Courier 1400 by The Courier Online

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Music Musicians’ contribution to climate change is ‘plane’ obvious Page 23

Monday 2 December 2019 Issue 1400 Free

Travel Europe’s most magical Christmas markets Page 18

Comment General election: the battle of the manifestos Pages 8-9

NU criticised over stalking scandal Est 1948

The independent voice of Newcastle students

Em Richardson News Editor Newcastle University is embroiled in controversy over its treatment of a student convicted of stalking his ex-girlfriend, as well as distributing “revenge porn”, after the breakdown of their relationship. The anonymous victim, referred to in The Tab using the pseudonym Amy, met fellow Newcastle student Jefferson Young during her first year of university. They entered into an on-off relationship, during which the victim witnessed Young engaging in threatening

and abusive behaviour, including breaking her possessions. Amy claims to have ended the relationship after Young pulled her across the road by her hair. After their relationship ended, Young bombarded Amy with messages. According to The Tab, these messages included claims that Amy was the reason for Young’s low self-esteem. In one message, he tells her: “… you’re the main fucking reason I feel so shit about myself I actually hate myself [SIC] for ever caring about you and still caring, fuck off I hate you.” The two lived in the same university halls, meaning Amy found it difficult to avoid un-

pleasant run-ins with her ex-boyfriend. The messages soon escalated into even more worrying behaviour, with Amy’s expartner creating new social media accounts, with the sole purpose of using them to contact her. When he discovered that Amy had a new boyfriend, Young sent a sexually explicit video of Amy to her new partner, hence he is also guilty of distributing ‘revenge porn’. He claimed to be “a better shag” than Amy’s new boyfriend, citing the video as proof of his sexual prowess. A few months later, Amy and Young attended the same social event, where he was

NU students in Hong Kong allowed to return from year abroad early - page 4 Can we as students do more to help? - Comment, page 8 Image: Carl Smith Valdez

witnessed shouting abuse at Amy and her friends. He also turned up at Amy’s home. She contacted law enforcement in June 2018, after her ex-boyfriend appeared at her place of work. Amy also notified university officials of the situation, as she sought guidance. The University’s Student Disciplinary Procedure states that students breach the code of conduct if they engage in “any sexual misconduct/sexual impropriety, including, but not limited to, non-consensual sexual activity, sexual violence, assault, harassment, and stalking.” The University similarly claims that “violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or

offensive behaviour or language whilst on or off University premises” and harassment constitute violations of the code of conduct. In accordance with the Universities UK Changing the Culture guidance, Newcastle University introduced the Changing the Culture project to investigate sexual misconduct, harassment and hate crime. In October 2018, Young appeared in court, accused of stalking and the distribution of revenge porn, and was given both a restraining order from Amy, and twelve months’ community service. He pleaded guilty to all of the accusations. Continued inside on page 3

the courier

thecourier Editor Grace Dean Deputy Editor Molly Greeves Online Editor Tom Hardwick Resident Courier Cupid Jess Herbert

Current Affairs News 3

courier.news@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Aimee Seddon, Carl Smith Valdez, Em Richardson, Emma McLaren & Sophie Wilson

Comment 8

courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Aastha Malik, Joe Molander & Kelly Corcoran

Life & Style

Life & Style Editor: Nimra Rafique

Lifestyle 11

c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Catherine Entwistle, Cecilia Adamou, Holly Margerrison & Jess Herbert

Fashion 14

c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Kajal Patel, Phoebe Eyles & Shamara Mohsin

Beauty 17

courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Ellie James & Rashida Campbell-Allen

Travel 18

courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Amy Harris, Beth Robson & Meggie Williams

Food 21

editor.union@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Amanda Goh & Cayla Viner

Culture

Culture Editors: Charlotte Boulton & Ella Williams

Music 22

c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Dom Lee, Jagoda Waszkowiak & Joe Smith

Television 24

c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Amy Brown, Sophie Hicks & William Junior

Film 26

c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Elisabetta Pulcini, Gretchen, Joe Holloran, Lucy Lillystone & Steven Ross

Arts 28

c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Caitlin Rawlings, Charlotte Slinger & Lauren Sneath

Gaming 30

courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Alex Darbyshire, George Boatfield, James Troughton & Shawn Khoo

Science 32

c2.science@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Eleanor Gratton, Patrick Harland & Seshadhri Subramanian

Puzzles 35

editor.union@ncl.ac.uk Editor: Emma Dawson

Monday 2 December 2019

A note from the editor Newfess of the week

How are we almost at the end of 2019? This year has really whizzed by, and my Christmas shopping is yet to begin (sorry Secret Santa). A lot has happened on campus this last week. We’re now onto the second week of strikes, and for many third year students this is the second bout of strikes they’re encountered during their studies. On Thursday, students across campus were shocked to discover that an anonymous student, referred to only as Amy, had to suffer from the knowledge that her convicted stalker was allowed to continue studying on the same campus as her despite having a restraining order. You can read our coverage of the Tab’s investigation on the cover and on page three. Elsewhere on campus, Fight Night returned to Venue. On Thursday night we saw 27 students fight it out in 14 boxing matches. Read our coverage on pages 38 and 39. Happy reading and enjoy your week!

I’ll be honest: this Newfess single-handedly ruined my night. There I was, enjoying the fantastic NUTV and NSR coverage of Fight Night in the warmth of my bedroom, having a splendid time. Had a cheeky scroll through Facebook and I see this Newfess. Suddenly, I’m struck by the overpowering craving for festive bakewells. Off I trek into the freezing cold in search of a Christmassy treat, which my corner shop didn’t have. So to whoever wrote this, fuck you. Also, festive bakewells are far superior to Greggs’ festive bakes (especially as a veggie).

Grace Dean

NSR Show of the Week

TAYLOR AND ALEX’S JAZZ HOUR

Mon 11pm-12am They’re called Monday blues for a reason. Taylor and Alex want to turn this sentiment on its head, compiling blues, jazz, funk and soul into an hour of easy listening. From trad jazz classics to the funkiest of basslines, Taylor and Alex’s Jazz Hour is a soothing balm at the end of your hectic Monday schedule. Whether you’re in bed with a biccy, revising in the Robbo, or shagging on the sofa, Taylor and Alex will be there shooting the breeze about life, inspiration and of course, music. With a change of theme each week, you can be sure that there’s always something you’ll enjoy coming up on their playlists, which are all available on Spotify after the show. You can be sure that your Monday evenings will be relaxed ones. Tune in at 11pm every Monday to blow your blues away.

From the archives Grace Dean looks through the archives to trace Newcastle’s campus history

Sport 36

Head of Sport: Rebecca Johnson courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Rory Ewart, Stan Gilyead, Toby Bryant & Tom Moorcroft

Editor: Grace Dean

The Courier, NUSU, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB Tel: 0191 239 3940 Email: editor.union@ncl.ac.uk The Courier is printed by: Trinity Mirror Printing, Barton Road, Riverside Park Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, TS2 1UT 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.

Get involved in student media Established in 1948, the Courier is the fully independent weekly student newspaper of the Students’ Union at Newcastle University produced by students, for students. Any Newcastle University student can write for the Courier and it’s never too late to get involved as a writer, illustrator or photographer. Although we only have one print issue left of 2019, you can continue writing for us over the Christmas holidays via our Facebook groups; simply search ‘the Courier 2019/20’ and the name of the section you’re interested in. For more information, visit thecourieronline.co.uk, or email editor.union@ncl. ac.uk or the relevant section email listed above. Our next print edition will be available on campus on Monday 9 December. Newcastle Student Radio (NSR) is our award-winning radio station run by students, for students. On air since 1997, NSR runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week with shows ranging from music to comedy, politics, sport and news. We have a wide range of opportunities to learn the tricks of the radio trade, from hosting your own show to event organisation and live punditry, and you don’t need any experience to get involved. For more information visit the NSR Facebook page and listen live at nsrlive.co.uk. NUTV is our high-action, fast-paced television branch. Founded in 2010, NUTV produces both on-demand and live broadcasts, covering current affairs, entertainment, music and sports, allowing students to experience the world of TV production. Whether you want to present on camera, direct and produce from behind the scenes, flex your editing muscles, or write and develop ideas, check out NUTV. For more information, email nutv.union@ncl.ac.uk.

Image: L. Mackenzie

68 YEARS AGO

Prince Philip visits

The Duke of Edinburgh opened the Stephenson Building for Engineering students. In what was described as a “gay and colourful” ceremony, gowned professors and students welcomed the Duke, who the paper said “must have felt very much at home amongst this fantasia of pipes and girders”.

9 YEARS AGO

Fine Arts occupied

The University was accused of cheating potential students by hiking its entry requirements. 13 courses at Newcastle raised their entry requirements for 2011 entry after the University published its new prospectus for prospective students wanting to start studying that year, including five courses for which applications had already opened. This means that many had applied for these courses using the wrong entry requirements as guidelines. In an ongoing occupation of the Fine Arts Building, 15 students marched into King’s Gate to express their disgust at higher education cuts and proposed tuition fee increases. The building had to be shut for two hours after the students laid down in the foyer with their mouths duct-taped shut. Two days later, a group of students, including one dressed as a cat, walked into the building armed with 9000 fake one pound notes adorned with the Vice-Chancellor’s face, which represented the proposed new tuition fees. The students threw the money in the air while the “fat cat” rolled, miaowed and crawled on all fours in King’s Gate. Over 400 lecturers signed a petition supporting the sit-ins.

20 YEARS AGO

Disabled toilet inaccessible

The University was criticised as the inaccessibility of campus came to light. It was revealed that students had to go down ten stairs to get to the disabled toilet in the University Ballroom. An investigation of accessibility revealed inaccessible lecture theatres, awkward kerbs and unwelcoming entrances. Despite being granted almost £150,000 to improve provisions, the University said that they did not plan to install ramps with this money, and instead hoped to use it to provide facilities for dyslexic students and those with impaired hearing and sight.

27 YEARS AGO

Keep the sick at bay

In 1992 the Courier reported that debate was “raging over whether the University Sick Bay at Castle Leazes should be closed down”. Despite employing six staff, the service only admitted one patient between September and December 1992, who only stayed for one night. In the academic year 1991/92, only ten people were treated at the Bay despite gastroenteritis breaking out at Castle Leazes. The paper attributed the substantial decline in patient numbers to the Bay becoming an independent NHS practice; prior to this, staff treated between 100 and 150 patients a term. Defending the Bay, Sister Marjorie Trousdale argued that it had a “valuable support and advisory function” with the staff “always there for a shoulder to cry on” and the service being available to all students, despite its location on-site at Castle Leazes.

43 YEARS AGO

A hairy lump of fat

Castle Leazes’ catering appeared to have faced just as much criticism in 1976 as it does nowadays. 811 students signed a petition presented to Castle Leazes which complained that the food provided by the catering services was not of good enough quality. This followed threats by the Leazes catering staff to hold a walkout following complaints from individual students. The Courier reflected on recent surprise discoveries in the accommodation’s food, such as a 4.5 inch piece of string and a hairy lump of fat found in a curry. Debate was rife over a proposal by the Government to limit the financial support given to Students’ Unions. A document released by the Department of Science and Education proposed to hand the administration of Union funds over to the universities, allowing the universities to control how the Unions gave funds out, make Students’ Union membership optional and ensure that university fees aren’t used to fund the Unions. This would have brought substantial changes to both the funding and membership of student societies and sports clubs. 5000 Newcastle students marched through the city centre in protest, carrying signs bearing the likes of “Mrs Thatcher you milk snatcher”, the Minister of State for Education. The University largely sided with the students, with then Vice-Chancellor Henry Miller announcing that any students choosing to miss lectures to attend the demonstration would not be penalised, and many lecturers decided to cancel their lectures following requests from the Union president.

news 3

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Monday 2 December 2019

@TheCourier_News courier.news@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/news News Editors Aimee Seddon, Carl Smith Valdez, Em Richardson, Emma McLaren & Sophie Wilson

Plans for £30m hotel development to replace Soho Erica Pascoe

Plans to build a £30m leisure development and luxury hotel in Newcastle has been released by Malhotra Group to planners. The firm has revealed plans to open a hotel named ‘The Dorchester of the North’ around ten years ago, and have since received permission. The permission has expired since, but the property firm continued buying several areas. This would allow them to revise their application to a larger complex that takes up Grey Street, Cloth Market and Mosely Street. The project is set to go, with promises to create 510 jobs both during and after its construction. Meenu Malhotra, the Chairman of the Malhotra Group said the building would include two internationally branded nightclubs in addition to several restaurants and cafes. There will also be a swimming pool, three rooftop terraces and an open-sided canopy. Malhotra Group is currently in discussions with top international brands to manage the hotel. It is hoped to bring business people, visitors and students.

The hotel is set to have over 100 rooms, with its own restaurant, two indoor bars and three separate rooftop bars. This will also include a spa, gym and conference facilities. The huge project will retain the existing Grade II and II* listed buildings on site. However, the rear-offshoots to 5-9 Grey Street will be demolished to allow space for a new atrium. The address of 29 Mosely Street, originally built in the 1950s, will also be rebuilt as well as to 4 Cloth Market. The upper floors of 3-17 Grey Street, Drury Lane, 4-8 Cloth Market and 31 Mosely Street will be occupied by the new hotel. There will be two-three storey extensions above Drury Lane and Balmbra’s Hall for more bedroom space, and for the construction of a function and conference room. The entrance to the hotel bar and restaurant will be created on the ground floor of 3-13 Grey Street. Space Architects have submitted CGIs and a design statement with a planning statement written by the Newcastle office of consultancy Lichfields. According to the planning statement, the proposals aims to “restore and re-use these predominantly vacant buildings, whilst mini-

mising the loss of original or early phases of fabric.” It will also encourage the regeneration of Grainger Town whilst maintaining the appearance of the historic buildings. Furthermore, the proposals will deliver significant economic investment. Meenu Malhotra said: “It’s not just a business we are establishing but a legacy that our family wants to deliver and leave for the city.” Two leisure business’, Flares and Vineyard currently run from the corner positions of the block of properties. The Malhotra Group has confirmed these sites will remain. However, popular club Soho Rooms will be removed and replaced with a VIP Nightclub. The London chain Chinawhite is among the firms in debate vying for the site. The club is popular among students and locals of Newcastle, particularly due to its music and free entry. Rayan Zayeri, a Newcastle University Undergraduate student in Mathematics with Finance said: “Soho was always good fun, everyone loved ending up there after a night out. It will be missed by many. Although I won’t miss falling down those stairs.”

De Planta claimed that his firing was ‘unfair’ and blamed Outlook’s autocorrect feature. He claims to have been completely ignorant to his mistake until his manager brought him in for a talk the following morning, on September 26. “When I was told, I just thought ‘oh my days’. I had not met or spoken to this woman before so I had no reason to call her a name.” According to De Planta, his boss dismissed

the incident as a mistake. “It was an informal meeting and he was laughing about it. He just told me to be more careful in the future and I thought that was the end of it.” Only a few hours later, De Planta was brought into a disciplinary hearing where he was told that there was an investigation into his email, as it was being treated as a ‘racial incident’. They found him guilty and he was fired from Newcastle University shortly after.

De Planta retains his stance as innocent, as he said, “The sanction bears no resemblance to what happened. I strenuously deny that this message had been sent deliberately. It was a typing error. There is nothing to suggest this is racist.” Rabeeyah Cheema, NUSU’s Racial Equality Officer, told the Courier: “I’m glad the University is taking strict and significant measures against racism and I hope they have the same attitude towards other incidents.”

the defendant should be allowed to remain a student at Newcastle University, provided he agreed not to contact his ex. When expressing dismay at her treatment, Amy was told she could complain about the decision, but would not be allowed to appeal for a new disciplinary hearing, since she was not the one being sanctioned by the university. It has since emerged that Young was allowed to graduate from Newcastle in 2019. In September, began studying a postgraduate course at Newcastle University. When Amy complained to the University that she did not feel safe having her stalker on campus, Chris Day, Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University, accidentally CC’ed her father into an email originally intended for other staff members. Day’s email, according to The Tab, reads as follows: “Hi All. Could I have some urgent background here? On the face of it this looks another “Warwick” about to happen on our own campus with the associated risk for the student and our precarious reputation. Chris.” When Day mentions a ‘Warwick’, he is referring to a recent incident at The perpetrator was Warwick Uniconvicted of both stalking and distributing revenge porn versity, when a Image: Matthias Ripp on Flickr group of male students were

found to be members of a group chat where sexually violent messages were exchanged about female peers. One member of the group chat was banned from Warwick’s campus for life, and two others initially received decade-long bans. However, the University faced much criticism when it later decided to reduce two of the bans to just twelve months. Assessing Amy’s mental health throughout the process, a close friend of hers stated to the Courier: “Since receiving the news of Young remaining on campus, I have witnessed Amy’s bubbly and energetic personality completely collapse with her now becoming a shadow of the character she previously was. It is a testament to her individual strength that she has managed to continue her studies and life with this extreme weight upon her shoulders.” On its website, the University states: “If you or a Newcastle University student you know is a survivor of sexual violence, Newcastle University will support you. We recognise that sexual violence is a power-based crime and that you are never to blame. We will always support you in ways which respect your right to personal autonomy. As such, all of our support and reporting process are survivor led.” One way that the University offers this is through their team of Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs) who help students if they have experienced sexual harassment and/or violence since coming to Newcastle University, alongside the counselling provided through Student Wellbeing Services. Addressing the allegations, Newcastle University has issued the following statement: “We are aware that emails have been circulated to the media and there has been inaccurate speculation by people who aren’t familiar

with the situation. The story is being run by student media and the Vice Chancellor’s email has been taken out of context. “By law we cannot comment on individual cases or disclose any measures the University has taken in regards to them. “We work hard to ensure that every student feels safe at Newcastle and we take every allegation of sexual misconduct very seriously. Each case is assessed individually and appropriate action is taken as soon as possible. Any student who is affected by sexual misconduct has access to confidential support and guidance from our experienced support staff. “If the incident relates to a student, it will be investigated in line with our Student Disciplinary Procedure. Our policies and procedures follow national guidance set out by Universities UK as part of its Changing the Culture initiative, which made recommendations for universities to follow when dealing with sexual violence and harassment. “The Vice-Chancellor is not involved in student disciplinary hearings.”Asked to comment on Day’s remarks, Charlotte Boulton, Campaigns Officer for It Happens Here, said that the University “are clearly protecting the stalker and his place on campus, valuing his education more than the survivor’s”. Current Marginalised Genders Officer Eleasha Haslam focussed on what can be done to better support survivors on campus: “Amy has survived something terrible with no justice. This is why me and the Disability Officer Georgia Corbett are creating a sexual violence and misconduct survey to put out for students across campus so that the University can finally open their eyes that victims such as are crying out and need help. As a survivor myself I am aware of the anxiety and

The development plans would mean for Soho Rooms would be replaced with a VIP nightclub Image: @Sohoroomsnewcastle

NU employee sacked for calling co-worker a ‘hash brown’

James Troughton Gaming Editor

28-year-old Ollie De Planta, a Newcastle University employee, has been fired after calling his colleague a ‘hash brown’ in an email. After working full-time for the University for only four days, but the message was deemed as ‘offensive’ due to its ‘racial language’ and so he was swiftly let go.

However, some students and members of the public believe that the University’s action has been too extreme. A second-year Newcastle University student stated: “I don’t really know where I stand on the whole situation. If it was deliberate then it’s definitely the right decision, but there’s no way of knowing.” In the comments of The Chronicle article about the incident, many people called the University’s reaction “ridiculous”.

Uni criticised over stalking scandal Em Richardson News Editor

Continued from cover At the time of the hearing, Newcastle University told the Courier “The University takes any reports of harassment or sexual misconduct very seriously”. In November 2018, in the wake of his conviction, Young was required to attend a disciplinary hearing at Newcastle University. The University’s Student Disciplinary Procedure’s Investigation Protocol for Sexual Misconduct, Harassment and Hate Crime classifies both “serious harassment/stalking (including via social media)” and “sharing or creating private sexual materials online” as level three offences. Despite Amy giving a statement at the hearing, in which she detailed the events of the previous months, it was concluded that

fears of even speaking up about such trauma because unfortunately we are still living in a patriarchal world in which perpetrators can get away with such misconduct. Where is the humanity, the empathy and the justice for people like Amy? There needs to be more support put in place for students who go through this and who have had to endure this type of behaviour.” News that Young has been allowed to continue his studies at Newcastle has caused controversy online. It Happens Here have created a petition to demand the guilty student is removed from campus, and have declared that they “stand in full solidarity with Amy and all survivors failed by this university with regards to keeping students safe”. Students who have been victims of sexual harassment or stalking can seek independent confidential advice from the Students Advice Centre, located in the Students’ Union. It Happens Here raises awareness about sexual violence and works with members of Newcastle University and the wider community to ensure that Newcastle is safer, and can also provide signposting information to students. Rape Crisis Tyneside & Northumberland offer professional support, and can be reached at emailsupport@rctn.org.uk or through their evening helpline on 0800 035 2794. If students wish to report any incidents of sexual harassment or violence perpetrated by a student, staff member or member of the general public, the Students’ Union additionally offers a Report & Support service on its website, which can be filled in anonymously. Students concerned about immediate danger can contact the police on 999 or speak to the University’s Security Team on 0191 208 6817 or 0191 208 6666.

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Monday 2 December 2019

NU allows Hong Kong study abroad students to return early

on freedom of speech. Five booksellers disappeared from the island, only to reappear in Chinese custody, and journalists have been denied entry. In light of these events, Newcastle University has stated that students situated in Hong Kong will not see their degree classification affected, should they choose to return home, and finish their studies in Hong Kong earlier than planned. Other universities, including Warwick and Nottingham, have made year abroad students similar offers.

Em Richardson News Editor

Amid escalating tensions in Hong Kong, Newcastle University has made the decision to allow exchange and study abroad students to return home early, citing concerns for their safety. The protests, which have been going on since June 2019, were initially against a law that would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to China. However, protestors are now demanding more general democratic reform. Hong Kong has witnessed increasingly disturbing scenes, with police criticised for using violent tactics against peaceful protestors. Universities have been particularly, with protesting students now resorting to violent tactics themselves, including throwing petrol bombs at police. On 18 November, police fired live rounds,

Students situated in Hong Kong will not see their degree classification

as 600 student activists were trapped inside a university. Over 3,300 protestors have been arrested since the violence began in June.

Over 3,300 protestors have been arrested

Students on campus have shown their commitment to fighting for Hong Kong's freedom Image: Carl Smith Valdez

The idea of Hong Kong allowing extradition to China is controversial because of ongoing fears about increased Chinese influence in Hong Kong. Traditionally, the

two have followed a principal of “one country, two systems”. This means that, although Hong Kong is technically part of China, the island city is allowed to maintain its own sys-

tem of common law. More generally, protestors claim that the ‘increase’ in Chinese influence on Hong Kong is shown by an increase in restrictions

A Newcastle University spokesperson told the Newcastle Tab: “We currently have five undergraduate students on exchange placements in Hong Kong and one on a work placement in the region. "We have contacted these students and all of them have been given the option to return home. Returning to the UK will not adversely impact on their studies and the students will be financially supported for the flight should they wish to return early. “The health and wellbeing of our students and staff are always our priority. As a global university, we have a large network of teams who work closely together to support any students and staff affected by personal or world events, whether they be here in the UK or abroad.”

Average student studies less than 11 hours a week Amanda Goh Food Editor A recent survey has shown that students have been spending fewer than two hours a day in lectures. A study conducted by Education Consultancy Agency HE found that 27% of students have considered quitting their degree. In the survey of more than 29,000 students, it was found that undergraduates spend less

time studying both independently as well as in class. In 2016, it was found that 52% of students spent more than 11 hours studying independently. This year, the average percentage dropped to 44% - the lowest since the survey began in 2015. Courses with the least amount of contact hours tend to be arts and humanities with students expected to do more independent studying. While science based courses, such as Engineering and Medicine, tend to have

longer teaching hours.

Only 44% of students spent more than 11 hours studying independently

The average time-tabled contact hours for UK students has increased to an average of

13.7 hours according to the 2018 Student Academic Experience Survey. However, the number of hours actually attended by students are decreasing. Despite this, amount of contact hours is still one of the barometers in which students assess their experiences in university. Students who are in courses with higher work loads are less likely to say they would have chosen another course, compared to students whose courses are lighter, according to a research by Which? and the Higher Education Policy

Institute. The study also found that while a full time student should get by studying 1,200 hours a year, on average, students are falling short of the guideline by 300 hours. The decreasing amount of hours students have spent attending lectures and studying may be due to the way the lectures have been structured. Final year Law student Elisabetta Pulcini said: "Lecturers could experiment with different styles of teaching, instead of always ending up with a two-hour power point slideshow. This may allow for more interest in lectures." A study by Harvard University, on measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning, in response to being actively engaged in the classroom, found that physics students perform better if taught via active learning strategies than lectures alone. Students who were taught traditionally were 1.5 times more likely to fail than students who learn actively. Eric Mazur, physicist at Harvard University expressed his thoughts on the study, stating:"This work unambiguously debunks the illusion of learning from lectures".

Students fall 300 hours short of the studying time guideline

Humanities courses tend to have the least contact hours Image: Wikipedia

Jonathan Neves, author of the UK Engagement Survey 2019 expressed his thoughts on the drop in the number of hours committed to independent learning by students. He stated that independent studying "had links to a wide range of skills which help students develop in a rounded way." A student at King's College London told the Guardian that "I graduated with a 2:1 in history, I never attended lectures because I believe most of the learning comes from outside the class." Dr Nick Efford, lecturer at the school of computing at the University of Leeds expresses that staff could "recognise the value in making lectures more interactive, in order to make the most of that valuable contact time with students".

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Monday 2 December 2019

Newcastle graduate launches sustainable soft drink Amanda Goh Food Editor

Two lifelong friends, Dan Young and Kieran Dougan, quit their careers to launch their own venture and are now bottling success with a new drinks company. Both Young and Dougan have launched 40 Kola, an allnatural caffeine-infused version of a classic cola that they hope will take the growing ‘craft soda’ market by storm. Their website states that their brand is "effectively the change we want to see in the world - it's exciting, sustainable, and we believe it brings people together". Kieran, who graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering at Newcastle University, told the University: "We got to work researching the market and devised our own recipe then launched 40 Kola last year." Dan, who manages the marketing side of the business told the University: "Our brand is about making a positive impact on people’s lives and to give something back to people. Aside from this, all our products are totally natural, with no artificial colours or preservatives." They started researching the 'not-so-secret formula of cola' in a kitchen in Jesmond and devised their own singular recipe. They are

firm believers in sustainability and are working together with other independent companies who also promote ethical and sustainable practices. "We are working hard to keep our methods of production fully sustainable and so we use as much as we can, wherever we can. We were determined at the very beginning that our mission would be to champion the importance of minimal waste." The duo, from Durham, met in primary school and kept in contact during University, harnessing the potential of craft soda following the boom of the craft soda market. The craft soda market has been increasingly attractive, offering a choice of options away from other soft drink products. Craft sodas can come in a range of unique and natural flavors that are made from traditional recipes. Young told ChronicleLive: 'We are thrilled with the progress we have made in the short time we have been established. It’s great to work with partners who share our ethos. We feel like this is just the beginning though and we have some really exciting growth plans.' Having only launched in March, their product is already winning the hearts of those across the North East. They currently focused on growing their business throughout the North East and into other cities in the North.

Societies’ festive events highlights

40 Kola is co-owned by Newcastle graduate Kieran Dougan Image: 40 Kola

NU Academic explores white-washing in books Rashida Campbell-Allen Beauty Editor

From urban folklore to carvings, storytelling is a cultural and social process in which narratives are shared for consumption. However, when the authors or storytellers adopt a single perspective, how representative and inclusive can the story be? Newcastle University’s Professor Karen Sands-O’Connor recently wrote a piece for the University's The Conversation, in which she notes the concerning lack of characters of colour in children’s storybooks and calls attention to why this must change.

