thecourier
Monday 11 December 2017 Issue 1362 Free
thecourieronline.co.uk News Stu Brew becomes an award-winning enterprise Page 6
Lifestyle Where should you go on your Xmas snacky break? Page 16
TV The Queen's Speech: is it relevant to today's society? Page 20
The independent voice of Newcastle students
PEC victory for carers Laura Staniforth Copy Editor A decision has been made by the University to support PEC form submissions for dependents of student parents and carers. Students with caring responsibilities were not guaranteed to be considered for mediations if their forms detailed circumstances relating to their dependents that affected their studies. Previously, there was inconsistency in the way university schools would handle these instances; Sarah Craggs, the Welfare and Equality Officer, stated that “some would not accept PEC forms if the student themselves weren’t ill, even though their academic interests would be impacted.” It was found that the Personal Extenuating Circumstances Policy had no mention of what to do in regards to dependents, or indeed a checklist of circumstances in which PEC forms would be allowed. Holly Waddell, the Student Parents, Guardians and Carers Officer, highlighted that these affected students were not being represented fairly. Backed by Craggs and Rowan South, the Education Officer, in a PEC working group that took place at the end of November, it was decided that this was unacceptable. The policy is now being updated to ensure that PEC forms relating to issues with dependents will be considered on merit, with the same weight granted to them as with personal student circumstances. Students who submit reasonable evidence, for instance a note from a doctor or childcare, would meet the criteria for a successful PEC application. It’s a victory hard won for a subset of students often forgotten by wider university policy. Craggs made it known that “there are always more improvements needed for
Est 1948 Image: Kevin Wong
Christmas Special Inside today >>>
2018: What's next? Reflections on the passing of the year and the coming of the new Comment, pullout page 4-5
Find a STEM career
parents and carers, but I think that the university is making great steps now to represent this demographic of students.” She noted that Holly Waddell was working tirelessly to ensure fairness and support for students with such responsibilities, including holding more childcare opportunities through sessions at the Hatton Gallery. Waddell commented “I am very pleased to see that changes are being made to PEC procedures to make it easier for Parents and Carers to submit PEC forms and therefore have proper and adequate support. This is an issue I have been campaigning over my time in post and I am very proud to see changes being made to improve the experiences of students with caring responsibilities.” South was also pleased, adding: “It’s great that Student Parents and Carers now have adequate considerations in the PEC Policy, it ensures they are not disadvantaged in their learning which is something we are delighted to have achieved”.
Our (un)scientific quiz will help you find which job really is for you Science, pullout page 15
The policy is now being updated to ensure that PEC forms relating to issues with dependents will be considered on merit
Spuzzles?!
A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We review the PEC guidelines regularly to ensure that they remain helpful for both students and staff. However, while we have agreed to clarify the PEC guidance for next year as a way of helping students who are parents and/or carers balance their studies with their caring responsibilities, the precise wording still requires approval.”
The Nativity reimagined Have you ever wondered what the Nativity would be like if musicians were involved? Music, pullout page 11
Top Ten TV picks A rundown of the year's best shows to settle down on the sofa to TV, pullout page 12
Crafty for Christmas Want to make a beautiful snowflake decoration? Arts have you covered. Arts, pullout page 10
You like Sport? You like Puzzles? Boy howdy do we have a treat for you this week Sport, pullout page 16
Fashion shoot: The Courier collaborate for the classy winter season pullout p6
Nominations for Students' Union officer positions open Lindsey Lockey Nominations are now open for the six full time sabbatical officer positions and part time officer positions that represent you in the Union, the University, locally and nationally. Any student can stand, and with the option of a full time, paid position or become a part time (voluntary) of-
ficer. Sabbatical officer positions are President, Education Officer, Welfare and Equality Officer, Activities Officer, Athletic Union Officer and Editor of the Courier. Part time officers include Students with Disabilities Officer, Chair of Student Council and International Officer. Each sabbatical officer receives an annual salary of over £19,000 and is a full time member of staff, as well as being a member of the Trustee Board.
Leading an organisation with a £4 million turnover and a registered charity, before they have even graduated, puts officers in a great position, developing skills in leadership and organisation and learning about finances, democracy, education, event management and a whole host of other skills. All officers gain experience of chairing meetings, leading campaigns, managing budgets, communicating and team building, both full time and part time.
Nominations close at 12pm on Thursday 15 February 2018 and full details on how to run can be found at nusu.co.uk/ elections. We also have a number of training and information sessions on in case you are unsure on running or the process. Details of these can be found in the candidates resources section of www.nusu.co.uk/elections If you want to find out more about each role, go to nusu.co.uk/representation/officers/.
Get your puzzle on The ever expanding team has masterminded a Christmas feast for you Puzzles, page 30-31
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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. 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 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 Mark Sleightholm, Courtney Strait, Tom Shrimplin, Matt Proctor, Sydney Isaacs and Joe Hamblin 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.
From the archives
7 YEARS AGO
Campus rocked by tuition fees protest The threat of a court injunction ended a two-week occupation of the Fine Arts building by students outraged over the trebling of tuition fees. As student protests rocked the country at the tail-end of 2010, around 60 students at Newcastle occupied the Fine Arts building, demanding that the University publicly reject the £9,000-a-year tuition fees being introduced by the government. “Hundreds of students marched through campus and city centre,” the Courier reported, adding that a small group of students stormed into a staff meeting chaired by then-Vice Chancellor Chris Brink. Another protest blockaded the Tyne Bridge and students also briefly occupied the Civic Centre to target Newcastle City Council, which was then under Lib Dem control. The Fine Arts sit-in ended, despite 400 lecturers signing a petition in support of the occupiers, when the University threatened to start legal proceedings against the students. The deal that peacefully ended the occupation ensured that no disciplinary measures would be taken against the students.
After several years of rising tensions between the Courier, the sabbatical officers at the Students’ Union and the Socialist Society, then at the height of their power, things came to a head in December 1973. In the days before sabbatical editors of the Courier, the position was officially chosen by Student Council, which in 1973 was a politically-charged arena. Courier editor Richard Elsy had faced accusations from Soc Soc of poor quality journalism and political bias. Having narrowly survived several votes of no confidence at Council, he stood down in December, with the Courier’s editorial board electing to put forward one of the news editors to replace him. Student Council had other ideas and, with Soc Soc holding a majority of places, instead voted in one of their own members. From January Soc Soc published the Courier as an “editorial collective” that was filled with lengthy editorials condemning “international capitalism” and the Tory government.
65 YEARS AGO
Courier Christmas pullout goes rogue Things went a bit meta for Christmas 1952, when the Courier staff produced a Scrouier parody pullout, which claimed that it had decided to bring out a special Courier supplement. “It will be obvious that Courier is not intended to be taken too seriously,” the Scrouiers’ editorial explained, “but is, rather a light-hearted mirror of its more intellectual prototype.” The Scrourier parodied the student news of the day, alongside a surrealist account of a flying saucer in the Union, a “hilarious” account of a student being decapitated and even some darklyhumours mock adverts. “Why not shave by SHAVO? You don’t need blades, brush, soap. Just blood,” read one, while another promised, “You can get robbed at Manky’s Bank.” And with that, the Courier bid its readers a very merry Christmas.
LOCAL NEWS
Shipping container shops under threat A quibble over late opening hours could threaten the proposed redevelopment of the former Odeon site in Newcastle City Centre. The company behind the current Hadrian’s Tipi want to install a series of shipping containers to house popup shops and restaurants until a more permanent development can be decided on. However, proposals to keep the site open to 1am have faced opposition from the Council and police.
CROSS-CAMPUS NEWS VC salaries cause more outrage
44 YEARS AGO
Courier falls to socialist takeover
Monday 11 December 2017
Police watch on as students protest outside the Boiler House Image: J. Bush, The Courier
Rows over vice-chancellors’ pay have hit Southampton, where Sir Christopher Snowden earned £424,000 last year, despite cutting 75 academic jobs at the University because of a shortage of money. Like the now-disgraced vice-chancellor of Bath University, Sir Christopher was part of the committee that awarded him a £72,000 pay rise, and his decision to accept the salary – one of the highest amongst UK vice-chancellors – has attracted criticism from University staff and the UCU. Southampton University’s finances have come under close scrutiny in recent weeks. Just days after plans were announced to cut 75 academic jobs to save money, the University began advertising for an executive chauffeur for senior staff and visitors. The University is also currently spending £100,000 a year to maintain scaffolding around an accommodation tower block that has been empty since 2009.
news
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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
TEDx Speakers’ Competition a roaring success Yiming Gao TEDx Newcastle University Society hosted TEDx Speakers’ Competition on the 7th of December. This speaking contest is a great opportunity for the students of Newcastle University who enjoys sharing and exchanging thoughts and ideas through delivering speeches on stage.
The event was open to the public, and the winner was selected by the society members’ vote It is also a great platform to hear what incredible ideas our students have and give them an opportunity to battle for the TEDx stage. The TEDx Newcastle University Society is dedicated to bringing the TED spirit and spreading the ‘ideas worth sharing’ through short powerful talks that focus on triggering broader thinking. It aims to provide a large range of top-
ics of particular interest to students. The society organises weekly TED and TEDx talks screenings followed up by discussions, TED-like events with guest speakers, and hosts the annual TEDx Newcastle University event for the local community. In November this year, the Society opened applications for this speaking contest for Newcastle University students. They shortlisted 10 students with great ideas and thoughts that have potential for TEDx stage. In this speaking competition, these 10 students each delivered a 5-10 minute talks on a range of different topics such as cryptocurrency, subconscious programming, self-discovery, and social changes. The theme for this year’s competition was “Would you ever..?” which can be considered by all these topics and is aimed at challenging people’s minds. The event was open to the public, and the winner was selected by the society members’ vote. As the competition went on, all 10 candidates’ talks were filmed, and the videos would be uploaded to YouTube afterwards. The members of TEDx Newcastle University Society will spend a week selecting the winner by voting. The winner will then be invited to improve their talk and deliver it at the
TEDx Newcastle University conference, which will take place on March 3rd 2018 on the university campus. Bimasal Tabassum, a spokesperson for TEDx Newcastle University Society, said: “Our Speakers’ Competition went off without a hitch and the quality of
“Our Speakers’ Competition went off without a hitch and the quality of the talks surpassed everyone’s expectations” Bimasal Tabassum, TEDx Newcastle University Society
the talks surpassed everyone’s expectations.” “Talks delved into how Bitcoin is set to take over the financial world, how students can get involved in projects such as making sanitary towels from banana trees and one speaker relaying to us his equation for happiness!” “Our members are going to have an incredibly tough decision on their hands to select a winner!”
The competition aimed to increase the “sharing of thoughts and ideas” Image: Hexagram Photography
New study promising for Type 2 diabetes sufferers Laura Higgins News Editor According to a recent study conducted by Professor Roy Taylor from Newcastle University and Professor Mike Lean from Glasgow University has revealed that 45.6% of citizens placed on low calorie diets for three to five months were able to bring an end to their type two diabetes medications. With long-term support by routine General Practice staff, sufferers will be able to maintain their weight loss. They had to conform to a strict health regime, which included low calorie food rich in nutrients for three to five months and engage with the long-term advice provided by professionals. Type two diabetes is a life-changing health condition, which evolves over time and can potentially have dramatic consequences. Finding ways to help people into lasting remission however could help to reduce the cost of diabetes care and treating knock on health conditions such as kidney disease and strokes. Such developments will have revolutionary impacts for future generations. This clinical trial, known as DiRECT (Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial) and funded by Diabetes UK, recruited 298 people from Newcastle and Glasgow University to conduct this study. Professor Taylor, lead researcher of this trial, said: “These findings are very exciting. They could revolutionise the way Type 2 diabetes is treated. “The study builds on the work into the underlying cause of the condition, so that we can target management ef-
fectively. “Substantial weight loss results in reduced fat inside the liver and pancreas, allowing these organs to return to normal function. “What we’re seeing from DiRECT is that losing weight isn’t just linked to better management of Type 2 diabetes: significant weight loss could actually result in lasting remission.” The 298 participants in this revolutionary trial were divided into two groups. One half received general diabetes care from their GP and the other half received a structured weight management programme with consistent observation. When reflecting upon the study, Professor Roy Taylor and Professor Mike Lean concluded that type two diabetes remission was found to be closely linked to weight loss. The results illuminated that 57%of the participants who lost 10 to 15kg gained remission, 34% lost 5 to 10kg and only 4% of the control group achieved remission. These promising results were presented at the International Diabetes Federation Congress in Abu Dhabi on 5th December by Professor Taylor and Professor Mike Lean. Professor Lean said: ‘putting Type 2 diabetes into remission as early as possible after diagnosis could have extraordinary benefits, both for the individual and the NHS.’ On this optimistic note, DiRECT continues to receive promising funding from Diabetes UK. Diabetes UK has committed over £2.8million to the DiRECT study and recently donated £300,000 to the study so that participants who want to be monitored for up to three years can do so.
Professor Roy Taylor Image: Newcastle University
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Discussing challenges Fewer EU students are attending UK universities while studying abroad Daniel Pye Latest figures from UCAS indicate a 4.4% drop in the number of applications to British universities from students in the EU, representing around 2,375 fewer submissions then 2016. This represents the end a trend started in 2012 of a year on year increase. Alistar Jarvis, chief executive of vicechancellor’s group Universities UK, argues: “The small fall in EU students suggests that Brexit is starting to deter EU students from coming to the UK.” A spokesperson for UCAS blames the decrease on “the uncertainty around the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.” This is despite ministers pledging that EU students starting courses in the 2018/19 academic year will still be eligible for government tuition fee loans. The Courier asked students from Europe studying at Newcastle and other
Image: Wikimedia Commons
universities whether they thought that the Brexit vote would have put them off studying in the UK. Patricia, a second-year student at Newcastle from Valencia, Spain, argued that while she had never felt “different or excluded” from English students, she felt that after Britain leaves the EU “studying abroad will become an unattainable luxury for many students as not everyone will be able to afford international fees.” This is a concern shared by Valentina, a student from Bologna, Italy, who studied at Durham from 2012-2016. Valentina said: “Before Brexit I wanted to come back and live in the UK, but now it’s too much stress and uncertainty.” However, not all EU students agreed with this. Joshua from Stuttgart, Germany, said that the “extra paperwork that will come from having to apply for visas will be worth it, as Britain is a good country and I understand their decision to leave the EU.”
Although the amount of EU students studying in the UK can not be expected to raise exponentially year on year, it seems like no coincidence that this comes in the year after the Brexit vote. This asks worrying questions of how the UK is seen by European students, who have in the past contributed hugely to British academia, and many of whom have gone on to take their skills beyond university to live and work in the UK on a permanent basis. The key word here is ‘uncertainty.’ Leaving the EU is one thing, but having a transparent plan for after is another. European students studying in the UK are committing a portion of their life here, and they will want to know what grounds they are standing on before making a potentially lifechanging decision. The Government should remember this as they move forward on the Brexit negotiations.
Amber Bromham A love of adventure, immersing yourself within a new culture and the opportunity to learn a new language are common reasons for travelling, whether that be near or far away from home. And what better way to do this than combining it with your education by studying abroad. With the rise in technology, in many ways the world has now become a smaller place, so it may be surprising to hear that the British Council has recently found that there has been a sharp decline in the number of British students choosing to take up this opportunity. In a recent survey of more than 1000 undergraduates, just 18% were interested in studying abroad, comparatively to 34% who were interested in 2015. There have been many reasons sited for this fall, but unsurprisingly financial concerns are top of the list. Tuition fees and living expenses are never far from students minds but when considering studying abroad it seems this worry becomes even greater. Further driving this factor is the recent decline in the strength of the pound sterling making the economic strain of studying abroad even larger. Similarly worrying has been the economic and political instability which has come following the Brexit vote. Yet again showing that the next generation are bearing the brunt of consequences resulting from decisions they may not have had the opportunity to be a part of. Students who were before interested in studying abroad are now concerned about whether they will be accepted
onto programs based in the EU, the uncertainty deterring them from seeing it as a viable option. Other considerations affecting the decision to study abroad include a lack of confidence in language skills, the fear of leaving loved ones as well as being happy within their lives in the UK. One particularly large factor is that many students believe their education opportunities are better in the UK. If this is the case, what would be the point in spending extra money when you are receiving less out of it in the end? One such student is Mechanical Engineering student David Patrick who found ‘the idea of studying in the US very appealing until researching the finer details.’ After researching the logistics of moving to and studying in America he ‘no longer sees it as a feasible option.’ While it is clear there are many things to consider when looking to study abroad there are also a magnitude of benefits including widening your horizons and the opportunity of meeting new friends. Many courses here at Newcastle University offer this opportunity, either within Europe or further afield in many countries all around world. There are also funding schemes available such as the Erasmus grant which aim to help with the increased financial strain. It is sad if students feel that they cannot explore the vast array of opportunities to enrich learning while at university, due to imposed restricting factors placed upon them. Whether that be social restraints leading a lack of confidence in their abilities or financial pressures meaning we simply cannot afford to utilise all the opportunities available to us.
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Write for Rights at the Students’ Union Scott Houghton Newcastle University Amnesty International Society held a Write for Rights drop-in session at the Students’ Union last week where students were encouraged to write letters of support to victims of human rights abuses across the globe.
“Your letters kept hope alive at the darkest hours of need” Birtukan Mideksa, Ethiopian opposition leader
Students Writing for Rights Image: Scott Houghton
The event, held last Thursday, encouraged students to write postcards or letters to victims of human rights abuses to bring them support. Write for Rights happens every December, and is internationally recognised as the world’s biggest human rights event. Newcastle University Amnesty International Society aims to raise awareness of human rights issues whilst engaging students and the local community in campaigns. This event, featuring ten particular cases of people whom the letters and postcards help bring comfort to, can also be supported through email, Facebook, and Twitter with the hashtag #WriteforRights. One example of someone suffering abuses to their human rights is Ni Yulan. Yulan is a Chinese housing activ-
ist who has defended Beijing residents against forced eviction for nearly twenty years, especially during the 2008 Olympic Games. For her work, she suffers at the hands of state violence regularly. For example, in 2002 she was the victim of an attack by Chinese police which was so brutal she now has to use a wheelchair. In 2010, Yulan was denied foreign travel to The Netherlands to collect her Dutch Human Rights Tulip Award. Another is Esmail Abdi, a maths teacher. He was charged with national security for organising peaceful train union activities by the Iranian Government and sentenced for six years, with these only being waved after he went on hunger strike. He could be called back to prison anytime. Write for Rights can achieve has been able to achieve its goals. As well as comforting people in their time of need, it has also proven to make a big difference in saving peoples’ lives and reducing their sentences. For instance, in 2010 the Write for Rights campaign proved pivotal in helping Ethiopian opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa be released from prison. She said: “Your letters kept hope alive at the darkest hours of need.” As well as Write for Rights, the Newcastle University Amnesty International Society has other events coming up: On Tuesday the 12th of December they are hosting a Jamnesty event in Jesmond 360This will be an evening of open mic music, comedy, and spoken word that hopes to raise money for human rights causes and where anyone can come and perform.
START UP Foundership kickstarts Castore Grace Dean Castore, a business launched using support from the University’s START UP Founderships, has received a £1.2m investment. Castore is a premium sportswear brand which was launched by Newcastle University law-graduate Phil Beahon and his brother Tom using the slogan ‘Our DNA is British, our ambition is global’. The business was launched using help from the University Careers Service’s START UP Foundership. The brothers were among the ten founders and co-founders in 2016/17 who received
“We’ve been fortunate to receive significant support for START UP Founderships and success stories.” Graeme Elliott, Philanthropy Manager at Newcastle University
a Foundership, support and funding to develop their business. Talking about the experience, Phil Beahon said: “The START UP Foundership from Newcastle University was integral in helping Castore secure our first round of fundraising…The University provided all the necessary support to help us navigate the inevitable challenges you face and I will be forever grateful.” The business, which is based in Merseyside and manufactures its products
in Portugal, utilises the brothers’ experience as semi-professional athletes. It currently serves 18 countries from its website, with 12 employees and a predicted £650,000 turnover for this year. With the latest investment from New Look Founder Tom Singh, Castore plans to open new stores in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York, alongside investing in its online presence. Through this Castore hopes to reach a predicted £2.1m turnover, of which 45% is expected to be from overseas sales. Following the introduction of START UP Founderships in 2014, 26 businesses have been supported. Applications are accepted in April each year, and the businesses with the most potential are then given the opportunity to pitch to a panel of Newcastle University alumni and friends. Those who succeed in the process are provided with extended access to the co-working START UP Space in the King’s Gate Building, living expenses of £7500, support from a business adviser and a business development fund reaching £10,000. This is funded by the Benefactors’ Fund for Entrepreneurship, which promotes the growth of entrepreneurship around campus using donations from alumni and friends of the University. The opportunity to apply for a Foundership is additionally there for Newcastle graduates as students are allowed to apply up to three years after graduation. Discussing the Foundership, Graeme Elliott, Philanthropy Manager for Newcastle University, said: “We’ve been fortunate to receive significant support for START UP Founderships and success stories, like that of Castore, really demonstrate the value that this experience adds.”
Founders of Castore Image: Ivan Lazarov
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Stu Brew wins top awards for enterprise Isabel Sykes News Editor Reimagine Education is a prestigious international competition that rewards student initiatives aimed at enhancing employability and learning outcomes.
Stu Brew won the prestigious Reimagine Education overall enterprise award, beating competition from higher education institutions around the world. Over 1000 organisations all over the world submit their projects to be considered for one of the 16 award categories. Awards are given at the Reimagine Education conference, which took place in Philadelphia, USA from the 4th to the 5th of December this year. Stu Brew won the overall enterprise award and was also awarded silver in the sustainability category. They faced international competition from a range of prestigious higher-education institutions. Stu Brew was founded in August 2013 and received funding from the National Union of Students’ ‘Student Green Fund’. More than 500 students have been involved with the organisation in various roles including leadership, market research, and volunteering. Sustainability is at the core of the organisation and Stu Brew acts as a research centre for sustainable brewery design. They collaborate with the School of Engineering and other local microbreweries to develop and promote sustainable, environmentally friendly brewing practice. Methods for ensuring a sustainable brewing process include growing their
hops on student allotments using hot water recovery system for increased energy efficiency. They also recycle waste products, giving spent malt to a local farmer for animal feed and using hop residue as compost on the allotments. In-line with Reimagine Education’s values, Stu Brew is also focused on improving student employability. Involvement in the organisation helps to develop members’ employability skills, and profits are invested in training and development for students. James Milne, a post-graduate student and Stu Brew’s Sales Manager, was at Reimagine Education’s global conference in Philadelphia. On the organisation’s achievement, he said: “Winning the Enterprise award and silver in Sustainability was unexpected but a great pleasure.” “The fact that Stu Brew is now being recognised on an international stage at the Reimagine Education conference is fantastic and a signal for even greater things to come.” Red Kellie, Go Volunteer Project Worker at Newcastle University Students’ Union, also congratulated Stu Brew on their success: “This international award is a brilliant and thoroughly-deserved recognition of the hard work and determination of Stu Brew’s student volunteer team.”
“Winning the Enterprise award and silver in Sustainability was unexpected but a great pleasure” James Milne, Stu Brew Sales Manager
“The enterprise is going from strength to strength; both in terms of beer sales across Newcastle and the North East, and with its ongoing mission to promote sustainability within the brewing industry.”
James Milne at the Reimagine Education conference Image: Ivan Lazarov
PakSoc hosts film stars at Newcastle Rana Newcastle University Pakistan Society hosted the cast and crew of an upcoming Pakistani movie, Rangreza on Wednesday, 6 December. It was a star-studded affair, where renowned Pakistani actors, Bilal Ashraf, Gohar Rasheed and Urwa Hocane were the focus of everyone’s attention. Rangreza is one of 2017’s most anticipated Pakistani film releases. It is a romantic-musical drama film, and the trinkets of teasers and songs released are undoubtedly living up to those expectations as they are leaving movie enthusiasts equally intrigued for the entire theatrical package. Fans thronged the Barbara Strang Teaching
Center to meet their favourite movie stars. Although the cast kept students waiting, they were charm personified when the scheduled question and answer session finally got underway. Not only did the stars talk about the film, but they also sang the film’s songs. As soon as the air was filled with the title track, the crowd went berserk. Later, the cast took to their Snapchat and Instagram accounts to relay the frenzy surrounding their arrival at the university, and enjoyed the photo session with their fans. With music as its central theme, Rangreza touches upon several issues that are prevalent in the South Asian society. According to Gohar Rasheed, the film is “a complete family entertainer” with all the ingredients that one expects in a commercial film. PakSoc’s Social Secretary, Zukhruf Khan
stated that the film strives to promote awareness about Pakistan’s diversity and to dispel stereotypes and generalizations associated with the country. Leading actor, Bilal Ashraf said that more people needed to be educated about the colours, spices and culture of Pakistan and this movie is all about that. Reflecting on the event, Haseeb Saya, President of Pakistan Society, said that the society organises such events to cultivate community spirit among students and provide accurate portrayal of the country and its diverse culture. Secretary Omair Malik highlighted that Newcastle PakSoc serves as a platform for sharing an accurate image of the country’s customs, languages and culture. Rangreza releases on 21 December in cinemas across the UK.
Student stag do fit for a prince PJ Thompson University students organising Prince Harry’s stag party have advised not “to get the corgis drunk please”. The Facebook event, created by students from UCL and Imperial College London, appeared on the social media site shortly after the announcement of the engagement between Meghan Markle and Henry Windsor. At the time of writing the event has 37,000 confirmed attendees; a further 103,000 people have stated their interest.
37,000
Pakistan Society sharing their excitement at the event. Image: Rana
confirmed attendees at Prince Harry’s stag do
The organisers have admitted, “they may need a bigger venue”; it is currently listed as Buckingham Palace, but is in no way official. One student was not sure that his “budget can stand to a round of 35,000 drinks”. However, another user suggested mass t-shirt printing to wear at street parties all over the country for those who can’t make the trip to London. Capitalising on their five minutes of fame, the organisers have created a separate event for Meghan Markle’s bachelorette party. Located on the Hollywood Boulevard, the guest list currently stands at 1,300 guests. Some users however, don’t seem to be too bothered; with one commentator apologising that they can’t attend because “they will be washing their hair that evening.” Additionally, if an event does take place, will it be appropriate and respectful? There are numerous inappropriate and misogynistic comments on the event page already. Is this just a bit of fun, as the student organisers have suggested? A happy distraction from the divisive and gloomy news stories we are used to seeing daily? Or is it right that a story like this receive the national media attention it has garnered?
comment the courier
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@CourierComment courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/comment Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken & Alexandra Sadler
Scrooge strikes again!
A threadbare budget is criticised for not dealing with society’s problems, and making even more
Dom Sutcliffe
I
was listening to the budget a couple of weeks ago and I heard something that really annoyed me. After telling smokers that in the next year, the tax on rolled tobacco would effectively increase by 6% (inflation + 2% on all cigarettes + 1% just on rollies), Philip Hammond joked that taxes on whiskey would be frozen, “Merry Christmas Mr Speaker”, he said.
