twice a year by the Bulletin’s board of science and security. They utilise information such as the number and types of nuclear weapons in the world, the parts per mil-
Finally, progress for paraplegic patients Spinal impairments have been widely considered untreatable, however Sunil Nambiar discusses a back breakthrough
P
araplegia, the impairment of the motor or sensory function of the lower body due a problem with the spinal cord, has been recognized as a medical issue since ancient Egyptian times in the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus medical text. This was accompanied with a warning that it was “an ailment not to be treated”. As recently as 2003, the orthopaedic surgeon John Russell Silver declared that the “spinal cord cannot be repaired”. Until 2012, paraplegia remained firmly in the league of the incurable; it had been discussed extensively, with a range of measures to improve the process of living with the condition, but remained, from most angles, a death knell for a physically active life. Last month, the New Yorker published the article “One Small Step”, regarding 41-year-old Darek Fidyka, a Polish contractor and volunteer fireman, who became paralysed from the waist-down following a stabbing that almost completely severed his spinal cord.
“Until 2012, paraplegia remained firmly in the league of the incurable”
Much like paraplegic patients worldwide, Fidyka was told that walking again would not be possible. His treatment focused on alleviating the medical problems that accompanied his paralysis, such as lung infections, inflammation in leg veins and pressure sores, and a physical therapy regime that yielded no significant results. In six months, Fidyka had exhausted his medical benefits. Hope was slipping. Fate intervened when his cousin came across an article on the ongoing work of Dr. Geoff Raisman, Chair of Neural Regeneration at the University College London Institute of Neurology, and Dr. Pawel Tabakow, a consultant neurosurgeon at the Wroclaw Medical University in Poland, and suggested Fidyka ask to become a patient.
Doctors Raisman and Tabakow were in the early stages of developing a means of spinal repair involving the injection of specialist cells from the nasal lining, called olfactory ensheathing cells, which allow the nerve cells that provide us our sense of smell to recover when damaged, into the injured spinal cord. Likening the spinal cord to a roadway and its nerve fibres to a car, Dr Raisman somewhat lyrically relates a damaged spinal cord to a road interrupted by ploughed fields and mountains. The introduction of regenerative olfactory nerve cells into the vertebra may re-link the damaged spinal cord and re-establish the communication of nerve fibres.
“Dr Raisman somewhat lyrically relates a damaged spinal cord to a road interrupted by ploughed fields and mountains”
When Fidyka first met Dr. Tabakow, this approach had yet to be tested beyond rats, and it would have been years before the procedure was approved for human application. In a stroke of perverse luck, however, the declining usability of Fidyka’s olfactory ensheathing cells as a result of a prior sinusitis operation lent a degree of urgency that prompted an unprecedented approval from the Wroclaw University Hospital’s ethics board. Following eight months of a 40-hour weekly physical therapy regime and electrical stimulation of the vertebra to rule out the possibility of a spontaneous recovery, Fidyka underwent the first leg of the procedure. This involved the removal of his olfactory bulb by opening his skull, before slicing the extracting tissue to isolate his olfactory ensheathing cells.
To obtain a sufficient number of ensheathing cells (totalling a grand half a million) for the second leg of procedure, the cells were given two weeks to subdivide. Fidyka’s spine was then opened up. Over a hundred microinjections were made, situating the ensheathing cells around his wound and onto a band of nerve tissue that was extracted from his lower leg before being inserted into the spinal column. The operation was a success. Today, Fidyka is the first person in history to recover from an almost complete severing of the spinal cord. A measure of normalcy has returned to his life; Fidyka is able to stand on his feet, drive a car, pedal a stationery bike and walk continuously for an hour and a half. As research continues, the bleakness that underscores severe spinal injuries seems to be, finally, waning.
The Courier
Monday 15 February 2015
technology&science.43 thecourieronline.co.uk/science c2.science@ncl.ac.uk | @courier_science
One giant leap for geneticists Is it okay to play God? Ellis Charlesworth examines new regulations for embryo research
R
esearch proposed by Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute in London, in which human embryos are to be genetically modified, has received approval from the HFEA, the UK fertility regulator. However, implanting of embryos is still illegal, and the embryos used are to be destroyed after 7 days.
“the paper from this group was rejected by the journals Science and Nature” A group in China, lead by Juinjiu Huang at Sun Yat-sen University, carried out genetic modification of ‘non-viable’ human embryos last year, which cannot result in a live birth. They attempted to modify the gene responsible for β-thalassemia, a disorder in which haemoglobin is mutated and anaemia develops. The group found a number of serious obstacles, including low levels of splicing and uptake of the DNA insert. The paper from this group was rejected by the journals Science and Nature on ethical grounds according to Huang. However, Dr Niakan’s proposal is the first instance of gene editing in human embryos being approved by a regulatory system. Gene editing is a technique in which the DNA is altered using engineered nucleases – proteins which ‘cut’ DNA at specific sites. The ends at the site of the break are then joined to a DNA insert
to produce a specific, targeted mutation. Genetic modification of embryos has long been a controversial topic within the scientific community. Some argue in favour of the technique, due to the potential removal of potentially crippling genetic diseases before birth. However, changes made through modification can be inherited further down the blood line, prompting others to advise the technique not be used, as effects on future generations cannot be predicted. Ethical factors would also need to be considered – to what sort of level should we make changes? There is potential for a ‘slippery slope’, where we move from using the technique as a method to treat disease to other unsafe or unethical uses, such as controversial ‘designer babies’. The recent development of a new gene editing technique called CRISPR resulted in an international summit last December, in which the potential uses and ethics of gene editing in human embryos were discussed. This is because CRISPR is much cheaper and more easily carried out than previous techniques. “The overriding question is when, if ever, we will want to use gene editing to change human inheritance,” said summit chair David Baltimore. Over the course of the summit, a range of positions on human germline gene editing were presented. The summit declared it would be “irresponsible to proceed with any clinical use of germline editing” until we better understand the risks involved, though did not move to ban such editing. Dr Niakan’s research is intended to find out which genes are required
Zika: the facts
during development to produce a healthy baby, and will investigate processes occurring in the first seven days following fertilization. During this period, we develop from a single cell to a group of 200 to 300 cells known as a blastocyst. At the blastocyst stage, cell differentiation has begun to take place, with cells becoming organised for specific roles.
“the summit declared it would be “irresponsible to proceed with any clinical use of germline editing” until we better understand the risks involved” “Miscarriages and infertility are extremely common, but they’re not very well understood” says Dr Niakan. Of fertilised eggs, less than 50% reach the early blastocyst stage, around 25% implant into the womb and only 13% develop beyond 3 months. There are areas of DNA which are highly active during development, many of which are unique to humans and so cannot be studied using animal models. The roles of these genes are not currently understood. Developing our understanding of how these genes may direct development could improve our understanding of why infertility occurs and improve fertility treatments such as IVF.