Several societies are hosting Christmas events Image: Instagram (@TuneArmy)

Aimee Seddon News Editor Newcastle University societies are hosting a variety of Christmas showcases during the final few weeks of term. On Thursday 28 November, Newcastle’s Acapella Society held a Christmas concert at St George’s Church in Jesmond. Audiences were treated to performances by their three competition teams, Tune Army, Angels of the North, and NUMen, alongside NCL ACA, an inclusive un-auditioned group. As well as numerous pop hits, including a James Bond Mashup, the groups performed Christmas songs such as Santa Tell Me and Mary’s Boy Child. President of the Acapella Society, Ella Tennant, said, “we had a great festive evening and the venue was beautiful. All of our groups were able to showcase their hard work so far and the audience loved it!” Other musical performances include the Newcastle Student Orchestra & Choir Winter Concert on Saturday 7 December at St Andrew’s Church. Newcastle University’s Wind Band also hosted a Christmas concert on Sunday 1 December. Taking place at Jesmond United Reformed Church, all

proceeds went to charity. Then this week, on Wednesday 11 December, Newcastle University’s Fashion Society are hosting a Christmas sewing workshop in Barbara Strang, room B.32. Taking place between 6:15pm and 8:30pm, attendees will sew homemade Christmas decorations. Tickets are only £3 on the Give it a Go website, and all sewing abilities are welcome. NUTS are also presenting their Christmas Pantomime, Tweeney Sodd: The Demon Butcher of Toon Spoons by Joe Hodgson. From the 9-11 December, the pantomime will take place in The Venue. Directed by Joe Hodgson and Yeva Creegan, it promises to be full of “jokes, gore and so much more!” Tickets are available from the NUTS page on the NUSU website.

Often, characters of colour appear as voiceless and to depict some essence of “diversity”

The children’s book industry has been booming for the last few decades, with more books being sold now more than ever before in the UK. Children are highly susceptible to stories and images they engage with from an early age and during these periods of socialisation, a they begin to form their own

selfhood, establishing how they perceive themselves in relation to the world around them. According to the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, only 7% of children’s books published in 2018 featured a Black, Asian or minority ethnic character. In telling singular stories there is the risk of excluding those who are not acknowledged, rendering them invisible not just within the covers of a book but in wider society. Academic Melanie Ramdarshan Bold suggested that there simply are not enough authors and illustrators from diverse backgrounds, which rings true, as according to BookTrust there is less than 2%, which could arguably explain the lack of diversity in children storybooks. This is not to say that characters of colour do not appear in children’s books, but when they do, they are rarely the protagonist, often the “sidekick”, Sands-O’Connor argues. There are also occasions when the only characters of colour appear in the background as voiceless and to depict some essence of “diversity”. These methods have the potential to dehumanise people of colour by sidelining them to the peripheries of society and social narratives. There are also instances of “othering” people of colour in storybooks, as characters become defined by the colour of their skin rather than given an individual story and voice. Sands-O’Connor goes on to highlight the convenient timing of characters of colour appearing early in order for them to make a

swift exit. Within a social climate of political correctness, representation and equality, these storybook tropes could be risk being described as microagressions. Especially for children of colour, growing up and not seeing themselves in the books they read can lead to a more personal conflict of identity later down the line, hence why things ought to change sooner rather than later, the profes-

Only 7% of children’s books published in 2018 featured a BAME character

sor argues. More published authors and illustrators of colour could allow more alternative and unheard stories to be told. Collaborative work around children’s storybooks is also essential in developing the industry and moving it in a direction of greater diversity, through sharing resources, connections and institutions such as Seven Stories and the Little Rebels Prize. Children’s storybooks can challenge depictions and perceptions about race, opening up the platform and opportunity for diverse conversation. This makes them very powerful, far more than just sheets of paper with fictional stories.

"This isn't your mother's pantomime"

Yeva Creegan, NUTS Director

Yeva Creegan said, “We are very excited to present the first ever Sweeney Todd parody Christmas Musical play, complete with revenge, murder and a fair bit of blood!” Her fellow director, Joe, added, “This isn’t your mother’s pantomime.”

Professor Karen Sands-O'Connor analysed the prevalence of whitewashing in children's books Image: Wiki Commons

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Monday 2 December 2019

The dangers of AI Gemisha Cheemungtoo

In an article for Nature Artificial Intelligence Journal, Tom McCutcheon, a visiting professor in Computing at Newcastle University, and his co-authors, express their views about the danger of using artificial intelligence (AI) in cyber security defence. The article explains the vulnerabilities of AI systems, and recommends practices related to mitigating the cyber security challenges evoked by the integration of AI into national cyber defence strategies. According to the UK National Cyber Security Centre, cyber security concerns the safety of personal information stored within devices and service applications, both at work and online. The article explains that market growth for AI in cyber security is estimated to expand from US$1 billion in 2016 to a net worth of US$34.8 billion by 2025. AI technology is increasingly being deployed to carry out cyber security tasks, and is involved in the cyber defence strategies of governments worldwide, including the UK, the US, Australia, China, Japan and Singapore. The article states that this will “improve the security of critical national infrastructures, such as transport, hospitals, energy and

water supply.” Various governing bodies are in the stages of publishing standards and certification procedures to measure AI systems’ capabilities to withstand erroneous data processing. McCutcheon and his co-authors point out that it is the learning ability of AI applications which could be subject to cyber-attack by hackers. By adding erroneous data to the datasets used to train AI systems, or manipulating how an AI model categories data, hackers can gain control of a system and change how it behaves. Given that attacks on artificial intelligence are difficult to detect, the authors of the article suggest that standards and certification procedures should concentrate on making AI systems more reliable. For this, they recommend that AI system providers should develop and train AI models in-house, and have 24/7, continuous monitoring to capture any difference in expected performance. The cost of satisfying these preconditions is acknowledged by the authors to be difficult for smaller commercial companies to fully implement. However, as the article concludes, should the security of national critical infrastructures be protected in part by artificial intelligence, the standards responsible should account for how the software can be threatened.

#NotMyChancellor: Prince Andrew stands down following controversy Stanley Gilyead Sports Editor

Prince Andrew has stood down as chancellor of Huddersfield University following a student led campaign in response to the recent revelations about his friendship with billionaire paedophile and human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Students took to twitter to air their views using the hashtag ‘#notmychancellor’, and on Tuesday 19th November passed a unanimous motion stating that their university shouldn’t be represented by “a man with ties to organised child sexual exploitation and assault”. The Prince stood down two days later.

The Prince he could distinctly remember visiting a Pizza Express

Huddersfield Uni is the latest in a series of organisations to cut ties with the Duke of York, including two universities in Australia and numerous charitable organisations. Andrew has also stepped back from his “public

role” as a member of the royal family, reportedly at the behest of the Queen. Allegations surrounding the nature of Prince Andrew’s involvement with Epstein have been public knowledge for years. The most serious one is the alleged rape of a 17 year old victim of human trafficking. Due to this, the Prince’s actions have only hit the headlines in the past two weeks, following ag 45 minute interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis. During the interview, which took place at Buckingham Palace, Prince Andrew claimed that he couldn’t have been guilty of the alleged rape due to his inability to sweat and the fact that he could distinctly remember visiting a Pizza Express in Woking on the day in question over 18 years ago. The Prince drew criticism for his lack of empathy towards the victims of Epstein’s crimes, who weren’t mentioned during the interview, whilst he also came under fire for saying that he didn’t regret the friendship and that he decided to spend four days at Epstein’s house after he had been convicted of sex crimes because he was “too honourable”. The interview seemingly prompted incredulity and outrage, with many taking to Twitter to express their horror at the Prince’s

alleged actions. Three of the five most popular hashtags in the UK on the day after the interview was broadcast referenced Andrew, #PrinceAndrewInterview, #NonceUponATime and #PizzaExpressWoking. The Huddersfield University Students Union welcomed Andrew’s decision to step down, stating “we know our students will welcome this decision” and expressing their support for Epstein’s victims. The university itself, however, took a more reserved view, thanking Prince Andrew for his work.

The Prince drew criticism for his lack of empathy towards Epstein's victims

This doesn't look to be the end of the saga, with rumours circling that Prince Andrew will be interviewed by the FBI. Following this incident, the Prince then stepped down as patron for London Metropolitan University. Through looking at this, it is anyone’s guess what will happen next to the man many have dubbed the “paedophile Prince”.

Durham Labour Club chairs suspended over election canvassing

The Labour Club has been suspensded within Durham SU Image: Facebook

Grace Dean Editor The co-chairs of Durham University Labour Club have been suspended from their roles after organising canvassing for December’s General Election. On 5 November, Durham Students’ Union (DSU) suspended Jack Pearce and Zoe Haylock in accordance with charity law from 2014. DSU is a registered charity and by extension so are its societies, and charities are not allowed to endorse any political candidates. Charities are only able to campaign with political parties on single issues, and must remain party-politically neutral. The decision by the DSU was prompted by 11 members of the Club canvassing on Saturday 2 November, and 20 on Sunday 3. Alongside suspending the co-chairs, the

DSU has warned the Club that may face disaffiliation from the Union if they continue to campaign in the run up to the election on 12 December. The Club has argued against this decision, denouncing is as “unfair”, as they have continued to campaign since the introduction of this law in 2014, with sustained efforts during the 2015 and 2017 general elections alongside the 2019 European elections, yet faced no opposition. The Club explicitly states on their page on the DSU website that they “will also campaign for the local and national Labour Party, as well as on campus to spread Labour values amongst the wider community”, and the Club argues that this was also included in their constitution, which was passed by DSU in summer. On their Twitter, the Club expressed their frustrations, saying that “With

this many activists out we can make a real difference. The SU ought to be proud of the work the club is doing, not trying to shut us down.” When questioned by Durham University’s student newspaper Palatinate, Pearce described the process as “pretty terrible – they kind of accused me of breaking the law, which was quite upsetting”. He furthered this by describing the DSU as behaving in a “standoffish and aggressive” way with the Labour Club. An additional objection that the Club has to DSU’s ruling is that many other Students’ Unions in the UK which are registered as charities are allowing their Labour Clubs to canvass for the Party without penalty. Writing in the Palatinate, Durham student Charlie Taylor argued that “if other universi-

ties follow suit, Tory, Labour or Lib Dem associations and clubs will become completely redundant”, and he described the DSU’s decision as “an outrage for student activism.” Loughborough University Labour Society has issued a statement of solidarity with their counterparts at Durham, maintaining that “canvassing is an integral part of politics, and Durham SU have set a dangerous precedent of suppressing student political activism”. They further stated how they “find it upsetting to see the organisations that are meant to be upholding our best interests undermining the political process and devaluing the benefits that a Labour government would have for the student population”. On the NUSU website, Newcastle University Labour Society state that their activities include “organis[ing] and coordinat[ing]

campaigning with local Labour affiliated groups”, and they have been canvassing in Newcastle for the upcoming General Election. The Conservative Society, on the other hand, describe how they are “broadly associated but not officially affiliated with the Conservative and Unionist Party”, while the Liberal Democrat Society simply say that they “participate in politics at all levels”. Although both co-chairs at Durham have been temporarily suspended, with two society members standing in as interim leaders, the Club is still able to operate in affiliation with the DSU. This week the Labour Club have been showing their solidarity with striking UCU workers on campus. The Club also recently organised a Register to Vote bar crawl to encourage students to register in Durham.

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Monday 2 December 2019

Deputy Editor: Molly Greeves @courier_latest courier.news@ncl.ac.uk courier.comment@ncl.ac.uik

campus comment

That's a wrap on NUSU's SHAG Week!

Courier legends Molly Greeves and Joe Molander give M: So Joe, I want to talk to you about your STD testing experience. We both thought it would be a good idea to get tested - were you nervous about the process at all? J: I wasn’t nervous at all. When I spoke to people about it, they seemed quite taken aback, maybe because they were surprised I had had sex, but I think there’s nothing to feel nervous or ashamed about being sensible. M: Yeah, I’ve gotta say I wasn’t that nervous either. I feel like it helped that neither of us were likely to have anything, but it felt good to get it all checked out anyway. J: Definitely: the attitude of “I don’t need to get tested because I’m probably fine” definitely comes from an arrogance that could lead to STDs. M: Totally, I feel like it’s a little slut-shamey as well to be like “well I’m not one of those people who’s gonna have an STD”. The reality is, even losers like us can catch something and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. So, we didn’t get tested in Luther’s but at the New Croft Centre and I thought they were really nice and helpful to be fair. J: They put up with me, so they were angels. I think it’s part of their job to remove any awkwardness from the situation: they weren’t weird about us asking dumb questions (and by us, I mean me), and they gave us clear instructions about what we needed to do with the home testing kits they gave us, without any judgement. M: Totally. I think that going with a friend

is a good way to get you to actually follow through with it, otherwise it ends up being one of those things you keep putting off. J: Yeah, I found it really helpful to have someone to joke with on the way there instead of just letting a small amount of nerves spiral into full blown panic. M: I agree, it definitely made it a more fun experience. Let’s get into the STD kits: ours were a little different from one another. J: I had to urinate into a little test tube and take a blood sample, which I had to pretend didn’t hurt. M: I also had the blood lancets, and my only real failure during this experience is that I pussied out of using it I’m a little squeamish - so I couldn’t be tested for HIV or syphilis. I did have to do oral and vaginal swabs though. J: Yeah, the swabs seemed really nasty. Guys have a rectal swab if they have male sexual partners, and as a bisexual man, that was the first time I was glad not to have got lucky with other guys M: I think that’s why the DIY tests are pretty

you the low-down on how to (and how not to) complete a DIY STD test great, you can do these kind of uncomfortable things in the comfort of your own home. J: Yes, and that definitely makes things feel a bit more familiar. It wasn’t great to spend half an hour getting enough blood to go on the five little circles they give you on the blood card right before going into a lecture, before re-reading the instructions and realising the card has to stay out in the open to dry for half an hour. M: Let’s talk about handing our kits back in, which we both did the next day. J: I would much rather not because I was so much less prepared than you. I handed the guy my vial of pee for everyone to see, and he looked at it, looked at you, and then back to me before saying “Sir, you put that in the box”. And then you handed your stuff over sealed in the box, and I have honestly never seen someone son look so ashamed to know me. Oh wait, e Pear n li e : Em I can think of one other person, can I give Image a shout-out to my dad? M: You’re meant to put it in the box and

Give student media the respect that it deserves Dominic Lee

Does what I’m writing out right now actually matter? Does anyone even care? Usually when I think about this question whilst writing an article for our beloved student newspaper or editing the music section I think: yes of course it does! Someone out there must actually care about what I’ve written or edited and for the most part I truly believe they do. We wouldn’t have such a wonderful paper filled with amazing writers and editors if no one cared. However, I would also argue that student journalism doesn’t get the re-

Ima ge: R

ose

Hin ds

spect it deserves – both in wider circles and at Newcastle. The majority of my fellow students are fairly supportive of my endeavours with the Courier. Most show an interest – whether they are actually interested or not is another thing, but at least they have decency to pretend. However, there is a select few of the student population who are highly disrespectful towards the paper, defaming those who and edit. I love the Courier and it’s been

one of my f av ou r it e parts of university so far. While I’m not expecting everyone to share that passion, listening to other students berat-

ing something which is an enjoyable hobby for many is insensitive and unnecessary. Its interesting that a lot of these complaints come from Newfess – an anonymous confessions page – which probably says a lot about the character of whoever submitted it. I for one think the Courier is “bloody spiffing”. There have been instances of late where university buildings have taken issue with storing the Courier, a paper which represents the students walking through its doors Additionally, it can be argued that the University is not perhaps as grateful as it should be to have our paper. There have been instances of late where university buildings have taken issue with storing the Courier, a paper which represents the students walking through its doors. These buildings include the new Frederick Douglass centre and the recently refurbished cafe The Grand. However, it must be said that engagement with the paper from lecturers is appreciated. My lecturers are always supportive of my journalistic endeavours and lecturers feature in the paper fairly regularly. The importance of student journalism may not seem obvious to everyone but in principle it represents something far more powerful and valuable than words printed on a page. Having a newspaper that comes out each week means our voice is being heard. This is vital, as a young person it can sometimes feel that our thoughts and feelings are forgotten but student journalism gives you an opportunity to have your say. In short, student journalism does matter, whether you believe it or not is up to you but having a voice is undoubtedly a blessing. So I’m going to keep at it because I bloody love our paper.

then a bag, but I think you may have missed that memo? I can’t say I was surprised to be honest. But there was one massive error you made that I want to discuss… J: Oh yeah, that wasn’t even my worst slipup. The next day, as I was going through my bag I found the contact form you’re meant to also put in the box, and so I went over to the New Croft Centre and explained that I’d forgotton to include it. They then said to me that because the samples I’d given had no phone number, they’d had to “destroy” my samples. I know they say that for legal reasons, but I can’t get over the image of some poor intern blowing up a tiny vial of my pee with dynamite. M: I mean, you cocked up there it’s gotta be said. I really want to know how they destroyed your piss. J: Either they blew it up or drank it, those are the only sure-fire ways of getting rid of it. M: Horrific. Well, it wasn’t an entirely unhappy ending as I got my all clear! J: And I haven’t sent in my new tests back in because doing it with a friend really does stop you backing out! This is like a cliffhanger, “will Joe have an STD? To find out, tune in to the next edition of ‘Bad Life Choices with Joe and Molly’!” M: Indeed. Well, I want to thank you for getting tested with me, it was a magical experience and I hope you eventually get your all clear. J: Thank you too, it was really useful to do it with a friend.

Should the SU take a side on the UCU strike action? Lachlan Hamilton Last week, the NUSU Sabbatical Officers have taken a neutral “stance” in response to this week’s UCU strike action. They released a statement saying that “taking a side would not stay true to our duty of representing the diverse student body as best we can”. Who exactly are NUSU representing by sitting on the fence? This response is pitiful. It betrays a lack of conviction on the part of our student leaders and a contempt for the democratic process that they were elected by. Reminders that NUSU is “YOUR VOICE” are splashed across campus and their website. NUSU President Katie Smyth claims in her bio that her job is to “represent the student voice”. And yet, confronted by a situation which immediately and concretely impacts every student on campus, NUSU is providing no representation whatsoever. Katie’s defence of this neutrality in November’s Council was that the Sabbatical Officers “didn’t want to annoy” students who felt differently to them. Sorry, that’s not good enough. Sabbatical officers are elected by the student body to represent the student body. Their election is authority enough to act in what they believe to be our best interest. Also, deferring to the “diverse student

body” in this case is an exception. The NUSU Sabbs regularly take political stances that members of the student body disagree with. The idea of campus as a “safe space” isn’t universally agreed upon, yet it is one of Katie Smyth’s key objectives for the year. She and the Sabbs aren’t neutral on this, or on the myriad campaigns they run. Nor should they be. They were elected to office on the basis of their political platform. But on a fundamental challenge to our education, our elected representatives are sitting on their hands. Why is this situation different? There is hypocrisy in this neutrality too. NUSU’s website claims that “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is a key priority”. If this is the case, then surely support for striking teachers, who are discriminated against on the basis of gender, ethnicity and disability is a given. But no. Apparently what is more important is that the Sabbs “don’t annoy” any students. I would argue that by not taking a side, NUSU have ensured that no student will disagree with them. That is because NUSU are not representing any of us in their neutrality. The Sabbs appear to be more interested in being liked than being our voice. NUSU’s neutrality fails to represent a single student on campus. Stepping away from this debate is a clear abrogation of NUSU’s responsibility to us as students.

Image: Wikipedia

comment

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Monday 2 December 2019

@courier_latest courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/comment Comment Editors Aastha Malik, Joe Molander & Kelly Corcoran

Firmer and fairer? The Conservative Party have launched their manifesto, and page twenty sets out their plan to “fix our immigration system”. Our writers take a closer look at the policy to see if this is needed

Joe Molander

ot on the heels of “strong and stable”, the Tories have described the new immigration system proposed in their manifesto as “firmer and fairer”. This is at least half right, in that it’s hard to deny it’s firmer: the immigration reforms will usher in an “Australian-style points-based… system”. Skilled workers and those able to make the heftiest contributions to the UK economy will be given priority, and there is also a promise to reduce “overall numbers” of immigrants, especially lower skilled ones.

The impact of immigration to the UK is always below 1% of GDP

While attractive to those on the right, immigration reform that gives priority to net economic contributors assumes that our current system doesn’t already. An estimate from the OECD – an organisation of mostly rich countries established to promote trade and economic growth – posits that immigration contributed 0.46% to UK GDP from 2007-09, a boost higher than the ones observed over the same time span in Germany, France and – tellingly – Australia. While migration did have a negative impact on the economy for some years for which statistics are available, the dent in GDP was always below 1%.

Bastions of left and right wing thinking are agreed the policy doesn’t work

In a bizarre turn of events, this is an issue that bastions of both left and right thinking are agreed on. Higher-ups at the CBI – which lobbies for small-c conservative pro-market policies – have joined liberal thinkers in expressing concern over the proposed reforms. The organisation’s Director-General rubbished the idea that the policy will “attract

Alex Dunn

immigrants are estimated to be living in Britain, and there has been a sharp decline in the removals of those here illegally. Only 15% of people feel that the government has managed immigration competently and fairly, and just 17% trust them to tell the truth. 77% support immigration reduction.

the best s a n d brightest”, as an ‘Austhe Tories tralian style’ are claimpoints-based ing, saying immigration that “When we system a workhear talk about able policy? Posthe ‘brightest and sibly. It depends on best’, I think that is the exact nature of the a worry… If you do legislation. want to build 200 000 For much of the public, houses a year [the Conthe words ‘points-based imservatives are pledging to migration system’ are a euphebuild 1 000 000 homes by mism for a stricter and more se2020], you don’t just need the lective immigration policy, despite architects and the designers, you being more of a slogan than an exact need the carpenters, you need the policy. What’s clear is that UK immiImage: Chatham House electricians, you need the labouron Flickr gration policy does have to change, and ers… It’s not just brightest and best, the reason it has become a focal point of it’s people at all skill levels across our Boris Johnson’s campaign is that his party is economy that we need”. aware of it. Much of the country agrees with The words ‘Australian-style points syshim, as seen in the polling data and justified by tem’ have been bandied about the UK poimmigration statistics. litical arena for years: now is the time to conLegal and illegal immigration has skyrocketed in sider what they actually mean. the past 2 decades. Approximately 1.2 million illegal

The Australian system is not without merit, and facilitates smooth integration into society

The Australian system is not without merit. Despite the complaints by proponents of mass immigration, its implementation has meant that skilled migrants made up about 68% of the 190 000 places available in the 2014-15 migration programme. Further, all applicants that are successful speak fluent English; in fact, you cannot apply if you don’t have a basic competence. This has undoubtedly made assimilation into Australian society as smooth as possible, and minimised any threat to social cohesion. As well as strict control of legal immigration, they’ve also taken an admirable stand against illegal immigration. Boats found in Australian waters are turned away where it is safe to do so, regardless of where they’re from.

Reform of our immigration system is necessary and inevitable

While the exact nature of the policy proposed by Boris Johnson is yet to be seen, reform of our immigration system is clearly necessary, and inevitable. An Australian style points-based system has great potential. The Conservative Party manifesto is available at vote. conservatives.com/our-plan

Horror in Hong Kong: can we do more? Patrick Young discusses the protests in the ‘special administrative region’, and why it matters that the UK stands in solidarity

rotests have ravaged Hong Kong for five months, yet the government has refused to listen to the demands of the protesters, its own citizens. Instead they are being paid out by China’s central government. The “One country, two systems” policy of the central Chinese government essentially strips Hong Kong citizens of their autonomy. Therefore, it shouldn’t be hard to see why so many citizens have an appetite for a more democratic society. Why is it that we, a democracy, are not doing more to help those suffering under the tyranny of their own government? After all, are they not members of the Commonwealth? Do we not owe it to them to help peacefully ensure that the voices of the people are heard by their own government? I believe that we, as university students and citizens of a democracy, should try to do more to help. We should hold fund-raisers and participate in other shows of solidarity, especially after the recent police storming of a Hong Kong university. Those that are supposed to protect the public are instead being used as a sort of inquisitor army under the

dominion of the government, attacking those that speak out against it, or its Chinese counterpart in Beijing.

We cannot just sit here and watch as democracy is undermined by tyranny

The Hong Kong government has already instructed the outside world not to interfere with its internal affairs, but democracy is under threat. With so much at stake, can we really afford to be indifferent to the plight of citizens in Hong Kong? Can we really just sit here and watch as democracy is undermined by a tyrannical regime? As students, we are the next generation of lawyers, politicians and campaigners: we owe it to the generations that come after us to try to halt the spread of corruption.

Image: Wikipedia

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Monday 2 December 2019

The too policy liberal Lib-Dems Writers discuss the reliability of Gyimah’s claim that the Lib Dems are “the party of business”

Faye Navesey

the Liberal Democrat leadership, Brexit is all that matters.

In acting as a refuge for remain supporting MPs they seem to have forgotten that there is more to politics than Brexit

he job of a political party is to set out a clear range of policies that they believe will improve the state of affairs of their country, not to pander to every aspect of the political spectrum, and the Liberal Democrats have proved time and time again to carry vague policy ideas, with an even more vague and questionable intention of carrying them out; and of course, if in doubt they bring up Brexit. However, with urgent issues that need to be dealt with, including poverty, homelessness and climate change, this pandering could be very problematic; vague policy suggestions will not suffice. To claim to be on both the left and right sides of the political spectrum is unsustainable and unacceptable in this political atmosphere, and simply shows that the Liberal Democrats cannot be trusted. The party seem to be simultaneously defending and rejecting the austerity measures taken by the coalition, something that most people agree were cruel, unjust and fundamentally hurtful to the most vulnerable in society. They claim to be the party of equality yet one of their newly recruited MPs Angela Smith famously used the term ‘funny tinge’ when describing ethnic minorities. Claiming to be a party of moderates is also difficult to believe when their only concrete policy is to simply revoke Article 50 altogether with no referendum, hardly a moderate position, and one that would

Their only concrete policy is to revoke Article 50 altogether with no referendum

only deepen the divides in British politics. It is easy to see why the Liberal Democrats have become so vapid and fluctuating, in acting as a refuge for remain supporting MPs they seem to have forgotten that there is more to politics than Brexit. These MPs from both the Labour and Conservative parties may have vastly different ideas about other policies, but in the climate created by

The ardent focus that the Lib-dems have placed on Brexit has allowed them to get away with claiming to be a left-wing party for young people concerned about their future, whilst simultaneously claiming to represent the businesses who have helped destroy prospects for these said young people. The danger is that people will fall for the Liberal Democrat facade. Let us not forget their failure to properly address the issues in 2010, claiming to represent students whilst siding with the conservatives against them. With this in mind, what makes anyone think that they are different now?

Dominic Lee

n the run up to the general election on 12 December, the Liberal Democrat party have come under fire for one main issue, their plan to revoke article 50. However, it is also apparent that some in the general public also accuse them of flip-flopping between left wing and right wing policies. This was only intensified after former Conservative, Sam Gyimah, called the party “the natural party of business”, which was followed up by party leader Jo Swinson at the CBI conference. Personally, I don’t see this as a flip flop. Remaining within the EU, and more importantly the single market, would play a big factor in business which has become far more difficult since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016. Therefore, the party’s claim to being the natural party of business is arguably justifiable. Additionally, if the Lib

Dem’s comments at the CBI conference can be interpreted as flip flopping then the same must also be said of the Labour Party after Jeremy Corbyn argued that business would grow under a Labour government. These arguments of flip flopping are in my opinions based on the party’s failings in the coalition government, as under Nick Clegg the Lib Dem’s abandoned many of their election promises, including plans to scrap tuition fees. However, if we were to judge every party on their past grievances then no one would be able to vote for anyone, I’m not joking, you’d probably have to vote for the Monster Raving Loonies!

If we were to judge every party on their past grievances then no one would vote for anyone

In addition, the Lib Dem’s manifesto sets out a number of social policies which, although not as radical as that of Labour, look to be highly beneficial, including an additional 1p in tax which will reportedly raise around £7.7 billion for the NHS. Additional plans to tax frequent fliers are far from a right wing policy.

It’s probably time for sceptics to start reading manifestos, rather than relying on hearsay

In summary, then I would argue that the Lib Dem’s aren’t flip-flopping between left and right and that the party’s commitment to remaining in the EU arguably does make them the natural party of business. Additionally, while their policies of social reform aren’t as radical as Labour’s, they’re arguably far more realistic and involve fewer magical money trees. It’s probably time for sceptics to start reading manifestos, rather than relying on hearsay.

Labour’s climate apprenticeship scheme: why it’s going to work Emily Hawksley considers the benefits of the Labour Party’s latest green initiative

ith the upcoming elections, the parties have all laid out their different policies, including the ways in which they would deal with the ever-growing climate crisis. The Labour Party’s idea is a climate apprenticeship programme to deliver 320 000 apprenticeships in England during its first term in government. While the Labour Party has many questionable policies, this one would help with the issues of climate change and the skills gap, making it a good idea.

The UK must do its part in preventing climate change along with the rest of the world

Regarding the climate crisis, these apprenticeships would upskill the UK

workforce so that British companies can compete and succeed in the global green economy, which is currently valued at $4 trillion, and is projected to grow to $9 trillion by 2030. Businesses will benefit from an average of 80 000 people per year being trained in sustainable jobs such as apprentice engineers and technicians in renewable energy and transport, and sustainable agriculture and forestry specialists. As the climate crisis continues, the UK must do its part in preventing climate change along with the rest of the world. These apprenticeships would help combat climate change on a more national scale.