They’re coming down hard on the choices of the younger generations Whilst I’ve never had the nimbleness of hands to roll a cigarette myself I know many people who do. The reason that they do is that they really like to smoke, despite the consequences. The reason they smoke rollies is because they’re cheap(er). This policy seems aimed at people who are invested (dare I say addicted) to a product that they will accept any tax increases this government chooses
to put on them. At the same time to be laughing about how you’re not taxing whiskey seems to be ignoring the sin of choice for an older generation, whilst coming down hard on the choices of the younger generations. When this country elected a Conservative government in June a lot of young people were upset. Some of us were happy we would be keeping a lowtax government. Many accepted that cigarettes should be taxed, they just don’t want to be taxed hypocritically. It’s only a small request, Mr Speaker.
Aaron Bacon
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he Office of Budget responsibility has cut our countries growth forecast for the next five years with the fallout from a Conservative Brexit playing a significant part in our futures muted growth. In light of this damning outlook for working people and business, the budget was announced with anticipation that a broken austerity system that has plagued our public services could be relaxed. This is a government with a lot to prove, a defense
of the last 7 years as well as an offering for what another 5 will look like. What have they shown in their autumn budget? Pure contempt for those that put them in power and those that bought into the lies that this is a country that ‘works for everyone’. There has never been a better exemplification of the shortsighted and vacuous nature of conservative policy planning than this budget. A stamp duty cut for first time buyers, a big label ‘giveaway’, but to whom? A generation of young people who are locked out of the housing market? Or those who stand to benefit from another demand side measure to bolster house prices and protect homeowners, landlords and property developers. If young people buy into the illusion of stamp duty cuts and ‘millennial railcards’ then they’re missing the big picture. The big picture of conservatives running out of ideas and running out of credibility in telling people they are the party of economic stability. They are presiding over a period of economic stagnation and international condemnation and day by day it only becomes clearer and our reality becomes darker. Wages down, living standards down. This is a government with money for Brexit and stop-gap policies but disregard and distaste for our countries prosperity, our public services and our people.
South Yorkshire Police grapple with the pickets outside the Doncaster NCB headquarters, March 1984. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Stay classy, not classist
A Durham University rugby club was shut down after it made a Thatcher vs. miners theme party
Gerry Hart
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n a spectacular display of tone-deaf stupidity, members of Trevelyan College Rugby Team at Durham University decided it would be a smart idea to host a social themed around the Miner’s Strike of 1984. The event, since cancelled, encouraged students to dress as miners saying “Think pickaxes. Think Headlamps. Think 12% unemployment” in addition to Cabinet Ministers, “Working class beating Bobbies” and Falkland veterans. The event’s description on Facebook was rounded off by saying “Expect a confrontation higher than the Battle of Orgreave”. Fuck’s sake. Who in their right mind thought an event like this was an even remotely good idea? Especially in Durham of all places, a city defined in no small part by its mining history. Admittedly I don’t come from mining stock myself, but I’m still a native of County Durham and this ticked me off something fierce. As a region, County Durham still remains proud of its industrial, working class heritage of which the mining industry was a major component. The Miners’ Strike and the deindustrialization of the 1980s represented more than a shift in the economy. To many people, it resulted in the loss of their livelihood and their very identity. This is to say nothing of the violence used against the miners by the police, or their demonization by the Thatcher Government. The Miner’s Strike was a deeply traumatic event that still scars the region and it is not something for wealthy, privileged students to
make light of with a drinking social. At the very least, this recent debacle hints at a worrying divide between the students of Durham and the city they’ve elected to study in. But to sign off, I’d like to extend an olive branch to the event organizers. If you’re reading this lads, I recommend you get to know the county. Visit the Durham Miner’s Gala or the region’s museums, and read up on the county’s history. Maybe then you’ll come to appreciate how utterly insensitive taking the piss out of the Miners’ Strike was.
Joe Holloran
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lass. If there is one word in the English language that makes the conservative-mind squirm it is this. Some – while hiding a grin- even take to television screens to reject its very existence. ‘We are all middle-class now’ is a common utterance. There’s us and them. Those above, to whom we should aspire; and those below who deserve our scorn. For UK born students there is little excuse for feeling shock at the antics of Durham University Rugby Club, and their ‘Thatcher vs. Miners’ party a couple of weeks ago. The social, economic and cultural damage caused by Thatcher and the class conflict she so gleefully fuelled is still fresh to most in the North East. The ‘jokers’ down the road could scarcely have organized a more antagonistic event than they did. Classism is not only alive, but it has evolved and become more insidious, often masquerading as
humour. Durham Uni is but one example of classism within higher education. I, perhaps naively, believed that once a person entered an environment of knowledge and humanism, like a university, that these antiquated division around would be abandoned. I was wrong, as I discover within my first week here. On a fresher night out with a group of students from Newcastle Uni, we encountered a group of students from Northumbria Uni. It was then that I realise some of my fellow students had T-shirts made with ‘I would rather be posh, than a peasant’. Class assumptions are reinforced. To get into the best universities, you must come from wealth. To be rich is to be intelligent, and poor thick. I am not going to waste your time explaining how dumb and unintelligent that notion is. But I will say to those who hold those beliefs this, ‘There is always a bigger fish’. A fish with more money, influence and privilege who would look down their noses at you.
To get into the best universities, you must come from wealth One has to tread carefully not to be too classist, while writing an article about how bad classism is. I will not therefore comment on the fact that the party was held by the Rugby Society. Or that 37% of students at Durham come from private schools. No, but I will let you make your own conclusions. As I have already said, classism is insidious. Sometimes it takes an event like this to bring it back to
SOAPBOX COMMENT’S HOME OF WEEKLY RANTS FIT FOR WORK
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Gerry Hart
arlier this year, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) published a scathing report on disability rights in the UK. Describing various social care and welfare policies as amounting to “systemic violations” of disabled peoples’ rights, the second report of its kind produced in the space of a year, the first being published in November 2016. I cannot fathom why such reports aren’t being discussed more widely. From the minute it came into office in 2010, the Conservative government has pursued a dogmatic, hardline stance on cutting welfare that has been disastrous to disabled people. According to the Department of Work and Pensions’ own statistics, an estimated 2300 people have died after being deemed fit for work as of 2015. This is to say nothing of the numerous horror stories stemming from the Work Capability Assessments themselves. This isn’t mere policy failure. Disabled people are being persecuted in the UK and it is high time we treat current welfare policy like the discriminatory regime it is.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
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Jordan Davidson
olitical nostalgia seems to be rearing its head a lot of late, with many lauding over the days of liberal leadership in an increasingly right-wing leaning west. Some figures have chosen to take advantage of this fact, with Tony Blair choosing to emerge from obscurity to complain about the state of the Labour party leadership under Corbyn. Even George Bush Jr found himself resurrected in the form of US chat show appearances; suddenly the darling of everyone who longs for the days before Donald Trump. But one figure I never thought I’d see again is Gordon Brown. The former Prime Minister’s legacy is mixed to put it kindly, but his talk at Newcastle University aimed to somewhat set the record straight about his term at No. 10 and promote his new book at the same time… As a speaker he isn’t half bad, entertaining anecdotes and interesting snippets of life behind the scenes at parliament, of which Mr Brown has many, are always worth turning up for. He racked up an impressive history and many laudable achievements along the way including his efforts at domestic reform. Ultimately though, the topic of the 2010 election emerged and the inevitable justifications followed for the unrecovered losses. Few acknowledgements of past errors are offered, or failings of the party admitted, instead we got a sense of reminiscence with little constructive discussion. The future of British politics however lies in, you guessed it, the future. The older powerhouses of the UK’s political system hold the keys to great knowledge and experience that we as a country should draw from, but let’s remember to keep them at arm’s length and remember to look forward not just back.
the courier Monday 11 December 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
Have a snacky Christmas Costa Billionaire’s Hot Chocolate The Price: £3.65 (medium) The Place: Costa Coffee The Review: The first thing that strikes you about Costa’s festive Billionaire’s Hot Chocolate isn’t just how hot it is (so hot I burnt my tongue on it) but its rich, caramel-and-cream layers that give it a deliciously sweet taste in comparison to the standard version. Coming in a cheerful gingerbread man takeaway cup, topped off with shortbread crumbs and finished with glittering marshmallows at the bottom, it is truly the drink to warm you up on a cold festive morning (or evening) and brighten up those final lectures of the semester. Georgina Howlett
Asda Iced Mince Pies
8/10
The Price: £1.00 for 6, 16.7p individually The Place: Asda The Review: Now then, let’s get one thing straight from the start, I’m not a huge fan of mince pies. Anyone who loves them has just fallen victim to the consumerist trap of Christmas. I love Christmas, but mince pies are just alright. These ones, however, might be just a bit better than alright. You’ve got your standard dried fruit and spices, which I would say were surprisingly succulent. Coupled with an iced topping often seen on your supermarket Bakewell tarts, it makes for pretty nice eating. Top work Asda, you did good. James Sproston
Sainsbury’s Brie and Cranberry Sandwich
Greggs’ Festive Bake
3&6/10 Wetherspoons’ Chicken and Stuffing Burger
The Price: £7.99 The Place: Wetherspoons The Review: The chicken and stuffing burger should be a winning combination. Two buns, one chicken breast, streaky rashes of bacon, a generous helping of stuffing and a healthy handful of rocket, all topped with a couple of pigs in blankets. A safe choice, right? Well, maybe not. In my experience, the chicken breast comes served cardboard, and the pigs in blankets have a not so savoury taste of chemicals. Luckily, there burger comes served with a side of cranberry sauce. My advice, drown each mouthful in cranberry, mask the taste and power through! Jared Moore
9/10
The Price: £1.40 The Place: Greggs The Review: Such was my commitment to ensuring that the Greggs Festive Bake was as alright-ish as I originally thought, I decided to have two. The first one had way too much cranberry in it, as somebody got bored halfway through making a jam doughnut. The second one was actually alright. Strong sage flavours and the pastry was crunchy, but lacking in any meaty chunks. Not sure if I could recommend it after the poor experience with the first one; that one came from Clayton Street, while the nicer second one came from St Mary’s Place. Jack Coles
3/10
EAT@Courtyard Turkey Dinner
The Price: £5.20 The Place: EAT@Courtyard The Review: The Courtyard Café is a melting pot of academic masterminds, hard working language students and anyone looking for a top quality cheap cooked breakfast. Come Christmas time, the Courtyard Café (‘the CC’, ‘the CY’ or the ‘Holy Land’) adds to its menu a culinary delight served by many, but perfected by few. The Turkey Dinner has a different veg option every day, tender meat and a tastesbetter-than-it-looks stuffing. The dish only misses out on perfect marks due to the ‘could improve’ roast potatoes, but for just £5.20, you simply can’t get better value for money. Alex Hendley
0 1 8/
5/10
The Price: £2.20 The Place: Sainsbury’s The Review: Brie and cranberry is, of course, a classic Crimbo combo. But this overpriced, badly-proportioned offering from Sainsbury’s can lead only to disappointment. The bread was soft and the brie divine, but it would have benefited from more cranberry sauce to fully complement the brie – this was basically a fancy cheese sandwich with some pink-coloured bread. And rocket occupied a much greater presence in this creation than its place in the packet’s subtitle suggested. I don’t dislike rocket, but it’s not all that Christmassy, and Sainsbury’s overdid it here. Mark Sleightholm
EAT@Newcastle Christmas Cups
6/10
The Price: £1.50 (with a cup of tea) The Place: Campus food establishments The Review: What better way to celebrate the festive season as a university catering service than to copy a popular coffee chain’s Christmas-themed paper cups? EAT@ NEWCASTLE is kicking off Christmas with red paper cups featuring the silhouette of a reindeer and the cheery words, ‘merry and bright’. Apparently, if yours has a sticker on it, you get a free mince pie. I’ll believe it when I see it. The cups look a lot nicer than the regular ones, and do make me feel a little bit Christmassy inside, but I can’t help but think they’re tacky. Hanson Jones Price
Rating
Value for money (points per pound)
Costa Billionaire’s Hot Chocolate
£3.65
8/10
2.19
Greggs Festive Bake
£1.40
4.5/10 (average)
3.21
Wetherspoons Chicken and Stuffing Burger
£7.99
3/10
0.38
EAT@Courtyard Turkey Dinner
£5.20
9/10
1.73
Asda Iced Mince Pies
£1.00
8/10
8.00
Sainsbury’s Brie and Cranberry Sandwich
£2.20
5/10
2.27
£1.50 (with a cup of tea)
6/10
4.00
Festive item
EAT@NCL Christmas Cups
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life & style lifestyle
Monday 11 December 2017
Giving back to charity this Christmas
Alice Dawson gives her own alternative to a service of nine lessons and carols. The lesson? Being charitable this festive season
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his year, take a minute during the frenzy of shopping, planning and celebrating Christmas, to think of others. What could you do to help out those less fortunate? Here are some easy tips for aiding charities and those in need this Christmas, which feels just as good, or maybe even better than, what you receive on Christmas day: Do your Christmas shopping at charity shops Here is a great way to save money, find hidden treasures, and give to charity. This year my family have decided to only buy each other gifts from charity shops as my sister and I are both students and can’t afford much more, but it also helps reduce our consumerist waste! So far I have found designer clothes, great CDs and DVDs, and even a first addition Harry Potter book! In Newcastle, the best I’ve found are The British Red Cross, The British Heart Foundation, and (if you fancy a day trip to Durham) there is an excellent Oxfam bookshop.
One of your Christmas gifts could be to save a species or educate a child Receive or give the gift of giving Sponsor a child, adopt a gorilla- help someone this Christmas. One of your Christmas gifts could help to save a species or educate a child. What more could you ask for in a gift? You might even receive updates every few months, so it’s even an opportunity to learn and maybe find a new passion. Donate gifts to charities Roughly 70,000 children in the UK are cared for
by the local authorities, many of whom would not receive any gifts at Christmas without donations. Through charities such as The Samaritans and Children in Care you can pick and donate a gift to orphaned children in the UK.
70,000 Children in the UK are cared for by local authorities Throw it back to a Christmas shoebox We all did it. We all loved it. So why not wrap another shoebox, fill it with some goodies, and give someone a gift this Christmas. If you fancy returning to this childhood treat find ‘Operation Christmas Child’ to ensure kids in underdeveloped countries will receive something to make their Christmas special. Give unwanted gifts away We all have that distant family member who buys you that hideous jumper that you’ll never wear or that piggy bank that you’re too poor to fill. If you do, don’t just leave it in the back of your cupboard, donate it to a charity shop; you never know, someone with a quirky taste might love it, buy it, and subsequently give to charity. Buy well-sourced, ethical food products for your big Christmas meal Unfortunately, we are living in a world threatened by global warming, and unfortunately 51% of that comes from the over-farming in the meat industry, so at Christmas when roughly 10 million turkeys are consumed, it is safe to say that the problem is
heightened. Of course I’m not suggesting to banish meat from your banquet, but try to ensure that your meat products are farmed ethically, and you could even try to cut down on meat throughout the rest of December to make the Christmas meal even more of a treat. Fill a belly, not a fridge Every year our fridges are full before, during and after Christmas day year after a massive Christmas and Boxing Day dinner my family fridge was bursting with leftovers. Knowing that we would never get through all the turkey, pigs in blankets, stuffing, potatoes etc, I made a dozen sandwiches and took them with me into central London and handed them out to the many homeless I met throughout my day. This an easy and resourceful way of using your food, without putting on too much extra weight over the period of indulgence!
Donate tins, cans, pasta, rice etc. to food banks Many supermarkets are asking their customers to buy just one more small item on their shop to help towards meals for those who can’t provide their own in the holiday season. Volunteer at a homeless centre An excellent charity for this is Crisis, with volunteer stations throughout the country (including in Newcastle) where you can help in a variety of ways: from catering, education, creativity, wellbeing, health and many more. It is an opportunity to meet and learn from a multitude of people, and it would also be a great thing for your CV! There are always ways to give back, especially at Christmas. Remember to feel grateful for everything you have, and help out people who aren’t as lucky!
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The peaks and pitfalls of secret santa
Image: Public Domain Figures
Emelia Wojcik discusses what happens when you love all your friends equally, but can only appreciate one
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hen your mum deserves an island, and all you can afford is a scented candle, is a phrase I have read many a time. A similar conundrum pops up when Christmas rolls around at uni: what happens when your friends deserve the world, and all you can afford to get them for Christmas is a selection box? Behold, Secret Santa. For years we scoured the earth for a way to absolve us of the guilt gift giving causes, while allowing us to spoil one friend (preferably your favourite). All on a budget which, n average, accumulates to a grand £5-£10 ratio. Satisfying even the poorest of students whilst reigning in
our less thrifty friends frivolous spending sprees. And you, like me, are thinking - there’s a lot of potential here. You can buy a lot of crap for £5. Especially when you don’t take it seriously. It’s perfect for those infamous Christmas reunions. There’s nothing better than being reunited with all your best mates for the first time in months, catching up on all the events of first semester over a poorly made Christmas dinner, playing cheap drinking games and wearing random articles of novelty Christmas clothing. The best thing is that
you don’t need to worry about whether they like the gifts or not, because they’re not really supposed to.
Scoured the earth for a way to absolve the guilt gift giving causes You do, however, need to worry about the gifts you give if you’re going to take Secret Santa seriously. In this case everyone has their preferences when it comes to who they get. As much as you
try and deny it favouritism is real, and it’s an epidemic. This usually means getting someone’s mum involved to pick the names, just to make sure it really has been done randomly (no one is trustworthy). It’s now become a competition to give the best present, rather than the worst, and it’s every man for himself. So, the better you know your friends, the easier it becomes, regardless of whether you want to treat the whole tradition as a joke, or take it seriously. Good luck, and get giving!
Prepare for an alternative Christmas dinner
With vegetarian and vegan options out there, Charlotte Butter provides the perfect solution for all to enjoy a Christmas dinner
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hristmas is fast approaching and what better way to spread the festive cheer than bringing your flatmates together for a comforting Christmas dinner? Whilst the rest of your flat have the easy option of buying a cookin-the-bag chicken and some pigs in blankets as a treat, for the vegetarians and vegans out there, a Christmas dinner can require a little more thought. Don’t worry, you don’t have to stick to a plate of dry carrots, sprouts and potatoes, and you won’t be eating fruit salad for dessert whilst everyone tucks into their Christmas pudding and mince pies there is hope! Some aspects of your meal can be kept exactly the same as your flatmates, so don’t panic about having to make yourself a completely separate batch of food. Firstly make sure that the roast potatoes have been cooked in a plant based oil rather than goose fat or butter. Personally, I’d recommend olive oil. Aside from its many health benefits, it gives your potatoes a perfect crispy texture. Sprinkle some dried rosemary and a pinch of salt over your potatoes before cooking to add some extra flavour. Of course, you will be fine to eat any boiled vegetables that your flatmates might be having, and you
could even add some roast vegetables for a bit of variety. Use a drizzle of olive oil to roast courgettes, peppers, aubergine and red onion, and maybe add some sweet potatoes and parsnips if you’re feeling adventurous! You can also share the same stuffing as long as you stick to one that doesn’t contain any added meat or dairy products. Most dried stuffing mixes will be fine, as well as Aunt Bessie’s sage and onion stuffing balls. Now for the main attraction of a Christmas dinner (or so a meat-eater would say), the turkey. There are a variety of different ways to substitute the meat in your Christmas dinner. A personal favourite of mine is a nut roast. Lots of people turn their noses up when I say that, thinking that this is a tasteless and boring choice. Once you’ve tasted this one (which I got from a Facebook video created by BOSH) your mind will be changed… Ingredients: 2 red onions 3 cloves garlic Some dried rosemary and thyme Salt and pepper 500g mushrooms 400g breadcrumbs 3 tbsp soy sauce
500g chopped mixed nuts 400g chestnuts (available in the same aisle as gravy granules in most supermarkets) Method: Blend 3 slices of bread into breadcrumbs Blend the mushrooms to mince them into small pieces in a food processor/blender Cut the red onions and garlic into small pieces and fry until well softened Add the minced mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and soy sauce and stir together until well mixed Add the breadcrumbs and stir in Add the mixed nuts and stir in You should have a thick batter but you may need to stir in some vegetable stock or boiling water if you need to add moisture Break up the chestnuts and add to the batter Put the batter into a lined, greased loaf tin, cover with tin foil and roast for 45 minutes at 200°C When am I going to have time to do that!? Although this is a simple recipe, we are all so busy in the last few weeks of term (and I am aware that people might not have a blender or food processor with them at uni), so here are some other substitutions that you can buy from the supermarket:
Tesco festive nut roast with mulled wine and cranberry, £3.50 Tesco Portobello mushroom wellington, £3 Linda McCartney vegetarian beef roast, £3.50 You could also cook one or two vegetarian sausages to make up for your lack of pigs in blankets. I recommend Linda McCartney’s red onion and rosemary ones, which are available in most supermarkets. As for the gravy, you can simply use normal gravy granules (just check the packet for any meat products first though) and some vegetable stock or boiling water, so you don’t need to make yourself a separate gravy! So that’s you sorted for the main course of the Christmas Dinner, but of course it is not complete without dessert. If it’s mince pies you fancy, ASDA and Waitrose own brand mince pies are vegan and only cost £1 for six! Or you could treat yourself to one from Caffè Nero (I tried one the other day and they are delicious!) Alternatively, ASDA offer a “free from” Christmas pudding for £3 which would be extra delicious with a big dollop of Alpro vanilla custard. I hope this guide has helped any struggling vegetarians and vegans with ideas for your perfect flat Christmas dinner. Enjoy.
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lifestyle life & style Rant of the Week: Lifestyle Editor Jaymelouise Hudspith shares her experience of the increasingly popular event Overpriced Advent Calendars I Monday 11 December 2017
Review: Bongo’s Bingo Newcastle t’s bingo but not as you know it, this mash up of bingo, cheesy music, dancing on tables, men dressed up in hilariously revealing costumes, and let’s not forget the weird but wonderful jackpot prizes, it really is something that cannot be missed. Now a regular fixed event at The Boiler Shop, located just behind Central Station. If you ask anyone about Bongo’s Bingo they’ll find it hard to describe, but will all unanimously agree it is one of the best nights out in Newcastle. Last Friday I headed down to the venue with three of my friend’s ready for the promise of a night unlike any other – bongo did not disappoint. Doors for the event open 6:30 – 7:30, I would recommend getting there as early as possible as seats are first come first served, the long rows or tables with benches either side reminded me more of the school dinner hall rather than a bingo hall. So it’s a tight squeeze, espeically when the staff come around asking you to shuffle down to make space, so be prepared to cosy up with a few strangers.
Remind me more of the school dinner hall rather than bingo Queue 7:30, the lights will dim, the music will play and two skimpily dressed men in a scarecrow and mini mouse getup, referred to by the DJ and
bingo caller as dirty Daisy and dirty Darla. Immediately they had everyone up on the benches dancing away their cares, for new comes (who’ve not had nearly enough to drink) it can seem a bit daunting and chaotic but once you let go, you’ll be
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veryone celebrates Christmas differently, but whether you’re The Grinch or a Cindy Lou Who the likelihood is that you get an advent calendar every year. As frivolous and childish as it may appear, there is a small joy every time you open a door, even if it isn’t associated with the countdown to Santa’s arrival anymore. I typically enter a blind panic when I realise its December 1st and I haven’t got myself a calendar, then make myself even worse when I realise the shops will have sold out of any decent ones. Remembering to buy your own could rate as one of the worst thinks about being an ‘adult’.
Each time prizes get bigger, better and slightly wackier than the last having the time of your life. There are six colour coded games, each with three chances to win; one line, two lines and a full house. Each time the prize gets bigger, better and slightly wackier than the last. Prizes included a space hopper, endless alcohol and some night changing money. You may scoff and think it’s only bingo, it’s easy but you’d be wrong. By the last game you’ve had quite a fair bit to drink and you’ll be up and down on the benches as the DJ plays hilarious related songs, my favourite was the Irish classics every time number 33 (in your best Irish accent please) was called. The real stress comes when your friend takes a trip to the toilet or the bar and you have to mark off two booklets at once without missing a number. Word of warning ladies don’t wear heels or you risk ending up falling flat on your arse. Sadly, this did not happen on the night I went but
Image: @bongonbingoncl
apparently if two or more call at once then there will be a dance off on stage for the prize. Speaking of the toilet and bar, they do give you intervals, aka a mini rave but the queues were crazy long so I’d personally take the risk of missing a few numbers. It’s no surprise really that this has quickly become a sell-out event with the latest batch of tickets selling out in 13 minutes. It is hands down one of the best nights out I’ve had, it’s the perfect mix between a bar crawl and a club night out.
Enjoying Christmas despite uni deadlines Charlotte Cooper gives some tips on enjoying Christmas whilst preparing for January exams T he Christmas winter break is nearly here. For some it will be the first long period of time back home and with January exams looming it’s starting to put a dampener on the festive mood. Before the caffeine addiction hits and the 24/7 library trips start, you deserve some hard-earned time off. Despite the stress of exams and the tendency to stat in bed all day, it’s still time to be festive, so here are some tips to get you in the mood. Make a Flexible Work Plan Making a schedule is the best way to keep motivated and on target for the January assignments. But who wants to work over the whole break? Make a flexible weekly list of things you need to achieve. This way you can go for that festive pint down the pub with your mates and not feel guilty about not revising. This also works well if you’re not in the mood to crack on with an essay and want to go and buy the Christmas turkey with your mum, just as long as you actually stick to your weekly targets so that you’re not leaving everything to the last minute. Take Regular Breaks This might seem obvious, but it will definitely keep your Christmas spirits high. Take some time to totally chill out, after all you have been working hard for the last three months. So, take a few days
or even week off uni work and to do so why not start yourself off with a festive film. ‘Christmas24’ is the channel which will fill you heart with all the joyful films we hate to love. Grab a glass of mulled wine or a festive hot chocolate, a mince pie or two and a warm cosy blanket. This set up will certainly allow you to relax and get in the celebratory mood.
Image: Pexels
Festive Food Treats The one thing every student misses whilst away from home is home cooked food - is it just me or does it taste even better at Christmas time? Fill your boots this holiday with the turkey left overs, the pigs in blankets and even go wild on the Brus-
sel sprouts, you’ll need those vitamins come January. For those with a sweeter tooth, the box of celebrations that gran brought round for the family will be your holy grail of revision treats. When you’ve read some literature for that essay or revised a hard topic treat yourself to a delicious treat. Don’t worry about thinking you’ve eaten too much- it’s Christmas! Christmas Music Now that it is officially December, the grinches of Christmas can no longer protest to your excitement, telling you it’s too early to blast out ‘Jingle Bells’. This is by far the ultimate way to stay festive despite the stressful exams upon us. Dig out that Michael Bublé Christmas album you’ve been hiding from your flat mates, they’ll be thankful when the sweet sound of ‘Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ is in their heads for the last week of term. For those of you who can’t suffer the silence when doing work, create a Christmas playlist to get you in the party mood. Who would have thought that revising would get you so full of joy?
The joys of seasonal socials
What makes Christmas socials so great? Laura Smith comments on why we love them so much
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ho doesn’t love dressing up for no real reason, getting together with people you don’t really know and drinking cheap cava masquerading to be champagne? Christmas subject and society socials are the perfect opportunity to whip out your very best outfit (sparkles preferred but not essential) and spend an inordinate amount of money you don’t really have on extortionate drinks at a venue in or around university.
