thecourier Travel A guide to the best LGBTQA+ travel locations in Europe Page 19
Film Uncut Gems: our verdict on Sandler’s hard-hitting crime thriller Page 27
Monday 10 February 2020 Issue 1402 Free
Gaming Pokémon: gotta cash them all (at the new Centre) Page 31 Est 1948
The independent voice of Newcastle students
Coronavirus-related racism reported on campus Grace Dean Editor
A series of racial harassment incidents have been reported in Newcastle in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. According to LBC News, one Newcastle University student posted on Facebook: “A stranger spat on me when I was walking back to student dormitory, I did not offend him, just normal walking (no face mask). “Recently, my Chinese classmates and I received some rude and cruel comments from some students or strangers. A student asked
my classmate whether she was Chinese, then he put on a face mask and left immediately in the Robinson Library for instance. “I think these actions hurt me, hurt us Chinese students. We are just Chinese students, innocent human beings. We are afraid to go to school, we are afraid to be attacked by some strangers on the way to class.” Another student told the Courier: “When I was on my way to the Metro station, I heard three girls saying “here comes a Chinese virus”, and they hid their faces under the jumpers. I was jolly disappointed and sad about being in such a situation as I don’t think the virus is an excuse for racial discrimination.
It’s showing me that [East Asian students] need to cover their eyes rather than noses and mouths because it seems that people care more about if you’re [East Asian] than whether you’re carrying the virus or not.”
“It’s showing me that [East Asians] need to cover their eyes rather than noses and mouths”
In a video shared by the manager of a Chinese takeaway in Newcastle, two teenage girls
can be seen shielding their faces as they walk past a group of Chinese people in an arcade. The manager said: “It’s actually at the point where my own friends who are British-born who’ve never stepped foot in China are concerned about coughing in public. Welcome to being Chinese for the foreseeable future. “Students are getting beaten up in and around Newcastle. They’re getting spat at, which is disgusting, outside universities and Chinese supermarkets.” Talking to LBC, the manager further discussed the financial impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on local businesses: “I’d say business was down 25 per cent last week. Others
were about 50 per cent down.” A student from Singapore told the Courier: “The other day I walked out of my front door and a group of teenagers crossed my path, One of the girls saw me and started covering her mouth and she leaned over to tell the other girl, but I saw that and decided I wasn’t going to let that slide outside my front door. So I said ‘I will sneeze on you’ as intimidatingly as possible and they screamed and ran off.” Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah described being “really saddened” to hear of such reports, saying: “Newcastle is united against discrimination…racism is a deadly disease but fortunately it is not contagious.”
14 days of strike action announced Emma McLaren News Editor
Image: Miles Ogden
UCU has announced that there will be a further 14 days of strikes across February and March, taking place across 74 universities, including Newcastle. The strike action will take place over four weeks, commencing on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 February and building up in length each week to end in a week-long walk-out from Monday 9 to Friday 13 March. Further industrial action has been threatened if issues are not remedied. Disputes continue over pensions, equality, casualisation and workloads, as well as universities’ failure to make improvements on pay. This announcement follows eight days of strikes in November and December last year which reportedly affected around one million students at 60 universities across the UK. This impending strike action will affect another 200,000 students. A further 14 universities will participate in the strikes, after more UCU branches crossed the 50% turnout threshold necessary to allow industrial action. Union members have also pledged to undertake “action short of a strike”, which includes working strictly to contract, refusing to reschedule lectures missed due to strike action, and not covering for absent members of staff. UCU general secretary Jo Grady commented: “We have seen more members back strikes since the winter walkouts and this next wave of action will affect even more universities and students. If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems over pay and conditions. “We have been clear from the outset that we would take serious and sustained industrial action if that was what was needed. As well as the strikes next month, we are going to ballot members to ensure that we have a fresh mandate for further action to cover the rest of the academic year if these disputes are not resolved.“
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thecourier Editor: Grace Dean