Britain has a disastrous skills shortage, which the apprenticeships will help close

Additionally, Britain has a severe skills shortage, particularly in higher technical skills. Two-thirds of businesses already worry they won’t be able to fill skilled posts, and the skills gap will only grow due to automation. By 2030, the programme will have created 886 000 apprenticeships for people who are leaving school or looking to change their jobs mid-career, which will help close the now-disastrous skill gap. The climate apprenticeship scheme is a good idea, one that’s helpful for now and for the future. The Labour Party manifesto is available at labour.org.uk/ manifesto/, and first mentions the climate apprenticeship scheme on page eighteen

SOAPBOX FISHERMAN’S FRIEND Tom Leach

ometimes when life gets a little too trying, I like to imagine I’m a North Sea fisherman. By all accounts it would a lifestyle not quite suited to me – being naturally averse to honest physical labour – but the romanticised ideal I have holds fast. In my mind’s eye I’d have a little boat, a vessel large enough for me and a couple of other seadogs; both similarly bearded and jumpered. Our catch would be varied – herring, cod, mackerel – so as not to contribute to overfishing. Every so often we would lay some lobster traps. What we pull up from the water we’d sell fresh from a little hut by the shoreline. Perhaps in the evening we could listen to the shipping forecast and understand what on earth it means. I apologise to any and all fishermen I may have misrepresented here, but we all need an escape.

TOAST OF THE WEEK

STRIKING ACADEMICS

Joe Holloran

n 5 November the University & Colleges Union (UCU) announced a nationwide lecturers strike following a ballot of its members. Academics from 60 UK universities are currently taking to the picket lines for the second time in two years following a dispute over pensions. On average, lecturers look set to lose around £24,000 of their pension. The decision to strike is not one that the UCU or our own lecturers here at Newcastle University have taken lightly. Many of them have made it clear to us how desperately they hoped it would not come to this. They have faced degradation in the press and tensions within universities have strained professional and personal relationships. Despite this, they have chosen to stand up for themselves and the future of their industry and for the resources they need to do their jobs properly. For that reason, I support the strikes and raise a toast to their resolve.

ROAST OF THE WEEK

THE WEATHER AIN’T BRRRILLIANT

Grace Dean

hen you’re an evidently cold-blooded person like me, staying warm in these winter months is tough. No amount of layers seems to ever be enough. I put on three to five layers every morning, just managing to get them all on over the top of each other, and I end up waddling like a penguin to campus, but it’s still never enough. Worst is regulating the temperature of various parts of my body – my feet and head overheat easily, but I’ll still end up with a chilly torso and goosebumps on my arms. Tea keeps me warm during the day, but (and I hate to say this as a Yorkshire lass), there’s only so much tea you can drink. I get a few strange looks when I bring my hot water bottle to the Students’ Union too. The worst thing about the Courier office is that my desk is next to the window, and quite often people seem to be in the habit of opening it when I’m not in the room. I’m in fully blast of the chilly winter air, and I hate it.

life&style

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019

c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk @Courier_Life thecourieronline.co.uk/lifestyle Life & Style Editor Nimra Rafique Lifestyle Editors Catherine Entwistle, Cecilia Adamou, Holly Margerrison & Jess Herbert

Are you unlucky in love? Email us at c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk

Ciaran McCarville meets Emily Kirkham Third Year Geography

Second Year Biomedical Sciences

Blind Date Image: Emma Monaghan

Hey Ciaran, when was the last time you went on a date? Six weeks ago.

Hey Emily, if your dating life was a Netflix show, what would it be called and why? 40 year old virgin - I haven’t ever had a date before.

How did you prepare for your date? Shit, shower, shave.

What were your first impressions of Ciaran? Did he fit the mould of your usual type? He seemed nice - pretty much my usual type looks wise, except he’s posh.

Who’s your celebrity crush and how did Emily compare? My celebrity crush is Kate Garraway, Emily has the same chat as Kate, however she’s much younger and doesn’t present breakfast tv.

If Ciaran was a bar on Osborne Road which one would he be and why? He’d definitely be Bar Blanc because he’s posh af. He’s deffo a rah.

Emily smashed a glass so we evacuated to Holy Hobo What did you get up to? We went to As You Like It and drank wine, however Emily smashed a glass so we evacuated to Holy Hobo for more drinks. What did you talk about - any topics you avoided? Nothing, we’re both really open and chill people so didn’t have to avoid anything. If Emily was a character in a Christmas film who would she be and why? Elf because she’s jokes and doesn’t get embarrassed by anything. What was your favourite and least favourite part of the date? Everything, there were no bad parts to be honest, we just sat and chatted and drank. She has really good craic so what’s not to like. Where does it rank out of all the dates you’ve ever been on? It was up there with one of my best dates, no awkward silences and the chat flowed. It was really chill and fun. Will there be a second date and if so, where to? I’d hope so, if there was another date I’d take her to Ghetto Golf, have a few drinks and beat her at golf. Would you recommend blind date? Yes 100%, it’s been a great experience and you never know what will come from it.

Did he have good banter? Yeah he had good banter and our conversations kept going. He’s really interesting. He told me so many mad stories. Did you have a lot in common? We are from different worlds - he’s ‘rich’ and went to private school, whereas I’m poor af and went to normal school. He’s not a Tory though so there’s always that. With the upcoming election, if Ciaran was a political party, which one would he be and why? From first glance I would have said Tory, he just looks like the sort of person that wants to ruin the NHS. However since he does geography maybe Green Party? #Upthetrees

From first glance I would have said Tory, he just looks like the sort of person that wants to ruin the NHS How would this rank out of all your dates? Well this is my first date in real life. Will you see each other again? Yes. How did you find the experience of blind date? I was so nervous but I think it’s been absolutely mint. I did manage to figure out who the date was and snooped his social media so it was more of a visually impaired date as opposed to a blind one - but all in all sick.

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life & style lifestyle Detox teas or detox-ic Instagram dieting culture?

Monday 2 December 2019

Amy Harris sinks her teeth into the dangers of dieting within in a world of weight loss, likes and lies

n our modern capitalist society we are constantly being body shamed and sold diet pills, meal substitution cookies and detox milkshakes. For years there have been diet after diet being sold to us: the Atkins diet, the Dukan diet, Ketogenic diet, the lemon and cucumber detox diet, Zone diet and even the baby food diet. And every year there are crazy new trends being introduced with everyone jumping on the bandwagon – remember Kim Kardashian’s ‘appetite suppressant’ lollipop? But have we ever stopped to think about the dangers and effects of diet culture?

Instead of wanting to be healthier it is all about which diet can help me lose weight Dieting has become all about being skinnier and losing weight to fit the “ideal” society that capitalism has ingrained in us. Instead of wanting to be healthier and changing our eating habits it is all about which diet can help me lose weight the quickest and which diet will be the most effective for losing as much as I can? For most people, dieting has been a common lifestyle goal and it has always been about the numbers. How much do I weight? How much should I lose? Did I even lose any weight? But do we ever think about how our body might be reacting to these diets. Advertisements and messages we read on Instagram and online don’t state how eating healthier helps us sleep better, aids our energy levels and concentrate more. Instead they claim all the ways it can help us lose weight and body shames us into buying new products to “fix” it and “improve”. Instead of promoting healthy eating and exercising – a balanced lifestyle, diets are always sold as being

the answer purely on its own. Selling the idea that this particular diet will “fix” everything. Dieting has never proven to “fix” everything. Of course the ad would say it does, they are there to sell a reality which we buy into. But what the advertisement doesn’t sell to us consumers is that you don’t suddenly lose the weight overnight, or that you might be miserable because you feel hungry or miss eating your favourite foods. Because of this and the evolving way of eating, people are becoming obsessed with what they are putting in their bodies. We are told that particular diets will help us lose weight by cutting out the many foods that have been deemed “bad” for us and so we try out all the different fads like cutting out carbohydrates or just eating fruit. But what these diet “professionals” don’t share are the hidden dangers. Firstly, by reducing your calorie intake you are slowing down your metabolism, which at first might result in some weight loss. But, after a while the weight loss will stop as your metabolism changes and slows down. Secondly, by eliminating so many food groups from your diet you are risking developing mineral and vitamin deficiencies. Which can affect the immune system, making it more vulnerable. Even if you are increasing your protein intake to make up for the lack of vitamins and minerals it can dangerously affect your kidneys, which in some devastating cases, results in kidney failure.

Dieting makes our life revolve around eating and food Dieting makes our life revolve around eating and food. It creates an unhealthy relationship with food and as a result our life revolves around what you’ve eaten, was it part of the diet plan, how many calories was in it? We begin to obsess over the things we are putting in

Cracking Christmas market Caitlin Rawlings explores Newcastle’s festive scene

is the season when the queue for the Fenwick’s window is lining Northumberland Street and the Christmas market has taken over the heart of the Toon. The market officially opened on the 15th November. Whilst it may have been raining rather than snowing this did not prevent revellers enjoying everything this year’s market had to offer. It’s official. The Newcastle Christmas market is serving the glow up of the season. The market has had a complete transformation from the tiny group of stalls which surrounded Monument in 2018. The 2018 Christmas market was quaint and offered a quirky alternative to the larger scale markets in other Northern cities such as Edinburgh and Manchester. However, this year the council are clearly attempting to compete as everything appears bigger and better than before. Independent stalls are dominating Northumberland Street whilst food and drink businesses are thriving down on Grainger Street and Grey Street. The festive atmosphere is infectious. Michael Bublé’s Christmas album is blaring through the streets and the smell of mulled wine is wafting through the crowds. Every lamppost is laced with fairy lights and everybody is excited for Christmas. A Christmas market is supposed to make us feel merry and the Newcastle mar-

ket succeeds in achieving this and more. However, due to the expansion of the size of the market for 2019 a large amount of space around the city centre has been consumed by stalls, rides and decorations.

The market is providing us with Christmas joy Whilst it is wonderful to see Newcastle decked out ready for this joyous season it is a shame that more time was not spent planning the layout of the market. Due to the presence of the stalls lining the centre of Northumberland Street it is a slight squeeze to try and weave around the city centre. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more independent shops emerging at the market offering quirky and alternative Christmas gifts. It feels like food, drink and amusement rides have been prioritised by the council this year. The extravagant bratwurst stall is particularly peculiar too. To have the nativity characters above a food stall to me seems an odd design choice. Nevertheless, the market is providing us all with the Christmas joy we need as we approach December.

Image: Instagram @NewcastleChronicle

our body, constantly beating ourselves up for not losing weight quick enough or snacking when you weren’t supposed to. Dieting culture has now evolved into trends such as restricted dieting, which has led to “orthorexia”, an eating disorder where an individual develops an unhealthy obsession with “clean” and “pure” food.

We begin to obsess over things we put into our body Pixie Turner, a nutritionist and influencer, who developed orthorexia in her early 20s now uses her account to create awareness and discuss dieting myths - breaking down the lies brands and society has been ingraining into our heads about clean eating and diets. Our relationship with food needs to change, and instead of focusing on numbers and guilt, we need to focus on how our body is feeling and what food is best for us. We should stop trying to conform to what society, advertisements and Instagram tell us is “pretty” and the “perfect size” and focus on what we love about ourselves, being comfortable in our own skin, body positivity and building a healthy relationship with food.

How to spot a fuckbo Instagram @emmylupinstudio

Lifestyle Editor Jess Herbert discusses what to look out for w

inter. The heating is up, the thermals are on and somewhere in between the wind has blown Tinder back onto your phone. If you’ve recently become magnetically attracted to swiping right then you’re not alone, ‘cuffing season’ refers to the sudden desire to couple up during the festive period, as dark evenings and the stress of Christmas propel single people into the dating game. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, cuffing season relationships a r e notorious for

Image: Instagram @gingiber

ending in spring, so it’s important to sharpen your fuckboy spotting skills if you’re looking for something longer term. It’s important to note that, despite the name, fuckboys can be any gender. These characteristics can be applied to anyone, but if you think they align with your new partner, it might be a sign to shop for a new one in the Boxing Day sales.

The first red flag is fluctuating between affection and absence The first red flag is when your partner fluctuates between extremes of affection and absence. One week your company is a daily ritual but for the next seven days they’re too busy in Bar Blanc to reply your Snapchat. Sometimes when you’re together it’s a romantic stock photo and other times you’re dragging them through date night as if it’s a chore, ready to cancel your plans as soon as they get a better offer for a Friday night – we forget that if someone truly likes you then they’ll be consistent. On that note, it’s always notable when someone routinely takes twelve years to respond to a text or leaves you on read despite being active all day on Facebook. It’s usually the same culprit who excuses themselves with ‘I never go on my phone’ even though they’re always on it when you’re together. Obviously technology breaks are important and it’s always refreshing when someone is actively reducing their screen time, but that’s not synonymous with exclusively communicating after three pints at 11pm to ask if ‘u up?’ Not all relationships start this way though – when

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lifestyle life & style on how Why Game Changers is a game changer Thenotspill to get ill Laura Chaney tells us why the new Netflix documentary really is a game changer W A

Monday 2 December 2019

t the risk of sounding clichéd, the Game Changers Netflix documentary, I would go so far to say really is a game changer. Speaking as a vegan, I decided to make the change 11 months ago for environmental and then ethical reasons but never have health-reasons played a part in my diet choice. Watching Game Changers, I found it incredibly hard not to be left feeling very impressed by the elite athletes showcased, living off plant-based diets. From Patrik Baboumian winning the title of Germany’s strongest man in 2011, Dotsie Bausch winning the silver in the 2012 London Olympic Games in women’s track cycling to Morgan Mitchell, representing Australia in the 2016 Olympics as a 400m sprint runner. When I look at these athletes, I can’t help but think, the age-old tale that meat is needed to be strong, powerful and fast simply can’t be true. This documentary aims to invalidate “the world’s most dangerous myth” that meat is indispensable, needed to get enough protein and crucial for optimal health. If meat really was so fundamental to not only our survival but to being able to excel, how have these athletes reached such excellence without it? More importantly I ask myself, why would these athletes switch to a plant-based diet if they did not really feel so much more empowered and strong by doing so. Watching this documentary evoked feelings of surprise, motivation, inspiration and lastly a morsel of anger and frustration. It made me question the role media plays and has always played in portraying a diet based around meat, eggs and dairy as a leading force of optimal fitness, health, strength, balance and even masculinity. It made me question how much lobbying and marketing the meat industry do for their own advantage and to simply gain profit.

Why did I grow up being told I needed my glass of milk for strong bones? And to eat my red meat in order to grow properly? Because that is the believed norm. It is what the meat industry and advertisement leads us to believe, and boy have they done a great job of it.

Image: Instagram@awesomeveganmemes

Furthermore, this documentary brought my attention to the myriad advertisements over the years and to this date, that have constructed a strong and succinct cultural association between meat and men. Meat has been gendered, linking it directly to a big strong man. Because to be a real man you need a beef burger in front of you.

oy this ‘cuffing season’

when starting a new relationship during the festive season you’re seeing someone regularly and communicating most days, you have to watch out for more subtle warning signs. Nowadays dating is a minefield: you’re not official you’re exclusive, you’re not dating you’re seeing each other, you can’t meet their family but you can follow them on Instagram, and due to this culture of commitment phobia, it’s natural that people want to take it slow. But it’s important to know when to draw the line.

Someone’s not a keeper if you leave your dates feeling deflated If someone consistently maintains that they ‘don’t like labels’ and makes you feel keen or needy for asking about the nature of your relationship, it makes you question whether they see a future with you. This often also materialises in not integrating you into their friendship group or ensuring you don’t bump into their flatmates on your way to the bathroom. Maybe you don’t want anything serious either, but if you do then these behaviours suggest that they’re not keen on commitment. You also have to keep an eye on the content of your time together. You can tell someone’s not a keeper if you leave your dates feeling deflated; often this takes the form of mild insults that creep beyond the boundaries of banter, but not enough to call them out on it, dwelling on your insecurities or comparing you to their previous partners. I once dated a boy who would compare my appearance to random girls we’d see in town, creating unnecessary competition between me and strangers. It’s easy for these moments to get buried under the

excitement of a whirlwind romance but midnight messages and the occasional nice date isn’t enough to sustain a relationship. It’s nice wandering past the Fenwick’s window with a mulled wine in one hand and your new partner in the other, but try not to let the bright lights of cuffing season blind you. After all, it’s better to be on your own than with someone inconsistent and undermining. And with Christmas creeping round the corner, you’ll still have the spark from the figgy pudding to keep y o u warm.

ant a sure-fire way to avoid catching a cold Right? Not right. Similarly, salads have been gendered or the flu this Winter? If that is what you want, as a female food with women most likely being used in you are reading the wrong article. But please, adverts eating a salad. Again, not right. continue reading, your body might thank you further Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, down the line. makes the very interesting point that “meat - supposA poor diet, unhealthy levels of alcohol consumption, edly a symbolic of strength and virility - is being eaten lack of sleep, an erratic schedule, high levels of stress because men are too afraid to change in front of other and a weak immune system may contribute to your ill men” and eaten when thinking ones masculinity is health. As students, it shouldn’t surprise us that we get threatened. Ironic. I’ve often heard it in my own sick. But I am not going to shout at you to have a rigid house: “but your brother is a growing boy, he schedule. needs his meat”. But does he? By telling men A healthy diet, sensible sleeping pattern, mitigated they need meat to be ‘manly’, society is ingrainstress, and good hygiene can aid in your defence against ing the message that meat is manly and makthese plagues ing them believe that they would need social permission to not eat it. In 2015, Scott Jurek broke the record for the ApYour education is palachian Trail which he ran in 46 days, 11 hours. Just let that properly sink in, that is the equivalent of runimportant, but not at ning two marathons a day, for 46 days. Scott the expense of your Jurek, a man, living on a plant-based diet, achieved this. health I appreciate the fact that this documentary focussed on athletic performance, as A quick and sensible internet search will inform you there can be a stigma of vegans as lanky that a healthy diet, sensible sleeping pattern, mitigated and thin. Game Changers however focussstress, and good hygiene can aid in your defence against es on athletes who have turned to veganism to these plagues. This is all true, but no matter what you improve their performance. And if elite athletes can win do, sometimes, you may have been dealt a bad hand, so medals and break records on a plant-based diet, then your body is going to condemn you for days of misery. who’s to say a ‘regular’ vegan can’t run that Saturday My pessimism and realistic outlook may dampen your morning park run or even challenge themselves to spirits, but fret not, if you’ve made it this far, there may a marathon, with the same amount of energy, fire be hope for you yet. and gusto as a meat-eater. I write this as someone who has recently recovered This documentary also made me ponder and from a nasty cold, endured a stinging ear infection a query the amount of money spent on curing disfew months prior, and am prone to fall ill around wineases - from diabetes, obesity and cancer - that have all tertime, but, countermeasures can, at least, lessen the been linked to eating meat and dairy. If eating a plantpotential damage. Before the cold, I worked non stop based diet was a step in the very right direction towards for a weekend on a stressful and rigorous aspreventing these diseases in the first place, leading to signment. What was my reward? A sapa healthier population and therefore saving nation’s ping of my energy, a runny nose, a coarse health systems a great deal of money, then why wouldn’t cough, and a bitter attitude towards my we do it? fragile state which lasted for about Watching Game Changers naturally led two gruelling weeks. me to research and read up on the critiYour education is important, cism towards it, making me realise that but not at the expense of your there are always two sides to any health argument, irrelevant of what you It’s easy to say in hindargue or believe. Personally howsight that I should not ever, Game Changers more than have overworked ever made me feel good about myself, but not using animals as middle sometimes we men to get my source of narrow our plant-based protein. environVeganism for me has ment so always fundamentally sharply been a question of dowe fail ing my little bit to help to conthe environment and s ider the cruel treatment of o u r animals, but watching health. this documentary and Yo u r considering veganism educafor health reasons now tion is feels like the cherry on important, top of a big, scrumpbut not at the tious, plant-based chocImage: Instagram @lisaengler expense of your olate cake. health. I am not Ultimately, I believe the best saying to neglect way to be informed, is to challenge oneself to your studies, but see and listen to both sides of any argument. It I am saying to consider balance. is far too easy to have debates with people who Do you want to be exceptional at share your opinion and to watch documentaries enonly one thing in life or do you want forcing what you believe. a life? Your choice. I know what I want. By always surrounding yourself with too like-minded Next up: the accumulated effects of eatpeople you could be preventing yourself from learning ing out cannot be understated enough. Eatwithout realising. So if you don’t believe in veganism, 4Less, that overcrowded, cheap, and uncomfortable think it could be detrimental to your health or are a shop may serve as a quick fix for students on a budget manly man who needs meat, I would argue that more but play that game for long and it will bring you down. than anyone you should give this documentary a watch. This applies to places like Mcdonalds and so on. This is not to say that you should stop eating out; I do it myself Eat whatever the hell but consider proportion. Respect your body. Respect your health. Respect your you want to eat, but at limits least do so informed Is it a coincidence that alcohol is often correlated with many of the tragedies in modern life? Mix that with a night out (which has grossly become a synonym for At the end of the day, eat whatever the hell you want to clubbing) and you are playing a dangerous game which eat, but at least do so informed. I would implore you to you may be trading for your health, both physical and spend 1h25m of your day, making yourself think, chalmental. Again, it is your choice. Short term tempolenging your beliefs, potentially pushing yourself to try rary satisfaction is, well, temporarily satisfying. That is meatless Monday’s and seeing how you feel and quesprecisely why we do it. Respect yourself. Respect your tioning an industry and information you have always body. Respect your health. Respect your limits. The taken as fact. This documentary really does make you pathological viruses are unforgiving, and you have to think, and that above all is reason enough for giving it be ready to fight. a watch. Mohi Choudhury

life & style fashion

c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Kajal Patel, Phoebe Eyles & Shamara Mohsin

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019

IDOL-ise Topshop's new collection

Sara Nigohoysan reviews Topshop's latest IDOL collection released this month nationwide, ready to shine this festive season

t’s the time of year when clothing lines are releasing their winter collections, and Topshop is no exception. Their collection IDOL is a tad different though, as at first glance, it doesn’t appear as a winter collection at all. The collection mainly consists of darker tones, with a flare of sparkling designs which can be seen as festive, but also appear to be suitable for nights out. The collection IDOL is one that looks designer, and this release marks the fourth launch of the collection. This one takes on a darker tone than the rest, due to its winter theme, but is still quite affordable. The combination of wintery but also fancy clothing allows customers to look stylish while trying to protect themselves from the cold. As winter is a wellknown season for being hard on fashion: lots of layers, having to choose between warmth and style; this collection seems to be trying to create a balance and avoid having to make a decision between comfort and good looks.

Should I save or should I spend?

s a student, it can be hard to decide which purchases really warrant taking a chunk out of your student loan, and which ones can be bought for that little bit cheaper. I’m here to give you some guidance, with my top three ‘Save’ items, and my top three ‘Splurge’ items.

Knitwear - Save

It can be tempting to fall into the trap of buying expensive knitwear, especially when it comes to jumpers. . Winter can be freezing (especially up here in Newcastle!), so, chances are, you’ll end up wearing a lot of knitwear. Instead of buying one or two expensive jumpers and wearing them all of the time, why not buy several cheaper sweaters? For affordable, unique knitwear, I’d recommend checking out some vintage clothing sales.

Jewellery - Save

If you’re looking for loud, statement jewellery, try buying several cheaper pieces, rather than one expensive piece. To me, the beauty of such jewellery is being able to wear several pieces at once, and to mix and match, so having several pieces available will likely prove useful..

Shirts - Save

Shirts, whether checked or plain, are items you’ll want to mix and match. Buy several shirts in different styles and colours. This way, you can create a variety of outfits.

Denim - Spend

From jeans to jackets to dungarees, it’s always worth shelling out for good quality denim. Top quality denim both washes and fits well, and will last for years if you look after it properly.

Sunglasses - Spend

High quality sunglasses don’t just look good- they also protect your eyes from damaging UV light. A classic pair of sunglasses can be worn with many different outfits, and will never go out of style. In order to offer your eyes the best protection possible, ensure you always purchase polarised shades.

Boots - Spend

Decent quality leather boots are another item worth their high price. Your feet will thank you for a pair of well-fitted, weather resistant boots. A decent pair should last some time, and a classic pair of black boots will never go out of fashion. I’d recommend investing in a pair of Doc Martens. Em Richardson

However, the key word here is “trying” to stay warm. Most of the clothing pieces are not actually winter clothes, they’re just winter-themed. It is not very hard to tell

whether those clothes would be warm enough for the chilly December days or not, seeing that some of them are transparent, short, sleeveless, or all of the above. They seem to be pieces you can only wear in an inside setting, but wouldn’t provide any warmth if one is outside. Taking a look at the IDOL crystal embellished mesh top, £25.00, it’s a stylish black transparent

top, which provides the perfect Christmas party or dinner look - chic, but not appearing underdressed, as it has long sleeves. But one might get a bit chilly if walking to the said Christmas party; they’d have to bring a warm coat to compensate. The same goes for the IDOL silver Embellished Sequin Disc Slip Dress, £125.00. The theme of most of those clothes seems to be “stylish Christmas party,” for which the pieces are perfect. Another piece ideal for the night is the IDOL Knitted Black Eyelash Cardigan, £65.00. Soft and cosy, adding a cute flair to the outfit underneath, it would look good with anything from jeans to dresses to skirts. Of course, we cannot exclude the accessories, as they play a key role in an outfit. A staple piece would be the IDOL DOLLY Silver Cage Cross Body Bag, which has an almost futuristic design, and is a stylish way to hold your makeup and wallet. Overall, the collection is becoming a well-known one, as it has flooded Instagram, impressing people with its designer look. Perhaps not ideal for the weather, but perfect for any event, Topshop’s winter IDOL collection deserves the recognition it gets and will probably gain even more popularity in the near future.

Images: topshop.co.uk

Superdry: not so super? Shamara Mohsin looks at the controversy surrounding claims Superdry copied students' clothing designs

wo students are saying they were left high and dry after famed fashion brand Superdry ripped off their designs after entering a competition last

year. Darcey Rose, 21, a fashion design and marketing student got coattails ruffled last week after claiming clothing company Superdry took a design she entered into a competition to win a week at their headquarters in London was used without her knowledge in this seasons line. After her post gained traction in the North East, content creator Gabriella Finelli spoke about her own experience with the now elusive competition in which she claims she's had a similar experience. Both shared photos online side by side with their designs and the supposed copycats they say Superdry made from their drawings, Darcey wrote on Instagram: “Last year I won a competition with @superdry in which to enter you had to design a coat for A/W 19. I got the chance to go to head office and work with the designers, doing a workshop to see how the design process works. I assumed nothing would become of my design, it was more of just an entry point in order to get to head office to meet the designers.” Much like Gabriella Finelli, who said on her own Instagram just days later: “I also won a competition to work in their head offices to gain valuable industry experience.” Both found themselves bursting for joy at the opportunity to gain an insight into an industry they were oh so desperate to break into, however, both also admitted they were not lead to believe their designs would be featured in the line should they win the competition. Neither woman asked for compensation on their social media posts but did disclaim they would have appreciated “a little credit.” While Superdry has so far not commented on the matter the increased attention around Darcey’s post, which now has over 3,000 likes and over 300 comments since posting five days ago, has gained media attention with the Daily Mail writing their own story on the situation. Gabriella, who had worked for Superdry for more than three years at this point as a sales assistant, claims she was originally going to keep quiet about the experience but

was inspired by Darcey. Gabriella spoke about how she had loved the experience of working with Superdry's graphic designers at the time and said: “Skip to a few months I notice the graphic is on a range of womenswear sweats. Naively I thought it was a coincidence but even so." While neither has stated what terms and conditions were part of the competition it's been speculated by some on social media that both ladies may have signed away their rights to the designers when entering the competition unknowingly, but neither has commented on this. Darcey said: “Half of me is over the moon but the other half is

angry and upset. This post will probably achieve nothing but I just felt I needed to share this in hope at least some people will see the achievement even if it's being sold as someone’s else’s work, which in the creative industry is a big slap in the face.” While neither student appears interested in taking the matter further, both have created a stir in the industry about the licence to use others work and how this matter should have originally been handled by Superdry.

Instagram: @darceyrosex

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fashion life & style

Monday 2 December 2019

Blurring the boundaries: the rise of generation gender neutral

Fashion fixation:

Skechers

Joe Smith talks 90s favourite Skechers and how they could just be making a comeback

Ellie Parkin discusses the rise in popularity and availability of gender neutral fashion in recent mainstream media

n this so-called fashion-forward age, unfortunately, a lot of socio-historical concepts are still universally prevalent. So as gender-neutral fashion finally makes its way into the mainstream, its about time we all got used to it. As a society, we need to prioritise what gender-neutral people want, and need, and make sure that is what spearheads fashion campaigns driving forward. As clothes are the most important mode of self-expression, so let’s not allow out-dated ideas about social conformity stop us. More and more stores are stocking gender-neutral brands such as the Collusion range at ASOS, the Eytys and H&M collaboration, the UNGENDERED range at Zara, as well as many more. As we all know the world of fashion, is an ever-changing one. So the concept of gender-neutral fashion is slightly late on arrival for me, as isn’t the concept of fashion retail to be inclusive? Yet the breakthrough moment for gender-neutral fashion only really smashed the glass ceiling this year.