You’re bound to find some people who identify with your interests These events are a great way to avoid the inevitable deadlines looming over every student’s head this festive season, and there is bound to be one
any student can attend. Be it for the classics society or the combined honours programme, from medicine to music, every department puts on a show at Christmas. Take it from someone who gets far too stressed about the pressures December brings, both within university and socially (I’m still struggling with finding presents more creative than socks) – you need to take time to relax and enjoy the end of 2017. Perhaps you’re seeing off this term with a ‘screw you’ shot, or celebrating success with a glass of champagne, but either way, a social is the perfect way to end the year on a high. Another great thing about these events is the way in which you can get to know your course mates better. Yeah, you may be sharing a table with slightly-odd-smelling Jon from that Tuesday morning maths lecture, or pulling a cracker with overly-enthusiastic Jodie from marketing- but don’t let this put you off hanging out with new people. You’re bound to find some people who identify with
The latest trend of expensive Instagramworthy advent calendars seems ridiculous My rant for this week: why does getting older mean every simple tradition suddenly becomes a challenge of who can be the most extravagant? I can put up with the competition around who carved the best pumpkin, who’s Christmas jumper looks cooler and even whose Easter egg is fancier but the latest trend of expensive Instagram-worthy advent calendars seems ridiculous. Gin, cheese, makeup, candles and even designer goods. You name it, they have put it into an advent calendar. One simple google search brings up results that could cost you up to £300. I’m probably just secretly jealous of people who have that much money to blow but it does seem ridiculous. I might be a bit of a traditionalist but I wouldn’t want to wake up to anything but a piece of chocolate every morning. Alcoholic ones seem a waste, you can’t swig your taster first thing on a morning unless you have a serious talent for stomaching your drink. My mam ‘treated’ herself to a Yankee candle calendar last year and she still has a stock pile she’s saving for this year. I just can’t grasp it. Take the latest Zoella scandal for example, no I’m not talking about her offensive tweets from years ago, she has been called out for charging £50 for a 12-door advent calendar. Her fans are young influential girls so it’s no surprise that there has been a serious backlash, how can you charge that much for a cookie cutter, a candle, some confetti and few other pitiful gifts. Her apology was a complete dodge of any responsibility also, not impressive for a woman who has such influence over young generations. It may be swaying away from a rant here, but I need to talk about THAT Greggs advent calendar scandal, it may be cheap but it has shed a light of humour on what is becoming a serious and expensive trend. Who can feel genuine anger about replacing Jesus with a sausage roll of all things? You get your presents on Christmas day and that’s enough for me. I will happily wake up every morning in December, have my chocolate and go about my day remembering that it is Christmas and I have not wasted my money. Laura Bolden
your interests; after all, they are studying the same course as you because they also enjoy it (hopefully). You may make new friends, and perhaps even finally have someone to complain with you during your Friday 9am.
Image: @ellenb.x
Image: Flickr
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life & style fashion
LET’S GET ETHICAL
Give back this Christmas
Jaymelouise Hudspith explores her favourite trends that we should expect to continue hitting our highstreets in 2018, and what fashion failures that should be firmly left behind in 2017
2017
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ow, I am all for dressing how you want, when you want, and be damned what anyone thinks, as long as you’re happy and comfortable. But some people are sheep who will flock from whichever trend is currently in fashion to the next. 2017 has seen some remarkable and questionable fashion trends, not all of which we want to take with us come new year. So, I’m sorry to say but the biggest trend I want to leave in 2017 is dressing like you’re homeless. That’s right, let’s leave the tacky, and I’m being kind by saying ‘vintage’; Adidas, Nike, Fila, Reebok, etcetera ugly sweatshirts, tracksuits, t-shirts and trainers all behind us. I see so many people sporting these items of clothing around university and even worse on a night out – can we all just weep for that for a minute? Endless TV shows and films have remarked the joke ‘no shirt, no shoes, no entry’. When did that stop being a thing? Why is it now socially acceptable to look like you’ve just walked off of the cast of Shameless and straight into a club? My next issue with 2017 is slogan shirts – H&M and Forever 21, I’m looking at you. How many times have you been browsing in a store to spot an item that has potential, only to pick it up for a better look and it be plastered with stupid childish
slogans like ‘Pizza is my boyfriend’ or ‘mermaid at heart’. You’ll scowl with disappointment and put it back wondering who on earth actually buys that. No one, so let’s just stop defacing perfectly good clothing.
Why is it now socially acceptable to look like you’ve walked off ‘Shameless’ and go straight into a club? Finally, puffa coats. You don’t look cool, you don’t look edgy in your oversized boiler bag of a coat and decade old scuffed trainers – which look like they were taken from the PE teachers lost property. Let’s please agree to stop dressing like Bianca Jackson, like we spend all our time on street corners ready to mug old ladies and instead opt for some of the suspected trends of 2018 from the latest report by
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Or even if you can’t bring yourself to get rid of your old clothes because you’re just positive that they’ll come back into fashion, then venture into a few charity shops to see what you can find. You won’t believe some of the things that are hidden on the rails at only a fraction of the price that you would pay on the high street. And any money you spend will be going to a good cause to help those in need this Christmas. Donating your old clothes isn’t the only thing you can do to help those less fortunate; every year Save the Children announce their Christmas jumper day which this year is on the 15th December. Dig out your most extravagant jumper (or more likely for us on a budget just a piece of tinsel stapled to a hoodie) and donate just £2 to the cause. Your jumper could be the difference between a hot meal or no meal. It can provide education, essential healthcare, protection and food to millions of children around the world who just want to spend Christmas the way any child does. A little in this case goes a very long way. Donate at christmasjumperday.org. Just by doing a few cheap and easy things this Christmas you could be giving someone more than they could have wished for – isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Charlotte Brook
2018
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@m_l_e_d
The NSPCC even run door-step collections of your second-hand clothes
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Monday 11 December 2017
What’s the fashion future for 2018?
Instagram: @ cancersupportuk
s a student, the season of giving is somewhat redefined. With that student loan pretty much run dry (or long gone), and the Bank of Mum and Dad hibernating for the winter, spare cash is non-existent. But even if money is tight this Christmas and you’re feeling snowed under with those January deadlines, you can still make a difference with just a root through your wardrobe. All across the country, people are in need of your pre-loved clothes, especially as temperatures continue to drop, so that jumper that’s stuffed at the back of your wardrobe that is just so last year, could make somebody else’s Christmas just a little bit warmer. And it’s easy too; so many charity shops are more than happy to accept your old clothes as long as they are in good condition. So grab a bag and have a clear out with your housemates of the neglected and forgotten gems at the bottom of your wardrobes which you can take to countless charity shops throughout the city such as British Heart Foundation and Barnardos. Some charities, like the NSPCC in partnership with Clothes Aid, even run door-step collections of your second hands clothes. You barely even have to lift a finger! While Santa’s replenishing your winter wardrobe, that jacket that you just had to have that has barely even seen the light of day could be being gifted to someone in need this Christmas.
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c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska
Vogue. This list seems to contain some weird and wonderful trends, some of which I pray do not make it as a success next year. For example, ‘plastic fantastic’ – can we all agree to boycott this trend? Not only will the material used by cheaper high street retailers reek of a fish like odour but they’re also completely inefficient, you’ll either freeze or be a sweaty mess, not to mention making a noise that resembles nails down a chalk board every time you move. Instead let’s revel at the trends that promise a fashion fierce year, as Vogue suspects 2018’s spring summer collection to be filled with everything from ‘ice cream girls’ pretty pastel colours to ‘new wave slip’ dresses and ‘decent exposure’ – that’s right ladies embrace the sheer fabrics and dig out your lacy underwear because that trend is apparently here to stay. My favourite trend on the list has to be trench coats, although when fastened you can look a little like a flasher! When its left open and you have an outfit you love on you can’t deny feeling dramatic and ready to take on the world. After all, designer Edith Head once said, “you can have anything you want in life if you dress for it”, so be ready to take what you want and be dressed for success.
The nightmare before Christmas
Sophie Schneider reveals all on the top tips to avoid giving the worst fashion gifts this season
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hopping before the Christmas period in Newcastle is a stressful, sweaty experience for everyone. That is, except for the particularly odd individuals who seemingly get thrills from the bustle of 450 shoppers crammed into one corridor in Eldon Square. Although I am not one of these self-acclaimed shopaholics, my favourite part of Christmas – second to the food – is buying presents. I’m not a particularly organised person in general; in fact, forward planning anything further than a week onwards is a bit far-fetched for me.
Garish socks with a picture of Father Christmas plastered on to them are deeply disconcerting However, gifts are something that should be carefully thought out, and unique to the person; or at least arrive on the right date. There are many fashion faux-pas as Christmas, which seem to be allowed just ‘as it’s Christmas’. Hopefully by listing them here, you can be kept off the naughty list. 1) Buying a loved one Father Christmas socks. I love socks, I also need socks. Trainers are a pretty unsavoury option without them, yet a gift of socks and go so wrong, so easily. Garish socks with a picture of Father Christmas plastered on to them is deeply disconcerting. Who wants to watch an episode of Gilmore Girls, eating an entire bag of kettle chips curled up on a sofa, whilst looking down to see Santa staring up at you with worryingly red cheeks and a disapproving smirk? Not me. 2) Buying a not-so loved one a hideous scarf. A scarf seems like the ideal present for that random girl in the netball society who you have for Secret Santa and you’ve spoken two words to all semester.
In many cases, scarves can be wonderful. They keep you warm, they add a certain je ne sais quoi to an outfit, and they make wonderful instruments to shield your face mid-hangover after a heavy night out. However, scarves can also be an easy cop-out gift which will end up crammed at the bottom of the receiver’s wardrobe for possibly tens of years, or worse, as someone else’s doomed present next year. Avoid anything with too many colours, patterns, or God help us, slogans. Apologies to Boohoo, but their Christmas Ivy scarf should be banned from all shopping bags. Instead, cashmere, or a cheap equivalent such as ASOS’s super soft dusk pink scarf, are always winners. 3) Ordering from Etsy (or a similar handcraft website) too late. I love Etsy for presents. You can get some beautiful handmade jewellery that is made by talented designers all over the world for the fraction of a price from a bespoke jewellery
store. However, a real Christmas faux-pas is ordering from them too close to the date. Etsy is notorious for month-long shipping, which is understandable due to their worldwide crafting, but not a favourite with the family when your presents arrive mid-February. 4) Buying one generic gift for multiple people. I can’t say that I haven’t done this in the past myself. Many people have received variations on one gift such as different kinds of soaps, from yours truly. However, when it comes to fashion, buying the same thing twice never goes well. Nothing kills your vibe more than wearing the same woolly hat as your Great Aunt Sue. In general, don’t follow the crowd. Resist that pair of smug-looking Santa socks, and instead, find something creatively inspiring that will suit your individual gift receiver.
Picture credits: Pexels
the courier
@CourierFashion c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk
Monday 11 December 2017
Festive film fashion
Alice Dawson shows us her favourite festive films’ fashion inspiration reflected on the catwalk from Cameron Diaz’s style from The Holiday to Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas
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hristmas means different things to different people: it is a time for family; it is a time for food; it is a time for film; it is a time for fashion. Christmas to me is all of those things, and as a lover of fashion, I take great pride in finding the perfect coat, boots and, above all, party-wear to dazzle at even the brightest of occasions. But where can we find inspiration for a wonderful winter wardrobe? Of course there are magazines, blogs, Instagram and shops themselves, but where better to find the ideal winter warmers than in the Christmas movies themselves? From Colin Firth’s cable knits in Love Actually,
Image: Topman, £40
Image: Flickr.
to Cameron Diaz’s snow white hues in The Holiday, and even Macaulay Culkin’s bobble hats in Home Alone, we can find fundamental fashion trends in them all. Instead of focusing on everyday winter wears I will explore the fantasies of Christmas fashion which are displayed with full extravagance and glamour throughout our beloved Christmas cartoons and (with an extra layer of opulence) in the Autumn/ Winter 2017/17 Couture Catwalks. com
White inspires a fresh, crisp coolness fitting the Yuletide ideal of iced lakes and snow-dusted forests
gives a darker edge to the traditional gaudiness and gilt of Christmas. Ellie Saab’s use of the black, eerie, chiffon cape brings a glamour of darkness to the party season and is the perfect inspiration on which to base your party wear to keep you looking fabulous through those bitter winter nights. Victor and Rolf ’s use of cartoon masks on the catwalk evoke the innocence and nostalgic childishness of Christmas, and, as they are worn with patchwork pieces, perfectly invoke The Nightmare Before Christmas’ character Sally’s disheveled allure. Unfortunately, as students (and normal people) we are not able to afford the opulence of couture to grace our Christmas events, but it is a great place to find inspiration on what to wear during the party season. Moreover, the artwork of couture is a wonderful festive fantasy to indulge in. Like with couture, finding fashion inspiration in cartoons can bring great clues for costumes, colour and creativity, and may give you some ideas that you would never have thought of in the ‘real world’. It is Christmas - a ime for extravagance and fun, so why not match that with some unique outfit choices to drop jaws at every party you attend.
White, for me, is the colour of winter. It inspires a fresh, crisp coolness fitting the Yuletide ideal of iced lakes and snow-dusted forests. I grew up with The Snowman, where the combination of awe-inspiring musical composition and stunning illustrations create a cinematic experience to bring even the Scrooges of the world into a flutter of festive excitement. Similarly, the Autumn/Winter couture catwalk shows give another level of festive fantasy, where the pieces are created with as much passion and precision as the illustrations in this animation, that are really like something from a fairytale. Ralph and Russo’s snow-white hues and sparkling embellishments are creations fit for an Ice Queen; their crisp white silks shimmer like a frosted field and the hand-crafted silver beading is as intricate as icicles and snowflakes. Representing winter in the frosty fashion of fantasies has the ability to give the holiday season even more sparkle. In contrast, black is the colour of deep, dark winter nights; black represents dark decadence. Whilst winter is the season of Christmas, where we spread kindness and joy, it is also the season of longer nights and therefore longer parties, and what better colour for these occasions than that of the quintessential ‘little black dress’? The Nightmare Before Christmas joins Image: Topshop, £34 Halloween fear with Christmas cheer, and
Lazy loungewear
Instagram: @fortheloveofmovies7
Charlotte Brook shows us the comfiest, yet also most fashionable pyjamas we can relax in this winter
Image: ASOS, £1
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Image: Topeshop, £34
veryone’s favourite thing about the Christmas holidays is undoubtedly the endless pyjama days that all seem to blur into one with the occasional change of loungewear attire. Lazy days with ever flowing hot chocolates is the obligatory Christmas eve get up. Luckily, your favourite high street stores have got you covered for all occasion. Who says that our no-makeup, messy bun pyjama days can’t be done in style? ASOS are sticking with the velvet statement that will be working our festive wardrobes to give us the perfect loungewear. Their crushed velvet sweat and jogger set (£38) comes in pastel green and blush pink or can also be bought as a onesie (£35), footless of course. Similar styles can also be found on Missguided (£28). Now nothing says a lazy day like spending all day basically stitched to your favourite dressing gown and Topshop are renowned for being the softest and cosiest. Definitely a Christmas wardrobe staple…an all year-round staple infact. Topshop are also including a selection of plain jersey bodysuits under their loungewear category which yes, are always are struggle for the bathroom
Image: ASOS, £38
but can work for all our needs; just swap those velvet joggers for a pair of jeans and you’re good to go. It wouldn’t be Christmas done right without the obligatory new set of Christmas eve pyjamas in countless festive prints and designs from all over gingerbread men to elf onesies. The more colourful the better. My personal favourite set are the ‘Most wine-derful time of the year’ top and shorts set from ASOS (£20) – they’re not wrong with that pun. Only at Christmas is it acceptable to start drinking still wearing your pyjamas. The best thing about x-mas pjs is that they don’t have a budget, whether you want to splash out on a sexy satin pair from Victoria’s Secret or stick with cant-go-wrong at Primark, you’ll be sure not to be disappointed with the choice on the high street. A new set for each day of the week perhaps? When in doubt, think comfort. If you’re struggling for gift ideas for those hard-to-buy for special someone’s, an extravagant novelty pair of slippers or cosy hot water bottle are a go to. At this time of year most online websites have an easy ‘gift’ tab that’s sure to have something for even the
Image: ASOS, £28
Image: Topshop, £22
most difficult of your loved ones. A true saviour when it comes to last minute panic buying. ASOS have even made socks into a good present, paired perfectly with Topshop’s novelty mince pie and the Grinch underwear on 3 for 2. Keeping the festive spirit from head to toe. Whether you’re buying for your bestie or your secret Santa, you’re guaranteed a good reaction.
Nothing says ‘lazy day’ like spending all day basically attached to your favourite dressing gown There’s enough Christmas loungewear and cosy accessories on the high street to last all year-round and I don’t know about you but my wish lists are full to bursting with it all!
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fashion life & style
FASHION NEWS Christmas Fashion Jewellery
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Instagram: @theofficialpandora
hristmas is about the time when each café and restaurant in your town offers new drinks and food menu, and when the mulled wine served at the Christmas Market makes your day. Christmas is also about the chance to meet admiring gazes by wearing the top trend this December- the fashionable red or green velvet dress. But a dress, even one that is in fashion, is not enough to finish up your look. From the medieval times, it has been believed that jewellery beautifies us, regardless of age, nationality and skin colour. So why not to add some sparkle and brilliance to your look by wearing bracelets, earrings, rings or necklaces from the new Christmas collections? Let’s begin with the well-known Pandora brand. At the moment, you can buy two popular collections, one in collaboration with Disney and the other being the special Christmas collection. Both of these collections are unique and will suit your Christmas costume perfectly, while retaining a stylish edge. Use your imagination and compose the perfect combination of charms with a mixture of themed winter charms like the Cinderella, the Olaf, the sparkling snowflake and Royal Red Nature’s Radiance Charm. However, Pandora doesn’t just do charm bracelets.
From the medieval times, it has been believed that jewellery beautifies us, regardless of age, nationality and skin colour One of my favourite pieces of jewellery from the brand is the Heart Locket Necklace. It is so special because you can put three different charms inside it to suit the season or occasion. You can also put some bling on your fingers with the beautiful Christmas themed Timeless Elegance Rings that continue the idea of Timeless Elegance ring, and are made using three main Christmas colours- red, blue and green. Another brand similar to Pandora is Chamilia Jewellery, which you could find in H. Samuel’s. It surprises with wonderful Disney and Christmas collections as well. In spite of the several similarities with Pandora, this brand still deserves our attention, because of the beautiful charms like the Gingerbread Man Bead, the Beauty and The Beast Belle Rose Bead, the Sterling Silver Sledding Friend Charm and the Sterling Silver Tinkerbell Charm Bead for a very affordable price. It would be a shame not to mention the slightly higher end Tiffany & Co jewellery. Perfect as a romantic gift from your partner or as a gift for your mother, sister or just as a treat for yourself, Tiffany’s suits all ages and is perfect for different occasions. It seems that it is time to switch our favourite ‘Return to Tiffany’ Heart Pendant for the Christmas-themed Snowflake charm or the Tiffany Blue Box Charm. While somewhat more expensive, this is Tiffany, so we can ignore the price, especially since its Christmas! So, spend some of your student loan and treat yourself, or get a perfect gift for your family and friends and shine like stars together with the new jewellery pieces this Christmas. Natalya Baranovskaya
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life & style beauty
courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston & Susanne Norris
the courier
Monday 11 December 2017
The top picks of NYX cosmetics Love NYX cosmetics but feel overwhelemed as they stock so much you don’t know what to choose? Sophie Hindhaugh talks us through the best products to buy from NYX, how to use them and why she feels like they’re the best dupes on the market
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he arrival of NYX to the UK was, for me, akin to the arrival of a Messiah, something I didn’t know I needed until it was there, in all it’s glowing, glittery glory. NYX’s products soon became my staples, and even started to replace my more expensive, high-end products. Now, I can’t imagine going on a night out without using their glitters (of which I’ve collected every shade). And so, in no particular order, these are the NYX products you ~need~.
Image: @nyxcosmetics
NYX Professional Make-up Face and Body Glitter £5.50: For £5.50 a pop, and better than MAC’s £16.00 pigments (so you have to buy at least 3, right?), I recommend getting every single colour. After pocketing one of these bad boys, on every night out you will be the dazzling, glitterladen Goddess you’ve always wished to be. My personal favourites are the Gold, Copper and Red shades. The accompanying glitter glue, for £8.00, is wonderfully tacky and the 10ml tube will last you for months, even when used in excess (and I can attest to this). NYX Professional Make-up Glam Liner Aqua Luxe Collection £6.00: Now, eyeliner is a tricky one and I must admit I often struggle with it. However the NYX liners have served me well and they may do so for you too. Not only do I use them
for graphic liner, I sometimes also use them as a liquid shadow. The liners are so opaque that you can coat your lid in them, and it will look like eye shadow. Your pals and that boy across the club will be none the wiser. You’re promised vibrant colour and incredible ease when creating your cut crease, and it’s a lot easier than using glitter as you have more precision. The pink and gold shades are especially stunning. NYX Professional Make-up Micro Brow Pencil £8.00: Anyone who knows me knows I love bold brows. I’m probably that girl in your lecture whose eyebrows are too big for her face. However, recently I’ve been loving a fluffier, more natural brow, and this NYX pencil does the trick. The ‘micro’ pencil creates fine strokes that look exactly like hairs, and the spoolie is dense enough to comb through your brow hairs just right. Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Beauty Bay has recently hiked up the prices of their ABH brow products, with the Brow Wiz now being £22.00. Eek. NYX Professional Make-up Tame & Frame Tinted Brow Pomade £6.00: Sometimes a bold brow is needed however, and NYX’s Tame and Frame is a fantastic alternative to the more expensive ABH Dipbrow. Its texture is slightly greasier, and the colour variety is more limited, but I would recommend it to any brunette girl.I’ve woken up the following morning after, ahem, a heavy one, and found my brows still on fleek.
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with 30+ shades in. They’re no-nonsense and look so good! The shadows blend well together and the opacity is on point. NYX Professional Make-up Ultimate shadow palette – Brights £16.00: I know bright colours are scary, but stay with me. This palette works out at £1.00 per shadow, and the shadows are all easy to blend, with a fantastic colour pay off. You can have this staple in your bag for years, and when Halloween or a fancy dress party calls, you’ll be ready. NYX Professional Make-up Ultimate shadow palette - Warm neutrals £16.00: Continuing the theme of eyeshadow, if you love warm-toned eye looks, I fully recommend this fantastic palette, full of satins, shimmers, metallic and mattes. It’s the perfect alternative to the Morphe 35O, and a cheaper dupe.
Image: @nyxcosmetics
different countries now stock and sell NYX’s products thanks to it’s ever-growing popularity
NYX Professional Make-up Full Throttle Shadow Palette - Colour Riot £9.00: NYX eye shadows are massively underrated. This palette, a quad, at £9.00, is an absolute gem. You have your base colour to set your concealer on your eye with, your transition colour (the bright orange), a darker brown shade for the crease, and finally the darker red for the outer corner. Combine this with one of the above glitters, and you have a simple, easy warm eye look down to pat. I can’t express how often I pick up this simple quad over my palettes
completely different (honest). My favourite shade is probably London, and it will easily last me a full shift at work. At £6.00, it’s not too painful if you lose it on a night either (unlike a MAC lipstick, I mourn every one I have lost to Digi).
Image: @nyxcosmetics
NYX Professional Make-up Soft Matte lip cream £6.00: An absolute classic, and my first NYX product. After years of watching American Youtubers wear these, I picked one up immediately, and thus began my NYX affair. The shade selection is huge, and the price means you can pick up even more daring colours (like the blue), or you know, lots of nude lipsticks, which are all definitely
NYX Professional Make-up Butter Gloss £5.50: The perfect partner to the above. Non-tacky, high shine. Your lips will be looking glossy and kissable. Kylie Jenner who? NYX Professional Make-up Lip Liner Pencil £3.00: And finally, lip liners. Every time I buy Mac’s Stripdown and Boldly Bare I cringe at the £13.00 price tag. But, because I wasn’t blessed with big lips (and I’m too poor for lip injections), I need me some lip liner. And NYX, being the benevolent brand it is, provides me with a wonderful selection of nude (and colourful) lip liners at only £3.00 a pop. THREE POUNDS. So you can at least buy 5 and know you’ve bagged yourself a bargain and never fear of running out of lip liner again. I have come a long way since the days of Dream Matte Mousse, and I’m slightly bitter we didn’t have a NYX when I was younger to save me from some of my (horrific) make-up mishaps, but I’m grateful for how this brand provides high quality make-up that my student budget can afford. If I haven’t convinced you to try out at least one of these products, then I’ve failed, I’m sorry and your make-up life will be slightly less fab. If I have convinced you, be prepared to be lighter of pocket and to have a new favourite drugstore brand.
Superb seasonal ranges Calling all Christmas and make-up fans alike! Nimra Rafique evaluates all the biggest limited edition Christmas beauty ranges
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ecember has officially commenced. Therefore, Christmas is just around the corner. This means that many beauty brands get into the festive spirit through bringing out Christmas collections. Big makeup brands, such as MAC Cosmetics, Too Faced and Kylie Cosmetics, have released Christmas collections, providing you with products that will help slay your makeup this season. As well as getting products from the Christmas collections for yourself, they are also a great gift idea, so if you know someone who loves make-up (which is, let’s face it, basically everyone) then check out all the Christmas collections make-up brands have to offer. Too Faced has definitely left us spoilt for choice with this year’s Christmas collection. They have given us a great array of products, and they are a brand which will not disappoint. One of the products in the collection is called Best Year Ever, which consists of a limited-edition make-up bag, three separate beautiful palettes called Natural Beauty, I Believe In Pink and Super Fun Night. Each of these include six highly pigmented matte and shimmer eyeshadows and one face product. It also includes a deluxe-size version of Too Faced’s bestseller Better Than Sex Mascara, and a Glamour Guide with makeup looks for inspiration to help you get started. If this isn’t enough, you can also buy a deluxe size of Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick wrapped up as an ornament, ready to hang on your Christmas tree. Too Faced have
also released the limited edition Melted Matte Gingerbread, which is a lovely warm-toned brown shade. Additionally, they’ve released a loose glitter and primer set called Tis The Season To Sparkle, as we all know a Christmas look isn’t complete without a little bit of glitter.
Image: @maccosmetics
MAC Cosmetics has a vast range of products in their 2017 Christmas Collection (Holiday: Snowball Collection). The collection includes lipsticks, highlighters, eyeshadows, glitter
pigments, mascara, false lashes and even makeup brushes. There are many options to choose from. Whether you want a single product or a gift set including a few of the before-mentioned products, MAC has thought of everything. The Snowball Collection all has beautiful packaging too, from the gold glittery pots, to sequined make-up bags. I have to talk about my favourite products too; the highlighters in the Snowball Collection. The Impalpable Glare Powder in Happy Go Dazzlingly (a bright gold shimmer) and Here Comes Joy (a golden peach shade). They are described on the MAC website as ‘a powder that transforms cheeks into pearly orbs that light up the night’, exactly what everyone wants in a highlighter. The lipsticks in this range are also worth checking out, from a bold red shade, to warm brown tones and natural nudes, there is a colour for everyone. They also come in many different finishes, from frost to matte. Kylie Cosmetics has also released a Holiday Collection this year. This includes various products such as a new lip kit called Red Velvet which is a bright, bold red shade, lip-glosses in the shades Jolly (a deep purple/burgundy colour) and Naughty (red) and a metal lipstick in the shade Dancer (a shimmery dark red). The lipsticks do not stop there, they are Kylie’s forte of course; she has released liquid lipstick sets, one called Spice (for those who prefer darker shades like brown and berry red) and Sugar (which includes pinks and even a golden glitter shade). Kylie has
also released two new eyeshadow palettes in the Holiday Collection, called Naughty and Nice. Naughty includes 14 more cool-toned colours such as grey, emerald green and ashy browns, whereas Nice includes more warm-toned shades such, gold, yellow, pinks and various warm browns. So, there’s plenty of shade to choose from!