Deputy Editor: Molly Greeves The Courier, NUSU, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB Tel: 0191 239 3940 Email: editor.union@ncl.ac.uk
Current Affairs Culture 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
Culture Editors: Charlotte Boulton & Ella Williams c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Dom Lee, Jagoda Waszkowiak & Joe Smith
Television 24
c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Amy Brown & Sophie Hicks
Film 26
c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Elisabetta Pulcini, Gretchen, Joe Holloran, Lucy Lillystone & Steven Ross
Arts 28
c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Kajal Patel, Phoebe Eyles & Shamara Mohsin
courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Alex Darbyshire, George Boatfield, James Troughton & Shawn Khoo
Beauty 17
courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Ellie James & Rashida Campbell-Allen
Travel 18
From the archives
Music 22
c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Catherine Entwistle, Cecilia Adamou, Holly Margerrison & Jess Herbert
Fashion 14
Monday 10 February 2020
c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Caitlin Rawlings, Charlotte Slinger & Lauren Sneath
Gaming 30
Science 32
c2.science@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Eleanor Gratton, Patrick Harland & Seshadhri Subramanian
The Arches in 1964 Image: Newcastle Libraries
Grace Dean looks through the archives to trace Newcastle’s campus history
courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Amy Harris, Beth Robson & Meggie Williams
Puzzles 35
editor.union@ncl.ac.uk Editor: Emma Dawson
12 YEARS AGO
editor.union@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Amanda Goh & Cayla Viner
Sport 36
Felch Society set a precedent by becoming the first society in living memory to be expelled from the Union. Founded in 2006, the society was ratified on the basis that it would be a social group promoting sexual health and guidance. In 2008, however, the society sparked complaints after its new hoodies featured silhouette drawings of a man and woman with a straw leading from his mouth to her bum. An investigation into the society, which had 57 members, revealed that it had furthermore been holding initiation events, which are banned by the Union, and failing to actually meet its aims in promoting safe sex. The society’s Facebook page was also found to contain a variety of explicit content, including links to pornographic sites, definitions of felching and a graphic “felch rap” which proclaims: “stick a straw in, have a suck, it’s much better than your average fuck”. The society was deratified by the Societies Executive Committee, leading the society president to claim in a Facebook rant that the Union is “in major debt, can’t fill its doors anymore on a Friday night and has ridiculously priced food and drink”.
Food 21
Online Editor Tom Hardwick Social Media Managers Alicja Dryer, Holly Agar and Rose Hinds
Head of Sport: Rebecca Johnson courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Editors: Rory Ewart, Stan Gilyead, Toby Bryant & Tom Moorcroft
The Courier is printed by: Trinity Mirror Printing, Barton Road, 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 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. We hold our drop-in writers’ meetings on Wednesdays during termtime in the Planning Room of the SU from 1:30pm to 2pm, so come along to find out a bit more about us. Our next meetings are on 12, 19 and 26 February. Unable to attend? All our leftover articles get posted in 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 17 February. 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 thisisnsr.co.uk. NUTV is our high-action, fast-paced television branch. Founded in 2007, 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.
Felch flop
14 YEARS AGO
Ur-ine trouble
The Courier reported that students won a legal case of criminal damage against a “loopee” housemate after he urinated and defecated in their shared student house. Described as a “urine revenge rampage”,
the student committed a series of “malicious acts at 26 Osborne Avenue, including pouring pints of urine over carpets and sofas, tampering with food and excreting in a flatmate’s shower bag”. Further dastardly deeds committed include “using toothbrushes for cleaning the toilet and urinating on radiators, clothes and in the other flatmates’ beds”, and in a note left behind he described his housemates as “the worst people [he] ever hoped to meet in [his] life”. The housemate in question was described by a fellow housemate as having “wee man syndrome”. In very different news, a PGCE student that week complained against his dismissal from the University after two of his placement schools alleged that he had been “expressing himself through dance”. In his complaint, the student described connecting to a student through martial arts and dance moves, saying: “We got on well and he gave me a conker as a gift. I was touched by this gift and hoped I would be able to build on the relationship in the coming weeks and keep him [the student] out of trouble.”
