thecourier
Monday 16 October 2017 Issue 1354 Free
thecourieronline.co.uk
Fashion Fashion Society’s Freshers’ Week flash-catwalk Page 15
Science The merits and challenges of the Nobel prizes Page 30
Gaming Fallout’s history is put under the microscope Page 27
Campus shocked by sexual assaults The independent voice of Newcastle students
Reports from students have left staff outraged Louise Hall News Editor Recent reports of assault and rape has revealed the persisting levels of sexual assault experienced by students on campus and at University led events during freshers’. Statistics from the Report of the Universities UK Taskforce examining violence against women, harassment and hate crime affecting university students, and the high frequency of individually reported cases in Newcastle, have revealed the continuing severity of the issue of sexual harassment and assault for large proportions of Newcastle students on and off campus during Freshers’ Week.
17%
of students are victims of sexual harassment in their first week of term
Members of staff have also reported a worrying surge in reports of students seeking advice and guidance following assaults at Newcastle University events since the start of the academic term. This has brought the serious and persistent issue of sexual harassment and assault on our campus and at fresher’s events into heated discussion throughout the university. A 2015 NUS poll of new students found that 17% of respondents had been victims of some form of sexual harassment during their first week of term and 29% had witnessed sexual harassment directed at someone else. Surveys from within Newcastle University itself have revealed the same outcome. Last year, NUSU’s Marginalised Genders Officer, Saffron Kershaw Mee gathered data from over 110 students of which 70% of respondents had been
sexually harassed or raped in the city of Newcastle (18% on University campus). Saffron commented: “This data shows only a portion of the deeply rooted problem at hand – the trivialisation and silencing of sexual assault, harassment and rape cases.” Statistics like these are raising concerns about the effectiveness of safeguarding measures employed during student events on campus and the extent to which the University’s responsibility to educate and enforce the idea of consent on campus in freshers’ week and beyond is being fulfilled. In an interview with the Courier, Stacy Gillis, Chair of Equality and Diversity in the SELLL NU steering committee and lecturer in English Literature gave her opinion on the recent reports: “I’m sickened by the endemic culture of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is about power, plain and simple – the exercising of power over someone else. Why do men, and I know that women can also sexually harass, but the majority of time it is done by men, feel that they can do this? Because of the fact that we live in a culture which endorses models of male power through patriarchal discourse. Our social institutions work to disguise those who sexually harass – Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, Hugh Hefner. The model being offered by them is that it is fine to sexually harass, fine to sexually abuse, so long as you can get away with it by threatening people.” When asked how we should be working together to combat this issue she said: “We need to talk to one another; get angry; organise; argue; resist; educate; call out this behaviour. Consent and Conduct sessions should be mandatory for all students, male, female and binary, and should happen early on in Fresher’s Week.” Attempting to tackle this issue Newcastle University encouraged students to participate in a workshop entitled ‘Respect’ during freshers’ week, a new initiative run jointly by NUSU, Student Wellbeing and the police with the aim of tackling the issue of sexual misconduct,
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but the event was non-compulsory. New Newcastle University student led organisation It Happens Here also aims to tackle the issue of sexual assault and harassment and provide survivor support to Newcastle University students. Fae Horsley, Campaigns officer for It Happens Here commented: “As our name states, sexual violence is something that happens here, it happens everywhere, and it needs to be addressed now. Our main goal this year is to set up a peer support group for women survivors of sexual assault; which is a service that is in demand but currently non-existent.
“Consent session should be mandatory for all students” Stacy Gillis, English Literature lecturer
“As part of our campaigning this year, we are planning on attending SU events to hand out anti-spiking bottle toppers for drinks, provide rape alarms to students and inform students about the importance of consent. “As well as being directly involved with how the university tackles assault on campus, we want to become an inspiration for other universities in how they respond to their students needs.” The question of compulsory consent classes has previously caused tension across UK Universities when last year Durham, Oxford and Cambridge University made the decision to make their sexual consent workshops compulsory for incoming freshers. While the evidence considered by the Taskforce report emphasised the importance of adopting and embedding a zero-tolerance approach to facilitate meaningful cultural change, many are still sceptical about the classes being “patronising” and “unnecessary.” Staff and students hope to combat this issue by working together, educating about consent and supporting anyone who is a victim of sexual assault.
It’s back: The Courier’s Travel section returns p18
Craggs is the port-of-call James Sproston Editor Newcastle University Student’s Union Welfare & Equality Officer has called for all students who were victims of sexual harassment during Freshers’ Week and in the weeks since to utilise the support provided by the Students’ Union. In an interview with The Courier, Sarah Craggs admitted her frustration at the lack of awareness of Student Union support channels, and highlighted the resources available for students can really make a massive difference. “We have so much on offer, so we really just need to make sure the awareness is there. There’s a lot of support within
the SU and the University itself.” She added that the Student’s Union acts as a useful go-between. “We also have external support that we can signpost students to as well, such as the Reach Centre and Arch. Our Student Advice service and the student and campus liaison police officers are open for students to book appointments and drop in, so we have plenty of resources available for support.” When questioned about what changes were being made, Craggs added that the ‘changing the culture’ policy is taking place throughout the university, with the aim of tackling the rape culture on campus. full interview on page 10
Inside today >>>
Hatton Gallery reopens
Catalonian independence
Munroe Burgdorf
The Toon club guide
NUMHC in Durham draw
Ciara Ritson-Courtney reports on the latest redevelopment to open its doors again to the student population News, page 4
Our writers give their opinions on the politics of police brutality in Catalonia and elsewhere Comment page 8
Amanda Goh and Celeste Dsouza delve into the controversy surrounding the sacked transgender model Beauty, page 16
Newcastle’s best loved clubs come under scrutiny by Mollie Middle, upsetting many in the process Music, page 20
The men’s hockey 3s drop two points against a stubborn Durham side at the fortress in Longbenton Sport, page 38
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thecourier 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. Just visit thecourieronline.co.uk/about for more information.
Monday 16 October 2017
Blast from the Courier past 2006
Eleven years ago today the Courier brought Newcastle students news of a potential merger between Newcastle and Durham universities. The rumours, initially reported in The Times Higher Education Supplement, were strongly denied by the current vice-chancellors of both universities, although the Courier pointed out that Chris Brink, who was due to take up the position of Newcastle VC in a few months’ time, was more keen to investigate the idea. Meanwhile protests were being planned against proposals to increase tuition fees, and Tory MP Alan Duncan had a pint in Mens Bar during freshers’ week.
Editor James Sproston Deputy Editor Alex Hendley Online Editor Jared Moore Copy Editor Laura Staniforth Current Affairs Editor Sunil Nambiar News Editors Valentina Egorova, Hanson Jones, Louise Hall, Laura Higgins and Isabel Sykes Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken and Alexandra Sadler
Courier front page, 1990 Image: Courier archive
1990
Life & Style Editor Izzi Watkins Lifestyle Editors Sophie Henderson, Jaymelouise Hudspith, Lauren Sneath and Victoria Young Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston and Susanne Norris Travel Editors Charlotte Hill and Talia Gillin Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Errol Kerr Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaacs and Ally Wilson TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver and Alex Moore Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Daniel Haygarth and Christopher Wilkinson Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett and Richard Liddle Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little and Ciara Ritson-Courtney Sports Editors Tom Shrimplin, Courtney Strait and Mark Sleightholm
Courier cartoon, 1949 Image: Courier archive
Online exclusives Freshers’ Week
Freshers’ Week: Campus Highlights
Freshers’ Week: Night Time Highlights
The Courier NUSU King’s Walk Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QB Tel: 0191 239 3940 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 opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of the Courier, the Students’ Union or Newcastle University.
An interview with: the Freshers’ Week Organisers
To see these articles and more, check out thecourieronline.co.uk
Andrew Hootan won a pair of Vic Reeves tickets and a pad of recycled paper in the Courier’s photography competition 27 years ago this week, the lucky lad. Hope he had a nice time. In other news, 1990’s year of Courier opened with reports of a serious shortage of student accommodation. Over 250 undergraduates arrived at Newcastle University to be told to find their own rooms in the private rental sector. Also included were some reflections on the Liberal Democrat Conference by a Newcastle student called Tim Farron. “I was born a Liberal, I shall die a Liberal,” he proclaimed. “Thus no matter how many times we may come third or second, I’m not giving up.” Farron resigned as Lib Dem leader earlier this year.
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Before 1963 Newcastle and Durham were indeed two parts of a single institution, with the Newcastle branch known as King’s College. Sixty-eight years ago the Courier was concerned that its reputation as a technical college was deterring female students, whose numbers were apparently falling. The article was devoid of statistics, but the Courier used its journalistic nous to suggest some possible causes of this “sex disproportion”, without actually offering any firm answers. While this issue of the Courier contains photos of the shenanigans from freshers’ week 2017, things were a little more subdued in 1949. Two of the Courier’s ten pages were dedicated to “verbatim reports or summaries of three lectures delivered at the freshers’ conference”. Topics included “the arts and social sciences in society” and “the university as a community”. The final essay rather ominously concluded with “continued in next issue.” To lighten the mood slightly the Courier of 1949 contained no less than three cartoons showing “student days and student ways”, along with news of three student marriages and another three student couples who had got engaged. Students could pay to advertise their events in the Courier – a sensible thing to do “if you want your socials to be a success, your hops to be a wow and your ballrooms to be full”. Exactly how many students had ballrooms, or what a wow hop looked like, has sadly been lost to the sands of time.
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@TheCourier_News courier.news@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/news Current Affairs Editor Sunil Nambiar News Editors Valentina Egorova, Hanson Jones, Louise Hall, Laura Higgins & Isabel Sykes
Tory Party cut loose student societies Errol Kerr Culture Editor The Conservative Party has decided to cut ties with its student society bodies, after a report was leaked during late September indicated they were to effectively disaffiliate with student youth groups. Huffington Post UK has seen a document linking the severing of ties with student groups with an attempt to ‘detoxify’ the current image of the party. Alongside this, the document claims that bringing the non-student sections of their youth wings to be handed out closer links, and “provide clear and effective structure to how young people will take part in the Party”. It also states that “Party related activities will primarily revolve around the work and training of the Party” in an aim to make sanctions and disciplinary actions easier to hand out should they be required.
120
likes on Facebook on the Newcastle University Conservatives Facebook page
The move to disaffiliate from Conservative groups comes after several controversial actions by student Conservative societies and groups, which the party wish to contain “outside the remit of the Party”. This comes alongside criticism that the Party is struggling to build a solid youth engagement campaign. In 2015, the under-30 Conservative group “Conservative Future”, which was created in 1998 as part of Hague’s party reforms, was effectively shelved after the suicide of a member who had claimed they had been bullied extensively throughout the election cam-
Conservative Party leader, Theresa May Photography: Wikimedia Commons
paign during that year. Earlier this year, the Cambridge University Conservative student group caused uproar after mobile phone video
An aim to make sanctions and disciplinary actions easier to hand out emerged of Ronald Coyne, a member of their group, burning a £20 note in front of a homeless citizen, joking that it “should have been a £50”. Coyne was expelled from the organisation shortly after this came into the public eye. More recently, the Twitter page “Activate”, likened to a conservative response to the left-wing “Momentum”, went underground after two weeks in the public eye, after the page was reportedly hacked several times. The group’s website however states the group is “not a “Tory-momentum” but we do hope it will be a vehicle for young conservatives to get engaged”. The proposed recommendations will be considered by a Conservative meeting later in October, and discussions as to branding, such as whether the Conservative logo can be used by student groups will be held.
Newcastle University Conservative Society Photography: NUSU
Government plans to save students £5000 Steven Ross Chancellor Phillip Hammond is currently considering slashing tuition fees for university students to £7,500 per year as part of the autumn budget. This plan could save students £5,000 and has the potential to increase the Conservatives’ popularity amongst young people. The move comes after the general election that lost the Conservatives their majority and is seen by some as an attempt to make the party more appealing to young people, who voted overwhelmingly against Tories in June.
“A pale imitation of Labour’s policies” Dominic Howard, Stage 2 Geography
Government ministers have stated that the reduction in fees is a response to concerns that many students, particularly those taking arts degrees, are not receiving value for money and may even struggle to find jobs in the future, whilst
universities rake in the cash. There are concerns that most graduates will never pay off their student debts, which will be written off after 30 years for students in England and Wales. Dominic Howard, a second year Geography student said that he felt that a reduction of this amount was “a pale imitation of Labour’s policies”. Howard added that the Conservatives “think that students voted for Labour purely because of their promise to scrap tuition fees, but there were far more reasons than this alone.” Andrew Markham, a second year History student, said: “I support any plan to reduce tuition fees but I would prefer definitive plans to cap or, better yet, reduce the interest rate on these loans.” Tuition fees trebled to £9,000 per year in 2012, but only earlier this year, most universities across the UK, Newcastle included, were allowed to raise annual fees to £9,250, with further rises planned each year until 2020 to account for inflation. MPs voted earlier this month to reverse the rise above £9,000 after a motion put forward by Labour, though this vote was non-binding. Science courses are more expensive to
run and therefore it has been suggested that although all students will pay £7,500 annually, the Government will pay an extra £1,500 each year to universities for each science student to cover the greater cost. Hammond has also been looking at methods of reducing the ever-growing debt burden that many graduates feel. He plans to reduce the interest rate, which currently stands at 6.1%, and raise the repayment threshold to £25,000. Shakira Martin, the president of the National Union of Students said: “We welcome commitments from any political party – to rethink the failed experiment that is the current £9,000 tuition fees system.” Martin also criticised the Government for not committing to bring back the maintenance grants, which were scrapped last year. Hammond’s proposals are due to appear in the autumn budget that will be published on the 22nd November this year. If the proposals are to be put in place, future students will be saving in excess of £5,000 for a standard three-year course as early as autumn 2018.
Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Photography: Wikimedia Commons
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Hats off to the Hatton Gallery Ciara Ritson-Courtney Science Editor Newcastle University’s art gallery ‘The Hatton Gallery’ has finally reopened and has left students breathless. The gallery was originally founded by the King Edward VII School of art in 1925 and its influence has been monumental in both the art scene of the north east and globally.
The redevelopment began in February 2016 and has taken 20 months and £3.8 million to complete, but it hasn’t failed to impress. The redevelopment began in February 2016 and has taken 20 months and £3.8
million to complete, but it hasn’t failed to impress. The Heritage Lottery Fund who saw the venue fit for their investment supported the redevelopment. The Hatton Gallery has a rich past of art, including the first exhibition of Richard Hamilton’s seminal Man, Machine and Motion in 1955. This piece went on to be displayed at the ICA on the Mall and has been claimed to be the start of pop art in Britain. The redevelopment involved the conservation of historic and architectural elements of the building, which is Grade II listed, while incorporating modern elements to reflect the gallery’s cutting edge exhibitions. The picture store has been extended to preserve the Hatton’s extensive collection and a dedicated multi-purpose learning space was added to increase public engagement with collections and archives. The funding also enabled the conservation of the iconic 1965 piece Merz Barn Wall by Kurt Schwitters who has been acclaimed to be one of the most significant figures in 20th century art.
The piece is located at the epicentre of the Gallery and is a three dimensional collage and the artist claims ‘all it is, is form and colour, just form and colour. The Hatton’s collection, while being instrumental in 20th century art, includes over 3,000 works in total ranging from the 14th to the 20th century in various media. The school of fine art has a huge influence upon the Gallery with many archived pieces being those of art students and exhibition posters designed by the school. However, life for the Hatton hasn’t always been easy and this isn’t the first time the public has invested in the gallery. In 1997 the University authorities voted to close the gallery, a widespread public campaign against the closure and a £250,000 investment by Dame Catherine Cookson ensured the future of the gallery. The Gallery is free to enter while donations are welcome, and will be exhibiting ‘Pioneers of Pop’ which includes around 100 works of pop and abstract art in various media until January 2018.
Outside the Hatton Gallery Photography: Louise Hall
New app solves student housing stress Laura Higgins News Editor Bubble Student, a new mobile app which enables students to browse through thousands of properties in twenty cities, has been met by a wave of success across the United Kingdom. Its design allows students to filter their specifications, for example the number of bedrooms, price and ideal location in Newcastle, in order to find the perfect property.
The new version of the app is will be available to students in the next few weeks, in time for the property rush Student using Bubble Student Photography: James Sproston
They can then share this information with their housemates on the app and
subsequently request a viewing with the appropriate letting agency. Felix Henderson, Co-Founder of Bubble Student app, gave The Courier an insight into the moral reasons why it was designed. He explained how he noticed that “there was no ‘go to’ platform for students, when they were looking for student housing. Therefore, we saw a niche whereby someone could come in and aggregate all of the student accommodation options available in one student app. We wanted to give power to the student again.” From the outset, the app has been extremely successful. Due to the unique talent of the in-house technical team and two versions of the app in 18 months, Bubble Student has been in stock in over twenty focal cities across the UK with particular popularity shown in Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds. Felix Henderson explained that the second version of the app is due to be available to students in
the next few weeks, in time for the property rush, which is already ‘on the verge of a national roll out and therefore are hopefully going to see the platform fly!’ As part of the Bubble Student’s national roll out, new users of the app experts are offering a free years rent to a random group of housemates. This acts as an incentive to new users to download the app in order to prevent missing out. In an interview with The Courier, Felix Henderson summarised the Bubble Student app: “the mobile app gives students all their best accommodation options in one place. Users can search with housemates, add properties to groups and book viewings at the touch of a button. It’s about time that someone brought a product to market with a genuine USP that uses amazing technology to change the student letting game for everyone involved.” Bubble Student claims to be a universal app which helps students to find their ideal properties with minimal stress.
Luther’sBar tohostexciting new events Hannah Vernon Luther’s Bar, located at the heart of Newcastle Campus, has been transformed into an all new Students’ Union Bar with modern décor and exciting events. This year, the NUSU will be hosting brand new events, such as Thursday’s Quiz Night and Wanderlust on Saturdays- offering additional opportunities to socialise and have fun on campus.
There are a host of new opportunities for students to socialise On Thursdays, the venue will be hosting a Quiz Night with free nachos and an entertaining ‘Cheer for Beer’ round. If that isn’t enough incentive to go along, the winner receives a take-all cash prize. With £1 shots, £2 pints and £2.50 cocktails, the union boasts the cheapest drink prices in the city. This
student night will be hosted every week by the sabbatical team from 8pm till close. To host a quiz for a charity event, students should get in touch with the Luther’s team by emailing events.union@ncl.ac.uk. Wanderlust, launched on the 23rd of September, is a brand-new club night open in the SU every Saturday from 11pm-3am. For the occasion, the stateof-the-art NUSU is packed full of décor, props and inflatables, as levels of production meet new heights. Promising a wide variety of music, the event offers something for everyone and is designed to appeal to people across the student community. Themed events, which have already taken place including the Viva Las Vegas, Oktoberfest and Zoo party, have been deemed successful providing a dynamic atmosphere for students to enjoy. From the quiz nights to Wanderlust, the NUSU team have created a host of new opportunities to socialise and have fun on campus. The usual opening hours are from 8am-11pm on weekdays; 10am- Midnight on Saturday and 10am- 3pm on Sunday.
Luther’s at NUSU Photography: Louise Hall
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Say yes to drug and alcohol awareness Isabel Sykes News Editor
Last week was NUSU’s Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week. As part of the event, stall and workshops were set up in and around campus raising awareness of the risks associated with drugs and alcohol and offering advice.
The event demonstrated how to go out and have a good time, but be safe with drugs and alcohol Messages about harm reduction could be seen around campus on Monday, and on Tuesday Mind the Gap Student Society were outside the Students’ Union informing people about the relationship between mental health difficulties and drug and alcohol abuse. For students interested in finding out
the impact alcohol has on their body, Newcastle Public Health Team were outside the Students’ Union on the 11th showing people the calorific content of what they were drinking. The stall was also promoting the Safer Clubbing Campaign with ‘Dance Not Chance’ posters offering advice on how to be safer in a club or house party environment. Sarah Hulse, a member of the Public Health Team, said it was important to inform students “how to go out and have a good time, but be safe with drugs and alcohol”. The week also involved a visit from Northumbria Police, who were on campus performing breathalyser tests on volunteers last Thursday. Students were finding out how far over the driving limit they would be after a night out, trying on beer goggles, and cashing in on a free Freddo outside the Students’ Union. PC Mo Khan told The Courier what message this event aimed to convey to students: “To know your limits and what you can handle in terms of alcohol consumption. To know what is safe for you as an individual.”
For those seeking advice with any problems surround drugs and alcohol, the Student Advice Centre ran a Confidential Drop-in Session on Wednesday afternoon. The week closed with an end of Freshers community clean-up, with volunteers picking up bottles and broken glass left from nights out around the area. The aim of Drug and Alcohol Awareness week was to help students to be more mindful of the mental and physical effects of drug and alcohol consumption, and advise them on how to be safe.
The aim was to help students be more mindful of the effects of drug and alcohol consumption It also considered the impact of drugs and alcohol on aspects of student life such as driving and clubbing, as well as effects on the local environment.
PC Mo Khan, Northumbria Police Photography: Isabel Sykes
Safer Clubbing Campaign Photography: Isabel Sykes
Students with PC Mo Khan Photography: Isabel Sykes
NHS “reduced to a logo”, says Prof Pollock Phillip Thompson The NHS has been “reduced to a logo” after the “most sustained decrease in funding since 1951”, says Professor Allyson Pollock, Newcastle University’s Director of the Institute of Health and Society. Writing in the British Medical Journal, a combined team of researchesfrom Newcastle University and Queen Mary University of London suggest that the recent legislation has been “paving the way for fewer services.”
The Government has “abdicated themselves of responsibility for our NHS” The North East, in particular, is set to lose £1 billion in funding through the withdrawal of grants. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 abolished the Secretary of State’s duty to provide key services. Pollock argues that the Government has “abdicated themselves of responsibility for our NHS”.
The Cities and Local Government Dissolution Act 2016 has allowed for an unprecedented handover in powers to regional governments. The devolution of healthcare to local authorities will inevitably lead to confusion over charges. Free at the point of delivery NHS services are set to clash with social care funds. Balancing the books has been a key aim of the reforms. The introduction of Sustainability and Transformation Plans encourages local authorities to cut services to the extent that that they will provide no in-house services at all. The Government insists that the cuts are responsible and necessary to deal with a demographic time bomb and ageing population. Outsourcing care is incentivised under the new reforms; the number of individuals in local authority residential care has decreased from 84% in 1990 to under 10% in 2013 in what Pollock refers to as the “warehousing…of old people”. Private companies with no history of providing healthcare have been actively bidding for a slice of the NHS’s £112 billion budget, snapping up services that support the most vulnerable in our society. Newcastle University academics have been at the forefront over the de-
bate of creeping NHS privatisation. In March, the NHS Reinstatement Bill was presented in the House of Commons, supported by a body of work from Professor Pollock and others in response to what they saw as the “dismantling of the NHS”.
Outsourcing care is incentivised under the new reforms The Bill, which attempted to restore the NHS as a public service, failed to gain support from any Conservative MPs. The Opposition came under fire from Caroline Lucas MP for not supporting what would be traditionally seen as a compelling Labour policy. Many members failed to turn up to the debate the Bill or openly support it. The Bill was only debated for 15 minutes and was not voted on. The floodgates have been opened thanks to a combined effort from both New Labour and the current Conservative government. The building blocks are in place for insurance and membership based health service that will not provide cover for all.
NHS lanyards Photography: Flickr
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Freshers’ week success with students Amber Marwick Considered one of the UK’s top party cities, Newcastle’s wild clubbing scene and down to earth friendly spirit is always hotly anticipated by first years coming from far and wide. But did Freshers 2017 provide? From the outset the week was jampacked with music and clubbing events. Project X’s intimate outside concert, featuring electronic artists Snakehips and NEIKED, was a unique and exciting beginning to the week. “Using the outside of the union as a venue was a really sick idea... I thought the atmosphere was amazing,” told fresher Alex Dunham. “The music wasn’t anything too special. It was just reliable tunes that everyone loves, and that isn’t a bad thing at all.” The films theme running through freshers gave an interesting twist to the nights; Clash of the Halls’ ‘Jungle Book’ theme got everyone in their best exotic animal gear, while Pandamonium offered the chance to party in what felt like a scene straight out of ‘Into the Woods’. “The best event was Pandamonium,” said Alex Nuttall, a first year Maths student. “...so many people were out and it showed us loads of new places”. For those less clubbing inclined, there was no shortage of interesting day and
night-time events to fill up the week and get socialising; from paddle boarding to grub crawls to cocktail training. Those who dared wake up early enough could sign up, experience the city, and try something new. “I went to the castle tour and I thought it was absolutely fantastic,” said Literature student James Davies. “...It was incredibly easy to socialise and meet new people. I’m still talking to one person from the event and we are having a night out tomorrow.” Meanwhile, those who headed over to the Northern Stage found themselves enjoying more unconventional Freshers entertainment. “...I thought the atmosphere was quite different,” said student Ross Lowton, who attended Chris Ramseys’s stand up and the Burlesque show. “The club events felt pretty separate to the uni but there was a definite feel of an ‘event’ at Northern Stage.” With other events such as acoustic sessions and Hypnodog, the on-campus theatre provided a quirky, refreshing aspect to the weekly schedule. Overall, Freshers 2017 offered not only the wild party atmosphere that Newcastle is famous for, but also a taste of the unique cultural events and hotspots that the city has to offer. Media student Leah Carter summed up the feeling on campus; “Everyone was so friendly and wanted to make friends... Everyone was welcome.”
Some of Newcastle freshers’ week 2017 events Photography: Film Crew 2017
Urban Sciences Building up in a flash Yiming Gao
Urban Sciences Building is the new location for the School of Computing of Newcastle University. Situated on the Science Central campus adjacent to St James’ Park, the building is being put into use as of Autumn 2017.
The building is a demonstration that the University care about providing students with the best learning environments possible With £58 million spent on its construction, the Urban Sciences building not only houses the whole School of Computing Science along with its research teams, but also serves as a living laboratory to prompt research to make urban centers more sustainable for fu-
ture generations. The new building provides a unique interdisciplinary environment for research, learning and engagement. The new collaborative research laboratories are provided to promote research in areas such as energy, power, transports, biology, and much more. For the first time, academics will work together in an environment specifically designed to benefit their research and promote collaboration. Cutting-edge facilities in the laboratories offer both researchers and students a great opportunity to explore the mysteries of science. The building houses all digital research labs and some businesses as well. Additionally, it will incorporate Decision Theater, a facility that enables advanced data visualization for policy makers and other skate-holders to plan and operate cities sustainably. The aim of the Science Central Building has its focus on sustainability. Obviously, sustainability isn’t just in the interests of a better environment. Not only will it benefit computing research, but also facilitate the development of many other fields such as civil engi-
neering and energy management storage, as the researchers of these areas will also come into the same building to research. So far, a research team in the School of Civil Engineering has been utilizing the data provided by the new building to help public bodies make better-informed decisions.
A unique interdisciplinary environment When students were asked for their opinions of the new building, Josh Cotterell 3rd year Computer Science student told The Courier: “The building is a huge improvement on Claremont tower where we used to be based, and is a demonstration that the university care about providing their students with the best learning environments possible.” Joe Scott, 3rd Year Electronic and computer engineering student also commented: “the building provides loads of space to encourage collaboration and learning beyond lectures.”
Laptop Photography: Pexels
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Part-time prospects at NUSU job fair Zoe Crowther On the 10th and 11th of October, the Students’ Union’s Venue was bustling with students looking for either voluntary or paid part-time work. With the event offering stalls to over 60 employers, those attending had a wide choice in opportunities, as well as plenty of freebies to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. Many of the organisations promoted positions which are well-suited for the busy lives of students. Within specific charities, students can get involved in areas that interest them, develop their
personal skills and ensure their work supports and fits around their university studies. There were charitable organisations looking for anyone who wants to make a difference, including: Friends Action North East, reviewing the accessibility of North East businesses for those with learning disabilities; Food Nation, offering cooking courses for those in need; the National Trust, seeking helpers in everything from administration to gardening; the Albert Kennedy Trust, raising awareness and funds for LGBT homeless people, and many more groups working towards good causes. With tight student budgets in mind, the event hosted employers offering
paid work, such as Explain Market Research, Smile Fundraising, G4S Events, O2 Academy Newcastle and many others. Tapping into the student demographic, KFC had a front-of-stage stall to entice students onto their team.
Many promoted positions which are well-suited for the busy lives of students For those interested in pursuing futures in the public sector, the North East Ambulance Service, the Tyne and Wear
Fire and Rescue Service and the British Army also attended. The army offers over 500 different apprenticeships, including medic positions, IT support and many civic roles, with no contractual obligation. The fire and rescue service provides training for volunteers to get involved with everyday operations. The Careers Service also attended, offering 10-minute appointments with CV advisors. Advice was tailored for students individually, whether they need help on how to format job applications, or they want to create an online professional network through LinkedIn, an increasingly important platform for employers to access references and headhunt potential employees.
Various jobs fair stands Photography: Zoe Crowther
First ever pharmacists start at Newcastle Aaron Bacon Young pharmacists start their Master of Pharmacy undergraduate degree (MPharm) for the first time at Newcastle University. Now is an exciting time for young pharmacists as they either begin a new Pharmacy degree or relocate to Newcastle from Durham. Previously along with other courses in the medical science domain, Pharmacy was taught at an education centre in Stockton-OnTees, run by Durham University.
Inspiring the next generation of students who will be at the cutting edge of this critically important and exciting profession Pharmacists play an integral role in communities and healthcare, with their role only set to grow as they are given additional responsibilities to ease the pressure on GP’s and local surgeries. Newcastle University is very happy to welcome this new generation of Pharmacists to the Tyne and have undertaken major renovation work on the historical King George VI building in preparation for their arrival, creating the environment for world-class teach-
ing and the development of confident and hard-working healthcare professionals. With Newcastle University now adding the Master of Pharmacy course, it becomes one of the few Universities in the country providing courses across the Healthcare sector. Newcastle will now train Doctors, Dentists and Pharmacists, (BMBS, BDS and MPharm respectively). These are all vocational courses resulting in registration with the relevant professional body. We are proud to be producing medical professionals who will shape healthcare in the future. Newcastle has a legacy of medical teaching, with Medicine and related courses being provided as early as 1834. This year the legacy grows with Pharmacy coming to Newcastle. Most of the teaching will occur in the newly modernised King George VI, a centre of medical teaching since its royal opening by the King and Queen Elizabeth in 1939. Extensive modernisation work has been undertaken in order for this historic building to provide world-class teaching and laboratory facilities whilst maintaining the original and historical features of this building. Professor David Burn, Pro-ViceChancellor of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, states: “The King George VI building remains at the heart of the University and is a fitting location for our pharmacy course, inspiring the next generation of students who will be at the cutting edge of this critically important and exciting profession.”