Clothes are the most important mode of self-expression

I would say that there has always been gender fluidity in the fashion industry, with individuals like David Bowie and Boy George kickstarting the high-profile media attention for gender-neutral coverage. You also have more recent examples, such as Ruby Rose, Jaden Smith and Sam Smith (just to name a few). And so, the idea that there can

now be a positive, and equal, clothing range that does not have any ties to gender, is a wonderful thing. As we have constructed cultural roadblock on particular items surrounding ‘male’ and ‘female’ identities, such like the idea that jeans are a universally accepted gender-neutral item, yet skirts don’t get the same treatment. It’s negative constructions like these that prevent any progress being made. As our bodies don’t always fit into these existing style categories, therefore, we need to create new criteria to promote the quality of this campaign and break up this fixed masculine and feminine gender ideologies. Charmaine Li states that “for some, fashion can be an extension of the self, or a way to (re)invent yourself. A style of dress can be a visual manifestation of where one stands, coloured by history, culture, emotions and politics. Or it can be an attempt to create a state where the gap between one’s body and one’s inner life feels the smallest.” As in an ideal world, gender-neutral fashion will stand alongside girls and boy’s clothes, so the androgynous clothing can be equally advertised for children who do not conform to one gender or identify as intersexed. As would it not be wrong for a child to feel forced into selecting clothes from a gender category which they do not have any affiliation to? This projection can only be hoped for in the future as gender-neutral fashion continues is the mainstream. We are most certainly on the right track when it comes to inclusivity in the fashion industry, but there's still work to be done. Of course, the industry is always searching for new trends to keep modernising itself. So ultimately, let’s hope they use this platform as a spearhead for future inclusivity campaigns.

If you know, you nose Instagram: @imezramiller

Deputy Editor Molly Greeves discusses how to stay snug this winter with nose warmers

ike the hard hand of reality, winter has hit me once again. Newcastle is, for lack of a better word, absolutely baltic and, tragically, it’s time we all start dressing appropriately. It’s not all bad, though. We might have had to put our crop tops and sunglasses away for another year, but winter comes with its own share of fashionable benefits: layering, knitwear and boots to name a few. What I didn’t expect to be wearing this December, however, is a nose warmer.

For anyone who knows Grace Dean, our esteemed Editor of the Courier, it will be no shock to you that her mum crochets nose warmers. While we bundle up in scarves, gloves and hats, the nose is forgotten, left to go red in the bitter cold. Claiming that they are “the item of choice in the Dean household”, Andrea insists that a knitted nose warmer is the answer “whether you’re a hipster, boss babe or menopausal mother”. I was privileged enough to get my hands on one of these essential items and, I’ve gotta say, I’m incredibly satisfied. As a basic white bitch, I go red incredibly easy and though the Rudolf look is seasonally appropriate, I’m relieved that my nose can finally get some relief. My nose warmer is a beautiful baby blue with a little bell on the end to warn people that I’m around, an addition that I’ve been told, is incredibly helpful for those who trying to avoid me. The range of nose warmers that Andrea makes is un-

Images: Andrea's Nose Warmers on Facebook

expectedly diverse. Political nose warmers have been requested before (a stylish way to hit the polling place, I must say) as well as sport themed ones so you can rep your favourite team.

While we bundle up in scarves, gloves and hats, the nose is forgotten, left to go red in the bitter cold

There are many ridiculous trends in the world, but let me tell you, this isn’t one of them. Not to sound like an old woman, but if you walk around with earphones that don’t have wires or so many holes in jeans you might as well have not paid for them, you have absolutely no right to criticise a piece of clothing lovingly crafted to keep your beak warm. If you’re interested in staying ahead of the latest trends, hit up Andrea’s Nose Warmers on Facebook. From experience I can say that your seriously snazzy nose warmer will immediately elevate your social status and make you one of the coolest (but also warmest) kids on the (Castle Leazes) block.

know this may be scandalous and possibly quite shocking opinion but, I believe that Skechers are making a resurgence. The once-beloved shoe fell into a bitter pit of ridicule in the mid-2010s and I feared that, from that point onwards, they would be a shoe belonging to the 40 something pilates mums forever. In the past couple of years Skechers have tried, and in my opinion have succeeded, in making the triumphant return to the trainer industry they have always deserved. This is all down to their new trainer, the D’lites. I was filled with confusion when I realised, I wanted to buy a pair of Skechers. At the affordable price tag of £54 I thought that for a long-lasting shoe, this might be worth it. I was thankfully right The chunky trainer/dad shoe revolution is one that I am happy to fight for and I am proud to say I got my yearly fix of this through the Skechers D’lites. A textbook chunky shoe. The vast array of features include, memory foam insoles, a chunky base a n d most importantly a big variety of colourways. Some of my favourites being the black and white colourway or the beige and white. There’s a colour for everyone’s tastes. Concerning the practicality of the shoe, it’s brilliant for active use such as running or going to the gym and is just a good casual trainer. The memory foam insoles added a layer of comInstagram: @skechers fort I never knew I needed. Thankfully, for the rainy winter season, they re very easy to clean, a quick wipe and you’re sorted. As far as the other shoes in the Skechers collection go, I wouldn’t say they’re quite up to speed just yet. They’re straying behind in the limbo between awful and hopeful. After years of laughable torment it seems like the Skechers flame may be relit for good in the next couple of years and the D’lites might just be the spark that sets it off.

Instagram: @skechers

the courier

What does self-love mean to you?

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#MeTimeAndMindfullness

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#TreatYourself

Unsplash:@iwanshimko

Nimra Rafi que

or a lot of my adolescence I felt unco table in my skin, so when it came to self-love, mfor I wasn ’t very good at it. In the past few years though, I’ve tried to change how I view myself; you’ll never win against a brain that’s conditioned to think that what you have isn’t good enough. ove is tough though. By no means am I at the point ofSelf-l “loving myself” that we all see on social media. Something that all susceptible of is being mean to ourselves I think we’re in ways we’d NEVER be to our loved ones. Therefore , my self-l ove is less about expensive bath bombs, and more t taking time to recognise the good things I’m doing ratheabou just the bad. Doing this has made me so much morer thandent in myself; I’ve applied for roles that I’d never thought I’confi d get and got them, I’ve worn clothes that I wouldn’t go near the past, and I’ve ditched heavy makeup to push me out ofinmy comfort zone. All of these things, despite being scary have made me so much happier. None of them could’ve been, done thou gh, if I didn’t start with sharing a little bit of love with myself and best of all, it’s completely free!

es #PositiveVib

Beth Robson

Caitlin Raw lings

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Instagram:@missguided

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#FeelinGoodAsHell!

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Instagram:@lizzobeeating

beauty life & style

Monday 2 December 2019 courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Rashida Campbell-Allen & Ellie James

#LoveTheSkinYouAreIn

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life & style travel Rockin' around Europe’s best Christmas markets Charlotte Booy Howlett takes us on a tour of her favourite Christmas markets across the continent, from Munich to Prague T courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Travel Editors: Amy Harris, Meggie Williams and Beth Robson

here’s nothing quite like going to some Christmas markets to really get you in the holiday mood. Now deadlines are passed, and December is quickly approaching why not spend the

remainders of your dwindling student loan on seeing one of these amazing Christmas markets in Europe?

Vienna, Austria

Dating back to the 13th Century, Vienna is home to multiple Christmas markets across the city. With around 20 or so festive markets to see, you will be spoilt for choice! The largest are Rathausplatz, Schönbrunn, Belvedere and Resselpark. Rathausplatz has a spectacular neo gothic town hall illuminating the markets below. Meanwhile if you’re near Belvedere Palace, make a little stop to try the tasty Glühwein (mulled wine) and Austrian delicacy Sachertorte, a delicious chocolate cake! If you are looking for a quieter atmosphere, the Old Viennese Christmas market is the place to be, especially if you are eager to try apfel strudel or maroni (chestnuts) without the bustling crowds.

Prague, Czech Republic

Image: Annie Pratt from Unsplash

Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square is where you will find the biggest Christmas markets and are only a 10 minute walk from each other! Petty theft is a problem in major tourist areas in Prague, so stay vigilant and carry few valuable items. More petite markets can be found by the castle and on Kampa Island. The market at Old Town Square offers a unique music and light ceremony on the Christmas tree, which is repeated throughout the night, as well as daily carol singing! You will have plenty of opportunity to taste Czech beers, as well as Klobása (a barbecued sausage) and Trdelník (a sweet chimney cake). If you fancy buying bohemian crafts or visiting animals in a stable, Prague is the place to be!

Munich, Germany

The Bavarian capital has a mind blowing 24 markets! The main Christmas market in Munich is Marienplatz, but you will also find stalls along Neuhauser Straße, Kaufingerstraße, as well as lots of other places around the city. Medieval market Wittlesbacherplatz encapsulates the atmosphere of some of Europe’s original markets with traders dressed in costume and traditional mead, whilst Feuerzangebowle is served in traditional banquet styled goblets. You can also get into a festive party mood by watching the performances at the Tollwood Winterfestival at Theresienwiese, where Oktoberfest celebrations also take place. However, there may be increased security in place over the festive period in Germany, due to historical terror attacks.

Brussels, Belgium For five festive fun-filled weeks, Brussels hosts Belgium’s biggest Christmas market, covering a 2km stretch from Grand Place to Place Sainte Catherine. Winter Wonders receives 2.5 million visitors each year! Brussels comes stocked with lots of Christmas cheer and festive fun. It is home to more than 250 gingerbread style chalets, a ferris wheel, an enormous Christmas tree, brass bands, performing arts, ice sculptures and an ice rink. It even has a famous sound and light display projected across Grand Place. Getting there is quick and easy with Eurostar, direct from St Pancras International. It takes only two hours, so it’s perfect for a day trip or weekend getaway. However, security operations are likely to be carried out at short notice during the festive period, so follow the instructions of Belgian authorities. However, be aware that Police have asked the public not to comment on police operations on social media.

Monday 2 December 2019

Edinburgh, Scotland

If you have ever been to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay you will know that the Christmas period is when the Scottish capital looks extra picturesque. The Edinburgh Christmas market runs for six weeks in the East Princes St Gardens. The market is the perfect place for those wanting to relive their Christmas childhood memories, with an Elf Workshop hidden in the Christmas trees maze, a carousel and an oval ice rink! Meanwhile, those wanting to roam the stalls that snake down the hill side will be encompassed by a number of perfect stocking fillers, Christmas spiced aromas and edible delights. I recommend the pulled pork baps! Only a short train ride away from Newcastle, Edinburgh's festive markets are perfect for students wanting to take a day trip. Image: Ross Sneddon from Unsplash

Stop expecting everyone to speak English!

Lifestyle editor Jess Herbert shares her favourite language learning apps so you can be lingo-ready for your next trip abroad

earning a language in English schools is the unspoken shambles of our curriculum. Before age 11 languages aren’t compulsory, so apart from a few appearances from someone in the year below’s mum teaching Itsy Bitsy Spider, your education remains blinkered by Anglocentrism. At secondary school, most students are force-fed Spanish or French lessons that prioritise passing an exam over immersing yourself in a cultural experience. Learning another language feels futile when English is seen as the default language of the Western world, dominating music, television and film – even if you visit a majority of countries they’ll speak to you in your mother

tongue rather than theirs. But what if you need urgent medical attention and can’t communicate what’s wrong? What if you have a food allergy and need to tell a waiter? Even if you simply want to get through daily life in another country, you need to know the basics. Learning a language after school can seem daunting, but I’ve compiled a list of the best apps to help you get started.

Duolingo

Probably the most famous and popular of them all, Duolingo sits collecting dust on most people’s phones after they convince themselves their New Year New Me in-

volves learning a language. Its popularity stems from the fact that all its essential content is free – this covers reading, speaking and listening in a variety of topics from furniture to flirting. It sends you useful daily reminders to keep up your learning, but if you want to learn the actual mechanics of a language, such as why something is wrong, then this might not be for you as its focus is memory and regurgitation rather than the fine details of grammar.

Rosetta

Duolingo’s expensive sister is often avoided due to her high prices, but realistically you do get more for your money. The subscription varies from £9-£13 a month

and the lessons are taught in 10 minute chunks where you watch an interactive powerpoint that improves your reading, listening and speaking; they even have accent technology that analyses your specific pronunciation and compares it to native speakers to calculate how you can improve. It also comes with some really unique features like a built-in phrasebook containing useful vocab from ordering food to buying a ticket from a bus driver, as well as mini audiobooks that you can read along with in your chosen language.

Memrise

This app is the key player when it comes to learning vocabulary, which is conveniently also its only completely free feature. Unless you upgrade to access grammar and listening skills, then this app isn’t going to make you fluent, but their selection of keywords are challenging and politically aware, including topics like the Cold War and citizenship.

Quizlet

Similarly to Memrise, Quizlet’s big focus is on learning vocab. The app puts your keywords into online flashcards, providing a personalised tool that you can revise with; there’s also interactive matching games to learn your terms is a fun way. Quizlets can be shared with friends, so if you’re going on holiday together you can ensure you’re all learning how to ask the barman for more sangria. Again, this won’t give you a full understanding of a language, but if you only want to know the basics, it’s great.

Babbel

Graphic: Pxfuel.com -id-jrqmh Dictionary: Waldemar Brandt from Unsplash

I know you shouldn’t pick favourite children, but Babbel would be my frontrunner. You can choose loads of different levels from newcomer to refresher, so it doesn’t matter if you’re starting from the beginning or trying to reclaim a forgotten GCSE, as well as having specialised courses for business vocab and job interviews. The subscription is slightly cheaper than Rosetta varying between £6-£13 per month, but what I love most about Babbel is you’re properly taught the rules of a language rather than just remembering phrases. It tells you what grammar rules exist and why, which helps you learn from your mistakes. Ultimately, there’s so many tools on the app store these days, it seems a shame to stay stuck in the British expectation that everyone will speak English. What’s the harm in learning a few new phrases for your next holiday? Let’s break the mould and make more of an effort to open our minds to other languages.

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travel life & style Light up the city: 'Durham Lumiere Lights Festival' Bright, beautiful and brilliantly bizarre: Aimée Rees reviews the magical light art exhibition scattered throughout Durham city A Monday 2 December 2019

s we venture into the Winter months and begin as Chris Plants’ ‘Harmonic Portal’, displayed on the wall to seemingly exist in a perpetual state of dark- outside St Godric’s Church. The rings of light throbbed ness, the perfect cure for the November blues in time to an eerie, meditative beat and encouraged obwas – for a limited time only – the Durham Lumiere servers to consider the ‘three frequencies used by our Festival. brains to create colour’ (Source: Lumiere Festival). Others Sprawling across the city as a giant art exhibition, the were fun and bright, such as French artist Jacques pieces came together from a variety o f Rival’s ‘I love Durham’, consisting of an artists, visions and nations to enormous snow globe enculminate in a walkable tour gulfing the ‘man on the through the city center. The horse’ statue in DurImage: John Lord from Flickr event was notably popular ham’s Market Place. Or amongst Newcastle students perhaps the neon lights of who ventured by train to join in the festivities right up Lucy McDonnell’s giant rainbow slinky – titled until the last train home on Sund ay ‘End over end’ – took the title of the quirkiest 17th November; the final day of light exhibit. One of the more interactive was the festival. ‘CLOUD’ in the Prince Bishop shopping center. The exhibitions lit up the city Created by Canadian artists Caitlind Brown in an array of colours and de- and Wayne Garrett, the display was surrounded signs. S o m e by children pulling on the glowing white toggles w e r e and watching the thousands of tiny bulbs flicker spiritu- on and off on a fantastical cloud tree. al, such Doubtlessly the main attraction, however, was the cathe-

dral. On all sides lit up with enormous projections, it featured as a fantasy on the west façade overlooking the main bridge in a spectacle entitled ‘Fool’s Paradise’ by UK-based artists Novak. At times somewhat disturbing as a giant projected maggot appeared to rip through the cathedral, it still maintained a sweet vibe as the walls of the building transformed into a Scandanavian-esque cityscape and then into a twinkling night sky. Walking to the Palace Green on the other side of the cathedral revealed the stunning ‘Stones’ display projected onto the Cathedral as it pulsed, fell apart, waved and was engulfed with flames in a totally transformative performance. Inside the Cathedral was ‘Spirit’, a feature of floating lights swaying in time to a live musical performance which was both eerie and wonderous, musicians La Rose and izOReL creating mystical instrumental, almost inhuman melodies with their voices. The exhibition continued out through the gardens

with fire alchemy displays providing not only a pretty scene but also some very desired warmth. Durham Lumiere festival provided some sorely needed wonder to the drag of the recent November weather. It was a magical treasure hunt encouraging constant exclamations of awe from the young and the old alike. Despite maps being difficult to come by, the joy of finding these exhibitions wandering around the city almost made the experience more wondrous. The long queues for the Cathedral entrance and along the riverbank were more intimidating than inconvenient, and the minutes were easily passed with a hot chocolate and in good company. The collective mood was cheery or perhaps even festive, hopefully paving the way for a more Christmassy end of term spirit despite the November blues.

Image: Adrian Beney from Wikicommons

Pesto and palaces: the heart-warming Italian city of Genoa Beth Robson reminisces on her past summer getaway with her friends to the beautiful and picturesque city of Genoa, Italy

ur plane began its descent to the runway as we quickly approached Cristoforo Colombo airport. We’d been flying for five-and-a-half hours at this point and we were excited to finally arrive. Surrounding us was some of the vast and beautiful mountain range of Parco Naturale delle Capanne di Marcarolo - an amazing warm-welcome to the capital of Liguria, Genoa.

Surrounding us was a vast and beautiful mountain range

When we touched down, we quickly got on a coach to the city centre where we met our hosts who took us to where we would be staying for the next five days. Our accommodation was far from the ordinary hotel room and only a stone’s throw from the popular Piazza De Ferrari (where a Bollywood film happened to be filmed whilst we were there!). Nestled away in one of

Images: Beth Robson

Genoa’s hundreds (if not thousands) of tiny medieval streets, stood an old convent which had been turned into a gorgeous apartment complex with all of the original structure still intact. The place exuded regality (despite its humble beginnings), and its history could be felt in every wall and ancient door. As we looked out of our lounge window, we weren’t met with the usual tourist-friendly view – no, there was no grand view of the sea or harbour, but instead straight into the kitchen of our Italian neighbour! It didn’t feel touristy; instead we felt very much like we were dropped into the centre of Genoa and were experiencing life very much like the locals did.

terrible

but

UNESCO World age Site. Think of typical

Herityour

Try real, authentic Italian seafood or pesto

As we made our way out into the city to explore, we found over the five days that we were there many small family-owned restaurants and cafes in the ancient streets of the city that were more than welcoming of us (and our

well intended attempts at Italian). A memorable spot for me was a small gelato shop called ‘U gelato du Caruggiu’, where we were fed many amazing and creative flavours of home-made gelato by a wonderful and enthusiastic elderly gentleman. We went back to this shop a few times during our stay to escape the blistering heat or treat ourselves to a late-night snack, and every time we were met with heartfelt Italian hospitality and kindness; if you’re thinking of visiting Genoa, do add this shop to your must-sees! If like me you’re a foodie, Genoa is the perfect place to visit if you want to try real, authentic Italian seafood or pesto. Alongside the copious amounts of pizza that I consumed whilst visiting, it was a real treat to be able to try some locally sourced and made Genoese pesto on homemade pasta – British pesto has never come close since! As café culture is popular in Italy, you must also make note to go to some cafes in the morning for breakfast where you can help yourself to freshly brewed cappuccinos, focaccia, and baked goods! This trip wasn’t all about food though! As a lover of arts, culture, and history, the prospect of visiting Genoa was incredibly exciting as it houses the ‘Palazzi dei Rolli’; a group of 16th to 17th century palaces that are now a

Italian royalty and upper-class way of living and you can find it all in the stunning palaces along ‘Le Strade Nuovo’. Crisp white sculptures of highly regarded Italian nobility and rulers, grand galleries, and breath-taking gardens; all of this a marker of Genoa’s history and economical importance. If you’re less inclined towards art and would rather do some sight-seeing, Genoa has some beautiful trips on offer.

Phenomenal ocean views, fantastic food, and rocky bays

We booked a boat trip along the Italian Riviera to Moneglia, a Genoese commune two-and-a-half hours away from the City Centre. Along the way we stopped in many little harbours, the most famous being Porto Fino. Moneglia, known for its white sand beaches and olive farms in the over-looking hills, is a popular holiday resort and it’s understandable to see why with phenomenal ocean views, fantastic food, and rocky bays.

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food life & style

Monday 2 December 2019

Food Editors: Cayla Viner & Amanda Goh

Are ethical meats really humane? Joe Smith shares his thoughts on the rise in "ethical" meats

n my opinion there is no such thing as completely ‘ethical’ meat. All meat is still dead animals and they have all been bred for their own slaughter. Although I believe there to be no completely ethical meat, I still think there are ways for people who want to eat meat to try and be more ethical when buying. The easiest way to get sustainable and ethical meat in the UK would be to shop at a local butcher, as it is most likely that a large portion of the meat, they sell would’ve been grass fed and given a fairly happy life. This is not always 100% true however, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask butchers directly just so you get to know more about where your food is coming from. Although a butcher can be much more expensive than going to a supermarket, it’s worth it to know that there was some degree of welfare for the animals you’re eating when they were alive. The act of animal slaughter and the levels of animal welfare are not the only issues that arise when discussing the idea of ethical meat. The damage the meat industry does to the environment is overwhelming. Avoiding eating meat and dairy is said to be the biggest way to reduce

your carbon footprint. Rearing animals for food require an incredible amount of land and resources. It is estimated that a huge 80% of all agricultural land in the world is used for farming. We are losing forests and green space just so more meat can be farmed. So many resources are being drained just so animals can be consumed. No matter where you buy your meat from, it is still required to come from a farm, a farm that is responsible for draining the resources we so desperately need to preserve. To further fuel my point that there is no such thing as wholly ethical meat, here a few examples of how the meat industry is incredibly damaging for both animals and the planet. The meat industry causes dangerous amounts of deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gases and animal cruelty. If we each want to do our bit for helping save the planet and prevent harm to animals, we should research more into the horrors of the meat industry and try do our bit to avoid speeding up the death of our planet.

Image: Sander Mathleneron Unsplash

Dish of the week: Cream of celery soup

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Amy Harris shares her soup perfect for a cold night

he temperature in Newcastle starts to drop, everyone in your uni house suddenly gets the flu and deadlines are stacking up. So, the best thing to cheer yourself up with is a warm winter soup. A lot of soups involve tons of vegetables that take hours to prepare, standing in front of the hob stirring for what seems like years and it is all a lot of effort for a tired student. But what’s great about this soup is it’s a simple microwave recipe that you can leave for the microwave to do all the work for you.

This dish is personally a family favourite. My mum would cook this soup most winters when I would get a bad cold and needed something to warm me up and make me feel better after coming home from school. But other then families, this dish is perfect for us uni students. It’s simple, quick, the ingredients are cheap, you can leave it in the fridge and reheat easily and it’s just what you need when getting in from a long day at the Robbo.

Meatfree chop suey C

hop suey is a quick and easy to make dish popular in the Filipino culture. It was introduced by the Chinese and has been adapted in other countries. The meal traditionally consists of meat and tender-crisp vegetables, and is bounded with a starchthickened, flavourful sauce. Having the delicacy predominantly made with meat is very frustrating for vegetarians. However, there can easy alternatives to deal with this frustration, that can satisfy your cravings.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 cloves of diced garlic, 1 small onion (thinly sliced), 100g baby button mushrooms, 1 broccoli (cut into florets), 1 red bell pepper (long strips), 150g mangetout, 130g young corn, 2 medium-sized carrots (cut into round slices), 200g Quorn mince, 180g stir fry sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, salt and pepper

simmer. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch with a small amount of cold water until it is well dissolved. Add to the skillet until it is lightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This meal can be served in either hot or cold conditions, with rice or noodles. The vegeInstructions: tables here provide a wide range Fill a bowl halfway of textures; from the crunchiness with ice and add 2 cups of the carrots and the tenderness of of water. Add a half teathe bell peppers. The vegetables can Image: Carl Smith Valdez spoon of salt to the water. Set also be easily adapted with the seasons. aside. For example, cabbages and spinach for the Boil 3 cups of salted water in a saucewinter, whereas corn and green beans for the sumpan. Add broccoli and young corn and cook for 3 mer. Though, vegetables with bright colours will make it minutes. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and more appetising and appealing. Sweet chilli or soy sauce submerge it into the ice bath. Add carrots to the boiling could be added for an extra kick. water for 1 minute and plunge it to the bowl of ice. Add Carl Smith Valdez the remaining vegetables for approximately 30 seconds or

Real food envy: Netflix and grill

Cayla Viner inspires us with some of her fave Netflix food shows

ou have just come in from a long day in uni, you had to walk home in the cold and the dark, and all you want to do is cocoon yourself in a fluffy blanket with hot chocolate and a great Netflix show. It is time for you to branch out from your classic drama or comedy show and feast your eyes on the deliciously addictive food programmes on offer. These are, in my opinion, the top foodie shows to get hooked on now:

Chef's Table

The incredible cinematography enhances how spectacular cuisine can become an art where audiences will be in awe. The show follows famous chefs from around the world where they share the journey they took to get to where they are. It includes a collection of archival photos, interviews with the family and food critics who wax lyrical about how unique each chef is whether that be Nancy Silverton’s bread empire or Niki Nakayama’s creative kaiseki cuisine. The classical musical in the background allows all the focus to be on the close-ups of preparing and plating up the innovative creations that each chef has to show off. Some argue that Chef’s Table is perhaps elitist, however I see it is an exhibition of the most passionate pioneers in the world of food. They are not places you go to indulge but instead are rare experiences a n d Netflix has gifted us with this little epicurean delight.

Salt Fat Acid Heat

Image: goodfreephotos.com

Serves 4 Ingredients:

25g butter 1 large head of celery (washed, trimmed and thinly sliced) 1 medium onion (skinned and chopped)

900ml (1 ½ pints) chicken stock 300ml (1/2 pints) milk Salt and pepper Bouquet garni 60ml (4 tbsp) single cream

Cooking Instructions:

Put the butter into a 5-pint ovenproof glass bowl and microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds until the butter melts. Add the celery and onion and stir well to coat evenly with the butter. Cover ovenproof dish with cling

film, pulling back one corner to vent. Microwave on HIGH for 6-8 minutes until the celery softens, stirring frequently. Add the chicken stock, milk, salt, pepper and bouquet garni to the celery. Three-quarters cover the dish with cling film and microwave on HIGH for 18-20 minutes until the celery is very soft. Cool the soup slightly, remove the bouquet garni and then puree in a blender or food processor, or rub through a sieve. Return the soup to a clean, ovenproof serving bowl and reheat on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stir the cream into the soup. Serve garnished with chopped celery leaves.

until half done. Add them with the rest of the vegetables in the ice bath. This can help retain the freshness and the colour of the vegetables. Reserve ½ cup of the boiled water. This can be used as a vegetable stock. Once the vegetables from the ice bath are cold, drain them. Heat the skillet over medium heat, add a one teaspoon of oil. Sauté garlic and onions until softened. Add the Quorn mince until it is medium brown. Mix it with the stir fry sauce until it is incorporated well. Add a cup of vegetable stock. Bring it to boil. Add the parboiled vegetables and stir. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes to a

a particular culture makes use of one of the all important elements. These include the home kitchens of Italy, the tropical Yucatan state, Japanese islands and the famous Californian restaurant, Chez Panisse. It is an entertaining, feel-good mini-series where Nosrat’s down to earth and charming character makes the show both interesting and inspiring to watch.

Street Food

Vietnam, Thailand, India, Japan all featured in this amazing documentary of Asian street food. We are taken on a journey through the bustling streets to encounter the most authentic cuisine. Instated of training for years to become restaurant chefs, many of those selling at a stand have been inheriting this family business for years, growing up surrounded by the culture of cooking. The show embraces the true meaning of street food, with a key focus on family, sharing and the origins of this fascinating cuisine. The chaos mixed with joy and laughter portrayed in these episodes makes any foodie crave to embark on a street food journey. One woman tells us, “in a city of 10 million people, 1 million make a living on the street” which just goes to show how big street food culture existing across Asia really is. I think this programme does an excellent job in depicting this lifestyle in a heart-warming.