Word of the Week: MUTANT
Amanda Yap explores the latest global health emergency
S
o, what are the important facts about the Zika Virus? For those of you who remain unaware, the Zika Virus has been making headlines during recent weeks, and when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a global health emergency, it caused panic around the world. The Zika Virus originated in the Zika Forest in Uganda. Right now, the Zika disease has left its mark mostly in the Americas and in Africa, in countries like Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico, and the Pacific Islands.
Furthermore, the disease is suspected to be linked to a condition called Microencephaly, after babies were born in Brazil with head and brain abnormalities, such as a smaller head size and underdeveloped brains. In the most severe cases, the brain is too underdeveloped and unable to provide vital support for the growth development of the baby, which can cause mental disabilities or even be fatal. Zika Virus is transferred through the female Aedes mosquito, which requires blood to produce eggs, and infects those it feeds off. Latest groundwork by The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has confirmed that this infection can be transmitted from an infected individual to a healthy person through sexual contact. It is highly possible that the Zika Virus will spread to Asia, considering that most parts of Asia are located near the Equator and mosquitos, especially the Aedes mosquitos, thrived in tropical areas.
“Zika Virus is transferred through the female Aedes mosquito, which requires blood to produce eggs, and infects those it feeds As for now, Zika Virus has not been proven to cause any deaths. However, it can be a debilitating condition. The virus is identified through symptoms like joint pains, mild fever, muscle pain and eye redness. To counter this outbreak, the WHO has been working with countries to minimise the impact. To date, there has been no specific vaccine or cure to completely eliminate the virus. The recommended action to take is constant hydration, plenty of rest and over-the-counter medication such as anti-inflammatories to break the fever. There are also no preventative drugs as of yet. For people travelling to the affected areas, it always pays to be cautious. Measures like wearing long-sleeves and long pants or applying mosquito repellent (such as one would when travelling to a country with malarial outbreaks) goes a long way.
First things first, we can probably ignore the word ‘mutant’ in relation to the homo superior race. When scientists say ‘mutant’ they can be referring to a whole variety of things – an animal, plant, microbe, virus, gene, or human, which is different from the normal, or ‘wild type’. An example of a mutant is the blue American Lobster. Normally, these lobsters are a red-brown colour, but 1 in 2 million have a mutation in their DNA which makes a protein called crustacyanin, making them blue. In the same species, 1 in 100 million are albino. These lobsters have a mutation which stops them from producing any colour pigment. Albinos have red eyes because the lack of pigment in their iris, meaning only the blood vessels in the retina are seen. Unfortunately not all mutations cause a change in colour, and can often cause disease in humans. For example, cystic fibrosis is caused by a mutation in the CFTR gene. Gene therapy treatments are being developed, in an attempt to correct the mutant DNA. Sarah Main
Make it rain Errol Kerr looks into the UAE’s ‘seedy’ weather manipulation The United Arab Emirates stands to be one of the hardest hit by water shortages caused by global warming. With an expanding urban population, the need for a constant supply of water is essential. They’re attempting to continue with their excessive and unsustainable use of the resource by literally makin’ it rain. Last year, research from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology found that ground water reserves, providing over half of the country’s freshwater, are depleting, through the extraction of 860 billion litres a year, causing an annual drop of half a centimetre. With the country being one of the world’s largest consumers of water, reported at 82% higher than the global average by their Federal Electricity and Water Authority - locating a solution is imperative. The predicted increases in global temperatures could mean that inhabiting the country will become difficult without intervention, regardless of the supply and demand of its oil resources. To encourage rainfall, the UAE has been working towards weather modification technology since the 1990s and have made progress in implementing a possible solution. The concept of cloudseeding has existed for more than half a century, but the method being used was only initially performed in 2010. Using aircraft equipped with particulate-loaded flares, pilots are firing potassium chloride and sodium chloride into clouds. This gathers together moisture within the clouds, creating water droplets that grow in size until gravity takes its inevitable course. Naturally, this can’t magic clouds out of thin air, only encourage more rainfall from already existing clouds.
“The predicted increases in global temperatures could mean that inhabiting the country will become difficult without intervention” Meteorologists indicate that successful operations increase projected rainfall by 15%, with the largest increase being 35% more than anticipated. Understandably, the entire idea has drawn a lot of scepticism. Due to this method being quite novel, replication of results is currently quite difficult, and it could be argued that you could never be sure whether rainfall has increased - how could you know how much rainfall would have fallen? Rather, this method alters with global rainfall patterns, by altering where rain falls rather than the amount produced. Personally, I believe this negative behaviour toward a new method is ridiculous. It seems clear to me that the only answer to “how can you be sure though?” would be to have a crack and see what happens. While you can’t guarantee where the rain will fall, there appears to be a correlation between the beginning of cloud-seeding over the UAE and rainstorm events occurring across the country, including over Abu Dhabi. Cloud-seeding is also more cost-effective than their current method - decontaminating and desalinating water from the Persian Gulf, or their other considered plans, including full-scale water trading, and importing an iceberg. I would like to say the latter was a joke, but unfortunately it was a genuine consideration. I mean, ripping off a massive chunk of iceberg from polar regions and placing it a desert in order to address a sustainability issue, arguable caused and exacerbated by climate change, is quite possibly the most ridiculous “solution” anyone has ever considered. As a concept, increasing rainfall would work wonders for a country severely requiring water, although it is worth noting that the volume of water on earth if finite and this method only succeeds in increasing precipitation. If this method truly is cost-effective, then maybe it is worth further investigation in order to aide severely drought-ridden areas of the planet, a cause which should take priority over its current primarily use of increasing water availability for industrial purposes. A potentially life-saving concept being reserved for a country central to global fuel production? Unbelievable…
The Courier
puzzles.45
Monday 15 February 2016
Puzzles ?? ?
Puzzles Editor: Jack Parker Deputy Puzzles Editor: Mark Sleigtholm
Can you guess where the hell we’ve taken this photo, and why?