Pharmaceuticals Photography: Pexels
Finance Adam Kinneen As the Financial and Economic week rolls in, it’s hard not to mention the man of the week. Richard Thaler. You may know him as the Blackjack player alongside Selena Gomez in the Wall Street blockbuster ‘The Big Short’ or for his outstanding work in the field of economics, the former perhaps more likely. Thaler was awarded the Nobel prize for economics on Monday, making him the latest celebrated mind in the world of Economics and indeed finance. Thaler focused on how people work, act and make decisions the way they do. He was ‘on the quest to find the rational economic man’ which he analyses extensively in his book ‘Nudge’ which claims that small, seemingly insignificant things will influence our decisions. He used Students for many examples of irrational decision making, something I’m sure many of us will not contest as they think back to their decisions in the past week, month maybe year. After reading ‘Nudge’ I can summarise some of his award-winning theories. Firstly, ‘the default’ Thaler found that over 80% of people will stand by the default way in which things are either laid out or formatted. For example, Certain countries/states have an organ donation ‘opt out’ tick box on their driving license application form. Most people do not bother to opt out so the availability of donor organs is significantly higher than in those countries where the box is an ‘opt in’ box (e.g. in US states, 42% ‘opt in’ vs. 82% ‘opt out’). Secondly, ‘Loss aversion’. Thaler also found that we place almost twice the significance on losing something, as opposed to gaining something. Many are willing to keep what they have in fear of losing it, regardless of what they stand to gain. Thirdly, ‘the path of least resistance’. As people make choices, the easiest and most convenient choice or ‘path’ is by far the most popular, leading to many ‘sheep’ i.e. many people making the same decision. This ties in with Thaler’s later ideas of ‘availability’ whereby; we deem what we hear most to be important, irrationally placing priority over it. Which can be partly attributed to the fall of the housing market in 2008. So, to summarise, we are all irrational, who knew? Although, this is a very basic summary of his fascinating work I would implore you to read up on him and especially ‘Nudge’. You’ll be pleased to know the man in question, upon receiving his cash prize simply exclaimed ‘I shall spend it as irrationally as possible!’. It seems irrational men can still have a sense of humour. In other financial news, Tesco has resumed its dividend payments after a three-year break, sending their stock pretty much nowhere as they were greeted with more negative press following such a decision, this time from ex-employees, claiming they resigned as they were unwilling to comply with ‘unethical instructions’. However, most alarmingly this week, reports claim that potential hikes in the central bank rates will cause the next recession, with neglect to the important issues economically being preceded by rumours the UK interest rate will rise for the first time in a decade from 0.25% to 0.5%. Both the head economist of the world’s largest investment bank JP Morgan and the German Finance minister are reporting the same concerns. My stocks to watch this week are US defensive stocks amid republican hesitancy on tax reform and US Tech stocks, which have seen an impressive rally in the last week, although show signs of slowing.
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the courier
Monday 16 October 2017
@CourierComment courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/comment Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken & Alexandra Sadler
Fear and loathing in Catalunya Our writers assess the (a)moral politics of the referendum-related police brutality in the semi-autonomous Spanish region Alice Dawson
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ollowing pressure mounting over the last few months, to give Catalonians the right to vote for their independence from Spain, a refrendum was held. However, only 2.2 million from a population of 5.3 million managed to cast their vote following the violent intervention of Spanish police and military forces. 90% of voters cast their ballot in favour of independence from Spain in the hope of securing democracy and their right to free speech. In recent years the region has suffered a curtailment of civil liberties perpetrated by the Spanish government and, although the vote was organised and supported by the Catalonian government, it was declared an illegal activity by the Spanish government. The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has stated on television that voters were tricked by the Catalonian government to vote illegally and the police were simply following orders to stop the voting. Did the government order the police to use violence and aggression? Why were 844 people injured and blocked from expressing their views and desires? On the very day the people of Catalonia were finally able to take their future into their hands, they were immediately stopped by brutal and oppressive force. Police and military personnel shot rubber bullets, smashed doorways and used physical violence against those protesting their right to vote. Any law-abiding citizen can understand that whilst Catalonia remains part of Spain the state must abide by Spanish law. Therefore, as the vote was deemed to be illegal, it is understandable that it was stopped. However, why was violence the immediate answer of the
Spanish authorities? The situation that unfolded is a sad reflection of society’s reliance on violence as an escape from difficult situations. Throughout the entirety of history, violence has been used to settle differences, and even today we live in a world of terrorism, war, and genocide. But in this day and age, a time of greater education and reason, governments and police forces around the world must find alternative answers to difficult societal questions. Answers that do not involve a regression to the violent oppression of the feudal past. People must be given a voice, and they deserve to have their challenges answered in speech, dialogue and debate, not with clubs and fists.
People deserve to have their challenges answered in speech, dialogue and debate, not with clubs and fists The authorities should not be using brutality as an example of gaining power, instead they should be using peaceful methods in order to set the correct example. The police response to the Catalonian protest is just another case of unnecessary police brutality that happens in every country throughout the world. Governments must find other ways of controlling crowds; the police must find other methods of exerting power. Perhaps if we lived in a world where violence wasn’t the primary answer for most discussions and disagreements, then we wouldn’t live in a world continuously threatened by violence, war and terrorism. As dense crowds of Catalonians waited to vote on 1st October, John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was played through loud speakers preaching “Imagine all the
people living life in peace… sharing all the world”. Not long after the song had finished, people were being beaten, shot with rubber bullets and stripped of their right to speak and to vote. Peace and unity are what we all must strive for, and the sooner the authorities pave the way for this, the sooner the masses may start to act on it.
Pablo Charro de la Fuente
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uring the last years of life, the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya painted Fight with Cudgels on the walls of his house. This painting, of two men are fighting to death, has always been interpreted as a fratricide fight. In some way, Goya was painting the past, the present and the future of Spain: the two Spains. The situation in Catalonia this year is just another episode of this fratricide fight that shapes Spanish history.
The hope is not going to turn into reality with their independence, but with dialogue Last Sunday, 460 people were injured in Catalonia during the unconstitutional and illegal referendum, aiming for self-determination. The Catalan nationalists confronted the National Police and the Civil Guard, who were complying with the court warrant ordering them to impede the referendum. From the conservative government’s poorly managed situation, the nationalists obtained the pictures and numbers they wanted to show the world. The history of Catalonia is heavily marked by the repression of its culture, language and institutions.
During the Franco dictatorship, the Catalonian institutions were decommissioned, Catalan was forbidden and many nationalist politicians murdered or imprisoned. However, in 1978, following the creation of the Spanish Constitution, Catalan was defined as a co-official language and the Catalans gained the ability to self-govern with their Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. This Constitution, that has protected the rights of Catalonia for 39 years, is the same Constitution that the nationalists want to evade to become independent. In this procedure, I can’t just believe the typical populist rhetoric hoping that with a new beginning the problems of Catalonia are going to disappear. The fact is that Jordi Puyol, the conservative nationalist politician that encouraged the independence of Catalonia during the nineties, was discovered three years ago with €3,000 million in Switzerland. The hope that nationalist Catalans hold of living in a better country is not going to turn into reality with their independence, but with dialogue and democracy with the rest of Spain. Similarly, the answer of the Spanish government is unacceptable and many people expect the resignation of the Vice-President, who should have ordered the police to avoid any violent confrontation with the nationalists. Dialogue with Catalonia is now essential. The conservative party should seriously consider the creation of an economic covenant, a taxation system following the model of the Basque Country, and to avoid answering the provocations of the nationalists which would stop giving Europe the incorrect image of a repressive country. The two Spains need to be together now to confront the real problems that Spain has, as a country. More than ever, Spain needs fraternity and not fratricide.
Waving goodbye to the Pale Blue Dot We are descended from the stars, and now we seek to live among them. Our writers talk of space colonisation and industry Christopher Little
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o say that the human race isn’t perfect is a bit of an understatement. Whilst our animal brethren are content to just eat, shit – occasionally fuck – and sleep, we humans have never been content with this elementary cycle. Yes, we too enjoy these age-old traditions but we have always wanted more: to know more, to build more, to have more. This desire has fuelled the innovation of our species; it has propelled us from the Stone Age to the technological era of today. But it has also engendered hate and division; provoked war and genocide; and led to the widespread annihilation of habitat and animal species.
Colonies offer a viable solution to overpopulation, and provide life insurance for the species The thought of humans extending their oft-calamitous reach into space will fill some with dismay, but it may be just what our planet – and the human race – needs. Most of the destruction we inflict upon our planet is caused by the very infrastructure that is needed to support the 7.5 billion people living on Earth. Space colonies could offer a viable solution to overpopulation, and even provide a form of life insurance for the species against
extinction events. Asteroid mining, on the other hand, is but one venture that could lead to heavy industry moving off world and the very Earth itself becoming a protected zone. It may all sound far-fetched, but with visionaries like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos driving the space industry forward, who knows? It’s just a shame that in order to save the planet, we may need to leave it.
Yoana Cholteeva
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ir pollution, deforestation, the last president elected in America, mass shootings, health and humanity… There are so many natural, social, and human-caused issues evident on planet Earth today. We are destined to either fully bury our heads into what is happening and never see the bigger picture, or look up and maybe find something above. And if the ‘above’ is actually the space waiting there, broad and mysterious, why not try to unravel it instead of focusing so much here? Moreover, since we have people of so many walks of life, thirsty to study the beyond further, then why not just make it happen? Yes, it would be great if we could deeply focus on the day to day problems, before they become inescapable, but what about those people who were born looking in the sky, questioning the matters that many would find foolish or meaningless… All of these people; the diggers, the questioners, the ‘why’ people, and the nerdy, they are the
ones that make it all bright and shiny, who light up the sparkle of science and space and maybe, just maybe we owe it to their overwhelming curiosity. It can’t be wrongful to conquer the unknown, especially when it can help us realise who we are, here and today on Earth. Let’s praise the ones who make crazy things seem pleasant, admirable, and possible.
Jamie Cameron
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arth can never be replaced. That much has to be made clear. A colony of only a few thousand humans, never mind any meaningful fraction of our species, whether on Mars, the Moon, or free-floating in space, would be the biggest undertaking yet of our species. Yet it would still pale in comparison to our blue dot.
No substitute for this beautiful cosmic accident we all live on We are better off actively finding solutions that can protect Earth. Ending, or even reversing, climate change; setting up systems that can blow meteors out of apocalyptic impact paths; committing to nuclear disarmament - would all prove more humanitarian and cost-effective. Any foreseeable space colony will exclude the vast majority of the population, likely through elit-
ist measures of wealth. Space industry and colonisation is certainly worth pursuing - a last line of defence against extinction, for the glory of science, for the potential economic revolution - but it is no substitute for this beautiful cosmic accident we all live on and rely on.
the courier
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comment
Monday 16 October 2017
Tory Conference: Unmitigated disaster?
The Tories sought a second wind, only to be taken of the proverbial piss. Was it all a failure? Fred Hunt
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hell-shocked from her election catastrophe with the Labour movement looming, Theresa May needed to change the flow of momentum in her favour, and relaunch her agenda. What an opportunity then, for a Conservative Party conference. Above all, the Tories had to project strength: strength through unity, strength in ideas and policy, and most importantly strength in leadership. In all three respects the party conference fell short in what became a calamity for Theresa May and the Conservatives. Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston calling for the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to “consider his position” for saying in a fringe event that the Libyan city Sirte could be the new Dubai and that “all they had to do was clear the dead bodies away” was not a good start, extinguishing tired illusions of party unity.
The [PM’s] closing speech served only as a gloomy metaphor for the state of the Conservative Party New policy announcements should have engendered the conference with some much-needed vigour. Astonishingly only three were announced. A tweaking of the student loan system saving some graduates £360 per year, an extra £2bn for council homes spread out over 5 years, and a new energy price cap supposedly affecting 12 million people. The policies reek of fear, desperation and a sig-
nificant deficit of creativity. It is remarkable that Theresa May thinks she will gain authority and credibility by resuscitating an energy price cap originally proposed by none other than Ed Miliband in his 2015 Labour manifesto. The morbid conference had a miserable grand finale, and the Prime Minister’s closing speech served only as a gloomy metaphor for the state of the Conservative Party. May’s authority was supposed to permeate throughout the country, only to be entirely undermined by Simon Bodkin’s P45 fiasco. Her voice was supposed exhibit strength and confidence, at times it barely came out as an excruciating squawk. Her message was supposed to inspire the nation, yet even the sign behind her had begun to disintegrate. The lame conference reinforced the tired Conservative message, and accentuated its leader’s distinct vulnerability from not only Jeremy Corbyn but also her own disgruntled party.
Luigi Murton
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he first Conservative Party conference since the disappointing 2017 General Election result contained exciting new policies, speeches, and the setting out of a vision for a truly global Britain. Theresa May set out a progressive wave of new policies to try and attract the “youth” of today. The major policies announced were a freeze of tuition fees at £9,250, a cap on energy prices, and to invest £2 billion for social housing. The freezing of tuition fees is a pragmatic and strategic way to win back voters. Dissecting the policy further, Mrs May also told the media that students would not have to pay anything back until their salary is over
£25,000, previously it was £21,000. Some journalists have argued that this is purely desperation to attract voters, however this is a sensible step to ensure that young people are given greater leeway without simply borrowing and throwing money at the problem, as Jeremy Corbyn would have it. Theresa May’s speech, despite being interrupted by comedian Lee Nelson and suffering from a severe cold, was inspirational. She apologised for her “Presidential” election campaign, but she inspired us members for the bright and fantastic future we will live in after Brexit.
She inspired us members for the bright and fantastic future we will live in after Brexit However, the most noticeable and necessary element of the speeches from Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister, was that they finally understood that Jeremy Corbyn is a threat. Whilst everyone at the Conservative Party conference knows Corbyn’s policies are pure fantasy, the members acknowledged that they must engage and connect with the youth and working-class to prevent the UK going back to the 1970’s. Although the mass-media decided to cover the front pages with embarrassment and humilitation, Mrs May unintentionally gained more respect than ever before. This conference is undoubtedly going to be a turning point but whether it is for the better or worse is worryingly unpredictable.
While it still remains, Orestis Katsoulis makes an appeal to our decency and humanity
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It is important to remember that none of us would choose to flee our homes The situation in Italy is similar, if not worse, with more than 150000 refugees living in scattered camps across the country, of whom only 25000 are estimated to have been integrated into the system and are able to provide for themselves. The rest end up starving and are forced to work in substandard conditions, earning scarcely enough to feed their families, while often having to rely on Non-Gov-
ernmental Organisations (NGOs) to provide them with food, shelter and medicine. One such NGO is called Help Refugees, which despite having been formed only two years ago by a group of friends, has already become one of the UK’s most prominent and efficient humanitarian organisations. Through its ‘Choose Love’ campaign, the generous donations it receives and the work of its admirable volunteers, Help Refugees has been able to raise funds, together with substantial amounts of food, clothes and medicine, which thanks to the organisation’s lack of governmentlike bureaucracy have been able to be quickly delivered where they are needed the most. In this way, the organisation has managed to become the biggest facilitator of grassroots aid on the continent.
Forced to live in makeshift camps with barely enough food Since its creation, Help Refugees has provided aid to refugee camps in multiple countries, from the ‘Calais Jungle’ camp in France, which was closed about a year ago, and more recently, to the scattered camps on the Greek islands and across Italy. In late 2015, the organisation funded 30 doctors to go to the Greek island of Lesbos, where the overwhelming number of refugees combined with the poor sanitary conditions had contributed to an outbreak of infectious diseases. Today, besides supplying the refugee camps with tons of fruit and vegetables, Help Refugees is funding more than 80 different projects across 10 countries. Two of these include the launching of rescue boats in the Mediterranean and the relocation of refugees that are most vulnerable, out of the crowded camps and into actual homes. However, Help Refugees have not limited them-
COMMENT’S HOME OF WEEKLY RANTS
HUNTING FOR HUMANITY Megan McManus
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wonder if the Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt realises the irony of his attempts to visit northern hospitals. As a feeling human and somebody who has worked within the NHS, I take his visits as an insult. An insult not only to the values of compassion and sympathy, but also to the medical profession, and the National Health Service so vital to the United Kingdom and its values of democracy. Do not misunderstand me – I do not attack Mr Hunt personally, nor do I harbour any bad feeling toward him. He is a man, a human, and as such has the capacity to both feel and think, and consequently, act. It is his actions thus far I take issue with. Mr Hunt has a conscience, and I urge him to follow this rather than Tory pressure and the promise of profit. Reform or resign Mr Hunt, and please do it quickly.
DEMOCRATIC BLUES
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Refugee Crisis: Choose Love ven though the media frenzy surrounding it has largely died down, the refugee crisis remains a very pressing issue for many European countries, most notably Greece and Italy, which have been the primary points of influx of migrants, as well as Germany and Sweden, where the number of asylum applications submitted has been the highest. Unfortunately, it’s been even more of an issue for the refugees themselves, most of whom have fled their countries to escape war and poverty, and have endured weeks or even months of a long and dangerous journey, hoping to eventually reach European asylum-granting countries. An astonishing estimated number of about 14000 refugees have been stranded on several Greek islands, such as Lesvos, Chios and Samos, (to name just a few) where they are forced to live in makeshift camps and tents, in poor sanitary conditions and with barely enough food to go around. In Athens, as well as in other Greek cities, approximately 48000 refugees find themselves sleeping on the pavement, benches and in shop doorways, while looking for ways to ensure a day’s meal and often falling victims to exploitation.
SOAPBOX
selves just to fundraising and donations. This past June, the organisation worked with Leigh Day Solicitors (which represented them pro bono in court) on a case challenging the British government’s decision to discontinue the Dubs scheme, the purpose of which was to grant asylum to an unspecified number of unaccompanied child refugees and bring them to the UK. Supporters of the Dubs scheme advocated that the UK had the capacity to offer asylum to approximately 3000 children, but after only 200 had been relocated, the British government announced that the scheme would be stopped and capped at 350, claiming that there were not enough homes to house more children.
Help Refugees is funding more than 80 different projects across 10 countries Due to a previous legal challenge brought forth by Help Refugees, the British government admitted that an administrative error had caused them to miss 130 additional places, increasing the number of children that would be relocated to 480. Help Refugees, along with other supporters of the Dubs scheme are still not satisfied and are insisting that the British government reopens the Dubs scheme, and that a more thorough consultation with local authorities is carried out, in the hope that this will maximise the number of children that will be relocated. In these tough times, it is important to remember that none of us would choose to flee our homes. None of us choose to become refugees. But maybe all of us can ‘Choose Love’. More information about Help Refugees available on their website: https://helprefugees.org.uk/
Joe Holloran
he events in Las Vegas on 1 October were a magnified example of a systemic problem in the ‘most advanced’ nation on Earth, America. More American citizens have been killed by gun violence since 1968, than in the entirety of all US-involved wars in the nation’s history. A total of 1,516,863 people gunned down on US soil. So, why has nothing been done? The answer is simple. Money. More specifically, National Rifle Assosciation bucks to Republican Senators and Representatives. A comparative survey found that around 87 % of Americans citizens, sampled equally from both parties, want some form of tougher gun control passed. The only hope is that the weak-kneed Democratic Party cobbles together some form of spine and promises to take definitive action against the gun lobby and introduce federally mandated controls, then win overwhelmingly in elections. Until such a time, massacres like this will continue. The politicians will ask for ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ from the grieving public whilst sitting on their own hands.
CRINGE CREW
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Lou Skunt
fter spending a lot time on campus, having to be around the freshers’ crew, I can’t not rant about them. Imagine being a fresh-faced eighteen-yearold, coming to university, to have someone in their early 20s dressed up in fluorescent leggings and a goofy mask greeting you at your halls. On my freshers’ week, I felt personally patronised by it. Getting told off someone dressed up as a donkey telling you how to cross a road, what fresher really expects that from university? It’s sad to think that for the past two weeks, Newcastle has been full of absolute charlatans dancing about in the street with little dignity, singing ‘All Star’ and just being, I find, genuinely annoying. Places like Bath Lane, once a sacred battle ground between Newcastle and Sunderland fans, have now been turned into a laughing stock due to parades of some of the wettest young adults in existence.
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the courier
student voice
Big chat: Sarah Craggs
Monday 16 October 2017
James Sproston talks campaigns, harassment and litter with NUSU’s Welfare Officer Alcohol Awareness Week has been in full swing, give us an idea of what’ve you been up to? From Monday through to Wednesday we’ve focused on harm reduction. That was mainly messages of implications of consuming alcohol. On Monday we sent out widespread messages to all social secs with information and consequences about initiations. On Tuesday we had Mind The Gap in, so to tie in with World Mental Health Awareness Day we focused on the effect of alcohol and drugs on the mental wellbeing of students. Then yesterday [Wednesday] we had The Public Health in, who had a stall giving out information on ‘how much is too much?’. They gave more information on how different people react differently to drugs and alcohol, which is something we really want students to get their head around. We also had the Healthy Relationships Forum from Relate, which was an open discussion about the link between a healthy social relationship and alcohol and drugs; so that might include how we’d respond differently to social situations when we’re intoxicated. Is there anything else going on? Today [Thursday] the police are coming in giving information about laws around drinking and drugs, using beer goggles and Breathalysers. They’re well worth trying out, but if you don’t get the chance we’re running the week again later in the year when we’ll have the police puppers in. What do you want to get out of it? What do you want the students to take away from it? A key message from all this is to change the culture in the long term, whereby societies and clubs have socials that are less orientated around drinking, and more around what the club or society does. Hopefully there will be some wake-up calls this week, like learning that there are 70 units in a litre of spirit, but we don’t want to stop people drinking, just encourage it to be more responsible. What has the response been like from the students? Have they taken well to it? It was always going to be a difficult campaign to run in a student city like Newcastle with such a strong drinking culture, but I do think the response has improved from previous years. Getting the police in and giving the campaign more emphasis has helped, but it’s all part of the longer term process of changing the culture here in Newcastle to one where socials aren’t defined by alcohol, and drug-use is at a point where students have access to enough material that will help them take care of themselves. Next week is LINKS’ Save A Life Week. What’s the premise? LINKS are leading a health and safety campaign about emergency medical care in conjunction with St John’s ambulance, basically increasing general awareness about it and conducting resuscitation training.
Housing Week is the week after. What are the big issues involved with that? The whole reason we run the week is to ensure that students, especially first years, don’t rush into signing housing contracts within the first few months of term. No one wants to be stuck with people you don’t want to live with, so don’t feel pressured into putting pen to paper anytime soon. There’ll be information in the Student Advice Centre and in the housing supplement that’ll be written for The Courier. So what exactly is the housing fair? It’s down in Venue in November, with welfare support there for advice and community links to provide a bit more knowledge about the areas that you can live in. There’ll be a handful of agents down there but they’ll be chosen very carefully because there are plenty out there that you should avoid, and we’ll tell you a bit more about them during the week. I was charged £200 for a non-existent stain on my carpet so knowing who’s got a good track record is so important. They can’t make you sign up there and then, but they’re there to show you what they’ve got on offer.
They’ll be chosen very carefully because there are plenty out there that you should avoid You and the AU Officer are looking to run a Nutrition Week before the Winter holidays, is there anything you can tell us about that? Yeah both Clara and myself have a vested interest in nutrition, and long-term my personal aim is to provide healthier food on campus, which the VC [Vice-Chancellor Chris Day] is on board with so it’s a win-win. During the week, we’ve got cooking workshops down in Venue, a smoothie bike outside the SU, and soup in a bag. That last one might not sound so appealing, but Go Volunteer are doing demonstrations outside the SU to show how to make homemade soup. Anything else exciting happening during Nutrition Week? There’s a breakfast club that we’re running in the sports centre where we’ll give out butties and energy bars out to the athletes taking part in those pre-8am sessions. Amongst other speakers, we’re also hoping to get Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in to speak as a representative of Newcastle Can. By the time the week rolls around we’ll have loads more on as well, so stay tuned. Moving on to quite a serious subject, sexual harassment cases have been quite prevalent over the last few weeks. How do you and the Union sup-
Student Council set to kick off
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tudent Council’s back in session on Thursday, and whilst the first motions of this academic year seem merely administrative in appearance, they could, should you feel so inclined, be greatly influential on student democracy. Wow, that sentence was probably the dullest thing I’ve ever written. Right, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of the first Council of the year! Firstly, the lovely annual policy review. Every year, a bucketload of Union policy lapses and we need to decide whether it’s still applicable or not. If it’s not, we take it to Council to get removed. With it being a business motion it’s usually bashed through pretty quickly, but it you’ve got issue with the removing of some policy, you’re free to ask questions. Things pick up from here, I promise – Clara and Becca, our AU and Activities Officers, have proposed a motion to clarify some of the union’s documents. Someone had to carry on Chris Duddy’s legacy of admin motions, right? So, this clarifies the complaints procedure, as over the last year, we had some complex and difficult complaints to get to and no idea where it was supposed to go. Makes sense to fix it, right? Or are you not happy with
who’s seeing to certain complaints? You know the phrase “leave the best till last”? Between our President, Education officer and my predecessor, who I would imagine is loving having her freedom from the mantle of impartiality, we’ve got a pair of motions which impact the power of Scrutiny Committee, who decide what motions get through, and the election of PTOs. We’ll start with the former: The plan would be, should the motion pass, the Scrutiny Committee would be able to decide what a “repeat motion” would be, and repeat motions would not be able to pass through Council during an academic year. This would mean you get one shot a year to pass a Council motion. Does this add weight to Council? Does this infringe on student ability to change their union? Is it limiting to single year students who want to make change? You can decide. The latter allows for PTOs to nominate themselves during Student Council should the role be unfilled during elections. It’s an exciting way to make sure roles are filled, but does it limit who can run? Is it a perfect solution to a lack of representation, or a contribution to election fatigue? Come along. Argue your side. Get some pizza.
port students that may have been affected by this or similar incidents in the future? We have so much on offer, so we really just need to make sure the awareness is there. So there’s a lot of support within the SU and the University itself. We’re implementing a policy called ‘changing the culture’, where there is a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment of any sort. Specific to the Students’ Union, you can come see myself as Welfare and Equality Officer to help you take the next few steps. Under our ‘health and support’ page on the NUSU website, we have a section called ‘It’s Not Ok’, which is a disclosure form that can be submitted if harassment occurs. We’re working with the It Happens Here Society to ensure that the form is sensitive to cases of sexual harassment, and it fills the necessary criteria. We also have external support that we can signpost students to as well, such as the Reach Centre and Arch. Our Student Advice service and the student and campus liaison police officers are open for students to book appointments and drop in, so we have plenty of resources available for support. Lastly, you’re continuing the effort to tidy up Jesmond, what can you tell us about that? Yes, we are! Our Jesmond clean-up happens tomorrow [Friday] and we’re going to continue to do our best to keep Jesmond in the best state possible. Our campaign support worker, Kay Hattam, is training our community reps at the moment, so hopefully that’ll strengthen the Newcastle University presence within and between the community. Do you think Jesmond residents exaggerate the problem? Perhaps. There’s no doubt that Newcastle University’s decision to tackle anti-social behaviour has statistically made Newcastle students look worse on paper than they actually are. Not all universities in Newcastle take the matter seriously, but Newcastle are responding positively to maintain Jesmond as an area with a vibrant community that ensures that its looked after.
Sarah Craggs is breathalysed as a part of Alcohol and Drug Awareness Week Photography: NUSU
the courier Monday October 16 2017
life & style
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@CourierLifestyle c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/lifestyle Life & Style Editor Izzi Watkins Lifestyle Editors Sophie Henderson, Jaymelouise Hudspith, Lauren Sneath & Victoria Young
Blind Date
Ellie Churchill, 3rd Year Law meets Andrew Cleare, 2nd Year Economics and Finance
Ellie on Andrew
Hey Ellie! How did you enjoy your evening? It put a smile on my face. He was so charming and lovely. Andrew was so easy to get along with so it was really enjoyable. I guess the drinks helped too. What did you two get up to? We went for drinks first, and then tapas – I had a very enjoyable evening… When we met at monument he looked like he was up for a good night And what were your first impressions of Andrew? Weird really, but at the start of term I thought he was cute and so gave him my number not realising we would be set up. When we did meet up he was so lovely, probably one of the easiest guys to get on with that I know. Ah so what’s your usual type? Similar to Andrew? Yeah I would say similar!!! I like tall and dark, and being 6ft 6 he definitely ticks the tall box So you were sensing some ‘good vibes’ on the date? Yeah, and we’ve been messaging a little bit since the date…
THE BOTANIST Known for its great cocktails and high prices, The Botanist is a favourite amongst students wanting to impress
What did you talk about at the restaurant? The conversation was about anything and everything, from uni, to our school to home! We come from similar places and so surprisingly had lots of ties to each other, that was interesting!
Andrew on Ellie
Hi Andrew! So.. how was the date?
It was good thanks, yeah… do you want me to elaborate? Preferably! Maybe start with what you did? So we met at Monument, then we went to the Botanist, had a drink there, and then we decided to go to Tapas Revolution in Eldon Square. It was her decision! Would you go back there? The Botanist, nah. Well, I wouldn’t go there again because its quite expensive but we just had drinks. It was near to where I was waiting. So you got there first? I was ten minutes late, then she was ten minutes later. So she was actually 20 minutes late. I’ll have to check my phone and tell you, but we met around 7:30, and then I think it finished about… Ah! Have you been messaging then? No, I’ll have to check to see when I messaged my friends afterwards. I think it finished around 10:45? More about her - what was your first impression? Well, thats actually difficult question to answer. Little did you lot know, I had already met Ellie before. So like, I didn’t know this, but I was approached in the Sports Centre and someone just gave me their number on a piece of paper and said “text me”. And then I was like “okay” but it literally happened in fifteen seconds. And then I left, and it turns out you’d put me on a date with the girl who gave me her number. I mean some people would say that’s fate… what were your actual first impressions? Looks-wise, I thought she was very pretty. Personality she was confident, funny, charismatic. I don’t really know what else to say!
Obviously I offered!!! But yes! It was very chivalrous…
It turns out you put me on a date with the girl who gave me her number
And now for the most important question, is another date on the cards?
Do you think there will be a second date?
Hahaha… erm yeah, I think so
We said we’d go on another one, but who knows. I took the bill and then she offered to pay for the next one.
We heard he covered the bill! Were you impressed?
And out of 10, how would you rate your date overall? I think I’d give the date an 8.5 out of ten! I’m glad I did it! Thanks Ellie!
Fancy a date? We’ll set you up. Contact us! Find us on The Courier Lifestyle Writers 2017/2018 Facebook page or drop us an email at c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk
So another date is on the cards? Maybe… who knows, as I’ve said. You’d have to ask her that! Finally… what would you rate the date out of ten? I’ve pretty much described why, and I’ll give it a 9/10. That’s high Yeah, I think we just got on well! She could rate it a 4 but I’ll have to wait and see.
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the courier
life & style lifestyle
Recipe of the Week with Hope Coke Aubergine, lentil and tomato boats
Image Credit @Hope Coke
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s autumn begins, I find myself leaning towards hearty, warming recipes for something a little bit cosy. This dish is just the sort of seasonal comfort food you need, with gently spiced, meltingly soft aubergine as the perfect vehicle for a rich tomato and lentil topping. It’s a great vegan main alongside a rice, grain or salad, but would also work well as a side dish to meat or fish. Serves 2 Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil 1 aubergine 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 red onion 120g dark brown or green lentils 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp paprika or chilli powder 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Salt, to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Using a sharp knife, carefully halve the aubergine lengthways, leaving the stem attached (it’s just to look pretty – don’t eat it). Take the halves and score each one in a lattice pattern with a sharp knife. Make sure to cut fairly deep into the flesh of the aubergine so that it cooks all the way through, but not through to the skin. Rub a little olive oil onto a baking tray to stop the aubergine skin sticking to it, and place the halves cut side up on the tray. Drizzle about a tablespoon of oil over each half and rub it into the flesh, then scatter the cumin and cinnamon over each half and again rub evenly over the cut side. Sprinkle over a couple of pinches salt, then place the tray in the oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes, until it’s cooked all the way through. It will shrink down a little as it cooks and the flesh should be really soft when it’s done. If it finishes cooking before the lentil topping is ready, remove the aubergine from the oven and set aside. Meanwhile, start on the topping. Warm a saucepan over a medium heat and add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Peel and finely dice the red onion and add into the pan with a generous pinch of salt and the cumin seeds. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and the cumin fragrant. Rinse your lentils in a sieve, then tip into the saucepan along with the tin of chopped tomatoes, nutmeg, paprika or chilli powder and balsamic vinegar and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer, adjusting the hob heat if needed, then put a lid on the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the tomato sauce has thickened. The time needed will vary depending on the lentils so check your packet for directions. If yours take longer then you may need to add a little water to stop all the liquid evaporating as the lentils cook. By the end, you want most of the liquid to have boiled off, leaving lentils that are tender but still hold their shape in a thick tomato sauce. When the lentil tomato mixture is done, spoon it generously over each aubergine half. You could also top the boats with crumbled feta cheese, or serve with a side salad. The dish great hot from the oven but also works slightly warm or even at room temperature if you’re having it as part of a spread and are worried about timing, and the lentil/tomato topping can be packaged up and reheated if you have any leftovers.