Image: @kyliecosmetics
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@CourierBeauty thecourieronline.co.uk/beauty
Monday 11 December 2017
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beauty life & style
New Year looks for a new you
Whether you believe it’s underrated or overrated, New Year’s Eve is fast approaching. Melissa Gandhi explains all the products you’ll need to create that flawless New Year’s look, and gives examples of where to find them for every budget out there
Image: @lasiguanas
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s we have finally reached the festive month of December, the party season begins now! It’s hard to believe that we’re near to the end of 2017, and very close to welcoming 2018. Therefore it’s the perfect time to start pampering yourself with some new make-up goodies, ready to look your best in time for the big New Year’s Celebration. If you’re on a budget or want to spoil yourself with some expensive products, be sure to read on as there is something for everyone! I have selected a few of my favourite top picks that will make you feel 100% glammed up throughout this wonderful season. Face Primers: Face Primers are an instant winner, allowing your make-up to go on smoother and last throughout the night. Primers come in all sorts of
creams, powders and gels. Liquid primers are my favourite, but depending on your skin type, it is essential that you pick the one that is right for you. Drugstore: L’Oréal Infallible matte primer - £8.99 (Boots) This is great if you suffer from oily skin as the gel like formula creates a mattifying effect on the skin. You won’t have to worry about melting on the dance floor! High end: Kiehl’s Micro Blur Skin Perfector 30ml - £23.50 (Feel Unique) Claim a 15% student discount on the Fell Unique website. This little gem promises to reduce the appearance of pores and blur any skin imperfections. If you are going for a full coverage make-up look, this is perfect to prep the skin for foundation application. Palettes: No New Year look would be complete
2018 beauty forecast
Miranda Stoner gives us a run-down of the best looks and trends of 2017 and what she hopes 2018 will bring for us
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t has been a good year for beauty trends. So many new and exciting products have hit the market, allowing us to create bold and colourful looks. However, 2017 has also brought us an arguably even more important gift, new make-up brushes and sponges. It’s hard to remember a time when beauty blenders came in one size only or a time before we realised the fan brush is perfect for applying highlighter. However, even though 2018 has a lot to live up to, there are still some gaps in the market to be filled.
Image: @glamglow
For example, it would be fabulous to see a move towards better skin care products. Supermodel, poreless, smooth and glowing skin is in, but good, budget skin care solutions are few and far between. There has been an increasing influence from the Korean 10 step skin care routine. This encompasses an oil, then foam wash, exfoliation, essence, serum, toner, face sheet, eye cream, moisturiser, night mask and sun cream, all layered over one another. A number of face and sheet masks are now available on the UK market, as well as foam based cleansers and the release of Too Faced and Glam Glow glitter masks is also something to celebrate. Yet, finding a toner that doesn’t strip the skin of moisture or a non-greasy oil based wash is near impossible. Whilst companies like Sephora and T.K.Maxx stock authentic Korean products, they are at premium prices and often aren’t cruelty free. Considering the fact that even and healthy skin is so important in making your make up sit right and look its best, it would be great to see more skin
care products for a complete routine from budget friendly cruelty free UK brands in 2018. Something that characterises 2017 is the structured look. From eyebrows to nose contouring the face has almost become a diagram of symmetrical perfection. What if you just used your finger to blend in your eyeshadow and pinched your cheeks with a cloud of blusher, though? It would still look beautiful. The catwalks of S/S 2018 have shown some pretty bright and untidy lids, Marni is a prime example, and the thumb print cat flicks from Tom Ford also promise a less clean approach to make-up. There have also been a few attempts at eyeliner drawn above or around the eyes in garish colours, creating a sci-fi, futuristic look. This trend isn’t the most wearable, but it would be nice, if 2018 brought some out of the box thinking. Make-up can be used in so many different ways to create illusions and hopefully trends for 2018 will draw on this. In 2017 there has been a lot of focus on the contrast between light and dark to alter facial proportions and even banish double chins, maybe 2018 can rid us of laughter lines and crow’s feet.
It would be nice if 2018 brought some more out of the box thinking Something else it would be nice to see more of, is curly hair. Whilst straight hair looks glamourous and is easier to detangle, curly hair shouldn’t be overlooked. Apart from anything for people whose hair isn’t naturally straight, extended and frequent use of heat styling products can cause lasting damage, but when well maintained, curly hair also looks so beautiful. Curls can frame the face so well and studies say they make you look more friendly and confident, so they’re the perfect look for the new year! Hopefully hair-care companies in 2018 will put more time at looking into how to keep curls looking beautiful and well-maintained. I know curly-haired girls everywhere will rejoice at the thought of that!
without some vibrant eyeshadows to choose from! Bold colours are perfect for New Year’s as they allow you to stand out! Drugstore: NYX Professional Make-up - Warm Neutrals £16.00 (Boots) Creating visionary eye shadow looks can be quite daunting, especially when you have not done it before. This palette is suitable for day and night wear and would be great for beginners to attempt the notorious “smokey eye look.” NYX offers a range of 16 warm neutrals that will instantly create an impact this season. Using the shimmery gold shades will automatically add a dramatic effect in the most subtle way. High end: Morphe X Jaclyn Hill - £37.00 (Beauty Bay) This is a great show stopper palette. If you want to spoil yourself just in time for NYE, this is the one for you! The palette has an amazing 35 colours to choose from, ranging from smokey neutrals to glittery metallics. The high quality of this palette achieves a perfect pigment with scope to attempt any eye look you want to create.
You won’t have to worry about melting on the dance floor Highlighters: The key to the perfect glow! Highlighters have become a massive trend in 2017, ranging from liquids to powders, all perfect creating the dazzling “strobing effect”. It has become so popular that drugstore brands have introduced this innovation into their range and will become an
absolute must have as we welcome the year 2018.
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thousand fireworks are set off during London’s breathtaking New Year’s Eve firework displays
Drugstore: Maybelline Master Strobing Stick £7.99 (Boots) Strobing sticks are a staple product in my make-up bag. This is a great choice, if you are not looking to splurge on a pricey product. This will leave you with amazing results and will undoubtedly become a holy grail in your make-up bag. If you are a novice when it comes to highlighting, I would really recommend this. There is no messing about with this product as it does the job for you. Two shades are available ‘light’ and ‘medium’. Although this range can be seen as quite limiting, I can assure you that these shades are very versatile when it comes to the application. High end: BECCA - Champagne Pop £32.00 (Space NK) This has become a blogger favourite in 2017 and surely it deserves to be! This small pressed powder delivers excellent results. The glow is subtle and shimmering and not to overpowering. For the best results, highlight prominent facial features including the cheekbones, under the browbone and on the bridge of your nose. Be sure to treat yourself with this gem for New Year’s Eve.
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Festive fancy dress Jaymelouise Hudspith gives us step-by-step tutorials on how to create the best Christmas fancy dress looks this year
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eindeer: Start with your basics: primer, foundation, concealer, brows – you know the drill. When it comes to your eyes, the focus is going to be all on the liner, so grab your favourite palette and stick to neutral browns and creams to create a modest base.
Image: @flutterfaceandbodyart
Once you’re all set with your bases, you’ll want to go big and bold with your contouring, generously apply the product below your cheek bones, the bridge of your nose and to your hairline. Although you want this to be obvious, you don’t want it to look sloppy so, as always, blending remains key. Now, once you’re looking a little like an oompa loompa its time to get creative with the detailing. With eyeliner, go for a traditional wing but for an added flare, flick the corner of your inner eye to give you a more animalistic look. For extra adorability, colour the tip of your nose with eyeliner in the shape of a heart – unless you want to channel your inner Rudolph, in which case use red. For your deer spots, a white liner will easily work, but why not go all out and get your hands on some glitter glue and some white and brown glitter – all of which are available at incredibly low prices from cruelty free high street brands such as NYX. Match with a bold red lipstick, whack on some antlers and you have yourself the most festive reindeer Christmas has ever seen. Santa: Santa baby, you’re a tough one to create. Girls can’t go all out with a white beard - although
after Christmas dinner we may have that famous jolly big belly. Grab your favourite shades we want a nice variety of pale pink to deep red. I think everyone has seen the cut-crease makeup technique plastered all over Instagram and twitter, you’ve probably tried to achieve it at home (and failed if you’re anything like me). Well, get practicing! The Christmas parties are just around the corner and you’ll be the belle of the ball. Start with a primer, then move to your transition shade of pale pinks and work your way to your darker shades of red. Carefully blend out to create a faded effect of bold to bland the closer to your brow you get. In my experience, matte shades tend to work best. Next, your lid. Some make-up artists tend to use a creamy base before applying any other products to avoid a mix of shadows. Apply a natural shade to the entire lid, and finish with a winged liner and same lashes, then you’re party ready. If you’re feeling extra festive, add a Santa hat above your brow like @chulachavez_’s instagrams. Grinch: Bah humbug. Not all of us love this season, but still get dragged into the festivities. Don’t worry, I have a look ready for even the most grinchiest of people. Embrace the darkness with blacks and dark greens to create a smoky eye that will leave people green with envy. Makeup Geek’s subculture palette has the perfect colour combo to achieve this smoky eye look. Begin with your lightest green as a base, blending outwards towards your hairline. Next, pick your transition colours, deepening your shades of green and eventually black as you build towards your lash line. For added ‘extra’ to your look, use the same deep shades of green and black on your lower lash line for added boldness. Match your eyes and your lips with Mac cosmetics ‘young attitude’ matt lip tint. Now even the least festive of us all need a little something to separate this from a look you could wear any day of the year. Add some green and silver mixed glitter to the corner of your inner eye for minimum festivity but maximum glamorisation. Christmas fancy dress is great, so enjoy it!
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life & style travel
Where to find market mayhem
Bianca Ionici picks the Christmas markets you have to visit
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t’s now December and with Christmas rapidly approaching, you may be wondering what to do during this time of year. Especially when you are loath to leave the house, and would rather just stay indoors burrowed in your blanket, watching seasonal movies. If you have some travelling money to spare, why not take a short holiday to see one or two Christmas markets? Tis the season, after all, as it’s the only month of the year when you can walk around stalls serving up mulled wine, gingerbread, garlands, baubles, and so much more.
Strasbourg For one of the best Christmas markets in Europe, within reasonable distance of the UK, look no further than Strasbourg, eastern France. Held annually from the last week of November until the end of December, this market that dates to 1570 is considered the oldest in France and one of the oldest in Europe. What makes it unique is that, as the city was once part of what we now call Germany, the Christmas traditions are much more unique than in other French cities. Strasbourg’s market is also different from others because each year it welcomes a different country as a guest participant. This year, it’s Iceland’s turn. At this market, you can sample the local sweet delicacies, such as zimtsterne (cinnamon stars), makrone (macaroons), and varieties of bredele (Christmas biscuits) like butterbredele and anisbredele. Unmissable during this time of year is also the 30 metre tall Christmas tree towering over Place Kleber.
Those Christmas lights, light up the streets... Helen Stevens recalls Christmas in Dublin, recommending it to all
and beanies to keep you warm, to taffy on the snow, traditional Canadian pastries known as BeaverTails, organic beers and wines, and so much more.
Birmingham (UK) For the Christmassy feel right at home, you can get to Birmingham in a 3 hour train ride from Newcastle. The city is host to the Frankfurt Christmas Market, known as the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Austria or Germany. Like all other markets, a variety of things are on sale, from warming drinks to handmade toys and jewellery, perfect for last minute gifts. And, of course, what makes the train ride worth it is the singing moose, Chris.
Image- Flickr
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f you’re a Christmas fanatic like me, then Dublin is the perfect December destination. This is a place that does Christmas right. Trying to avoid the festivities is as difficult as trying to avoid the cold in Newcastle – nigh-on impossible. Not only is it great when you’re there, it’s so easy to get to! You can get a return flight for only £20, allowing you to pop over for a festive weekend. It’s a short flight as well. I had barely read one measly page of my book before the captain announced we were preparing for landing, a brilliant way to get out of some dull philosophy reading).
Montreal If you want to cross the pond for the magical Christmas spirit, Montreal, Canada is the place to be. Although much, much younger than its European counterparts (it’s just two years old!) Montreal’s Grand Christmas Market is set to rival them. Over 60 stalls are present, offering everything from handmade crafts such as jewellery
The atmosphere was incredible and everyone was high on Christmas spirit
Image- Instagram @ rswstbry
Student-friendly Slovakia
Rowena Tylden- Pattenson describes her love for Ljubljana
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n a student budget, I can’t recommend the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, enough. Cheap flights go regularly to cities across the country, and it’s one of the most affordable countries I’ve ever travelled to in Europe. Bratislava is a great city to appreciate Communist architecture, with a perfect juxtaposition between the quaint, neo-renaissance Old Town and the larger city almost immediately surrounding it. Barely ten minutes’ walk is the eerily quiet Namestie Slobody, originally a centrepiece of Communist Bratislava in the form of a huge flower-shaped water fountain, now abandoned due to cost. It’s a surreal place. Not far is the Slovak Radio Building, a bizarre creation shaped like an upside-down pyramid, and deemed one of the world’s ugliest buildings by many. Another nearby curiosity is found within the Post Office Palace building, which holds a working paternoster lift; the way to catch this elevator is to leap in while a section of the lift is moving past at a reasonable height, and hang on tight as it takes you up or down! Security looked at me a little strangely for all my gesturing and excitement at just a lift, but they’re a real rarity. I couldn’t quite convince myself
the courier @Courier_Travel thecourieronline.co.uk/travel Monday 11 December 2017
courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Travel Editors Charlotte Hill & Talia Gillin
to ask them for a go, but there are two paternosters in the city (and two that are accessible in nearby Vienna!) if you can muster a little bravery. Surrounding the city centre are multiple lakes where locals hit the shores on hot days- I’d recommend heading out of the main streets for a few hours to take a dip. Veľký Draždiak near Petrzalka is about an hour’s walk from the city centre, and a beautiful oasis of calm. Sunbathing spots are abundant. The lake is safe enough to swim right across, with a couple of food stands either side. A giant hot-dog and a couple of beers (or Kofola, Slovakia’s rival brand to Coca-Cola) will cost under 5€, although to obtain one you will require a vague grasp of Slovakian, as most people outside of the main city areas don’t speak English. If you’re really pining for the great outdoors, there are walking paths along the Danube River that run through the heart of Bratislava- starting from the charismatic “UFO Bridge”, it’s an hour’s easy walk to reach the border of Slovakia and Austria, and the edge of the Donau-Auen National Park. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, there are trails that’ll take you all the way to Vienna- but plan for at least 4 days walking and sore feet at the other end!
Words of the Week Slovak - Slovenský Hello - Ahoj Goodbye - Zbohom Thank you - Ďakujem Please can I buy... - Prosím, môžem si kúpiť... How much is does that cost? - Koľko to stojí?
On arrival in Dublin you will be amazed at how many fairy lights one place has managed to cram in. It gives the whole city a magical look, getting you right into the Christmas spirit! I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with fairy lights, so it was like I’d died and gone straight to fairy heaven. I was also lucky enough to have front row seats
at the winter solstice parade. It was happening outside my hotel window and so I pulled up a chair to watch. I had no idea it was happening but it was so exciting to see. There was live drumming, a procession, and a huge bonfire. It was fantastic free evening entertainment, sparing me from watching the awful film selection that most hotels tend to offer. Without a doubt, the best things about Christmas in Dublin are the pubs. Pubs there are on another level. There is live music every night in almost every one, giving you the chance to sing and dance your heart away to some Christmas classics whilst drinking a pint of Guinness (you will be glad to know that the old legend saying that Guinness in Dublin tastes different – is in fact, true!). One of the most enjoyable 3 minutes of my life was being in a lively pub in temple bar, 2 days before Christmas day. The atmosphere was incredible and everyone was high on Christmas spirit, singing and dancing their socks off to a fantastic live duo when, ‘Fairy-tale of New York’ by the Irish-British band The Pogues came on. My throat was sore and cheeks were red from belting out the best Christmas song of all time in the heart of Dublin. For a cheap and cheerful Christmas getaway, that is only a short plane journey away – get yourselves to Dublin!
Heathrow tugs at our heartstrings Holly Stanford looks at the meaning behind the Heathrow ad
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dward and Doris Bair return for Heathrow’s 2017 Christmas advert ‘It’s a Wonderful Flight’. Last year, the nation welled up as the cuddly couple came home from holiday to be reunited with their family in the London airport. This year, not even the Grinch could have held back the tears when the image of Edward, travelling alone, leads us to think the unthinkable. That is until Christmas is saved by the unsung hero, the airport steward, moving the stack of suitcases to reveal Doris and the whole family awaiting Edward’s return. The advert opens in the year 1967, showing the first time the young couple lay (glass) eyes on each other. From here, we see the relationship blossom in the face of the hardships of working life and long distance, with the pair reuniting at Heathrow’s arrivals gate every Christmas. As the family grows, so does our emotional investment, and the bears on the screen become our family, our parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. Whether your family are across continents or across the sofa, Heathrow’s heart-warming tale of a typical, yet fairy tale-like couple will bring you and your loved ones ‘Closer this Christmas’. However, underneath the fur and festivity, Heathrow is delivering us an important message this Christmas. According to Age UK, ‘1.2 million older people are chronically lonely’. If Doris had not been behind the suitcases, Edward may well
have been part of this 1.2 million. But, not only do they return to each other every year, the rest of their family does too, despite having their own children and working lives.
Heathrow’s bears pull at the threads of our hearts and give us a reason to travel Due to the demands of modern life, travelling for work has become mundane and laborious and, when the long awaited holidays arrive, the last thing many of us want to do is travel all over the country, or even the globe, to visit relatives. However, the scenes that are sweeter than mince pies remind us why we travel. They remind us that the long haul is well worth what is waiting for us at the destination. Whilst the heart-breaking moment when we thought Edward was going to be alone this Christmas thankfully turned out not to be true, for many this is reality. Heathrow’s bears pull at the threads of our hearts and give us a reason to travel: to bring joy to those that need it most this Christmas.
Monday 11 December 2017
student activity
editor.union@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Errol Kerr Student Activity Editors: Alex Hendley & Laura Staniforth
NSR SHOW OF THE WEEK The Ollie Thomas Show Thursdays 11am-12pm
This semester NSR listeners have heard a huge array of different shows from sporting to music to talk and entertainment shows. Every Thursday Morning from 11-12PM Ollie Thomas fronts his namesake show and manages to combine all genres of a radio show in the above list with style and ease. His musings about everyday life not only will make you laugh out loud but make unmissable listening. His weekly “The Apprentice” reviews have made easy listening for both those who love and loathe the show with a weekly tirade dissecting some of the most frustrating candidates. This alongside a small dose of football chat, with talk about Ollie’s beloved Crystal Palace helps make his show the perfect weekly variety program. His vast array of musical tastes are an entertaining addition to a Thursday morning an provide the perfect boost to keep you going until the weekend.
STU BREW BEERS OF THE WEEK Rum and Raisin Milkshake & Biscuit of Burden Available Now!
As it’s the last week before the break, we have an extra-special Stu Brew Showcase this week, highlighting not one, but two fantastic beers! Both of these beasties are one-off collaborations, and should be available in the coming weeks. There is also exciting news regarding Stu Brew itself! First on our list is the Rum and Raisin Milkshake, which has been crafted alongside the maestros at Northern Alchemy. A pale malt base has been crammed full with oats and lactose to provide a thick and creamy base. The head will be massive on it as well, and smoother than silk. Then, during the conditioning, it has had Madagascan vanilla and dark run-soaked raisins added to give it a warm, spicy after-kick. It’s a real fusion of cream, rum and dried fruits in a beer and all those Christmassy flavours work together beautifully. Coming in at over 6% this is certainly a heavyweight beer, and could well be the perfect way to relax come the end of term. Our other wonderful winter warmer comes from the trident of Errant Brewery, Drygate and Stu Brew; in the form of “Biscuit of Burden” a 6.1% Biscoff Imperial Mild. This beer has seven kinds of malt and biscuit brewed into one masterful pint. Dark malts give the beer a richness, as you’d expect from an Imperial Stout, whilst lighter malts and the addition of Lotus biscuits balance this, providing some characteristics of a traditional English Mild. If you want to taste this one; the first delivery is going to the Town Mouse Ale House – where there will be a tasting event on the 14th December. Now, if you want to be able to take home a taste of Newcastle to your beer-loving family for Christmas, there’s a special opportunity for you. We will be running a bottle bar in Luther’s from 12-2 every day this week with individual bottles, special gift packs and merchandise all available for purchase. This can also be an opportunity to talk to committee members if you’re interested in joining in! Showcasing the sort of opportunities available at Stu Brew, James Milne, head of sales and former Brewmaster went to the international ReImagine Education Awards in Philadelphia this past week to represent Stu Brew and Newcastle University in the finals of this prestigious event. Despite competition from over 1000 different organizations Stu Brew achieved second place within its category and won the overall Enterprise Award. This is a superb showing and well deserved, recognizing all the hard work and creativity that goes into making Stu Brew an international success. If you’d like to get involved with the society, you can sign up on the NUSU Societies page, or get in touch at: contact@stubrew.com Dan Jordan
culture 17
the courier
POETRY IN ACTION POEM OF THE WEEK ‘And from the corner of my eye I cannot distinguish, Between a homeless man And a pile of rubbish. Both lie slumped in the street, Lifeless and lonely, No way of escape as Both wait only to be Removed by the council, To preserve the scenery, There’s no place for dirt In this beautiful city. Thrown into landfill to Rot where waste belongs, Careless strategies To right societies’ wrongs. And midnight works only to Mask the problem, For still it cowers, miserable and broken, At the rising of dawn.’
Student spotlight THE COURIER
We hope you’ve enjoyed this special Christmas edition of The Courier! It’s been a lot of work for everyone to create their regular pages on top of the special pullout, but I think you can agree that they’ve done an excellent job. Puzzles Editor Alex Hendley had this to say: “If you do not do the double-page Puzzles this week, I will deploy a certain set of skills, and it won’t be pleasant.” On that note, we hope you have a wonderful holiday and a spectacular New Year! Join us again in February for more of the quality Courier content you’ve come to expect from Newcastle University’s student newspaper.
What’s on Union University Campaign Society Monday 11 December
5pm How to plan an event Location: History Room, NUSU 7.30pm BioSoc Christmas Ball Location: Pitcher and Piano
Tuesday 12 December
8pm Jamnesty - Amnesty International Pop down to Mr Lynch’s at Jesmond Three Sixty and get excited for the Christmas holidays, with cocktails and live performances whilst raising money for an amazing charity. Location: Mr. Lynch
Wednesday 13 December
2pm NUEL Overwatch Championship Tryouts Location: GAME Metrocentre 6.30pm Geek Societies Christmas Social Location: The Hancock Pub
Thursday 14 December
6.30pm The Subtitled Night: Pan’s Labyrinth The event is organised by International Part-time Officer Sneha Vincent and will really appeal to any language, media, arts and film students - as well as culture vultures in general! You’ll even receive free Domino’s Pizza and softdrinks for coming along. Location: MLK Room, NUSU
24-27 December
Volunteer roles available Crisis at Christmas is a unique volunteer effort that provides immediate help for homeless people at a critical time of year. By volunteering with Crisis this Christmas you can make a real difference to people experiencing homelessness. Contact: GoVolunteer if you fancy helping out
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culture music
c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaac & Ally Wilson
the courier
Monday 11 December 2017
The Courier Music’s Top 10 Albums of 2017
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Melodrama Lorde
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Visions of a Life
5
This Old Dog
7
Gone Now
9
Everything Now
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round-breaking, confident and utterly phenomenal. Lorde’s sophomore album, Melodrama, is stunningly perfect. The songstress has poured herself into every single lyric and every single beat to create a record that is at the very forefront at modern pop and of a calibre that no-one else in the industry is even close to attaining. Melodrama tracks Lorde’s, only 21-years-old, sudden plunging into the world of fame and parties after the worldwide success of debut album, Pure Heroine. Melodrama will make you cry at youth’s vulnerability with tracks such as ‘Liability’ before spreading a smirk across your faith with the ingenious lyrics, some of the best seen in ‘The Louvre’. Only two people wrote and produced this whole album, Lorde and Jack Antonoff, which is as mindblowing as unheard of in modern pop and credit must be given to the latter for its superb production. Melodrama deserves every drop of recognition it receives. Toby Bryant
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Wolf Alice
his album shows off Wolf Alice’s best assets in all their glory: Ellie Rowsell’s incredible vocal range, impressive lyrics and the sudden crescendos of sound in songs like ‘Yuk Foo’ and the album title track. From start to finish, each song is carefully crafted and feels completely different from the next. They had a lot to prove after their first album, but this sophomore release did not disappoint. ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ is one of their most popular singles, showcasing Rowsell’s fears of finding love in a monologue of over-thinking, losing control, and daring to add those kisses to a special someone. The album sprawls from girl power tracks, to emotional dedications to grandparents and friends, and then to pleas of more time to face anxiety in ‘Space & Time’. Ambitious and well deserving of a top 3 spot, I’ll certainly still be listening to this album for a long time to come. Charlotte Boulton
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Mac DeMarco
lacker icon Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV (no, really) provided us with a wonderful haymaker this year with his follow up to 2015’s Another One. More lo-fi than his previous quirky work, This Old Dog is a touching and emotional album about Mac’s relationship with his family, rather than just getting stoned and eating pizza. It’s still triumphant in its laziness (such is his core aesthetic) but is peppered with many standout songs that meet peculiar situations. From the oozing romance of ‘Moonlight on the River’ to the bleak and downtrodden ‘Watching him Fade Away’ this album is perfect for a snail’s pace party or a revision session. Songs like ‘My Old Man’ are layered with thought provoking and unique feelings, like finding good and bad personality aspects seen in your father’s experience seeping into your own as you age. And holy fuck, that riff on ‘A Wolf Who Wears Sheep’s Clothes’ Is TASTY. Jordan Oloman
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Bleachers
n June of this year, Bleachers’ sophomore album, Gone Now, was released and didn’t disappoint. Born from the hotel rooms of Fun.’s lead guitarist, Bleachers started their rise to cult fame with the release of their debut album Strange Desire, credited for its emotional lyrics and instrumentals reminiscent of Arcade Fire and The Cure. It also won over a huge cult fanbase who eagerly awaited Gone Now. Whilst Strange Desire proved that Antonoff could craft arena-worthy pop hits, Gone Now did all this and more. The album’s lead single, “Don’t Take the Money”, and the fifth track, “Everybody Lost Somebody”, stay true to the 80s synth-pop style that fans were drawn to, whilst exploring new areas of the Bleachers’ sound. However, this album makes a departure through its use of simplicity to convey a strong sense of heart. “All My Heroes” is a minimal track for Bleachers and uses this to do what Antonoff does best: express strong emotion in a way that’s beautiful. Molly Greeves
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Arcade Fire
ontreal art-rock conglomerate Arcade Fire got to share some more of their wild, inspired music this year with 5th album Everything Now. Arriving after an understandable 4-year hiatus following their smash hit Reflektor, the band has pushed into bold electronic territory. From the bombastic, ABBA inspired but secretly morose title song ‘Everything Now’ to darker diatribes like ‘Creature Comfort’, the theme that runs constant is society’s desire for ‘Infinite Content’ and a loss of the self in the digital age. A poetic chronicle of electric revolt that has the tact that Muse sorely lacks, Arcade Fire cement themselves as one of the most talented groups of the last decade with an album that speaks for itself, finally striding into the mainstream and invading popular sports programs with the hopes of waking up the masses. Godspeed. Jordan Oloman
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As voted by The Courier Music writers...