1
2
3
4
5
6 7
8 9 10
11
12
13
14
15 16 17
18 Image: TubularWorld, wikimedia commons
19
20
21
“My name’s Jack Parker, I’m 21 and I just want to party”
23
22
Across
1 The only swearword autocorrect thinks you need (7) 6 BBC3’s new home (6) 7 David Cameron’s current home (7) 9 Fuss, Shakespeare had much of it (3) 10 90s European dance song (8) 12 A.k.a. Cassius Clay (3) 15 BBC talent show now on ITV (5) 16 Small Hampshire football club who got to the third round of the FA Cup (9) 17 When soap characters grow up too quickly (and when online fans feel the need to describe this phenomenon (5) 19 Energy, pizzazz, punch (5) 20 Towering _____, classic disaster movie (7) 22 Contemporary fashion (5) 23 Me this Valentine’s Day (6)
Down
1 Shape with a dozen sides (12) 2 Johanna ____, the latest star of British Tennis (5) 3 Joining together; representative body (5) 4 Virus ravaging the Americas (4) 5 For those too old for Costa or Starbucks (4) 8 Ricky ____, British comedian (7) 10 Brightest time of the year, the time of a night’s dream (9) 11 Optimistic PM, the only person to hold all four Great Offices of State (9) 13 Somone who does not speak the truth (4) 14 Where she sells seashells (8) 15 Defeated Betamax to become the dominant recording format (3) 18 Connects and divides continents (5) 21 Represents students, allegedly (3)
Ice
Connectword
Dancing
Find the word that connects these three words.
Drag
_____
Completing the entirety of this puzzles page will entitle you to the respect of (some of) your peers. Feel free to bring the proof of your achievement into the Courier office, where you’ll receive a firm handshake.
The Courier
sportfeatures.47
Monday 15 February 2016
Stan Calvert 2016: “We’re going in as underdogs but we’re going to relish that challenge” By Calum Wilson Sports Editor With Stan Calvert 2016 just a few weeks away, representatives from both Newcastle University and Northumbria University gathered for the annual precompetition press conference. The majority of fixtures are to be played from Monday 29th February, leading up to the finale on Sunday 6th March. This year, Men’s Football has the honour of being chosen to host the final match of the tournament. The respective captains of both the Men’s Football teams joined Newcastle’s AU Officer Angus Taylor, Team Northumbria’s Student Sport President Brogan O’Connor, as well as representatives from both Ladies’ Hockey teams, Kate Sutton and Emily Watkinson. Stan Calvert, now in it’s 22nd year, was traditionally an evenly fought affair until 2008, when a period of domination by Newcastle occurred with 6 wins in a row. 2014 saw the cup return into Northumbrian hands and last year the poly retained the title for the first time in their history with a convincing 77.548.5 win. Asked if his side were capable of overturning such a huge margin, AU Officer Angus Taylor responded confidently. “Absolutely. We wouldn’t be entering if we didn’t think we could win. We’re going into it to win and I think we will win.” He continued, “obviously last year, fair play to Northumbria they absolutely thrashed us but… it’s a lot tighter this year.” Kate Sutton, the Newcastle Ladies Hockey Vice President, echoed that notion. “The whole idea of an event like this is that it can bring out such performances from individuals and teams that you wouldn’t expect normally. It doesn’t necessarily go as you think it would on paper.” Since last years humiliating result at
Newcastle will be hoping to regain the Stan Calvert cup Image: Jake Jeffries-Jackson Stan Calvert, Newcastle’s sports teams have shown evidence of much improvement, reflecting in the BUCS table. Last year saw Newcastle finish 11th overall, whereas they now sit 9th, one place behind Northumbria. Northumbria’s Student Sport President, Brogan O’Connor, believes that Newcastle are likely to pose more of a threat to their title this time around. “From our side, we’re very aware that the BUCS table this time last year were a different story, you were outside of the top 10 and that’s why realistically it wasn’t that much of a spectacle. “By no means are we complacent, we’re very clear on how close it is and that’s what we want really”, explains
O’Connor. “I’m looking forward to an event that could go either way right up until the final few hours.” This year sees a record number of fixtures taking place on what has become known as ‘Super Sunday’, the last day of the competition. There have been concerns raised that the fixture congestion might have an impact on attendance levels at certain games. Taylor argues, “It might affect some of the events going on that aren’t the finale because obviously a lot of people who will go and watch are the people who are playing themselves.” The move comes after last year’s Netball finale was hampered by a lack of Newcastle supporters, due to the fact
that the result of the overall competition had been decided hours early. “It’s no accident that all of those fixtures are on the Sunday”, says O’Connor, “we’ve obviously placed it there because of the problems we saw last year.” She continues, “the great thing about Stan Calvert is that it’s competitive and both Unis love it because it could go either way and each team are fighting for it, so we’re doing all we can to bring that competitive nature back into it.” The football finale takes place at Gateshead Stadium, kicking off at 7.45pm on the final Sunday of the cup. Newcastle’s Football captain, Tom Espin, described his excitement at the prospect of leading his team out for the final. “To do it in Gateshead, in a decent venue, is superb. I’m just thrilled to be a part of it.” Last year, the clash between the two 1st teams was arguably the game of the tournament, ending in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Espin thinks his side can match their opponents again this year. “We’re going in as underdogs but we’re going to relish that challenge. Last year was really competitive, we had really good support, hopefully we can replicate that with it being at a great venue.” Meanwhile, his opposite number, Ross McKeown, believes the game is
ing his frustrations at the exclusion of more sports. “We were a bit disappointed about things such as Cross Country, Archery and Women’s Cricket being dropped. We want as many people to be involved in Stan Calvert as possible.” Taylor added, “obviously I don’t know the ins and outs of all of it but I think it’s a bit unfair on both our athletes who can’t compete in it and the Northumbrian ones who aren’t being allowed to compete in Stan Calvert.” O’Connor was quick to leap on the defensive, “just to crush that rumour of Northumbria takes sports out because they’re cheating, that’s the complete opposite of what we do.” O’Connor argues, “If we actually put it on paper and looked at all the sports that we’re missing out and you’re missing out it’s actually quite even.” When asked about the importance each individual fixture plays in the overall competition, O’Connor said: “Each point matters and one University could win it by 2 points. Everyone knows that the team who wants it and prepare the most and are ready on the day will win it. That’s the beauty of it.” Northumbria arguably go into this year’s Stan Calvert as the favourites to win after last year’s annihilation and their favourable BUCS position. How-
Northumbria’s for the taking. “If we apply ourselves then I think we’ll be fine. I was quite surprised actually about how intense it was and how much of a rivalry it was and I think the venue and the occasion can only help.” Taylor spoke of his hope at seeing plenty of fans inside Gateshead Stadium, “you’d hope that we’d get quite a big crowd and it’ll be a fantastic event to showcase the varsity competition.” Taylor added, “I think it should be a really good spectacle. The last two years have produced fantastic football matches at Stan Calvert.” Last year’s press conference was dominated by talk of the dropping of certain sports from the competition. The debate continues this year, with Taylor express-
ever, O’Connor is hesitant at being branded with the favourite tag, “I don’t think there is a favourite this year and that’s what makes it exciting. Meanwhile Taylor and Newcastle are fully embracing their new underdog status, but believe that it can in fact spur the University on to win back the Stan Calvert crown. “The joy of winning when it’s not quite expected will far exceed the joy of winning when you are favourites.” Five Stan Calvert fixtures have already been played, including American Football, Outdoor Cricket and Women’s Rugby. Of these, Newcastle won three and Northumbria two, leaving the score 6-4 in Newcastle’s favour.