Monday 16 October 2017
Restaurantreview:FatHippoUnderground
Melissa Kuman shares her thoughts on the firm favourite amongst Newc’s students
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t’s popular, it serves good food and it’s legendary. Fat Hippo has been a part of my life for many years now- it’s safe to say I’m a fan! There are currently two Fat Hippo Newcastle: Fat Hippo Underground (Shakespeare Street) and ‘the original’ Fat Hippo, Jesmond. Their locally sourced burgers, tempting desserts, warm hospitality and edgy decor ensure a supremely relaxing base in both locations. I went to Fat Hippo Underground which, with the exposed brick, jam jar lights and bare metal pipes, had a chilled and edgy atmosphere. They serve US inspired specialist burgers along with classic sides such as Mac ‘n’ Cheese balls. Their focus is on serving the best ingredients, transformed into comfort food. They have great friendly service in a relaxed, chilled environment and (good to know!) they even have 5* hygiene rating. When I visited Fat Hippo Underground I had ‘Hangover 3’, which is a succulent, crispy buttermilk chicken burger with melted cheese, bacon and sweet BBQ sauce with proper hand cut chips, all for £9.50. It was a joy to eat. Even though I was stuffed, there is always room
They have a great, friendly service in a relaxed, chilled environment for dessert and I couldn’t say no to warm cookie dough pie served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, all for £5.50. The cookie dough wasn’t too sickly to my surprise and ice cream tasted like a good quality dairy ice cream. I love how they encourage a “roll up your sleeves” and “get dirty” attitude, with cutlery served in enamel mugs and kitchen roll on each table. To top of a Fat Hippo Burger, wash it down with a naughty, indulgent shake or an independent beer (My personal favourite shake is Jack Daniel’s, peanut butter, honey and creamy vanilla ice cream) and I will let you into a secret… join the loyalty scheme ‘The Herd’ and get access to their secret menu with much more! Fat Hippo have a special lunch price Monday to Thursday 12-4 and Friday 11-4 where a burger and
Image: Intsagram @Fat Hippo fries is £6. Not only do the Fat Hippo offer their happy lunch hour at a bargain price, they also offer an early bird special dinner menu – the Fat Hippo Happy hour between 5pm-6pm Monday to Friday. Treat yourself to one main course for £8.50 or if you’re treating yourself two or even three courses all for less than £13. You can’t get much better value for money. I thought the chunky peanut butter and bacon jam burger sounded tasty. If you are a veggie, no problem - they also serve vegetarian burgers such as spicy bean burgers with mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, rocket and pesto mayo! End score 4/5. Fat Hippo is a great place to get together with friends and catch up over a burger. Definitely worthy of a journey!
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£16
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‘Hangover 3’ succulent, crispy buttermilk chicker burger with melted cheese, bacon and sweet bbq sauce Proper hand cut thick skin on chips Warm cookie dough pie served with a side of vanilla ice cream
Working up a sweat with HotPod Yoga In a fitness-mad society, the daring Sara Macauley reports back from HotPod yoga
S
itting on the sofa binge watching First Dates? I’m there. Sweating it out in the gym until my legs are about to drop off? I’m probably only there if you’ve promised me a KFC afterwards. HotPod Yoga was something I’d heard of but had always been too scared to try. The images of fit yoga gals I’d seen namast-aying all over Instagram were impressive, but not inspiring enough to get me off my backside and into a heated tent full of strangers. When The Courier sent me on a mission to scout out Jesmond’s latest fitness craze, I
Image Credit “Sara Macauley
was worried, but my interest had been piqued and I decided to give it a whirl.
Our muscles were stretched, challenged and worked like never before HotPod Yoga, in case you’ve never heard of it, is yoga performed in - well, a hot pod. The inflatable tent-type contraption is heated to a sweat-inducing 37 degrees, and houses about 20 yoga lovers at a time. Upon my friend and I’s arrival at HotPod Yoga Newcastle, we were greeted by our lovely instructor who assured us that as beginners, we a) wouldn’t collapse and b) would be able to take breaks and sips of water whenever we liked. This calmed us a LOT, as self-confessed exercise-phobes we’d been a little concerned that we’d be thrown into a class full of experts and end up falling behind (or onto the floor). The pod was delightfully scented and surprisingly not as hot as I’d expected. We decided to pick a spot in the centre of the pod (cooler, apparently) and stretched on our own personal yoga mats, provided by the venue. The class started off easily, with a simple ‘child’s pose’ to get our muscles warmed up. Dear sweet reader, don’t be deceived. The class is not easy. During the course of an hour, our muscles were stretched, challenged and worked like never before. I was surprised at the amount of core strength
it took to hold myself in some of the poses, and I had nothing but total respect for our instructor who managed the splits on a number of occasions. I stuck to the lowest level poses, but the class allows room for more intermediate yoga enthusiasts to try a slightly harder pose while the rest of us newbies sweated and swore quietly under our breath. The session was chilled and calm, and at no point was I so out of breath I thought I was going to have an embolism, as is often the case in the gym. I fell in love. If you’re looking for a thorough workout with a difference, then HotPod Yoga Newcastle is the venue for you. The sessions are priced at £10 each, with a few different membership options for those wanting to go more often.
At no point was i so out of breath I thought I was going to have an embolism, as is often the case in the gym If, however, you’re a bit of a penny-pincher like me, then I’ve got some good news – NUSU’s Give it a Go will be running sessions with Hot Pod Yoga throughout the year at discounted prices, so you have no excuse not to give it a try. Check out www. nusu.co.uk/giag for more details. See you in the pod!
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the courier
Monday 16 October 2017
A freshers’ guide to The Toon
With Freshers’ week over, Holly Margerrison provides an essential Newc checklist
F
irst Year – new people, pasta and getting plastered. Somehow, every fresher finds themselves tumbling down the rabbit hole and into a state of blissful oblivion where the ‘drink me’ bottles are bottomless and the ‘eat me’ labels are all too tempting. But what about the culture? What about the side of Newcastle that no-one ever mentions? There are copious activities awaiting you keen beans, but sometimes it’s just a matter of knowing where to start. For those creative members amongst you, the Baltic Art Gallery boasts some quirky exhibitions year-round.
Image: @ Richard Dorrell
This contemporary artwork appeals to those who enjoy the highly interactive space. Last year I attended the ‘Disappearance at Sea’ exhibition – thought provoking pieces exemplifying the journey undertaken by migrants and refugees to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Their virtual reality sec-
tion became a focal point in allowing audiences to engage with a current and incomprehensible matter. It’s useful to check the Baltic’s website and see what’s on before you go – or alternatively sashay across for a pleasant surprise. As the Baltic is located at the Quayside, it’s also worth a mosey round the surplus of restaurants and cafes. Of course, as a fresher it’s also imperative you get some squad snaps by the impressive Millennium Bridge before slumping in one of the deck chairs on the small patch of sand. For a more authentic beach experience, hop on the metro to Tynemouth to clear out those fresher’s lungs with some salty sea air. A day out in Tynemouth is a cheap yet cheerful adventure promising childlike nostalgia. The vast beaches are ideal for those romantic strolls – or just a competitive game of rounders… For the thrill seekers, a dip in the sea will get your adrenaline rushing (and most likely your body suffering from a solid case of pneumonia). No fear though – just off the beach you can warm up with a stodgy tray of fish and chips and a friendly round of Crazy Golf. Similarly, if you feel the need to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, a short fifteen-minute train ride can do just that and land you in the quaint City of Durham. Packed with historic monuments and cobbled streets, Durham encourages a slower pace of life (and perhaps even a little rivalry with Durham University students!). A combination of boutique and high street shops curve round the main square, as well as some tasty brunch spots to kick start your day with. If you’re a closet Harry Potter
fan, make sure you Slytherin to Durham’s cathedral to relive some of the movies famous scenes!
tions and clear, organised budgeting tips. Also don’t forget to make the most of student deals. Newcastle is jam-packed with student discounts so don’t forget to flash your student card or NUS card at any given opportunity. If it wasn’t before, happy hour should be your new best friend.
Image: @ a.mina on Flickr Get your friends down to the pub during this sweet and cheap time to save a few pounds. Another way of saving some money is throwing
If you fancy staying closer to Newcastle itself however, a venture into Jesmond never goes a miss. Osbourne Road is teeming with quirky cocktail bars and eggs benedict brunches that are sure to make your Instagram pop. Whilst you’re in the area it’s also worth browsing round potential houses for second year. In reality, Newcastle offers an extensive list of pastimes that make stepping out your Uni halls worthwhile. Immerse yourself in this vibrant city bursting with backdrops, beaches and brilliance. Your adventure in wonderland awaits you.
Image: @TomChance on Flickr
it back to your school days with a packed lunch. If you know you’re going to be in university over lunch time, why not pack yourself a yummy lunch the night before or in the morning before you get going? And if you’re feeling super thrifty, you can even fill up a flask with tea or coffee so you can get your caffeine kick for nothing when you’re out and about on campus. If you’re finding that you spend a shameful amount of your money on alcohol then here are a few ways to cut back. Perhaps think about not taking your card out with you on a night out. If you pre hard enough, like I’m sure you can, then you won’t need to buy any drinks out. Also you will decrease your chances of having a heart attack when you see your bank statement the next morning which is always a bonus. Alternatively, if going out isn’t your jam then that’s good times for your bank balance and your liver so it’s a win-win. Go you! Finally, let’s talk food. Lidl and Aldi are the cheapest and even though you might not get the brands you are used to, it tastes exactly the same and is half the price. If you or your housemates have a car, you can all bundle in together and do a weekly shop. Friends who go to Lidl together stay together. Happy saving!
Surviving long distance relationships at university Kaine Laidlaw shares his advice for dealing with being apart from your other half
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any students who have just moved to university will have quickly discovered that long distance relationships can be, quite frankly, horrendous. Being separated from your partner, be it a few hours away on a train or even in a different country, is awful, and it’s rare that you hear someone with anything positive to say on the subject. It’s easy to feel paranoia and uncertainty as you wonder if your significant other still feels the same way- but they don’t have to be so hard. There are lots of ways to keep the romance alive while apart. The most important thing to do is communicate. Whilst obvious, it can be harder than it seems, especially with clashing schedules, time differences and deadlines that pop up at inconvenient times. Planning conversations with one another is of course ideal, but remember that sometimes finding enough time to physically talk is tough. However, no matter how many texts you send each other, talking properly over the phone or video calling is always better. Even in a particularly busy week, working around this and making time to talk for
just an hour or so makes all the difference and can help evade doubts.
Maintaining contact in an organic way is necessary Although keeping in contact as much as possible is the best thing to do in a long distance relationship, it’s also key to respect each other’s boundaries and free time. Sometimes your partner might feel exhausted and want to rest when you want to talk. Other times you might feel like they are pestering you when you’re trying to do work on assignments. Maybe you both just want to go on a night out to let your hair down after a rough week. The best thing to do in moments like these is to just be honest. You may feel harsh or a little bothered, but that
Rant of the Week: Pushy Promoters Jaymelouise Hudspith lets loose her views on the menace that is promoters
A day out in Tynemouth is a cheap yet cheefrul adventure promising childlike nostalgia
How to make your Student Loan stretch Stay on target with money this year with the help of Izzy Wauchope’s handy tips S o I don’t know about you, but every time my student loan comes in, I start spending like I’m Kanye; self-restraint flies out the window and my account balance plummets faster than you can say ‘overdraft’. After a round of much needed self-reflection I’ve decided that as much as my loan makes me think otherwise, I am not a millionaire but merely a student who needs to learn the true definition of the word budget. So here are a few ideas to make that loan last. As soon as your loan comes in, transfer the majority of it straight into your savings account. Work out how much money you think you’ll spend each day for a week and leave that amount in your normal account for you to use for the next seven days or so. This way you will be able to regulate your spending much more easily and hopefully keep yourself from buying those extra drinks or ordering in that food when you’re feeling sorry for yourself, hungover on a Saturday. Additionally, if you’re money is sat in a savings account there is a chance you can earn benefit from a higher interest rate. Another way of doing this is getting yourself a Monzo card which essentially helps you monitor your spending with real-time spending notifica-
lifestyle life & style
will pass, and will eliminate mutual frustration. If you can manage to do so (and afford the travel costs) visiting each other is brilliant when competing with distance. Make the distance temporary. I can’t talk enough about how much this has helped my girlfriend and me when we’ve been struggling with stress and feeling lonely. Not only will this bring you together for a short while, it’s something to look forward to, and that feeling of excitement might be exactly what you need if you’re finding things difficult. In addition to this, planning different activities or trips with each other can be just as helpful. In short, a long distance relationship can be very hard, but can be improved by mutual understanding and communication. Maintaining contact in an organic way is necessary, and travelling to be with each other when possible makes a huge impact. You may even find that distance makes you appreciate everything and the time you have together even more than before you were apart.
I
Image: Publicdomainpictures
t doesn’t matter which day of the week you go out, they’ll be stood on every street corner from Collingwood Street to Northumberland Street. No matter how hard you try - crossing the street, zero eye contact, a brisk walk straight passed, nothing works; you cannot avoid them or the leaflets they throw in your face. You know exactly who I mean, pushy, persistent, club promotion staff. The easiest way you can identify them is by their obvious and basic fashion choices. There must have been a sale somewhere on oversized puffer jackets, Adidas original trainers, vintage sweatshirts and denim skirts. They think they look so cool and are the highlights of edgy fashion when in reality they look homeless and unoriginal. Much like birds they’ll often flock together in groups of three or more staggered along the pavement, taking up as much space as possible to established their dominance. You know, it’s hard to be an egotistical jackass when they don’t have their brainless clones at their side to back up their crap deals and re-establish their masculinity when you say turn them down. To those of you not used to dealing with promotion teams it can come off as intimidating and daunting. Especially when it’s a group of men so tall that they literally look down on you when they speak but just remember their image and self-esteem is often more fragile than the heels you’re wearing. Nine out of ten seem incapable of taking no for an answer, looking at you like you’ve just broken their heart by turning them down. Never the less they’ll continue to shove their lame deals and false promises of cheap entry and free drinks down your throat – knowing full well they’ll disappear and never keep up their end of the barging. Often insulting and cursing you for turning down their deal of the century or shouting more empty promises at you half way down the street because being nice guys finish last but dickheads always win, right?
They think they’re cool, when in reality they look homeless and unoriginal Sometimes it’s enough to make you consider staying home but thanks to our tech savvy generation staying home doesn’t mean you’re free from them. They always seem to find you on Facebook just in time to spam you with twenty thousand event requests with special guest DJ’s you’ve never heard of, at clubs you’d never consider and with drink deals on their spectacular watered-down vodka. Every once in a while, you’ll think there is a silver lining to their insistent annoyance like a cheap deal for a table at your favourite club, maybe even a free bottle. You think you’re all set but then the night arrives, you meet them in the street into the club you go and suddenly they’re nowhere to be found and your free drinks haven’t appeared. Part of me feels sympathetic towards the nuisance that is promotion staff trying to earn a living with the allure of a cheap nights out. The joys of student life huh?
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James Fort
Monica
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a good pair of boots, especially with the rain and cold weather Newcastle has to offer. In terms of whats avaliable on the high street at the moment, ASOS is always a hit and they have a great collection of jumpers, jackets and all things Autumn. Take some inpso from our fabulous models and make your statement in the autumn season.
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Outfit: Jacket; Mango, Dress; H&M, Shoes; Nike
Outfit: Jacket; Asos, Shirt; Asos, Shoes: Topman
Outfit: Jacket; Asos, Cap; Stone Island, Shoes; Saucony
Outfit: Trousers; Zara, Jumper; Zara, Scarf; Zara
Outfit: Jacket; Asos, Shoes; Doc Martin, Scarf; Zara
Favourite shop: Zara
Favourite shop: Asos
Favourite shop: UO
Favourite shop: UO
Favourite shop: Asos
Corduroy makes a high street comeback Nimra Rafique discusses the revival of this firm favourite 1970’s trend on this year’s catwalk A three stayed true to the 1970’s staple corduroy look, showcasing dark, muted earthy hues, from burnt sienna jackets to warm toned loose trousers.
This vintage trend can be easily adapted to appeal to a modern day audeince However, there were some designers who decided to divert from the typical colour palette attached to corduroy, and experimented with bright, bold colours. For example, baby blue corduroy was displayed in Nina Ricci’s collection, as well as dusty pinks in Mulberry’s, and powder blue at Ermanno Scervino’s show. This shows how this vintage trend can be adapted to appeal to a modern-day audience and can be easily evolved to complement the current fashion industry. The impact of this trend is exhibited in Vogue Magazine’s
£60 itters, Urban Outf
August issue, where power couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik wear the vintage fabric in the Prada “Gender Bending” photoshoot. Corduroy has also hit the highstreets this season, with a wide range to choose from in Zara, from a true 70s inspired corduroy mini skirt for £19.99, to corduroy high-heel ankle boots at £69.99. This trend is not just limited to adults, but can be worn by children as well, with Zara offering many corduroy pieces in their children section, such as vintage-inspired corduroy dungarees, which further demonstrates the versatility of this trend. Other high-street shops that are showing their love for corduroy include H&M, New Look, and Topshop. Corduroy has been a highly adored trend for a long time, and still has the capability to stay relevant and appeal to a modern audience. This may be due to its practicality as it is a thick, comfortable material that can be adapted into endless fashion pieces, from jackets to skirts to trousers. The fact that it keeps cropping up in British high-street fashion can only be helped by its ability to withstand cold weather conditions, which is a must-do when it comes to British autumn/winter fashion!
Pinafore dress; Topshop, £66
utumn has officially commenced, which means it’s time to upgrade your wardrobe and prepare for the cold months ahead. Autumn is always a favourite season amongst fashionistas due to the array of trends that arise; this season, one of those key trends is corduroy. This thick, durable fabric, lined with velvet ribs, made its claim to fame back in the 1970’s, ranging from bell-bottoms, classic corduroy skirts, and popular corduroy blazers worn by everyone who was anyone. Celebrities in the 1970’s, such as The Brady Bunch star David Cassidy and model Twiggy, were big fans of corduroy clothing, and it soon became a staple fashion trend. It has travelled through time appreciated by many; from young Tom Cruise in a dark brown long corduroy jacket to Kendell Jenner, spotted in high-waisted wide burgundy corduroy trousers whilst casually shopping in LA earlier this year. The corduroy craze seems to be making a comeback this season, and it was spotted incessantly on this year’s autumn/winter catwalk. Among the many designers who incorporated the vintage trend into their collection, were Marc Jacobs, Prada, and Tony Burch. All
Jeans;
Also, Balenciaga has teamed up with Crocs. This unusual coupling has released the new ‘The Foam line’ collection of shoes. These shoes have a 10-centimeter Crocs platform! The shoes will come in beige, yellow, green and pink colours and will be available in Balenciaga shops next Spring. The pictures are startling… It would be impossible to not mention the H&M designer collaborations that have become so globally popular over the past few years. H&M have already worked with Balmain, Kenzo, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang and Versace. And, they have just this month announced the launch of a new collection for women and men with Erdem which will no doubt attract many high porfile fans, including the Duchess of Cambridge; Kate Middleton, who has been seen sporting Erdem dresses countless times. For all lingerie-angel-lovers there is the Victoria’s Secret and Balmain collaboration! They have created a limited edition capsule collection which is going to be in Victoria’s Secret stores from the 29th of November. The most unusual match-up is between 83-yearold fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and Vans. The famed designer has created the collection of Vans Classics sneakers with six different interpretations, as well as t-shirts and backpacks. Moreover, Vans and Opening Ceremony have announced a limited edition ‘Glossy Pack’ collection. The collection presents a high-shine version of the Vans Classic sneakers in lime, orange, lemon, white and black colours. Designer collaborations are important as they create the unusual pairings for products that bring in interest from the customers of both brands. They present a good opportunity for brands to tap into other markets and reinvent themselves with younger crowds.
grey/black as you like! Autumn fashion is all about finding great picks and being able to co-ordinate them with any outfit, espeically coats as they are pretty expensive to have an entire collection. Shoewise I think trainers with everything are alw ays a safe bet and again once you have one pair that will match with anything, you’re sorted. Once winter hits it would also be a great idea to invest in
Skater
Times have changed with Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga proudly turning to the high street
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his week I went in search of Newcastle student’s best looks for Autumn 2017 and I think you’ll agree, I found some pretty good spots! The look for this season is definitely all about the layers and jumpers. The goal is to keep as warm as possible so think jumpers, scarfs and a signiture jacket to throw on, There is also the option to go as colourful or as
Tops hop, £34
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his year the fashion industry continues astonishing us with surprising designer collaborations. Popular brands such as Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Kenzo and Karl Lagerfeld continue to suprise us with new catwalk collections, created in collaboration with high street brands as a way to entice new customers. This marketing trend, which became popular in 2016, has now hit the fashion industry. Times have changed with Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga proudly turning to the high street. For the fashion industry, this new tendency is important, not just because it helps to create unique, iconic collections which will be always in fashion, but also because it increases the sales of street designers and attracts more customers to high-end fashion. So, let’s look closer at the recent designer collaborations and unpack what surprises fashion has prepared for us and for our credit cards. The first outstanding collaboration is between Louis Vuitton and street wear brand Supreme. Both brands have created the red-white coloured sporty style collection, which includes trainers, jackets, duffel bags and phone cases covered with both iconic logos. Both Louis Vuitton and Supreme want to tempt in edgy millennial with their cool sportswear.
Courier Fashion editor, Chloe Bland, seeks out Newcastle’s most stylish students on campus
Skir t;
Natalya Baranovskaya explores the best of high street collabs
Monday 16 October 2017
Spotted on Campus: Autumn Style
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Recent designer collaborations
the courier
c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska
£66
life & style fashion
Western Style Jacket; Urban Outfitters,
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the courier
@CourierFashion c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk
Monday 16 October 2017
The era of vintage hits Newcastle W
The uniqueness of each item is what has increased the popularity of retro and vintage fashion There are many vintage brands, such as ‘Re/ Done’, which is an online site especially popular with the likes of Cindy Crawford. It sells reworked denim and exclusive items, some dating back to the 50s, such as baseball tees and oversized shirts. However, there are also other cheaper alternatives such as the famed app ‘Depop’ that has made a prominent impact in 2017, as it is a platform for teenagers to sell and buy vintage clothing. Everyone can admit to owning at least one oversized shirt, as it can be worn with practically anything from simply staying at home or going out. It can look especially stylish tied to the side and paired with high-waisted jeans. Another vintage essential that deserves a place in your wardrobe is a denim jacket, which many may think has fallen out of fashion. Yet, this is not the case as they can easily be personalized with iron-on patches or even hand painted to create a more personal touch; whilst for the least creative ones you can simply crop them. This is a technique that many fashion brands like Urban Outfitters and Brandy Melville are using, that will pair perfectly with a cocktail dress for a
night out on the town!
of £15 per kilo! Both students and adults hurried to the NSU to get their deals and 80s inspired looks to add to their collections for the upcoming year. The haul was accompanied by background music in the form of a DJ set that added to the enthusiastic atmosphere
It is for this reason that I attended the ‘Glass Onion Vintage’ and ‘The Vintage Kilo Sale’ fair at the Northumbria Student Union last Sunday. The event took place from 10am until 4pm. The entry fee was £3 before 12pm for those who wanted the best bargains and thereafter £1.50. The fair included clothing pieces of all styles and for almost every occasion! The racks were filled with vintage Levi’s jeans, tie-dye shirts, jumpers and sequin dresses. The collection also featured many renowned brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, Nautica, and Nike. All this came at the small price
of the shoppers. After a long day, with many bags in hand, we can be certain that vintage clothing is becoming more iconic than ever. With each item holding its own story, and having a distinct style, everyone can feel individual and the creator of their own fashion sense. Whilst high-street trends are great, vintage has a unique quality that current designers just can’t compete with. If you visted the vintage sale and can’t get enough, or if you’re in desperate need of an oversized shirt there are some great places in Newcastle to check out.
Image: pexels.com
hotographers are often an understated bunch of people. We mostly see their works on trending Instagram fashion accounts, pausing to admire the avant-garde fashion, quickly tapping on the photo and going on our merry way. It took an unofficial anonymous group of about 40 photographers, called the “The Photographers” to step out, declaring that enough was enough. The hashtag - #NoFreePhotos – is added to photos when uploaded to their Instagram accounts. The objective is to call out the uncredited and unauthorised usage of their photos by brands, influencers and bloggers. Those who still insist on posting without rightful permission will receive a standardised message telling them that they have infringed on the photographer’s intellectual property rights. If the influencer or brand still do not rectify the mistake, the union of photographers will respond to the post with the hashtag #NoFreePhotos, to encourage social shaming and raise attention to the issue. Is it just another digital protest? Maybe. Does it warrant our attention? Definitely.
Shop vintage in The Toon • • • •
Photographers are artists, and the photos they produce showcase their unique artistic flare
Flip - Westgate Road The Yesterday Society Vintage BoutiqueGrainger Market Retro Newcastle- High Bridge Square Night Market at Kommunity- Market Street
encouraged an ensemble of slightly embarrassed walker-by’s to parade down the catwalk. So, despite its distinct similarity to the 11am walk of shame after a night out, it did prove that really anyone can get involved, even if you’re wearing PJ’s and yesterday’s makeup. Audience participation may have been encouraged with signs that promised ‘free chocolate’, which the society members waved around enthusiastically.
The flash mob catwalk reflected the indivdual style of each model and member of society Unlike the array of shows in London Fashion Week last week, this catwalk did not display one designer’s hard work and orchestrated style which later inspires high fashion and high-street fashion alike. Instead, the flash mob catwalk reflected the individual style of each model and member of the society, representing the diversity of street-style and fashion culture in Newcastle. There was a selection of up-to-date looks including some 90’s velvet comebacks, and tribal 00’s feels too. A green velvet skirt caught my eye, which was teamed with a light silk blouse for a sassy office look. Like the catwalks in Milan this September, the show channelled some 70’s vibes; the decade of disco inspired the floaty floral dresses and camel trousers the models wore, which were finished with hoop earrings different makeup looks. A personal favourite was an urban look with an oversized red Adidas t-shirt, matched with a pair of black heels and low blonde pony-tail for a sport-chic finish. The whole atmosphere was
electric, and the models repeated the catwalk after the audience (those that survived from the ordeal of walking down the catwalk in front of the crowd) requested it.
The show wore its message of ‘universal fashion’ proudly, proving that anyone can be involved in fashion The show was orchestrated in an extremely efficient manner; the models were all very professional in elegantly designed outfits, and the music matched the vibes of each look. Hopefully the catwalk show is the start to an extremely promising year for the society. Watch this space as the Fashion Society become one to watch… Image: Kevin Wong
Image: Kevin Wong
Amanda Jane Yap stands up for uncredited photographers at London
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The Fashion Society’s campus catwalk Sophie Schneider reports on the students strutting their stuff outside the Students’ Union P icture this: blaring music, a mirage of smoke revealing various pairs of long legs, and an eclectic spectacle of wavy garms alike. No, I’m not describing a classic World Headquarters event, it was in fact the Newcastle Fashion Society’s Flash Mob on Thursday at 1.30 pm outside the SU. The Newcastle Fashion Society - which was only founded last year - set up the event to dazzle wide-eyed freshers (and all other students alike) to encourage more participation in the society. Much like the flash mobs you see in shopping malls, where anyone from your mate to your Gran gets involved, increasingly more people emerged from the crowd, only recognisable by their on-point outfits. The show wore its message of ‘Universal Fashion’ proud, proving that really anyone can be involved in fashion, by doing a classic bit of audience participation. Usually, those dreaded two words imply the obligation to speak in front of a lecture hall full of classmates, where you’re rejected by the lecturer with a slightly mumbled “Um… yes, sort of like that, but also not…?”. The Fashion Society m e m b e r s reclaimed this phrase, and
fashion life & style
#NoFreePhotos
Federica Mazzilli reveals the secrets to bagging the best bargains at Newcastle’s vintage fairs
ith vintage clothing making its way back into our contemporary society and most of our wardrobes, the trend has become so much more than simply secondhand clothes. The uniqueness of each item is what has increased the popularity of retro and vintage fashion, with even celebrities preferring these clothes to high-end fashion brands.
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As people behind the lenses, photographers can be easily overlooked. It is undeniable that every shot taken could have the potential to rack in a 5-figure sum that could mean loads of exposure for struggling freelancers. On the other hand, it is not all smooth-sailing for influencers. Many influencers are willing to dress themselves for free because it is a fierce competition out there, where the market of influencers is constantly evolving and dispensable. With our modern technology, citizen journalism has become more prevalent than ever. There is no stopping the snapping of photos when models flaunt their red-carpet fashion, whether it is by street-style photographers or regular bystander. Hence, influencers are constantly at the mercy of public scrutiny, which is impossible to keep track of, making the argument of ‘who is not benefitting’influencers or photographers- slightly lopsided. Influencers and photographers are co-dependent on each other, fame cannot be achieved with the absence of either party. The fashion industry, whether brands or influencers, need to be sensitive to the efforts and works of these photographers. It is not always about money, but achieving that rightful recognition and confidence that your abilities are getting you somewhere. No artist would want their works to be disrespected. It is this culture of taking things for granted that makes photographers feel unappreciated when their form of art is equally deserving of recognition like those billion-dollar artworks in galleries. In some ways, photographers are artists, and the photos they produced showcase their unique artistic flair. Most of the approvals would first go to the subject of the photos which are the influencers and models in their trendy gear. Only a handful would comment on the professional photography and even less would seek out the photographer and offer opportunities for collaboration. Hence, the fashion industry should be more conscious on how they properly acknowledge or compensate these photographers, either by giving proper image credits or deserved compensation. Perhaps, going an extra mile and offer chances for collaboration or recommend others who might want to collaborate with these street-style photographers. It may not satisfy those who are looking to take a shortcut to fame, but it would get those photographers well on their way there.
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life & style beauty
You are what you eat Bethany Hinson tells us about the beauty benefits of what we eat
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s summer comes to an end and winter fast approaches, your hair and skin can suffer dryness from the chilly weather. Instead of investing in expensive (and quite frankly, ineffective) products to combat the bad hair days and avoid lathering yourself up like a slug, you can take some easy nutritional pointers, resulting in glossy hair and glowing skin.