Damn Kendrick Lemar
aving set the bar exceedingly high with the masterpiece that was 2015s To Pimp A Butterfly, there was always significant expectations for Kendrick’s fourth effort. DAMN, though perhaps not as seminal as TPAB, is certainly not far off. Turning the scope lyrically more inwards, Kendrick continually proves himself to be one of the most skilled and versatile rappers going. From the pop sensibilities of ‘LOYALTY’, to the soulful, almost psychedelic ‘PRIDE’, to the intense ‘HUMBLE’ brimming with frustration, this range of styles crafts a release that keeps the listener hooked from start to finish. The biting political commentary of TPAB certainly isn’t completely absent; opener DNA samples Fox News anchor Eric Bolling’s criticisms of Kendrick’s BET awards performance as a resounding and well-deserved ‘fuck you’ to the network, and a system which continually refuses to recognise its own inherent racism. I could go on, but in the interests of word count I shall leave it at this: DAMN is pretty damn good. Charlie Isaac
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Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect Sundara Karma
outh is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect was released in January, and in December is still one of the best indie albums of 2017. Lyrically, it is concerned with notions of disengaged youth and attempts at romance, making it relatable to their often-youthful audiences. ‘She Said’ and ‘A Young Understanding’ are apt examples with resonant lyrics driven by fast paced riffs, making them two of the best from the album. ‘Flame’ again highlights the lyrical prowess of frontman Oscar Pollock, with Plato’s Analogy of the Cave inspiring philosophical lyrics. Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect might not have revolutionised a genre, but it was a more than stellar addition to the indie offerings of 2017. It bursts with energy and there is a real sense of anticipation about Sundara Karma going into 2018. Tom Hardwick
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Wonderful, Wonderful The Killers
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ow would I describe The Killers’ Wonderful Wonderful album? Well the answer is in the title, because although some choose to criticise the album, personally I love it. It is made up of ten songs, not a single one worthy of a skip. It may not be Hot Fuss or Sam’s Town, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is just as good. Brandon Flower’s vocals never disappoint and never fail to amaze me. The album includes a beautiful tribute to his wife, ‘Rut’ where he shows his vulnerability and lets us experience his struggle. I don’t disagree with some that ‘Run for Cover’ is the best song on the album, because it’s my personal favourite, but the other songs are equally as catchy. After five years, and two solo albums, in my eyes it was a welcome return for the band. Danielle Brier
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Conrete & Gold Foo Fighters
t’s easy to forget after such a triumphant return that Foo Fighters began 2017 on hiatus. Following a Dave Grohl leg break, the missed Glastonbury performance then a virtually silent 2016, the Foos announced a comeback in February headlining Eavis Farm before returning in a big bad way with new track ‘Run’ and a surprise album announcement on June 1st. Thus Concrete and Gold came to life, containing the fullest, loudest Foo Fighters work to date. Produced by Greg Kurstin and featuring guest spots from Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, the album which marked Foo Fighters’ transition to biggest band in the world should’ve been overproduced and mediocre but instead kept it raw and simple, finding a post AC/DC and Motorhead sound which fills a stadium without feeling pretentious. Somehow, in spite of their massive popularity, Foo Fighters still feel like the band of the underdog. Callum Costello
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hopeless fountain kingdom Halsey
he album hopeless fountain kingdom is a record that transcends music. The whole project is a monumental undertaking and Halsey’s execution is flawless. Based on Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’, the concept album follows the story of two starcrossed lovers, drawing on Halsey’s recent break-up with producer Lido, who worked on a handful of tracks from the album before splitting up with the songstress. Halsey has taken the storyline into her beautiful music videos, her clothes and merchandise as well as structuring the set up of the crowd on her recent tour to be split into the two lovers’ families. The whole project is incredibly impressive and the sound leads the way. It’s a real growth, a middlefinger to conventions and a record that puts Halsey up with the very best in the industry. Toby Bryant
the courier
Monday 11 December 2017
@CourierMusic thecourieronline.co.uk/music
The Courier Music: Festive Fun
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music culture
Editors’ Picks:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. To celebrate all things to do with December 25th,we’ve What 2017 means to us prepared a special quiz. Can you finish the lyrics to these Christmas crackers?
1. He rocks in the tree tops all day long, Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and singing his song, All the little birdies on Jaybird Street... 2. I don’t wanna miss out on the holiday, But I can’t stop staring at your face, I should be playing in the winter snow... 3. Then I saw mommy tickle Santa Claus, Underneath his beard so snowy white, Oh, what a laugh it would have been, If Daddy had only seen...
4. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, With every Christmas card I write, May your days be merry and bright...
5. Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree for me, Been an awful good girl, Santa baby... 6. Silent night, holy night!, All is calm, all is bright., Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child, Holy infant so tender and mild...
7. And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom...
How did you do? 1 - 2 - Bah humbug! You’re a scrooge. 3 - 4 - Mediocre Reinder, Dahser or Dancer or someone.... 5 - 6 - Santa’s little elf, Will Ferrell would be proud! 7 - Top work. SC better watch out (and better not cry...)!
Image: Pixabay
Toby Bryant: 2017 has been a much-needed year of revival for pop music. Old stars such as Taylor Swift, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran have all released new material, all of which is enjoyable, but have been overshadowed by fresh faces. This year belongs to Lorde and Melodrama – a superb record that I would go as far to say is the best album I’ve ever heard. It’s as if Lorde has been underground, unaware of what the industry wants her to do, and has created the most gob-smacking record. It’s not just Lorde who is pushing pop into a better, more creative place. The whole storyline and visuals behind Halsey’s hopeless fountain kingdom are breath-taking and it is refreshing to see so many female faces, such as Juila Michaels and Raye, step out from the songwriting shadow to peruse their own solo careers. Finally, it’d be wrong of me to not mention the band Bleachers. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Jack Antonoff and co. twice this year and both time have been blown away. That man’s stage presence is second to none and two of my year’s highlights. It’s been an impressive year for music, what’s in store for 2018? Ally Wilson: 2017 has certainly better than 2016 which just seemed to be a relentless obituary to some of the best-loved legends of the industry. There’s been releases from some of my favourite bands- The Killers, Fleet Foxes, Sundara Karma and this year saw the return of Jamiroquai, which, if you’ve never heard of in a musical sense, you’ll certainly have heard of the front man, Jay Kay, who is a regular guest on Top Gear. Although many of these releases didn’t live up to the artists’ previous efforts, it was just reassuring to know that they’re still around and doing what they do best. And we end the year with the prospect with some exciting things to come. There are rumours of album releases from Mumford & Sons, Fall Out Boy and First Aid Kit, as well as some amazing line-ups for festivals next summer (despite the loss of Glastonbury which is deep-set dagger to the heart of music industry around the world)- Isle Of Wight is certainly a dark horse to grab some tickets for. So thank you, 2017, for being a nice buffer to the destructive tsunami that 2016 was, and here’s to the continuation of more great music to come. Charlie Isaac: 2017 has been MAD for releases – I shall stick to good ol’ rock n roll for the purposes of this column. Though we mourn the breakups and deaths of such legends as Black Sabbath, Malcolm Young, Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington, rock music has proved itself anything but dead (despite the assertions of endless smug journalists and YouTube commenters), with new releases from Ty Segall, Wand, Thee Oh Sees, The Moonlandingz, King Krule, Meatbodies, Wavves, The Murlocs and Wolf Alice (to name just a few) continuing to push the boundaries of what guitar music can be. Groundbreaking acts from the past two decades such as Gorrilaz, At The Drive In, LCD Soundsystem and Queens Of The Stone Age have popped up on the radar once more; despite the varying quality of their comebacks, a welcomed return all around. There have even been some pleasant surprises, such as the superbly refreshing Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile collaboration. Though above all, my hat has to go off to Aussie psychedelic rockers (and my current musical obsession) King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, having released FOUR studio albums this year alone – each wildly different in style and each immensely good. Fans are holding out for a promised fifth before the year is up and, though they’re cutting it very fine, I have every confidence that the Gizz will deliver.
1. ...Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet. (Rockin’ Robin - Michael Jackson) 2. ...But I’mma be under the mistletoe. (Mistletoe - Justin Bieber) 3. ...Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night. (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jackson 5) 4. ... And may all your Christmases be white. (White Christmas - Bing Crosby) 5. ... And hurry down the chimney tonight. (Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt) 6. ... Sleep in heavenly peace. (Silent Night - Joseph Mohr) 7. ...Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you. (Do They Know It’s Christmas - Band Aid)
ANSWERS:
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culture TV
Christmas Specialities Take at look at the best Christmas specials ever!
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the courier
c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver & Alex Moore
Gavin and Stacey
he greatest festive TV episode ever? It will always be Gavin and Stacey. The special may be nine years old but it is, and always will be, a timeless classic. From Doris being “absolutely twatted” to Smithy’s infamous rendition of ‘Do they Know it’s Christmas’ the episode is filled with all the festive humour you could desire. It would be hard to pinpoint one scene that makes the special so brilliant: could it be the world’s worst proposal in the form of Dave and Nessa? Bryn and Uncle Jason discussing THAT fishing trip? Edna emerging from behind the bar hours later? I could go on for hours.
Where else will you see a woman dressed as Santa smoking a cigarette? The cringe-worthy moments matched with heart-warming glimpses of family love, cement this special as my favourite. Where else will you see a woman dressed as Santa smoking a cigarette? (I hope not at your local shopping centre). I love that almost every scene is extremely relatable, the merged family drama or that one person who gets too drunk too early. The entire 45 minutes is a joy to watch and if you haven’t watched it yet then you truly have not enjoyed Christmas television at its best. Laura Bolden
Father Ted
Monday 11 December 2017
The Queen who stole Christmas
Callum Costello comments on the British royal family and the annual Xmas Queen’s Speech
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staple of the festive telly calendar; the Queen’s Christmas message returns for its 64th edition in glorious colour just before dinner on the big day itself. Whilst it’s too early to dissect I can certainly look forward to it and wonder with a candid northern perspective just what the old bird is going to waffle on about this year.
for the past year, ignoring Britain’s imperialist history. Brexit will get a quick apolitical nod (because topical) before we finish with Harry’s brave decision to wed mixed race American actress, privately schooled daughter of an award winning filmmaker and psychoanalyst, Meghan Markle - such a brave lad. While the bash will cost a tidy penny it’s nothing compared to the work being done of the Buckingham Palace pad, all of which is thankfully footed by the taxpayer at a combined £440,000,000. Another year, another speech, Charlie boy still being made to wait his turn - Merry Christmas you filthy minions! #indestructiblelizzie
The Queen’s Christmas message returns for its 64th edition in glorious colour She’ll open with festive cheer and good will to all those under her dominion - even those filthy street cretins and the ancestors of pirates her husband so exquisitely looks down upon. She’ll segue expertly to the retirement of her special fella and his years of tireless service being all royal and what not in public. Perhaps she’ll make a charming nod to that time Phil called the Chinese ‘slittyeyed’ but likely won’t talk about the £61,000,000 he earned this year doing such “work.” Then she’ll talk about another great man - the best man, bigly good, President Trump, remarking about his rags to riches success before hinting that he’s a horrible, divisive person. Here the sigh of relief; old Queenie feels as we do, she just can’t say it out loud... #relatablelizzie. Then she’ll talk about how terrible things in the world have been
Prince Philip: Man of Subtlety Did you know? On a royal visit to China in 1986, Philip reportedly told a group of students that they would end up ‘slitty eyed’ if they stayed there too long...
The Grinch will be airing this Christmas Day at 3pm on BBC1, ITV, Sky One and Sky News. Oh wait no, that’s The Queen’s Speech, all 10 boring minutes of it! If like most people you’d rather watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, tune in at 4.30pm to ITV1 on Christmas Eve!
Image: Presidencia de la República Mexicana (Flickr)
A Capitalist Christmas: the truth behind the ads Amy Gildert uncovers the truth about consumerism’s cunning takeover of Christmas telly
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Image: Insomnia Cured Here (Flickr) & Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29610 images (Pixabay)
he Father Ted special, ‘A Christmassy Ted’ has earned its place amongst the best ever Christmas special on British television and rightly so. The hour-long Christmas special of Father Ted manages to incorporate all of the best qualities of the series without compromising the comedy for a shoe-horned Christmas theme (although we are treated to a self-referential nod to those clichéd Christmas specials). The episode takes place over the Christmas period in which Ted finds out he’s to be given The Golden Cleric Award for helping a group of Priests escape the lingerie section in a department store (“It’s the largest lingerie section in Ireland”).
Father Ted is one of those rare sitcoms in which every episode is as good as the last Ted is at his greedy and selfish best, exasperated by his companions and vindictive in victory. Mrs Doyle manages to fall off the window not once, not twice, but thrice - and a priest is partially blinded by a twanging bra. It’s classic Father Ted, surreal cutaways to Priest only chat lines and a catastrophic phone call to the recurring Father Larry Duff culminating in an avalanche. Father Ted is one of those rare sitcoms in which every episode is as good as the last and the Christmas Special doesn’t disappoint. The humour moves from slapstick to surreal, to just plain weird. It’s a Christmassy delight and deserving of ‘classic’ status. Beth Chrisp
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ecember is upon us already, and with the onslaught of Christmas tunes in coffee shops and questionable Christmas jumpers comes the phenomena that is the Christmas advert. It’s hard to miss how the Christmas advert has grown in popularity over recent years. Only a few years ago, the only company or brand that got any major publicity from its Christmas advert was John Lewis. Now however, we’ve got all sorts of different companies jumping on the Christmas advert bandwagon trying to squeeze a little more money out of the public. In the process of writing this article I watched a ridiculous amount of Christmas adverts from the last five years and it’s become clear that in advertising, Christmas only happens to children and old people. Once you start noticing it, you won’t be able to stop. Because by focusing on those age brackets, the companies are trying to tug on your heartstrings by making you go, ‘oh look at that sweet child or lonely old man, look how Christmas makes them happy when they buy things from our brand.’ This idea might sound cynical, but the type of adverts that flaunt and romanticize capitalism and consumerism are completely void entities that lack any ounce of emotion and Christmas spirit.
when we continue these traditions rather than focusing on spending money for the sake of spending money. Of course, John Lewis was back with another sweet advert. While it may not have quite lived up to the hype that they have crafted for themselves, the story of a boy who becomes friends with the monster under his bed is still rather adorable.
The best Christmas adverts are the ones that capture the magic and emotions of Christmas Marks and Spencer’s Christmas advert is extremely clear and upfront with its tie-ins to the Paddington Bear movie, but as he turns a would-
be robber in a would-be Santa, it manages to be quite heartwarming in the way that only that silly little bear can be. The concept for Sainsbury’s Christmas advert is very sweet; by having people from all across the country sing a Christmas themed song. Unfortunately though, the song itself is more annoying than tuneful and if I could, I would fast-forward through this advert whenever it came on. It does increasingly seem though, that the Christmas advert is completely unrelated to the company or product. It has become less about actually selling products and more about the publicity a successful Christmas advert can bring. But the best Christmas adverts aren’t the ones that desperately try to construct an idealized artificial representation of Christmas by ramming a load of dancing elves down your throat. The best Christmas adverts are the ones that capture the magic and emotions of Christmas.
The type of adverts that flaunt and romanticize capitalism and consumerism are competely void But not all Christmas adverts of 2017 have been like this. One of the best adverts this year came from an unexpected source: Sky Cinema. It keeps things simple with its concept, focusing around a mother and daughter who watch The Sound of Music every year at Christmas. What makes it so successful is how relatable it is. Almost everyone has films that they watch with family at Christmas, and they invoke the nostalgia that we experience
Image: YouTube
the courier
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TV culture
@CourierTV thecourieronline.co.uk/tv
Monday 11 December 2017
Festive Picks to watch this Christmas Day Still wondering what to watch on Christmas while you rest your festive food-baby? Don’t you worry, we’ve got it covered! The Great Christmas Bake Off Doctor Who
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ven a Scrooge like me has a Christmas weakness, and this year, it’s The Great Christmas Bake Off. Nothing screams festive more than baking enough mince pies and Christmas puddings to feed a small army, all under Paul Hollywood’s watchful (and hungry) eye. We can only hope that he turns up dressed as a stern Santa Claus to bring some more festive cheer to the tent.
bakers face yummy yuletide challenges at some point in December. Let’s also hope we see hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig modelling some whacky Christmas jumpers – Noel in a festive jumper is all I need for a perfect Christmas!
Charlotte Boulton
ATTENTION MARY BERRY FANS!
This Christmas the BBC will be airing not one but two festive special featuring the nation’s favourite grandma, Mary Berry. Mary Berry’s Christmas Party will air at 8.30pm on the 18th (BBC1) and will be a Christmas extravaganza. Even more exciting though, Mary will reunite with original Bake Off hosts Mel and Sue for Mary, Mel and Sue’s Big Christmas Thank You which will air on Christmas Eve at 7pm (BBC1). Paul who?
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octor Who looks to be returning with a bang for its Christmas special this year. Starring not only Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Pearl Mackie as companion Bill Potts, but also David Bradley as the First Doctor (originally played by the late William Hartnell) and Mark Gatiss as the World War I soldier known only as ‘The Captain’ (previously seen as Professor Lazarus in ‘The Lazarus Experiment’), the episode is titled ‘Twice Upon a Time’ and follows the two Doctors, Bill and The Captain as they try and escape from an alien threat pursuing them in a frozen moment in time.
This will be Capaldi’s last appearance as the Twelfth Doctor Gatiss has described the episode as “a Christmas episode without being overtly Christmassy - it’s very happy-sad”, and a released clip from the epi-
Image: Petr Kratochvil (Public Domain Pictures)
sode shows not only Capaldi and Bradley realising their predicament and relationship as fellow incarnations of ‘The Doctor’, but also the all-important ‘it’s-bigger-on-the-inside’ reaction of The Captain upon entering the TARDIS.
Gatiss has described the episode as “a Christmas episode without being overtly Christmassy With plenty of humour, horror, laughter and – of course – running, this Christmas episode looks to be a real treat for Doctor Who fans. For Capaldi, this will be his last appearance as the Twelfth Doctor, but upon his regeneration in this episode, Jodie Whittaker will be ready and waiting to take us all on brand-new adventures in time and space in 2018. Georgina Howlett
The show features some favourites from previous series which is a huge highlight for me. Selasi, Val, Benjamina and Rav from series 7, the last shown on the BBC, are returning to take on the tent one more time. Previous bakers Paul, Beca, Rob, and Sandy are also going to be putting their Christmas crackers to the test.
Noel in a festive jumper is all I need for a perfect Christmas! As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the special will have two episodes to indulge in as we tuck into our chocolates over the holidays! The dates haven’t yet been confirmed, but we will certainly see the
Image: YouTube, ROverhate (pixabay)
Image: YouTube
Devils, Demons & Derry: Our 2018 Spotlight Your friendly neighbourhood TV Editors share the new programmes they are most excited for in the new year The Witcher - Jacob Clarke Castle Rock - Joel Leaver Good Omens - Alex Moore Honourable Mentions
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think there’s one show we should all be looking forward to in 2018, and that Netflix’s adaptation of the novel turned video game series, The Witcher. To be honest I don’t think I need to say much more than that, this announcement really speaks for itself on how awesome an idea this is, but I’ve got to fill the word limit so I’ll continue.
Image: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe
This world, created by Andrzej Sapkowski, has a fantasy, medieval setting and follows the pursuits of monster hunter “Witcher” Geralt of Rivia, and the trials and tribulations of his mutant life encountering political tirades, revolutions, deceptive sorceresses and incredible monsters. The mythological turned fantasy setting was turned into an incredibly popular and critically acclaimed video game series by CD Project Red, winning numerous awards for its design, graphics, characters and plot, so with the right actors and budget it’s hard to so how this could go badly for Netflix.
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The number of GOTY awards won by The Witcher 3, making it the most awarded game ever made.
I’m looking forward to the time and effort Netflix puts into their versions of Nilfgaard, Temeria, Redania and many other notable places in that universe. It’s got to be better than Amazon’s revival of The Lord of the Rings at least...
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f there’s one show I’m looking forward to most for 2018 it’d be Castle Rock. Based on the fictional town featured within several Stephen King novels, the show looks set to intertwine a number of his most notable works and characters into one series. Not much has been revealed so far but a press release stated that it “combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King’s best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland.” Sounds pretty cool right? Though so did The Mist (2017), but I’m hopeful. A trailer released for Castle Rock suggested there’ll be references made to the likes of Misery, The Green Mile and The Shining, as well as Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption - all great King novels. Perhaps most exciting though is the announced casting of Sissy Spacek and Bill Skarsgård. Spacek’s breakout role was the lead in the 1976 movie adaption of the King novel, Carrie, whilst Skarsgård played Pennywise in the recent It (2017) movie, yet another King classic. It’s been confirmed that Skarsgård isn’t portraying Pennywise, sadly, though It references will occur, thankfully, but Spacek’s role remains a mystery. J.J Abrams is executive producing, so hopefully his involvement, the meta-casting of Spacek and Skarsgård, as well as the wider King references can help ensure Castle Rock is more It (2017) than The Mist (2017).
Image: YouTube
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o-authored by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, the 1990 darkly hilarious bestselling novel follows Aziraphale and Crowley, Heaven and Hell’s representatives on Earth tasked with overlooking the Antichrist through his childhood. Unfortunately for them, a maternity ward mix-up means they have the wrong 11 year old – cue a desperate attempt to prevent the apocalypse. Pratchett’s trusted friend and assistant Rob Wilkins has revealed that the author would have been ‘over the moon’ with the casting of Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale and David Tennant as the demon Crowley. The six-part series is currently under development by Amazon Studios and has been scripted by none other than Gaiman himself, who apparently agreed to the adaptation only after receiving a posthumous letter from Pratchett, granting him permission to go ahead without him. Gaiman has recently enjoyed screen time with the adaptions of American Gods and Lucifer, whilst feature film versions of Pratchett’s Mort and The Wee Free Men, of his renowned Discworld series, have recently been announced (but they are movies so I’m not allowed to talk about them…). After the latter’s death in 2015 following a stubborn battle with a rare form of Alzheimer’s, it’s such a shame that the late (and eternally great) author won’t be around to watch them himself. Image: CHRIS DRUMM (Flickr)
JC
Doctor Who season 11 / The Good Place season 2 part 2 / Confederate / Mega City One / Making a Murderer season 2
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American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace / The Haunting of Hill House / 9 - 1 - 1 / The Romanoffs / Feud: Charles and Diana
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Tremors / The Walking Dead S8 part 2 / The Witcher (even if Jacob stole it!) / Stranger Things season 3 / Walking Giants (Attenborough on Dinosaurs)
As this is our final issue of 2017, we’d just to thank all the writers who have contributed so far. There’s been some fantastic articles we’ve been able to publish in the past few issues and we look forward to what’s to come from you talented bunch in 2018. Also, we’d like to thank our senior editors for all their help and patience. We may have started with poor execution and basic Photoshop skills, but we’re pretty good now! Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year everyone!
@thecouriertv @Courier_TV
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culture film
c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Dan Haygarth & Christopher Wilkinson
Golden Oldies
Ingmar Bergman lights up the Tyneside Cinema
TheTynesideCinema’s LuminariesseasonpresentsIngmarBergman:JoeHolloraninvestigates
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his month Tyneside Cinema is showing two films by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman as part of the Luminaries feature. The films on show are Virgin Spring (1960) and Winter Light (1963). Both films are quintessentially that of a great auteur.
Bernard and the Genie (1991)
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ost people are saying ‘what?’ but the few who’re aware of this lost BBC television film are saying ‘yes!’. An early work of British film giant Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually) starring Lenny Henry, it lifts from the Arabic folk tale ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ and follows Alan Cumming’s titular Bernard as he faces a lonely Christmas - until a twist of fate brings Henry’s two thousand year old genie into his modern (well, early ‘90s) world.
A director of such vision and philosophic intrigue that his work is in many ways just an audio-visual extension of the writings of Sartre and Cioran. I can think of no other director in the history of cinema who tackles moral, philosophical and other ‘Big Questions’ issues as well as Bergman. So, it seems a natural choice then for Tyneside to show his films at this most joyous of seasons. For those of us who like our crackers and flimsy hats with a side of existentialist decay. Even if you are someone who has never watched any of his films, you will know of his work. His visual style is so iconic that it has been used countless times in other popular media; The T Simpsons, South Park and even Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. The representation of Death in that film is just a comedic pastiche o f
Hilarity combined with low-value early ‘90s production value makes this a classic Hilarity ensues and whilst the production values are early-’90s TV low the talent involved make this a forgotten Christmas classic. The film exhibits the talent of young Lenny Henry and Alan Cumming - a showcase that charmingly foreshadows two storied careers. The fish out of water story depends heavily on Henry’s deadpan comedy but he’s totally capable and like all good Christmas films it is loaded with goodwill and heart - an ideal antidote to the current debauched festive fodder (looking at you Daddy’s Home 2).
Fortunately, a dodgy copy is available on YouTube What really makes the film great though is its limitations; it’s made for TV so at a length of just over an hour, with a budget to match its platform and runtime, but the razor sharp script compensates for the low production value and the weight on the lack of budget for ensemble cast is eased by brilliant support (Rowan Atkinson) and hilarious cameos (take a bow Bob Geldof). Still making me laugh twenty years after first watching it (recorded onto VHS direct), Bernard and the Genie is a Christmas classic and criminally forgotten work in the filmography of a British great. Fortunately a dodgy copy is available on YouTube - it *is* a wonderful life after all! Callum Costello
the courier Monday 11 December 2017
Death in The Seventh Seal, only substituting chess with Twister. His films are best taken one at a time. A binge watch may result in side effects of melancholy, sighing and thinking oneself to be French. The two films in question are among Bergman’s most overtly religious. The Virgin Spring tells the story of a young Christian women in medieval Sweden and her encounter with beings of paganNorse mythology. The enemy. The film follows Karin as she challenges her notions of good and evil, right and wrong and the life that she knows. It, like all Bergman’s films, is stark, minimalist and bleak, while also being expansive and visually stunning. More so than any of his other films, The Virgin Spring takes existentialism and its sister themes through a more youthful eye. One both naïve and more open to change. The contrast between this youthful openness and the rapturous faith of her father makes for story of great emotional power. The second film on show is more well known, but no less worth of a second viewing. Winter Light is set in contemporary Sweden. It too details a man going through an existential crisis, brought about by being opened up to the wider world. The massacres in Spain during the Civil War, the dropping of the A-Bomb and dwindling church attendances cause our protagonist Tomas to lose his certainty. With it, go his ability to look beyond the horrors of the world around him and to seek a new way. A phrase uttered to Tomas by Algot, the devout disabled church organist, near the film’s end seems to sum up Bergman’s obsession and conflict. He asks why God did not help his son on the cross, and why more emphasis is placed on the humans who betrayed him. He asks, “Isn’t God’s silence worse?” To which Tomas pauses before replying simply “Yes”. Happy Holidays, everyone!