“The joy of winning when it’s not expected will far exceed the joy of winning when you are favourites”
Northumbria and Newcastle are 8th and 9th in the BUCS tableW Image: Jake Jeffries-Jackson
48.sportfeatures
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Touchdown or turnoff? Hey sports fans: Do you like playing ball? Did you watch Coldplay, or did you call it a day? Did you Beyon-SAY BruNO (Mars) to the Super Bowl? The Courier goes bowls-deep into the analytical end-zone to find out if you should watch it a whole year from now Where art thou left shark? They say you will never see a broke bookie. Now I know why. The Super Bowl was yet another opportunity for a bunch of British students to blow their load on a sport that they don’t know nearly know enough about. “Panthers to win” they said. “It’s nailed on” they said. How wrong they were. The Denver Broncos delivered a defensive masterclass that stunned the favourites, allowing the Broncos to win their first Super Bowl since the 90s. For the neutral it was by no means a spectacular encounter. Even Tony Pulis would’ve been bored. Nevertheless the Broncos should be proud of their tactical display, learning the painful lessons from their loss in 2014 to Seattle Seahawks. Anyone who thought that Broncos would be pushed over again so easily were far too naïve. Those who backed Panthers wouldn’t have been heartened by the fact that the biggest deficit ever overturned in a Super Bowl is 10 points (on two occasions). Therefore having found themselves 10 points down after the first quarter, Panthers fans would’ve been hoping for a record-equalling effort. It was not to be. Once again in a Super Bowl, the star man didn’t deliver. 2015 MVP Cam Newton was meant to be the star of the show, however both Jackson and Anderson’s touchdowns came from Newton errors. Maybe it was karma striking back for the time he stole a laptop and threw it out of a window. Or maybe he just can’t handle the pressure. We can only speculate. In contrast Peyton Manning, who had such a nightmare back in Super Bowl
XLVIII, had a decent game, his combination play with wide receiver Sanders contrasted to the fortune of Newton. More so than at any other point this season the Panthers missed star receiver Kelvin Benjamin, as Newton often struggled to pick out an outlet in their offensive plays. In the 2014 season Benjamin caught eight throws of over 20 yards, with no other Panthers player recording more than two. Admittedly Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn Jr. have been impressive this season in the wide receiver’s absence, but Olsen can’t match Benjamin’s pace and Ginn avoids tackles like Donald Trump avoids El Chapo. Aside from the actual match, there were a fair amount of other things you could have bet on. For those that don’t know, these included things like the length of the National Anthem, the type of tie Jeff Reinebold was wearing and the colour of the liquid that would be poured on the winning coach. However I think my favourite has to be ‘Will “Left Shark” Make an appearance on stage during the Super Bowl Halftime Show?’ Left shark didn’t appear. That would require a level of humour that the NFL aren’t capable of. But I do wonder how many people were tempted to put their life savings on YES at a tasty 15/1. Needless to say if you don’t know anything about NFL don’t bet on it. Even if you do you’re probably going to lose money. So if you are going to bet on something, bet on Left Shark. I’d happily lose plenty of money routing for that guy. James Sproston
Oh dear, what a ruckus: If you like to see men going at it, tune in next year. Image: YouTube
The bookies took bets on last year’s infamous ‘Left Shark’ showing face Image: Huntley Paton at Flikr
The Panthers have emptied my pockets I’ve blown more of my student loan this year than I’d like to admit betting against the Carolina Panthers. So for Super Bowl Sunday I finally let it go – I became a diehard Panther fan. For the last couple of years, both college football and the NFL have taken over my Saturday and Sunday nights. But the Super Bowl is on another level. No event in the British sporting calendar involves anywhere near the sort of hype and expectation involved in the week leading up to the early February event. Over here, there is no one-off game that manages to attract so much international attention. The only relatively comparable match is the Champions league final, and it becomes an afterthought for the public when an English side isn’t appearing. The NFL’s premier showcase offers something different for British fans. We typically don’t have a horse in the race. Yet, each year there’s a massive response to the big game, so much so that the BBC aired it live for the last few years.
But Super Bowl 50 appeared to draw much criticism and has been billed as a letdown by many, including some of the writers here at The Courier. We probably shouldn’t comment on the standard of this year’s half time show, because, well… Coldplay. I, however, am of a different opinion to many. So here are a couple of things I took from the big game: Firstly, the game may not have been the high scoring shootout we all crave in a Super Bowl, but we got to see two true superstars battle it out. NFL MVP ‘SuperCam’ Newton has pioneered the unrelenting scoring celebration craze that is the ‘dab’, which we didn’t get to witness in the midst of the quarterback being obliterated by the Denver Broncos’ defense. On the other side of the field, we watched what was probably the last ride of ‘The Sheriff ’ Peyton Manning, one of the all time greats of the sport. Even with his shameless promotions of Budweiser and Papa John’s Pizza after the game, the No 1 pick in the 1998 NFL draft got
the fairytale ending few ever achieve at the top level of their respective sports. Secondly, we got to see one of the most improbable results in recent memory. With many backing the Panthers to win by a landslide, including myself. Denver made up for their monumental collapse in the game against Seattle 2 years ago. The Panther’s offense was the most prolific in the league all year, and no one predicted it would be slowed down at any point. Which is why I decided to go all in on Carolina. Much to my dismay, the first quarter ended, and it seemed like the script was already written. Some hope emerged when they made it 10-7 in the second, but from there on in, things went downhill. So thanks Carolina, thanks for a season of defying the odds, all the way until the end, in victory and defeat. The Panthers “keep pounding” at my Betfair account. Gabe Pennington
Coldplay can’t beat my nice warm bed Ok, so I’ll admit that I’ve never actually watched a full Super Bowl match. I tried once, but I got bored and went to bed. And this year was no different – I was quite happy to let Super Bowl 50 pass me by, unwatched and unloved. Maybe if I stuck with it I’d enjoy it. And I wouldn’t be alone – a growing number of British fans stay up to watch the Super Bowl every year, and Wembley has hosted several NFL games since 2007. But I just don’t get it. I mean, I literally don’t get it – American Football confuses me, but I don’t understand the hype around it either. In America it’s big news, it has been for 50 years and no doubt will be for another 50. But NFL fans have been watching these teams for the entire season, and know all the characters and the ups and downs and all the significance that a Super Bowl win would hold. I find it hard to get excited about a final when I don’t have a clue how either team got