Image: Pixabay @27707
Stay Hydrated: It’s an obvious one, but also super effective. Try to drink a minimum of 2 litres a day (which is about 3.5 pints). Studies show we still don’t drink enough water, so fill those bottles up and say bye bye to dry lips. Protein: Get your fill of protein from foods such as eggs, yoghurt, chickpeas, quinoa, and fish. Protein rich foods contain essential aminoacids that your body can’t produce itself - they’re required for hair growth! Omega 3: Foods like salmon, mackerel, and nuts contain the fatty acid omega-3. Consuming omega-3 is important in regulating oil production in your skin and maintaining healthy hair. Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): You will often see this vitamin on the back of hair care products (it’s where haircare giant Pantene Pro-V got their name). Vitamin B5 is found in foods such as mushrooms, cauliflower, and sweet potato, and can result in stronger, faster growing hair.
courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston & Susanne Norris
The Bergdorf controversy
Amanda Goh and Celeste Dsouza discuss the aftermath of L’Oréal’s controversial decision to fire transgender model Munroe Bergdorf, the face of their latest #allworthit diversity campaign
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ays after the twenty-nine-year-old British model, Munroe Bergdorf, was hired to be the new face of L’Oréal, appearing in the recent #allworthit campaign with Cheryl Cole and Katie Piper, she was dropped for posting a rant on Facebook proclaiming that “all white people are racist.” L’Oréal declared on 1 September 2017 that they champion diversity, and sacked Bergdorf due to her having odds with their values. She clapped back with her statement that, “I stand for tolerance and acceptance – but neither can be achieved if we are unwilling to discuss why intolerance and hate exists in the first place.”
I stand for tolerance and acceptance - but neither can be achieved if we are unwilling to discuss why intolerance and hate exists in the first place Bergdorf writes about how she has experienced discrimination as a transgender woman of colour. She discusses that even though society is trying to empower and include women of all colours, shapes and sizes, it is still widely believed that people with a “lighter skin tone” have more social privileges than the rest of the world. And whether we like it or not, this statement is proven to be true. White supremacy is still a phenomenon that seriously needs to be addressed. The New Progressive produced a chart showing that “a black college
Iron: Iron is important in preventing anaemia (which can lead to hair loss). With a little help from our good friend’s broccoli, kale, spinach, and lentils you will be well on your way to fast hair growth and luscious locks. Vitamin C: To ensure your iron levels are sufficient, you need to make sure your vitamin C levels are up to scratch too. Vitamin C assists in the absorption of iron into your body, so get munching on kiwis, oranges, and chillies! Vitamin A: Sweet potato, carrots, and butternut squash can lead the way to healthy and younger looking skin. Vitamin A found in these foods can help skin conditions such as eczema and acne, and also aids in conditioning your scalp. Vitamin E: Vitamin E is an effective antioxidant, it helps neutralise free-radicals and prevents them damaging your body. Vitamin E is essential for healthy skin and is found in foods such as nuts, seeds, and avocados. Zinc and Selenium: Zinc and selenium can boost hair growth, maintain scalp moisture levels, and reduce dandruff. Grab some Weetabix, spaghetti, and shell fish to get your daily dose.
student has the same chances of being employed as a white high school drop out,” and that “white women make seventy-eight cents for every $1 a man makes,” supporting Bergdorf ’s stand against ongoing white supremacy. However, stating that “all” white people are racist is something of an overestimate, but on Good Morning Britain, Bergdorf calmly declared, “I don’t regret what I said.” Bergdorf is ready for society’s controversies and she is ready to fight back. The news resulted in mixed reactions, being viewed as either a vindication or an affirmation of racism. Stating that the model was transgender has no relation as to why she was fired, and is irrelevant to the issue of her social media squabble. Everyone has their opinion - is it fair that Bergdorf was fired for voicing hers? Some people may support L’Oréal’s decision to sack her on the basis of her
Image: Instagram @munroebergdorf
Facebook rant, as it shows that they take their campaigns, and who they want to represent their brand, very seriously.
Everyone has their opinion - is it fair that Bergdorf was fired for voicing hers? Bergdorf simply stated her opinion on social media, just the same as everyone else. However, her position as the face of L’Oréal’s campaign aiming to boost the confidence of the younger generation left her open to being targeted, and accused of being racist - if she were just another woman having a rant on social media she wouldn’t have been fired. Having said that, it’s important to take into consideration that L’Oréal’s decision to sack Bergdorf, the face of their campaign, proves they’re willing to make these tough choices and accept the consequences of these drastic actions Since the controversy, Illamasqua has signed Bergdorf on a new beauty campaign stating that they “stand proudly and unashamed for diversity and equality ... [believing that] Bergdorf ’s comments have been edited out of context.”
2017
Munroe Bergdorf was voted the 8th most influential LGBTperson in the United Kindgom
Dupes: unoriginal or revolutionary? Are make-up dupes a way for people on a budget to access cosmetics they otherwise couldn’t afford or are they just a glorified copy of someone elses work? Laura Buckle explores
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Image: Instagram @fijiwater
the courier
Monday 16 October 2017
etting something cheaper than it should be is exhilarating for us students. Whether it’s spending just £6 on three trebles in Bijoux, or shopping at Grainger Market after blowing your student loan in Jesmond’s Tesco, it’s a true thrill saving tens of pounds. And it’s the same with beauty. Make-up dupes are, more than ever, storming our high streets with brands such as Make-up Revolution, Sleek and MUA shamelessly replicating products for those who can’t bare the extortionate prices of premium brands, including us students. Online beauty bloggers and beauty magazines are forever hunting for that cheaper alternative, and the internet is filled with articles about where to find the best dupes for beauty, fashion and skincare - it’s hard to ignore it!
design of the palettes, even the names of each shade follow the same theme. Hurrah for us bargain hunting customers; saving us almost £35 of our hard-earned cash! But not so much for American make-up giant, Urban Decay. As described by Debenhams, the Naked 2 palette became “the most anticipated sequel of the decade,” and as expected, this eyeshadow palette became every make-up-lovers best friend. But like many other premium beauty brands, Urban Decay will have spent months, or even years, perfecting Naked 2 before it flooded the shelves of Fenwick, Selfridges, and Debenhams. The theme, formulas and design will have been both an expensive and time-consuming task for the team at Urban Decay - the next big thing doesn’t happen overnight.
Just like Bijoux or Grainger Market, how can we complain if it’s a similar quality at a cheaper price? Image: Instagram @makeuprevolution
Just like Bijoux or Grainger Market, how can we complain if it’s a similar quality at a cheaper price? Just look at w7’s ‘In the Buff Palette’ or MUA’s ‘Undress Me Palette’ as dupes of Urban Decay’s ‘Naked 2,’ a holy grail amongst make-up lovers. Alongside the shades, finishes and overall
Premium brands are ‘premium’ for a reason and the price tag is down to the pure hard work and expensive ingredients in each product. So as makeup lovers, should we really be ignoring the hard work behind premium brands and neglecting them for the cheaper copies we see on the high street? Arguably, premium brands have been known in the past to bump up their prices just because of that all-important logo. And arguably, affordable brands have also been known to be better quality
than their expensive rivals. But, there are still some honest premium brands in the business and, at the moment, it seems unfair for low-end brands to obviously steal ideas and plant them on the high street at a fraction of the price.
Image: Instagram @urbandecaycosmetics
Urban Decay aren’t the only brand to have been duped. Anastasia Beverly Hills’ DIPBROW pomade has also been famously copied by NYX’s ‘Tame and Frame’ alongside NARS’ ‘Orgasm’ blush by Sleek with their ‘Rose Gold’. And it doesn’t stop there. I love a bargain as much as the next person but before rushing for that next top dupe, do a little research, find out whether the premium version is fab or a fad, and take into consideration the fairness, the hard work and the expense behind that £40 product. And if you’re not convinced? Then dupe it.
the courier
@CourierBeauty thecourieronline.co.uk/beauty
Monday 16 October 2017
Inside the beauty lab Following Too Faced co-founder Jerrod Blandino’s Instagram post of a fan’s photoshopped Pumpkin Spiced palette, Miranda Stoner tells us what beauty products she would create
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rom MAC’s Star Trek collaboration, to Too Faced’s peach scented palette, and Kat Von D’s holographic alchemist creation, sometimes it’s easy to think that every make-up combination, colour and scent has already been envisaged, manufactured and marketed. This, however, is far from the truth. Too Faced’s cofounder Jerrod Blandino’s recent Instagram post of a Pumpkin Spiced palette, which had been photoshopped by a fan, caused quite a stir.
Image: Instagram @Jerodblandino
Even though the palette wasn’t real, the eager reaction and chorus of “I would buy that,” proves that no matter how many products have come before, there is always a gap in the market for something new. Which begs the question, what would you be developing in the lab if you were CEO of a successful make-up brand? I’m glad you asked… Imagine if you could blend your eyeshadows like a bar tender mixes their cocktails, creating subtle and balanced looks like a G&T, then punchy and powerful effects like a rum and coke, or even whipping up a saccharine sweet knock to the head like a bubblegum treble. Enter my own personal creation, the ‘Mixologists Palette:’ 10 colours, 2 bases, 5 mattes and 3 glitter finishes, for intoxicating eye looks.
The first base colour in the palette would be ‘Crushed Ice,’ a blue tinged, holographic highlighter to add drama to the brow bone and above the eye on a night out, or as a refreshing inner corner sparkle to disguise your hangover the morning after. Or there’s the ‘On The Rocks,’ base - a pink toned cream highlighter, which can stand alone or be used as a transition colour. In the cocktail cabinet of matte powders there would be ‘(gin)membership,’ a dusky grey which can stand alone or be used as a transition colour with darker tones such as ‘(wine)up your waist.’ This is a cool toned dark purple, which can be layered up to achieve an almost black effect. For a more natural look you can combine ‘livin(tequila) loca,’ an orange toned mid brown for centre lid and under eyes, with ‘(rum)ember last night,’ a darker brown, for the outer corners. ‘(Rum)ember last night,’ would also be mixed with sugar crystals for a subtle sweet scent.The final matte colour in the palette would be ‘(curaçao) killed the cat’ - an electric blue which can be swiped carelessly over the whole eyelid, or blended into the crease for a more subtle sheen of eccentricity.
colours would be available: ‘(sprite)and breezy,’ a solid block of glimmering green for the outer corners and under eye area; ‘(coke)cabana,’ a bronze toned blitz for edgy looks; and ‘(fanta)sia,’ a mango toned shimmer to bring your look together. These intensely pigmented glitter bombs would bridge the gap between day and night - taking you from the lecture hall to the dance ball.
Image: Instagram @thealchemistuk
Imagine if you could blend your eyeshadows like a bar tender mixes their cocktails Then to really give the eyes a fizzy pop you need your mixer. These would come in mini spray cans of shimmer to be applied over closed lids.Three
Finally, what would a cocktail be without a garnish? To finish, the palette would include two eye-liners, ‘(cherry)leader,’ a liquid black liner with a 1mm brush for wings as precise as your dance moves, and ‘(umbrella)ishment,’ a white liquid liner to contrast the black and make it even more defined. With this palette though it’s important to know your limits and please blink responsibly.
Living the Lush life Sophie Hicks reviews the beauty giant’s new and exciting Halloween and Christmas ranges
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f you love Lush, you know that their most anticipated products are from their Halloween and Christmas collections. Every year, Lush get even more creative with their products, which are perfect as either a treat for yourself or for someone else. They have classic reoccurrences within their collections (such as the ‘Snow Fairy’ range) but which products are worth splurging on?
Lord of Misrule Looking at the Halloween collection, the ‘Lord of Misrule’ shower cream is a must. This is Lush’s Halloween best seller and smells rich and heavily spiced, perfect for the cold days. The colour is an incredible vibrant green and reminiscent of slime; perfect for Halloween! It reminds me of crackling fires and toffee apples, as an infusion of vanilla gives it a subtle sweetness amongst the spices. Even if you aren’t usually a fan of heavily spiced scents, this is too good to miss!
Twilight Another option is the ‘Twilight’ range of bathing products. This is another Lush bestseller and has been re-released due to popular demand. If you feel stressed, the lavender and tonka is instantly calming. Equally, you can try spraying the body spray on yourself or your pillows before you go to bed to help you relax and sleep. This is a popular scent, and has many other complimentary products such as ‘Sleepy’ (an amazing body lotion to use before bed) so you can grab the full collection and have a good night’s rest.
plastic pots. This has resulted in them making a packaging free collection. The ‘Naked’ range gives you all the product minus the pot, but if you don’t want the naked products don’t be alarmed as there are still potted versions available. The ‘Naked’ products come in all forms, ranging from scrubs, shower gels and body conditioners.
Once Upon a Time
Image: Instagram @lushcosmetics Image: Instagram @lushcosmetics
Berry Berry
Image: Instagram @lushcosmetics
Looking at the Christmas range now, the ‘Berry Berry’ Christmas Shower Gel is just fantastic. This shower gel is aqua blue with tiny silver glitter pieces, and is mesmerising to look at. The product lathers up easily and smells fruity fresh. This is a scent that lush has never released before, and is worth checking out! In terms of the packaging, Lush is trying to help the environment by eliminating
My favourite product from this range is the ‘Once Upon a Time’ body lotion. It is a lovely mint green colour and is in the shape of a pot, with a crisp apple scent. You glide it across your body and it creates an easily-absorbed oil. I find it more hydrating than the normal potted version, and believe the scent lingers for a longer time. To store it, I put it the bags that Lush put bath bombs in, and find that it does not melt unless in contact with skin. If you want to save money and the environment, I would highly recommend the ‘Naked’ collection alternatives. These are available for most of the products found in Lush’s Halloween and Christmas ranges.
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beauty life & style
Cruelty-free swaps Jaymelouise Hudspith teaches us all about swapping our products for cruelty free alternatives
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e all love makeup. For some of us it’s a lifeline we can’t leave home without, for others a special occasional treat. Regardless, we all have fun choosing and applying the never-ending shades and options to choose from. However, not all of these options are cruelty free, you could be buying brands that test their products on animals without realising. Today, there are more cruelty free makeup brands than ever. The list of cruelty free products is growing as brands transition to create more ethical make-up lines. Despite the rise in this trend there are still extremely popular brands including MAC, Benefit, and Maybelline that continue to use animal testing rather than alternative practices. They choose to sell in China where lawfully cosmetics must be tested on animals. Thankfully, there are now cruelty free dupes available to replace all of your favourite cosmetics. Sadly, these dupes do not always work out cheaper but the extra money is worth knowing you’re helping protect animals. Primer: NYX ‘Pore Filler’ primer works as a dupe for both Smashbox ‘Photo Finish Pore Minimizing’ primer and Benefit ‘Porefessional’. While having near identical claims, NYX comes at a fraction of the price of the other two products saving your bank balance and the animals. ‘Pore Filler’ primer will fill your pores to give a smooth base that will help your makeup last all day. Foundation Swap Revlon ‘Colourstay’ Liquid Foundation for ‘Universal Fit’ foundation by KIKO. Not only does this foundation give you a flawless complexion and a full coverage look without feeling heavy on your skin, it will last all day with the help of the right primer and powder. Best cruelty free foundations for oily skin include Tarte ‘Amazonian Clay 12h full coverage’ foundation. For dry skin, try Bareminerals ‘BareSkin Pure Brightening Serum’ foundation, and for normal or combination skin try NARS ‘Sheer Glow’. Concealer: Swap Maybelline ‘Fit Me’ concealer for either Tarte ‘Shape Tape’ concealer if you have dry skin or Urban Decay ‘Naked Skin Weightless’ concealer for oily or combination skin. Both Urban Decay and Tarte give a natural finish and have similar formulas to Maybelline. They are more expensive but they offer more variety in shades. Tarte and Urban Decay not only provide a better coverage than Maybelline’s ‘Fit Me’ concealer, as a high-end brand they also last longer and feel lighter on your skin. Mascara: Try KIKO’s ‘Ultra tech + volume’ and ‘Curl’ mascara for a full lash look. This mascara doesn’t clump and gives you sensational volume and lash length, perfect for everyday use. This mascara works as a dupe for all mascaras that claim to increase lash volume or length. Liner: Kat Von D ‘Tattoo liner’ works as a great substitute for multiple products including Stila ‘Stay All Day’ liquid liner and Maybelline ‘Line Stiletto’. Kat Von D and Stila both give a deep black pigment that survives all day. The only real difference is their stance on animal testing. Eyeshadow: Eyeshadow palettes range in colour, size and pigmentation. Some of the best brands to use include Morphe, E.L.F, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and of course ColourPop. Depending on your budget, check them all out for great cruelty free eyeshadows. If you are ever uncertain about whether a product you’re using is cruelty free or not; it’s very easy to look up brands on the ‘PETA’ website to double check. Also, there are now apps available such as ‘Cruelty Cutter’ and ‘Cruelty-Free’ which allow you to scan a bar code and inform you whether or not any form of animal testing is used by that certain company.
Image: Instagram @savvyplanet
18
life & style travel
Banishing the travel blues Amy Coppel discusses what they feel like and how to cope with them
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et’s talk about post travel blues. You’re back in miserable England and you’re wondering why you didn’t stay sipping cocktails under the palm trees, or on the top of that mountain with those incredible views. You miss your trip like nothing else, and all you want to do is relive those memories and avoid reality for as long as possible. Maybe you don’t even feel like you can face what home holds for you: the petrifying thought of starting all over again at university, in my case. But we can’t go back, and real life is just as important. Here’s a few tips on how to turn those gloomy thoughts into positive ones…
1
Keep the adventure alive: make a scrapbook of all your photos of beautiful beaches, crazy nights out and new found friends, along with the scraps of tickets, and postcards that you kept along the way. It solidifies the chapter so that you can move on to the next stage of your journey, but also means you can relive those times whenever you like. Keep in touch with your favourite people – after all in the age of social media, we are all only one click away from each other!
Keep the adventure alive: make a scrapbook of all your photos of beautiful beaches, crazy nights out and new found friends
2
Focus on making the next chapter amazing: whether it be starting university, a new job, or just throwing yourself back in to what you left, make sure you grab it with both hands. Think about how much travelling made you grow as a person, and capitalise on this. Keep yourself busy with creating a new healthy routine that motivates you, get involved with new exciting projects, and make home life just as good as life across the oceans.
Think about how much travelling made you grow as a person, and capitalise on this
3
Get planning: your travelling experience has only just begun! You have only tasted a sliver of the huge world out there, and you have your whole life ahead of you to see the rest. Use your time to recharge and save some money- travelling wouldn’t be as rewarding otherwise! Get some glossy brochures and make a vision board for your next adventure, and be grateful you got the chance to ignite that travelling light inside of you.
@Courier_Travel thecourieronline.co.uk/travel
courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Travel Editors Charlotte Hill & Talia Gillin
the courier
Monday 16 October 2017
Budget friendly bon-voyage
Katherine Rawlings picks five of the best European spots to stretch out your student loan
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owadays, travelling is something we all want to do. From those that enjoy short weekend breaks to escape hectic daily life, to others that dedicate whole gap years investigating unbeaten paths, you’re hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy holidays or travel. Relaxation, beaches, exploration and culture…what’s not to like? Unfortunately, there’s a reason we all tend to think twice before exclaiming a loud ‘Yes!’ after every travel plan is placed before us: cost. However, budget travelling is now easier than ever. To protect your purse, here are some of the top 5 of affordable locations in Europe that I have chosen, based on my own experiences, stories from friends, and a little research. Gdansk , Poland Well known for being an affordable destination, Poland is perfect for travellers on a budget. Meals can be found for as little as £4, public transport is cheap, and flight costs are often low. Less popular than Warsaw and Krakow, Gdansk is affordable but equally as worth a visit. Filled with history reaching from Slavic Poland to WWII, this beautiful port town offers hidden stories, old cobbled streets, typical redbrick churches, and romantic boat cruises. The city offers excellent transport links around the North, too, allowing opportunity for further exploration. For example, I have explored the nearby town of Bydgoszcz, which is set on the river Vistula, and claimed by locals to be one of Poland’s most beautiful cities.
Top Tip Looking for something quirky to do? Although it may seem odd, the Museum of Soap is worth a visit!
Image: Wikipedia
Prague, Czech Republic
If you’re looking for budget, Prague boasts local goods at extremely cheap prices. If you thought drinks in Newcastle were cheap, think again. Czech beer is often found for just 23 Czech Koruna, which converts to an impressive 80p. Image: Pixabay
Top Tip Opt for a late night flight, and be rewarded by breathtaking views of lights shining from Prague against the night sky.
Besides the beer, Prague is a beautiful, romantic city that has a lot to offer. Previously likened to Paris, it is often noted to have the appearance of something from a fairy-tale, with the popular Charles Bridge and Prague Castle standing proudly. With spectacular views, interesting mixtures of traditional and modernistic architecture, and a fascinating history, Prague is not a place to miss. The Algarve, Portugal Prices in this region vary, as some spots are more tourist heavy than others, but you can find bargains if you’re prepared to seek them out. For example, in Albufeira, a stunning beachside town, prices along the sea front are clearly inflated. However, if you’re willing to walk away from the main tourist spot, or explore travel lesser-known towns, you will find some impressive deals - particularly, if you buy food from supermarkets. Beyond the benefit of affordability, the Algarve is a stunning location. Expect blazing heat, blue skies, photogenic beaches, and unbeatable seafood. If you manage to save enough money, you may be able to treat yourself to one of the exciting dolphin watching boat excursions, which I promise you
won’t regret. Top tip: visit the surrounding islands, such as Ilha da Culatra and Deserta Island. Ljubljana, Slovenia
Although not frequently spoken about, you won’t be able to resist exploring this beautiful country once you start looking at the photography taken here. With low prices and insane views, there’s no reason not to visit. The capital, Ljubljana is an obvious choice. Both one of Europe’s greenest capitals, and a lively student town, it holds something for everyone. Thanks to the small size of Slovenia, it is also possible to easily travel to many other locations if you base yourself in this city (with Bled and Vintgar Gorge being some of the best options). Top tip: when visiting Bled, don’t take the first boat trip you see – if you walk further you will be rewarded with cheaper prices, and less crowded beaches. Dubrovnik, Croatia It seems Croatia was the place to be this summer, with hundreds flocking to Instagram to share photos of its beautiful beaches. Looking at the images, you can understand why it’s so popular when you see how beautiful the country is! In addition to the stunning beaches, if, like me, you also love to spend time getting lost in the old towns of cities; you will adore Dubrovnik, with its limestone buildings and narrow streets.
Top Tip
Image: Pixabay
Rather than staying in the city centre, stay in a town outside of Dubrovnik for an even cheaper holiday
This one time on my gap yah
We’re still listening even if you’re friends aren’t... Jenny Franken dishes her own dirt
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ew Zealand. Home to Lord of the Rings and countless sheep, it’s quickly becoming a popular short-term home to many gap year students. Not only is it the most stunning country I have ever encountered, but is also has the most friendly and welcoming inhabitants. My sister and I joined the “backpacker society”, making our way around the North and South Islands. Along our travels, we arrived in a lovely little city by a lake surrounded by mountains. At the information centre, we asked for the must-do activities. “Skydiving”. Being on the other side of the world definitely persuades you to be braver and crazier than normal, so I went skydiving! Sorry, Mum Changing into a bright orange jumpsuit, I began to question the whole idea. The image of jumping out of a perfectly safe, working aeroplane suddenly seemed a weird thing to do. Yet before I knew it, my tandem jumper al-
ready had a GoPro in his hands, and was asking me if I had anything to say before entering the airplane. It felt like an opportunity for last words. There was no going back.
Changing into my bright jumpsuit, I began to question the whole idea The grid was pulled down and the aeroplane made its way to 12,000 feet. On our way up, my tandem jumper tied our straps together true to their motto ‘Strap yourself to a beautiful stranger’. The only way out of this aeroplane was to jump. Before I even realized what had happened, the grid had been opened, and the person next to me fell into nothingness. I was next. I was told to “make
the banana”: legs around the aeroplane, crossed arms, head back. Then I fell. The first few seconds are just vague memories of tumbling around until we found our balance. In that moment, I owned the world. I was actually flying! There was nothing around, just me floating in the limitless sky over viewing the whole world. I looked around and felt nothing but euphoria. After 30 seconds of free fall my ‘beautiful stranger’ opened the parachute and after some more spins we landed in the drop zone. I lost all sense of time. I felt freedom. It was a paragon of perfection. Skydiving is like nothing I´ve ever experienced.
Images: Robert Young
Readers’ travel pics of the week Talia Gillin shares a selection of snaps from her recent trip to the gorgeous Bali @Courier_travel @courier.travel
Images: Pixabay
culture What’s on 19
the courier Monday 16 October 2017
student voice editor.union@ncl.ac.uk
thecourieronline.co.uk Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Errol Kerr
NSR SHOW OF THE WEEK Lost In Liberty Mondays 7pm-8pm
Fresh from winning ‘best specialist show’ at the NUSU Media Awards ‘Lost in Liberty’ return with their in demand show ‘La Do’. The journey their show makes musically renders this show one you can’t miss, if you think you have eclectic taste, think again. Shows can move between Australian deep house and Indian classical somehow seamlessly and no person is not in need of their varied musical education. Each show has its own energy and the atmosphere they are able to create with their music is unparalleled. The creative collective ‘Lost in Liberty’ host their own events, have their own ‘zine’ and have a passion for their radio show that transmits to their listeners. When you listen you will instantly realise that this show is part of something bigger and that this student brand has immense potential. They are making an impact on the scene and listeners of their show ‘La Do’ can feel privileged in catching these guys at the start of what is sure to be an exciting career in the DJ and music industry.
STU BREW BEER OF THE WEEK Blood Sweat & Beers
Available from Wednesday 18 October Blood Sweat & Beers is Stu Brew’s latest beer. Previously, all our beers were made using dried hops, which is standard practice. This time around, we are using 20kg of fresh hops for a single brew, which is 5-8 times heavier than what we usually brew with. This will produce what is known in the trade as a “green hop IPA”, with very different flavours to a dry-hopped beer. The hops were grown and harvested by Stu Brew volunteers at Cockle Park, a plot of land just under 20 miles from main campus. The farming of hops is part of Stu Brew’s ongoing investment into sustainability. At time of writing, the beer is still brewing in one of our fermenting vessels, but we hope to have it in pubs by Wednesday. The Town Mouse, Trent House, and Gateshead Railway Social Club have all expressed an interest in our new beer.
POETRY IN ACTION POEM OF THE WEEK ‘Thousands cry out on the streets; Only one voice heard. The people’s feelings obsolete Without the spoken word. The Catalonia Referendum shows that Freedom of expression is only for the some.’ Poetry In Action Society
Union University Campaign Society Monday 16 October
10.30am Newcastle University Graduate Recruitment and Placements Fair Location: Newcastle Civic Centre 5pm GIAG: Lush Make your own! Meet: Outside NUSU front entrance 6.30pm GIAG: Irish Dancing Taster Session Location: History Room, NUSU
A CAPPELLA TASTER 5.30pm Tuesday 17 October After appearing on Sky’s ‘Sing: Ultimate A Cappella’ Newcastle’s very own Tune Army are hosting a taster for newbies
5.30pm John Rendal ‘How to launch and run a school network in Africa – an inspiring tale of repeated failure’ Location: Curtis Auditorium, Hershel Building 6pm How to: Make Your Own Clothes with Fashion Society Location: History Room, NUSU
Wednesday 18 October
10.30am Recruitment and Placements Fair Location: Newcastle Civic Centre 2pm Rounders Location: Exhibition Park 1pm NUSU Employability Workshops: Teamwork Location: History Room, NUSU
Thursday 19 October
A Filmpoem?’ Location: Culture Lab 7.30pm GIAG: Salsa Dancing Location: Venue 1&2, NUSU
Friday 20 October
1pm GIAG: Tour of the Victoria Tunnels Meet: Outside NUSU front entrance 6.45pm Gig: The Horrors Location: Venue, NUSU 7pm GIAG: Sepak Takraw Location: Sports Hall, Sports Centre
Saturday 21 October
9.30am Orienteering Competition Meet: Haymarket Bus Station 9.45am GIAG: Activities Adventure Trip Meet: Hatton Gallery 11.30am GIAG: Surfing Meet: NUSU Entrance
10.30am Recruitment and Placements Fair Location: Newcastle Civic Centre 12pm Recreational Table Tennis Location: Venue 1&2, NUSU 2.15pm GIAG: Cupcake Decorating at Pudding Parlour Meet: Hatton Gallery 5.30pm A Cappella Taster Class Meet: Outside NUSU front entrance
10am Closing The Gap Location: Bamburgh Room, Hadrian Building 1.10pm Concert: Reiko Fujisawa Location: King’s Hall, Armstrong Building 2.30am START UP Uncovered Location: Lvl 1 Kings Gate 5.15pm Student Council Location: History Room 5.30pm Dr Adam Rutherford ‘A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived’ Location: Curtis Auditorium, Hershel Building 7.15pm Alastair Cook and Kate Sweeney ‘What Is
ROUNDERS
20 MINUTE
GIVE IT A GO
2pm Wednesday 18 October
Next Social: 25 October
Welcome to the Rounders Society, new for September 2017! Our society is all about having fun, making friends and relieving the stress of university life! We’re totally social and non-competitive so don’t worry if you haven’t played since school, neither have we! We meet every odd week throughout the year to play matches amongst ourselves, after all who says rounders is only a summer sport?! We welcome anyone and everyone to our society, regardless of experience, gender and fitness. But it’s not all about exercise! We will host socials and themed nights out, so if you prefer a more relaxed approach to sports, rounders is for you! Follow our Facebook page for updates, and drop us a message with your email address if you want to join us for some rounders! Just buy the membership at the NUSU website and come along!
Everybody loves to be a little spontaneous sometimes don’t they and live life a little on the wilder side; this is where 20 Minute Society really comes into its own. The crux of the society being that, although you have a rough idea of when the society is taking place; you have no clue on the location or what it entails until you get that text 20 minutes before. From laser questing to bar crawls to grub tours, as a society we really can offer you everything and so much more. Every year we host our infamous holiday, where the location remains a mystery until arrival at the airport. We also pride ourselves as a society on the fantastic subsidies to the holiday we offer, along with majority of our socials being very little cost, so the society is accessible to absolutely everybody. So what are you waiting for, it doesn’t take 20 minutes to sign up.
Activities Adventure Trip 9.45pm Saturday 21 October
Tuesday 17 October
Sunday 22 October
9.45am GIAG: Activities Adventure Trip Meet: Hatton Gallery 4pm Trampoline Location: Sports Hall, Sports Centre 7pm Gig: The Pigeon Detectives Location: Venue, NUSU
Student spotlight Love adventure as much as the next Bear Grylls? Put that to the test when GIAG go for an overnight trip to one of the wildest natural adventure spots in the North. Walk and climb through a gorge, get a photo taken under a 70ft waterfall and tick white water tubing off your list. This adrenaline-packed trip is not for the faint hearted. Go gorge walking to explore one of the North East’s deepest and most stunning natural gorges. You can jump, climb and take on natural rock slides. Finish with a group photo under an amazing 70ft waterfall. During white water tubing, you can take on the thrills and exciting spills of white water tuning. Armed with your specialist tube you can take on white water up to class 4 in grade. You will get very wet, as well as taking on a variety of different team tasks, set to challenge you.
20
culture music
On Campus Tom Bryant, President of Newcastle University’s Acapella Society, recounts the society’s recent TV fame
W
ith a new committee and exciting ideas, The Tune Army (as our A Cappella society is called) started the 2016-17 year with enthusiasm and ambition – and what a year it turned out to be! After the initial recruitment stage we eagerly started to learn new music with our fortnightly rehearsals. As the year progressed, our arrangements and confidence as a group increased with memorable performances at charity events, birthday parties, carol services and University course balls.