Image: Wikipedia
Not so festive forthcoming filmic fun
Callum Costello looks at the upcoming releases for those who are a little sick of Christmas films being shoved down their throats this season. Goodbye to trees, tinsel and turtlenecks! 5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi [Dir. R. Johnson; 14th Dec]
2. Pitch Perfect 3 [Dir. T. Sie; 20th Dec]
Enough has been said about the impending return to a galaxy far, far away, so I’ll skip the formalities. Somehow, amidst the barrage, I’ve avoided all trailers so I’m barely aware of what’s happening this time around, but Last Jedi’ being the first Star Wars film written and directed by the same filmmaker since the series’ debut (Brick and Looper’s Rian Johnson no less) adds another layer of excitement.
It’s the return of the Bellas for the third and final instalment of Pitch Perfect series. Irritating cup songs aside, the films have been a sleeper slam dunk garnering critical and commercial success across the globe. Kendrick and co. will be keen to go out on a high as the accapella troupe face tough goings in the real world and an overseas tour. Fans will know what to look forward to and the uninitiated are in for a treat!
Catch it at the Metrocentre IMAX before Facebook spoilers!
Image: YouTube
4. Blade of the Immortal (Mugen no jūnin) [Dir. T. Miike; 8th Dec]
Image: Wikimedia
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri [Dir. M. McDonagh; 12th Jan] Martin McDonagh goes Fargo! One half of the Irish Coen’s and the warped brains behind In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths returns with a crime thriller out the Joel and Ethan playbook. With a cast including Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards is already a winner at Toronto and Venice and will be 2018’s first awards contender. A black comic crime fuelled antidote to those New Year’s blues. Catch it with a friend on a Meerkat Wednesday at Cineworld.
1. Downsizing [Dir. A. Payne, 17th Jan] Only the best filmmakers get final cut on their films - Alexander Payne is one of those few, such is the quality of his work. Next in a stellar filmography is ‘Downsizing’; a sci-fi dramedy starring Matt Damon as a man who irreversibly downsizes his world and self to five inches tall. Thought provoking storytelling from one of the smartest storytellers in the game, it’s honey I shrunk my life for the millenial generation.
What could be less festive than a violent thriller about an immortal samurai on a mission of bloody revenge? Adapted from the manga by one of the pillars of extreme asian cinema Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer), ), the film is also Miike’s 100th film - a feat almost beyond comprehension for a filmmaker still only in his fifties. The film has gotten favourable reviews and is about as far from the usual Christmas schtick as you’ll get. Catch it late at the Tyneside on the Roxy screen.
Catch it on Christmas Eve @ Vue Gateshead for some non-festive cheer.
Image: YouTube
Catch it in the Tyneside Classic.
the courier
@Courier_Film thecourieronline.co.uk/film
Monday 11 December 2017
Wonder
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onder is the story of Auggie (Jacob Tremblay), a young boy with facial disfigurements, starting 5th grade after being home-schooled all his life by his mother (Julia Roberts). The dramatic tension and main meat of the drama is Auggie’s struggle to find friends and avoid bullies, with the usual cast of mean kids, open-minded kids and insensitive kids to contend with. The film has a neat trick, where for the first half of the movie it switches perspective every halfhour between the five main child actors . One is acutely aware, however, that all roads lead back to Auggie. Whilst it’s not quite as dramatic as the perspective shifts in Dunkirk it does provide the story with a little more depth as it allows the characters more breathing room to develop their motivations. Some of the sideplots are a little underdeveloped with Auggie’s Sisters’ ExBestfriend, Miranda, getting her own storyline, which seemed a bit much. It is unclear to me why the director, Stephen Chbosky, felt the need to pad out a script, while he had Owen Wilson waiting in the wings with apparently very little to do. There are several moments in the film where you wonder where the big guy is. His role is to be the laid back ying to Julia Roberts’ stressful, earnest, yang, but often he isn’t onscreen enough to make a difference. On at least two occasions he
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ichael Haneke’s latest offering, Happy End, is far from the simplistic joy-ride suggested by its title. This is a dark film, but one played out with a distance that consistently masks its underlying horror. Following multiple generations of a dysfunctional middle-class family in Calais, Haneke explores issues of adultery, responsibility and euthanasia. Happy End is, however, imbued with sparks of humour throughout – interweaving with the subject matter to craft a captivating tone. The film begins with a series of lengthy phone-camera shots, slowly building up to the hospitalisation of one of the Laurent family’s central figures. Despite getting an insight into this event, its underlying motivation remains unclear throughout. Haneke never provides the audience with a clear look at this character, accentuating the sense of unease. These uncomfortable opening shots sets a precedent for the film in structure as well as tone. Happy End is constructed with naturalistic, overlong takes, which work to varying degrees of success. While troubled-son Pierre’s rendition of Sia’s ‘Chandelier’ is both electrifyingly and painfully hilarious, a take of one character queueing up for an ice-lolly is somewhat less so. The acting in Happy End is fantastic, including veteran actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and recent Oscar-nominee Isabelle Huppert. 12-year-old Harduin especially impresses, matching her more experienced castmates with an emotionally ambiguous portrayal of the youngest member of the Laurent clan. Happy End is not the director’s best, with the distance between character and audience running the risk of leaving those viewers cold, regardless of its purpose in constructing the film’s overall tone. However, Michael Haneke’s latest addition to his repertoire is another success – fascinatingly analysing the darker sides of the human condition. Tom Cooney
film culture
Column 2 Electric Boogaloo
Dom Sutcliffe looks at the not-so-wonderful Wonder
Happy End (15)
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is “at work” when drama is going down. This seems like an excuse for Wilson not being “On Set” and it’s a shame because he brings a lot of Hippie-TurnedLawyer charm to his scenes with Auggie. There was, however, an element of too many cooks spoiling the broth: with five main child actors, the parents – Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, and side characters all needing character motivations and good lines. An example would be Auggie’s English teacher: ‘I used to be a Wall Street trader but then I quit to pursue my dream of teaching’. Sure you did mate. The film’s portrayal of school is also a little bit Jacqueline Wilson: children physically recoil at the sight
of Auggie, they exclaim ‘what’s the deal with your face?’ and he is relentlessly bullied by some. While it is not unbelievable that this might happen (I’m sure it has done), the obviousness of the children’s reaction was a big warning sign that the film wasn’t going to take us anywhere interesting.
It’s not that rich kids always have it easy, but it makes the film’s drama low-stakes The challenge’s Auggie faces are undeniably difficult but there is never a moment where you don’t believe he is going to meet them. Especially with his upper-middle class family, supportive parents and he literally goes to a private school in New York City. It’s not that rich kids always have it easy, but it certainly makes the film’s drama lowstakes in the grand scheme of things. I did quite enjoy it, through, it doesn’t feel overly long but I’d wait till it comes out on Netflix.
The Man Who Invented Christmas(PG)
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bizarre mixture of biography and childpleasing Christmas drama, I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked this film. Dan Stevens, enigmatic and mercurial to the point of insanity, was exhausting to watch as he sprinted around London on a debt-fuelled mission to write, illustrate, print and publish a novel to save his reputation (which rather took the romance out of the tale of a Christmas miracle, I must say). Don’t expect to like the narrow-minded Dickens of this interpretation. A counterpart to his own Scrooge, Stevens plays a selfish, tortured artist figure with no room for anything but his work, and no patience for human weakness. Dickens’ hatred for his main character only serves to bring out the similarities between them, and the vision of Scrooge, played by Christopher Plummer, added a more nuanced element to an otherwise passable, but predictable period drama. An odd but touching side story tells the tale of Dickens’ hard previous life, his time spent in a workhouse and his multi-faceted, traumatic relationship with his father, the ever-jovial Jonathan Pryce. Tenuous links are made between this personal element and the narrative of the novel, but all in all the familial roles work well and lead the narrative to a slightly predictable but believable ‘happy ending’. Most interesting to me, however, were the multi-role secondary characters, supposed to show the real-life inspiration through which Dickens created his masterpiece- Justin Edwards is an excellent Forster/ghost of Christmas present. Don’t watch this film if you’re looking for an honest portrayal of the writing of A Christmas Carol. Don’t believe that Charles Dickens actually invented Christmas. But if you crave a generous helping of Christmas spirit and a film to emphasise the importance of the generosity and kindness Scrooge lacked and Dickens brought to life- you might just love this. Lauren Sneath
Voyeur (15)
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aving already watched this, it was offered for a review, I watched this film blind, clicking on it unsure of what to expect. The title and Netflix description was so vague that I actually thought it was fictional. However when it started, I was clearly wrong. Voyeur follows the strange 30 year long story between two men: famous American journalist Gay Talese, who writes about the sexual history of America, and Gerald Foos, a man who bought a motel in order to spy on his own guests. Gerald Foos says that he is just trying to redeem is consciousness and be remembers for his worth as he describes himself as an investigator rather than a voyeur, after having taken notes of all of his viewing. The crux of the documentary is whether Talese, as a non-fiction writer, can trust all that Gerald Foos says, as Talese fears that Foos is just attempting to get rich and famous by getting into contact with him with false information. This becomes specifically important at the midpoint when the documentary takes a darker turn, after as serious crime is committed in the motel, alongside attempting to get a story past New York Times fact checkers. This brings many questions to light about his actions. Isn’t this illegal? Why would the journalist actually get involved at all? Why did Netflix actually decide to make this documentary? It’s incredibly slow. Weirdly filmed. And for a topic that could actually been interesting, is unfortunately very boring. The second half of this documentary devolves in to a pity party for both involved, which makes it particularly difficult and frustrating to watch. And with the attempt of a wholesome ending to a story essentially about a pervert, I would not recommend this documentary unless you’ve watched and read every single other piece of media which has ever been created. Scarlett Rowland
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
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echnically not a sequel, ‘the Grinch’ is a remake of the 1966 animated short film of the same name, adapted itself from the classic Dr Seuss story. While the original movie had pretty good animation for its time and was adored by critics for the cutesy family festive film that it was and is, the remake is just much funnier, and generally a more enjoyable film. You already know the plot, but I’ll run through it anyway for the sake of context. Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not. As a consequence, he dresses up as Santa and breaks into every house in Whoville in order to steal their presents and ruin their Christmas.
Will the plan work...? It’s a Christmas film, of course it won’t. But that minor spoiler is unimportant But will his plan work..? It’s a Christmas film, of course it won’t. But that minor spoiler is unimportant. What’s important is the story, which Ron Howard built on and reinvigorated to create a movie that would become a staple of a new generation’s Christmas viewing. One wonders how many people would remember that in original film, the Grinch was voiced by Boris Karloff, y’know, the guy from all those 1930s horror movies. Yet Jim Carrey’s portrayal in the 2000 remake is universally recognised as providing some of the funniest scenes of Christmas cinema. For instance when the Grinch argues with his own echo, or when he is reunited with the women who raised him, and responds, ‘are you two still living?’ And, while the animated Grinch was unsettlingly expressive, Carrey managed much greater visual comedy through the mask of green makeup. That’s what really puts the remake above the original. Jim Carrey. He really was the best comic actor to take on this role. Eddie Murphy and Jack Nicholson were both considered, but neither have the same level of comedic skill. Carrey brought the insecure, self-loathing character of the Grinch to the screen in hilarious fashion, and without him the movie would be a shadow of what it is. Obviously, the extra 70 minutes running time help too, as so much more can be explored, but whereas with the original, the movie would have surely dragged after the first hour, Howard’s version never does. And even though we already know the story of the Grinch, we still watch the longer, better adaptation of Seuss’s book every year. Steven Ross
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culture gaming Top 5
the courier
courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett & Richard Liddle
Monday 11 December 2017
2018 in gaming - what to look forward to
Snow levels in gaming The gaming editors brush off their crystal balls and look into what 2018 holds in store Image: IGDB.com
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5. Halo - Halo 3 The final mission of Bungie’s Halo franchise, you’re taken to the newly-rebuilt Halo’s control room, and have to fight your way through genuinely endless waves of Flood to get to the top. The environment is ice-encrusted, making it cold, unwelcoming and threatening, which is perfect for complementing the silver and blue Forerunner architecture, and making the oncoming horde feel that more hostile. We all know how this ends, though – you send this game out with a bang, destroying the Halo Ring, but not before the best vehicle run in the history of Halo. Halo: CE and Halo 4 don’t hold a candle to the atmosphere of an icy ringworld exploding around you.
4. Caves - Tomb Raider 1 If you want to open with a snow level, this is how you do it. After a few cutscenes and a showing off of Lara’s signature twin-pistols gunplay, we’re brought into the Caves, a secret-filled, enemystrewn platforming maze. The echoing and wailing of the cave is punctuated by a limited amount of music when encountering puzzles, secrets and revealing dangerous enemies there’s a bear in that pit that’s obviously a trap, by the way - and as you move in, the snow slowly melts away, leaving a player in all the suspense that you can expect from a classic such as Tomb Raider.
3. Ice Cap Zone - Sonic 3 (and Knuckles) You don’t even get past the opening level screen before this level cements itself as iconic – the music of Sonic 3 is legendary not only for how each track fits the zone, but also due to the massive pop influences. Ice Cap’s theme, totally not lifted from “Hard Times” by The Jetzons, brings you through the best opening 20 seconds of any side-scroller ever – the blue blur snowboarding downhill at breakneck speed before bringing you to breakable platforms, puzzles and underground avalanches before you return topside for high-speed action. And the Robotnik end-boss music is amazing.
2. Cliffhanger - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 I don’t think I’ve ever considered a Call of Duty game until now, but this mission is peak FPS content. Having to scale icy mountains to start with is impressive, but with limited sight lines and a blizzard on the way, you’re forced to work with your environment as you sneak into a Russian base, working with heartbeat sensors, silenced weapons and the Scottish legend that is Soap McTavish to make your way in and out. It’s the antithesis of COD’s recent mad-dash run-and-gun style and it’s possibly one of the best missions in the entire game series.
1. Our Finest Hour - Hoth – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
How I’ve managed to talk about snow and not talk about the planet covered in snow, I don’t know. 2005’s Battlefront 2 is still bloody amazing and holds up to this day, and in the last mission of the campaign, you’re a member of the 501st Legion – Vader’s Fist, how cool is that name – leading the fight against the Rebel base on Hoth. Driving ATATs and blasting down snowspeeders tying you up, you face a battle of attrition to take out the shield generator, and finish off the game playing as Darth fucking Vader mopping up the last of the Rebels. Defending a beacon for a time, you watch as the Empire rains down orbital fire on escaping Rebel ships. You want to know why this game is so beloved? This is why. Errol Kerr
ollowing the announcement of Mega Man 11 by Capcom last week, for me, there is plenty to be looked forward to in 2018. Not only will the Mega Man X collection also be coming to the Nintendo Switch, but new, untitled Kirby and Yoshi games have also been announced for the console. Let’s not forget the fact that Kingdom Hearts III is finally supposed to be going to release - on both PlayStation and Xbox. This will mean that scores of people will be able to enjoy the fairytale and Disney goodness, and I, like many fans who have been waiting for a third instalment in the central narrative (yes, I’ve played some of the other games, such as Dream Drop Distance and 358/2 Days, but they’re just not the same...) for years will finally be able to continue the adventure and explore entirely new worlds. For some, this will be their first Kingdom Hearts title, and that warms my heart. The Spider-Man game being developed by Insomniac Games for the PlayStation 4 also looks to be a new, creative direction for our favourite Marvel hero. It certainly looks to be an improvement upon previous games, and appears to have a definitive storyline for players to follow - making it my kind of game for sure. Detroit: Become Human also looks to have a gritty storyline and interesting dynamics that I may have to give a try - even if its coverage in the media hasn’t been all too positive as of late due to its graphic content. Finally, I’d love to give Project Octopath Traveler (working title) a further play after trying out its demo on the Nintendo Switch, and maybe Monster Hunter: World as my first-ever Monster Hunter game. There will certainly be plenty for me to be getting on with playing, especially during the inevitable temporary period of unemployment I will experience once I graduate. Image: IGDB.com Georgina Howlett
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or me, 2018 is going to get off to a great start with the release of Monster Hunter World in late January. World is shaping up to be a huge leap forward for the series both visually and mechanically thanks to the jump from 3DS to PS4/Xbox One/PC. As well as shiny new HD graphics, the weapons have all been revamped to give much more fluid combat and environments are now much more dynamic, with various ways to make use of your surroundings when trying to beat the crap out of your monstrous foes. Capcom have also taken pains to improve the online aspect, expanding lobby sizes and adding the ability to join hunts already in progress. Hopefully World will be the entry to finally bring Monster Hunter into the mainstream in the West. I’ve also got my eye on Biomutant, a quirky, open-world action-RPG from THQ Nordic which follows a genetically modified, raccoonlike protagonist in a post-apocalyptic setting. The game promises a huge amount of depth with its variety of mutations which will affect how you play, as well as a large arsenal of inventive weaponry. As for predictions, I think it’s about time Bethesda announced a new Elder Scrolls after running Skyrim into the ground with its many, many ports. And as a wildcard (and huge wishful thinking), I’d love to see a new entry in the Jak and Daxter series - Sony seems to keep teasing us with remasters, so with any luck they’re testing the waters for a revival. Richard Liddle
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nother year flushed to the great S-bend of history and a brand new one ahead of us, full of all kinds of disappointment. Plenty of games to look forward to though, the biggest of which is undoubtedly Red Dead Redemption 2. Though it was slated for release this year, Rockstar made the decision to push Red Dead Redemption 2 back to Spring of 2017 though that has done little to dampen the hype. This warrants caution as does Take Two’s worrying stance on lootboxes but I’m still looking forward to it. Still, 2010’s Red Dead Redemption is widely considered a masterpiece and is one of my favourite games of all time, and I’m eager to see if the sequel matches up to the original. But beyond big names like Red Dead Redemption 2, there are a number of smaller releases worth keeping an eye on. One such game is Vampyr, an RPG developed by Dontnod Entertainment (who also created Life is Strange). Then there is Kingdom Come: Deliverance Deliverance, another RPG set during the Hussite Wars in 1403. Though the graphics do admittedly make it look like The Witcher on a budget, the use of a real historical period in an RPG still has me intrigued. Of course this is a mere snapshot of what’s coming our way, with many more titles scheduled for release next year. Let’s just hope they’re not all shit.
Image: IGDB.com
Gerry Hart
What I’m Playing Metal Gear Solid V Jack Coles takes a very confusing trip back to the Eighties to stealth it up with Snake
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esides the original Devil May Cry and 20 minutes’ worth of somebody else’s Pokémon Teal or whatever, I have never played any Japanese-developed games. I don’t have anything against Japan (that’s the remit of my grandad), it’s more that I grew up playing games with a friend that had an XBox. That changed a couple of weeks ago during the Steam Autumn sale, when MGSV was offered up for cheapsies. I didn’t really know anything about it except it had open environments and lots of missions, so it fulfilled my main criteria for gamebuying. Also it would help me understand some of the memes I’ve been very conspicuously notgetting for two years. Most of the games I own would throw a fit if you didn’t have any gunplay within two minutes (Bioshock Infinite being a key exception). MGSV, on the other hand, spent a good five minutes on just the first cut-scene, while David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” played in the background. It was a further twenty minutes or so before I actually got to fire a gun. “Slow burn” doesn’t do it justice, it’s more like trying to cook a pizza with a candle. Speaking of David Bowie, there’s some 80s-era classics, which can be found on radios in-game, played on your phone, or performed by your helicopter. Seriously. Receiving air support from a gunship blasting “Take on Me” is something that very few games can claim on the back of their box. At time of writing I am only 24% of my way Image: IGDB.com
Image: IGDB.com
through, because I’m that kind of nutjob that will psychotically complete every single side-quest that dares show its face. Based off my total time playing on Steam, I gain 0.8% every hour, so it would stand to reason that the whole game takes around 125 hours to complete, so at least you get your money’s worth if nothing else.
Receiving air support from a gunship blasting “Take On Me” is something very few games can claim to do I can’t help wondering that by skipping out the previous four Metal Gear Solids I missed out on a lot of important backstory. Names and characters
are thrown around like tiddlywinks in a tumble dryer, and it doesn’t help that I don’t know what their names actually are; I’m having to remember people based on how many functioning limbs they have. Seriously. The plot seems to be all over the place. Enemies consist of (in order of ridiculousness) African militias, Soviet occupying forces, a crack squad of soldiers led by a guy with severe face burns, giant death robots, a mostly-naked teleporting female sniper, things that jitter around at triple speed and summon guns from the ether, and a floating ginger kid in a gas mask. This kid appears in every third mission or so and your character (Snake) never mentions it to anyone or shoot it in the face; both very adequate reactions here. I don’t know what to think of MGSV. It’s a bit like Liverpool; vaguely similar to things I’ve seen before, but I can’t understand what the fuck people are on about. Figures.
the courier
@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming/
Monday 11 December 2017
‘Gamers’ Gallery’ - 2017 in Microsoft Paint We asked our writers to recreate the best games of 2017 in Paint - here are the results
Yakuza 0 Michael Hicks
Persona 5 Al Ridley
Wolfenstein II Gerry Hart
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Jordan Oloman
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Richard Liddle
Super Mario Odyssey George Boat�ield
Memory Card - SimCity 4 B
Professional COD players hired to rank Tom Shrimplin tries out some city planning/destroying up gamers’ accounts efore the abysmal 2013 version of SimCity Image: Wikimedia Commons and Colossal Order took over the crown
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n long-running PC MMOs and MOBAs such as World of Warcraft and League of Legends, the idea of players selling high level and item-rich user accounts for real-world money has been around for some time. But now, UK based company Bidvine is allowing people who want to boost their in-game progression and skill ratings to hire professional Call of Duty players. According to Ross Morgan, Bidvine co-founder, “The Call of Duty game franchise is one of the biggest in the world, and every time they release a new game it’s a race to unlock the best weapons, characters and camos – as well as seeing who can prestige first”. For the rate of £15 per hour, the service cuts out the need to sell accounts and allows users to keep their existing profile and multiplayer progress on Call of Duty or indeed any other games. While it isn’t too different from selling accounts, this has raised questions surrounding what should be classed as cheating in online multiplayer. To be clear, this process doesn’t involve hacking into a game to alter it, though it isn’t necessarily honest either. Morgan justifies the service by stating that there are “thousands of people who can help out the more time-strapped gamers among us.” Perhaps this highlights the problems surrounding the state of progression in modern games. Should developers really be encouraged to tack on such time-consuming systems for the sake of making a game seem like better value for the consumer? Padding out content does seem to leave a better impression on those looking to justify a purchase, though if services like what Bidvine is offering are viable, then that also indicates a significant opposing point of view. These are players who may find progression system to be getting in the way of them enjoying a game without restrictions. George Boatfield
for making the best city-builder with the wonderful Cities Skylines, Maxis were kings of the genre and Sim City 4 was top dog. From building a utopian mega-city that real-life city planners can only dream of, to knocking it all down again with thousands and thousands of disasters, SimCity 4 had it all. First of all, the game let you terraform the map to your heart’s content. It was easy enough for me to just waste half a day trying to make a cool volcano island for the hundredth time. But really the freedom in being able to shape the landscape, from mountains to rivers, was a fantastic feature and so it was a terrible mistake for Maxis to not include it in SimCity. After that of course you had the building of the city. Starting off first with roads, before zoning some residential, industrial and commercial areas as well as putting in a few utilities and services, then all of a sudden you had a steady base from which to grow your city. From building a sleepy farming village in the mountains to a gigantic city of New York-size proportions, the world was your oyster. Another fun feature of SimCity 4 came from the Rush Hour expansion pack which let you control vehicles, like trains, helicopters and buses, and complete some missions to unlock reward buildings quicker. One of the missions which I still remember to this day was taking a medical helicopter and giving Jenny “a hand and a heart”, as the game put it. Helicopters were always the most fun thing to control, because of the freedom in being able to look around your city - as long as you dodge any skyscrapers. Road-based vehicles were a lot more difficult to control and travel around in, normally because you messed up when haphazardly placing your roads. With bad planning it was easy enough for the traffic became such a nightmare that you often ended up going off-road in frustration, crashing your car into the river, and failing the mission. Of course, though, half the fun of the game is to destroy your city. Just a click and boom a volcano
has just enveloped your neighbourhood. Seeing the population number plummet as you thump your town with a ton of meteors could bring an immense sense of joy, which is kind of disconcerting when you think about it. But nevertheless, until disasters were added recently into Cities: Skylines they were a big miss. Now taking the nostalgia glasses off, while the game was a blast to play it did have a few issues, normally with the performance on even a semidecent PC. Nothing was more annoying than for your cities’ progress to vanish after your game crashed. Although at least you can load the game back and calm down by taking your frustrations out on the city as you destroy it. Despite these issues though this game will always be fondly remembered by me for the chance to play god and just do what you want to do.
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gaming culture Are games becoming too militarised?
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Image: IGDB.com
ar. What is it good for? Well if one were to go by Edwin Starr, then absolutely nothing. But conflict still lies at the centre of most video games and, particularly in the last ten years, games influenced by contemporary warfare have become more and more common. Games based around contemporary conflict are hardly anything new, but they didn’t really achieve prominence until the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007. Though (shamefully) I’ve yet to play it, I remember CoD 4 taking the world by storm and from there the modern military shooter would come to dominate the market for the next five years. As part of my MA, I’ve been covering the politics of video games and the modern military shooter features heavily in academic literature. Scholars frequently note the exoticisation and thus “othering” of the Middle East as depicted through many of these games’ settings. How many games depict the Middle East as anything other than a warzone? They exist but they’re still a minority. Academics also note how much more “realistic” these games are becoming, with their use of real life weaponry depictions of modern military tactics.