there. This may sound soppy, but for me sport isn’t just a few hours of playing, its a journey, and nobody (except for the odd trainspotter) turns up at the station just to watch somebody else’s train pull in. To be fair, in America Super Bowl Sunday is as much about the parties as the match itself. Maybe if I had people to watch it with I’d be more inclined to give it a go, but sadly I’m lacking in the friends department. Watching two teams I don’t give a shit about playing a game I don’t really understand, on my own in the middle of the night... not for me, sorry. I guess the point of Super Bowl isn’t so much the sport as all the other stuff that goes on – in America this is the biggest television event of the year, and Super Bowl 50 was the most watched programme of all time in America (our most watched programme is the 1966 World Cup final – even Eastenders can’t beat sport in the ratings bat-
tle). And I missed it all – I woke up Monday morning to hear about Beyoncé and the Broncos and Budweiser. In fact, the fact that it goes on for so long makes me want to watch it even less. To do it properly I’d have to commit maybe five or six hours, and watch Coldplay. That’s quite a big ask. Maybe I’m just being narrow-minded and miserable. I should probably at least watch a full match before just assuming that I wouldn’t like it. After all, one of the things I love most about the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games is getting to watch sports I know nothing about, but then at least there I can cheer on my country, so I’ve got some kind of emotional investment. Should I have watched Super Bowl 50? We’ll never know, but I should probably give it a go before I knock it. Oh well, it’s only a year till the next one Mark Sleightholm
These chaps are all happy: perhaps because its all over till next year. Images: YouTube
The Courier
sportfeatures.49
Monday 15 February 2016
Powerlifting the weight of the world Hollie Johnson is a British benchpress champion, yet the Newcastle student has her sights set on world domination. Sports Editor Calum Wilson caught up with the young star after she recently won silver at the Commonwealth Championship There are plenty of gym-buffs out there that love to lift weights and show off their growing muscles, but few can actually boast being a champion lifter. For Newcastle student Hollie Johnson, lifting weights is no longer just a past time, it’s a sport. The young bench press star has already conquered regional and national competitions and recently competed in her first international event, at the Powerlifting Commonwealth Championships in Canada. Johnson returned with a silver medal in the bench press class. Johnson only began training for powerlifting 18 months ago and has only been competing for a year. “I started competing in February last year”, she explains. “I had a background in circus skills and parkour and that sort of thing so I had a bit of a strength base to begin with.” “It felt really slow at first and as I learned about how to train and about how to work on my own weaknesses
tions and out-muscled all that England had to offer, in her class. Competing at the All-England bench press competition, Johnson managed to finish first and earned a spot on the plane to the Commonwealths in Canada. Having drummed up enough support to fund the trip to North America, Johnson jetted off to take part in her first international event. Summing up how she got on, Johnson explains, “In my three lifts I didn’t place and there was lots of really good competition there, but bench press is my stronger lift and I got silver.” As well as bossing the bench press, Johnson also lapped up all that Canada had to offer, finding time to do some sightseeing. “We had a bit of an explore, we were in Vancouver so we spent quite a lot of time in the city there, having a look around.” Unfortunately for Johnson, the Canadian climate wasn’t always in her favour. “We wanted to get up into the
there with an open mind. It’s the first un-equipped world championships in benchpress so I’ve no idea what people are going to turn up with.” The British bench press champ is eager to test her talents against the world’s very best in her class. “I’ve improved my benchpress a lot recently so I’m hoping it will carry on improving. I’m just excited to see what I can do really.” Ahead of the World Championships in May, Johnson’s confidence will surely be boosted having recently achieved the personal milestone of bench-pressing 70kg. “It’s has been a target of mine for like ever. I’d been stuck on 65kg for as long as I can remember so it was a real achievement and it felt easy on the day so I’m very happy to have got that done.” Having made the transition from average gym-goer to successful powerlifter, Johnson encourages others to follow suit. “With powerlifting, just go for it. It’s easy to get started because you can go down to any gym you can and start
“Ahead of the World Championships in May, Johnson’s confidence will surely be boosted having recently achieved the personal milestone of bench-pressing 70kg” then my level increased quite a lot faster.” Despite seemingly taking to the sport with ease, Johnson describes how there is a lot of hard work involved, “at the moment I’m training six days a week.” Powerlifting, distinctly different from Olympic weightlifting, combines three disciplines: squat, bench press and deadlift. Johnson competes in all three lift categories as well as in bench pressonly event, which she admits is definitely her strongest lift. “I compete in all 3 lifts and benchpress. In competition the rules are a lot stricter than how you might train for those lifts in the gym, but apart from that I think why it’s quite appealing to me, is because you can just train those lifts in the gym and then go to competition and see how you fare.” Having impressed at a regional level, Johnson moved on to national competi-
mountains but the one day I had when we could’ve done that it was absolutely throwing it down with rain.” However, the Newcastle student relished the opportunity to mix it with some of the best powerlifters in the world. “It was amazing, we were staying in the official hotel, we had all different countries there, all the different teams were staying in the same hotel, it was really good fun.” Having had a taste of international success, Johnson now has her sights firmly set on the World Bench Press Championships in South Africa in May. Johnson is already in training for Championships, “It’s going ok, I’ve got 15 or 16 weeks left until that so I’ve been programming my training leading up to that.” Despite her success at the Commonwealths, Johnson remains humble about her chances in South Africa. “I’m going
training your movements.” “The local and regional competitions where I started are the most friendly things, I went to the first one on my own, I didn’t have anyone with me and everyone there looked after me and it was just brilliant and no one cares what level you’re at. I’d say if you’re interested in it then go for it.” Johnson is a member of the Newcastle Weightlifting Club, which combines the disciplines of weightlifting and powerlifting. The club, which accepts members with no prior experience of lifting, competed in the Northern Open in November, doing Olympic lifts. Johnson was keen to express her gratitude to the Newcastle University Sports Centre, who have agreed to help fund her trip to South Africa in May.