30 YEARS AGO
Farron accused of antiabortion stance
Newcastle student Tim Farron became the first Liberal Democrat to be elected to the leftdominated Executive of the National Union of Students (NUS) in over two years in 1990. Immediately following his victory, however, a delegate from the National Organisation of Labour Students accused Farron of supporting the anti-abortion group Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC), and demanded that the NUS executive refuse to ratify his election. Farron refuted the allegation, describing SPUC’s literature as offensive, and following a tight second vote his ratification was approved. Almost exactly a year later, on this week in 1991, Farron became President of the Students’ Union, with the Courier questioned whether he was a “Liberal Democrat or Tory Wet?” He announced his first move to be looking through his manifesto to work out the promises made, including opposing rent rises and eliminating division among the executive, and “making sure I damn well do them”. Farron later became President of the Liberal Democrats in 2011.
51 YEARS AGO
Sew cool!
The Courier excitedly announced that a new sewing room had been opened on Level Six of the Students’ Union, reporting that “inside is all the equipment necessary for the avid dressmaker”, including “a brand new electric sewing machine which can sew anything from simple seam stitch to buttonholes” and a mirror “for admiring the finished work”. Students of 1969 had to merely deposit their Union card and pay six pence an hour to access the facilities, with the Courier reporting that “boys are free to use the machine as well”.
59 YEARS AGO
Outrage in Men’s Bar
The Courier reported how some men were outraged by “a mass invasion of the Men’s Bar, by a crowd of WOMEN, who entered the bar as if they had every right to do so”. After receiving a complaint, the steward shouted over the tannoy: “Ladies please leave the Men’s Bar” to cries of “here, here”. The women, however, remained seated, with the Courier reporting that they “obviously did not consider themselves to be ladies”. The Courier described how “it seems that male students cannot have a place where they can drink free from the presence of the opposite sex. After all, when one is trying to concentrate on a game of darts, it is difficult enough to hit the board after 9:30pm as it is, without having to tolerate the added distraction of pairs of legs scattered round the place. What can we males do about this ever increasing menace to our privacy? We are now uncertain where else we are to suffer a massive female invasion. Why should we tolerate women in our bar? The male population of College are by no means mesoginistic, but there is a time and place for everything.” Almost exactly six years later, the Courier reported that women would be allowed to “enter the sacred confines of the Men’s Bar – at least on Friday and Saturday nights”. It was said that, “by introducing both women and a jukebox in the same week, the Union Executive have shown themselves capable of a surprising boldness”, described as “two of the best ideas anyone has had for persuading people to use the Men’s Bar in the evenings”.
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@TheCourier_News courier.news@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/news News Editors Aimee Seddon, Carl Smith Valdez, Em Richardson, Emma McLaren & Sophie Wilson
Half of UK universities commit to full divestment Lucy Adams
The global movement for divestment in fossil fuel companies, originally capturing attention at Toronto University and commonly referred to as the “Toronto Principle”, is a direct response to the Paris Agreement’s calls for organisations to invest responsibly to cap the global temperature rise at two degrees Centigrade above preindustrial levels.