The preeminence of modern military shooter has waned considerably Now I don’t necessarily disagree with the former argument but I do take issue with the latter, because on what planet do you have to be to think modern military shooters even remotely constitute realism? Granted they may draw heavily on the aesthetics of the modern military but the violence depicted within these games is, as in all violent games, nowhere near realistic. The plots of these games are also near uniformly fucking absurd. Remember the bit on Modern Warfare II where Russia invades the United States from the EAST FUCKING COAST?! And that’s just the single player. The average multiplayer experience of being screamed at by someone’s dickhead twelve year old spawn is even more divorced from the realities of 21st century warfare. No, these games are power fantasies and pretty juvenile ones that. I feel part of the problem here is that many scholars have been pursuing this issue from the wrong angle. Various militaries (particularly the United States) have held a keen interest in video games for several decades. As far back as 1980, the US army has used variations of games like Battlezone to train soldiers or as recruitment tools. But gamification is arguably playing a part in modern warfare itself. Drone warfare in particular represents an alarming new development, particularly as it is reported gamers are often recruited as drone pilots due to skills acquired through play. Then there’s cyberwarfare which is conducted in an entirely digital space and the dividing lines between combatant and civilian become blurred. Despite the importance placed upon it, the preeminence of the modern military shooter has waned considerably. Eventually they were often castigated for being overly linear and simplistic, and 2012’s Spec Ops: The Line provided a brilliant critique of the format. Even Call of Duty and Battlefield have moved away from the modern military formula, and are now competing with the likes of Overwatch and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. So perhaps its time stopped asking whether games are too militarised and start asking about the gamification of warfare. Gerry Hart
the courier
@CourierArts thecourieronline.co.uk/arts
c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Monday 11 December 2017 Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas
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arts culture
Image: Pexels
SWEET COLUMN
The joys of handcrafted gifts
Lucy Ann Lillystone comments on the pros and cons of giving handcrafted gifts in December
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t’s finally that time of the year again where I crack open my box full of pens and pencils and decorations and start on my Christmas cards for all my friends. However, hand-crafted gifts do have their disadvantages. For example, with deadlines, do we really have the time to sit down and knit sweaters for our grandparents? Hardly.
So, what are the pros and cons of hand-crafted gifts? On the one hand, when you receive a handcrafted gift or card, you know that someone is thinking of you. You know that they have put the hard work into making that present with you specifically in mind. It adds value, making it more personal. I know when I get a hand-crafted gift, my heart grows 10 times larger for that person, knowing they have spent their time focused on me.
As much as I would love to be artsy for a few hours, sometimes life just says no Also, do you think you could have bought a card with a snowman holding a sign with your name on it from the shop? A gift that has your initials placed on it somewhere? When it comes to hand-crafted gifts, you literally have the ability to make whatever you want. I once got a card with a drawing of me in a bookshop, something I know would NEVER be available at Clinton Cards. It is this special touch that makes hand-crafted gifts and cards just that little bit better. Another amazing thing about hand-made presents is that you as an artist get to showcase your talent. Don’t pretend you don’t love the compliments you get when your friend opens your present. You just don’t get that with your typical action figures or a new laptop. Yet, there are downsides (sadly). Sometimes, not everyone has the skills to make homemade gifts.
What’s On: Christmas Comedy Party @ Dun Cow 11 Dec, 8pm - 11pm
Your best friend just might not be a pro at baking cookies like you are or she just CANNOT do the fiddly work necessary for intricate cards. That’s okay. Not everyone is creative and that’s not a bad thing. There is also the bizarre notion that handcrafted gifts are cheaper than going out and buying the whole box set of your sisters favourite TV show. THIS IS FALSE. Have you ever been in a shop to get some ribbon or fabric? It costs a bomb. Despite my love for the gifts, I always wonder “how much did it cost making this?” Please, friends, don’t spend that much on me! Finally, there is the problem of time. I am a student with increasing deadlines and already deprived of sleep. Having to make hand-crafted gifts for all my family AND friends only adds on to that load and sometimes I just don’t have the time. As much as I would love to sit and be artsty for a couple of hours, sometimes life just says no. If you get something hand-crafted this Christmas, treasure it! They are becoming less and less and as much as I love them, I respect that sometimes, all people have is the shop. And that’s cool, after all: it’s the thought that counts.
There will be snowballs. There will be tinsel. There will be crackers and hats. There will be a buffet. Most importantly there will be disco dancing. With Paula Penman and Tim Mcvicar spinning tunes, delicious boozes and enough Chrimbo cheer to shake a glittery stick at this is one night of the festive season you won’t want to miss.
@TheCourierArts @thecourierarts
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he pantomime! The old great British tradition, where men wear dresses (wow, they really were ahead of their time), every dastardly villain has a terrifying evil laugh and audience participation is a necessity. My love for theatre probably began when I was a little kid going to see the panto with my family. Back then, it was the glitziest, most glamorous, magical show I’d seen. And despite growing up into a self-admitted Scrooge, the pantomime still hasn’t lost its charm for me. What’s to hate about a fun show where you’re encouraged to shout at the stage? In my humble opinion, more shows should allow you to scream “HE’S BEHIND YOU!” whenever the bad guy sneaks on stage. Tales of adventure, jokes and mild comedic danger set the scene for timeless family fun. Pantomimes have definitely become more high tech in recent years – the last ‘Cinderella’ I saw featured the horse and carriage suspended from the ceiling! Some would say they’re not the same, and are now just another festive money-making scheme. But no matter how many tricks and toys they throw at us, the core of them will always remain… Oh no it won’t! … Oh yes it will!
Alice in Wonderland @ Northern Stage
Image: Flickr
Jennifer Cooke reviews Alice in Wonderland at the Northern Stage, that puts a modern musical twist on a childrens’ classic
PHOTOBOX Christmas on Campus GEORGINA HOWLETT
Gail-Nina Anderson, Cinderella @ The Lit and Phil 13 Dec, 6pm - 7pm
The Alphabetti Christmas Party @ Alphabetti 16 Dec, 5pm -1am
CHARLOTTE BOULTON
Image: Vimeo
Their monthly comedy night is back with Newcastle Comedy Society!!
This richly illustrated talk discusses the roots and variant versions of the tale, symbolic and social interp retations and its wide dissemination as book, drama, image, metaphor and even postcard.
Pantomimes
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his play is perfect for the family this Christmas, especially for one with younger children. It was a lively, entertaining event, the carnivalesque atmosphere and staging transported the audience to the interior of wonderland almost immediately. An impressive part of the performance was the live band that was comprised of the cast rotating whenever they were off the main stage, playing incredible modern music throughout the musical. Following from the live band, the play was transformed with some wonderful original songs and many recognisable instrumental musical moments for the audience to enjoy. The cast rotated between characters with the inventive aid of costume changes that were different enough not to confuse the audience, however some of the characters were prominent enough to notice in any role they played, regardless of accessories. The North was clearly an inspiration for this play, with Alice being noticeably Northern, and I was informed that the ‘Jabberwock’ (a looming monster brought to life in the form of dark puppetry in the play) was inspired by a legend from County Durham. This brings the play home and would
make it personal for any individual watching from the North, and being able to establish that connection to a classic novel would help the audience relate to the drama onstage.
The ‘Jabberwock’ was inspired a legend from County Durham The ensemble members were a highlight, engaging with the children whenever they were onstage or nearby, giving the play an inclusive feel, rather than one that was just to be watched. The chess metaphor was used as a motif to link together the action ingeniously notably with the two opposing queens (both of which were formidable performers) acting as counterpoints to one another. Added to this were the many interactive moments, especially towards the end, that ensured that the children are kept part of the experience. Overall this was a wonderful, dynamic performance that would be an excellent evening out for musical lovers.
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very year, the arrival of snow in Newcastle seems to be the ultimate symbol of Christmas properly beginning. Frosty flakes cascade from the sky, people huddle in huge coats, hats, gloves and scarves, and public transport gets utterly unreliable, making getting to university very, very difficult. Once you arrive on campus, though, you’re greeted beautiful white sheets of snow across all the grass banks, icicles dangle from doorways and tree branches, and laughter and snowball fights inevitably ensue. This photograph I took on the very first day of real snow here this year – the 30th of November – and it shows the humble beginnings of this most delightful winter season once again. The snow just beginning to settle, leafless trees prominent against the sky, and the proud Students’ Union sat slap bang in the middle – a hub of Christmas cheer and cringe worthy music for all. Merry Christmas, Courier readers!
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science & technology
Are you Tech-ing the piss? Graphene car batteries
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n a giant leap for soft robotics, origamiinspired artificial muscles have been developed that can lift 1000 times their own weight. And what’s more, they can be made in less than 10 minutes and cost less than a Gregg’s festive bake. Films such as Ex Machina may portray robots with fluid and graceful movement, but in reality robots are clunky as hell. One only needs to watch Channel 4’s The Sexbots Are Coming to see that our current ‘androids’ are about as lifelike as George Osborne. One of the main reasons for this failure to mimic the natural movements of organic beings is the trade-off that must be made between soft and resilient materials. In an ideal scenario, robots could use ‘soft’ machinery to simulate the highly evolved and efficient movements of muscles. But softer materials are weak and fragile – not ideal for machinery. So engineers must instead use rigid and sturdy materials to build their poor imitations of life. Finding a way that would allow robotics to utilise soft materials in their designs would increase flexibility and dexterity in androids and allow a more natural interaction with humans. But it’s not all about making a more realistic sexbot. Soft robotics has huge potential in everything from manufacturing to medicine. Companies around the world have been pumping vast amounts of money into research, experimenting with a range of various materials to crack this detrimental trade off between strength and dexterity. Whilst the field has come a long way over the past decade, this new origami-inspired development could revolutionise the industry
They have an inner ‘skeleton’ that is surrounded by air Researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have created artificial muscles that use only air or water pressure to lift up to 1000 times their own weight. As New Scientist so elegantly described it, that’s “a weight to strength ratio equivalent to a newborn lifting a Land Rover.” Pretty impressive. Even the research team said they were surprised by how good the outcome was and have likened the results to giving robots ‘superpowers’. The artificial muscles are powered by vacuums, which suck air or water out of chambers to contract the ‘muscle’ and drive the motion. They can be made from a range of materials, including metal springs, packing foam and plastic sheets folded into a certain pattern, and can be constructed into various shapes and sizes, but they each follow the same basic principle. They have an inner ‘skeleton’ that is surrounded by air or water and an outer ‘skin’ that seals this inside. When the vacuum is initiated the skin contracts on to the skeleton, which creates tension and drives the motion. It is an incredibly simple yet effective design that relies purely on the shape and composition of the skeleton. These artificial muscles, or ‘actuators’, can generate around six times more force than our muscles can, but they are also nimble enough to pick up a delicate flower from the ground. Their simple design means that a single muscle can be made in under ten minutes and cost less than 75p to produce. “Artificial muscle-like actuators are one of the most important grand challenges in all of engineering,” says Rob Wood, Ph.D., co-author of the findings and Founding Core Faculty member of the Wyss Institute, and Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “Now that we have created actuators with properties similar to natural muscle, we can imagine building almost any robot for almost any task.” Whether that’s an exciting, or terrifying prospect, is up for debate. But either way, a new generation of robots are on the horizon.
Chris Little
the courier
courier.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little & Ciara Ritson-Courtney
Monday 11 December 2017
Quit while you’re ahead Thomas Atkinson pulls apart the many farfetched claims of this modern Victor Frankenstein
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n some of last month’s more bizarre news, Italian brain boffin Sergio claims to have performed the first human head transplant. Could this be the next big thing in the Neuro sphere? Well, probably not. See, the thing is, while he may well have transplanted a head onto a new body, both were – well – dead. It’s a bit like taking the engine out of a car, swapping it into another car and proclaim you were successful without turning the key and making sure the thing runs. At best, this result is academic and at worst deceptive. Canavero has had some purported success before. In January last year, he claimed to have successfully transplanted the head of a monkey. Whilst this is true, the monkey never regained consciousness and its life support was turned off 20 hours after the operation for “ethical reasons”. Even if the monkey had regained consciousness, no-one bothered trying to reconnect the spinal cord so it would have been permanently paralysed. Very successful, then.
He claimed to have successfully transplanted the head of a monkey He also transplanted the head of a rat in May this year. Well, kind of. He had a living rat with a dead head attached to it. Hardly a head ‘transplant’. In fact, all this showed was the viability of a method known as Cephalosomatic Anastomosis which is the process of anaesthetising an animal, cutting its spinal cord and keeping the brain alive until it can be attached to anther body. The head was removed and reattached a number of times. The best part is that this wasn’t even novel. It had been done before in 1970. So, to summarise, Canavero’s progress to date has been to stick a dead head on a mouse multiple times, demonstrating that the head could be preserved when removed and transplant a monkey’s head without it regaining consciousness. This brings us to now. All the dead head wrangling has proven is that it is indeed possible to sow a head onto a body. Sure, it might have its uses in demonstrating that you can keep tissue alive in the head
while you’re operating but it’s a far cry from the patient living a normal life after the op. We’re not even at the stage that they’re alive yet.
You’d have to learn most basic functions from scratch again There are some significant issues with transplanting heads that may mean it’s an implausibility to get working. You don’t need a PhD in Neuroscience or be a Consultant Neurosurgeon to know it’s not trivial to reconnect a head. The neck area is one of the body’s most critical areas. It carries – obviously – sections of the circulatory system, the trachea and the oesophagus. All rather important, but not that difficult to reconnect in the grand scheme of things. The more difficult parts to get reconnected are all the nervous connections. The spinal cord runs right through the neck and any problems with reconnecting that could affect someone’s ability to move, or even make them paralysed. Worse still, basic functions like breathing, heart rate and reflexes are controlled from the brain stem, so if the connections are damaged you’ll at best have severe health problems. There’s also a bunch of muscles that’ll need reconnecting As you can tell, these are all rather important. And they’re not trivial to get right. The spinal cord is a complex tissue, and can’t simply be sown together. Scientists have had some success in repairing a severely damaged cord, but this was not totally severed so there was some material to work with. Also, it was in a child so the nervous system still had some plasticity. Even then, the outcome was considered “borderline miraculous”.
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scientist Dean Burnett puts it in a recent Guardian article “[If] you put the head of [a] musician on the body of a builder, it may well prove to be like trying to play an Xbox game on a PlayStation. Except, infinitely more traumatic.” To make matters even worse, there’s immune system rejection; imagine that, your body attacking your brain. So we still don’t know how to reconnect a head to a body despite the excitement and even if we did we’ve no idea how successful it would be. Let’s just say I’m not holding out for any franken-heads any time soon.
Canavero’s operation to transplant a human head from one corpse to another took 18 hours
Adding even more to the pile of doubt is the fact that the nervous system to some extent develops alongside the brain, so either you’d have to learn most basic functions from scratch again or stuff just wouldn’t work. As Cardiff University Neuro-
Jingle bells, Batman smells Catchy Christmas songs are bad for your mental health, explains Rowena Tylden-Pattenson
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t comes to me as no surprise that Christmas music is bad for your mental health (as a selfconfessed Christmas Grinch). But finally, scientific that proof it really isn’t good for you! Christmas music being bad for you comes down to two main arguments: being played too early, and being played too much. First off, being played too early. Christmas is in December- so I really don’t want to hear it while I’m out looking for Halloween decorations. Jingle Bells being blared over shop speakers doesn’t really go with the spooky Halloween vibe of October, and it’s been found that “you’re simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing” by clinical psychologist Linda Blair. It’s not the right time to start thinking about putting up the Christmas tree, baking mince pies or buying up carrots for Rudolph, so you spend the whole time trying not to think about those things. Christmas becomes the elephant in the room.
The ‘Christmas Creep’ of music is all about encouraging shoppers to spend more The other problem is Christmas tunes being played too often. Constant exposure to “Santa Claus is coming to town” wears you down, with any initial positive Christmas vibes slowly wilting. It should come as no surprise that retail workers suffer from the greatest exposure to Christmas music, both in terms of repetition per day, and
how early the retail sector starts to get ready for “the most important day of the year”. Shops like Debenhams and John Lewis opened their Christmas sections months ago, and I can’t imagine how sick employees must be of Christmas songs by now. Although Christmas tunes can be the opening bell to Christmas cheer, stirring up thoughts of present giving, family and huge Christmas dinners, it can also signal the start of a stressful period of the y e a r. Who do you need to buy presents f o r ?
When are you going to visit your relatives? Do you even want to see your relatives? It’s Christmas, you need to. And you have to buy them presents. Because they always do, even though the only conversation you can muster between yourselves is about the weather and how you’ve gotten so smart. It’s just draining, and those negative thoughts get even more stressful with each new repetition of “All I want for Christmas is you”. So why do shops even play Christmas music as early as they do? The ‘Christmas Creep’ of music
being played earlier and earlier is all to do with encouraging shoppers to spend more. A 2005 study by Washington State University showed that when music is paired with ambient Christmas scents – think cinnamon, spices and mulled wine – shoppers were more likely to leave favourable feedback, spend more time in shops and boost sales. Slow-paced tunes were particularly effective, with shoppers lingering to peruse the festive delights on offer. This comes with the disadvantage of slowly impacting retail workers’ mental health though. Apparently, a price the industry is willing to pay.
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A 2005 study by Washington State University found music paired with Christmas scents positively influenced shoppers
If you’re not forced into listening Christmas music by a retail job, but you’re still not a fan, then that’s okay. With Christmas comes the expectation that it’s everyone’s favourite time of the year, and for some it just isn’t. The holiday can be what you want it to be, whether that’s Christmas decorations and blasting music from 1st December, or something more mellow closer to Christmas Day. Just because someone doesn’t want to be bombarded with festive spirit doesn’t make them a Grinch; perhaps they just celebrate in a different way to you. Perhaps coming home to more carols is too much. So try to be considerate when you’re about to blast Christmas music throughout your house, because someone might have had it for six hours already today.
the courier
@CourierScience thecourieronline.co.uk/science
Monday 11 December 2017
science & technology
Your Christmas 5-a-day Brian Collige calculates how many festive delicacies you must consume to meet your needs
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ollowing on from my article several weeks ago about what could mathematically constitute a “fruit and vegetable portion”, I’ve decided to extend this towards Christmas foods. Once again I am not a dietician, and none of this is recommended by the NHS, or indeed any kind of official body.
Roasted vegetables Let’s start off simple. 80g of cooked vegetables count as one of your 5-a-day; this equates to an entire buttered parsnip, a large-ish whole roast carrot, 7 Brussels sprouts (why), or four tablespoons of cabbage. If you’re feeling fancy, you could have a whole sweet potato for a portion, but regular roast potato (or mash) doesn’t count at all, unfortunately.
You can have a sweet potato, but regular roast potaoes don’t count as a portion Mince pies “Mincemeat” is the filling of mince pies, and formerly contained actual meat. Finding the fruit content of mincemeat is actually quite difficult, due to the sheer variety of recipes available, not to mention how cagey manufacturers are when it comes to divulging these recipes. It seems that about 50% of a mince pie’s weight is due to the mincemeat, and this tends to be mostly apple. Stands to reason that about 160g of mince pies is one of your 5-aday; that’s about 2½ of those little mince pies from a 6-pack.
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Proportion of mincemeat (in mince pies) that is actually meat
Greggs Festive Bake According to the Iceland ingredients list for their frozen Greggs bakes (which are official Greggs produce), the Festive Bake is about 5% sage and onion stuffing, 2% cranberry and red onion relish, and 1% dried cranberries. Overall, this is about 8%
fruit and vegetables. Assuming the overall product is 6% onion and 2% cranberry, each bake contains 9.48g of onion and 3.16g of cranberries. The upshot of this is that you need to eat eight Greggs Festive Bakes to get just one of your 5-a-day. That would cost you £6 (from Iceland), so at least it’s a bit cheaper than some of the other methods outlined here. Christmas Pudding Hands up who likes Christmas pudding! Yep, almost none of you, that’s a pattern I’ve been seeing for the last couple of weeks. Christmas pudding has taken a backseat as the Yule log has taken off in popularity, but at least it can be part of your 5-aday! Sort of. Quantities vary, but the Christmas pudding seems to contain about 30%-40% fruit. We’re talking 200g to 267g per portion, and no, that doesn’t include brandy sauce.
Mulled wine Wine is not one of your 5-a-day. Shocking, I know! Next thing you’ll tell me is that ci-
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0.08%
Th legal drink driving limit in the UK is 0.08%BAC
We take the number of households and multiply that by the number of units for their drink; so after
a warm up 7.8m home brewed units in Wales, Santa whips up to the West coast for 7.5k large whiskeys (11k units). With the combined additions and subtractions Santa’s 30,931,250 units of alcohol will have him very merry by the time he’s dropped off the last of the goodies on Mum’s royal soil. Since not all Brits have been good eggs this year (even Santa sees you George Osborne you human stain) I’m gonna reduce the number by the percentage of people’s who still think Brexit is a good idea, leaving us with an adjusted total of 30,931,247 units. Finally, to work out the BAC we need to consider the quantity of alcohol consumed against the weight of the drinker/ time spent d r i n k i n g . I’ve used t h e measurements of Jeff Bridges as he’s Santa-ish and added a little gut to give us a 6’2, 16st man consuming 5.2billion milligrams of alcohol over 5hrs. In consideration of the length of time spent drinking and Santa’s iron stomach for booze, I’ve halved the final amount to give us a grand total blood alcohol content of 3,866,405.875% - so says maths, so says the internet, with no checks. That’s the calorie equivalent of 6.2m burgers, the big jolly porker, and enough to gain him the cold shoulder from Ms. Claus when he staggers in shamelessly post-work.
Mythbusters: Moon Landing
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n 1969, the world held its breath as it watched Apollo 11 touch down on the surface of the moon. It is regarded as one of the greatest achievements of the human race; a technological marvel that allowed us to leave the confines of our planet and set foot upon a celestial body. But was this one small step for man, really, a giant lie for mankind? Conspiracy theories regarding the lunar landing have been circling for decades. And no matter how much they are debated, or debunked, the idea that the landings were hoaxed can never be put to bed. If there is a consistent truth that runs throughout all the various theories, it’s that the United States had a legitimate reason to fake a moon landing. During the height of the Cold War, the Americans and Soviets were posturing their strength in every way possible. But nothing captured the imagination, and patriotic reverence, of their citizens as much as the Space Race. In the pursuit to gain technological superiority over the other, putting a man on the moon was seen as the ultimate propaganda triumph.
The flag should not be moving in the vacuum of space
Chocolate OK, so nowhere in the NHS guidelines does it say that cocoa beans are one of your 5-a-day, more’s the pity. Having said that, the cocoa bean is a bit like a kidney bean; I’m comparing the two Wikipedia articles right now and they’re pretty similar, except for the inordinate amount of magnesium in the former. Anyway, 80g of kidney beans is one of your 5-a-day, so therefore 80g of cocoa solids is possibly one as well. If you’re eating high-grade chocolate, like 75% cocoa solids (that’s my personal favourite), you’ll need about 107g. If you prefer Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, it’s more like 400g. Taste the diabetes.
Callum Costello maps out Old Saint Nick’s big boozy night out
ake your Higgs-Boson and shove it son, the greatest scientific investigation of the modern age has been completed. The Courier sent up the bat-signal and I duly answered; who better to calculate the science than a guy who resoundingly failed Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English, Sociology, Religious Studies, Citizenship, Drama, French and German at school? My charge was simple; work out the blood alcohol content of Ol’ St. Nick after he’s finished doing the rounds in the UK. All I had to do was take the alcohol content for a glass of sherry and multiply it by the number of households in Great Britain. Simple right? Except not everyone in the UK drinks sherry - in fact I’d say the further north you get the less sherry you’ll find. So first I needed to establish a not at all offensive alcoholic geography of the British Isles; London-kale juice (-1unit per household), South UK outside London-sherry (+1uph), North UK-half drunk can of Carling (+2uph), Scotland dregs of a Super Strength Tennents (+4uph), Hebrides-large whiskey (+1.5uph), N.Ireland-stout topped with alcopop (+3uph), Wales-moonshine (+9uph) and Isle of Wight-a nice glass of goat’s milk (-2uph). So between -2 and 9uph for the approx. 19m households in the UK.
der doesn’t count either! Anyway, 14 grapes make a single fruit portion. Wine requires about 600 grapes per bottle, and these bottles are around 750ml large, that means you need… 17.5ml of wine for a fruit portion. A medium glass of wine has double the number of fruit portions you need! Unfortunately this information is unlikely to be of any use as a) you’re only allowed one fruit/ vegetable portion per day in drink format, and b) many of the nutrients in wine have been filtered out as those bits that nobody wants.
Wine is not one of your 5-a-day. Shocking, I know!
Santa Claus is BAC on the wagon
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Word of the Week:
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Christmas
parkling lights, wreaths, markets, jolly tunes, the aromatic smell of mulled wine… With Christmas not far away, the festive spirit is definitely thick in the air. For some, Christmas simply means the end of the year (or end-of-year sales). For others, it is an important day that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is believed the word ‘Christmas’ originates from Old English Crīstes-mæsse, a shortened form of “Christ’s mass”. But it is also sometimes known as Noël, Xmas or Nativity. Christmas maybe a religious festival, but it is also celebrated by millions of non-Christians all around the globe. While it is not known why Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December, since the month and date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, it is believed the date was chosen because the Romans marked it as the shortest and darkest day of the year (winter solstice). And that following the birth of Jesus Christ (who is identified with the Sun based on the Old Testament) more light was brought into the world (hence, longer days). Apart from the classical, ‘Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christm a s ! ’, there is another phrase commonly heard d u ring Christmas: ‘Bah humbug!’ But, that’s a very different story. Ng Yi Min
Having a motive, however, is not enough to prove guilt. So where do the other accusations come from? One of the most infamous bits of evidence is the film of Buzz Aldrin planting a waving American flag in the surface of the moon. The flag should not be moving in the vacuum of space, which critics say proves the ‘astronauts’ were not really on the moon. Where were they then? Well according to sceptics, they were either filming the sequence in the nirvana of all conspiracies – Area 51 – or they were in Hollywood (obviously). Theorists suggest it was none other than Stanley Kubrick who helped NASA film the iconic sequence. They say the legendary filmmaker’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey proves the technology of the era was capable of producing footage comparable to that of the Apollo landing. It’s so ridiculously farfetched, you kind of want it to be true. But NASA h a v e said the flag simply moved because Aldrin is trying to twist it into the lunar surface. The space agency has provided similarly brief and deft rebuts when responding to other ‘evidence’ too. Why are there no stars in the background? Well, the light from the sun hitting the surface of the moon is just too bright. What about the rock with a letter ‘C’ on it? (Proof it’s a stage prop). That’s simply a stray hair that found its way into the developing process.
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The moon landing was watched by an estimated 600 million people around the world
Perhaps one way to prove if it really ever happened would be to just point a bloody telescope at the moon and see if all the gear NASA left behind is still there. Sadly, however, no telescope on Earth has the capability to discern the equipment that remains on the moon. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), however, has no problem focusing on small objects on the moon. Skimming only 31 miles above the lunar surface, the orbiter was able to capture the sharpest images of the Apollo landing sites ever captured from space. They even show the twists and turns the astronauts made as they walked across the lunar surface. So why are these conspiracy stories still circulating? Well, it’s not only Russian bots that spread fake news. Chris Little
puzzles
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the courier
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Puzzles Dictator Joey Barton Puzzles Editor Alex Hendley Deputy Puzzles Copy Editor Laura Staniforth Deputy Puzzles Copy Assistant James Sproston Deputy Assistant Puzzles Copy Assistant Mark Sleightholm Deputy Puzzles Quality Assurance Auditor Ciara Ritson-Courtney Deputy Personal Assistant to Deputy Puzzles Copy Editor Zoë Godden Deputy Word Order Analyst and Secretary to the Puzzles Editor Jared Moore
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Festive films, scrambled for your entertainment Loan Hemoe Il Old Wife’s Nut Fear Lef Value Lactloy Photts Pums Hacel Race Mirt Mergnils Op Helpers Sex Art Vanity It
Images: Pixabay, Wikipedia
Word pyramid Row 1 German for ‘she’, ‘you’ and ‘they’ Row 2 St ____, Cornish town
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Row 3 Filter out the big lumps Row 4 ______ Wonder Row 5 Of the Christmas period
Odd one out: Who of our festive foursome has never sleighed on the big screen? Images: Wikipedia, Flickr
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Last Week’s Solutions...