The England Powerlifting team at the Commonwealths in Canada Image: Hollie Johnson
Pure focus: Johnson prepares for a squat at the Commonwealths Image: Grant Hendry-Horne
Silver selfie: Johnson proudly shows off her bench press medal Image: Hollie Johnson
50.sportbucs Gus’ Club of the Week
Monday 15 February 2016
The Courier
Oxbow Lakers prove Bomb proof Intramural Football 7s Oxbow Lakers
5
Rodallega Bombs
4
By James Sproston at Longbenton
By Alex Hendley Sports Editor The first Club of the Week, chosen by Newcastle University’s Athletic Union Officer Angus Taylor, is the Golf Club. With both the first and second teams winning their games against Leeds Beckett and Sunderland respectively, it was a perfect week for everyone at the club. The wins are in keeping with the Golf club’s excellent season up to this point, with the first team only losing once all season, winning the other seven, while the second team have won three of their five fixtures. The seconds will be looking to make it three in a row with a victory over winless York St John next week, as the firsts take on Leeds Beckett’s second team as they look to push all the way to the title. The Courier spoke to President Dan White about their fantastic week, and he gave this report. The seconds were away to Sunderland’s 1sts at Wearside Golf Club on Wednesday. The conditions were perfect over in Sunderland. The seconds’ only loses in the league so far have been to a strong Northumbria side, so they hoped to continue this form in a hunt for second place in the league. A strong team fought for a 4.5 – 1.5 win. Victories came from Callum Cree (won 3&1), Finlay Hutchison (won 1 up), Ed Rushworth (won 6&5) and Tom Wright (won 4&3). The firsts were at home (Newcastle United Golf Club) to Leeds Beckett 1sts, a team that had won all of their games so far this season and were top of the league. We were confident going into the match having only lost one match all season ourselves, away to Leeds Beckett in foggy conditions. We had our strongest team we can put together out to push for a victory. This was Callum Cochrane, Ben Church, Melvin Chew, Dan White, Ross McDade and Derek Falls. The match was extremely close, we went up early with wins from Callum (5&4), Derek (5&4) and Ben (1 up). Knowing we only needed a half from the remaining 3 matches to win made everyone a bit nervous. Two of the remaining 3 games went to Leeds so it came to the last group on the course. Dan holed a 3 foot putt to win the 18th hole, half his match and win the overall game. The win puts them joint top with Leeds and extends the win streak to 6 in a row. The boys are hunting for promotion this year as well as being in the quarter finals of the cup, so fingers crossed for our remaining games. The Club competes most Wednesdays until Easter and train by playing a few holes at our home course, Newcastle United Golf Club. To get involved in the golf team the email can be found on the Newcastle University website. This year because we have such a high standard of players we’re looking for players with a handicap of around 10 and below. Follow us on Instagram @ ncl.golf and twitter @nclgolf for all the golfing updates!
The Lakers came into the match vying for the top spot with Jesmond Tutu, whereas the Bombs are at the foot of the table. These contrasting fortunes were predicted after the first meeting between the two teams back in October, when the Geographers won 8-1. Although Rodallega Bombs had the first shot of the match, the first ten minutes indicated that the match may well be a repeat of their first encounter. With only two minutes on the clock, an interception from Jonny Marsden found Hannes Read. Neat interplay from the midfielder gave winger Freddie Fitton the space and time to terrorise the opposition left-back, who was an easy target having tragically turned up in trackies and a beanie. The inevitable opening goal came from a pinpoint Ben Eastwood pass picking out Max Monteith on the righthand-side. The forward shimmied the ball onto his left before rifling a shot into the top right-hand corner of the goal, rattling the crossbar on its way in. Shots from Monteith, Luke Jeffery and Nandan Joshi all troubled the Bombs defence but couldn’t quite find the target. Meanwhile at the back, Marsden and Lakers captain Joe Watkins had the ponytail brothers, Mike Fry and James Andrews, in their back pockets. Lakers substitute Ollie Talbot thought the team should be “at least three up” by half-time, and came on to replace Jeffery to help the team push for more goals. Shortly after, a peach of a cross by Joshi couldn’t be converted by Monteith, but a fumble by Jackson allowed the striker nip in before being brought down, however the referee waved away the calls for a penalty from the Geographers’ bench. As half-time approached, there was a serious injury worry for the Oxbow Lakers as their creative star Joshi went down with an ankle injury. Harry Boniface then came on, apparently replacing both Joshi and Eastwood. As a result the Lakers were down to ten men for no reason other than complete incompetence. During this time, a beauty of a cross
Eastwood helped the Lakers down the Bombs
Image: James Sproston from Sam Blackburn was met by James Andrews, nestling a header in the corner past Rob Wicks in the Geographers’ goal. The constant pressure was too much for the Bombs defence however, as a high ball was nodded home by Read as the opposition defence stood around like statues. The relief was evident throughout the Oxbow Lakers team, and was a sucker punch for the Rodallega Bombs to concede just before halftime. Max Lafferty and James Clayton came on for the Lakers in the second half, with the former being immediately involved as he nearly latched onto Monteith’s left-footed delivery. Nevertheless, the team recycled the ball and a beautiful outside of the foot pass by Jeffery was collected by Monteith on the right, who stroked the ball into the far corner. Swiftly after the restart, the Geographers attempted to press home their advantage, as shots from Eastwood and Jeffery were unlucky not to have extended the team’s lead. However Bombs counter-attacked with Leicester-esque
pace and a ball over the top to Andrews was converted into the bottom-left corner. Linesman Watkins had flagged for offside but the referee controversially overturned the decision. Stand-in captain Richard Smith set up Monteith who laid the ball onto Lafferty, but a terrific tackle by Julian Ashby sent the ball back out to the Lakers’ midfield. The ball was then played out to Monteith, who in turn sent the ball onto substitute Harry Francis via Lafferty. Francis’ first touch with his head took the ball away from the defence and then with his second caressed the ball underneath the on-rushing keeper. Yet in true Lakers fashion, the defence stepped off Mike Fry, allowing the striker to curl into the top corner, reminiscent of Dani Osvaldo in that one good game he had for Southampton against Manchester City. Rodallega Bombs then looked to draw level for the second time in the match as the ball was lofted over Clayton, allowing Jay Kirkham to run in on goal but fire just wide. In the following attack, Fitton’s ball
was touched on by Monteith for Lafferty to coolly slot home for the Lakers’ fifth of the match. Looking to finally kill the game off, the ball was laid on to Boniface just outside the box. The boy from Bloxwich then stopped the ball dead before striking for the left-hand post. Unluckily for Boniface, the keeper just got a touch to it and fumbled the ball clear. As the game drew to a close, the Bombs were rewarded as a goalmouth scramble led to a late consolation by centre-half Sam Lyons. In a hectic game, the scoreline probably flattered Rodallega Bombs, but they must be given credit for their commitment to the long ball. Tony Pulis would be proud. In truth the Oxbow Lakers were much the better side, but perhaps struggled to create enough clear cut chances after Nandan Joshi went off injured. In his post-match team talk, Lakers captain Joe Wilkins emphasised how vulnerable the team are when they’ve just scored, and ideally would like to make the defence more watertight before their next match. Wednesday 10th February results