81 UK Universities have pledged to divest in companies which extract fossil fuels
The Fossil Fuel Divestment campaign, spearheaded by environmental conservation charity People & Planet, has been gaining traction within UK Universities since 2012. At present, just over half of UK Universities - 79 English Universities and two Irish have pledged to divest directly in companies which extract fossil fuels, such as Shell and BP. The aim of divestment, according to the campaign group People and Planet, is to urge institutions to take responsibility for the direct implications of their choices on our social, financial and environmental landscape. Chris Saltmarsh, from People and Planet, said: “Universities not yet divested can now choose to stand with their students on the right side of history or be forever known as complicit in the crimes of climate breakdown.” It also aims to stigmatise companies which contribute excessively to carbon output, although it is contested whether these companies’ share prices have been negatively affected by the activism within universities; often they resell the shares quickly. Newcastle places 12th on People & Planet’s sustainability ranking out of 154 Universities, but our “ethical investment” category is highlighted as the area of most concern, with a sustainability rating of just 20%. The People & Planet organisation on Newcastle and other campuses have been pushing for universities to divest; Glasgow Univer-
sity became the first to fully divest £18million from fossil fuels in October 2014, and in May 2016 Newcastle University released a statement saying “the University will aim to divest from thermal coal and oil/tar sand companies and other non-progressive oil and gas companies within five years.” Deputy Vice-Chancellor Julie Sanders commented on current progress in April 2019: “In 2016 we also agreed as an institution to divest from fossil fuels within five years and we are on track to achieve this. As a proportion of total holdings, Newcastle University’s investment in the oil and gas sector has reduced from 8.8% in September 2017 to 4.4% in October 2018.” People & Planet figures show that our current investments include £9,595,425 in Dutch Shell. In December 2018 Student Council passed the motion “NUSU demands greater transparency and more regular information on Newcastle University’s investments, including fossil fuel divestment.” At the time of writing, the “Freedom of Information” section of the Newcastle University website dictates that in accordance with the Socially Responsible Investment Policy, “details of the University’s investment portfolio, detailing individual stock holdings, will be published annually (in February). In addition, a quarterly sectoral breakdown of investment data will be published (in October, December, March and June)”. However, the annual reports beyond February 2018, and the quarterly reports beyond June 2019, appear to be missing from
fossil fuel companies. It will never invest in these companies.” Students of St John’s College in Oxford have come under fire recently for staging a protest that consisted of camping on their college lawn for four nights and picketing for Oxford to withdraw its £8.1m investment in Shell. This gained nationwide attention
when the college retaliated by rescinding the student activists’’ access to college facilities and the Principle Bursar responded: “I cannot arrange any divestment at short notice. But I can arrange for the gas central heating in college to be switched off with immediate effect. Please let me know if you support this proposal.”
As the tension thickens in environmental debates, the commitment to showing up and appealing for organised and urgent institutional change remains unwavering, particularly on the part of young people, and the growing national campaign for fossil fuel divestment continues to encourage accountability within higher education institutions.
One Oxford college restricted access to students involved in divestment picketing
the website. In November 2019 Newcastle University extended its commitment to divesting from all fossil fuels, however one of the Universities’ largest investments - £2.4m in Barclays, the biggest funder of fossil fuel infrastructure in Europe - remains. Despite its progress towards divestment, Newcastle has conspicuously neglected to acknowledge or sign People & Planet’s fossil-free declaration that “It currently holds no investments in extractor
A People and Planet rally in Manchester Image: @Speopleandplanetuom
University responds to coronavirus
VC addresses coronavirus-related racism Newcastle students in China urged to return home “immediately” Grace Dean Editor
In an unconventional move, the ViceChancellor sent an email to all University staff and students last Monday amid reports of xenophobia in the city following the global coronavirus outbreak. In the email, Professor Chris Day addressed the growing levels of anxiety about the spread of the Coronavirus, which he said has led to “behaviours that are unhelpful, and in some cases, deeply shocking”. He asked students to consider the situation for students who have travelled back to Newcastle from China in recent weeks and find themselves in the middle of a situation that is completely outside their control, with “no doubt many of them worrying about family and friends who are still in China”. Day emphasised the importance of the University community coming together to show support for Chinese colleagues and staff, and explained how we need to find the right balance between taking every precau-
tion to halt the spread of the virus and considering the emotional wellbeing of people affected. Day asked students to consider the wider perspective, explaining that only two cases of the coronavirus had been identified in the UK and the level of threat to individuals has not increased. Day quoted Professor Brian Schmidt, who argued: “viruses don’t discriminate. And neither do we.” Day described his appal at seeing alarming social media posts describing students facing racist incidents in Newcastle in light of the outbreak, and urged any victims or witnesses of such harassment to report the incidents to the Police to contact casework@ncl.ac.uk. Day praised the Student Health and Wellbeing team’s response, which has included offering support and answering all queries, but urged individual students to consider their actions carefully. He concluded by stating: “We are one University and one community and when things are difficult this is when we most need to come together to support each other.”