1 Host of QI and 15 to 1 (7) 3 _____ Stiles, English World Cup winner (5) 5 Language spoken in Flanders (7) 9 A good day out to see the animals (3) 10 Argentine football club based in Avellaneda (6) 12 Puzzled or bewildered (7) 14 Terminator star (5) 16 Completely different line of thought (7) 18 Large house, often with lands (5) 21 Supercontinent formed 335 million years ago (7) 22 Created the Daleks (6) 23 Don’t forget the anchor, we’re going... (7)
Issue 1361 quiz solutions: Name that Wonder: Chichen Itza Hidden former student: George Clarke (Borg, Sleepy, Opal, Barrage, Hedge, Ewoks, Brace, Ball, Baikal, Scarface, Fake, Sage) K A
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1 Bronze (5) 2 Jordan ___, Bournemouth footballer (3) 3 ____ Kumar, British comedian (4) 4 Brand of flavoured milk (5) 6 Surname of Star Wars creator (5) 7 Dug out of rock (5) 9 Former member of One Direction (4) 11 Harry ____, England’s only hope (4) 12 Gives its name to a famous triangle (7) 13 Acronym: when you intend to get there (3) 15 Lord of the Rings’ talking tree (3) 16 A member of an army (5) 17 A short sleep (3) 19 Spanish for ‘ship’ (4) 20 ____ Bean - Ned Stark (4)
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For Issue 1362 solutions, wait for Issue 1363 in February or contact your local Hendley
Can you use the clues given to discover the name of one of Newcastle StuBrew’s favourite concoctions? 9 5 1
12 10
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Clues... 1 Capital of The Pale, Skyrim 2 To stimulate appetite 3 Weak 4 _____ Du Beke 5 Liverpool’s favourite band 6 More than once 7 Hagrid’s eight legged friend 8 Boasts the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome
Image: Wikipedia
9 Another word for Earth 10 A system of religious belief 11 Characteristic of the reign of 1714-1830, and then of 1910-1952 12 ______ Harwood - TV presenter 13 Town seven miles North-East of Glasgow. Has a Co-Op and a butcher.
Merseyside’s finest has been in charge of the puzzles section for a few months now, following his ban from football back in April. A quick thinker and a stickler for the rules, Joey demands the best from an ever increasing puzzles team on a weekly basis, and thought it about time that he featured in it himself. Find a hidden Barton on another page of this week’s Courier to win our grand prize (yet to be confirmed).
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sport
Monday 11 December 2017
Team Newcastle Sports Personality of
Our panel of judges spent time considering our shortlist of Newcastle's finest sporting heroes. After heated discussions and extensive
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BEN SWYER SAILING
Ben has been with the club since day one of first year (4yrs ago), we both joined team together and since that moment he was always been getting stuck into everything. Moving into second year he took a place on committee and hasn’t left since, fulfilling various roles including team captain and president. During his time as team captain he successfully managed the move from our historic training site at South Shields to our new training ground Derwent Reservoir. Not only this but at the same time being an integral part in the application of a Sports England grant for new team boats, which was successful and he improved the universities ranking within BUSA. Since becoming president Ben has not taken his foot of the gas at all, he really has done everything in his power to improve the club as a whole. The club
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SHONA HASTON
ATHLETICS AND CROSS COUNTRY Cross Country Captain Shona Haston may only be in her second year at Newcastle University but has already shown a phenomenal commitment to her sport and dedication to her teammates. From the moment she set foot in Newcastle from hometown, Teesdale, Haston threw herself into sporting life. An unwavering commitment as a Fresher not only saw her consistently perform out of her skin but the Mechanical Engineering student was also voted Runner of the Year at the Newcastle University Athletics and Cross Country Summer Ball. Last year’s Cross Country Captain, Susie Shiel-Rankin recalls: “Taking every session, race and social in her stride from day one, Shona’s dedication to our team has been second to none. It’s been wonderful to see her confidence in her performance grow and flourish as a popular member of the team. It’s an absolute pleasure to have run on the same team as her.” When not getting the kilometres under her belt, Haston is regularly seen at the club’s socials. Although these events may seem to hardly be a chore, her enthusiasm to embrace all aspects of NUAXC life has allowed het to forge strong relationships with members on both sides of the club and gain a tremendous amount of respect. has three main sectors to it; team, social and yachting. Under his presidency all have grown strongly, this is down to his great team leadership with the committee. With Ben at the helm the club has turned its finances around and is now looking very healthy and in a great position to grow, club membership is now in triple figures which it hasn’t been since I’ve been at university and we are now the number one university sailing club in the North.
Ben's foresight and drive led to 50 inner city disadvantaged sailing at Derwent reservoir This year Ben sits as the chair of the BUSA northern universities committee, flying the Newcastle flag and ensure that all the northern universities get the
best out of BUSA. However his achievements extend further than just the team sector of the club, Ben has been a champion with promoting social sailing and yachting. Last year I worked closely with him to make our club one of few in the country that offers boating course that can result in our members and all students of the university receiving internationally recognised boating certification. He has also worked tirelessly to get the club out into the wider community, outside of the university. Last year we took 50 inner city disadvantaged children sailing at Derwent Reservoir with resounding success, again all initiated by Ben’s foresight and drive. I hope that this description of what Ben has done for the university sailing club gives you a taste of what he has achieved in his time here. The committee, club and I all hold him in great esteem and we all truly believe that he would be a more than worthy recipient of the sports personality of the year award. James Sparks
The 2017-18 academic year sees Shona step up to become Cross Country Captain, alongside James Anthoney. Due to the fact that Cross Country only have a volunteer coach once a week, Shona regularly takes charge of training sessions and does so with aplomb. She is always in discussion with Anthoney to make sessions enjoyable as well as working with conditions and any injuries that members may have. However, more than anything, Shona is an absolute joy to train with. Her cheerful determination when faced with a gruelling track session or relentless rain goes a very long way in team morale and performance.
It’s quite evident that without Shona, the X Country team wouldn’t be able to train or compete Shona’s role also sees her organise races across the country, including Edinburgh, Leeds and London. Transport for these events can also be difficult so Haston has taken it upon herself to drive the squad all across the nation to allow them to compete. Driving a large number of people is a huge responsibility and means that Shona must sometimes step back at post-race socials in order to
MARIA PREGNOLATO BASKETBALL
Maria is one of those people that you always want to be around - she is hardworking, motivating and supportive. Maria tore her ACL during the heart of last years' season and has used her injury as fuel to come back stronger this season. She has gone above and beyond what is required of her in terms of supporting her team and working hard toward joining us on the court once again. Despite her injury, Maria has done her best to attend every strength and
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make sure she is in the perfect condition to get the club back home the morning afterwards. NUAXC President, Katie Travers says: “Shona has truly been an inspiration for all athletes in NUAXC. She has been successful in guiding new athletes and regularly leading sessions. I am proud to have the privilege to work alongside her.” On top of all of this, Shona has been battling her own personal demons with a long-term shin injury. However, somehow, she has still managed to compete to the highest ability. When the injury is too severe to run, there is no chance that Shona will disappear. No matter her own fitness, she will continue to turn up to training and races to cheer on others, often coming straight from her own gym session to aid injury rehab. To see Shona so determined to overcome her own personal adversity really does inspire her teammates and her genuine care that the squad’s sessions should go ahead whatever deserves to be recognised. The University’s Cross Country team is an official member of the AU but is run single-handedly by the Cross Country Captains. It’s quite evident that without Shona, the Cross Country team wouldn’t be able to train or compete. Carrying this burden selflessly and dealing with the physical and mental strains of it is why Shona Haston deserves to be Sports Personality of the Year! Toby Bryant conditioning session as well as training sessions, despite the fact that she could not participate until very recently. Her encouragement on the sidelines and positive attitude during games is unprecedented and her character is infectious - she has even made long treks to attend our away games, despite the face that the bus rides are long and attendance is not mandatory. Not to mention, Maria has brought treats for the team and suggested team bonding events to bring us together and keep us in good spirits. I know for a fact every person in the club appreciates Maria and backs her nomination as Sports Personality of the Year. Courtney Strait
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sport
Monday 11 December 2017
the Year 2017: Top 10 Goodbye Ron
deliberation, it's time to reveal the shortlist and announce the judges' top three
SARAH POYNTZ WATER POLO
Sarah joined NUWPC in her first year of university, in September 2015, having previously played polo for several years in her home town of Sheffield. Since then, she has been an essential member of the first team for three years. Playing on the top of the arc she works hard to assist several goal scoring opportunities, as well as throwing a few in herself, scoring over 10 goals in 5 apear-
ances this season, and is ever reliable on the defence. She is a true team player and always brings out the best in other players. Her role as first team captain this year has highlighted her abilities as a great leader and true role model. Her tactical understanding of the game has helped develop the way the team plays. She has also taken on responsibilities of coaching many training sessions, giving girls who have never played polo before the opportunity to learn the game in a fun and positive way. Megan Lord
KAMIL AIMAN SEPAK TAKRAW
Kamil is a brilliant addition to the Sepak Takraw Club in all aspects. He is a natural at the game, playing to a very high standard, however much more important is his commitment, always showing up to play and coach. He
HARRY GLOVER RUGBY UNION
Harry is in his second year of Newcastle studying Politics. He has represented England 7s at six tournaments and has two more upcoming events this year in Dubai and Cape Town. He was part of the England Team last year when they won Silver and Bronze in London and Singapore respectively, contributing to them finishing second in the World Series. Harry has also been an integral
Jason has been an avid member of Newcastle University Rugby League since his first year. Since then he has honed his skills a a player which has propelled him to stardom. Have only started playing rugby at the age of 14, he has worked tremendously hard at his game and now has a long list of success which include a part time, semi-pro contract with Coventry Bears, selection for the North East Regional Team and, most impressively,
NETBALL
Our Vice-President Beth works really hard both on and off the court to make netball a fun and enjoyable environment for everyone within the club. She is a valuable member of our 1st team, regularly sinking game-winning shots and encouraging everyone on court. Queen of the social rap battles, you'll find her on the Soho/Sinners/Tiger
DARTS
CANOE
Michael Dunsmore
Hollie Joyce and Mia Day
Joe has made a number of contributions to the club. His performance has improved so much that he's gone all the way from a second team regular to second team captain, with his “promotion” to this post being a particular highlight. He also organises tournaments, sweepstakes and other events. Joe is such a
Nick gas recently won Team Newcastle a gold medal (among various silver and bronze medals) at BUCS WWR, helping the Club finish second overall. He has been influential in training members of BUCS events over the last year. Nick is not a committee member but has taken
selection for England Students recently competing at the Student Rugby World Cup in Australia over the summer. As well as being an exceptional player, Jason has been a prominent member of the club. He has help numerous committee positions: last year he was first team captain and club secretary; and this year chosen to be the co-president alongside Nick Galvin. Jason is an amazing player, a triumphant president and a great friend. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award.
route every Wednesday making sure all the freshers are looked after and having a good time. Beth's love and enthusiasm for NUNC extends off the court and is demonstrated by her dedication to organising both intra-mural umpiring week in week out, sorting out our BUCS umpires and helping out at the last minute Beth's commitment is second to none and she will be greatly missed if she goes on a year abroad to Canada.
JOE HOPKINS
NICK BENNETT
is a key part of the team, always trying to help others improve their game, and bringing a competitive; but very friendly and fun feel to the matches. In a relatively small club, we focus on enjoying the game, having a laugh and a bit of fun twice a week, and Kamil represents exactly that. Dan Aston
Jack Pennell
RUGBY LEAGUE
BETH MARRON
Everton fan Dan Haygarth gives his opinion about their terrible start to the season, Ronald Koeman's sacking and Sam Allardyce's arrival
part to our 7s programme last year taking up a player and coaching role at training. He has also provided much flare and prowess to our 1st XV this year and helping them stride the top of the table and on target to reach the Super League Playoffs. Harry alongside 15 friends has also been a part of raising £12,000 for Brave the Shave which is a charity that raises money for people living with cancer. This is why we believe Harry is worthy of the big prize.
jASON BASS
various younger members under his wing and trained them to be fantastic kayakers. In addition to this he frequently ran morning training sessions despite this not being his responsibility and has helped instil a competitive ethos within the club. He's just generally a top guy, great coach and brilliant member of Team Newcastle. Dan O'Donnell
Hello Big Sam
character that he makes great content to be included in memes kindly put together by the club.In the 2s recent game against Leeds with the score at 5-5, he lost the deciding game himself as to not hurt his young team members' feelings. Joe gets an attitude as a "miserable" person, but this is massively unjust. He is always smiling, laughing, joking, and is a role model to us all. Chris Walton
Sam Allardyce’s appointment as manager of Everton was met with much derision from the Goodison faithful. A specialist in avoiding relegation and known for his unattractive, no-nonsense style of football, ‘Big Sam’ seemed to be at odds with the ‘project’ being built by Farhad Moshiri’s investment. However, before the announcement of Allardyce as manager and a crucial 4-0 victory over West Ham in the final game of David Unsworth’s extended spell as Caretaker Manager, Everton were in a bona-fide relegation battle. An appalling 5-1 home defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League was swiftly followed by a 4-1 loss at Southampton, which left the club languishing in 16th in the Premier League table - a mere two points above the relegation zone. Despite only ever being relegated twice, most recently in 1951, Everton are no strangers to a relegation battle and spent much of the 1990s flirting with the Second Division. This, however, should be a thing of the past. Since the start of the David Moyes era, the club have consistently finished in the top half of the table and challenged for European qualification. After slipping into the relegation zone following October’s 5-2 defeat to Arsenal, Ronald Koeman’s dismissal could not have come sooner for most Evertonians. In spite of guiding the club to a solid seventh place finish and Europa League qualification (that went well) last season, the Dutchman’s uninspiring £150 million spending spree and a dismal start to the season lost him the confidence of the players, fans and the board. As an Everton season ticket holder, I have seen more than my fair share of dreadful football, but it never was as bad as this season under Koeman. His team lacked passion, fight and desire; but most importantly, were very easy to beat. Insipid home defeats to Tottenham, Burnley and Lyon defined the club’s start to the season, as they could not buy a goal, but found it very easy to concede them. Beyond Koeman’s poor management and lack of tactical nous, there were many factors for Everton’s nightmare start. Allowing veteran midfielder Gareth Barry to leave for West Brom was a mistake – the Everton midfield have shown very little stability without the former England international. Most significantly, the sale of Romelu Lukaku, while inevitable, was critical. Considerably the best player I have seen play for the club in my lifetime, the Belgian provided Everton with a serious goal threat and his twenty-six goals last season carried Koeman’s team into a much higher league position than they deserved. His absence is glaringly obvious and apart from the revitalised Wayne Rooney and possibly Oumar Niasse, Everton lack genuine goal scoring options. As long as Kevin Mirallas and Sandro Ramirez are in contention for places, the club
will struggle to replace Lukaku’s goals. The way in which Koeman invested the £90 million transfer fee for Lukaku was as much as a problem as the loss of the player himself. Michael Keane is yet to show any sort of form that would justify his £25 million price tag, Davy Klaassen has not been given a chance to show his true quality, and despite his recent form, the fee of £50 million for Gylfi Sigurðsson still seems ludicrous. The return of Wayne Rooney and the capture of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford have been the most successful of Everton’s dealings. Rooney’s hattrick against West Ham was crucial, while his vision and calmness on the ball in midfield have been vital for the Blues in recent matches. Frequently let down by his inept defence, that amazingly still includes Ashley Williams, Pickford has conceded a lot of goals this season, but has performed admirably and thoroughly deserved his England call-up. With the appointment of Allardyce, the Everton board are clearly thinking in the short term. His eighteen-month contract indicates that the priority is to keep Everton in the Premier League this season and his record shows that he is the best man for that job. Things have started well, the West Ham victory on the day of his announcement and a tidy 2-0 win against Huddersfield in Allardyce’s first game in charge sent the club up to tenth in the league table, relieving much of the pressure and proving how tight it is in the bottom half. Nevertheless, after Liverpool (presumably, at the time of going to print) hammer Everton at Anfield in Sunday’s Merseyside derby, things could look rough again for the Blues. I highly doubt that he will remain Everton manager for any longer than the remainder of the season, but for now, Allardyce and Everton are a marriage of convenience – there’s no love here, merely necessity. Nevertheless, after the nightmare start, if Everton put the problems of the Koeman era to bed and steer clear from the relegation zone, Big Sam will have done his job. Here’s hoping we don’t start next season with an away trip to Craven Cottage.
Images: Wikimedia Commons
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Monday 11 December 2017
Dodgeballers crowned Kings of the North East DODGEBALL Mark Sleightholm at Middlesbrough Sports Village
The A Team raced to a strong mid-table finish Image: NUAXC
Muddy relay tests NUAXC CROSS COUNTRY Toby Bryant at West Park Newcastle University Cross Country Club capped off what has been a tough semester of training at the testing Leeds Cross Country Relays on 2 December. Five teams headed down to the county of Yorkshire to take on the likes of Leeds, Loughborough, Nottingham and York Universities on a scenic, but squelchy, mud bath of a course. The afternoon started with the Women’s A and B teams getting their elbows out at the start line. The A Team of Rebecca Charlton, Clara Pettitt and Shona Haston finished 15th out of 33 teams, with Haston claiming the fastest lap of the trio to beat sides from Durham, Sheffield and Leeds. The Women’s B Team also performed well with Julia Smith demonstrating her tactical prowess around corners. Shortly after the women had crossed the line, it was the turn of the Men’s A and B Teams along with the Mixed Team. Devon Stead was the quickest round from the club with a time of 11:47 on the 3.2 kilometre course whilst youngster Sam Hansen posted an impressive 11:55. The Men’s A Team triumphed over Manchester University but will have their sights set on Sheffield Hallam later this year after being narrowly beat, placing 30th out of 56. The Men’s B Team consisted of a formidable foursome of Jack Holmes, Sean Haycock, Toby Bryant and Alex Peck. The in-club Holmes-Haycock rivalry took another twist with the former completing his lap four seconds quicker, no doubt pleased after losing out to Haycock at Edinburgh two-weeks earlier. Special mentions must also go to the Mixed Team’s Andrew Dixon and James Whitmore, as well as James Anthoney and Jack Holmes who completed the course twice after last-minute drop outs. Cross Country captain Anthoney reflected on the day: “It was a really strong race from everyone. I think people really pushed on when racing in a team to post strong times.” All eyes and legs are now geared towards BUCS in February, the biggest race of the year!
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Mix1 v Lancaster 1sts
BADMINTON
M1 v Hull 1sts W1 v Nottingham 1sts W2 v Leeds Beckett 1sts
BASKETBALL
M1 v Northumbria 1sts M2 v Durham 3rds M3 v Leeds 3rds W1 v Northumbria 1sts W2 v Hull 1sts
One of Newcastle’s newest sports clubs kicked off their season with an outstanding performance in their first competition. Despite only joining the Athletic Union in September, the Newcastle Kings travelled to Middlesbrough for the North East Open on 2 December. The Kings were very much the underdogs, up against a team from Sunderland University, two teams of Hartlepool Mavericks and the Borough Bombers. These more established teams had previous competitive experience to fall back on, but the fresh-faced Kings quickly made their mark on the tournament. As the first few matches went the Kings’ way their confidence grew, and the newcomers started to dominate proceedings. Their expected defeat never quite came, and they finished the afternoon at the top of the table, unbeaten. Their coordination as a team and ability to perform under the pressure of competition stands them in good stead for the rest of the season. With more tournaments coming up after Christmas, the club hopes to enter multiple teams at future competitions and continue their rise up the rankings.
The Newcastle Kings dodging balls in their debut appearance Image: Newcastle University Dodgeball Club
Chemical Engineers continue campus dominance CAMPUS SPORT TOURNAMENT
Mark Sleightholm at the Sports Centre Chemical Engineers won their second Campus Sport Tournament, finishing 25 points clear of their nearest rivals. The twice-yearly tournaments allow societies and groups of friends to take compete in a series of sports over the course of a weekend, with the scores
totalled up to crown the overall winner. The Chem Eng team, who also won 2016’s Winter Tournament, came out on top with 300 points, with Medics and the Law team both on 275. The Engineers tried their hands at dodgeball, badminton and netball, but it was in the 5-a-side football that they really demonstrated their expertise. A closely-fought final against disciplinary rivals Chem Soc saw Chem Eng ended with a penalty shoot-out, with Chem
Chem Eng performed well all round, but it was in 5-a-side that they really excelled Image: Inclusive Newcastle
BUCS RESULTS 56-6 7-1 1-7 3-5 74-86 71-52 77-52 79-66 64-49
FENCING
M1 v Durham 1sts M2 v Bradford 1sts M3 v Hull 1sts W2 v W3
FOOTBALL
M2 v York St Johns 1sts W1 v Sheffield 1sts W2 v Bradford 1sts
FUTSAL
77-133 132-72 81-135 130-107 6-0 1-0 7-0
M1 v Edge Hill 4-4 (EH win pens) M2 v Teesside 1sts 3-4
GOLF
Mix1 v UCLAN 2nds Mix2 v Durham 3rds
HOCKEY
M1 v Liverpool JM 1sts M2 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds M3 v Durham 5ths W2 v Sheffield 2nds W4 v Leeds 4ths
NETBALL
W2 v York St John 1sts W4 v W3
0.5-5.5 1-5 3-3 5-5 2-0 1-0 4-0 47-37 30-26
Eng’s precision giving them an eventual 6-5 victory. In the badminton Chem Eng could only manage second place, behind an undefeated team of Medics, who also claimed the victory in the netball, over a team made up of members of the University’s own netball team, no less. Everpresent at the top of the table, Chem Eng snuck in to third place to add to their overall points tally. They also progressed through to the final of the dodgeball competition, but lost out to dodgeball-specialists Social Dodge in the final to the tune of 3-0. A third place finish for the Tennis team contributed to their eventual tournament total of 180 points, which saw them come fourth in the final rankings. With minimal entry costs and all the action taking place over two days, the Campus Sport Tournaments provide an opportunity for students of all abilities to get involved in competitive sport without needing to make a major commitment. The emphasis on fun and on trying something new sits comfortably alongside the competitive atmosphere of the tournament, which is organised jointly by NUSU’s Liam Isaac and Denis Murphy, Participation and Events Manager at the Sports Centre. Isaac reflected on the most recent tournament – the fourth since the programme began last year: “Overall the weekend was a great success, it was very competitive in all four sports but played
RUGBY UNION
M1 v Durham 2nds M3 v Leeds Beckett 3rds M4 v York St Johns 1sts W1 v Durham 1sts W2 v Bradford 1sts
SQUASH
M3 v Hull 1sts W1 v Sheffield 1sts W2 v Durham 3rds
17-26 24-26 43-5 0-66 22-43 0-3 4-0 2-2
in a fun environment with teams really embracing the concept of competing across several sports.” The seven teams competing at the weekend were required to take part in at least three of the four sports on offer, but Chem Eng’s top-four finish in every sport demonstrates their superior performance throughout the tournament. So far each of the four tournaments has been won be either Chemical or Mechanical Engineers, with only a suddendeath rounders playoff able to separate them in the 2017 Summer Tournament.
Mech Eng vs Chem Eng at Campus Sport Tournaments Summer 2016 Mech Eng 1st; Chem Eng 7th 100 points between them Winter 2016 Chem Eng 1st; Mech Eng 2nd 85 points between them Summer 2017 Mech Eng 1st; Chem Eng 2nd 0 points between them; Mech Eng win sudden-death rounders playoff to take title Winter 2017 Chem Eng 1st; Mech Eng absent
Isaac continued: “Myself and Denis Murphy would like to thank all teams who got involved and welcome additional teams to join the next Campus Sport Tournament taking place 9-11 March 2018.”
VOLLEYBALL
W1 v Edinburgh 1sts
WATER POLO
W2 v Durham 3rds
3-0 16-4
OVERALL BUCS POSITION Pos
University
9
Northumbria ■
1499
11-6 8-9
10
Cardiff ■
1419
11
Newcastle ■
1363
M1 v Northumbria 1sts 0-10 M2 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts 6-6 W1 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts w/o Ncl
12
Notts Trent ■
1270
13
Manchester ■
1247
TABLE TENNIS
M1 v Northumbria 1sts M2 v Hull 1sts
TENNIS
Pts
sport the courier
Monday 11 December 2017 Issue 1362 Free @Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Sport Editors Mark Sleightholm, Courtney Strait, Tom Shrimplin, Matt Proctor, Sydney Isaacs & Joe Hamblin
Inside Sport today >>>
TEAM NEWCASTLE SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR This year’s winner is announced Page 32-33
KINGS CROWNED THE EXPERTS IN BALL-DODGING CAMPUS SPORT TOURNAMENT Which society took the title? Page 35
Dodgeball Club storm to victory in their first tournament Page 35
Riding Club gallop to victory
Both Newcastle teams earned places high in the overall rankings Image: Newcastle University Riding Club
RIDING Ella Fraser at Stepney Bank On Wednesday 6 December the competition for the A team was at Stepney Bank, Northumbria’s home training center. We faced tough opponents from both Northumbria and Teeside. The day started on excellent form from all the team members producing four solid dressage tests. Both Katherine and Helen won on their horses. Ella was only 1.5 marks from the leader and Lucy 13 marks putting us into second place after the first phase, only 10 marks behind Northumbria. We were then provided a delicious
lunch before starting the second phase. Next was the jumping and again the team stepped up to the mark. Helen, Ella and Lucy all did beautiful clear rounds riding with both maturity and confidence. Ella and Lucy both won on their horses and Helen was only one mark behind the leader. Katherine had a tricky time resulting in two unfortunate refusals at the second part of the double adding a costly 20 penalties to her score. Thankfully she was not the only rider to struggle on the horse and therefore all the teams were affected. Overall we finished in second place behind Northumbria and individually Helen finished 3rd, Ella 4th, Lucy 8th and Katherine 9th. A huge thank you
to Northumbria for running a very successful and well organised competition and for Stepney Bank equestrian center for hosting us all. We are already looking forward to our next competition in February at Teeside!
Everyone jumped in to help and the B team secured first place against Durham and Teeside The B team’s home competition also ran on the same day, and with the A
team away at Northumbria we were a little short of help. This proved no obstacle though as everyone jumped in to help and the B team secured first place against Durham and Teeside! Holly, Jess and Claudia all led after dressage, with Holly having the best score of the day despite a rather challenging horse. Rachel rode Polly who decided she didn’t want to make it easy for her and needed a lot of leg, but Rachel rode her fantastically and got her going well, leaving Team Newcastle on an excellent score of just 5 penalties before the show jumping, in the lead by 20 points. In the jumping phase the pressure was on to stay on top, but the girls kept up
the good work and Jess, Claudia and Rachel all scored the highest on their horses, leaving Newcastle on a score of just 25 points, far in the lead of both Durham and Teeside. Everyone rode a near perfect round, with Holly and Dario knocking just one fence due to Dario’s excited bucking at being allowed to show jump again, but they redeemed themselves with good style marks. All the girls performed excellently and the helpers were great, allowing the day to run smoothly and everything was a success. As well as wining as a team, Jess won individually, Claudia came 3rd, Rachel 4th and Holly 7th. Well done everyone!