Overall BUCS Position: 9th
American Football 1 v Lancaster 1
W/O
Badminton M1 v Bangor 1sts 4-4 M2 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds 7-1 W1 v UCLAN 1sts W/O Basketball M1 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts 79-42 M2 v Leeds Beckett 3rds 60-68 M3 v Bradford 2nds 62-53 Fencing M1 v Durham 1sts M2 v Durham 2nds W1 v St Andrews 1sts W2 v York 1sts
87-131 124-110 128-109 W/O
Football M1 v Leeds 1sts M2 v York 2nds W1 v York 1sts W2 v York 2nds
2-4 2-1 0-1 2-1
Golf 1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts 2 v Sunderland 1sts
3.5-2.5 4.5-1.5
Hockey M1 v Durham 2nds M2 v Sheffield 2nds M3 v Leeds 3rds M4 v Leeds 5ths W1 v Durham 2nds W2 v Sheffield 2nds W3 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds W4 v York 2nds
1-3 3-2 0-4 5-2 2-2 5-1 1-1 0-3
Lacrosse M1 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts W2 v Leeds Beckett 1sts
12-21 10-18
Table Tennis M1 v Lancaster 1sts W2 v W3
12-5 3-2
Netball 2 v Durham 1sts 3v4
32-65 31-26
Tennis M1 v M2 W2 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts
12-0 2-10
Rugby Union M1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts M2 v Hull 1sts M3 v Northumbria 2nds M4 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds M5 v Teesside 1sts W1 v Edinburgh 1sts W2 v Durham 2nds
15-24 5-35 10-22 8-42 47-5 7-24 0-98
Ultimate 1 v Northumbria 1sts
15-2
Rugby League 2 v Northumbria 2nds
14-52
Squash M2 v Northumbria 2nds
2-3
Volleyball M1 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds 2-3 W1 v Durham 1sts 0-3 Waterpolo M2 v York 2nds
6-4
The Courier
sportbucs.51
Monday 15 February 2016
Newcastle Karting team make a speeding start By Rob Langford The British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC) 2016 kicked off across the 3rd and 4th February at Buckmore Park, Kent, with Newcastle’s teams hoping to rectify a disappointing qualifying round in November. In the Main Championship, Newcastle A started the season in the best possible way, winning Round 1 in the Intermediate Class, before drama in Round 2. In the Rookie Championship, Newcastle B also started the season strongly, despite the team having limited BUKC experience. In the BUKC Main Championship, each team has 4 drivers, taking part in a 25 minute sprint race (Round 1), and a 30 minute endurance race (Round 2) at one event as part of an 8 round championship. All grid positions are randomly generated to give an average starting position equal for all teams. The BUKC Rookie Championship has 1 round per event, with each round involving qualifying and a 30-minute sprint race per driver (again 4 drivers per team). Each individual race consists of 36 drivers. Back in November at the BUKC 2016 qualifying event, absentees depleted the A and B teams, as 4 of the best 8 drivers were unable to race. Incidents such as
broken exhausts and wheels falling off left Newcastle B missing out on Main Championship qualification, and Newcastle A scraping through with the final qualification place. Despite qualification difficulties, Newcastle A went in to Round 1 quietly confident of a positive result. At an abnormally dry Buckmore Park, confidence grew as Round 1 got underway. Christos Oikomonu finished 10th in his first ever BUKC race, and captain Rob Langthorp eclipsed his previous best BUKC result by finishing 6th in his race. James DeHavillande then confirmed his status as one of the best racers in the BUKC by coming from 26th on the grid
“In the Main Championship, Newcastle A started the season in the best possible way, winning Round 1”
to finish 2nd, 0.1 seconds behind the race winner. With only the best 3 out of 4 races in Round 1 to count, Charles Theseria had a pressure free race, but unfortunately was unable to improve on the team’s best finishes.
Podium toppers: Newcastle raced to 1st place Image: Rob Langford Despite a set of strong finishes, Newcastle A were unsure how their results would stack up in Round 1’s standings. To their surprise, they had won the Intermediate Class, and finished 5th
“As the kart’s noise doubled, the team realised their exhaust had broken. Oikomonu crashed in the pit lane”
Need for Speed: Rob Langford helped fill the trophy cabinet Image: BUKC
overall (beating 22 of 26 Premier Class teams). With a previous best finish of 11th overall in Round 8 of BUKC 2015, Newcastle started the season in the best way they could have imagined, coming away with a winners trophy. While Round 1 got the season off to a great start, Round 2 took a turn in the opposite direction for Newcastle A. Langthorp and Theseria finished 22nd after slow pit stops cost them at least 5 positions. DeHavillande and Oikomonu were leading their race early on, but then… BANG! Blue shell! As the kart’s noise doubled, the team realised
their exhaust had broken. To make matters worse, Oikomonu crashed in the pit lane attempting to make up for lost time after changing kart, losing even more time. DeHavillande and Oikomonu finished 28th. Round 2 certainly brought the team back down to earth, finishing 42nd overall. Despite a poor Round 2, Newcastle A returned to the Northeast with 7th place in the Intermediate Class, and 28th overall, while also winning the largest trophy to currently be on show in the NUSU trophy cabinet! Newcastle’s B team were also in action at Buckmore Park in the Rookie Championship. Andrew Navidi and Chris Iddon both had strong races on their BUKC debuts, finishing 14th and 11th respectively. Scott Kirkman was running as high as 11th until a red flag ruined his race, and ultimately finished 18th. The star of Newcastle B was Reece Matthews, finishing 3rd in his race after accounting for excluded drivers. Matthews will be moving up to Newcastle A for the next rounds at Llandow on 17th of February.
Toon sink Scots for first time in five years Women’s Waterpolo Edinburgh 1sts
8
Newcastle 1sts
9
By Lucy Brogden at St Leonards An incomplete Newcastle side headed north to face the undefeated, top of the Premier Northern League Edinburgh once more. It was their final match of the season before the upcoming BUCS Premier Cup tournament, which will be held over the Easter break. It was a slow start for the toon who, after narrowly losing the swim off, conceded the first goal of the match within the opening minute. Newcastle’s response proved unfruitful as their shot from the arc skimmed the crossbar. This initial inability to retaliate seemed somewhat reminiscent of their previous encounter against Edinburgh back in
October when they lost 13-7. Vicious defence in the pit meant that it was hard for Newcastle to feed the ball into the centre forward Beth Laidlaw. Edinburgh took full advantage of this with a long-range pass straight into Newcastle’s defensive half to their free player but the keeper, Jess Newman kept Newcastle out of trouble with a brilliant save as she was left on her own to face Edinburgh’s shooter. The consequent corner allowed Newcastle time to get back and cover, with another save from Newman giving them possession. Charlotte Blyth used this to swim the ball up, and pass to Sarah Poyntz but the keeper saved her shot. Undeterred, Newcastle continued to attack hard, with the first goal coming as the result of a quick one-two during a man-up between Blyth and Sophie Sowerby, with Sowerby putting Newcastle’s first point on the board. A substitution by coach Andy Little put Megan Lord in for the first time, swapping her with Laidlaw.