Grace Dean Editor
In line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice and University Health and Safety Management Standard for Travel Abroad, the University is now advising all staff and students to immediately return home, where possible, from mainland China. Despite this, one Newcastle University student undertaking a study placement in China told the Courier: “The University has basically not told us anything at all, aside from a vague email about ‘passing on our questions to the University’ and another about how we should contact our university insurance to maybe get money back for any flights we’ve had to pay for. It was my Chinese University who told me to not come back in January or February, to stay out of the country, and that they may be postponing our semester. So we don’t even know if our semesters are cancelled, if we’re going back to China, if we’re getting any re-
funds. We don’t know anything about what’s going to happen. They’ve just told us to wait, that’s it.” The student later added: “Two of the students still in China were flown back on a flight the University arranged. But that was last week, after all the rest of us had already changed and paid for our changes in plans. I’ve had two emails about the coronavirus in total as far as I can recall; I’ve had more contact and concern from my coordinator in China. It’s honestly all a bit of a shambles, all the students are passing on information to each other from things we’ve heard from other people, our universities, the news or results of individual emailing, but Newcastle hasn’t even been a presence at all. Also, we all have belongings still in China with no idea how we’ll get them back. Three other universities have already cancelled their year abroad programmes.” The University has taken the precautionary decision that colleagues and students should also avoid all but essential travel to Hong Kong and Macau. This is ahead of Foreign
and Commonwealth Office guidance, but takes into consideration the high risk of disruption to both business and travel at the present time.
Staff and students have been told to avoid all but essential travel to Hong Kong and Macau
On its website, the University states that: “You should not be undertaking any University business in China unless approved by your Faculty PVC. If, for any reason, colleagues believe they need to stay in mainland China or that travel to China is essential, they must agree this with their PVC and the Occupational Health and Safety Service. “The University’s International Office is in contact with all students on placement in the region and staff to provide financial and logistical support to leave the country.”
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Monday 10 February 2020
Newcastle Medical students volunteer as first responders
Aimee Seddon News Editor Medical students at Newcastle University have volunteered their time to become the first North East University based team of Community First Responders, in partnership with the North East Ambulance Service. Community First Responders are trained volunteers who are dispatched by the North East Ambulance Service, an NHS trust, to deal with emergencies prior to the arrival of an ambulance. Although dispatched at the same time, First Responders are situated nearer to the emergency (calls come from within a six-mile radius of their location), and so they usually arrive before the ambulance does. In the crucial first minutes of an emergency they can therefore provide early intervention. Community First Responders say their aim is “to provide immediate care to a patient where every second counts.”