However, it wasn’t until Easter when we realised just how far we had come. We auditioned and won a place to perform in London for Masters Of Show Choir and we won the “Special Recognition Prize”. This was a fantastic achievement considering it was Newcastle University’s first time competing in the competition. Come the end of the year we were ecstatic that all our efforts throughout the year were recognised, as we consequently won ‘The Most Improved Society”! To top this all off, we then received a phone call from the TV company Sky. They had seen a video of us on YouTube and wanted us to take part in a new TV show called ‘SING: Ultimate A Cappella’, hosted by Cat Deeley. The winner of this show would receive a recording contract to record an album. After accepting the next few months were an excited frenzy of rehearsals, meetings with choreographers and vocal coaches as well as pre-recorded interviews. The directors of the show seemed to love the fact that as a group we were all friends and were singing for fun, not fame. The weekend of the show was filled with countless numbers of rehearsals, sound tech and meetings with stylists. We even met The Vamps, who were performing on our episode. It was such a great honour to be asked to perform on the show as we were competing against some fantastic groups, with some having careers in singing.
The directors of the show seemed to love the fact that as a group we were all friends and were signing for fun, not fame” This year we want to do even more competitions and raise awareness of The Tune Army as a society. We are an all inclusive, non-auditioned society and we are always excited to meet new singers and beat boxers. Feel free to come along to one of our sessions!
Monday 16 October 2017
The Highs and Lows of Festival Season Callum O’Callaghan takes us through his festival flops and triumphs of the summer of 2017, T
he unpredictability of festivals can make or break any experience, as was demonstrated by the two festivals I attended over summer. The first was Community Festival at Finsbury Park in London. Despite being in its inaugural year, the festival’s superb planning and execution could have easily put it in its fifth year. Boasting a line-up of ‘the best in new music’, the event included the likes of The Wombats and Slaves, alongside headliners Catfish and the Bottlemen. Right down from the organisation of the event, to the price, a modest £35, the festival was an outstanding success and were it to become an annual event I would not hesitate to go again. One key factor was undoubtedly the weather which in an atypical British fashion left everyone suitably bronzed. An ideal location, with ideal planning and an ideal line up. Reverting to a much more typical British Festival I also attended, was the smaller Y Not, held in the Derbyshire countryside destination of Pikehall. On paper it looked like it could be a brilliant festival with them having managed to draw in big headline acts Stereophonics, Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines. However, the whole weekend descended into a complete shambles with Stereophonics being the only headliner to successfully perform. By Thursday afternoon the rain had set in and
became the dismal backdrop of the whole weekend.
An ideal location, with ideal planning and an ideal line up Although it was relentless and heavy, one would expect festival organisers to be both expectant and prepared for rain at a British festival, especially in the North of England, but there wasn’t a dusting of sawdust or wood chippings in sight. The tone was set by mid-afternoon on the first day of music with cancellations on the main stage without any announcements coming on the screens to notify crowds; this left rumours to filter through from social media about rearranged set times and cancellations. Those who did make it on including Sundara Karma played under a gazebo to try and protect equipment. Sadly, this was not enough to prevent a layer of water gathering on the main stage causing the sound to continuously cut out or resemble an old 1st generation iPhone speaker rather than the cutting edge festival equipment you would expect when
The Best
By Thursday afternoon, the rain had set in and became the dismal backdrop of the whole weekend Admittedly Community festival had the luck over Y Not in terms of the weather, but countless other festivals that deal with adverse conditions handled it a lot better and were still able to put on an event as good as Community’s. The awful conditions at Y Not make us wander what it is that makes us put ourselves through the same water-soaked weekends every year. The answer? Like at Community, there is nothing quite like being stood in a field in the middle of nowhere listening to your favourite acts surrounded by like-minded people and friends, rain or shine.
The Worst
Soho Rooms
Powerhouse
Flares
Swingers
No matter your music taste, you are guaranteed to dance to the bog-standard music. And it’s free, so no need to worry about dipping into the student loan. Everyone’s guilty pleasure, featuring cheesy tunes and exceptional pole dancing. Boasting two floors, pioneers frequenting the decks and a good positive atmosphere, World HQ is a club that prides itself on bringing the underground to Newcastle in a judgement free zone, bringing people together with a shared passion for music. An ecletic mix from techno to dub to soul can be found here, all projected through an incredible soundsystem. Upcoming, unmissable events including Juan Atkins and Ross from Friends on October 19th.
If you don’t want to go home at 3am, appreciate euro trash remixes and are willing to pay a tenner for entry any day other than Monday, this is the place for you. The sweatiest and most overpriced night in Newcastle.
Sinners
The definition of trashy, with the headliner being a metal cage and the music so sinful you wouldn’t be caught dead listening to (this death being caused by falling down the stairs on the way back from the loo). The only bonus is cheap drinks.
Tiger Tiger
Avoid it. At all costs.
The Rest MSA
Basement club with an eclectic mix of music being thrown around. Highlights include ‘Soundboy’ on Mondays, which caters to grime and hip hop lovers, and Thursday’s ‘Off The Record’ being dedicated to disco, funk and soul.
Digital
Superclub with a major capacity that regularly holds events such as ‘Cirque Du Soul’ and ‘Futurefunk’. This is a big destination for mainstream house and shuffle lovers, as well as students looking to gurn.
Cosmic Ballroom
A house and techno hub with frequent big names from those genres gracing the club. Helena Hauff on November 3rd is not one to miss.
Dog and Parrot
A quirky, indie-themed pub with a great ambience and an diverse mix of music played throughout, also hosting live music with a strong emphasis on indie rock and cheap trebs.
Quest 808
A new collective looking to bring pioneer artists of electronic genres to Newcastle, with their first booking Henry Wu providing a cozy and uplifting atmosphere with a down to earth audience. Check out A Guy Called Gerald on November 15th @ SR44 Warehouse.
Gotham
An alternative venue that prides itself on presenting a mix of old and new indie music, for those who want to hear Talking Heads over David Guetta.
@Courier_Music @TheCourierMusic
seeing your favourite bands live. By Sunday morning the whole festival was cancelled leaving thousands of disgruntled attendees trying desperately to escape the mud.
Club Life: An Essential Guide If you are looking for a definitive club breakdown, Mollie Middle has it right here
World Headquarters
@nutunearmy
the courier
c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaac & Ally Wilson
Also, check out: Tyne Bar, Ernest, Cobalt Studios, Kommunity, Bar Loco, Hoochie Coochie. Image Flares Newcastle
the courier
Visions of a Life by Wolf Alice Monday 16 October 2017
I
’m listening to Visions of a Life as I write this article, and that’s not easy to do when lyrics like these ask for your undivided attention. Hearing Rowsell whisper the words “I’m typing you a message/that I know I’ll never send” is absorbing in a way you wouldn’t quite expect. The words are familiar, and almost mundane but it’s twisted and changed into something extraordinary when it’s placed apart from the busy and chaotic sound of the album. It is these moments when the lyrics pierce the crowded fabric of the music that Wolf Alice sounds most captivating. The opening track ‘Heavenward’ is perhaps less of an initial encapsulation and more an indication of things to come. It introduces a recognisable hybrid of shoegaze and grunge that ran throughout their debut album, ‘My Love is Cool’. A forceful and harsh ‘Yuk Foo’ follows as the alb u m starts to bear its teeth with lyrics like “I want to fuck all the people I meet”. Though juvenile and aggressive, it is at the very least an interesting listen when contrasted against the serenity of the songs that surround it.
The Pale White EP
B
ritish indie guitar rock brings with it a promise of catchy riffs and melodic choruses that leave you with no choice but to move your feet. Whilst The Pale White certainly deliver on this with their debut self-titled EP, you can’t help but notice the striking resemblances between their sound and that of the indie giants that currently dominate the genre. The first half of the EP, specifically second track ‘Let You Down’, has resounding resemblance to the uniquely crafted sound of the Arctic Monkeys, and in doing so The Pale Whites lose some of their authenticity and originality in what is ultimately a very promising up and coming band. This problem perhaps lies in the EPs production rather than the songs themselves, with the distorted condensed lead vocal effects and classic tube-amp style guitar tones on ‘Reaction’, ‘Let You Down’ and ‘Turn It Around’ making comparison inevitable.
The first half has resemblance to the uniquely crafted sound of the Arctic Monkeys By no means does that suggest that artists should stray from the classic indie rock recipe. Indeed, it’s the sing-along baiting chorus, ear-grabbing bass line and memorable lead riff that makes latest single ‘Downer’ by far the stand out track on the EP, leaving you subconsciously rocking along with some air guitar and drums, and humming the thumping chorus line for the more than foreseeable future. The track establishes The Pale White as a band destined for far greater venues, and with the band securing high profile support slots on the latest Twin Atlantic tour, there is little doubt that this won’t be the last we hear of The Pale White, and the a cappella closing track, ‘Die Easy’, serves as a reminder of what we’ve stuck around for. Danny Aspinall
music culture A Love Letter To...
Plunderphonics
by Jess Weiser
Rowsell hoped not to dominate the album with the US hardcore punk traits, with which ‘Yuk Foo’ was overflowing.
Pop not doing it for you? Rock feeling bland? Hip-Hop not your scene? Then join us as we explore the outer reaches of musical genres.
It’s these moments when the lyrics pierce the crowded fabric of the music that Wolf Alice sounds most The album compensates for the brashness of ‘Yuk Foo’ by juxtaposing it with the likes of ‘Sky Musings’. It’s a quieter song in which a list of anxieties are recited, accompanied by the menacing beat of a guitar, which is abruptly paused for her to fumble the words “I’m sorry/ I lost myself for a minute/ Can I get a glass of water” which creates a poignant sense of vulnerability leaking from behind the aggressive front of Rowsell’s voice.
“Sky Musings” creates a vulnerability behind the aggressive front of Roswell’s voice Equally, ‘After the Zero Hour’ showcases a choral opening and the softer side of the lead singer’s vocal emerges again. A guitar is strummed delicately in the background while we get another chance to
Younger Now Miley Cyrus
T
he compulsive-twerking, tongue-bearing Miley Cyrus of 2013 is hardly recognisable in Younger Now. The 11-track effort is a leap in maturity from 2015’s scarring Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz and sees Cyrus return to her country roots. At face value the rejuvenation is heart-warming and, quite frankly, a relief. Sadly, it’s all become a bit too tame by the 24-year-old. Lead single ‘Malibu’ along with tracks ‘Week Without You’ and ‘She’s Not Him’ are touching efforts whose stripped-back instrumental make for a calming listen. Meanwhile, ‘I Would Die For You’ is as convincing a ballad as you will hear this year.
Younger Now isn’t a bad album, but it’s a way off brilliant Aside from that handful of songs there is little that leaves a lasting impression. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Kesha’s summer release Rainbow. The Tik-Tok-singer has also re-marketed herself with a story of growth but still allowed herself to let loose with guitar riffs and cusses alongside tracks of heart-felt reflection on her impressive album. Where Rainbow left us squealing with delight, Younger Now is one-dimensional. Dolly Parton is roped in for a failed attempt at adding a country-authenticity to ‘Rainbowland’ and the journey from track seven, ‘Thinkin’, to the closing ‘Inspired’ is easily forgotten. Younger Now isn’t a bad album but it’s a way off brilliant. The wild Miley of old may have been incredibly annoying but the likes of ‘We Can’t Stop’ and ‘Wrecking Ball’ had us talking for months. Her new sound is momentarily refreshing but maybe we want twerky-Cyrus back? Toby Bryant
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@CourierMusic thecourieronline.co.uk/music
C hear Rowsell’s voice take a lead role in the music. In the album’s first single, ‘Beautifully Unconventional’, we hear less of the recurrent experimentation with the genres and voices that bounce around the album, and more of a song that is carefully put together. There is a rhythm that catches its listener from the moment it bounds in and powerful lyrics that compete with the melody beautifully. It is markedly different to the less formulaic songs in the album it stands head and shoulders above the competing singles. This album is certainly not an easy listen. Tracks oscillate between folk and grunge, often merging the two whilst dealing with issues of romance and the anxieties of one’s own death. In most places, the songs are difficult to follow and rough with confusion and malice. But it is also distinctly heartfelt and affecting in the rare exposed moments that Wolf Alice allows you to glimpse.
Rory Ellis
Editor’s Picks
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ach week, The Courier’s music editors are working with Newcastle Student Radio to bring you the best new tracks from the week before... ‘The Best You Had - DJ Fresh Remix’ Nina Nesbitt DJ Fresh has added the perfect amount of extra spice to Nina Nesbitt’s latest single. The remix packs a punch but it still chilled-out enough for winding down after a day of Uni.” Toby Bryant, The Courier ‘Home Now’ Shania Twain Cheesy club-pop and country- it just shouldn’t work. But this song’s innocent charm and 80sesque epic chorus will leave you feeling nostalgic and wanting to own a banjo. Ally Wilson, The Courier ‘Blue Coupe’ Twin Peaks A softer offering from the garage rock quintet, ‘Blue Coupe’ blends easy-going Americana with subtle tones of anguish; the perfect tune for staring out a bus window on a rainy day and reflecting on your life choices. Charlie Isaac, The Courier ‘Bubblegum’ Yonaka It’s a classic up beat & fast paced dance track that I can deffo imagine myself singing into a hairbrush in the future. It’s generally just a good head-bop song with some killer lyrics. Meg Smith, NSR ‘Come Back To Me’ Liam Gallagher This is the stand out album track from Liam Gallagher’s highly-anticipated As You Were. It combines an anthemic, oasis-feeling chorus with a stylish guitar riff to keep it feeling new and fresh! Amy Woods, NSR Hear the Editors’ Picks first, as well as all the latest music news, reviews and gossip on NSR’s Music Show, Wednesdays at 4pm.
oined by pioneer John Oswald in the mid-eighties, ‘plunderphonics’ is music comprised entirely of samples of copyrighted music, spliced and warped to the limits of recognisability. It’s a genre of celebration and cultural catalogue -- as with Oswald’s own 20-minute long Plexure (1992), a whistle-stop montage that turns a decade’s worth of CD singles into a disorientating sample carousel. It’s also an underdog in an eternal battle against snobbery within the musical establishment, and the big record companies who’ll most often rattle off cease-and-desists to its artists. The Avalanches are primarily responsible for bringing plunderphonics into the mainstream. Their whole discography is delectable both as fresh music and as a delightful exercise in sample-spotting; they released their glorious second album last year.
It’s an underdog in an eternal battle against snobbery Of similar ilk is the playful Ruckus Roboticus and the anarchic Girl Talk, both of whom skirt the line well between plunderphonic spirit and accessibility. There’s also the entrancing breaks of DJ Shadow and the ambient soundscapes of Oneohtrix Point Never’s Replica, an album entirely composed from TV commercial samples from the eighties and nineties. Those with a taste for the avant-garde might look to the tongue-in-cheek Negativland, whom courted ire from Island Records for their riffs on U2’s ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ (both versions of which are greatly amusing listens). Plunderphonics is a rebellion, a reclamation of that which is already successful and recognizable -- indeed, the plunderphonic subgenre of vaporwave is about turning banal, obliquely commercial music into a parody of itself.
Plunderphonics is a rebellion, a reclamation of that which is already successful and recognisable It also used to be a bit more impressive, back when every edit was performed through tape splicing; you couldn’t just load some 80s muzak into Audacity, slow it down a bit, and release it on your Bandcamp as vaporwave. But the democratization of music-making means that the genre won’t stop growing, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the pop singles of today might, in decades, be transformed into something new.
Newcastle Student Radio: nsrlive.co.uk @NSRlive
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culture film
the courier
c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Daniel Haygarth & Christopher Wilkinson
Golden Oldies Stephen Ross re-watches Kubrick’s classic 2001: A Space Odyssey - will it be as good as the first time? Can sci-fi stand the test of time?
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he first time I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey was on an 11cm laptop screen in my bedroom with the lights turned off and the speakers plugged in, trying to create the magic of the cinema. What followed was two and a half hours of confusion and awe. When the credits rolled I knew that I had seen something special. And so, when the opportunity to review this film (and therefore see it on the big screen) came about, I jumped at the chance. I know that there are many people that hate 2001 and cannot understand how it has gained a reputation as one of the greatest science fiction films ever to be made. There is less than an hour of dialogue in a movie that spans more than twice that length, the plot is almost impossible to follow, and the audience leaves with many questions left unanswered. This does not sound like the making of a great film. Now let me tell you why this movie deserves all the admiration it receives.
Two and a half hours of confusion and awe” Kubrick made this film in three acts which span millennia and cover the dawn and transcendence of mankind. The film’s score is electrifying from the beginning and at times can even be described as frightening. As the astronauts gather around a monolith on the moon, Ligeti’s ‘Requiem’ plays and, to quote Youtube commenter VideoSiesta, ‘I almost shit my pants the first time I saw this. Eerie music.’ Not bad for a U-rated space flick. 2001 also introduces one of the greatest film antagonists of cinema history; HAL9000. Up with Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter, this computer’s unblinking eye and monotone voice provide a villain that cannot be reasoned with and who kills without emotion. However, the latter half of the second act provides one of the film’s most emotional scenes when Hal is finally confronted, and brings the question of the computer’s humanity to the fore. But I cannot talk about 2001 without mentioning the monolithic (I know) visual effects, specifically the 10 minute stargate sequence in the films third act. What looks like the opening titles of Doctor Who on acid is actually Kubrick’s interpretation of an interdimensional portal. While this scene looks aged by modern standards its sheer length and scope, not to mention the trippy light show, make the whole film worth watching for this alone. This scene throws together infinite space and the finite man, to create something totally new. Made at a time when man had not taken that small step onto the moon, Kubrick set his sights on Jupiter and made a movie of planetary proportions.
Monday 16 October 2017
Blade Runner 2049 Review
The sequel to this giant in the canon of cinema is finally (or unnecessarily) here, can it surpass the first? Will fans of the film manage to embrace it even if it doesn’t? Sebastian Ward reviews
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t famously took Ridley Scott three different versions of Blade Runner before he perfected the neo-noir sci-fi film fans have come to adore. Director Denis Villeneuve, who cut his sci-fi teeth on Arrival last year, has no such issues in delivering this exhilarating and worthy sequel. Transcendence (2014), Ex Machina (2015) and Westworld highlighted the continued appetite for A.I. mayhem – Blade Runner 2049 provides more of that and then some.
Greater, more pressing issues come to the fore” The setting is largely familiar: rain thrashes down in a smog clogged Los Angeles where huge Coca-Cola billboards rise desperately from the dirt below. The sun never shines but if it did it would cast light on the reality that human life has achieved flying cars at the cost of destroying the planet. It’s an immersive dystopian landscape that may leave you feeling uneasy in your chair. The film’s protagonist is Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a ‘blade runner’ for Los Angeles Police Department tasked with ‘retiring’ synthetic humans, and it is on one of these assassination missions where we initially find him. During this, K’s path becomes inexorably interlinked with that of former blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). The unsolved mystery of whether Deckard is himself human or ‘replicant’ was the climactic ending to Ridley’s 1982 picture, but this detail ripples maturely into insignificance as greater, more pressing issues come to the fore in 2049. As
K goes in search of Deckard, he soon learns he has more in common than he initially thought, especially with the deviant and devastating Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) countering their every move. Indeed, the women in the film are its lifeblood. Lieutenant Joshi is K’s superior, played convincingly by Robin Wright, best known for her role as Claire Underwood in House of Cards. Dr. Ana Stellin (Carla Juri) is a curious, unplaceable individual who ‘makes memories’ to implant in replicants; and Joi (Ana de Armas) is K’s girlfriend whose perfection is only hampered by the fact she is sadly holographic. In Joi’s desire to be ‘real’, the audience bear witness to one of cinema’s most unique and intimate sex scenes. Blade Runner 2049 is a film both married to and divorced from its 1982 predecessor, delicately retreading the steps of the first while competently introducing its own compelling narrative. It takes a new Hollywood form with a more polished persona. There are many comparisons to make with Rian Johnson’s Looper (2012), but Scott’s dystopian world is all the more captivating. Villeneuve’s generous use of landscape shots allow it to avoid the claustrophobia that besets the first film, with
vivid oranges and blues evoking memories of Tron.
The women in the film are its lifeblood” A slow burner it is and, at 163 minutes, perhaps a tad too long. Harrison Ford’s eventual appearance does seem belated, and Lennie James and Barkhad Abdi are on screen so briefly they are forgotten as quickly as they are introduced. That said, if you dare nod off at any point you will be violently awoken by Hans Zimmer’s dark, shuddering soundtrack. Producing a sequel to any film is difficult, not least one so seminal as Blade Runner. Here the embers of nostalgia glow brightly in a picture that will both satisfy old fanatics and entice new fans.
Blade Runner: masterpiece or master-piece-of-shit?
Kaine Laidlaw tells us why the original 1982 Blade Runner, traditionally hailed as a sci-fi cinema classic, is worth the hype, whilst Rory Cameron argues it’s as irrelevant as tears in the rain
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lade Runner, Ridley Scott’s gritty “future noir”, is an unmistakeable classic. Since its debut in 1982, the film has become a cultural phenomenon, and has only gained more traction with the release of multiple different cuts that have enthralled for decades. It’s difficult to find a sci-fi film in recent years that hasn’t been influenced by Blade Runner, with movies and even animations showing clear inspiration, and you can’t really blame other filmmakers for trying to capture the same feeling of Scott’s visual epic. The settings in Blade Runner are completely stunning. From the rain drenched, neon soaked streets of 2019 Los Angeles, to the mesmerising architecture of the city skyline and the Tyrell corporation, Scott presents a dark futuristic world that feels not too distant from reality.
A visual epic, with rain drenched, neon soaked streets” You can’t talk about Blade Runner without striking conversation about the iconic soundtrack produced by Vangelis. The combination of melodic synthesizer tones and classical jazz elements intertwines perfectly with the gorgeous cinematography and mood of the narrative. The plot is brilliant, raising questions about empathy and morals, challenging expectations of what it is that makes someone human, made possible by Harrison Ford’s excellent portrayal of harddrinking detective Deckard. Of course, there’s also one of the best monologues in cinema history; the powerful “tears in rain” speech delivered by Rutger Hauer. There may be some issues with the film, but it is nonetheless a masterpiece.
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inally, after 35 years of waiting, Blade Runner 2049 looks like it may solve one of the greatest mysteries of cinema: will a new instalment of Blade Runner ruin the seminal art house film? Sorry, my mistake, but it is easy to get confused, given that there are SEVEN other cuts of the original. In fact, Blade Runner has altered its image more often than you did aged 15 (goth was always going to be just a phase).
There is no ambiguity over Deckard’s Humanity” Frankly, the cult following behind this film is overstated and not entirely merited. Granted, Blade Runner has been fundamental to the drive of sci-fi as a whole, and its influences are visible in most sci-fi greats that followed: Ghost in the Shell [& reboot]; Robocop [& reboot]; The Matrix, (set to be rebooted). The first few cuts of Blade Runner are what totally undermine the integrity of the film, to the point that no amount of editing and rereleasing can completely exonerate the acclaimed Director’s Cut or Final Cut. Any true film noir must be pervaded by an integral philosophical question and/or ambiguity. But this key feature is removed in the original cuts for the sake of dumbing down the film for the audience. There is no ambiguity over Deckard’s humanity: The unicorn dream sequence (suggesting that Gaff knows that Deckard is a ‘replicant’) was only shoehorned into the film 10 years later, and worse still, the criminally bad voiceover by Harrison Ford explaining the film remains, neutering any mystery within the film.
the courier
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film culture Things We Hate
@CourierFilm thecourieronline.co.uk/film
Monday 16 October 2017
Ice creams and silver screens: where to watch
Culture Editor and Film section alumni Zoë Godden walks us through the best cinemas in the Joe Holloran looks at the vogue for Toon to suit all budgets and picture palace lifestyles; are you a blockbuster babe or indie fanatic? sequels- a good idea or just a money
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s resident Film Nerd here at The Courier, I’d like to think I know a thing or two about the best places to catch the latest big screen releases here in Newcastle. Whether you’re a media student, Star Wars fanatic, or just want an easy night out with your mates, the Toon offers a variety of options for you to kick back and watch some cinematic marvels; just please don’t actually kick the seats, or I will contact a member of staff. The easiest option in the city centre is Cineworld, based in The Gate just a ten minute walk from the main uni campus. Previously owned by Empire, Cineworld is the place to go for all the latest Hollywood releases, as well as occasional RSC live theatre showings. With 16 screens, some seating up to 436 people,
it’s one of the cheapest places to go to entertain your inner film fan; student tickets cost just £6.25, or save even more money by going on a Tuesday, where all 2D films are only £4. Not a fan of cinema chains? The Toon thankfully hosts one of the country’s best independent film theatres, The Tyneside. With four uniquely designed (and aptly named – who doesn’t want to feel like royalty on a leather sofa in The Classic?) screens, an art exhibition space, and three onsite bars and cafes, the Tyneside Cinema showcases everything from blockbusters to rereleases of old classics and indie flicks, as well as offering numerous workshops to help young people get into filmmaking. 2017 also marks the venue’s 80th anniversary, so there’s no better time to check out the quirky one-
off events they host. Personal favourites include the annual Cult Classic All-Nighter, featuring a plethora of Halloween-appropriate horror films to marathon through from 10pm til 8am (with each film only costing £1!), and the Tyneside Café Quiz, where teams of five can fight to prove they’re movie trivia masters on the last Tuesday of each month. Last but not least, if you don’t mind travelling a bit further out of the city centre, the intu MetroCentre hosts an ODEON Cinema in the upper Yellow Mall. Not only does it have a massive 17 screens, but also features the North East’s only IMAX screen, offering amazing sound and picture quality for an added £5 per head. You can also experience their state-of-the-art DBOX screenings; 4D versions of new releases where your seats move or vibrate in-sync with what’s on screen. Make the most of their Bargain Mondays deal, with tickets costing only £5 for students, or splash out for seats in The Gallery, giving you extra wide seats with added leg room, exclusive access to a VIP bar area, and unlimited popcorn, nachos and soft drinks. Regardless of where you sit, travel to the MetroCentre is a breeze. Simply hop on the Stagecoach 100 Shuttle Bus from one of three drop off points in town; return tickets are only £4 and the buses run every ten minutes until 11pm. Hopefully this cinema snob’s guide helped you get better acquainted with the amazing film culture here in Newcastle; here’s hoping I’ll catch you at a midnight screening sometime soon!
Daphne (15)
Flatliners (15)
Belle de Jour (18)
aphne is an excellent film to watch if you have ever worried about where your life is going, let alone whether you are actually walking straight. Like most of this genre (and, for that matter, all films) the protagonist and her apartment were unbelievably peng, setting ridiculously high expectations of what is possible with your face and physique, or living in London as a supposedly subfunctioning human. In contrast, however, to most films where people are having a quarter-life crisis, it was reassuring that Daphne was in her thirties, rather than early twenties. It is severely irritating to watch films where people five minutes out of university worry about ‘what they are doing’ with their lives. I’m painfully aware that for at least the first five years after university I will be living under a duvet in my parent’s house (and praying that they don’t notice). It is also nice to see a film where a woman pursues sex rather than love without it being said ‘I’m not like other girls’. The other fabulous facet of the protagonists’ promiscuity is how frequently she fails to have a good sexual experience, or indeed to actually manage to have sex. Overall the film was enjoyable, it’s nice to see a woman being a bit of a prick even if her hair is slightly too perfect. It is also nice to see a film which accepts that the dramatic events in life aren’t necessarily the most important ones, nor the ones which make the most difference to you. The palette was gorgeous, and the shots were easy to follow, if not as clean as one would like. That said, this film hit a pleasant median between light and trashy, and somewhat deep, making it a good one to watch for almost any mood.
s the newest inductee into the canon of modern horror reboots, you could be fooled into thinking that the remake of 1990 Kiefer Sutherland helmed Flatliners could do well to improve on the underwhelming original. Maybe you were enticed by a lead role from Ellen Page, wunderkinder of the mid-to-late noughties? Or maybe The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo director Niels Arden Oplev sold it to you? Well, prepare for a scamming – Flatliners isn’t here for your benefit, it’s here for your money. Five jaded medical students take a nosedive into the afterlife by enthusiastically stopping each other’s hearts, only to awaken with a revigorated passion for life. However, they all harbour guilt which takes them on bad trips involving the various people whose lives they have ruined over the years. After the initial setup, in which the premise is outlined in tantalising fashion, all interest flatlines, as a succession of characters delve one after the other into the beyond. The entirety of this middle section feels akin to (and is about as fun as) having four different dream diaries read to you. As Flatliners creeps glacially towards its conclusion, occasionally chucking a smattering of soapy sexual tension into the mix, it segues clumsily into tiresome, jump-scariness. By this point you’re yearning for this, or any, gear-shift. At least the pace picks up, but by that time rigor mortis has long set in. Flatliners commits the worst crime a remake can do; it fails to improve on a disappointing original, making you question why there was any need for the reboot in the first place. While the existentialist concepts of afterlife and whether the grass really is greener could have been used to the film’s advantage, Flatliners eschews this exploration in favour of cheap, flat pack horror tedium of the very poorest worth.
ecently re-released and restored in glorious 4K in commemoration of its 50th anniversary, Luis Buñuel’s bizarre erotic thriller Belle du Jour still remains a fascinating work by a master of cinematic surrealism. Catherine Deneuve delivers a compelling performance as Séverine, a newly married housewife whose sadomasochistic dreams develop into afternoon sojourns into the world of prostitution. As she becomes increasingly enveloped in her new occupation, she attempts to conceal this hidden world of vice from her husband and friends. Suffice to say, that doesn’t really go as planned. Firstly, Belle du Jour looks beautiful in this new presentation – the film has never looked as gorgeous. Despite being one of Buñuel’s most coherent works, alongside The Exterminating Angel, the oddness doesn’t relent – the sound design is punctuating and hypnotic, the lines of reality and fantasy are muddied through flashback sequences, and there are several uncomfortable and mysterious encounters with Séverine’s ‘clients’ – a huge man wanting to incorporate a box of unseen, perhaps living contents into a sex act being the stand out ‘what’s that all about’ moment. Memory, fantasy and desire, as well as past, present and future intersect as the story progresses as we see Séverine transform from reserved socialite to prostitute, as her hidden life blooms into its own monster. Its imagery is striking and performances solid – Deneuve’s portrayal of the title character is rightfully regarded as one of her best. Whilst some of the dialogue hasn’t aged very well, the strange and compelling imagery of the film has an indelible tension, humour, beauty, even a certain horror about it, leaving Belle du Jour standing up as perhaps the great directors finest work – an ambiguous slice of 60’s erotica brought back to life after 50 years.
Helena Buchanan
Finbar Oliver
Finbar Oliver
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grabbing ploy?
his month saw the release of Blade Runner 2049 by Enemy (2013) director Denis Villeneuve. A massive thirty-five years since Ridley Scott’s dystopian Sci-fi classic Blade Runner first hit the silver screen back in 1982. While most sequels are released while the fire of awareness and eagerness is still burning bright, not all follow this path. Fans of music will know the feeling when they hear one of their favourites groups have reunited. The initial rush of joy and visits to ticket sites, then the question, why? The answer in most cases, sadly, is money.