Chef and food writer, Samin Nosrat published a book in 2017 detailing key components needed for successful cooking. With this Netflix show, there a four episodes; each instalment focuses on one of Nosrat’s key elements by travelling to a new location and revealing how

Image: flickr

the courier

culture music To spin or to stream? Record stores vs online tunes

Monday 2 December 2019

c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Dom Lee, Jagoda Waszkowiak & Joe Smith

Music Writers Finlay Holden and Grace Lazzaro go head to head debating the merits of record stores vs streaming services

Grace Lazzaro

ou walk into that one record store, run your hands over the covers, taking note of the worn ones that you know someone once played over and over. You smile when you see some of

courses through your veins. The anticipation of hearing the beauty of the crackles and music quality from that one little disk is almost overwhelming. You get home and immediately pop in on your turntable. You hear the scratch of the record, the jump of the stylus, that catch of a breath, that one skipped lyric from that time someone acci-

So much gets lost when the song is digitized

dentally dropped that vinyl and scratched the surface. Now, if you’ve never experienced one of those things because you’re stuck in the digital age, I feel like I must extend a sincere apology to your lack of musical experience because what I’ve just described above is probably one of the best feelings ever, at least from a music standpoint (aside from

your favourites, pass a knowing nod to the person next to you looking at Image: Pixabay the same album. You skim the rows, shuffle through the stacks, flip through the baskets. And then there it is, that one vinyl you’ve been searching everywhere for, finally within your grasp. You pick it up and excitement

Revisiting classic albums: do they hold up? Pink Floyd The Final Cut

ou all know the legendary The Dark Side of the Moon, however perhaps only the die-hard Pink Floyd fans will have come across the completely underrated masterpiece that is The Final Cut. Now I have to admit, I am not actually a hardcore Floyd fan – I didn’t go through a stoner or a rockhead phase and to be honest I am such a fake that I probably could not name their most popular song. However, I was utterly and completely stopped in my tracks by this album. The first time I heard it was in the car with my family and despite being an irritatingly talkative eight year old, I sat silently listening to Roger Walters crying “Maggie, what have we done?” As an eight year old, I was initially mesmerised by the sounds of air raids and radio communications that certainly reflected a revolutionary change to the way music was shaped and developed in the 80s.

Perhaps only the die-hard fans will have come across the underrated masterpiece Revisiting The Final Cut years later I discovered that the post-war sounds and the reference to “Maggie” was the band’s subversion from the political situation under Margaret Thatcher. Lead singer David Gilmore said “The Final Cut was about how, with the introduction of the Welfare State, we felt we were moving forward into something resembling a liberal country where we would all look after one another … but I’d seen all that chiselled away, and I’d seen a return to an almost Dickensian society under Margaret Thatcher.” The anti-war album therefore resembles a haunting reality that the “dream” was not achieved and instead Britain had betrayed the men who lost their lives for a better country. Cayla Viner

he main way in which habits of listening to music have changed over the years is our ease of access to them, and it seems this has reached a pinnacle in the modern-day music streaming service. With every generation of technology, the size of dedicated physical media required to generate sound has been further minimalised, and since the rise of the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, the need for physical media has been removed entirely. Although the charm of a record store is undeniable, it’s convenience certainly isn’t. A trip into the closest city to a physical store is needed, followed by time spent pushing past locals to try to find the one album you are looking for. Vinyl is not a discovery format, in that as a consumer it makes much more sense to search for new music on a platform where there is no monetary risk to you whatsoever rather than spending your hard-earned cash on an album based on a recommendation from some dodgy Geordie and some questionable sleeve artwork.

Vinyl is the closest thing to hearing a band live seeing your favourite band live, of course). You honestly don’t realise how much of a song you’ve truly missed until you listen to it on vinyl- there’s the catch of the singer’s breath, the strum of the bass, that chillingly beautiful minor chord struck on the guitar that all get lost when a song is digitized. In my opinion, it’s the closest thing to actually hearing a band live. So I strongly urge you to put down your phone, take out your headphones, and head to the nearest record store.

Regina Spektor Begin to Hope

here are some artists who manage to set the music scene on fire, only for their fanfare to die down, and keep dying down, until their celebrity doesn’t even end up lasting the decade. Regina Spektor is, tragically, one such artist: despite three of her four noughties releases – Soviet Kitsch, Begin to Hope and Far – managing to make over a million sales between them in America alone, the world of popular culture largely left her behind in the 2000s. In an attempt to rekindle the once-bright flame of her fandom, let’s take a closer look at Begin to Hope, the album perhaps most beloved by her fans (yes, both of them). The album includes several songs that Spektor would go on to re-record – ‘Fidelity’, ‘That Time’ and ‘On the Radio’ all make their first appearance here – put next to songs that Spektor hasn’t touched since, such as ‘20 Years of Snow’. The production is so bare-boned that even later live albums – like the creatively named Live in London – seem higher-budget and more carefully put together. As her career progressed and continues to progress, Spektor becomes more self-assured, but in becoming more polished, she loses the unrefined edge that first earnt her a name on the East Village anti-folk scene. Another release held in similar regard – Soviet Kitsch – features the 45 second track Whisper, wherein her brother pesters Spektor under his breath into playing the next song on the album. Once the production value on her releases ramped up, it became clear there was no longer room for something so superfluous, despite that playfulness being exactly what made the early albums great. Begin to Hope is no exception: it’s rough and unrefined, but to use that to criticise the album would be to miss the point entirely. Its imperfections only serve to complement the vulnerability that shines through in her lyrics and in her voice. When singing on the album, Spektor manages at points to be quiet, but never meak, or unassertive. To call this album a diamond in the rough isn’t inaccurate, but it also shouldn’t be a pejorative. Joe Molander

Finlay Holden

The need for physical media has been removed A lot of record buyers own turntables that they never actually use – the purchase of a record is purely for a sense of ownership, and for the luxury item that is essentially a piece of art in itself. Even if you own a record, why would you go to the effort of spinning it when you can just click a play button online instead? Some people argue that vinyl produces a better sound

quality than can be created digitally; this is simply not true. Modern vinyl records are produced from digital masters, so the warm analog sound that vinyl fanatics claim to hear is simply a placebo, and you’re not going to be

getting Images: Wikimedia Commons q u a l (Evan-Amos) ity complaints streaming music on a Bluetooth speaker. Streamings undeniable success in the digital world reflects the burning desire to listen to music in any place, and at any time. Clearly, these services deliver on those wishes – record stores cannot.

The Courier’s Class of 2020 Joe Smith tells us which acts are graduating to the mainstream in 2020

he year 2020 is swiftly approaching, and with it it brings a whole new wave of artists trying to break into the music scene. I’ve picked four acts who I believe are destined for greatness next year. Arlo Parks: 19-year-old Arlo Parks already has more depth to her than many mainstream artists. She illustrates perfectly the highs and lows of growing up in the UK. Her music is a perfect blend of bedroom pop mixed superbly with contemporary soul. With one EP under her belt already, it is obvious to me to say she will be the new voice of the super sad generation. Working Men’s Club: West Yorkshire’s Working Men’s Club could hold the key to the future of electronic post punk pop mashup music. They seamlessly combine synths with incredible basslines and ripping vocals to fantastic effect. They are part of the indie/punk revolution, tearing apart typical, and somewhat boring, guitar music and transforming it into something hopeful. Dry Cleaning: What do you get when you mix a university lecturer and artist with a band of friends who have known each other for years? The

nothing but greatness next year. It takes a lot for a singer with incredible talent to step back and not actually sing. Lead vocalist Flo Shaw delivers her lyrics in almost spoken word like fashion that holds the ability to mesmerise the listener. Wych Elm: The best band to come out of Bristol has to be Wych Elm. They perfectly deliver a gothic take on post punk that makes their sound truly their own. They released their debut EP Rat Blanket in March of this year, which firmly planted them as something special.

answer would be London’s Dry Cleaning. This band is destined for

Image: Instagram (@arlo.parks), twitter (@666wychelm)

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music culture North lineup: Solving the climate crisis is ‘plane’ obvious Hit The hit or miss? Weronika Kobus teaches the music industry how to become more environmentally-friendly T R Monday 2 December 2019

ecently Coldplay have announced they are giving up touring until they can make it “environmentally beneficial”, but do artists really have to make such radical decisions to become more eco-friendly? With increasing awareness of climate emergency even the small actions, when taken up by many will add up to building a better future. Making your music more eco-friendly starts with the gear you choose, depends on how you utilize this equipment, and finally, shows in the way you distribute your recordings. A good starting point is choosing gear made out of biodegradable and environmentally friendly materials. You can opt for wooden guitar picks and drumstick tips rather than

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which releases significant amount of pollution to the environment. Plastic drum shells can be easily replaced by wooden or metal ones. Even the tonewood your guitar is made of matters, as certain types of it are sourced from endangered species. For example rosewood, which comes from a threatened Dalbergia species group, and could be replaced by a more sustainable, government-approved source. Instead of throw-

Making your music eco-friendly starts with your gear source of plastic waste. Although going digital seems to strip down music from the romanticism of having the album’s physical copy, accessing it digitally reduces the carbon footprint by 40-80%. If you don’t want to resign from distributing physical copies, swapping a plastic CD case for a paper one also makes a difference. Finally, why not consider writing a song with an environmentalist message? After all there’s nothing more punk nowadays than being eco-friendly, and maybe one day we’ll be able to say there’s nothing but flowers.

CD packaging creates further plastic waste plastic ones, or choose naturally finished instruments over those coated with multiple layers of toxic paint,

ig out your ‘Becktionaries’ because the king of indie-folk is back with his new album Hyperspace. Beck’s last effort, 2017’s Colours, won him many critical accolades and awards. He took home three Grammy’s including the coveted Best Alternative Album title beating out strong opposition from the likes of Bjork and St. Vincent. However, the fan reaction to the album was more mixed. While Beck has always defined expectations and experimented with genres, many fans found the more simplistic pop-stylings on Colours to be a disappointment. Unfortunately, Hyperspace is in many ways a more radio friendly album than Colours. Co-produced by Pharrell Williams and featuring guest spots from synth-pop star Sky Ferreira, the album feels very much like one made to appeal to their demographics.

the number of albums Beck has released since 1993

That is not to say this is a bad album. Far from it. It features some of the best compositions of Beck’s post Sea Change career. Tracks like the album’s opener ‘Hyperlife’ ‘Dark Places’ are as clean, airy and melancholy as anything on Guero or Morning Phase while ‘Saw Lightning’ and ‘Die Waiting’ see Beck at his funky, folky, harmonica playing best. The albums closer ‘Everlasting’ is also it’s best moment. The most folky track on the album, ‘Everlasting’ showcases what Beck is capable of at his finest. The album does suffer from some filler tracks. Songs in the middle third of the album such as ‘Chemical’, ‘See Through’ and ‘Stratosphere’ are fine, but mostly forgettable, lacking the inventiveness and smoothness we now expect from Beck. Overall, Hyperspace is an album that will please those who only discovered Beck in the last decade or so, and as far as the synth-pop genre is concerned, Beck is now where it’s at. However, for me it is not one I will revisit often. As a long-time fan of Beck, his transition from the selfproclaimed indie-punk ‘Loser’ of the 90’s underground, to Grammy award-winning darling of the mainstream is a little disheartening. Hyperspace sees that journey completed. I fear that loser may now be lost to the cool clique forever. Joe Holloran

he first announcement for Hit The North 2020 just dropped on 18 November, right before ticket sales open up, and already there are some names to get excited about. Headliner trio DMA’S have already had great success with their 2 LP releases, featuring big tracks such as ‘Step Up The Morphine’. Despite hailing from Australia, they’ve been likened to early-90s Mancunian bands; they even recently supported Liam Gallagher at the Utilita Arena. Their chilled out indie rock vibe has garnered them a large following, and they certainly deserve this headlining spot. Next up, Fickle Friends are a fairly large name in the indie-pop world. Their tunes ‘Swim’ and ‘Glue’ sum up their electronic-infused pop sound, both from their debut LP that broke into the top 10 in 2018. The Magic Gang finally return to Newcastle for HTN just after their UK tour in March. With a handful of EPs and a deluxe LP, their discography consists of lively romance-based songs with stunning vocals, bouncy guitar riffs and anthemic lyrics that attract an intense fan base – not an act to be missed, especially with their sophomore album on the horizon. It’s a shame Lauran Hibberd is still this far down the lineup – as I’ve already written, her fun guitar-heavy indie set is bound to be full of bangers and she deserves every ounce of attention she is finally starting to receive. The Lathums’ self-titled EP has already proven their worth and attracted attention on streaming services – with tunes like ‘Artificial Screens’, it’s not hard to see, with luscious, pop riffs layering the powerful vocal performance. Marsicians have been rising stars on the British music scene for a while, delivering harmony-driven sound throughout the steady stream of singles they have pumped out the last few years.

Images: Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons (Jean Victor Balin), Instagram (@coldplay)

Coldplay Everyday Life

Beck Hyperspace

ing away used up or damaged pieces of gear you could consider upcycling or repurposing them. As strings are rather difficult to recycle, it’s worth considering to repurpose them as for instance pieces of jewellery or home decorations. Similarly, cracked cymbals can be easily upcycled as lamps or lamp shades, while drum shells can make perfect plant pots or even a doghouse. Don’t be afraid to get crafty and look at other DIY projects for inspiration. To make your guitar pedalboard more environmentally friendly consider swapping usual batteries for a power supplier. Toxic chemicals used to produce batteries often contribute to contamination of groundwater, while using less harmful AC adapters to power multiple pedals at once is equally effective. CD packaging creates yet another

fter a four-year hiatus, Coldplay released their eighth studio album, which is notably more experimental than the music with which they are normally associated. The London-based band known for classics such as ‘Yellow’ and ‘Fix You’ released their latest studio album Everyday Life last Friday. While the album maintained the same signature elements of the peaceful, neutral tone that the band is known for, it also delved into profound subject matters. The album, which is split into two parts: ‘Sunrise’ (part 1) and ‘Sunset’ (part 2) discusses love, racism, faith, climate change, and gun violence, among other things. Although Coldplay has always been known for pushing the boundaries of mainstream music, it seems strange for them to make the leap into the discussion of today’s most controversial subjects. Considering the fact that Coldplay have rarely presented themselves as spokespeople for any world issues, this is certainly an interesting listen. Aside from the unconventional themes the band chooses to convey through this record, a plus for the album is the vast variety of the types of sound that Coldplay uses throughout its sixteen tracks. The band is able to use gospel elements (e.g. ‘BrokEn’), pop components (e.g. ‘Cry Cry Cry’ and ‘Church’), and even classical sounds (e.g. ‘Sunrise’ and ‘When I Need A Friend’), among others.

The album maintained a peaceful, neutral tone Personally, I have never been a major follower of Coldplay, so to say that I generally enjoy their music would not be a true statement. While I can recognize that, objectively, the album was well-made, I don’t particularly enjoy it as a whole. To me, it sounds like something that could be played on a loop in a hipster coffee shop, as most of it is flowy, structure-less, four-minute segments of sound. With the exception of ‘Cry Cry Cry,’ I don’t believe that I would personally ever return to this album. Putting my own biases aside, I could tell this album was a product of tremendous effort and a real passion for music as a whole. To me, this deserves merit, as this is getting increasingly more difficult to come across in the modern music scene. Bonya Kleyman

Animal Collective Ballet Slippers

arlier this year, Animal Collective, released a new album titled Ballet Slippers to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album Merriweather Post Pavilion. The experimental pop band from Baltimore used recordings from their tours through Boulder, Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas in 2009. Ballet Slippers includes a wide range of their earlier albums, from their 2001 Danse Manatee, to the 2009 Fall Be Nice. Ballet Slippers takes a different approach to some of the classic songs of Animal Collective. Animal Collective took their characteristic folk styled songs and turned them into experimental-noise rock songs.

Ballet Slippers is perfect to relax or study to Animal Collective took their live performance as an opportunity to switch their style up, making it more suiting with their 2018 album Tangerine Reef. This album gets closer to noise rock and experimental music. These changes make the album incredibly original. I find most live albums to be, on their majority, uninventive. Many artists make their live performances a copy of their records. But Animal Collective made this album worth listening to just by remastering and renewing their original songs. Even from the start, with ‘In The Flowers’, the album sets a vibe that reminds the listener of a sci-fi movie. The songs appear to be taken out of a film based on space. The albums set a scene that makes back vocals and percussion protagonists. When turning away from their folk style, the synths set the rhythm of the music with steady beats mixed with computerised scales. And just like that, lyrics move into the background and the harmonies become an essential part of the performance. The album is not made for dancing or singing to the top of your lungs, but to truly stop and listen to the music. Ballet Slippers is the perfect album to listen to as ambient noise while studying or trying to relax. Alex Gervas

Smaller Name Recommendations:

FEVER DAYS – local student band mixing guitar riffs, wavy vocals and heavy synth effects; ‘I See Through It’. Saint Agnes – twisted pop-punk band with an LP under their belt; Move like a Ghost. Talkboy – high-energy euphoric alt-indie-rock sixpiece; ‘Over & Under’. The K’s – explosive guitar singles; ‘Sarajevo’. Overall, there is a vast array of talent to be seen across the city on Sunday 3rd May which provides excellent value-for-money on your Hit The North ticket price. The acts announced already should give you more than enough content to update your playlists. Finlay Holden

Image: Instagram (@dmasmusic)

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culture TV Poor unfortunate souls or the most important roles? Writer George Bell talks us through a handful of the best villains and antiheroes on the small screen M Monday 2 December 2019

c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Amy Brown, Sophie Hicks & Will Nsieyanji

ost TV shows follow a protagonist developing and dealing with problems over the course of the season. But who creates these problems? The villains. The antagonists. The bad guy. So of course, a big part of a show’s success is how good the antagonist is, whether we love them or hate them. Here are some of the best villains, and a few antiheroes, who accomplish just that.

Walter White - Breaking Bad Starting off with pure intentions of providing for his family once he dies, Breaking Bad shows the gradual collapse of morals in the high school teacher Walter White as he becomes the bad guy himself, Heisenberg. Played spectacularly by Bryan Cranston, Walter White’s transition is a subtle one thanks to smart writing with his actions being somewhat redeemable up until the point they aren’t and we are shocked at the things he has now done. It’s interesting to go back after finishing all five seasons to see really how much the character has changed, both appearance and personality wise. Of course, Breaking Bad has many other iconic villains like Tuco or Gus but Walter’s descent to evil is what makes him stand out from the rest.

Kilgrave - Jessica Jones In the early days of Marvel-Netflix shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, many were expecting more of what the MCU was producing at the time with a family-friendly tone, jokes, and mostly mediocre villains. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While Vincent D’onofrio’s performance as Kingpin in Dare-

devil is brilliant, I find David Tennant’s terrifying portrayal of Kilgrave from to be one of the best villains to grace the small screen. The slow, almost seductive way in which Tennant delivers his lines makes your skin crawl, especially given the power of a villain like Kilgrave who can make anyone do anything he wants, just by speaking. (Spoiler warning!) Even past his death at the end of season one, his presence is very clear in later seasons due to Jessica’s trauma. His signature colour, purple, has become so unanimous with his character that whenever the colour appears on the screen, the same dread can be felt. David Tennant gave such a brilliant performance and is the main reason Jessica Jones season 1 is one of my favourite shows.

Missy - Doctor Who When trying to choose which incarnation of the Doctor’s arch-foe is the best, it is absolutely subjective. While John Simm’s over the top performance was amazing to watch, I felt Michelle Gomez did something with the character that made her so much more engaging. From a shocking first appearance that no one expected, all the way to her final scene, the Mistress was definitely one of the main highlights of Peter Capaldi’s run as the Doctor, with it being unknown if in one episode she’ll help or oppose him. Gomez’s great acting and charisma showed that it was definitely possible for male dominated roles to be successfully taken over by women, and thus opened the door for people like Jodie Whittaker, the current Doctor.

Sylar - Heroes

The first season of Heroes remains my favourite thanks to its interesting plot, clever world-building and an intense villain in Sylar. A superpowered serial killer who hunted down other superpowered individuals for their powers, Sylar, played by Zachary Quinto, was a force to be reckoned with as the primary antagonist of the first season. Whenever he was on screen you genuinely feared for what would happen to the heroes, thanks to his calm yet sinister personality. While the later seasons certainly dropped in quality, Sylar continued to be one of the highlights of the show, be it as a recurring villain or antihero helping the protagonists.

Images: IMDb

PREVIEW Con-drag-ul-ations and celebrations What's new with You?

Caitlin Rawlings reviews the wig-snatching season finale of the first series of Drag Race UK

n the 21 November 2019 the hour long special of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK aired on BBC Three to see the final three drag stars Baga Chipz, Divina De Campo and The Vivienne battle it out to be crowned the first UK drag superstar. The nation was forced to wait in anticipation to see which queen could death drop their way down the runway and steal the crown. The finale took on a different format to the US version of the show; I was expecting the finale to take place in a huge London theatre in front of a live crowd, however Momma Ru decided to “keep it in the family” this season. The finale saw the final three queens take on the final maxi challenge in which they would sing and dance to Ru’s hit song ‘To the Moon’. The episode saw appearances from Love Island’s Curtis Pritchard and Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Pritchard to act as choreographers for the queens. Whilst Vivienne struggled to slay the dancefloor in rehearsals Divina managed to high kick her way across the stage. In the final performance all three queens lip synced for their lives and made the routine work with their individual characters. The podcast part of the show is a traditional Drag Race trope in which the queens are interviewed by Ru and Michelle Visage. This section of the show allowed us to see a different side to the queens, particularly Baga Chipz. Baga was allowed an opportunity to explain her difficult relationship with her mother which had

been a focus of the previous episode of the show. Baga explained that she was raised by her Nan in her mother’s absence; this allowed us to scratch below the surface of this comedy queen.

It allows queens in their prime to advise the next generation of drag

The Vivienne also shared a confessional moment with the judges in which she revealed that she had suffered from drug addiction in her younger drag years. I believe that these queens are showing that we are not defined by our mistakes. We must remember our confi-

dence, uniqueness, nerve and talent makes us who we are and who we are is good enough. The theme for the last runway of the season was final three eleganza extravaganza. Baga rocked a sparkly mint dress, whilst Divina was draped in the Union Jack flag and The Vivienne was a beautiful blonde barbie dressed in gold. The three queens were then asked by Ru to address their younger selves as Ru individually held up photos of the queens as young boys. This part of the show is vital. It allows queens in their prime to advise the next generation. The final three contestants were whittled down to two as The Vivienne and Divina De Campo battled it out in the final lip sync to Wham’s ‘I’m Your Man’ before The Vivienne was crowned the winner. RuPaul’s Drag Race has now become my favourite show of all time. The show teaches young people to embrace who they are I think we all need to follow the advice of Queen Ru, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”.

Catch up now on iPlayer

he charming sociopath that we love to hate (or at times, hate to love) will be returning to our screens very shortly, and it’s looking like he’s going to be more brutal than ever. Based on Caroline Kepnes’ best selling book of the same title, You proved to be an utterly bingeable sensation, becoming Netflix’s most watched show of the week when it was released on the platform. Season 2 will loosely follow the plot of Kepnes’ second book in the series, Hidden Bodies. (Spoiler warning!) Last season left us gaping in horror as we watched Joe murder Beck, the very woman that he had been infatuated with for 10 whole episodes, just as we thought she was going to escape his obsessive clutches. This wasn’t exactly out of character, however, since he murdered her best friend and boyfriend for merely getting in the way of their relationship. What’s more, he managed to frame her therapist for his crimes, and got away with them unscathed. However, as the blurb of book two warns, “The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way”. It looks like Joe could be in trouble.

Victoria Pedretti will make her debut on the series as Love

Image: WOWPresents, YouTube

The new season will boast a new setting, with Joe moving to LA, perhaps to escape his dark past. But more importantly, it looks like another girl is going to walk straight into his seductive trap. Love Quinn is the new object of Joe’s affections, and obsession. How far will he go for Love? Will she end up like Beck, or has Joe changed? Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley will return to grace our screens with his mesmerising portrayal of Joe. Victoria Pedretti, from The Haunting of Hill House, will make her debut on the series as Love, as well as Jenna Ortega, who will play Ellie. Ambyr Childers is back playing her role of Candace, Joe’s ex-girlfriend. @younetflix has been seriously drip feeding us with some rousing stills from the new series, including Joe in his natural habitat, creeping behind an unassuming Love. WHAT is going on here?! All will become clear when You season two premieres on Netflix on 26 December. Leanna Thomson

the courier

Monday 2 December2019

@culture_courier thecourieronline.co.uk/TV

Does the The Crown reign victorious?

TV culture

Lucy Lillystone discusses the anticipated third season of the most regal show on television

etflix’s The Crown is finally back and I can finally stop worrying about how good it’s going to be compared to season one and two. Since the news regarding Claire Foy being replaced by Olivia Coleman with the hopes to show the aging of Queen Elizabeth II, I have been sceptical, worrying how the season will hold up because let’s be real, Claire Foy was damn great. But the wait is over and as is my anxiety as Coleman plays a brilliant role of Queen Elizabeth II. Tobias Menzies on the other hand, not so much. This season, we get an insight into his miserably tortured emotions and a man who is the opposite to his wife as he has the feelings the Queen lacks. Yet, for me, he doesn’t have the same energy as Matt Smith…I wanted a bit more from him. That, or I love Matt Smith so much my judgement is clearly clouded and I will say anything for Smith’s return. And then there’s the legend that is Helena Bonham Carter playing the iconic role of Princess Margaret, who still had the excess, the crazy that Margaret represents. Carter did a brilliant job of representing the lost and lonely personality that is the younger sister. As for the plot, this series covers the years from 1964-1977 with the election of Harold Winston, the sad death of Winston Churchill, the exposure of the Queen’s surveyor of pictures, Anthony Blunt and a dramatisation of the 1966 Aberfan disaster and the Queen’s delayed public response which was ex-

tremely difficult to watch, and almost had me in tears as we watch her visit the families of the children who died. Amongst this, we also have the development of our monarchs. Princess Margaret wants a bigger role after she secures a bailout from the Americans but yet again, Elizabeth finds a way to not give her sister what she wants, Phillip’s mother returns home after years in asylums, triggering something in Phillip that actually managed to break my heart.

It enlightens you into their lives and the difficulties they face This season is beautifully done with no expense spared on the sets, the outfits and the vision. At times, it left me longing for the monarchy’s abolishment (the scenes of Philip complaining about being asked to cut back on his yacht consumption had me raging with the privilege these individuals actually have). But at the same time, it also enlightens you into their lives and the difficulties they have to face on a day to day basis; should Elizabeth show some emotion today? The decisions they have to make aren’t easy and that’s what makes the show enticing and even difficult to watch at times. At the same time, there were a few episodes this season where I could have gladly fell asleep or turned it off. For example, there is an entire episode devoted to Prince Phillip being interested in the moon landings. We literally spend an hour watching a family watching men land on the moon and I was bored as anything. We watch Phillip flying in a plane towards the moon, meeting the astronauts and having a midlife crisis. Did this really happen? If anything, this episode was a waste of time and

moved the show away from something that was beautifully crafted into amateur drama. The Crown is dramatic and thrilling but it’s also an education on a culture and society that has always been there but we don’t really know the gritty details, and this season most definitely deals with the gritty. It’s hard to recommend The Crown as I never thought I would enjoy it, I hate the monarchy with a passion, everyone who knows me knows I do but I was gripped. So, let’s just say, if you’re interested in a period drama, whether or not it’s about our monarchy, I’d definitely give this show a go. And better yet, all the episodes come out at once…time for a binge!

Image: IMDb

REVIEW: Looking for Alaska

have to admit it, I went into this series with almost zero expectations. Not being a fan of John Green’s cliché young-adult books and subsequent film adaptations such as The Fault in our Stars (2014), Paper Towns (2015) and the recent Let it Snow (2019), it’s a mystery that I gave Hulu’s Looking for Alaska adaptation a chance. After binge-watching all eight episodes of the teen-drama, helmed by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, Looking for Alaska is the John Green adaptation worth sticking around for. The series starts at night as we see an intense car crash, fading to black as the screen simply reads “Before”. Set in 2005, the scene cuts to teenager Miles Halter, played by upcoming star Charlie Plummer, as he moves to Culver Creek Academy, a boarding school resembling more of a traditional American summer camp. Like all of John Green’s protagonists, Miles’ quirk is his ability to remember famous last words, which is luckily the most pretentious that the mini-series gets. By moving to Culver Creek, he is hoping to find his “Great Perhaps”, the last words of a famous philosopher. After meeting his roommate Chip (Denny

Love), aka The Colonel, who ironically nicknames him “Pudge”, Miles is introduced to free spirit Alaska Young (Kristine Froseth), whom he immediately falls for. Alongside their friend Takumi (Jay Lee), the gang attempt to avoid high school politics by smoking outside of the school grounds. After Alaska’s roommate and her boyfriend are expelled by the headmaster Mr “The Eagle” Starnes (Timothy Simons), Alaska is accused by the Weekday Warriors, a group of wealthy kids, of reporting them to The Eagle. Promising revenge, the group end up battling it out with the Weekday Warriors in a series of pranks after they throw Miles in the lake and destroy Alaska’s rare book collection. Despite trying to force a relationship between Miles and new Romanian exchange student Lara (Sofia Vassilieva), Alaska and Miles’ relationship blossoms as she goes on a downward spiral of alcohol abuse and depression over her childhood.