First Responders are situated nearer to the emergency so usually arrive before the ambulance does
The new scheme hopes to provide life-
Newcastle University medical students become first responders Image: Newcastle University press office
saving support to people in an emergency, whilst also allowing medical students to actively support the NHS, which provides their medical training. Throughout the week, pairs of students will volunteer their time across
shifts, providing a uniform service daily. The 25 successful applicants for the position underwent a competitive written application and interview process. They have since taken part in a two-month long training
programme provided by the NEAS, as well as receiving training from medical specialists. Launched in January, “in time to assist with the increasing number of calls due to winter pressures on the NHS” according to Clinical
Operations Manager Gareth Campbell, the scheme involves the North East Ambulance Service, Newcastle University and Newcastle University Student’s Union. NUSU was first approached by lead volunteer, Ollie Kirby, in early 2018, and has since helped the service by providing support in the recruitment of students; uniforms; health and safety, and the use of their electric vehicle during shifts. Ollie Kirby said: “I used to work for London Ambulance Service before moving to Newcastle to study medicine, which is why I was motivated to work with the North East Ambulance Service to set the initiative up. It’s taken a lot of hard work from NEAS, the University and the Student Union, but everyone has been very supportive and it’s a truly collaborative project. “Fundraising will take place over the coming year to secure a dedicated service vehicle which would allow for more students to be recruited, more shifts to be staffed and more 999 calls to be attended.” NUSU’s Volunteer Development and Employability Manager Katie Blundell commented: “From our first meeting with Ollie we knew this was an amazing project to be involved with and support the development of. Throughout, I have been impressed by the desire of the student volunteers to support their NHS colleagues, and to express their gratitude to the general public who are instrumental in their medical training, by providing this service to the local community.”
Rise in "conditional Domestic abuse charity set up by alumni unconditional" offers Grace Piercy
Elsa Tarring
Over a quarter of university applicants across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received a conditional unconditional offer in 2019, despite pressure from the government to abandon these offers altogether. The number of conditional unconditional offers, whereby a university only guarantees your place if you make it your firm offer, has increased from 20.9% in 2018 to 25.1% in 2019, according to data released by Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). While a total of 34 UK universities made these offers in the last academic year, three of them, Nottingham Trent University, Birmingham City University and the University of Lincoln, were responsible for 30% of them.
Those with conditional unconditional offers often fall short of their predicted grade
Former education secretary Damian Hinds has declared these offers “unethical”, claiming that they are an example of “pressure-selling tactics” used by universities to encourage students to choose their institution. In agreeing to accept one of these offers, students are unable to apply to any other, perhaps better regarded, university. The government has also expressed concern that those who receive and accept conditional unconditional offers often fall short of their predicted grades. In its end of cycle report of 2018, UCAS recognised that students with conditional unconditional offers are “between 7 and 13 per cent more likely to miss their predicted attainment by two or more grades” than those with conditional offers. The subsequent concern from the government is, after having dropped A level grades, the students will be worse equipped for university study, with research showing that
students with conditional unconditional offers are more likely than any other to drop out of university altogether. These statistics and discouraging words from the government have caused several universities, including the University of Nottingham, to refrain from making these offers entirely. However, its Polytechnic university, Nottingham Trent University (NTU), has published its findings on why it continues to make conditional unconditional offers to just under half of all its applicants for undergraduate study. NTU found that the rate of students with a conditional offer that failed a module was identical to that of those who received conditional unconditional offers, suggesting their underperformance at A level bears no resemblance to their success in their university studies. Their findings also show that conditional unconditional offer holders are gaining higher results when they do pass a module, with the percentage of first-class or upper second-class honours being consistently higher among conditional unconditional offer holders. Despite the rise in these types of offers, UCAS has predicted that the number of conditional unconditional offers will “significantly decline” in 2020. It is thought that future students will be less likely to accept them, with only one in five students choosing to accept their conditional unconditional offer in 2019.
In 2019 only one in five students accepted their conditional unconditional offer
Grace Dean, Editor of The Courier who received a conditional unconditional offer from Newcastle University, affirms this statistic, given she selected it as her insurance choice. She explains “my predicted grade was three whole grades above the normal entry requirement of ABB, and I felt confident that I would achieve these grades anyway”.
Newcastle graduate John Cornilious has founded a charity for victims of domestic abuse. Their new revolutionary app is in development, and victims can use it to find access to free accomodation near them in times of need. Pamba Pedu (Shona for ‘Our Home’) is a non-profit charity that aims to partner victims of domestic violence with places that can provide them with immediate refuge such as faith organisations, foster home agencies, and local hospitality organisations.