The new Blade Runner does stink of a cash grab” The same approach is adopted by most film fans upon the news of a long-awaited sequel. The fear always being that the studios will think rather than creating something new that might fail, or scare off their demographics the studios simply roll out more of the same The horror movie genre is a particular victim of this historically, the recent Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity sequels for instance. today super-hero movies are coming at us quicker than a tidal-wave with many a year. However good the new Blade Runner film is, it does seem to stink of a cash-grab. Of the original cast and creative team only, Harrison Ford has returned. Although an important caveat needs to be given here, namely the disastrous Godfather III (1990), a film with most of the same cast and crew as the original nearly twenty years before in 1972.
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However, there are a few case-studies that rebuke the rule. In 1995, Richard Linklater reinvented the cinematic-romance genre with Before Sunrise. The film was a commercial and critical success and there was talk of a sequel. Linklater and the film’s stars, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy refused. However, in 2004 a sequel was released. ‘Before Sunset’ is the perfect example of how to re-engage with a dormant story. The same team was involved and the story had developed off-screen across the years. It felt like re-visiting memoires of an old romance for the first time in years. Films can go years without a sequel and succeed so long as the audience is kept engaged through other media in the same universe. Sci-fi franchises like Star Wars do this, as does the Escape From… films with fifteen years separating Escape From New York (1981) with Escape From L.A. (1996). This trend of late sequels shows no signs of slowing. So, keep an eye out in the coming years for sequels to the Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) and Beetlejuice (1988) and try to keep an open mind about them, they might be great, so long as integrity comes before the lure of dollar signs.
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culture TV
the courier
c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver & Alex Moore
Gabriela Szczepanka’s Summer Showcase
Monday 16 October 2017
Piercing through the plot armour
As yourfavourite characters become increasingly unkillable, Chloe Bentexplores the mechanics behind plot armour and if these prestigious untouchables actually make or break a show
Atypical
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mongst the 1,012 TV shows found on Netflix (as of 3/10/17) there are many underrated gems that get lost amongst the chaos; Atypical undeniably being one of those gems. Season One of the dramatic comedy was recently added on Netflix and it focuses on the obstacles faced by a teenage boy, Sam, who has Autism. Dramatic comedies are always tricky as they typically lean more towards one or the other, but with this series the balance is near enough perfect. The humour is on point but what really makes it is the unrestrained honesty that Sam possesses and the comicality he doesn’t realise he has. The drama side of the show is serious but not overpowering as we gain an insight of what life is like not only for an autistic individual but also for his family and friends. The dynamic of his relationship with his sister and his parents is something that most of us can relate to or at least laugh at. It is the perfect show to binge watch, the only downfall being that there’s only 8 episodes in the first season.
American Vandal
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ith all the hype around parodies, it’s not surprising that the genre of crime documentaries got its very own satirical caricature, American Vandal. The trailer caused quite the commotion as this was something never seen before: a serious, dramatic, crime show dedicated to finding the culprit of an awful crime. What is that crime? Vandalising 27 cars belonging to the teachers at Hanover High, basically drawing huge dicks on cars with spray paint. To say I was sceptical about watching this is honestly an understatement, but this show is something positively unprecedented. Once you get over the fact that you’re watching a show where ‘dick’ is said approximately 15 times per episode, it actually becomes quite addictive. The fact that this show has a 95% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes may be showing that we’ve become so addicted to solving mysteries that we’re not concerned about what the actual mystery focuses around; either way, a surprisingly amazing show.
Once you get over ‘dick’ being said 15 times per episode, its actually quite addictive The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
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ver the summer I started searching for a show in the style of American Horror Story to try and kill the time before the new season began. Thankfully I came across The Lizzie Borden Chronicles. Set in the late 19th century, starring Christina Ricci (Wednesday in The Addam’s Family movies) and Clea DuVall (AHS season 2) as the Borden sisters, we witness the sisters attempting to start afresh in a new town after Lizzie Borden (Ricci) is acquitted of the murder of her father and stepmother. Their fresh start fails when their past continuously haunts them and Lizzie has to take matters into her own hands, literally. Just like in American Horror Story - where the characters are typically quite ambiguous - they can’t just be labelled as “good or evil”, “villain or hero”. The characters in The Lizzie Borden Chronicles have multiple layers to them and despite Lizzie being a murderous sociopath, she is actually a caring and loving individual. Of course that doesn’t excuse her being a homicidal maniac, but it makes her character so much more fascinating to watch.
@thecouriertv @Courier_TV
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ave you ever noticed a character’s amazing ability to survive any and all lifethreatening altercations? Maybe they’re in the midst of an epic battle scene, but seem to have a protective bubble around them. Perhaps they’re facing off against the villain of the week but no matter how high the odds against them, they defeat their foe with just a few minor injuries. You’re witnessing plot armour in action. Plot armour is a device used by writers to keep certain characters alive – either because their survival is necessary to further the plot, or at times just because showrunners know that killing off a fan favourite could cause chaos. We’ve all heard someone threaten to boycott or ‘riot’ in the event of their onscreen soulmate’s death (I’m looking at you, Daryl Dixon fans).
Showrunners know that killing off a fan favourite could cause chaos The question is this: does plot armour enhance the enjoyment of a TV show, or ruin it? On one hand, with your favourite character safe-
Image Credit: Jorge Figueroa (Flickr) ly shielded in layers of plot armour you never really have to worry about their chances; you know that no matter what they come up against, somehow, they’ll find the upper hand and live to see another day. You won’t have to mourn your fictional best friend, and you won’t have to try to convince your real friends that you aren’t crying, your eyes are just watering because you’re tired. It’s fair to say that plot armour can be necessary: if the protagonist is dead within the first few episodes, what’s the point? If we don’t get to see them achieve their end goal or reach their destination, is there even a story to tell? Some characters are too important to kill off just for ratings or a healthy dose of shock for viewers, the same way other characters are destined to die no matter how much we care about them, because the plot depends on it (RIP, Ned Stark). What about the other side of the coin? The best part about immersing yourself in a show is the anticipation, the tension of not knowing what’s coming next, the excitement that comes with watching these characters you’ve come to care about make their choices and seeing the consequences play out in front of you, both good and bad. When writers abuse the plot armour trope to keep their characters safe and sound, there’s no risk factor, and understandably if there’s no risk for the characters, there’s no reward for the viewers. We need a bit of fear every now and then to stay connected to a world that isn’t our own. If we don’t have the op-
portunity to sit on the edge of the sofa, yelling at our screens with our hearts in our throats we become distant, we stop caring as much. Whenever those characters are in danger we can sit back with a drink and shrug knowing everything will turn out just fine, as usual.
If the protagonist is dead within the first few episodes, what’s the point? When we watch TV, we know what we’re seeing on the screen isn’t real, but the fun part about falling into the latest season of your favourite show is being so absorbed that you forget your own reality in favour of the one onscreen. There’s nothing wrong with a little heartbreak every now and then to keep things interesting and plots advancing: some of the most popular shows out there are revered for their willingness to cut characters, but if plot armour really is necessary for later development then it should be a device wielded with subtlety.
Game of Thrones: Season Seven
TV Editor Jacob Clarke delves into the high and lows of the colossal seventh season of HBO’s critically acclaimed fantasy series epic
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he new season of Game of Thrones, promised to remove the slow burn that had plagued some of the previous stories, and it did. The plot elements moved at a rapid pace for a series known for its drawn out and character-driven arcs. This shorter and highly budgeted season produced unforgettable moments that would affect all of Westeros, rather than just certain character’s narratives. There are no longer episodes specifically dedicated to certain locations such as Arya’s arc last season. All the characters have been reunited in some way. Their experiences are being used to drive the events of the world stage in the Seven Kingdoms. Let’s start with the positives of this season. Game of Thrones always knows how to give us unforgettable moments to shock us and twist the plot wildly in directions we never expected, giving us an amazing spectacle we never expected to see. Season 7 didn’t disappoint on this front. We encountered the full use of a dragon’s immense power, when we saw Daenerys almost single-handedly destroy Jaime’s forces with the full might of dragon fire. And later in the season we saw Daenerys loose one of her children, as a dragon was shot down by the Night King and transformed into an undead ice dragon who then brought down The Wall like a knife through butter. Many other less CGI intensive moments caught
our eye, such as the magnificent ousting and execution of Petyr Baelish, the scheming snake who has been twisting Sansa’s mind since we first set out in Westeros. Other great character moments the beginning of Theon’s redemption, and the appearance of The Hound.
This was a pure money making, pandering tactic on the part of the creators, writers and casting team However, this season was not without its detractions. Some have suggested that the forced love arc between Jon Snow and his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen, was just far too predictable to get on board with, as they have only known each other for a few weeks. There is an argument this forced love is just a way for the writers to conveniently have the Starks and Targaryens on the same side. Another detraction for this season was the growth of the characters themselves. To the point of near
invincibility. Some characters have gained plot armour to the point where we can almost be certain they won’t die in filler episodes, such as Cersei and Jon. This is a shame as Game of Thrones used to pride itself on the unexpected deaths of favourite characters. There is by far one huge criticism that truly downgrades this series of Game of Thrones: The use of sell out and marketing tactics by featuring Ed Sheeran as a Lannister infantryman. This was a pure money making, pandering tactic on the part of the creators, writers and casting team. When fans of Ed Sheeran hear he is in the episode, and in fact sings during his scene, it instantly brings in a higher viewership rate. This is all for a scene that adds nothing to the overall plot or story, just to have a pointless celebrity cameo. Overall the new season of Game of Thrones was satisfactory in that in progressed the storyline and gave us our shocking moments that we can discuss for months on end. However this straying into cheap plot and cameo tactics is a major let down. Here’s hoping season 8 fares better.
the courier
@CourierTV thecourieronline.co.uk/tv
Monday 16 October 2017
Reviews
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TV culture
Electric Dreams Here’s why Channel 4 has made of all of TV Editor Alex Moore’s wildest Electric Dreams become reality.
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Image Credit: Graham of the Wheels (Flickr)
Rick and Morty Amy Gildert questions whether Rick has �inally lost control by the end of the sci-�i show’s third season.
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ith the final episode of Rick and Morty season 3 airing this week, fans were expecting a dramatic finale that delivered the same kick as the previous season’s cliffhanger. However ‘The Rickchurian Mortydate’ is a disappointing finale to what has otherwise been a fantastic season. The episode revolves around Rick going toe-totoe with the US President, and although the volley of sci-fi gadgets and explosions is enjoyable to watch, the battle does not deliver on aspects of plot that fans are desperate for.
JUSTIN ROILAND Roiland is known for his work on the hit animated show. He works not only as the shows co-creator but also as the voice behind both Rick and Morty.
Other episodes of season three have been rich in character development and story, particularly with the long awaited reappearance of ‘Evil Morty’. The Rickchurian Mortydate however, simply recycles the previous episodes’ cliffhanger of Beth potentially being a clone. This does not hold any weight as a cliffhanger for season four, as her ready acceptance removes the sense of suspense that was present in the previous episode. In comparison to the season two finWale, ‘The Rickchurian Mortydate’ can’t help but feel like a bit of an anticlimactic end
to the season.
It can’t help but feel like a bit of an anticlimactic end to the season
ver the past few years, Science Fiction fans have been treated time and time again at the box office, with the smothering of big-budget blockbusters including Arrival and Interstellar. This looks set to continue with the release of Blade Runner: 2049, the massively anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic. Whilst Blade Runner: 2049 adds to the long list of existing Hollywood adaptations of the author’s work, Channel 4’s new series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, finally brings his genius to viewers on the small screen. With a different cast, director and writer every week, each episode offers a unique perspective into the many dark, dystopian, yet all too familiar worlds of Dick’s vast imagination. Each episode is based on one of Philip K. Dick’s mighty collection of shorter fiction (he wrote approximately 121 over his life), yet some clearly take more liberties with the source material than others. On many levels this is great: we lucky viewers are treated to refreshing new takes on the works of from one of the greatest Science Fiction writers of all time. However, despite the quality of writing being generally very high, it is clear that not all of the screenwriters fall under this same esteemed title. Yet not all is lost, as even those episodes bogged
With an oven-fresh team and home at Channel 4, Siân Dickie reviews the latest from Bake Off
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6.5m
The average viewing figures for the show having now moved across to Channel 4 from BBC One.
Even those episodes bogged down with gaping plot holes and clichés are saved by stellar performances from a star-spangled cast All in all, it is a pleasure to have some limelight shed back onto short stories, as the increasingly over-looked genre lends itself so perfectly to shorter television slots (and hey, you don’t have to wait a whole week to find out what happens next!). Electric Dreams isn’t perfect, but it is a thoroughly thought-provoking exploration of some of Dick’s lesser known writing.
Although the ending leaves much to be desired in terms of drama, the episode reveals a change in character dynamics. Season 3 began with Rick in the ultimate position of power and control in the family; he orchestrated Beth and Jerry’s separation and placed himself at the head of the family. In the finale Rick is referred to multiple times as a God, and is portrayed as the all-powerful character that is always in control of the situation. However it’s becoming clear that his family is the one thing he can’t control. When Beth and Jerry get back together, all of the previous season’s character development is disregarded. Beth jokes that the show is going back to season 1, and while the reset button may have been pushed, the entire family’s attitude towards Rick has changed. Beth no longer idolizes her father, Jerry is no longer going to be the butt of Rick’s jokes, and Morty and Summer have clearly chosen their parents over Rick. In that respect at least, Rick’s sudden lack of control is the perfect contrast to the beginning of the season.
The Great British Bake Off Returns he new series of Bake Off has been under the spotlight for several reasons. Whether that be the move from BBC to Channel 4 or it’s new set of presenters, there’s something which hasn’t changed and that’s the intense drama in the Bake Off tent.
down with gaping plot holes and clichés (episode four: ‘Crazy Diamond’, I’m looking at you) are saved by stellar performances from a star-spangled cast including Bryan Cranston, Sidse Babett Knudson and an excellent Timothy Spall.
I have really enjoyed this season because of the camaraderie between new presenters Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding. Keeping a similar bond to Mel and Sue, the pair have added a quirkier opening style to the show, demonstrating Fielding’s unusual humour that we first discovered in shows such as the I.T Crowd and The Mighty Boosh. With episode 6 being ‘Pastry Week,’ we found the two presenters reenacting The Life of Pi, with Noel aptly dressed in a tiger onesie. True to each series, the nation has fallen in love with the new contestants and the competition is hotting up. The signature challenge of ‘Pastry
Week’ posed a lot of complications for the bunch, especially beloved baker Yan, whose scientifically engineered pie left a lot to be desired by the judges. However, student Liam’s autumnal pie was held as a triumph by none other than Paul Hollywood.
The nation has fallen in love with the new contestants and the competition is hotting up Paul’s judging and presenting personality is relatively similar to the old Bake Off but I believe he takes more of the lead judging role since Mary Berry was replaced by Prue Leith. Leith is an adequate successor for Berry but it could be said she lacks the humour and love for the cheeky innuendos that Mary did in past seasons. Unfortunately after a difficult signature, technical and showstopper, it was Russian born Julia that left the tent, following the announcement that Liam had won star baker with his Grandma Cynthia’s pie. As Sandi choked up with over Julia’s departure, it was clear to see that the bakers, as well as the presenters, have once again become a tight knit group.
Meet The Editors Jacob Clarke is a second year undergraduate English Literature and Philosophy student at Newcastle University. His favourite shows include those created by Dan Harmon and Game of Thrones. Joel Leaver is a postgraduate International Multimedia Journalism student, having previously studied English Literature and History at undergrad. His favourite shows are often those created by Ryan Murphy, as well as anything horror or camp. Alex Moore is a second year studying English Literature with Creative Writing (which is a great degree even if it doesn’t come with the most job prospects). He is eagerly awaiting the return of The Walking Dead and Blue Planet II. Watched something recently that you need to tell the world about? We are always open to new writers and ideas, so then get yourself down to Merz Court 3.02 at 1.30pm every Wednesday. As well as taking article requests, here we will offer out topics chosen by the three of us. If you can’t make it then just pop us an email at c2.tv@newcastle.ac.uk and don’t forget to join ‘The Courier TV Writers 2017/18’ Facebook group, where any leftover articles will be up for grabs.
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the courier
culture gaming courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Monday 16 October 2017 Gaming Editors: Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett & Richard Liddle Memory Card: FIFA 18 Review: new journey, same destination? Adam Speight gives us the low down on the score on EA’s latest annual sporting staple The Sims 2
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Image: Wikipedia
Eimear Flynn takes a trip down her simulated Memory Lane
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he Sims series is one that has affected all of our lives in some way. Whether you play it to live vicariously through your Sims, or simply find as many creative ways to kill them, it has found a place in all of our hearts since the series began in 2000 with the release of The Sims. The game introduced many of the features we know and love today, such as motives, Simoleons and, of course, the buy mode music. The Sims was set out in 3D but with only four isometric views onto the housing lots, which feels quite restrictive when considering that in its sequel, The Sims 2, there is a 360-degree view onto the lot. The Sims 2 was released four years after the original Sims in 2004, and while there wasn’t a lot of difference in gameplay, the graphics were improved and more exciting features were added, opening up a new and more realised world of user created custom content which could vastly improve the diversity of each save file’s gameplay. In addition to the free user-made custom content, the expansion packs of The Sims 2 had a lot more to offer in terms of content and gameplay variation than the expansion packs available for Sims. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage expansion pack ended up being my all-time favourite, as not only could you travel to three completely different holiday destinations, you could also create your own with the Sims 2 ‘Create a World’ tool. All community lots could be custom-made and hand-built to fit in with the aesthetic of the world, and could be interacted with – unlike in The Sims 3, where all community lots were made to be rabbit holes (i.e., you could not see inside of them, but the Sims can interact with them; they’re just placeholders). Another feature added in the Sims 2: Bon Voyage was the ability to walk between housing lots instead of taking a taxi, and the ability to take a few members of the household out to a community lot. Furthermore, in The Sims 3 the lots are not completely separate entities and you can freely roam the map without loading screens between each lot – making the Sims world feel even more open and inviting than ever before. During the summer holidays circa 2005, I would play The Sims 2 for as many hours and days as my sister would let me before taking over, during which time I created intricate maps and houses for my Sims to live in and holiday to. We had five expansion packs for the game and would play it religiously, sometimes with cheats enabled, sometimes not, and would enjoy engaging with our Sims’ pleasant lives – or else orchestrating their terrible demises. After all, one of the main reasons a lot of people play The Sims is to find the most creative way to murder their characters. From the classic trick of removing the diving pool, to the more intricate hedge-based spiral death trap, everyone has had multiple encounters with the famous Sims Grim Reaper. Similarly, cheat codes have always been an important part of the Sims gameplay; whether it was ‘;!’ in The Sims, ‘motherlode’ in The Sims 2, the whole host of later cheat codes developed throughout the franchise. These codes both enriched and limited the enjoyment of the game; you could build a spectacular house with enough money, but with too many maximised motives, the game could feel hardly worth playing. The Sims series continues to this day, with The Sims 4 released in 2014 and The Sims 5 officially in development. Let us all hope that while new features continue to be added, the franchise stays true to its original Sims roots.
he undisputed goliath of football games returns for another annual update, one that promises plenty of new features as well as tweaks to formats which have become regulars of the series. The additions are a mish-mash of changes that primarily serve as sweeteners for current fans of the series, rather than game-changers aimed at bringing in a wider audience. However, FIFA’s biggest addition of last year, The Journey, certainly serves as the most newbiefriendly aspect and this continues in The Journey: Hunter Returns in FIFA 18. The mode features a plethora of cutscenes featuring entertaining yet quite over-the-top melodrama. Thankfully, the grounded and likeable main characters make it digestible. EA have put a significant focus on fixing gameplay issues from recent iterations this time around. Nothing is revolutionary but changes like the passing feeling more accurate and crossing being an effective tool are tweaks that players have been longing for. Like passing, long distance shooting feels similarly honed, giving the player more of a feeling that their intentions have been realised.
EA have put a significant focus on fixing gameplay issues from recent iterations” The new tool ‘Quick Subs’ feels like a real attempt by EA to enhance the fluidity of the gameplay by allowing players to make subs without having to pause the game. This aim is somewhat accomplished but whilst it does help slightly, it’s a tad cumbersome and requires planning substitutions before kick-off. The regular FIFA game modes (Career, Ultimate
Image : IGDB.com Team and Online Seasons) make a return, with Career Mode featuring the most interesting changes. Much of the mode is the same but EA’s attempts to improve the negotiations fall flat. There’s the new Transfer and Player Hubs, which attempts to add more detail to player signing and contract negotiations. This change separates processes in the menus that, previously, were much closer together and adds clutter rather than nuance to what was already a streamlined process. The new cinematic negotiations are another sore point in FIFA 18. In an attempt to bring together the dialogue options of The Journey and transfer negotiations, this iteration includes visual interactions between the manager and agents.This non-verbal dialogue mechanic gives a completely unnecessary and outdated looking downgrade to a process that was perfectly fine being in the menus. Luckily, these negotiations can be avoided by delegating to the assistant manager.
Ultimate Team returns for more of the same packopening antics, providing hours of new content for those avid FIFA YouTubers. Squad Battles are the primary new addition, allowing the player to test their UT squad against AI squads specifically put together by actual footballers or FIFA influencers. The underrated online mode Seasons also makes a return. This is a fun ‘pick up and play’ online mode that gives some meaning and progression to the matches. Rather than playing standalone friendlies, you advance through leagues and can participate in knockout tournaments. FIFA 18 does a lot more to address issues with gameplay than it has between most recent iterations. Whilst these changes are welcome, they ultimately refine an all too familiar formula. Consequently, newcomers and fans in love with the series won’t be let down but if you are looking for a radically updated experience then you won’t find it here.
War Games: a short history of the strategy genre Jack Coles (mini)maps out the rise and fall of gaming’s tactical niche
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trategy games have been a staple of video games for years. Not the biggest staple, admittedly: if sandboxes and shooters are rice and potatoes, strategy games probably cornered the soybean market; possibly why they’re so popular in Western Europe and East Asia. The first strategy game ever was something called Empire, released in 1977; just five years after Pong was developed. It was something like a Civilization precursor, with turn-based movement and various units with different attack strengths. It was over a decade later before we get a name that we meme-faring millennials would recognise: a tie-in game for The Lord of the Rings, called War in Middle Earth. It was also one of the first movie tie-ins that received mixed reviews, a pattern Image: IGDB.com
that would constantly rear its head for the rest of gaming history. 1991 was when one of the giants of strategy was born. No, not Age of Empires (that was 1997), but Sid Meier’s Civilization. As in ‘one’. The original. The one with micromanagement so far up its butt that it can smell the price of hydrogen gas (£26.46 per kilolitre). Since then there have been five more games, ranging from ‘thoroughly excellent’ (Civs 4 and 5) to ‘what the buggering Christ’ (Civ 6). Speaking of Firaxis’ franchise, XCOM UFO Defense was released in 1993, and is generally considered as welcoming to newcomers as an introductory course to Quantum Mechanics in Klingon. In 1995 Worms came out. That’s all I want to say about that. At this stage, most strategy games had been turn-
based affairs, based off board games but benefitting from increased complexity. In 1996 this changed as of the most enduring real-time strategy franchises began: Command & Conquer, a game that started with a toxic meteorite landing on Italy, and ended three sequels later by being utterly butchered by EA. C&C also had other settings, such as the Cold War-esque Red Alert, or the Middle-East-wentberserk Generals.
In 1995 Worms came out. That’s all I want to say about that.” 1998 and 1999 saw the release of Starcraft and Age of Empires II, respectively, the two real-time strategy games that arguably endured better than all others. They also had polar opposite design philosophies: Starcraft opted for three core factions with completely gameplay, while AoE creates different factions by limiting access to certain units and technologies depending on your civilisation. From the 2000s onwards, strategy games took a bit more of a backseat as first and third-person shooters dominated the market. Not to say that strategy completely disappeared off the minimap. Galactic Civilizations was released in 2002, with one, maybe two good sequels. Shogun: Total War came out in 2000 and combined both real-time and turn-based strategy in a formula that was perfected in Rome II (albeit with more issues than The Courier’s archive). Nowadays triple-A strategy games are scarce, so the indie market has taken over and made things weird. FTL: Faster Than Light combines real-time strategy with turn-based elements and roguelikes. Tower defense games (e.g. Bloons Tower Defense) are a distinctly indie invention, and Space Run took it a step further by turning your spaceship into a reverse tower. Strategy’s not dead. It’s just plotting.
the courier
@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/category/gaming-2
Monday 16 October 2017
Two decades of post-apocalyptic brilliance: Fallout Take a trip through everyone’s most beloved game wasteland with TV editor Jacob Clarke
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ar. War never changes. The tagline of Fallout is ironic due to how much Fallout has changed over the years. It has progressed from a pixelated expanse of mysterious mutant infested lands of California, to the high definition, tragically beautiful settings of New Vegas and Boston. Despite changing hands many times, this series has stayed a standard of the industry in storytelling, design, gameplay and graphics (with some minor exceptions). Interplay, Bethesda and Obsidian have all had their go at enriching this world and expanding on the lore. When Fallout was released by Interplay in 1997, it opened up to us one of the richest open world experiences to date. The backdrop of ruined America and nuclear 1950s sci-fi was a genius design that made for a believable yet zany world where the impossibility of science is reality. But with devastating effects.
When Fallout was released in 1997, it opened ust to one of the richest open world experiences to date” Admittedly, 20 years on the game is quite dated and may lose appeal for anyone used to more modern RPGs; however, there is no denying that this game and its successor, Fallout 2 built a world that we would enjoy for years. We would have to wait quite a few years for a good Fallout game to come back to us. Interplay, in enjoying the success of the first two games, tried to branch out into strategy and console gaming to reach a wider and more popular market. The strategy game, Fallout Tactics, isn’t exactly a masterpiece of the genre, not only being very dated
but also incredibly fiddly and full of unnecessary micromanagement. And then came Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, a PlayStation 2 ARPG that decided to ignore most of the openness and free roaming features of the original games to lead us along a linear path with very few references to the lore of the first two entries. In 2004, Interplay sold the rights to make Fallout games to Bethesda Game Studios, the creators of the brilliant and highly successful Elder Scrolls series.
I hope the next Fallout game is just around the corner, and that it matches the glory of its predecessors” Things started to get back on track with the release of Fallout 3. This took Fallout into the modern era of gaming, giving it up-to-date graphics combined with a realistic and interactive open world, plus the option of a first or third person experience. The game, changing its setting from California to Washington DC (The Capital Wasteland), took the story to the heart of a ruined government and its fanatical remnants, The Enclave, who seek to wipe out those disagreeing with their genocidal ways. And it’s our job to shut them down. If we want to. We could also spend half the game hunting radscorpions, saving a tree named Harold or becoming a cannibal. That’s the heart of Fallout. Fantastical, dark, enticing. This has continued in Bethesda and Obsidian’s safe hands ever since. Arguably the best Fallout game, Fallout: New Vegas,, was released in 2010 and took us back to the West Coast, where we play a
courier intent on finding the man who shot him in the head before determining the fate of the city of New Vegas, fighting armies of tyrants, or joining forces with them. Added to this was the mystery of trying to figure out your own origins in the deserted landscape, a story arc largely dealt with by the game’s extensive DLC packages. The most recent release, Fallout 4, took us back to the story of the Brotherhood in Fallout 3, ten years later, and this time in Boston. Their mission is to wipe out a bunch of powerful mad scientists intent on capturing wasteland civilians and using them for their experiments, and those same mad scientists happen to have taken your son for this purpose. Many have complained that the story of Fallout 4 was far too streamlined; however, the richness and density of the world Bethesda have crafted means that whilst it’s not quite New Vegas, it’s still incredibly fun. I hope the next Fallout game is just around the corner, and that it matches the glory of its predecessors. We are all waiting on Bethesda to let us explore the nuclear wastes once more. But for now, happy 20th, Fallout.
Image Wikimedia Commons
SNES Classic Review: A Blast from the Past
Jordan Oloman is the man to try out Nintendo’s latest ‘90s nostalgia throwback console
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hilst I’ve been settling in to a Masters’, celebrating a birthday and starting a new job, I’ve been struggling to sink time into my games. Pockets here and there appeared, but nothing meaningful. I pre-ordered Nintendo’s latest mini console purely based on scarcity. The thought was, I’ll pick it up, and if it tickles my fancy I could give it a go. After all, the effort of emulation is often a boon, and the handy capabilities of a little box that plays all the classics is something to behold. A couple of games piqued my interest, the Undertale-inspiring Earthbound, Super Metroid and of course, the previously unreleased Starfox 2.. Mostly though, when it came down to it, I was plugging in the second controller and jumping on the multiplayer titles. Not expecting it to be a long-term experience, I booted up the little gray old man and fired up Super Mario Kart.. Perhaps it’d be a laugh to compare it to the Switch version I frequent!
the popular but calculated and simple Mario Kart.
Mostly though, I was plugging in the second controller and jumping on the multiplayer titles” Undertale’s success can be tracked to the nostalgia felt for fans of Earthbound, but also shows that you can go back to basics in the modern era and deliver something that learns and grows from its clever
The SNES mini is a history lesson in game design” However, what I was met with was a very succinct game that at its core, is like studying the cogs of a beautiful Nintendo war machine. The scarcity of the boxes and the lack of a map create new challenges and show how old ones had been surpassed, yet you still appreciate the game like you’re playing it on the latest console. You can see how many titles acted like forerunners for the behemoths of modern gaming with the SNES. Most of the popular genres and standout titles gestated in this very period, all under the tutelage of an off-grey adolescent console. Street Fighter II shows you how far the series has come visually, but in terms of mechanics, attempts to make you realize that when something is not broke, you shouldn’t fix it. The same can be said for Super Metroid following the successful release of Samus Returns,, as well as
Absorbing, epic single-player games that will quench your nostalgia and a plethora of fun multiplayer titles to populate an hour or a social evening. It has them both in droves. Perhaps the only issue then is getting your hands on one. Whilst it is selling for scalpers prices on eBay, I wouldn’t say this is an essential item you need right now. Alas, you are missing out on some pretty dope menu music though. Godspeed.
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Subscription Based Gaming: Future or Failure? Will gaming follow Netflix? Mark Belshaw investigates
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ideo games have, since their inception, been a straight forward purchase. Where we simply walk up to the counter, shove a fistful of notes into the hands of a cashier, sprint home to ram the disk straight into our consoles and wait for half a century while everything is installed and updated. But many gamers have now moved beyond the pain of the guy in front of you getting the last copy in store by downloading their games online, either through Steam, PSN, or the Xbox Games Store. However, something may be happening to the way we both purchase and access games that could be coming sooner than we think. I’m talking about subscription based gaming. Now I know that many gamers after hearing that will want to dropkick the nearest electronic device to hand, but hear me out. We’ve all seen how subscription based methods of payment have revolutionised other forms of entertainment such as Netflix with shows and movies, and Spotify with music. So why not video games? We already have some services out there that allow us to stream games for a monthly subscription, such as EA’s Origin Access, Xbox Game Pass, and PlayStation Now but no one seems to be interested in them and they certainly aren’t becoming major sensations like Netflix or Spotify. So, what are the issues with these services?