Looking for Alaska works so much better than other adaptations After being stuck in production hell since the release of the novel in 2005, with the intention of a film adaptation, it was in 2018 that Hulu were able to pick up the rights to adapt the novel into a mini-series. This is why Looking for Alaska works so much better than previous John Green adaptations, as the characters and the story are able to grow over the course of the series. Offering fresh-faced new talent and a compelling storyline, Looking for Alaska is the young adult adaptation worth waiting for.

Power Rangers Jungle Fury

he slippery slope that is Power Rangers is a nightmare to climb. It’s steep, dauntingly high and incredibly difficult to power through. However, you will find some respite in Jungle Fury, the most underrated season of the bunch. Most people, when you mention Power Rangers, will conjure up images of the cheesy 90s with Rita Repulsa crawling out of a trash can, others (such as myself) will picture some Dinosaur-clad 2000s kids. The more modern and hip youth will envisage some weird crap with a caveman (Why? why!?) Yet, so many underappreciate and undervalue the gem that is Jungle Fury. Even if you’re not a kid (or a manchild such as myself), then you can enjoy this funny, lighthearted and well-acted season where the trio team up to fight an evil emo who has some pretty severe daddy issues and no, I’m not talking about Kylo Ren. The costumes are a highlight and are honestly some of my favourite of the lot. The helmets are slick and animalistic, there’s a lot of Tiger imagery and they have Wolverine claws at some point. I’m half-tempted to get my old action figures out and start slapping them together just thinking about it. Maybe it’s a blinding and piercing beam of nostalgia that’s clouding my vision but I can’t go back to the old Scooby-Doo films without cringing whilst this holds up. The mentor is a hilarious Kiwi actor, the red ranger breaks toxic masculine stereotypes and the bond that the three lead heroes have is unparalleled. If you can’t stomach over-the-top, kiddy cringe with thin plots and an over-reliance on loud noises, then you’ll probably hate Mighty Morphin, the debut season that turned Super Sentai into a western hit. However, if you can get through shows like Kim Possible, Wizards of Waverly, Suite Life of Zack and Cody and come out the other end entertained, Jungle Fury is a no-brainer. Sure, you can slap on Game of Thrones or Vikings and

The red ranger isn't a complete moron who let power get to his head watch some brutal, political, heavy-hitting hour-long episodes that make you feel depressed and worthless (yet I keep coming back every week for that dose of sadness). Or you can take a breather from life and watch some Australians and New Zealanders wear spandex and fight some putty monsters as they shout “hyaaah!” and “hyoooo” every two seconds. The villains are menacing and imposing, yet complex and interesting and the journey that the characters take from the start to the finish is a landmark in Power Rangers history. The red ranger isn’t a complete moron who lets power get to his head who upholds that “I must be a man to lead!” mantra – he’s a down-to-earth guy who learns to accept his flaws and work through them. Oh, and to top it all off, they work out of a Pizza restaurant, training in the attic whilst they work downstairs during the day. It’s possibly one of the best bases as it’s not over-the-top sci-fi, which is part of what I loved about Dino Thunder’s really early 2000s cafe as its setting. So, give it a go – it’s on Netflix (even though I wrote a whole article slating the service) and it’s a blast. Put on some slippers, grab a hot chocolate and embrace your inner child for a week. James Troughtom

Now available on iPlayer

Images: IMDb

Kate Dunkerton

Image: IMDb

culture film

the courier

c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors: Elisabetta Pulcini, Joe Holloran, Lucy Lillystone & Steven Ross

Monday 2 December 2019

From Hereditary to Harry Potter: the

Our writers take a look at the best films to have come out in the last ten years and tell us why these movies are so imp

The Social Network (2010)

his movie brings us right to the beginning of the decade, winning 3 Oscar's in 2010 for Best Writing, Best Film Editing and Best Original Music Score. What this already highlights is the spectacular cinematography, David Fincher is a master in delivering some of the best films of the last couple decades, the sharp Fight Club being one of my favourite films of all time. It would be easy to label The Social Network as "the Facebook Film" but that would be doing it an injustice, it is a well told story of loyalty, greed and betrayal. The film is epitomised by it's fantastic acting, Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerburg as a cold and determined genius with a jerk-ish attitude, driven in pursuit of his goals. Saverin is portrayed brilliantly by Andrew Garfield. The Social Network is a true product of our time. Andrew White

Get Out (2017)

recise, nuanced and entertaining, Get Out deserves a spot not only as one of the best movies of the decades, but also as one of the most influential ones. Drawing on Stepford’s Wives (1975) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967), respectively for genre and themes, Jordan Peele creates his own style, while masterfully injecting a new energy in the horror genre. Peele demonstrates his abilities not only in crafting a thoughtful story, but also in the direction given to his actors. Allison Williams delivers a layered performance, requiring an instant rewatch to be appropriately dissected. Behind every smile, every look, Williams skillfully hides a sinister disposition, subtly chilling the viewer. As the protagonist, Daniel Kaluuya is fantastic in this role. The first hypnosis scene stands out in particular: his raw performance, combined with Peele’s

evocative imagery, allows the viewer a rare glimpse into the marginalization of black people in America. Adding to the depth of this movie is the commendable attention to details, which can only be fully appreciated after several revisitations. In fact, no scene is wasted, no word misplaced: every element of this social horror is crafted with intention and intelligence. Elisabetta Pulcini

Tangled (2010)

All images: IMDB

hat's not to like? The casting is stellar- Mandy Moore provides the best role of her career as Rapunzel, with her innocent-but-feisty attitude and GLORIOUS singing voice. And then, the pièce de résistance, Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider- whoever cast that is honestly my hero. The perfect amount of charm and humour, combined with the best

depth that any male has had in a Disney Princess film (he actually has a backstory guys!) Alongside a heartfelt story of love, loss and dreams comes a really quite intense depiction of emotional abuse and possessive behaviour which is pretty dark for Disney, and makes the film all the better. It really makes you root for Rapunzel to escape her life locked in the tower, as her general life and emotional wellbeing are at stake if she doesn't chase her dream and find out the truth of her origin. If that doesn't make the film emotional enough, then 'I See The Light' comes along and tears you to pieces. Easily the most beautifully animated sequence I've ever seen, and still makes me cry even after rewatching this film countless times, it truly is the best of Disney. For those of you who prefer Frozen to Tangled, I question your decisions. Sophie Hicks

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

hen thinking of the greatest performances in film over the last decade, one in particular stood out. Leonardo DiCaprio has graced the silver screen in a number of impressive pictures over the last ten years - including an Oscar winning performance in The Revenant- but the performance he’s best remembered for is arguably his role as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio is sensational as Belfort who takes viewers through a series of emotions throughout the film. The Wolf of Wall Street is undeniably funny and the characters have incredible depth with Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie also contributing greatly. Whilst by no means a short watch, The Wolf of Wall Street never feels dragged out, as the story is well paced right to then end, seeing the progression of Belfort’s life from the bottom to the top - and then ultimately back to the bottom again. Dominic Lee

Spotlight (2015)

n an era when a man with a rumour counts as a "journalist" and the rumour counts as "news", Spotlight is an important movie that goes back to what really matters. Spotlight focuses on the writing rather than trying to engage the audience with thrilling music or anything else that would be extravagant. The movie, much like its theme, is based on the simple ideology that there is a story to be told in its stark nakedness and that is exactly what it will do. The movie bears relevance nowadays in particular because it reminds people of the key role that the media has to play in shaping people's views. It is a call for journalism to return to its roots and give people the truth and allow them to make a judgment for themselves. In a decade where certain films have focused on developing commercially franchises with oft-repackaged storylines and a thin thread to tie it all together in the end, Spotlight is a refreshing change where drama does not need special effects to make it attractive. Instead, it uses writing and acting to get the story told, ellicit an emotional reaction from the audience and have a discussion about it. Sesha Subramanian

The most tragic movie trends of th

Gaming Editor James Troughton shares his top five absolute nightmare movie trends of the decade, hoping the 2020s don't make the

he 2000s were a worrying time of leather-bound corny flicks that never quite hit the mark but they had their charm. The 2010s whilst, in my opinion, better, are not without their own tired trends. Here are a few that I think need to go in the next decade.

5. Big budgets

Maybe this problem stems from the dominance that superhero films have over the market or maybe it is due to

Image: IMDB

a rise in usage of CGI, but movies tend to have far too expensive budgets now, leading to lazier filmmaking and overuse of digital effects. It means that films flop more easily, new trends spawn from the abundance of cash that director’s don’t know what to do with and the best-selling movies become giant

blockbusters with next-to-no grounded elements. Joker was a fluke in a tsunami of copycats.

will forever be more tangible.

CGI isn’t bad, it has paved the way to do unimaginable things that were previously impossible which is a fantastic milestone and leap in filmmaking. However, most of the big and beloved films overuse digital effects more than George Lucas ever did, yet they’re rarely slated. ake Marvel, the Quantum suits in Avengers: Endgame weren’t practical, the gun Nick Fury held in Spider-Man: Far From Home wasn’t practical, Tom Holland’s stunts were replaced with CGI. Gone are the days of The Thing and American Werewolf in London and it is a tragedy, as they have stood the test of time and

Comedy is one of my favourite genres and it is a tough one to do right, very few tend to. However, my problem doesn’t lie with the genre itself but instead with the more recent trend of the late 2010s where blockbusters appear to be frightened to do anything more than comedy. Emotional

4. Too much CGI

Image: IMDB

3. Humour

Image: YouT

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019

@Courier_Film thecourieronline.co.uk/film

film culture

e Courier's top ten films of the decade

portant. Here's hoping the 2020s bring us more of the movie magic that we love and hopefully no more Marvel films Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

he biggest box office earner of 2011 and one of the greatest films of the last decade was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It provided and explosively satisfying ending to the Harry Potter franchise that the fans well deserved. Each film in the franchise has gotten progressively darker in tone and in this final chapter there’s no let up. Many favourite characters are killed in battle, werewolves feast on schoolgirls flesh and themes of love, loss and human sacrifice abound. What this installment does best however, is bring the Harry Potter story full circle. Events set in motion in the mind of J.K Rowling in some Scottish coffee shop over a decade before come to fruition here. The intricate planhave been resolved and character arks have been rounded off nicely. By the end of the movie, all of the major plot points have been resolved and character arks have been rounded off nicely. The legacy of Harry Potter will remain untarnished no matter how much the Fantastic Beasts films continue to degenerate into a desperate cash grabbing exercise. Steven Ross

The Imitation Game (2014)

orton Tyldum’s historical drama The Imitation Game (2014) sees one of Benedict Cumberbatch’s most touching performances as influential cryptanalyst Alan Turing. The real-life drama recounts Turing’s attempt to break the German enigma code for the British government during the Second World War, alongside a focus on his

he 2010s

e same really rather awful mistakes

Tube

scenes? Slap a gag in. Bad-ass moment? Slap a gag in. Great cinematic shot? Slap a gag in. This over-reliance on humour is patronising and often feels incredibly forced and jarringly out of place; you can have wit, humour and charm without quipping every time. This is probably something else that spawned from Marvel’s influence (I do like them, but they set most of these trends with their formulaic and stagnant filmmaking techniques).

2. Posters

For whatever reason, posters have become incredibly same-y and boring, with no creativity, just the actors slapped onto an A4 sheet of paper in a generic brooding pose. Much like video-game box art, movie posters have completely fallen from grace, and it’s rare that seeing one will be what entices me to go see the film in cinemas anymore.

1. Teasers

For whatever reason, trailers now have their own trailers, and marketing has become an endless cycle of teasing teasers that tease teasers. You can put together an entire film through the trailers alone and a lot of surprises, twists and reveals are slapped into them, completely ruining the director’s vision. I’ve no doubt that if Empire Strikes Back released in the modern-day, the Vader reveal would be in a trailer – hell, they did show us Palpatine’s coming back in Rise of Skywalker.

personal life as a gay man in 1940s Britain. Joining a cryptography team, the socially awkward Turing is difficult to work with, considering his co-workers inferior to his intelligence as he develops a machine to break the German Enigma messages. Advertising a difficult mathematics problem in a newspaper, Turing comes across Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), the only female able to pass Turing’s test alongside the male cryptographers. The film recounts the challenges which came with breaking the code alongside flashbacks from Turing’s troubled youth. Despite receiving eight Academy Award nominations, The Imitation Game failed to win in any category, proving the Oscars are no indicator of a film’s value. Kate Dunkerton

Hereditary (2018)

n a decade that brought many horror films that rely solely on jump-scares instead of using effective storytelling techniques, Hereditary set the standard that all horror films should aim to follow, making it worthy of being one of the top 10 most important films of the 2010s. Labelled as “the best horror film since The Exorcist”, Hereditary utilises a talented cast and a familiar setup to tell a harrowing story of a family breakdown, whose scares linger far beyond the end of the film. Ari Aster plays with the classic setup of a family member passing away to allow the viewer to feel like they have

Marriage Story (18)

some sort of control over the events that will follow in the film, however these expectations are completely subverted in a subtly foreshadowed turning point that sends the film down a nerve shredding path to insanity. Robbie Langley

Inception (2010)

f we are talking about important movies, Inception has to definitely be on the list! Not only is the plot engaging, its is intellectually demanding. The real novelty of the movie is the layering of dreams within dreams, yielding addictively vertiginous sequences of parallel action. The cinematographer, Wally Pfister, had a vast budget to play with, and play with it he does, with folding Parisian streets back on themselves and antigravity shots. Pfister and Nolan's creativity within this movie showed itself very well. When you’re not basking in the amazing visuals, you can always lean into DiCaprio and appreciate the e m o t i on he brings to the movie. From start to end he anchors the film with a low-key yet intense performance, despite chaos breaking out all around him. These days, movies are often repetitive - with sequels remakes and franchises. However, Inception is different, it is wholly original yet structured with action movie basics. Amanda Goh

here does a love story begin? Is it love at first sight? Or it is the love that starts as friendship? Here it doesn’t matter as this genre redefining film flips the idea of a love story on its head as it depicts not the falling in love but the falling out of it. Director and writer Noah Baumbach brings us a microscopic deconstruction of divorce (the result of now 50% of all marriages) in his new film. Every conversation, argument and tear shed is shot beautifully documenting the ugly process that Broadway actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and genius Broadway director Charlie (Adam Driver) put themselves through from the serving of the divorce papers to the closing of the court case. It’s a tender story dappled with humour and ruled by the two giant performances from Driver and Johansson which act as the Sun with planets such as dialogue and plot line orbiting them. They seem to not just climb into the skin of their characters but absorb part of them; executing every small mannerism with delightful charm. You can see the tears appear in each character as they are violently heaved from their respect for one another to their desire to claim custody over their son; Henry (Azhy Robertson)- think Kramer vs Kramer. This film felt as if the humour opened me up, the performances trampled on my heart and the story put me back together and sewed me up again. Each aspect of the film was balanced perfectly by Baumbach to avoid falling into a bitter story about a vicious cat-fight of a divorce, leaving you loving each character just as much as you did at the beginning. It’s an honest and seductive story leaving you captivated from the first line “What I love about Nicole…” Eve Ducker

his decade has seen numerous bibliographical films, and Rocketman in particular provides an eye-opening account of Elton John’s career. Whilst the film is largely set in the 1970s, it explores current issues, such as LGBTQ+ equality and addiction. Supported with a Grammy Award nominated soundtrack, the film provides a glimmer of hope. We watch Elton rise through adversity and become on the most success artists in the world. The harrowing depiction of addiction provides insight into the private lives of many celebrities. The incredible acting from Taron Egerton, who plays Elton, and Richard Madden, who portrays Elton’s manager John Reid, contribute greatly to this message. They emulate their characters perfectly and help bring this incredible story to life. This cinematic masterpiece is one of the most important films of the decade because it brings social issues to the forefront, and ensured the revival of age-old songs. Ellie Pidgeon

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Frozen II (U)

The Good Liar (18)

Image: IMDB

Rocketman (2019)

ased on the eponymous novel by Nicholas Searle, The Good Liar follows conman Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) as he hopes to claim the fortune of wealthy widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren), whom he meets online, with the help of regular associate Vincent (Jim Carter). The film's strongest suit is in its performances from McKellen and Mirren. McKellen particularly relishes in the best dialogue that the screenplay has to offer, which is sparce, while Mirren does everything she can to evoke the stereotypical vulnerability of an old widow. The writing is flimsy at best. Although the first act contents itself with mediocrity, the plot unravels in a series of clichés that become so increasingly preposterous that the film almost confuses itself with parody. The film can all but hide the deception it hopes to lead audience’s on, giving off sirens and flashing lights for twists and turns you have seen before in films that are just much better. Bill Condon’s direction complements Hatcher’s writing nicely in that both seem to have lost all grasp of what they are meant to be doing. Carelessly searching for themes that fade in and out of his own film, Condon attempts to place emphasis on history and our understanding of the past without any conclusion or deeper question posed. Liar’s thematic meandering is, ironically, like watching a child avoid the truth without directly telling a lie. Despite not being the worst element, the film’s action sequences shouldn’t go unscathed. The Good Liar will not be the most violent film you will see, but the action is so gratuitous and crudely shot that it’s nothing more than cheap compensation for genuine thrills that I implore you find elsewhere. Peter Lennon

s the Christmas season approaches and freezing temperatures are on route, you can count on this film to thaw out the audience. The second installment of Frozen will never be on the same podium as the original, yet it brings a warmth that reverberates the Christmas spirit. Drawn to an unknown force, Elsa, played by Broadway star, Idina Menzel, embarks on an adventure to an enchanted land, accompanied by her lovable crew. Led by the performances of Kristen Bell, who plays Anna, and Jonathan Groff, who plays Kristoff, the audience is cognizant of why these characters are lovable. Their quirkiness, passion, and down-to-earth personas are heightened in this continuation, while also making room for exciting newcomers. But, there is one character that truly embodies Frozen – Olaf. Josh Gadd, who plays the beloved Olaf, adds a humorous temperament to this frozen universe. He exemplifies unyielding friendship, trust, and love – regardless of the situation he encounters. Olaf’s infallible commitment towards his friends depicts the Christmas spirit and encourages us to do the same towards our loved ones this season. While Disney has produced a substantial number of great characters throughout the years, Olaf may just be my favorite! This film is also visually stunning, showcasing how far animation has come! And, while the music in this sequel will be overshadowed by the hits of its predecessor, they stand on their own – you will still undoubtedly hear the non-stop succession of plays on the radio … so get ready! Considering the time of its release and the immense recognition of its forerunner, this film will assuredly “melt” the audiences’ hearts. Krista Volden

culture arts

c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Arts Editors Caitlin Rawlings, Charlotte Slinger & Lauren Sneath

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019

The beauty of body positivity: in conversation with student Ella Williams interviews student artist Louise Brown, a.k.a @goodstrangevibes, about her refreshingly body-positive artwork

ouise Brown is a Politics, Psychology and Sociology student at Newcastle University and Instagram-based artist under the name “GoodStrangeVibes". Her drawings focus on celebrating naked bodies in all of their lovely varieties across different genders, races, shapes, sizes and disabilities as a way to spread the message of body positivity and inclusivity and more widely to target the rising epidemic of mental health issues in young people. She approaches stigma head-on where many would shy away: a lot of her figures are unshaven, often dancing, scratching, sleeping or masturbating but all blithely exhibiting their spots, blemishes, stretch marks, wobbles and rolls! I had a conversa-

tion

with Louise to find out more about the page, how it started, what it’s like being an artist on social media and the message she is trying to spread. When did you start Good Strange Vibes and what initially inspired it?

I used to look at myself and pick out parts that I didn't like about myself

I started it in November 2017 at the beginning of Second Year. The Instagram account came about based on my journal at the time which I did visually- I used to draw my week and I decided to post it to keep a record of it. The nude drawings started when I was in recovery from my eating disorder. I study psychology and kind of knew that you can’t make yourself break a habit *just like that*. I’m quite self-reflective and was aware of everything that was going on in my head but I just couldn’t make it change. I used to look at myself naked in the mirror and pick out parts that I didn’t like and I thought: “I’m still gonna do that, but just with a pen and paper in hand”. It just worked really well to help me appreciate my body in a new way. From that I started drawing a diversity of different bodies and receiving the positive feedback from people really helped me as well, so it became this reciprocal cycle. What is the primary message that you are trying to get across with your drawings? Is there one thing you would want people to take away after looking at your page? Hmmm… one thing is really tough! I guess maybe that the problem isn’t you body, it’s your body image. But, as I try to convey with my stuff, that’s also so linked to mental health in general. The reason I focus on the body image aspect, y o u

know, using nudes as a way of presenting our struggles, is because that can be something that everyone relates to. We all have a naked body. And just reinforcing that there is no point hiding from it - it’s the one thing that is always going to be there and going to be with you wherever you go. I think that’s a really powerful and special thing. The NHS published figures last year that show the number of eating disorders are on the rise? Do you think that Instagram and social media plays a role? I definitely think social media can contribute to negative body image and can really perpetuate things like image comparisons. So yes- it can be really damaging but I think in moderation, and what I’m trying to do anyway, is to twist that social media narrative and try and have a more positive effect. I also think it’s important to recognise that eating disorders manifest from something a lot deeper and bigger than social media alone, in most cases. Quite often it’s about grasping for control and I think in the context of global warming and job cuts and those problems our generation is facing- they are becoming harder to control so it’s possible that people are turning to control in other areas in their life to try and deal with that. I agree, there’s definitely a misconception that eating disorders have everything to do

with how you body looks, when in reality they can come in all different shapes and sizes; I think that’s really well represented in your work. What’s your favourite piece from the drawings you’ve done? I think my favourite is when I look at one of my drawings and think “they look really powerful”. That’s really what I’m trying to do. I’m also proud of the ones that particularly resonate with people- when people comment stuff like “I can see me in that” or “that has helped me in some way” then I tend to get more from that piece as well! You’re a young female with an online presence. Have you ever received any hate comments or backlash? Yes. So the library censorship was once instance. Another big one was about a year ago in June when I did a post about amendments to abortion rights in Ireland. Basically, one person commented something like “abortion is murder” and I just responded with my views trying to have this open discussion. But no, that’s apparently not what happens with trolls… he suddenly start talking about doing a live debate with me and I found out his account had something like 100k followers so I started panicking. And when I woke up the next morning I had about 300 hateful comments and I went onto his account and found that in his latest post he had put out this request for all his followers to come to my page and troll me. So I had stuff like “you’re disgusting”, “your family are awful”, and some racist, bigoted remarks as well. Obviously it was horrible for me but also I really didn’t want it to get in the way of the positive message I’m trying

Milk and honey and millenials and money? The rise of social media art Patrick Young discusses how modern poets have utilised social media to present their work to the tech-obsessed audiences

ome modern poets have decided to make a radical change to how their poetry is presented- they post spoken word pieces on social media, as well as publishing their poetry collections. This is an ingenious new way of marketing to a contemporary audience and more and more poets are resorting to this revolutionary new mode of publication. This is a strategic business move as social media can showcase the poems to a far wider audience than those who use conventional ways of publishing their poetry. By doing so, these ‘social media poets’ such as Rupi Kaur and R.N Sin can garner a large following of people who know they enjoy their poetry. As such, this keeps their readership steady, and the sales of their boos plentiful, as they have a consistent fanbase through the publishing of their poetry on Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is an ingenious new way of marketing

Further, these Social Media Poets are seemingly more diverse than conventional poets, as the barriers to conventional publishing do not exist with posting spoken word videos or written poems on Instagram and Facebook. As such, this creates opportunities for poets with disabilities and other groups of underrepresented poets, as there are no third-party prejudices en-route to publication about the ability of the poet to

write and present their poetry. There is no need for the media circus when publishing over social media, as your consumers will themselves market your poems for you, through sharing, retweeting and reposting, allowing more and more people to view the poems posted online.

These Social Media Poets are seemingly more diverse than conventional poets

In my opinion, I believe that this change has been revolutionary and one that, as a creative writing student, I pay close attention to how changes in poetry publishing occurs. The surge of poets publishing their pieces online has sky-rocketed, with many also advertising their self-published collections online. This is just the natural evolution and progression of poetry as an art form, of which is has developed from the epic style, to the Shakespearean sonnets, to the Romantics, the Imagists and now the Social Media poets. Future students of poetry will look back on this phenomenon and ask themselves how they can revolutionise poetry to reflect the era in which they live. That’s the lovely thing about poetry, it grows with human civilisation, it has been with us for a millennium, and it is likely to remain with us for many more centuries, developing and adapting to any challenges that we may face.

Image: Instagram @nkkgtn

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019

@culture_courier thecourieronline.co.uk/arts

t artist Louise Brown a.k.a GoodStrangeVibes to spread. If you see a drawing that makes you feel really good but then scroll down to all these disgusting comments is kind of counteracts it, and some of the comments are still there now. That’s been difficult, yeah… Let’s talk about the positives then! What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve had with people in relation to your work? Is there one particular stand-out moment? I actually feel like it’s more the little things that stand out to me. Like just a DM from someone I’ve not spoken to in a while, or someone I don’t know at all. I had a stall at Grainger Market a few months ago and there were a lot more older people than I thought would be my usual demographic. A lot of them were just really curious, you know, sometimes a bit shocked or taken aback and then just having those conversations with people and getting them to think a bit more and maybe not see nudity as this naughty, sexual thing. One girl came up to the stall and said that she’d been following my stuff for a while and came specifically to see me. So I asked her if she was a student, you know, what does she study, but it turns out she was just a local who was a big fan of my work. I like the idea that I’m impacting all these different kinds of people, yeah, and little moments like that. What do you say to those “boomers” or older people who see your work and think it’s gross or wrong? Well, my starting point with those people is always the actual starting point. So I just discuss eating disorders and how it all came about. I think that often helps get across the deeper message I’m trying to convey and get people to look at it not just on a surface level. You know, these people have been victim to all of the same pressures in their lives so I think subconsciously they think “that’s just the way things are”. So it’s just about starting to unpack that belief

and show that if you don’t push for something different you’re not going to make that change. Have you got any plans for the future or any particular direction you want to take your work in? Well, at the moment I’m really focused on trying to be more eco-friendly, because there was a point recently where I thought, yeah, I’m doing something that’s important, but does that really align with the fact that I’m reproducing more and more products? So, at the moment I’m in contact with the local screen-printer and discussing how we can use water-based inks and print them onto stuff like charity shop tops, stuff like that. There are all these options once it’s something you become conscious of, so yeah that’s the next step. I’m also graduating pretty soon and ideally I’d like to carry it on as a full-time thing. I’m doing a business and entrepreneurship module specifically to try and see if that’s the kind of thing I like to do. I was wary that it would be all about economics and profit but it’s actually been really refreshing. I’ve got a startup advisor and enterprise advisor and they both acknowledge the reason why I’m doing it and what my focuses are, so yeah, hopefully it’s something I can carry on with. How can people find your art and support you? I’m @goodstrangevibes on Instagram and my website in the bio has my o n l i n e shop. But really I think spreading that message about de-stigmatising our bodies and feeling positive about

them. You know, maybe thinking before doing things like fat shaming or talking about your body badly in front of your friends. You think you’re just putting yourself down but you’re actually putting down everyone else in the room, so just changing that dialogue about how we talk about ourselves and our bodies. By going against those social media algorithms and sharing my stuff on social media, maybe adding a comment

arts culture Poem Box

Death's Dance

Gossamer wings Dance a deathless dance And phantoms linger Hidden in the inky night But look closely

can help spread that message, think… I hope!