Pamba Pedu aims to partner victims of domestic violence with immediate refuge
Cornilious was inspired to start Pamba Pedu after someone close to him experienced domestic violence. After some research into refuge options for victims in the UK, he discovered that the quality of temporary refuge is sub-standard due to the limits of the budgets of current charities. This made Cornilious realise that if charities had the help and resources of other organisations, like mosques, hotels, or community centres, then they would have less overcrowding and more money to spend on other things. Pamba Pedu does this, connecting victims of abuse with places that are convenient to their needs, such as near their children’s school or within walking distance from home. Cornilious started the charity in his last year at university while studying Biomedical Sciences with help from NCL Start-Up. There were a lot of difficulties at the start, with Cornilious saying that he really suffered through the Easter break due to overloading himself with work. On his journey to form the charity, Cornilious received guidance from Newcastle University, Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council, as well as being nominated for the Barclays Local Genius Award. Initial funding was granted from the Careers Insights Bursary to start the ball
rolling for Pamba Pedu. Cornilious did, however, comment: "I overlooked the fact that domestic violence organisations tend to not be overly welcoming to men as we are, more often than not, the perpetrators. Some of the interactions have been bitter-sweet, receiving overwhelming acknowledgement of the likely barrier that is my gender. Which, ironically, has pushed me further in creating the charity.
Pamba Pedu’s eventual goal is to go worldwide, providing victims of abuse with professional services like counselling and legal advice, as well as providing somewhere where survivors of abuse can connect, share their experiences, and support one another. They now require financial assistance to make Pamba Pedu a reality for victims of abuse and pay to officially register Pamba Pedu as a charity.
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Five Swans reopens after £1m renovation Alex Walker
After four months, The Five Swans is to reopen on Tuesday 11 February after a £1m refurbishment. The public house, renowned among Newcastle and Northumbria University students, has been closed since 21 October. It is the closest Wetherspoons to both universities, and attracts many students as a convenient place to go after working in the library, going to lectures or attending seminars.
The disused first floor space will create an additional 1900-square-foot of customer space
The initial plan for the project shows extensive changes. This includes the development of the disused first floor space to create an additional 1900-square-foot of customer space, along with new facilities for the staff. The first floor will no longer feature a bar, but customers will be able to use the Wetherspoons app to order food and drinks to their tables. There will also be a total renovation downstairs, including a new colour scheme and carpets, polished timber floors, and reup-
holstered furniture. The kitchen has been extended back into the yard area behind the pub, and the cellar is being increased in size. Staff who were issued to work at other Wetherpoons locations during the refurbishment will return to the brand new designed establishment. The proposed changes are embraced by some students. Joe Smith, a second year English Literature student at Newcastle University said: “I am truly excited for The Five Swans’ reopening. I cannot wait to see the results of the amendments and visit it again on various night outs with my friends.” Another Newcastle student said: "I didn't really miss it to be honest, until I had friends visiting and we wanted to go to an old familiar place. I suppose it'll be nice to get a cheap post-uni pint again."