The large numbers of small indie games don’t make up for the high subscription fee” Two key issues become apparent when you just look at these services, which are the small amount of games on offer and a lack of new releases. To start with, EA’s Origin Access meets demand with the ability to play new games such as Battlefield 1 but only allows the user to access EA games, which is extremely limiting. Even with much older games in the available library, EA can only boast 75+ games. Although you can get a 10% discount on some games and the ability to get new EA games a couple of days earlier, it’s not worth the £3.99 per month subscription. Moving on to both the PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass services, there’s a clear difference in what they offer with Xbox offering 100+ games for £7.99 per month, and PlayStation wanting £19.99 per month for 500+ games. Now both may sound appealing but upon further investigation it becomes clear that the games on offer are old and many are small indie titles that no one has ever heard of. This is a particularly big issue as the large numbers of small indie games you get don’t make up for the high subscription fee. Honestly, you would be better off buying preowned games for around the same price, or less if it’s for PlayStation. Clearly subscription based gaming is still in its infancy, but if it’s going to truly change how we consume games then we need a service that gives us access to an enormous selection of games and for the service to be constantly updated with new releases for it to be any good.
parentage. I think what I’m trying to say is that as well as a console packed with terrific games, the SNES Mini is a history lesson in game design. A bite-sized revision of an ancient bible for those looking for nostalgia or just pure quality. It has both ends of a tough spectrum on lock. Image: Wikipedia, Nintendo
Image: Wikimedia Commons
the courier
Monday 16 October 2017
@CourierArts thecourieronline.co.uk/arts
c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas
The Hatton Gallery Reopening
Julia McGee-Russell reviews Hatton Gallery, Newcastle University’s on campus gallery.
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arts culture
SALTY COLUMN Duchamp’s Urinal MAISE FOLAN
The reopening of the Hatton Gallery after a £3.8 million, two-year closure refurbishment
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Nevertheless, the group of students standing apart from their wine-drinking elders wished they had been more encouraged to attend. They felt more effort could have been made to advertise the reopening to students, or that students should have their own separate opening day– preferably with free wine, of course. Yet they seemed hopeful for future collaboration after being informed of the further archive access, and the new multi-purpose learning space dedicated to them and the public. The rest of the attendees were more definitive
in their praise, calling it ‘inviting, clear and bright’ compared to how ‘unloved’ it felt prior to the refurbishment. Kate Stephenson, wife of the late artist Ian Stephenson, featured in the new ‘Pioneers of Pop’ exhibition, felt the refurbishment now showcased her husband’s work successfully. ‘What delights me most of all, is that the Hatton has been returned to the state we knew when we were students here’ she pronounces, her friend and fellow student of artist Richard Hamilton nodding her agreement. But the elements of collage and pop culture in ‘Pioneers of Pop’ can also appeal to students, a generation marinated in the effects pop artists had on today’s visual culture. So, if you like the sound of art described by Hamilton as ‘young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, and Big Business’, or you’d like to see the results of this £3.8 million for yourself, the Hatton is definitely the place.
And no, if you look carefully through those holes at the back, it doesn’t get any more interesting
Reality Check @ The NewBridge Project, October 18-21
Bloomberg New Contemporaries @ The Baltic, every day 10-6
Image: Julia McGee-Russell
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s a first-year undergraduate who loves all things eyebrow-raisingly artistic, learning that there was a gallery on campus at Newcastle University was a contributor to my decision to apply. So understandably, a VIP invitation to the reopening of the Hatton gallery after a £3.8 million, two-year closure for refurbishment, had me donning my posh coat with excitement. The VIP opening seemed reserved primarily for those who participated in, funded, or contributed art to the renovation - some would say rightfully so.
What’s On: Bubble Schemeisis @ Alphabetti Theatre, October 17-19
Nick invites you into the warmth of the Canning Town Schvitz. Amongst the steam and ritual, he will take you on a journey to find the place he belongs.
Reality Check is a new exhibition bringing together works by eight early career artists.
Paul Nash @ Laing Art Gallery, Tuesday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 2-5
This exhibition includes a fascinating array of photographs and surreal objects, assembled as sources of inspiration by Nash and artist Eileen Agar.
Since 1949, New Contemporaries has organised an annual exhibition for current and recent graduates.
@TheCourierArts @thecourierarts
Art: it’s a walk in the playground Kate Luxton discusses the value of the Turbine Hall’s latest exhibition.
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hat makes art ‘art’? A question the arty world has posed since Duchamp exhibited a urinal in a New York City art gallery. A more current example is ‘when does a playground for adults stop being a playground and become an insightful and meaningful interactive art installation?’ You would be forgiven for finding it slightly ridiculous that twenty-two three-person swings, a multicoloured stripy carpet and a giant mirrored pendulum could genuinely “challenges society’s apathy towards the political, environmental and economic crises of our age”. Nevertheless, this the concept which has been envisioned and constructed by the Danish trio SUPERFLEX. This installation is part of a legacy of artists
Image: Tate Photography
which have taken on the challenge of the vast industrial space of the Turbine Hall. Giant orbs of sunlight suspended from the ceiling and winding helter-skelters which jettison visitors from the second-floor have all occupied the 35,000 square-feet space. The interactive element of this installation blurs the criteria for what constitutes art whilst also making the world of galleries more accessible, as well as simply fun. With every installation that passes through the Turbine Hall passes a unique artists with unique intentions. However, the space makes certain universal demands of both artists and artwork, creating a unique environment. The viewer is compelled to experience the dimensions of the artists’
creation first-hand, as the physical presence of the installation is inescapable. Viewers will almost certainly encounter other people and - much like a playground - have to cooperate with others as they mediate this communal space.
It makes ‘art’ approachable to those who find the art museum environment intimidating The difference between the friendly primary colours and geometrical shapes of ‘One Two Three Swing!’ and the playground 10 minutes down the road is that it makes ‘art’ approachable to those who find the art museum environment intimidating and alien. By inviting viewers into this liminal space which is neither outside or inside, gallery or playground, the playing-field is leveled between the experienced art critic and a five-year-old child, the only requirement is participation. ‘One Two Three Swing!’ does not have to have some intellectually challenging purpose and perhaps that is entirely the point. There is a freedom in this child-like environment which is often denied to the adult population. Whilst the enjoyment drawn from visiting ‘One Two Three Swing!’ may seem superficial and fleeting, its absence of intention creates a void for you to create your own meaning from this visceral experience, rather than its value being determined by a prescribed understanding of the artists’ ideas and intentions. This is what is valuable about installations like this one. Although it probably will not change the world, it draws in a new audience with its universal appeal and familiarity, because at the end of the day, who would say no to a giant pendulum, a three-person swing and fluffy striped carpet?
orry Duchamp, this is clearly just a urinal. Despite numerous critics claiming the inspiring nature of its ceramic gleam, I fail to see past the actual value of this object. I may have a strong opinion, but believe it or not I’ve seen this piece of nonsense in the flesh. And no, if you look carefully through those holes at the back, it doesn’t get any more interesting.
The only mildly amusing aspect of my visit to this glorified toilet was observing GSCE-aged girls pretend to wander curiously around the piece saying things like “You know Sarah, I’m really beginning to understand the influence Duchamp had over the Fluxus movement.” Perhaps I’m missing something here. Half-bothered, I google ‘R. Mutt 1917’ only to discover that Duchamp changed the word Mott from J.L Mott Iron Works, manufacturer of the urinal, to Mutt, simply to make it more ambiguous. In his bid to appear abstract, both Duchamp and the overrated potty seem to have been a waste of time. Don’t believe me? Check out Duchamp’s ‘Bicycle Wheel’, another of his famous readymade pieces which to you and me means that he assembles objects that have already been constructed (hence the term readymade). It’s hardly my definition of artistic. Save from the cleanliness of the urinal, I fail to see any redeemImage: able aspects; it most probably Wikipedia would have served a greater purpose in a men’s restroom. Ouch.
PHOTOBOX Rosie McCrum
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took this photo on a July evening in Greece. The air throbbed with the sound of crickets and a memory of the afternoon heat lingered. We were walking down a dusty track to a small sandy cove when I saw this cactus draped over the wire. I like the way the leaves snake over the fence like swans refusing restraint, while the sun swallows surrounding trees. The burnt u m b e r colour was an accident when the photo was developed, but the fiery tint evokes the haziness of the evening, reminding me of the smells of the sea and tamarisk trees m i ng l i ng in the air.
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science & technology
the courier
courier.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little & Ciara Ritson-Courtney
Monday 16 October 2017
Are you Tech-ing the piss ?
The 2017 Nobel Prizes
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A
Kitty Marie investigates Elon The Courier’s Science Editors collaborate to exhibit the work of some of the world’s top minds Musk’s newest idea
lon Musk piques our interest by adamantly claiming we can host manned-missions to Mars by 2024 in his latest update about the goings-on at SpaceX. For those not in the know, Elon Musk is a Canadian-American investor, engineer and inventor. He has a belt of many interesting titles including CEO of SpaceX, cofounder of SolarCity and chairman of OpenAI. This haul of accolades has led him to become the 21st most influential person in the Forbes list of The Most Powerful & Influential. His SpaceX update in September received a round of applause when he said we will reach Mars in around five years time, after then pointing-out that five years is actually a long time because we should have done it already. His optimism continued as he spoke of landing two cargo ships on Mars in 2022 and two more in 2024 along with two manned ships. The initial ships would be able to carry two to three people per cabin, with there being forty cabins in total on board. At a squeeze, six people could fit in one cabin which means that in later years up to 240 people will be able to travel to Mars in one single trip.
2024
The year Elon Musk claims we can host manned-missions to Mars
He outlined that the initial crew of the first two ships would effectively be planet pioneers as they would establish base colonies and breathable areas on Mars’ surface. Over the years the habitable areas would grow into habitable villages, then into habitable towns and into habitable cities and then eventually an entirely new habitable planet to call our own. Of course there have been many speculations raised about Musk’s over-optimistic view on the entire affair, with even NASA astronauts claiming that it can’t be done, at least not for another thirty years and not at the rates he claims. However, Musk claims that it is entirely possible as the rockets SpaceX is developing would be able to travel faster than their previous counterparts, he even went as far as saying that they could be used on Earth to transport 100 passengers to anywhere on the planet in under an hour.
There have been many speculations raised about Musk’s over-optomistic view, with even NASA astronauts claiming it can’t be done” In the update, Musk even spoke of lunar bases and in his words “It’s 2017-we should have a lunar base by now” intrigued some people and eluded others and his claims on cost were even more eluding with him asserting that the cost of a seat on a rocket to Mars would be about the same price as “full economy fare on an aircraft”. When people questioned him about fuel and resources, Musk said that the rockets would have mining equipment on board to excavate resources such as fuel and water from beneath Mars’ surface thus making living and returning to Earth possible. However, some argue that Musk’s plan is not viable as he hasn’t accounted for the implications that could occur on a flight to Mars including cosmic radiation blasts that could kill the onboard crew and even the amount of time it actually takes to travel to Mars; Mars is over 140 million miles away from Earth so it takes approximately a year to get there, some claim that Musk has not accounted for issues with rocket propulsion which could also add to the overall journey time. Musk’s claims on our ability to reach Mars have definitely been far out (excuse the pun) but maybe that is what we need, over the years we have lost sight of what is important about space travel and Musk has made us realise what that is; it’s our human need to explore, to colonise, to expand, to start anew. We cannot do this on Earth anymore.
utumn, the leaves are falling off the trees, people are wearing scarves, and most importantly the Nobel prizes are being announced. The Nobel prizes are some of the most prestigious and world renowned titles to be gained and this year like every other the prizes have been awarded to some amazing scientists. The Award was originally created in 1895 by Alfred Nobel who left a large share of his fortune in his will to create a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. His testament was continued by the Sveriges Riksbank Sweden’s central bank in 1968 who today continue the prizes in Alfred’s memory.
people have problems with sleeping patterns. If the molecule degrades too quickly, they biologically “expect” a shorter day, such as 22 hours, while overproduction leads to a 26 hour expectation. A trio of scientists have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a process that captures the molecules of life in atomic resolution. The committee said the technique, known as cryo-electron microscopy, has triggered a “revolution in biochemistry”. Richard Henderson, Jacques Dubochet and Joachim Frank will share the award– and the
The award was originally created in 1895 giving prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace” This year’s Medicine prize went to J. C. Hall, M. Rosbash, and M. W. Young for investigation into the circadian rhythm, using fruit fly genetics (which are surprisingly similar to our own) and the study of proteins. Circadian rhythm is the scientific term for your body clock – the instinctive knowledge of what time it is. Having said that, it also impacts our metabolism and mood. Disrupted circadian rhythm (such as shift work or caffeine) has been linked to an increased risk of developing type II diabetes and depression. The circadian rhythm is ubiquitous, being found in most of our cells, in animals, plants, and even bacteria. We understand why it’s important, but we’ve never really known how it works. As it turns out, it’s managed by a biological molecule that is slowly made by cells until it reaches a certain concentration, at which point it shuts off its own production and starts to degrade. Once it drops below a concentration, manufacturing starts up again. This helps explain why some
£825,000 that comes with it– for their individual contributions towards this pioneering field of research. Cryo-electron microscopy produces images of complex biological molecules in their natural form by cooling down substances to liquid nitrogen temperatures. Whereas previous microscopic methods lacked precision and would often destroy delicate biological structures, this new technique can provide 3D freeze-frames of biochemical processes as they unfold. It has already allowed scientists to explore the surface of the Zika virus, to scrutinise the proteins that cause antibiotic resistance, and to map the abnormal tau protein deposits that are thought to influence the progression of Alzheimer’s. These unprecedented images are furthering our understanding of the human body and human dis-
ease, and will help create new medicines. By opening up cells to direct observation, cryoelectron microscopy is unlocking the most intricate details of life. But with its full potential yet to be explored, the revolution has only just begun. In Physics the Nobel prize has been awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and Kip Thorne for their collaboration on LIGO/VIRGO and their discovery in 2015 of gravitational waves. These gravitational waves were originally predicted by Albert Einstein a hundred years ago and were observed on the 14th September 2015. The waves originated from the collision of two black holes and took 1.3 billion years to arrive at the LIGO detector in the USA. The detector used a pair of colossal laser interferometers to measure changes thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus. While many sorts of electromagnetic particles have been discovered in recent years, the gravitational wave is important because it gives testimony to disruptions in spacetime, something that previously hasn’t been seen. The Nobel prize committee claimed “The first ever observation of a gravitational wave was a milestone – a window on the Universe”. Seeing as we have only just found this “window” we can expect many discoveries relating to it to come.
13
of the 328 Nobel prizes in Medicine,Physics and Chemistry have been awarded to women
Out of all the Nobel prizes in Chemistry, Medicine and Physics awarded throughout time only 18 of the 328 have been awarded to Women, none of which were awarded in 2017. The question of equality has been raised throughout time, questioning both why more females have not been awarded the prize and also why people of more varied ethnicities haven’t been awarded the prize. 2017 has lived up to this question with all of the prizes in these areas going to white males, while all their discoveries and research is of course deserving of Nobel prize recognition, the question remains, who else also created work of the same standard but didn’t win ?
Chemically en-gene-ered bairns
Ever fancied yourself as a chemical surgeon? Natalie Farmer discusses the break-through new technology that could literally change us forever... one embryo at a time
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esigner babies, genetic engineering, saviour siblings… everyone’s heard the phrases, seen the news headlines, and watched My Sister’s Keeper. The words are thrown around every now and then as health technology advances further, mashed together with buzzwords such as ‘unethical’ or ‘slippery slope’. The latest term being used is ‘chemical surgery’, but what does it mean and why does it matter? Chemical surgery is a term coined by David Liu, a scientist at Harvard University. Alongside his team, he worked on human embryos to edit their DNA. The aim was to completely remove a genetic disease called beta-thalassaemia, such that the embryo can grow up and never experience the consequences of this blood disorder. Beta-thalassaemia is a disease in which a DNA abnormality causes a mutation in haemoglobin in the blood, leading to anaemia. In severe cases, this leaves sufferers dependent on blood transfusions to survive. Since the disease is encoded in our genes, it can be passed on to children – but only if two copies of the faulty gene are inherited. This is because the inheritance pattern of betathalassaemia is ‘autosomal recessive’. We have two copies of every gene (one from mum and one from dad); if a disease is recessive, then we must inherit a copy of the faulty gene from both mum and dad to be a sufferer of the disease. This means that you could inherit one faulty gene and one ‘normal’ gene and not inherit beta-thalassaemia – instead, you are known as a carrier, meaning you can pass the disease on without suffering from it yourself. It is estimated that 1.5% of the global population are carriers of beta-thalassaemia, which equates to
over 100 million people. Is this disease worthy of editing into extinction? David Liu certainly thinks so. The gene manipulating process is complex and for years scientists have been attempting it – unsuccessfully, as changing a person’s genetic makeup is no easy feat. It involves enzymes that specifically act on DNA. Originally, it was thought that cutting out the string of bases (the individual parts that make up a gene) would suffice and effectively ‘cure’ the individual, but all of the experiments failed. It wasn’t until this year that Liu’s team was successful. By using different enzymes – ones that change the genetic code, rather than remove it – the betathalassaemia gene was erased from the DNA of the embryos. Although the experiment was successful in many of the embryos, this wasn’t the case in all of them. Some still had one gene that carried betathalassaemia (making them a carrier), some still had both – and in others, new mutations were
caused. There is certainly a long road ahead if these techniques are ever to be performed on viable embryos, but for now, Liu and his team can celebrate their scientific breakthrough. Of course, experiments such as this can potentially pave the way for abuse of the t e c h n o l o g y. Sex selection is only the beginning. With access to an individual’s genetic code, one could modify their hair colour, their height, their IQ… the possibilities are endless. If this tech were ever to see the light of day, then strict regulations will have to be put in place to ever make it viable. It’s a delicate balance between eradicating disease and simply modifying undesirable features, and we’d have to trust the powers that be to not tip the scales in either direction; but this technology will change the world. And frankly, that’s exciting. Either that, or we end up with a race of superhumans.
the courier
@CourierScience thecourieronline.co.uk/science
Monday 16 october 2017
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science & technology
Chip on your shoulder?
Mythbusters:
Do you really need your appendix ? Is Black Mirror predicting the future? Natalie Farmer discusses implanting tech into our brains Mythbuster Ng Yi Min to enhance human intelligence and if it could help us in our future world-dominating escapades extracts the truth behind this rtificial intelligence has come a long way lives of millions of people suffering from degen- which memories to keep and which to get rid of? misconception in the last few years, to the point where erative brain disease. Could we have a connection with our computers?”
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many worry that robots will (eventually) take over the world. But fear not, world, as scientists are also pouring resources into enhancing human intelligence, and making the first generation of super-humans. Watch out, robots… Bryan Johnson, CEO and founder of Kernel, aims to boost human intelligence by creating a chip that can be implanted into the brain via surgery. He founded his company Kernel back in 2016 using $100 million of his own money, saying that “unlocking our brain is the most significant and consequential opportunity in history.”
But Johnson’s aims don’t stop there. Not only does he want to cure what is currently incurable, he also wants to use
Unlocking our brain is the most significant and consequential opportunity in history” Although the research is still in its early stages, Johnson has teamed up with Theodore Berger, a biomedical engineer at the University of South Carolina, whose work focuses on an area of the brain known as the hippocampus, responsible for memory. Berger has been studying people with epilepsy who already have implants in their brain to help to control their seizures; he has been using these implants to record brain activity in the hippocampus, so that we can fully understand the process behind forming memories. Johnson thinks that understanding a healthy brain is the key to fixing a diseased brain – for example, a brain affected by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease. By duplicating the impulses fired in a healthy brain, then memory could be regained in an unhealthy brain. This has massive implications for neurology, and, if successful, could change the
t h e chip to upgrade the memory (and ultimately, the intelligence) of all humans. “If we can mimic the natural function of the brain… [then] what can’t we do?” says Johnson, “Could we learn a thousand times faster? Could we choose
Johnson compares this type of enhancement to plastic surgery. He explains that although cosmetic surgery was initially feared, it is now commonplace and “we will see the same thing happen as we gain more powerful forms of enhancements in genetics and neurology.” Although this might all sound a little bit farfetched, Berger has already had success in animals, with studies suggesting that the prosthesis (or ‘chip’) can give the animals a better memory than they would ever develop naturally. Kernel has been hoping to begin human trials since early 2017, although no further information has since been released. However, Kernel recently bought Kendall Research Systems, a company which builds devices that use light instead of electricity to excite the brain – a hint at where Kernel’s research is heading, perhaps?
Could we learn a thousand times faster? Could we choose which memories to keep and which to get rid of? Could we have a connection with our computers?” It’s still going to be a long time before products such as this one hit the market (that is, if they even work), especially since Kernel has yet to make any money. However, with Elon Musk’s Neuralink and Facebook joining the ‘neurotech race’, then we can expect other companies to jump on this potential billion-dollar bandwagon and drive the industry forward.
Bryan Johnson CEO and founder of Kernel aims to boost human intelligence by creating a chip that can be implanted into the brain
You Mar-might have the gene
Word of the Week:
Editor-in-Chief James Sproston delves into the nations most and yeast loved spread and explains why we’re so divided
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n its latest campaign, the nation’s most divisive household condiment announced ‘The Marmite Gene Project’, an opportunity to discover whether you have the genetic capability to enjoy the savoury taste of the infamous black spread. In an unnecessarily dramatic advert, we see a number of households having the news broken to them through an ominous letter popped through the letterbox. In a tense few scenes, each person is revealed to be a lover or a hater, before looking either crestfallen or euphoric.
Discover whether you have the genetic capability to enjoy the infamous black spread” Behind this brutal binary is a nifty bit of science. After an experiment involving 261 adults, 15 genetic markers were identified to indicate your Marmite taste preference. It’s these genetic traits that are packed into a clever little kit that can be delivered directly to your door. You’re probably wondering what it is exactly that determines whether you love or hate Marmite. Well, it’s not up to one overarching bitterness receptor, in fact the study confirms that it’s got nothing to with bitterness at all. Who even thought that Marmite tasted bitter? Sort yourselves out, the lot of you. “But is it worth my time?” I can hear you shout from the kitchen whilst you’re rustling yourself up
some Johnty for breakfast. For three major reasons, it probably isn’t. Firstly, both the study and an enthralling behind the scenes interview with the study lead, Dr Thomas Roos, implies that there are a number of environmental factors in the mixer alongside your 15 genetic markers. Therefore, you could well be officially branded a ‘hater’, even though you’ve loved Marmite ever since your Aunt Pam used to feed you Twiglets in that pokey-but-charming caravan in North Wales.
£2.40
The cost of a jar of marmite at Tesco, the perfect at home test, fulfills 31 tests
Secondly, it costs a lot of money. Your bog-standard Marmite gene testing kit will set you back a weighty £90. From the vast array of reasons you could dip into your overdraft, learning whether you genetically love or hate Marmite shouldn’t be among them. If it is, I’ll add you to the growing list of people who need to sit down and thoroughly sort themselves out. I’d much rather stay in the dark about my Marmite habits than part with the cash. The last reason not to buy this damned testing kit is because you can buy your own for £3 down any supermarket worth its salt. It’s called a pot of Marmite. Buy one, try it, then decide for yourself whether you’re a lover or a hater. If you need a piece of paper to confirm or deny your love for Marmite in size 16 font, you need to leave the room. Please head outside to join the ever-growing queue of people waiting in line to sort themselves out. I can only hope that there aren’t too many of you.
Ultracrepidarian
Alex Ridley figures out the best answer to this week’s word
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o you ever look at the world of chaos, confusion and corruption around you and think “If I were in charge, I could run this system better?” Then you’re engaging in textbook ultracrepidarian thought: displaying opinions and beliefs beyond the scope of your knowledge. The word, a combination of the Latin ‘ultra’, meaning above, and ‘crepidarius’, meaning shoemaker, is in fact a reference to one of Roman writer Pliny’s stories. The artist Apelles enlisted a street cobbler to paint the shoes of one of his paintings, but shut down his criticism of the rest with the withering putdown ‘ne sultor ultra crepidam’: not above the sandal, shoemaker. We’ve all figu r e d out world peace while blitzed on trebles. But the next time you’re on a night out and some pretentious drunk starts yelling about his ideas to fix the economy, you can shut them up with an insult older than feudalism.
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hat is the appendix? No, we’re not talking about that insightful section we all love to add to the end of our essays. Instead, we’re referring to that tiny little, fingershaped pouch that sits in the lower right abdomen between your small and large intestines. So now we’re on the same page, I have one quick question for you: have you ever wondered what the appendix actually does? Except get inflamed and give us agonising appendicitis? (When you’re struck by extremely bad luck that is!) Many of us silently curse the presence of this useless and troublesome little organ. If you’re of Asian origin, you may even have memories of your elders yelling at you for jumping around after meals, warning you that such reckless behaviour will give you appendicitis. But if it really is such a killjoy, one can’t help but wonder: why did human evolution not get rid of the damned thing?
1 in 7
People in the U.K have appendicitus at some point throughout their lives
A group of scientists, led by assistant professor Heather F. Smith from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University, performed an extensive study on the human appendix to understand its evolution in mammals. Their research discovered that the organ has evolved up to 41 times in the past 11 million years, suggesting it is not as redundant as many believe. Though the exact details of this evolutionary history still remain a mystery, Smith’s group may be on to something. While researchers around the world continue to crack their brains, trying to understand the physiological function(s) of the human appendix, the current leading hypothesis is that it acts as natural reservoir for beneficial intestinal bacteria. This would mean that rather than being a pointless organ, it serves a protective function in human health by keeping certain infections at bay. Smith’s group is the first to statistically prove that there is an association between the presence of an appendix and the ‘concentration’ of lymphoid tissue, and thus the immune hypothesis of appendix evolution. In addition, a study carried out in 2012 by Dr James Grendell and his team from Winthrop University Hospital has shown that patients without an appendix were four times more likely to suffer from Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) recurrence than patients with an appendix. This bowel infection is common even in places with good medical systems, and whilst it does not compete well with the normal flora of the human gut, it can quickly take over when normal gut flora is depleted.
It is the safe house of beneficial intestinal bacteria, especially in times of high immune activity and illness” While the true function of human appendix is still an area of active pursuit among many gastroenterologists and immunologists, for the time being, our best bet would be that the human appendix is an important secondary immune organ. It is the safe house of beneficial intestinal bacteria, especially in times of high immune activity and illness. And if that doesn’t sway you of its necessity, just remember that it can also come in handy during reconstructive surgery too (doctors use it to recreate a ‘sphincter muscle’ for patients who have had their bladder removed!). Nonetheless, even though the human appendix may play a role in the gut’s local immunity, one must not cling to it if they have appendicitis. If left untreated the appendix can burst and cause life threatening infections, which I believe probably outweighs the potential harm of removing this misunderstood little organ.
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the courier
snap feature
Monday 16 October 2017
Freshers’ Week 2017 Freshers in 1949 were given lectures about “the university as a community”; freshers in 2017 experienced it for themselves
<<< Just look at the excitement on their faces
vvv Obligatory trip to the Angel of the North
>>> Campus was heaving with freshers and scaffolding. Amid the hustle and bustle you can see some free entry signs to the Hatton Gallery; as a matter of fact there was no entry to the Hatton Gallery at this point. It has reopened now, though - take a look!
> > >
The festivities were overseen by a dedicated crew of 450 student volunteers. Their job was to wear brightly coloured t-shirts and ensure everyone knew where the fun was happening
puzzles
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the courier
Monday 16 October 2017
Puzzles Editor Mark Sleightholm 1
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Across
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1 Gift, here, now (7) 5 Disease once known as consumption (2) 8 You can call Paul Simon this (2) 10 Put the first man on the moon (4) 11 Long-running current affairs series; big view (8) 12 LBW? (6) 14 Popular brand of trainers (6) 16 Has a monument and a tea named after him (4) 17 Entice into sexual activity (6) 19 Italian car manufacturer (4) 21 Medieval guitar (4) 23 Slightly edgier alternative to â&#x20AC;&#x153;how are you?â&#x20AC;? (3) 24 Postman with a black and white cat (3) 25 Tony ____, darling of the Labour left in the 1970s (4) 26 Tony ____, darling of the Labour right in the 1990s (5) 27 Leicester snooker player who won the 2017 World Championships (5) 28 Where sausage rolls come from (6)
Word pyramid Row 1 Monkey, man Row 2 Light-coloured Row 3 Expire, forget, drop Row 4 Bent metal to fasten sheets of paper Row 5 To stop the blood or cover the walls
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1 Famous suffragette family (9) 2 Danced dirty with Jennifer Grey, haunted Demi Moore (6) 3 Little sleep to keep you going (3) 4 How rowers move on the water (3) 6 Wondered where the love was in 2003 (5, 4, 4) 7 Still looking for his mysterious girl (5) 9 Rickie ____, hero of Southampton FC who retired from football last week (7) 13 Canute tried to hold it back, without success (4) 15 Not even (3) 16 What you need to mind on the Tube (3) 18 ____ Checker, wants to twist again like he did in 1960 (6) 20 Citizen, captain, why less Kanye? (4) 22 Errol ___, chair of student council (4) 23 Like a bug in a rug (4) 25 Large, but less exciting (3)
Each row is an anagram of the row above, with one additional letter
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Picture quiz
Which of these famous faces were once students at Newcastle University?
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the courier
sport
Monday 16 October 2017
Should Saido Mané have been sent off? James Harris and Rebecca Johnson tackle the debate around high-footed challenges in light of Mané’s collision with Ederson
YES
James Harris
The Sadio Mané incident has incomprehensibly created a storm of debate over a seemingly clear issue. As with so many things, in football or otherwise, context is key in concluding one way or another. Sadio Mané was rightly sent off. This doesn’t mean all high-flying boots should result in red cards. On first watch, the Mané challenge didn’t seem particularly dangerous or worthy of punishment. Then you see the replays and the leg go up. And you see the studs fly into Ederson’s face. Then you watch it again at normal speed and realise just how fast Mané was running as he made contact with the Manchester City goalkeeper. The evidence stacks up and it becomes increasingly clear that the referee was left with little choice but to brandish the red.
The evidence stacks up and it becomes increasingly clear that the referee was left with little choice but to brandish the red The case for defence is there – Mané quite clearly had no intention to cause harm. The ball was there to be contested and perhaps he could have been susceptible to criticism from the Liverpool faithful had he pulled out. Gary Neville has been particularly vocal and is one who has continued the conversation into subsequent games and similar incidents. It is a narrative that has very quickly
NO
Rebecca Johnson
The latest controversy to grace football is the issue of high tackles. This recently came to national attention after Liverpool player Sadio Mané’s challenge caused facial injuries to Manchester City’s goalkeeper, Ederson, resulting in referee Jon Moss showing Mané a red card. Ederson’s injuries as a result of the challenge could have been worse, but Mané should not have been sent off for the challenge. Breaking the challenge down, Mané saw the ball in the air and decided he could get to it. Bearing in mind there was nobody around this ball and he was outside the penalty box, the risk of committing dangerous play was not present as he went for the ball. Every footballers’ instinct is to get the ball and work to score a goal, which is what Mané did. Watching the replays, he is completely focused on getting the ball, his eyes remain fixed to the ball, so he cannot see that Ederson has run out to challenge it. By the time he realises Ederson is there (if he did indeed realise), it’s too late to pull out of the challenge. It was common ground, and there was no malicious intent, so the tackle should not have been deemed dangerous and worthy of a sending off. Mané was merely following his instincts in trying to get the ball and shoot- it was Ederson’s bravery in running to intercept that resulted in the injuries sustained.
become tiresome. A week after Mané’s dismissal, some were complaining that David Luiz should have received the same punishment for an attempted bicycle kick. Perhaps you can see the problem with this argument; a studsup, flying boot at full speed is entirely different to the flailing foot of a bicycle kick. And that’s really the key to the whole debate. Each case is different. It is lazy to suggest that if Mané had to go, so do all high tackles, and ridiculous to claim that if this were to happen it would take away from our game. The safety of the players must always be paramount and Ederson’s scars give an indication to the danger he was put in. If Mané had gone in with similar force and style to an opponent’s shin there would be no attempt to defend his recklessness. Somehow, his foot being significantly higher has created a cause for discussion. Surely that’s not right. We are so often guilty of condemning Premier League referees each week, but Jon Moss should be commended for his correct dismissal of Liverpool’s Senegalese forward. Michael Oliver too deserves praise for coolly judging the Luiz situation when he easily could have overreacted amid the Mané furore. On the other hand, Matt Ritchie was lucky to escape punishment for the flash of his studs towards Alfie Mawson’s head in Newcastle’s win over Swansea last month. The refereeing success on these three occasions were mixed, but the point is each had to be assessed on a separate basis. If a blanket policy was used to punish tackles like Mané’s, that is what would truly diminish the sport.