For there is a lesson hereIn the austere darkness Where wings dance And shadows hideInfinity lies In what we believe Is impossible For the wings are attached To small creatures of the night And the shadows Well they aren’t shadows at all But spirits of the lost Yet away they dance To their heart’s content Inflammable in a world Where time burns like fire

Grace Lazzaro

Siriusly. Which Harry Potter book is the best? Film Editor Lucy Lillystone tells us why Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is her favourite book in the beloved franchise

hen it comes to picking your favourite Harry Potter book, you’ve got to completely disregard the films – let’s be real, Prisoner of Azkaban is by far the best film going and while it may also be an EXCELLENT book, I thought hard about this decision and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, book 5 is by far the best book in the series for me (Prisoner of Azkaban is a very close second). It goes without saying that there’s a special place in my heart for every single novel in the series, however, in this circumstance, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is easily the most complex novel and for that, it deserves all the love. What makes Order of the Phoenix my favourite book is well, we get to meet the Order of the Phoenix and J.K. Rowling finally gives us valuable moments with Lupin and Sirius which we do get in other books but in this book in particular, it feels much more real and mature. Alongside Lupin and Sirius, Ginny and Luna start to play bigger roles which is a big reason why it’s up there for

me as Luna is one of my favourite characters. And then we get Harry in his weaker moments which is always interesting to read, no matter how many times I pick up this series. Harry in the 5th book is portrayed in a truly human light, not as the “Chosen One” but as an ordinary boy who is loaded with responsibilities and dangers. It paints him in a more detailed way which we haven’t seen before and it’s heartwrenching to read. Then we’ve got Umbridge. She is most definitely up there as one of my favourite villains in literature. J.K. Rowling writes her in a way that still to this day makes my skin crawl. She’s evil, condescending, cruel, sadistic. Everything she did made me angry, desperately wanting to throw my book at the wall with the hopes that would rid me of her and if that’s not a sign of excellent writing, I don’t know what is. And in Image: IMDB.com this political climate,

she’s even more relevant as a representation of the fear of those above us using their power to hurt us.

Nothing shows the depth of writing and the character development more than book five

On top of the dark serious matter in this book, I felt Order of the Phoenix also had a lot more humour which is always nice in these books and I was particularly interested in the portrayal of the O.W.Ls. We also get Harry’s discovery of the prophesy and Voldemort’s obsession with him which in my opinion, is the most important part of the entire series and what the books are all about. It’s overwhelming but it explains everything. But most of all, that final showdown in the Ministry of Magic at the end of the book… Amazing. Heartbreaking. When you finally think Harry can be happy with a father figure who cares for him, it’s all taken away from him. Sirius was by far one of my favourite characters and for J.K. Rowling to take him away from me had me in tears, worrying for the rest of my favourites as truly, no one is safe in this series. How J.K. Rowling managed to write a seven part saga about love, loyalty, friendship, loss, tragedy, strength, heroism, villainy, war, betrayal and sacrifice, I’ll never know. She wrote this series for children and

yet it transcended children and is still one of my favourite series at the old age of 21. And nothing shows the depth of writing, the character development more than book 5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is when Harry starts to become a true wizard and we see the power he possesses and I loved that.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix deserves praise as best book in the saga

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix deserves the praise as the best book in the saga. With a whopping 870 pages, the 5th book definitely changes the tone of the series but for the better in my opinion as we finally get to explore darker and deeper themes – it’s more adult and definitely sets the reader up for the darker sixth and seventh books.

@TheCourierArts @thecourierarts

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culture gaming

Monday 2 December 2019

courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Gaming Editors Alex Darbyshire, George Boatfield, James Troughton & Shawn Khoo

X019 Round-up Review Jedi: One year on from dissecting X018, Alex Darbyshire is back at it again to share the announcements from this year's event

his year’s X019 event from the heart of London dropped a sackload of new titles just in time for the holiday season. Like any good selection box, there are both good and shit titles in equal measure. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights. The presentation began with a lengthy trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a review of which can be found in the main spread of this issue, written by our esteemed Film Editor Joe Holloran. Following this was a rather unexpected world premiere for a new title from Rare, by the name of Everwild. The Bambi energy was strong, as this cel-shaded game features many fantastical deer-like creatures, à la Horizon Zero Dawn. This looks pretty promising, though I worry that Rare are spreading themselves a little thin, having only recently come back from a streak of rather middling titles. After this was a slew of similarly cel-shaded games, the most notable of which was West of Dead, a very dark, western-themed game featuring the legendary voice of Ron Perlman. It appears to be a top-down shooter that mixes some very dark visuals with vibrant bursts of colour. It’s Ghost Rider meets Geometry Wars meets Call of Juarez. What more could you want? This was where the presentation made a turn for

the worse. Following West of Dead was a string of fairly uninteresting announcements. The remaining three people who play Sea of Thieves will be happy for some free updates coming very soon, and anyone who hasn’t yet played Rust on PC will have the chance when it comes to Xbox One in 2020. Thrilling. Moving swiftly on, French developer Dontnod Entertainment stuck to their brand of relatable dramas, with their reveal of Tell Me Why. Setting it apart, this title features the first transgender protagonist from a major studio, as the character Tyler has transitioned to male after a narrative jump from the character’s childhood. The studio worked closely with the GLAAD in order to ensure authentic trans representation in their game. From a storytelling perspective, I have to praise the effort here, although these choice-based, narrative-driven games have never really been my thing. And now for the best part of the show. First shown at E3 2019, SkateBIRD, I can already confirm, is the best game of the next decade. A skating game in the style of Tony Hawk, but you play as a bird wearing various hats. There’s nothing else to say about this; it’s a masterpiece and you should all preorder it. There you have it. Maybe X019 didn’t shake up the indie market like last year’s presentation did, but there’s still plenty to get excited about. My advice would be to sit tight and wait until these titles arrive to see if they suit you. Except SkateBIRD, go give that all your money. Now.

Image: Twitter (NicholasWilder_)

Animal Cross-ed the line?

Editor-of-all Grace Dean spills the beans on the subscription

rossing around $111m lifetime revenue since its release in October 2017, the Animal Crossing Pocket Camp app for mobile, has been a success for Nintendo and solidified the series’ place as one of Nintendo's flagship franchises. It comes as no surprise for many players, therefore, that Nintendo has introduced a new paid subscription model for the app, known as the ‘Pocket Camp Club’. Following the subscription model of Mario Kart Tour, two

Images: YouTube (Nintendo)

tiers of the Pocket Camp subscription service are currently available. The cheaper trial, called the ‘Happy Helper Plan’, costs £2.99 per month and allows you to designate an animal as the ‘Camp Caretaker’ to gather items and look after your camp while you’re not able to play. This automation of some of the in-game tasks mean that players can spend more time enjoying their favourite features of the game. This tier also gives you 60 ‘Leaf Tickets’ every month. If you’re feeling hesitant about spending £2.99 a month in the build up to Christmas when a lot of festive shopping may be on the cards, Nintendo is also offering a month’s free trial. Bigger fans of the franchise can splash out on the higher tier of the subscription model, the ‘Cookie & Depot Plan’, which costs £7.99 a month. As well as the ‘Camp Caretaker’ expansion from the ‘Happy Helper Plan’, this model also provides you with five fortune cookies once each month. In essence, these are loot boxes that contain one random new item, and provides you with access to a warehouse which can be used for the storage of up to 5000 items of furniture and clothing. Other benefits available in both plans include reduced crafting times and the opportunity to preview upcoming items. This isn’t to say that all is rosy in the world of Animal Crossing, however; Eurogamer has openly spoken out against what it deems to be “Pocket Camp's aggressive monetisation model”. Furthermore, the Gambling Commission found that 44% of surveyed young people aged 11-16 had paid money to open in-game loot boxes, leading some UK officials to lobby for gambling-like regulations for loot boxes.

As three new Star Wars projects arrive this winter, Film Editor Joe Hol

he new Star Wars canon has been good to us. With four films, three TV series and countless comics and novels, there is no shortage of great material across various media for fans to experience the galaxy far, far, away… The only exception to this so far has been video games. The rebooted Battlefront series left fans disappointed with initially absent and subsequently poor storytelling, poor game optimisation and a game that was far too focused on the online experience at the expense of single player narrative. So, when EA reaffirmed last year that Respawn Entertainment - the company behind the highly successful Titanfall franchise – were in the process of developing a narrativedriven, expansive Star Wars game, optimism amongst the fans understandably grew. On 15 November, that project, titled Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order released on multiple platforms. The question is, does it live up to the hype? Fallen Order, as the title suggests, takes place 5 years after the execution of Order 66 by Darth Sidious to wipe-out every single Jedi in the galaxy (as seen in Revenge of the Sith). The game follows former Jedi padawan Cal Kestiss (Gotham's Cameron Monaghan) as he attempts to come to terms with the fall of the Jedi Order, the state of the galaxy and his duty to help others. After being exposed as a force-user while saving his friend’s life, you play as Cal, who meets with former Jedi Master Cere Junda and her Latero captain Greez Dritus. The trio are joined quickly by droid BD-1 and the team travel the galaxy in their ship, the

Stinger Mantis. Together, they search for a way to bring the eponymous fallen Order back from the dead with a little help from the hologram of the mysterious Master Eno Cordova - all while being hunted by the villainous Second Sister and her fellow band of Jedi-hunting Inquisitors. Fallen Order is by far the best Star Wars game since EA took over the license in 2013. Admittedly, that bar is not very high, but this game vaults over that bar and then out of the stadium. The Unreal engine used allows for varied locations and interconnected areas to explore, echoing the Dark Souls series. Truly difficult combat situations mean that the comparisons with From Software’s flagship series only continue. Either way, prepare to die many times early on as you struggle to master Jedi combat skills which, conveniently for us, Cal has forgotten from his Padawan days. T h e

Images: IGDB

Half-Life: Alyx t

James Troughton has done his waiting: twelve

alve's rusted crowbar sits in the depths of their filing cabinets, longing to be held just one more time by Mr. Freeman, but it will have to wait another day. Instead, we're being treated to a title all about one of the best side-characters in all of gaming: Alyx Vance. Get read to put on that Black Mesa shirt and cosy jacket, as Valve has dropped a trailer for the VR-exclusive that is HalfLife: Alyx, a game all about the story of Vance prior to the events of the second instalment. Now, I know that some of you are languishing, "why is it a VR exclusive!? We've waited for ten years! Outrageous!" and, to put it bluntly - stop. We wouldn't have a new HalfLife without VR. In an interview, the devs revealed that HalfLife 3 was simply too daunting to make and so they set their sights on developing a VR experience. It was

Images: Steam & YouTube (Valve)

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019

@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming

Fallen Order

olloran looks outside his wheelhouse to this promising virtual offering team from Respawn have brought the platforming elements that worked so well in Titanfall into the Star Wars universe. While this led some to worry (including myself) that this would be overdone and detract from the overall story, thankfully that turned out not to be the case. Additionally there are plenty of Jedi and Sith tombs to explore and complex puzzles to solve with the force in the Star Wars universe. As well as missions-a-plenty, there are copious amounts of boxes and customisables to discover, so you can change up your lightsaber, ship and outfit to your heart's content. There are also many Easter eggs and canon references throughout to please both those who love only the movies – hello Rogue One's Saw Gerrera – and hardcore fans alike. There are some issues with the game, however. The long loading time after death quickly becomes tedious. More dire are the data streaming issues and problems with environmental textures failing to fully load in and speech options that can occasionally be unresponsive. These problems are small in comparison to the game’s biggest flaw - the dullness of protagonist Cal. The voice performance by Monaghan is fine; the

problem is that the dialogue he has to say lacks any personality. Fans of Star Wars Rebels will know how much Ezra develops across the shows run, from annoying kid to competent Jedi who we believed could do anything. Cal does not go on quite as transformative a journey. The story isn’t helped by Cere Junda, who has got to be the most useless Jedi Master in canon. While I am thrilled to have a third-person, narrativebased Star Wars game again, I just wish the story was better. I understand this won’t matter to casual fans, but to me, it was a bit of a disappointment. Overall, Fallen Order is technically very sound, loyal to the legacy of Star Wars gaming and very fun to play. There are endless hours’ worth of missions, side missions and tombs to explore and indulge your inner Indiana Jones. The only thing it lacks is a compelling story, but I guess you can’t have everything.

trailer unveiled

e years of it! Now, he is ecstatic to report on this new game from Valve between this and a Portal game with the latter being far too nauseating, so thank VR for bringing us back to the Half-Life world - don't shun it. So, what did the trailer reveal? Well, we can clearly see that Valve is drawing a lot from the Half-Life 2 beta that got leaked and tweaked. It appears that all of these early prototypes for Combine soldiers, Striders and what-not are modelled on the originals, which makes sense. It means that they develop, both in the real world as well as the virtual world, into the iconic designs we know and love. We also get a brand new unnamed character that looks like and serves the same purpose as the cut 'Odell' from the beta, who became 'Odessa' in the final release. He's sort of like Wheatley from what we can see. He appears to be Alyx's aid throughout this extravagant VR adventure. What is also revealed is that Alyx's father is being kidnapped yet again (or I guess not, because it's a prequel? Confusing.) - Eli Vance is in another castle. It's also evident that Half-Life: Alyx is set slightly after the events of the 7 Hour War as the Citadel is still under construction and there are no Metrocops in sight, with the Combine soldiers policing the streets and raiding apartments in their stead. Alyx and co. appear to be interested in some sort of vault, which is a gigantic floating Combine structure over City 17. This was absent in the events of Half-Life 2 so we can expect to blow it up or take it out in spectacular fashion. There are also two new Headcrab variants, with one

appearing to be a scorpion-like creature and another black with red spikes. There's also the return of the classic, poison and fast variants along with far more variety in the hosts they latch onto. If you played Half-Life 2, you'll know that Alyx has a pretty cool gizmo for opening doors which is making a brilliant return with its own minigame feature. There are also gravity gloves which she wears that have the HUD elements on them and can be used to pull objects into your hands, which she does when pickpocketing a Combine soldier from afar.

The number of years since the last release in the Half-Life series

There's no sign of Dr. Breen, Dr. Kleiner or Barney so far but we may see them yet. Alyx's voice actor has been replaced, likely to sound younger, but it’s barely noticeable, and Eli's too has been replaced as the voice actor passed away. The trailer ends with a menacing shot of G-Man who looks slightly less alien than he did in the previous two instalments but he's still one creepy motherfucker. All in all, we learned a lot from this trailer, and it is stunning. It is one of the best-looking VR games and is said to be a fully-fledged experience to the same size as Half-Life 1 and 2 - all at a price of £40. You can play it in March 2020 with any Steam-compatible VR headset.

gaming culture

Yo-shi-da changes at Sony The Sony exec shake-ups continue, George Boatfield reports P layStation has announced that Shuhei Yoshida stepped down as president of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Worldwide Studios on 7 November. His replacement is none other than Hermen Hulst, the head of Horizon Zero Dawn developer Guerrilla Games prior to this shake-up. Yoshida had occupied the role since 2008, but his focus is moving onto a new initiative which aims to nurture independent talent within PlayStation. Truth be told, it should come as no surprise that Yoshida has pivoted towards this new role. Under his watch, Worldwide Studios found success in incubating smaller indie projects at Sony Santa Monica, with games like The Unfinished Swan and Journey garnering favorable critical reception. This is perhaps most clear when remembering that Journey was awarded Game of the Year by IGN in 2012 - something that tends to be received solely by highbudget projects. But PlaySation is no stranger to high-budget projects either. It’s worth looking back at the other side of Yoshida’s tenure as WWS president, where first party studios saw enormous critical and commercial success with big-budget efforts such as The Last of Us, Until Dawn and the

rebooted God of War. The announced changes continue a lengthy period of restructuring at Sony in the lead-up to the PlayStation 5. While the industry remains on a trajectory towards the live-service model of business, Yoshida’s legacy could act as a roadmap for the new team going forward. After all, he helped fortify a path full of enriching single player experiences that has already brought many to their station.

Image: Twitter (@yosp)

Star-dew another update TV Editor Sophie Hicks looks at what's new to Pelican Town S tardew Valley: the game that keeps on giving. Just as I began to think that this indie gem was great enough, Eric Barone blessed us farmers with a significant update. This latest drop of content is huge, with the long-awaited introduction of online multiplayer alongside the announcement of even more exciting features. This update has a focus on bug-fixing in order to further polish this game to a mirror shine. I haven’t experienced any major bugs, and I’m sure this will be reassuring for people to hear. Personally, I’m pretty excited about the update regarding the use of ‘Wild Bait’. I always found it pretty much worthless in the game and not really worth the time to unlock. Now, however, it will allow you to potentially attract double the amount of fish - finally, it has a use!

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new hairstyles to new farm building options and fishing ponds. A new option to screenshot your entire farm has also been added for those that love to share pictures of their farms with friends. And, drum roll please… stackable signs and chests at last! No more wasting space, hallelujah! This seems like such a minor thing, but I’m probably the most excited about it because my farm will no longer look cluttered with ugly chests. If you’ve never played Stardew Valley, this seems like the perfect opportunity to try it since the gameplay will vastly improve. But if you love the game already, get ready to love it even more.

The total number of sales of Stardew Valley by December 2017

This update also focuses on more end-game content, such as a new event for having a 14-heart bond with your spouse - meaning I now have a reason not to ignore my virtual husband.

This update has a focus on bug-fixing to bring further polish

Now, if you play multiplayer, then this update might interest you quite a bit. A new map will be available, called ‘Four Corners’. This will allow players to split money, so you can have a separate income from your friends - honestly, this is a lifesaver if your friends spend all your money. Truth be told, I don’t know why this wasn’t included sooner, but maybe my friends are just terrible.

If you’ve never played Stardew Valley, this seems like the perfect opportunity to try it

Finally, there are some smaller benefits to this update such as new customisation options: these range from

Image: IGDB

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culture science

c2.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Eleanor Gratton, Patrick Harland & Seshadhri Subramanian

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Monday 2 December 2019

Superfast star found leaving Milky Way at 1,700 km per second Amanda Goh reports on the ball of light that has hurtled out of the black hole, and how scientists have been able to detect it

star has been spotted heading out of the Milky Way at more than 6M km/h, or 1,700km per second, after an encounter with the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy.

fast they are moving toward or away from us,’ S5-HVS1 is an A-type main-sequence star notable as the one detected as of November 2019. The star is in the Grus

constellation in the southern sky, and about 29,000 light-years from Earth. It is possible that the S5-HVS1 was originally part

1,700km/second travel speed

The star, known as S5-HVS1, had been ejected by the black hole five million years ago. The discovery of the star was made known by Carnegie Mellon University Assistant Professor of Physics Sergey Koposov as part of the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey. Astronomers had wondered about high velocity stars since the discovery of them two decades ago. With this new information about S5-HVS1, astronomers could track the star’s journey back to the centre of the milky way, where the Sagittarius A* lurks. “We actually discovered the star serendipitously,” astronomer Danial Zucker of Macquarie University told Science Alert. According to Zucker, the stars can tell us about their ‘temperatures, compositions, and ages, as well as how Image:Peakpx

of a binary system which was disrupted by the supermassive black hole, causing the star to be ejected. S5HVS1’s position and speed indicated that it was kicked out of the galactic centre, with a great deal of force. It has been hurtling across space ever since, but the mechanism that kicked it out is still unclear. “The basic idea (sometimes referred to as the Hills Mechanism) is that a bindery star gets close to a super black hole and one of the stars gets captures by the black hole,” Zucker explains. “As the captured star is pulled into orbit around the black hole, the other star is flung off into space at high speed,” Zucker also affirms that this discovery will give clues about what is happening at the Galactic Centre, enabling us to have a better idea of the galaxy’s shape and mass distribution.

Climate change could account for the fall of an Ancient Empire Carter Levy tells us how unpredictable weather conditions began causing chaoas and affecting our planet thousands of years ago

he Neo-Assyrian empire, a powerful conquering empire in the iron age, was the third and last empire to grow out of the ancient city of Assur. The Hebrew Bible has several mentions of the Assyrians due to conflicts at the time with Israel and Judah. The end of the Assyrian empire is like many others characterised by political instability, civil war and invasion by foreign powers. However, a new study has revealed a new factor contributing to its sudden decline— climate change.

The Assyrian megadrought is synchronous with the Assyrian imperial collapse

In what is now Northern Iraq the Assyrian empire cultivated “rain-fed” crops and developed irrigation systems to maintain large populations within their cities. Their Empire is thought to have stood from 912 to 607 BCE when their kingdom was destroyed. The historical scientists involved state that the empire “plummeted from its zenith… in just 60 years.” The climate change discovered in this new study is not the greenhouse gas fueled climate change that is be-

ing faced today, but instead describes a stark decrease in rainfall at the time. Scientists found “a ~125-year period of peak aridity, termed here the Assyrian megadrought, which is synchronous… with the period of the Assyrian imperial collapse” around 660 to 600 BCE. The Neo Assyrian Empire was formed and expanded in a relatively wet “two centuries” for the region, with high amounts of rainfall, but the “high-density urbanization and imperial expansion… was not sustainable when climate shifted to megadrought conditions” after this period. Scientists involved believe that the strain caused by “frequent crop failures… [may have] exacerbated the political unrest in Assyria in its final decades” and hurt the economy of the empire. The “drying” of the area at the time is mirrored by similar findings in other parts of the world where there is a “shift from wetter to drier conditions” perhaps even on a global scale. Scientists were able to discover all this by examining speleothem (stalagmites), rock like structures formed from minerals in water within caves. By measuring the levels of different isotopes within the stalagmites the scientists were able to determine both the age and rainfall around the time that they were formed. In L.P. Hartley’s the Go-Between, it states in its first line that “the past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” This study demonstrates just how different the past was, not only in the behaviour of the people who belong to it but the very world that they inhabited. The fall of the Assyrian Empire also encourages us to question how will we adapt to climate change in our time?

Image:by Dr Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin.

The Black Death found in China

Lilla Marshall reports on the spreading of the diesease as it is discovered in patients in China

hree people in China have been diagnosed with infections of Yersinia pestis – a bacteria most famous for causing the bubonic plague outbreak in 14th century Europe. One of these patients, in China, was diagnosed with bubonic plague. The other two were diagnosed with the more dangerous and contagious pnuemonic plague.

584

Global deaths due to the plague between 2010 and 2015

The plague comes in three forms. Bubonic plague (the most famous) is the infection of the lymphatic system, septicemic plague is infection of the blood and pneumonic plague is the infection of the lungs. Bubonic plague requires you to come in to contact with an infected person or animal. Pneumonic plague can be spread through bodily fluids, or even through the air. It’s enough to cause panic, which explains why the Chinese government initially tried to cover the incidents up. The diagnoses were made on November 3, but it wasn’t until November 13 that the government reported the incident to the World Health Organisa-

tion (WHO), as required. Before then, the Chinese media had got a hold of the story and the government was doing everything they could to censor details online. Should we be concerned about this? It’s unlikely. Geneticists have been studying the bacteria for a long time. They’ve been trying to predict how it will evolve, so they can be ready for it, if it tries to make a serious comeback. Current strains of the infection can easily be treated by antibiotics, as long as it’s caught early on.

One was diagnosed with bubonic plague, two others with the deadlier pnuemonic plague

In 2014, David Wagner from North Arizona University told the BBC: “Plague strains are always emerging from rodent reservoirs, causing disease in humans, but what we don’t see are the widespread pandemics because now the public health response would be quick and very concentrated to shut that down.”

The plague isn’t back. It never really left. In 2014, there were 16 reported cases of the plague. Between 2010 and 2015, the plague was responsible for 584 global deaths – mostly in poorer areas of Africa, Asia and South America where the infrastructure and availability of antibiotics is restricted.

We don't see widespread pandemic because of the public health of modern times

Compared to malaria, which kills hundreds of thousands every year – the plague does not seem like something we should lose sleep over. The black death in the 14th century killed up to 200 million people and has continued as various outbreaks up until the 19th century, the deadliest recent outbreak was in Madagascar in October 2017 killing 170 people and infecting many more.

Images: Pexels and Needpix

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Monday 2 December 2019

@culture_courier thecourieronline.co.uk/science

science culture

Meteorites, sugar, spice and a sign of aliens Word of the Week : Cummingtonite Patrycja Ubysz reports on potential evidence of alien species

n 18 November an international team made public their exciting finding of detecting sugars on meteorites. What does this mean in the context of life origins and extra-terrestrial life? In the research done in collaboration with NASA, samples of three different meteorites were analysed: Northwest Africa 801 (NWA 801), NWA 7020 and Murchison. They all belong to a group of carbonaceous chondrites, typically rich in organic molecules, in which amino acids and sugars were previously found. The largest amount of sugars were found in the Murchison sample due to using a different extraction method than in the previous studies, with a sugar ribose detected. So what is so special about ribose? It is one of the most crucial molecules in living organisms, heavily involved in metabolism and makes up RNA

Image: Flickr

– a highly functional biopolymer in cells, participating in protein synthesis, gene expression and many more. Modified ribose is a building block of DNA, the importance of which is incontestable. However, the abundance of ribose in living organisms could potentially contaminate the meteorite sample and prove the study unreliable. There is, however, a way to distinguish between molecules of space and Earth origin. Carbon, the element on which the known life is based, is usually found in its most stable form, consisting of six electrons, protons and neutrons. Approximately 1.1% of carbon atoms on Earth contain not six but seven neutrons in their core. The isotopes can be easily detected and quantified with the available analytical methods. The ribose molecules found in the Murchison sample were significantly enriched with the carbon isotope, exceeding beyond possible biological values. This finding strongly suggests the space origin, rather than Earth contamination with the sugar. Many questions regarding origins of life and extra-terrestrial life seem to be nurturing humanity for centuries. The new study doesn’t provide an answer but might be a clue and inspiration for more extensive research. Was the life brought to Earth from outside? Are we not alone in the Universe? There is still a lot to find out.

Steven Ross tells us about an unusual and unknown mineral

ummingtonite is a rock mineral which was discovered by Chester Dewey in 1824 in the equally weirdly named town of Cummington, Massachusetts. It can be found in countries across 4 continents, These countries include the US, Scotland, Sweden, South Africa and New Zealand. Magnesium is the dominant element present in Cummingtonite. The rock forms in a variety of colours: translucent dark green, brown and grey, although it is sometimes colourless. It is also glass-like in appearance. Interestingly, cummingtonite has a perfect cleavage in two directions. This means that the mineral is able to break smoothly along two planes. Therefore, its cleavage makes it more aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, Cum-

mingtonite is relatively hard. It has a hardness of 5-6 out of 10 on the Mohs scale. This, ironically, is much harder than Dickite (1.5-2) and Fukalite (4). Cummingtonite is also non-pleochroic, meaning that it looks the same from all angles unlike some minerals which appear to give off different colours. One of the few uses of Cummingtonite is in asbestos, which only comes from the amosite variety of the mineral. There are of course health risks involved in this, but there are still industrial uses for asbestos today, and this is the main reason that Cummingtonite is being mined in South Africa. Conclusively, Cummingtonite is actually a very boring mineral with a somewhat interesting name.

Image:Flickr

She's Boeing to the Moon! The first moonwalk since 1972

Patrycja Usbyz discusses the debate surrouding the controversial mission that could investigate undiscovered regions of the moon

ASA’s next big leap is planned for the year 2024, when the first woman and the next man will land on the currently unexplored South Pole of the Moon. Boeing works with NASA to make it possible, providing the largest rocket ever built – Boeing’s Space Launch System.