Unsettled by Newcastle’s goal, Edinburgh fought back, scoring first with a flick that caught Newman off guard, and again from a man-up, to make it 3-1. A goal from Newcastle’s Nikki Powley, and a lucky backhand shot from Edinburgh meant it was 4-2 at the end of the first quarter. Another swim-off loss from Newcastle meant that Edinburgh took possession at the start of the second quarter, but a steal from captain Emma Little at half way gave Sowerby a chance to shoot. Multiple shots from both teams followed, but it wasn’t until the end of the quarter that both teams managed to put points on the board. Two goals from Poyntz and a goal from Sowerby meant that Newcastle closed the gap between them and Edinburgh, but were still left trailing 6-5. The third quarter began more promisingly for Newcastle as a goal from Sowerby brought them back into contention once more. Another goal from Poyntz as the result of a man- up in
Edinburgh’s defensive end followed- an artfully placed shot which hurtled into the top right hand corner, curving past the keeper and into the net gave Newcastle the lead for the first time. The rest of the quarter was close-fought, as despite Edinburgh failing to capitalise on a penalty, they managed to score two more goals, to make it 8-7 going into the final quarter. The final quarter was a palpably tense affair. After five minutes of hard graft by both sides, the score remained as it was until the final minutes. With just three minutes on the clock, Sowerby equalised, suggesting that Edinburgh’s unbeaten run might just be about to end. Against the odds, in the final thirty seconds, Sowerby, chased by a defender, took on Edinburgh’s keeper and tapped the ball into the net, giving Newcastle the lead, with just 14 seconds of the quarter remaining. Megan Lord describes the final moments of the match as ‘the most terrifying 14 seconds of my life’ as Newcastle fought to cling on to
their lead. A last- ditch, long range shot from Edinburgh to make it level hit the post, with Little protecting the ball in the final moments. The final whistle brought tears, disbelief and jubilation on the sideline, as Newcastle clinched victory. It is the first time Newcastle have beaten Edinburgh in five years, and goes to show just how much the side have gelled and developed over the season compared to their initial loss against Edinburgh- a feat achieved despite missing key players. A massive commendation must be made to keeper, Jess Newman, whose consistent saves against an impressive range of shots and lobs undoubtedly won Newcastle the match. The monumental win means that Newcastle move into second place, ahead of Durham, which puts them in a really promising position for the BUCS Premier League Cup. We wish them all the best; with a full squad and this victory under their belt, they seem unstoppable.
Sport
www.thecourieronline.co.uk Monday 15 February 2016 Issue 1325 Free
thecourieronline.co.uk/sport
Sports Editors: Alex Hendley, Calum Wilson & Lewis Bedford courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Twitter: @Courier_Sport | Instagram: thecouriersport
STAN CALVERT PREVIEW P.47
NUMHC 4ths look set for an exciting end to the season Image: James Sproston
SUPERBOWL REVIEW P.48
Five-star fourths into top spot Men’s Hockey Newcastle 4ths
5
Leeds 5ths
2
By James Sproston at Longbenton In a high-tempo game, the Newcastle Men’s 4ths once again proved why they are top of the league with a convincing win against their Yorkshire opponents. With Leeds being bottom of Northern 5B, they looked to add to their tally of two points by using unorthodox tactics. In an attempt to psych out their Northern rivals, Leeds arrived half an hour later than the kick-off time after they “forgot” to organise transport. Nonetheless Newcastle captain Alexander Bell kept his team warm and fired up in the mid-afternoon sun. By the time the Leeds players finally came onto the pitch, the lads were curling shots in the top bins with ease. As the match got underway, the Newcastle midfield was fired up and getting in the faces of the opposition. Josh Chambers led by example, pressing the opposition very high up the pitch. Besides a short corner in the opening exchanges, Leeds struggled to fashion a chance as Newcastle had the better of the opening exchanges. Strong tackling from Will McCreery and Jack Edwards
broke up any attack that the visitors attempted to create. A neat exchange between McCreery, Tim Patton and Bell found the stick of Chambers. After a deft touch, he was left on the turf by a flying Leeds player. Having been targeted by the Leeds players, the midfielder was wound up too much and the umpire gave him a green card for an unnecessary shove after a bit of handbags. The game ebbed and flowed for the first fifteen minutes, but Newcastle were given a chance to go ahead as Leeds’ Liverpudlian midfielder was given a yellow, perhaps in honour of the ruthless Jimmy Case. However some sloppy defending led to a Leeds short corner that they buried past Andy Russell to put the visitors ahead against the run of play. But it’s not the first time Newcastle have been 1-0 down this season, and the team’s character shone through as they quickly responded. A pinpoint pass from Oliver Cardoe found George English, who made no mistake in front of goal. Shortly after Bell was replaced by Harris Owen. The fullback had an immediate impact as he intercepted a poor pass, and found McCreery who in turn switched the ball to Callum Yates. Having carried the ball forward, the defender picked out Sam Kent setting free English once again to clinically finish past the Leeds keeper.
The rest of the half was relatively cagey. Tom Edwards and Owen made some crucial tackles as Newcastle had their backs to the wall following an Adam Arda caution. Just before the half-time whistle, Cardoe had a spectacular effort tipped away by the visiting keeper but that was to be the last meaningful action of the half. With the team having been refreshed, the lads headed out for the second half. Leeds started with more urgency than Newcastle, drawing level from a short corner that was once again dispatched with relative ease. However once again Newcastle showed their mental toughness. A Cardoe tackle facilitated an attack that led to a Toon short corner. Tom Edwards sent the ball over to Cardoe, who laid it off for Patton to slot home to restore Newcastle’s advantage. In an end-to-end encounter, the Newcastle defence had to be on top form to keep out each wave of Leeds attack. Jack Edwards was instrumental in protecting the team’s lead, making three challenges in quick succession that ensured Leeds couldn’t trouble Russell in the Newcastle goal. On the counter, Tom Edwards very nearly set up English’s third of the match but he wasn’t able to reach the pass. Nevertheless the Leeds defence finally relented under the constant pressure, this time with English turning
provider as Tom Edwards polished off a lovely Newcastle move. The remaining moments were dominated by Newcastle as both teams struggled with injuries. Tom Scott became a makeshift centre back as Jack Edwards returned at fullback. The fullbacks had been impressive throughout, with Bell showing some clever touches (including a lovely little juggle in the first half), Harris being technically very sound, Scott regularly rampaging down the pitch, and Jack Edwards being a brick wall at the back. In contrast the Leeds players turned up looking like they were built like barn doors, but injuries proved they were more built like conservatories than anything sturdier. Newcastle capitalised on this fatigue in the closing stages as Fergus Brown wrapped up what was ultimately a comfortable win. As another English effort came close to finding the back of the net, the game was drawn to a close. Newcastle were well worth the 5-2 scoreline and in all honesty could have had more. The win puts Newcastle in the top spot for the time being, but main rivals Huddersfield still have a game in hand whilst only being one point behind. As for Leeds 5ths, they remain on 2 points along with Northumbria 2nds at the foot of the table.
POWERLIFTING PROWESS P.49
UNI KARTING CHAMPS P.51