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The amount of goals scored by the Senegalese striker after 38 apperances for Liverpool
Would Mané have been sent off if his tackle hadn’t hit Ederson in the face, or at least hadn’t caused injuries to Ederson’s face? This issue reappeared in the Swansea and Newcastle United match, when Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie went with a high foot to challenge for the ball but hit Swansea’s Alfie Mawson in the face with his foot. The question is, should the challenge made by Ritchie have followed the precedent set by the Mané challenge?
It was common ground, and there was no malicious intent, so the tackle should not have been deemed dangerous and worthy of a sending off Like Mané, Ritchie had his eye on the ball that resulted in him unwittingly hitting another player in the face with his foot in the air. The only differences are that Ritchie escaped with a yellow card and Mawson escaped with no injuries. Had Mawson sustained injuries similar to Ederson, would Ritchie have been sent off too? Mané should not have been sent off. His actions were neither dangerous nor
Saido Mané is one of Liverpool’s most important players Image: Wikimedia Commons
reckless - one would expect a forward to do what he did in that area of the pitch and he was unaware of the keeper charging out of the box. Had the incident occurred in a packed penalty area it would have been different as the forward would have been aware of the other players around him and the potential to cause injury. It seems the referee reacted to the potential severity of Ederson’s injuries, not the circumstances of the challenge. A player should be entitled to have his foot high to bring a ball down if he reasonably believes he can get to it without injuring someone else. Football is a contact sport and high challenges are a part of the sport. Referees should take the circumstances of the challenge into account and the FA need to clarify their stance on this issue to ensure consistency from referees.
Sadio Mané Mané recieved a three-match ban after the incident with Ederson, and is now out for 6 weeks after being injured on international duty
Ederson Despite having to come off for treatment and needing 8 stitches, Ederson returned next match in a 4-0 thrashing of Feyenoord
Mixed fortunes for Ireland Tom Hardwick On Thursday 5 October, three of the home nations took to the pitch for their penultimate qualifying games, each still in with a chance of securing a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. England took on Slovenia at Wembley in front of a somewhat underwhelming crowd of 61,598 fans, and despite the pessimism in the air England still somehow managed to disappoint, scraping a 1-0 win. Henderson, Rashford and Kane all tested Oblak before half time, with Henderson’s chance coming from an intelligent piece of play involving Rashford, but ultimately there were few clear-cut chances for England despite dominating possession. The game remained unspectacular in the second half, with efforts such as Rashford’s underhit lob in the 62nd minute failing to lift the apathetic mood until the increasingly talismanic Harry Kane lived up to the role of captain by converting a cross from Kyle Walker on 94 minutes. This goal did seal World Cup qualification and was well celebrated, but most fans are perhaps more sceptical of England’s ability to compete next summer, with a laboured win over a team beneath Burkina Faso and Haiti in the FIFA rankings doing little to suggest that the Three Lions can hold their own against the world’s best.
Northern Ireland were riding the crest of a wave that had seen them unbeaten in competitive fixtures at Windsor Park in four years before their game. Over 18,000 fans filled the ground to the rafters, but ultimately the side were well beaten.
Despite the pessimism in the air England still somehow managed to disappoint Sebastian Rudy fired Germany ahead with a stunning strike early on, and soon after Sandro Wagner made up for striking the woodwork with an impressive curling finish. The game was dominated by Germany, and Joshua Kimmich soon added a third for the imperious looking side. There was time for Josh Magennis to add some gloss to the scoreline when he headed in late on, but Northern Ireland were conclusively beaten 3-1 and now will have to navigate a playoff tie for a place in Russia. Scotland were also in action, overcoming Slovakia to leapfrog them in the table by two points. Robert Mak received a second yellow for diving under a non-existent challenge from Craig Gordon, allowing Scotland to establish
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Monday 16 October 2017
Taking the knee causes Trump misery
Sydney Isaacs discusses the saga around NFL players taking the knee during the national anthem Donald Trump continued to cause a divide in National Football League fans last week by recommending that NFL make it policy that all players must stand during the national anthem or face losing their rights to play. Trump has been expressing disgust for the movement in which players take a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality against African Americans since its beginning which was almost a year ago now. It is not yet clear whether such a policy will be implemented but there has been no shortage of debate over the issue on platforms such as Twitter.
There is a strong resonance among a large number of fans with incresingly higher amount of players who have chosen to take part in the movement At a recent rally for Republican senator Luther Strange, who is ran in a special election last week, Trump said “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’” Whilst many have taken the President’s side in the conflict, arguing that the players have no right to ‘disrespect’ the nationality that has facilitated their sporting success, and joined a boycott of NFL called for by Trump himself, there remains a strong resonance among a large number of fans with the increasing higher amount of players who have chosen to take part in the movement.
Kaepernick started the movement after first taking the knee in 2016 Image: Wikimedia Commons
Steven Thrasher, Senior Columnist at the Guardian US tweeted on Saturday: “You MUST stand for a national anthem & the flag or risk losing your job... Is this the political freedom they were hoping for?” He is certainly not the only person who has highlighted the fact that Trump’s stance is seemingly a contradiction to the first amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech and expression. Former Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick who started the movement and has been out of work since March this year as a result funds a campaign called “Know Your Rights Camp” which aims to raise awareness on selfempowerment and interacting with law enforcement. On Sunday Vice President and former governor of Indiana Mike Pence Walked out of the match between Indianopolis Colts and San Francisco after several San Francisco players knelt for the national anthem.
He tweeted: “I left today’s Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.” Despite this however, a significant number of military veterans are among those who support Kaepernick’s campaign. The walkout was met with both support and scepticism on Twitter with some fans expressing outrage and the suggestion that the whole thing was a pre-planned publicity stunt which was abusive of the taxpayer’s money. National Football League spokesman Joe Lockhart told CNN that “the league had no comment on the vice president’s actions.”
and the Home Nations in final World Cup qualifiers themselves in the game. Chris Martin and Leigh Griffiths were both denied by the woodwork, and just as Scotland’s qualifying campaign seemed to have been delivered a mortal blow, superb work from Griffiths allowed Ikechi Anya the space to play a ball across the box, which Skrtel turned into his own net under pressure from Martin. This last-minute goal secured a 1-0 win and saw Hampden Park erupt, as it looked like Scotland the chance to secure second place in the final fixture of qualifying.
Tom Shrimplin Sports Editor There was mixed bag of results for the Home Nations and the Republic of Ireland on Sunday 8 and Monday 9 October. First of all, there was devastation for Scotland as despite a five-game unbeaten run, Gordon Strachan’s side were unable to reach the play-offs as they were reduced to an agonising 2-2 draw away to Slovenia. The away side were comfortable in the first half with a 4-2-2 formation, with chances from Andrew Robertson and Chris Martin before Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths latched onto midfield maestro Darren Fletcher’s header to score from a tight angle. However, in the second half, Slovenia were much improved with substi-
tute Bezjak punishing Scotland’s poor defending of set pieces by scoring two goals. Scotland now needed two goals to finish as runners-up, but despite an equaliser from substitute Robert’s Snodgrass, a couple of other chances and Slovenia going down to 10 men in injury time, it was too late for Scotland to clinch that final goal. Scotland are now manager-less with Strachan quitting after five years at the helm, with the team finishing third in Group F on goal difference in an ultimately heart-breaking campaign. However, the most exciting game came from Group D as Martin O’Neill’s Ireland edged to a 1-0 win against Wales. Playing in Cardiff City Stadium, Chris Coleman’s Wales side fed off the atmosphere as they took possession of the game from the start. While an aggressive but disciplined Republic of Ireland side stuck to their game plan as their sturdy defence stayed deep and narrow to frustrate and unsettle the home side. Indeed, Coleman’s side were only reduced to taking a few half-chances, losing Joe Allen just before the end of the first half after a robust challenge from David Meyler and a slight helping push from James McClean. Without their influential playmaker Wales lost all sense of direction as number 10 Aaron Ramsey moved deeper into midfield into a position where he looked uncomfortable and frustrated in
for the rest of the game. Then roughly two thirds into the match O’Neill’s side fully exploited Wales’ weakness, with the trio of Jeff Hendrick, Harry Arter and McClean working together to get the winning goal, as McClean thundered the ball in to the back of the net. From then on Coleman’s side threw all men forward as they now needed two goals to gain second place in the group. However, the Republic of Ireland stood firm for the remaining half an hour or so, and ended the victors. Now Ireland are waiting to find out who will be their opponent in the play-offs, while Wales are left licking their wounds and ruing missed chances.
The Republic of Ireland stood firm for the remaining half an hour and ended the game as the victors Joining the Republic of Ireland in the play-offs are Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland who even while losing 1-0 against Norway were assured of a place as one of the best 8 runners-up after Scotland’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia.
Nevertheless, even though O’Neill had named a strong side even as several of their players were at risk of being suspended for the first leg of play-offs, O’Neill’s team were unable to score except in their own net. The only goal in the game came from Chris Brunt’s failed attempt to clear the ball after goalkeeper Micheal McGovern. Despite efforts from Stuart Dallas, Conor McLaughlin and substitute George Saville, Northern Ireland were unable to equalise. The team are now left waiting to see if this loss will lower their FIFA ranking enough to not be one of four seeded teams in the play-offs. Last but certainly not least, England again offered a disappointing performance as they managed to beat Lithuania 1-0 courtesy of a first-half penalty calmly slotted in by Harry Kane. Indeed, only Kane, alongside Marcus Rashford and Harry Winks- the latter on his debut for England- offered a few sparks that kept the game from being totally dull. Gareth Southgate’s experimentation with a three-man defence and seven changes from the previous game, did little to remedy the lethargy that surrounds the team as has done previously. Ultimately this performance only affirms that this is not a vintage England side heading into Russia that will be heavily reliant on the likes of Kane to make any progress in the tournament proper.
Think sport isn’t for you? Think again Mark Sleightholm Sports Editor
A new year, new mates, even a newlook Courier. Why not add sport to your collection of new things? As it happens I can think of several reasons why this might not seem such a great idea. As impressive and inspiring as Newcastle’s elite athletes may be, getting to the top requires a lot of hard work and a certain level of natural ability which some of us just don’t possess. Then there’s the time commitment and the pressure of playing competitively. Our Athletic Union is blessed with a myriad of sports for all abilities, from swimming to sepak takraw, but joining a regular sports club isn’t for everyone. Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to get involved with sports during your time at uni. The ever-expanding Intra Mural programme now includes football, rugby, netball, hockey, futsal, cricket and basketball and allows any group of students to form a team and play in a fairly relaxed weekly league. The only real requirement is to have a pun as a team name. “Chemical Engineering” just doesn’t cut the mustard. If that still seems a bit too much, the Students’ Union has recently launched a Campus Sport programme, where teams can compete on an even less formal basis, while still retaining an element of competitive spirit. Inclusive Sport aims to remove the barriers students may face in sport and offers an extensive disability sport programme. For one-off sporting activities, Give It A Go let’s you try out various sports on a no-strings-attached basis, while the Sports Centre itself offers classes for students of all abilities. It might seem a trek from the main campus, but count the walk as part of your exercise and go a bit easier on yourself in the gym. Newcastle aims to be one of the top ten UK universities for sports, and after the first full week of the season we’re currently sitting eleventh in the British Universities and College Sport league table. A solid start, with standout performances from our women’s tennis and men’s basketball teams, amongst others. If you read your Courier the right way round, you’ll already have seen our reports of some of Team Newcastle’s matches, but why stop at reading? We’re always on the lookout for new reporters and photographers to join our team. As one of the few student newspapers to offer regular sports coverage, the Courier is a great opportunity for any aspiring sports journalists. From Simon Bird, now North East football correspondent for the Mirror, to David Coverdale (The Sun), to Gemma Davies (formerly Sky Sports News, now Engage Sports Media) and Calum Wilson (Sunday Times), many of the top names in sports journalism cut their teeth on the Courier. There are other ways to use the Courier Sports, as well, though. Imagine the look on your flatmate’s face when he starts babbling on about his “sick social with the water polo lads” and you retort “maybe if you’d spent more time training you wouldn’t have missed that penalty against Durham last week”. In a world where our overpaid heroes swear at referees, walk out of matches they’re losing and punch Bristolians, the Courier Sport strives to bring you highquality coverage of university sport, an arena free from politics and corruption. Honest sport. And Stan Calvert. If you’d like to get involved, get information about our work or get in touch for any other reason, email us at courier. sport@ncl.ac.uk, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, too.
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Monday 16 October 2017
Hardly Athletic players lose their lead to Seniors INTRA MURAL FOOTBALL 11s
Hardly Athletic 3 Boca Seniors 4
Dan Haygarth at Cochrane Park Everyone loves an underdog. Whether it’s Rocky Balboa’s meteoric rise from everyman to world champion or a hopelessly outgunned football team made up of hungover and unfit students, people can’t resist the lure of an unlikely success story. This was evident when an impressive crowd of two flocked to Cochrane Park on Sunday to watch division three side Hardly Athletic’s friendly against Boca Seniors, the first game in the former’s history. Formed just a month ago, the brainchild of History undergraduates Raff Marioni and George Yates, Athletic may well be the least prepared team in all of intra-mural sport. With just one gruelling pre-season training session under the belt, lacking a kit, player-managed by yours truly and boasting a squad thin in numbers only, all the signs were there for a thrashing against first division Boca, an eight-year mainstay of the intra-mural scene. A true baptism of fire, which was certainly not relished by the side. The pre-match dread was only increased when, during pre-drinks with some of the opposition two days before the game (I demand only the maximum professionalism from my players), it was brought to light that Boca would be bringing a squad of twenty-two, an XI for each half, to the game. Hearts throughout the room sank and the lads turned to budget lager to numb the apprehension. Game day unfortunately came around. Boca started positively and attacked with real purpose. Five-foot eight goalkeeper Danny Aspinall, put his body (and hair) on the line to keep the scores level as Athletic weathered the storm, and to the shock of many, not least myself, started to play some decent football. This came to a head as, midway through the first half, against the run of play, left back Joe (an emergency loan from Northumbria University) finished a superb team move with a sumptuous strike into the bottom corner and Athletic went 1-0 up. Nobody could believe it as half time came and the score had not changed – Boca were rattled. Or so we thought.
The match was the debut outing for new Hardly Athletic team Image: Dan Haygarth
The second half started and Boca’s fresh eleven scored an equalising goal relatively easily. Fortunately, heads didn’t drop, and what happened next was simply incredible. In quick succession, the third division outfit scored twice to go 3-1 ahead, including a wonderful strike from distance from Liam Mulligan. The signing of Mulligan, a former first division player, has been a true coup for the team. Reminiscent of, but hopefully more successful than Notts County’s capture of Sol Campbell in 2009, the transfer shows real ambition from the club. His partnership in midfield with the dynamic Ben Lowes should prove to be a very successful creative output for the side. They say that a two-goal lead is the most dangerous in football. Fatigue set in as the game wore on. Not even the assistance of rolling subs could provide enough relief for a team fuelled by microwave curries and lacking match experience.
Aspinall, the verticallychallenged goalkeeper, was not at fault for any of the goals With ten minutes to go, Boca began to dominate and scored a scrappy second goal which reignited the contest. Two more Boca goals followed quickly, both benefiting from an apathetic referee and the lack of a linesman. The game finished 4-3 and the hearts of Hardly Athletic players and ultras were broken. Aspinall, the aforementioned vertically-challenged goalkeeper, was not at fault for any of the goals and was awarded man of the match by Boca’s squad. Not bad for a man whose day had started with a Sainsbury’s bacon sandwich and a cigarette. Often forgotten about the first Rocky film is that, despite fighting brilliantly, Balboa loses to the experienced champion Apollo Creed. A valiant performance, but a defeat nonetheless. It may be in the underdog’s nature to come up short, but if the sequels are anything to go by (and if I can drag this analogy out any further) Hardly Athletic are in for an interesting season. As Stallone so eloquently says, ‘It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward’.
Newcastle’s perseverance MEN’S HOCKEY
Newcastle 3rds 1 Durham 5ths 1
James Sproston at Longbenton In this year’s Northern 3B curtain raiser, Newcastle took just the one point in their opening match with Durham 5s after a combative and aggressive encounter that showed the rustiness so often seen at the start of the season. After finishing fifth in the Northern 3B last year, Newcastle opened their account in Northern 4B against a tough Durham 5s side. Being the first match of a long season, there were obvious signs that there were a lot of new faces in the side. Having pulled their fourth team from BUCS, competition for places in the club has increased from last year. With that in mind, those looking to step up from last year and the first years looking to make an impact were all under scrutiny as they tried to make an impression. Despite all that, Newcastle started the brighter of the two sides. Quick passing, tough tackles and eager running gave the home side the edge over the visiting Durham side, as Newcastle’s forwards put pressure on the Durham defence. However, Durham soon began to find a foothold in the game, as Cameron Clarke had to be stopped in his tracks
by Newcastle’s Archie Cobb. It took similar challenges from Matt Harrison and Jack Hills to keep the score level in the following exchanges. Again Clarke probed down the left for Durham, but he found his shot saved by Ed Nall in between the Newcastle posts. This spurred wild cheers from the suitcladded lad on the home team’s bench, shouting “they’re nothing special” with his arms flung in the air. Sitting in the middle of the defence, Jonty Gillingham kept Durham at bay, but was caught out when Alexander McGrigor slid Clarke in round the back of Newcastle’s defensive line. Although his pass to Maxim McGrigor was challenged by Newcastle’s Cobb, the ball fell to Archie Vaughan five yard out, who’s impressive reverse slap found its way past Nall. Shortly after the goal went in, the umpire blew the half-time whistle. A dejected looking Newcastle side came off the pitch, having started well their passing was lacking in accuracy, which ultimately allowed Durham to come into the game more. The Durham defence, led by Hector Don, was imperious and composed under Newcastle’s relentless pressure, which was the foundation for their eventual first-half superiority. Having regrouped with some wise words from Captain Nall, Newcastle started the second half the better. From the off, Henry McCreery set the ball back to Gillingham, who looked to have
picked out Nick Campbell, but Newcastle’s man lost his footing at the vital moment. After Cobb cut out a pass by Durham’s Ed Boyd, Newcastle again launched an attack. Jacob Houltby found the stick of Jonty Coates, whose efforts resulted in a free kick Newcastle’s way. After a scramble from Jack Hills and McCreery, the blue-clad Newcastle players pressed forward for Don to clear from the heart of the Durham defence. From the resultant dead ball, Cobb weaved through the Durham defence to make his way into the opposition circle. The only thing that could stop the Newcastle man was a tackle from Maxim McGrigor, who made use of the slippery surface to clatter into Newcastle’s No.85. Having won the short corner, Newcastle made the most of it. Harrison was the man on the touchline to deliver the ball in, finding McCreery who laid the pass off to Gillingham, making no mistake from the edge of the shooting circle. Throughout the next five minutes, the game ebbed and flowed between the two teams as it seemed both were trying to work out whether to push for the win or sit back and take the draw. A Durham short corner delivered by Vaughan, looking like a poor man’s Steve Sidwell, fired the ball into Alexander McGrigor, who teed up Adam Dewes, but his shot was deflected over the bar. Kieran Rajasansir kept Newcastle in
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Monday 16 October 2017
Netballers start season with decisive home win Newcastle 2nds 68 York St John 1sts 23
NETBALL
Hollie Joyce at the Sports Centre Wednesday 11 October brought the start of the BUCS netball season and both the first and second team supporters were in for an afternoon of action. Both teams were playing at home with the second team kicking things off with their match against York St John University’s first team. The second team Starting 7 included captain Chloe Tindale at Centre, with Rachael Lickorish and Seriya Vao heading up the rest of the centre court. The attacking circle included shooter Beth McVie and goal attack Catherine Thompson, while defence was lead by Lora Hunt and Molly Cooper. Despite going 0-2 down within the first 30 seconds of the game, Newcastle dominated the first quarter, scoring ten goals with no response to go 10-2 ahead and then continuing some slick through-court play to allow McVie and Thompson to convert, putting Newcastle 16-3 ahead at quarter time.
10 Newcastle’s blue shirts kept the pressure on Durham but could only claim a singular point Image: Clara Pettitt
goes unrewarded the game moments later by tackling Durham’s Vaughan. The No.5’s runs into the Newcastle circle had been a growing cause for concern for the home side but a bizarre decision to take the ginger maestro off the field began to relieve the pressure on the Newcastle goal. With the change in personnel, Newcastle took control of the game. With Clarke and Vaughan off the field, New-
ARCHIE COBB The No.85’s worldclass first touch gave him more time on the ball and the space to showcase his excellent dribbling and range of passing
castle played with more freedom, as good work from Cobb and McCreery saw a shot just flash wide of the righthand post. Every time Durham dispossessed Newcastle, the defensive team of Cobb, George English and Oli Martindale ensured the home side regained possession soon after losing it. A dangerous ball into the circle from Houltby, followed by a chance for the same man at the back post had the lads on the bench off their seats, but all for nothing. Durham remained a threat on the counter attack as Adam Dewes fash-
ioned plenty of opportunities in the Newcastle quarter. Several saves from Nall and a number of slips saved Newcastle’s blushes on a number of occasions. In the final few minutes of the match, two short corners brought Newcastle close. Gillingham fired one into the corner after a layoff from Cobb, but the umpire called for a foot. Newcastle again had the ball in the back of the net from another Matt Harrison short corner. Despite Gillingham’s golf swing, McCreery had the ball in the back of the net, but the umpire again pulled the play back. The last chance of the match was beautiful interplay between Campbell and McCreery, which gave Campbell a fantastic sight of goal. Having been on the break, Durham struggled to get defenders across, but Campbell completely mis-hit his shot, and Adam Rasmussen Arda wasn’t able to redirect it into the net. As the final whistle was blown, Newcastle looked like a beaten team, which showed how close they were to clinching all three points. Captain Nall struck a positive tone after the match, but it was clear that it was a missed opportunity. The running from Jack Hills and Jacob Houltby up top was a big positive, and creating so many chances is reason to be optimistic going forward.
consecutive goals scored by the Newcastle 2nds in the first quarter against York St John
There were no changes in the second quarter as the team pulled even further ahead, with flying intercepts from both Hunt and Cooper preventing York from scoring a single goal for the first eight minutes of the quarter. Skilful shooting from McVie and Thompson extended Newcastle’s lead to 33-4 at half time. A mix-up in the third quarter saw Emily Heppenstall come on in defence to partner Hunt, while Mia Day took over at wing defence, Katie Isbister came on at wing attack and Lucie Bul-
BADMINTON
4-4 5-3 0-8 4-4
BASKETBALL
M2 v Durham 3rds W2 v Hull 1sts
FENCING
77-43 31-49 117-135 85-145 82-135
FOOTBALL
M1 v Manchester 1sts M2 v York St John 1sts
GOLF
Mix2 v Durham 4ths
HOCKEY
Newcastle 1sts 41 Manchester Met 1sts 53 The first team then had the challenge of taking on Manchester Met, who finished one place above them in the Northern 1A league last season. The first’s Starting 7 included three new faces in the team, with Laurie Elder, Hannah Gorman and Jo Gledhill making their first team debuts at wing attack, centre and goal defence respectively. Kiera Mchattie joined Gledhill in defence, Kate Hill completed the centre court line up at wing defence and the
Manchester brought a strong side, but Newcastle were raring to go attacking circle was made up of goal attack Hollie Joyce and goal hhooter Heloise Wormleighton. Manchester brought a strong side, but Newcastle were raring to go. The first quarter was intense, with both teams scoring from their first centre passes. A fantastic interception by Gorman led to a long-range goal from Joyce, the hosts one goal ahead halfway through the quarter.
A few errors through the court led to Manchester scoring four on the bounce, but Newcastle soon got their rhythm back thanks to defensive pressure from Hill, Gledhill and Mchattie and consistent shooting from Joyce and Wormleighton, meaning the quarter ended 14-12 to the away side. A tip on the Manchester centre pass gave Newcastle possession and two goals in a row from the shooters levelled the score within the first minute. An ankle injury to Mchattie forced an injury time-out and Lauren Wolstenholme came on to replace her as goal keeper. A few mistakes from Newcastle allowed Manchester to capitalise and use their tall shooter to their advantage, extending their lead to 26-16 at half time. Newcastle refused to let the game get away from them and a few changes saw Beth Marron move to goal shooter and Lucy Johnson take the wing attack bib. Marron made an instant impact in the shooting circle, holding space behind the Manchester goal keeper and slotting
Newcastle soon got their rhythm thanks to defensive pressure from Hill, Gendhill and Mchattie home almost every time. Some dependable feeds from Johnson and further shooting from Newcastle brought the score to 35-24. The final quarter saw Lydia Keeley come on at goal defence and consistent defensive pressure allowed her to win ball after ball in the final third. Passing errors in the centre court prevented Newcastle from capitalising on all the turnovers, but their persistent efforts ensured the game finished 53-41 to Manchester.
BUCS RESULTS
M1 v Hull 1sts M2 v York 2nds W1 v Birmingham 1sts W2 v Leeds Beckett 1sts
M1 v St Andrews 1sts M3 v Northumbria 1sts W3 v Sheffield 1sts
titude moved into the shooting circle. Skilful interceptions from Heppenstall, Hunt and Day meant that the ball was being converted regularly and Newcastle reached the 50-goal mark with ease as the third quarter finished 54-13. There was a flying start to the last quarter from both teams, but strong defensive pressure and through-court play from Isbister and Bultitude allowed the shooters to score six on the bounce. The Newcastle seconds kicked off their season with a 68-23 victory.
M1 v Liverpool 1sts M2 v Sheffield Hallam 3rds M3 v Durham 5ths W1 v Leeds 1sts W2 v Sheffield 2nds W3 v Teesside 1sts W4 v Leeds 4ths
4-0 3-3 3-3 3-1 5-3 1-1 0-1 2-0 0-1 1-2
LACROSSE
M1 v Durham 2nds M2 v Hull 1sts W1 v Manchester 1sts W2 v York 1sts W3 v Hull 1sts
NETBALL
W1 v Man Met 1sts W2 v York St John 1sts
RUGBY LEAGUE
M1 v Leeds 1sts
8-6 2-9 8-13 9-9 10-13 41-53 68-23 20-26
TENNIS
M1 v Northumbria 1sts M2 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts W1 v Man Met 1sts W2 v Sheffield 2nds
VOLLEYBALL
M1 v UCLAN 1sts W1 v Northumbria 1sts
WATERPOLO
M1 v Liverpool 1sts W1 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts
4-8 4-8 10-2 10-2 3-1 0-3 14-10 14-15
RUGBY UNION
M1 v Nottingham 1sts 18-19 M2 v Liverpool 1sts 29-3 M3 v York 1sts 22-20 M4 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds 38-18 W1 v Northumbria 1sts 0-64
SQUASH
M2 v Northumbria 1sts M3 v Hull 1sts M4 v Durham 4ths W1 v Manchester 1sts W2 v Durham 3rds
TABLE TENNIS
M1 v Durham 1sts
2-3 0-3 1-2 0-4 1-3 6-11
OVERALL BUCS POSITION Pos
University
Pts
9
Nottingham
848
10
Leeds Beckett
838
11
Newcastle
827
12
Northumbria
814
13
Leeds
774
sport the courier
Monday 16 October 2017 Issue 1353 Free
@Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Sport Editors Tom Shrimplin, Courtney Strait & Mark Sleightholm Inside today >>>
BUCS results How did your team do? Find out with our handy guide to all of Team Newcastle’s BUCS action Page 39
Hockey heartbreak Even the kitchen sink wasn’t quite enough against a tough Durham side Page 38
Intra Mural football
Newcastle still managed a smile in the face of defeat Image: Amie Walker
Hardly Athletic players took on established Intra Mural side Boca Seniors. Well, at least they tried Page 38
Northumbria too much for Newcastle WOMEN’S RUGBY
Newcastle 1sts 0 Northumbria 1sts 64
Amie Walker at Heaton Rugby Ground Newcastle Women’s Rugby opened their season against an experienced Northumbria side on Wednesday afternoon, both teams hoping to achieve their first win of the season. Both teams found themselves playing on a wet, damp pitch after being graced by the beautiful northern weather- sadly the summer is no longer with us. Newcastle hoped to build on the work they have done in training and during preseason friendly matches, eager to further strengthen a fairly new squad and to wear our brand new strips proudly. Many of the squad made their first team debut, having joined as
ELLIE PRATT FORWARD Pratt’s tackles strenthened OF THE Newcastle’s defensive position and helped to slow Northumbria MATCH the onslaught
freshers or by rising through the second team. Newcastle started by receiving, the ball captured safely by front row Bethany Robinson. Sadly after a few phases of play the ball was knocked on, giving Northumbria possession and their quick reactions allowed their full back to cross the line. Not allowing the try to deter the home side, scrum half Teresa
“Plenty to take from that performance as we move forward but we continued to work hard and put up a good fight against a tough opposition” Sophie Slater, Newcastle 1sts captain
McGillivray restarted the game again and the Newcastle defence worked up the field as a unit, defending in the poly’s half with brilliant tackles being made by flanker Ellie Pratt. With strong runners Northumbria
managed to break through the Newcastle defence eventually but were chased down by Newcastle’s fly half Jess Hepburn and a penalty given against Northumbria by second row Amie Walker for the poly holding on. McGillivray took the quick tap; the speedster weaved through a broken Northumbria defence and taking Newcastle back into the poly half. Unfortunately, due to a wet ball after a few phases of play the ball was knocked on and the Newcastle defence was against a hungry Northumbria attack again. The Newcastle fullback Fiona Dewar stopped the onslaught with some try-saving tackles. However, the experienced Northumbria side with their quick support, despite Dewar’s skilful tackles, found themselves over the try line again and again in the half. At half time Newcastle found themselves on the back foot and with some wise words from first team coach Robert Green went back into the second half with smiling faces and a new set of goals to achieve in the game. The slight little changes in outlook turned the favour back to Newcastle, NWR keeping possession and then defending their line more successfully with replacement scrum half Wilson
and Dewar controlling the line. Prop Elle Hewson was a nightmare in the rucks, driving two poly players off the ball and successfully turning the ball over to allow Newcastle another phase of attack. First team captain Sophie Slater said: “Great performance for the first game of the season, plenty to take from it as we move forward but we continued to work hard and put up a good fight against a tough opposition.” Although the score was one sided, not all success is gained in points; the invaluable experienced gained on the pitch will help NWR prosper through the rest of the season. They finished the game how they will hope to finish every game: with their heads held high and a smile on their faces. Next week Newcastle face Edinburgh at home, eager to give the Scots a run for their money.
FIONA DEWAR BACK Dewar’s quick feet and determination to no Northumbria OF THE letplayers through were a key part Newcastle’s MATCH ofperformance
Kneel or no kneel? Is sport the place for political gestures, or should we stand by those who kneel? Page 37
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