The SLS program was criticised for the $287.2m paid to Boeing

SLS has the payload capacity of 130 metric tons (22 elephants) and accelerates to 17,000 miles per hour in

Image:Pexels and Flickr

only 8.5 minutes. It is claimed to be the most powerful rocket in the world, which could not only carry out the Artemis mission, but also manage any future expedition

17,000

miles per hour reached in only 8.5 minutes

to Mars. For the Artemis mission, SLS is going to carry the Orion Spacecraft, the crew vehicle, to the Gateway which is a proposed station on the lunar orbit. From there, the astronauts could fly to the Moon’s surface with the innovative integrated Human Lander System, proposed to NASA by Boeing on 5th November. The “Fewest Steps to the Moon” approach was developed to, as stated in Boeing’s news release, minimise the complexity and maximise the safety of the mission. The HLS can dock both with Gateway and Orion, so additional spacecraft is not needed. The SLS program was widely criticised for its cost. The Office of the Inspector General discovered that Boeing was paid $287.2 million above the fixed

price contract due to delays in missions, to ensure the company remains a second commercial crew provider. This excluded SpaceX from the competition despite them

The approach aims to minimise the complexity and maximise the safety of the mission

previously proposing shorter production times. NASA does not publicly disclose the details regarding the pricing of the contracts, although the cost of the SLS program between 2011 and 2018 is estimated to be over $15 billion.

the courier

Monday 2 December 2019 Puzzles Editor Emma Dawson He’s just quackers: Alex ‘Bird Food’ Darbyshire

Solutions will be revealed in next week’s issue, available on campus from 9 December 1

puzzles 5

DOWN

1. Margaret - , Canadian author who won the 2019 Booker prize (6) 2. 1982 Spielberg film (1,1) 4. The lion in The Chronicles of Narnia (5) 5. Mathematical term for any whole number (7) 6. 1984 Queen song (5,4) 7. Artist who won single of the year at the Brits (3,4) 9. Zodiac sign for September 16 until October 30 (5) 10. Birds - soup, Chinese delicacy (4) 11. Australian singer-songwriter known for Chandelier (3) 12. A Greenish-blue colour (4) 14. Tame - , band known for their album, currents (6) 17. Band known for Africa (4) 19. Netflix historical drama series (3,5) 22. Type of Lizard known for chirping (5) 24. US state with the capital Columbus (4) 25. Jemima - , Beatrix Potter character (10) 26. 2019 Marvel film (7) 28. The Colour - , Alice Walker novel (6) 29. - Spaniel , dog breed (8) 32. An angle between 90 and 180 degrees (6) 34. Salad consisting of shredded raw cabbage (8) 37. Nickname for Australia (2) 39. Free trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico (5) 40. Substance made from soya beans used in Asian cooking (4) 41. Emma Donoughe novel (4) 42 - Mode, character in The Incredibles (4)

12 13

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33 34 35 36

37 38

41 43

42 44

ACROSS 1.1970 hit for The Jackson 5 (3) 3. US video games company founded in 1972 (5) 6. Black - , House of Lords official (3) 8. Football club based in Turin (8) 13. Country that spans two continents (6) 15. - Girl, Madonna song (8) 16. - Unchained, 2012 Quentin Tarantino film (6) 18. The lowest female singing voice (4) 20. Name for a male cat (3) 21. - Parliament, government with no overall majority (4) 23. Marsupial native to Australia (8)

27. Mediterranean Island nation (6) 30. By mass, Earth’s most common element (4) 31. The- , Dystopian Cormac McCarthy novel (4) 33. Board game played on a world map (4) 35. 44th President of the US (5) 36. County in East Anglia (7) 38. American rapper (6) 43. Chinese bun or bread-like dumpling (3) 44. The - , social media-based British reality series (6) 45. The Bourne - , third film in the Jason Bourne series (9) 46. Fictional country, home to Black Panther (7) 47. Nintendo- , dual screen games console (1,1)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS G

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Monday 2 December 2019

TNT are dynamite at BUCS’ ‘Chilly’ Duathlon Liam Blatch and Francis Gainsborough report on Newcastle University’s Triathlon trip to Castle Combes earlier this month

Liam Blatch and Francis Gainsborough at Castle Combes Racecourse

On Sunday 24 November a team of 27 from TNT headed down to Chippenham for the annual BUCS “Chilly” Duathlon. Held on the Castle Combe Race Course, the closed circuit race offers a chance for some very fast times.

6 of the team all finishing within 40 seconds and 15 places of each otherproviding some of the best overall results the club has seen

Arriving at the chilly and very wet circuit, we were met by a great atmosphere, with some races already underway. Our first wave of boys started their pre-race warm up but due an incident out on the circuit there was a suspension of over an hour. It was later announced racing would continue on an attenuated, shortened course to allow for all waves to be completed in the light.

Billed as the “elite men’s wave” the pace was high from the start with Farrier completing 3.2km in 10 minutes

Having prepared to race for a second time, the first wave of boys set out, in what was now an all out sprint. Billed as the “elite men’s wave” the pace was high from the start with

Newcastle triathletes celebrate Image: Francis Gainsborough Matthew Farrier completing the first of the 3.2 kilometre runs in 10 minutes 44 seconds. Out onto the bike the racing remained fierce with Tom Gilbert setting the 13th fastest bike split on the day, averaging an blistering 43.2 km/h. It was a TNT sprint finish, with 6 of the team all finishing within 40 seconds and 15 places of each other – providing some of the best overall results the club has seen in

years. As most of the men were finishing their race, the elite women were well on their way. Neve Hattee provided the club with another strong bike leg, finishing as the 27th fastest female cyclist, on her way to an excellent 34th place finish. Followed closely by Bonnie Murphy, the friendly rivalry between these girls continues. Spectators were again treated

to a couple of Newcastle vs Newcastle sprint finishes as the team demonstrated their competitive comradery. Last, but certainly not least, 7 of the team set out in the mixed wave of the event. Dusk was upon us but Sam Baker and Fergus Ingledew didn’t let the fading light affect their speed, coming 2nd and 3rd in their wave respectively.

All in all, the day proved to be a great success, with a mixture of new and old members, it is fair to say all of us were aiming for a range of goals and most of these were met. Overcoming adversity on the day demonstrates the strong club spirit. Being the first race of the year and one of biggest teams we have ever taken to an event, we look forward to future races in the summer season!

Lets get ready to travel: nations begin to emerge as your

Courier Editors and Writers combine to bring their opinions on who to look out for in anticipation for the re-vamped Euro 2020 comp France Sesha Subramanian

The French team enters Euro 2020 off the back of a successful World Cup in Russia in 2018. The core of the side that played that tournament still remains and could well repeat their exploits. Their obvious strength is up-front where they could have the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Kingsley Coman lining up behind Olivier Giroud. While Giroud may not seem like the man to lead the line, he is an integral part of the French team and his presence allows the likes of Mbappe and Griezmann to play around him. In midfield, Paul Pogba will once again pair up with the industrious N’Golo Kante. They may also be supported by Blaise Matuidi. Pogba has found the freedom to play as he likes when he has played alongside Kante and Matuidi and he is going to be key to unlocking the potential of this French team. Further back is a little bit of a weakness that teams might look to exploit. Options are aplenty for the fullback positions with the likes of Lucas Digne, Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Mendy and Benjamin Pavard but it is at centre-back where, barring Raphael Varane, France have not been as convincing - a situation not helped by the fact that Varane himself is not as imposing as he was two years ago. Hugo Lloris is again likely to be both captain and first choice goalkeeper, but he does make a fair few errors himself. However, the French team is so good going forward that he may be bailed out every time.

Wales James Lee McDonald

Wales secured their place at the 2020 Euros after defeating Hungary 2-0 in November. Two goals scored by Aaron Ramsay secured the victory, and made him as Wales’ joint top scorer in qualifying, alongside Wigan Athletics Kieffer Moore. Ahead of the 2020 Euros, Wales have introduced even more fresh talent into their ranks. Emerging prospect Daniel James has bagged 3 Premier League goals so far this season, and got Wales’ Euro campaign off to a winning start, after scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Slovakia. Ethan Ampadu is another quality addition with Champions League experience under his belt.

Wales have a good balance of experience and emerging talent a could spring a surprise

The groups for the 2020 Euros are to be drawn next Saturday (30th November). Out of the groups which could be constructed from the draw, the most favourable for Wales would consist of Ukraine, Switzerland and Czech Republic. Despite the outcome of the draw, Wales should look to build on their previous performances in the competition. They should withdraw confidence from earning a point

against Croatia in October, as they proved to be tough competition for the 2018 World Cup finalists. Wales are a long way off from being considered favourites to win the Euros, but they should feel optimistic going into the competition. With serial winners such as Bale and Ramsay, Wales will have wholehearted intentions of progressing beyond the group stage. They have a good balance of experience and emerging talent and could spring a surprise and potentially mirror what they achieved in 2016

England Joe Smith After a less than under whelming performance in the 2016 Euro’s it’s hard to get excited about the tournament as an England supporter, but after a particularly enjoyable and promising display of football in the 2018 World Cup and a lot of new young hopefuls contending for the squad, 2020 might just be England’s year. My prediction for England sadly doesn’t involve them winning the tournament, but I can see them reaching the semis after a fairly strong campaign. I’d say England’s greatest strength are their strikers. Kane, Rashford and Sterling will most likely be England’s top players in the competition, with the hopeful addition of England newcomers Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho who will almost certainly be on the bench and hopefully on the pitch England’s weakness lies in their defence. Key player Harry Maguire can’t be expected

to carry England’s defence on his shoulders and John Stones hasn’t been playing his best for some time. This is where Trent Alexander-Arnold comes in. He’s done wonders at Liverpool and will be play an essential role as England’s right-back. As far as other defensive players are concerned Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez and Tyrone Mings could be the saving graces.

2020 might just be England’s year

As for the midfield, it’s almost certain that it will be fronted by the usual suspect Jordan Henderson, with the possibility of Mason Mount and Fabian Delph with Jesse Lingard helping him out depending on how attacking Southgate wants his midfield to be. Of course Jordan Pickford will be in goal with the possibility of Tom Heaton being his replacement on the bench, but I don’t think he’ll be needed.

Portugal Dominic Lee Despite finishing second in qualification Group B after a 2-1 defeat to Ukraine, Portugal have to fancy their chances of retaining the Euros come 2020. Portugal have a strong cohort of young players including Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix who impressed early on in the season despite

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Monday 2 December 2019

Guess who’s back? ‘The Special One’ returns After the shock sacking of former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, Phillip Etchells looks at the future of Jose Mourinho Phillip Etchells

Jose Mourinho appeared calm and collected after the 3-2 win at West Ham last weekend. The late flurry from West Ham last weekend flattered the Hammers; overall it was a comfortable win for a Spurs side who have not won away from home since January. Mourinho’s return to the Premier League is no small matter. Either he leaves a club’s trophy cabinet full or leaves at daggers drawn, as seen in his recent spells at Chelsea and Man United. Now he’s back in the Premier League, in his own words, “back where he belongs”.

Mourinho is a serial winner

Mourinho has been out of management since December 2018. Daniel Levy, Spurs’ Chairman, ruthlessly dismissed Pochettino during the recent international break and called up the manager he has wanted since 2007. Ruthlessness is a trait shared by the Portuguese manager; he is not afraid to ice out players who do not get on board with his philosophy. Think Kevin de Bruyne, Mo Salah and Paul Pogba. Mourinho will have to be unrelenting to turn Tottenham’s fortunes around by the end of the season. At the time of writing, they sit 9th in the table and 20 points behind leaders Liverpool.

58%

Mourinho’s winning percentage as a manager

Mourinho is a serial winner. He has 20 major trophies in his career so far. The last time Spurs won a league title was 1961. However, his infamous “Parking the Bus” style has not run smoothly in his recent stints at Chelsea and United, where his win percentage was

The Special One in good spirit at Spurs Image: @SpursOfficial (Twitter) the lowest (both 59%) since he started managing back in 2000. Whether it will be able to compete with the fast-paced, high pressing football of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City will be a challenge. It will be interesting to see what Mourinho does in the next two transfer windows. Ever

the confident one, Mourinho has already said he “doesn’t need players” and is content with the current squad. He always likes a big, top quality striker up front: Drogba. Ronaldo. Lukaku. Well, maybe not Lukaku. But apparently he believes Harry Kane is one of the world’s best and has demanded that Levy

does not let him go in the summer. Tottenham’s club motto is, “to dare is to do” and they are gambling on Jose Mourinho. Despite promises that he “won’t make the same mistakes again,’’ the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust are worried. They have “obvious concerns” about the club’s

long-term vision and how the manager and board will work together. We will have to wait and see whether “The Special One” can work his magic in North London and change the fortunes of a struggling Spurs.

r Euro contenders as first multi-host tournament nears

petition, which will play host to 24 teams across 12 countries that promises goals galore and perhaps another goalkeeper in joggers not racking up the goals. The team also have a good Premier League core including Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves of Wolves and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva. However, it is in defence where the Portu-

Despite mixed performances Portugal become a completely different team when a major tournament arrives

Jubilation as Portugal win Euro 2016 Image: Instagram - @Portugal

guese could struggle as an ageing and reckless Pepe leaves them weak in the centre of defence. The team may also be relying too much on a 34-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. ‘CR7’ has 11 goals in 8 games of qualification, which accounts for half of Portugal’s 22 goals. Nonetheless, despite mixed performances Portugal become a different team come tournament time. They are hugely resilient and can be an annoying team to play against because they are so hard to beat. They showed this toughness during the Nations League tournament where they defeated The Netherlands in the final, edging out a hard fought game to win 1-0. Despite this, I don’t think the Portuguese have quite enough to compete against more attacking teams like England and France, who will likely cause problems for their ageing defence. Still, Portugal have proven time

and time again that they are the true dark horses of international tournaments and can never be counted out.

Belgium Rory Ewart For many, Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ were meant to reach their peak for the 2018 Russia World Cup, and to an extent, they did. A semi-final run saw them fend off the likes of England, Japan and Brazil in the process, before losing a tight semi against eventual champions France. At that point many senior players were seen to be in their last chance saloon. Kompany and Moussa Dembele, although not full retired from the international discipline, are now in the twilight stages of their careers, and will likely not be first-team players come the finals, if they were to be selected at all. Come qualifying for Euro 2020 and the Red Devils did not disappoint. They won every game they played, conceding just three goals and scoring 40 goals in the process, more goals than any other nation in qualifying. The teams in the group weren’t any walk in the park either, with World Cup quarter finalists Russia and historic footballing nation Scotland both vying for the top spot position. Important players may have now left the main limelight of the first team, but they have bow been replaced with fresh young players, that seem set for stardom. These include Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans,

whose performances have inspired them to second in the league. Dennis Praet also has featured for Belgium and Leicester, at 25, has many good footballing years ahead of him. New faces have also been emerging in defence also. Jason Denayer and Timothy Castagne, both have been Champions League football for Lyon and Atalanta respectively this season, and as a result have broken into the Belgium squad in perfect time for the Euro’s.

Belgium are yet to win a single major international tournament

In terms of their chances come next summer, Belgium can enter this competition with real optimism. The likes of Lukaku, De Bruyne and Meunier all remain at the top of their games playing for some of Europe’s top clubs. As supporting acts go, one that includes the likes of Vertonghen, Hazard and Courtois, although not playing at their best presently, will naturally send shivers down any opposition’s spine. Belgium will look to make a real stab at winning this tournament, with a country that historically hasn’t set the world alight, the generation of players Belgium have currently, and are interweaving with young prodigies, the standard of player is high. Similar to the World Cup, the semi-finals will be the minimum expected of them, with anything being possible if they make it that far.

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Monday 2 December 2019

FIGHT NIGHT 2019: LET

BUCS RESULTS BADMINTON

M1 v Liverpool 1sts M2 v Durham 2nds M3 v Bradford 1sts W1 v Birmingham 1sts W2 v Leeds 1sts

BASKETBALL

M1 v Northumbria 1sts M2 v Bradford 1sts M3 v Leeds 1sts W1 v Northumbria 1sts W2 v Leeds 2nds

FENCING

M1 Durham 3rds M2 v Durham 4ths W1 v Leeds 1sts

FOOTBALL

M1 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts M2 v Teeside 1sts M3 v Sunderland 3rds W1 v Durham 2nds W2 v Leeds 2nds

HOCKEY

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NUTV, NSR and the Courier provided coverage of the return of Newcastle University’s favourite student Fight

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The Courier’s Head of Sport and commentator Rebecca Johnson gives the run-down of everything that happened during Fight Night Rebecca Johnson Head of Sport

Newcastle University’s favourite student Fight Night made its return on Thursday 28 November, with a joint collaboration from NUTV, NSR and the Courier showcasing some of the finest amateur boxing around. This year was packed with jabs, sick and questionable moustaches from our pundits.

This year’s Fight Night was pack with jabs, sick and questionable moustaches from our pundits

This year’s Fight Night opened with NSR’s Ollie Thomas jumping in the presenter’s seat, hosting the pre-show and keeping his pundits in check throughout the evening. After forty minutes, the lights dimmed, the music cranked up and the evening’s ringmasters, Chris Wilkinson and Louis Grantham entered the ring to hype a packed Venue. Fight Night 2019 opened with the first female fight of the evening between Olivia “Lights Out” Sealy and Sandra “Second To None” Murray. The stakes were high in this fight, with both girls being army cadets and coming from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities respectively. The fight saw Sealy use her 20kg weight advantage to her benefit, packing flurries of punches and really getting to Murray. Murray responded well, but left herself exposed with her guard dropping more often than not. The first blood of Fight Night went to Sealy, but Murray would have a chance to redeem herself later on in the evening. Up next was Janis “Baltic Bomber” Anderson versus Noah Percy, both quite evenly matched in height and weight. An extremely short round saw the Baltic Bomber live up to

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A clash between Bethan “Knockers Out” Oates taking on Zoe “Blowey You Over” Smith opened up the second bout of fights. The opening round saw an energetic start, with Smith looking slightly more tired than Oates. However, as the fight progressed, Smith started to come into her own, being able to land more punches and find little pockets of energy, which ultimately helped her to win the fight. Ross Parkinson and Thomas “TJ” McSherry were up next in the ring. Parkinson started

A drop of technique saw both fighters in the final round just swinging at each other manically

The next fight saw Ryan “Sus” Spence against Jake Middleton, the latter of whom instantly won favour with Rebecca Johnson on the commentary team as he sauntered down the walkway draped in a Sunderland flag. Despite a six inch difference between the two, Middleton looked to be hurting Spence more, managing to land more body punches to Spence. A performance that worked in Middleton’s favour, with the Sunderland fan winning the bout. The final match in the second block of fights was a sick affair to say the very least. This was a clash between to gigantic units as Golbie “the Golster” fought Hamish “the Albino Hammer” White. Golbie stood at 6” 110kg with Hamish coming in at the same height, but weighing less at 92kg. The atmosphere in Venue was electric at this point, before the fight even began commentators Tom Stone and Rebecca Johnson were drenched in alcohol thrown from the crowd. That was until they quickly realised that the liquid that they were covered in was in fact sick, not alcohol. The crowd were in fine voice as these two tanks clashed together. The pair were slowly making their way around the ring before launching into what seemed like a wrestling competition, with more embracing than punching. In fact at one point the Albino

Hammer was hoisted on Golbie’s shoulders in what was almost certainly an illegal move. The match finished with Hamish snatching victory. A controversial bout opened the third and final block of fights with Ewan “Iron Chin” Scott battling Matt “Belfast Bomber” Le Roux, both similarly matched in height and weight. Scott was hoping for victory in what was his second Fight Night experience. The opening round was packed with energy, with Scott looking the slightly more dominant fighter. Matt responded well in the second round, landing a couple more punches, but Iron Chin landed a hit, bloodying the Belfast Bomber’s nose and eventually knocking Le Roux on the ground. Controversially the Belfast Bomber walked away victorious, with Andy the referee leaning over the ropes and saying “out of my control”.

Commentator Tom Stone

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The number of fights seen at last Thursday’s Fight Night

well, with strong punches to McSherry, who kept his head down and his eyes on the floor, a technique he continued to show throughout the fight. A drop of technique saw both fighters in the final round just swinging at each other manically, with Thomas just managing to land a few of them. However, Parkinson just edged the victory.

“Oh my God it’s actually sick.”

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his name, he launched straight away into Percy, clocking him with jabs and hooks to tire him out and ensure victory in the first round by a technical knockout. After that extremely short clash, we moved onto the second female fight of the evening between Anna “Have Fear” Marie against Becci “Boozeby” Ousby. Ousby was described beforehand by her mates as being “violent”, ensuring that we were in for a cracking clash, despite Marie being the taller and heavier fighter at 82kg and 5”10 compared to Ousby’s 64kg and 5”7 stature. An incredibly evenly match saw both fighters launch into each other, both landing good jabs and a few blows to the face each. A pair that couldn’t be separated in terms of technique and skill saw the fight end up in a draw. Following on from this, the penultimate fight of the first round of bouts saw Kevon “Kevon Bruckshot” Kelly against Ed “El Chapo” Sugarman. The final fight of the first round was George “Will Send The Paca” West versus Fergus “The Alpaca” Fishburn. Again, another very evenly matched bout with not much difference in weight or height. West provided some good technical movements, and was able to slip a few blows to Fishburn. The Alpaca was not stunned by this, and responded well throwing a few of his own punches back. Despite this, West’s ability to land bigger punches worked in his favour, and he walked away the victor.

This year saw fourteen fights take place at Venue Image: Grace Dean

Sandra “Second To None” Murray came back for her second fight of the evening against Jessica “You Watts Mate” Watts. In Murray’s corner was her previous opponent from the opening fight, Olivia Sealy. Murray eager for a win used her lean frame to her advantage and tired the smaller Watts out. Both fighters looked exhausted by the end, with Murray winning much to the delight of her corner. George Armstrong made his return to Fight Night a year after his opening round knockout at the hands of Charlie Bashall. In his opposing corner was Ishan “the Indian Oblivion” Aggarwal. Armstrong came in

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sport

Monday 2 December 2019

T’S GET READY TO RUMBLE

t Night at Venue last Thursday night. Here our writers dissect what was one of the most action-packed Fight Nights seen at Venue

Commentator Ben Travis reports on his favourite fight of the evening between “Bruckshot” and “El Chapo” Ben Travis

Kevon ‘Bruckshot’ Kelly vs Ed “El Chapo’ Sugarman was a fight that lived up to the many weeks of anticipation.

The interviews created an eerie tension between the two

This is one of three Fight Nights being hosted at Venue this year Image: Grace Dean

with a point to prove as the more dominant and aggressive fighter from the offset, getting him a very well-deserved win. When asked by commentator, Ben Travis, why he won this year, Armstrong attributed his success to training and “stopping smoking tabs”.

George Armstrong attributed his success to training and “stopping smoking tabs”

The penultimate fight of the evening saw Tom Stone’s Politics Thistle colleague Louis “Mardy” Marven enter the ring to face Matthew “Short Fuse” Hughes, with the latter having a bigger height and weight advantage over Mardy. An aggressive fight with a good set of punches being thrown saw Louis Marven walk away victorious. Fight Night came to a close with Luke “Typhoon” Brough against Joshua “Cheesy the Camembert” Farnsworth going head to head. What an ecstatic finale this was, the Typhoon’s punches to the face were too much for Cheesy and the Camebert fell to the floor, with Andy calling the fight and Fight Night to a close for 2019. Another year, another Fight Night done and dusted. Again, this was a hugely successful event and an incredibly enjoyable night. A huge thank you must go to NUTV for their incredible coverage and graphics throughout the evening, the punditry and commentary teams, who provided some fantastic insights and thoughts to keep viewers entertained, and to James Johnson of NSR for keeping everyone in check in his producer role.

Having been interviewed at a training session weeks before, we began to see both fighters were out for blood. Kelly believed he would win due to his agility and composure. Sugarman said his victory will be because his stamina and ability to take those hard hits. The interviews created a eerie tension between the two and at the weigh-ins, we saw that intensify, with aggressive grappling and fighting talk. The Newcastle vs Northumbria fuel added to the fire, we witness a heated three rounds of constant mental and physical battle. We saw them, throwing large hooks, sometimes landing, but for the most, resorting in a grapple. The weight they threw was uncontrollable, showing us the passion, these fighters had. Kevon’s hit and shift ability in the first and second round was a testament to his ath-

leticism and agility. Throwing quick jabs and slipping from Sugarman’s counter emulates Kevon’s dedication to his game plan, and the secret to boxing, hit (but don’t get hit). The build-up to this fight was mirrored in the atmosphere. The crowd all on their feet, roaring through all 3 rounds was surely a

The Newcastle vs Northumbria fuel added to the fire as we witnessed three heated rounds of constant mental and physical battle

product from the suspense built from these two equally matched fighters. No one knew how this would turn out, making the anticipation almost unbearable. Kevon took the victory. Undoubtably due to his agile head movements, and those sharp stunting jabs, tearing down Sugarman’s stamina, but essentially, getting those points from the judges. This is not why this was the fight of the night. I must give this that title, because of the sheer suspense, atmosphere and anticipation built from these two incredible showmen.

Fight Night producer James Johnson praises the collaboration between NSR, the Courier and NUTV on what was an electric evening of boxing James Johnson NSR Station Manager

Newcastle, the city home to 29 Greggs and 24 nightclubs, but on Thursday night, it was home to fourteen of the most competitive student boxing fights in the country. That’s right, last week saw the return of one of the biggest events in the student calendar, and one of the biggest showcases of Newcastle University’s Student media: Fight Night.

The crowd were on top form lapping up all of the evening’s exhilarating action

Throughout the evening NSR, the Courier and NUTV had ringside seats, deep in the heart of the fighting, surrounded by the anarchy of the crowd. Providing in depth coverage of the action was a team of pundits and commentators situated within the chaos that is Fight Night, guiding viewers through all of the action, from the one punch knockouts to the long and hard fought battles. As if that wasn’t enough presenters Jade Pearson and Josephine O’ Donnell were placed in the thick of the action, right in the heart of the audience, getting their perspective on

the action, interviewing many a drunken fan. Together, the branches of student media worked together to provide exquisite coverage of the event, and what an event it was. As ever the evening did not disappoint, punches were thrown, diesels were sunk, and memories were made. The atmosphere within NUSU’s Venue was nothing short of electric from start to finish. The crowd were on top form, lapping up all of the evening’s exhilarating action and, although it seemed impossible, with every punch thrown, and every treb drunk, the atmosphere got even better! In fact, much to the bouncer’s dismay, the energy of the crowd became so strong, argy bargy broke out left right and centre of the ring, often displaying boxing technique to rival that taking place in the ring.

Last week saw the return of one of the biggest showcases of Newcastle University’s Student Media: Fight Night

Centre stage of the event however, were the 28 fighters who took to the ring throughout the evening, bringing every aspect of showmanship with them. We saw every-

thing from the forever controversial football memorabilia to a colourful, and perhaps

“His eyes! The lights are on, but the man is not home”

Commentator Tom Stone

culturally appropriating kimono. However, it was the fourth fight of the evening which arguably saw the biggest personality of the night, when Ed ‘El Chapo’ Sugarman en-

tered the arena with a frankly psychotic look in his eye, as lead commentator Tom Stone expressed ‘his eyes! The lights are on, but the man is not home’. It’s fair to say the fighter’s bravado was some of the most entertaining seen in the events history. As always, Fight Night had it all, with dramatic knockouts and duels in the ring matched by the pandemonium behind the barriers. You can re-live all of this chaotic action by watching the live coverage on NUTVs YouTube page. Fear not if you missed our live stream this year, we’ll be doing it all over again in February and May next year.

A huge effort from all three branches of student media ensured Fight Night was a success Image: Grace Dean

sport the courier

Monday 2 December 2019 Issue 1400 Free

@Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Head of Sport Rebecca Johnson Sport Editors Rory Ewart, Stan Gilyead, Toby Bryant & Tom Moorcroft

Punches, jabs and sick: we report on Fight Night 2019

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Captain Chris cruises to silver for NUAXC at Aykley Heads

Sports Editor Toby Bryant reports on Newcastle University Athletics & Cross-Country’s return to Harrier League form after cancellations Toby Bryant at Aykley Heads, Durham

The fixtures and the mud keep coming thick and fast for Newcastle University’s Athletics and Cross Country Club (NUAXC). Only a week after taking on Edinburgh’s Braids Hill north of the border, it was a short trip south to Aykley Heads in Durham on November 23. The latest fixture in the Harrier League calendar after back-to-back cancellations of Druidge Bay and Lambton Estate, the North East’s local clubs re-united for a day of proper cross-country racing - heavy rain in the weeks proceeding had turned the

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Triathlon Success Triathlon report on their trip to Castle Combes earlier this month Page 36

fields into a marshland of shin-deep mud. Granted a lie-in from the usual 9am Parkrun start, the squad convened at Newcastle Central at 10am for their short journey across the county boarder. On arrival, erecting a tent for shelter put the society’s dying Duke of Edinburgh skills to test,

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Number of runners in the Senior Men’s Category

Toby Loveday in particular enjoying the puns that came with the activity. Nonetheless, the tent was eventually standing in the first success of the day and Captain Chris

Larkin headed out to watch the early races with a keen eye. First up from NUAXC were the Under-20 women’s team of Emily Oakshott and Meg Ellison. Staying true to her name, Oakshott shot round the 5.15km course in 25:21 to land a 4th place finish in a category of 29. Ellison wasn’t far behind, coming home in 8th with 26:36 on the clock. Setting the standard for the Senior Women’s 6.7km course, the NUAXC team were raring to go. Erin Gallagher’s confident running saw her cross the line in 4th place with 33:06, posting the same time as Gateshead Harriers’ 3rd place athlete who just managed to pip Gallagher on the final stride. Cross-country captain Lauren Davies-

Jose’s return

Beckett came through an injury niggle to post an impressive 32:11, followed by Shona Haston, Helen Timmins and Aoife Smith.

Erecting a tent for shelter put the society’s dying DofE skills to test

The course now pulverised into a slip‘n’slide by the previous races, the Senior Men stepped up for their 9.8km three lap run. Larkin continued his fine form to overcome the elements and ease into a 2nd place finish in 40:12. James Dickinson was unlucky with a fall forcing him to pull out

Phillip Etchells looks at The Special One’s Premier League comeback Page 38

before the finish, despite a strong start from the front of the pack. Sam Hansen and Loveday’s ongoing inclub rivalry saw Hansen claim the scrap this week in 46:25 compared to Loveday’s 47:06, Toby Bryant also coming home in the top half of the field on his return to Harrier League madness.

“He’s actually flying.”

Captain Davies-Beckett on Larkin’s running

Next up for the squad is Leeds XC Relays on December 7 to round off a busy start to the competitive year before all eyes turn to BUCS in Edinburgh next February.

Euros 2020

The Courier Sport writers preview the competition after the group stages Page 36-37