"I am truly excited to visit Five Swans again on night outs with friends"
Joe Smith, English Literature Student
This matter was echoed by some anonymous posts on the popular Newcastle confessions page ‘Newfess’. One claimed: “Right when the Five Swans is back open, we’re going on the lash.” This entry received 268 re-
actions, with majority of like and heart reactions. Another Newfess entry expressed similar feelings posting "[The] only thing getting me through exams is the fact [that] Five Swans is reopening soon!" This sentiment has received 158 likes, 52 heart reactions and 4 shocked reactions. Back in October 2019, The Five Swans’ manager Leanne Surtees said: “Myself and my team will look forward to welcoming customers back into The Five Swan, in February 2020, and we are confident that they will be impressed by the refurbishment and extension of the pub.” Wetherspoons took over The Five Swans in 2011. It is located at St Mary’s Place, and is open from 8am until The refurbished establishment midnight from Mon- will reopen on 11 February day to Sunday. Image: Bill Boaden on Flickr
University of Sussex compensates for strikes
Elisabetta Pulcini Film Editor
University of Sussex has set up an online form for the monetary compensation of students affected by the 2019 University and College Union (UCU) strike. According to the university, every student is enti-
tled up to £100. University of Sussex students will need to fill in an online form detailing the “distress and inconvenience” caused by the strike. The move was praised by Jim Dickinson, associate editor of the WonkHE higher education policy website, who, when speaking to The Guardian, saw this as a welcome sign of an increased focus on “the individual rights of
students to get what it is they were promised”. However, a petition by Sussex students, signed by 2,808 people, claimed that each student will lose a minimum of £380, and that “all students should receive the full amount of compensation automatically”. This raised questions on the nature of the decision. The Courier spoke to Edwina Laycock, Sussex student and creator of the petition,
who commented on the motivations behind the University’s move. Laycock said: “I feel like the University are doing this to avoid legal action – as it might be impossible to sue if we accept the money”. Moreover, she stated that the money provided “is a pitiful amount considering the distress we were under, as well as the amount of lectures we missed out on”.
University of Sussex students must complete an online form explaining the inconveniences caused by the strikes. Image: Nick Efford on Flickr
She is critical of the online form, stating: “We also had to give a great deal of information and rate our distress all for a paltry claim. They should automatically give everyone £100 as they haven’t provided what they promised to provide – stress should be irrelevant”.
University of Sussex offers £100 as compensation to students affected
Newcastle University has provided a number of online forms to let students voice their concerns, where they have been disproportionately impacted by the strike. However, unlike University of Sussex, the possible compensation options are still unclear. The forms provide little guidance on the range of possible outcomes. The Newcastle University Student Services website states that the outcome of the sumbitted form will be considered either “individually or on a cohort basis” and either “at the end of the semester or the academic year”, as considered “appropriate”. The lack of certainty in the compensation might be in reference that not all students were materially affected by the strike. For example, the university places emphasis that to be eligible for compensation, the strike must have “significantly disrupted your studies”. It is unclear what Newcastle University will do to remedy the impact on the students. In 2017, Newcastle University Students' Union was able to achieve a number of victories, redirecting the money saved from the strikes towards providing free graduation gowns, extra funding for mental health and counselling service, and discounts on on-campus food and drinks. The UCU strike ran for eight days, from the 25 November to 4 December, and affected thousands of university students across the UK. Responses from various universities remain under scrutiny. The UCU represents over 120,000 research administrators, academics and lecturers around the UK.
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news 6
Monday 10 February 2020
Sheffield Uni trials new anti-racism measures Emily Hawkesley
The University of Sheffield has announced that they are planning to introduce ‘Race Equality Champions’, a scheme which involves recruiting a squad to help train selected students to combat “subtle” racism. The recruits will be paid £9.34 per hour and work between two to nine hours per week. The roles of these recruits will be to help students develop skills to challenge “microaggressions”, which are defined as subtle but offensive comments or actions directed at black and minority ethnic (BAME) people, which are often unintentionally offensive. All of Sheffield’s students will be encouraged to attend the sessions.
The student recruits will be paid £9.34 per hour
There have been many racist incidents which have occurred on university campuses, especially in recent years. The issue has become so serious that some UK universities are drawing up guidance on addressing
racial harassment. In 2018, a law society was disbanded at Exeter University after a screenshot emerged of racist messages posted in its WhatsApp group, including some comments about slavery. Some people further argue that UK academia is pervaded by more subtle institutional racism, which limits the prospects of BME students and staff. Of the 154 higher education institutions in this country, only three are led by Vice Chancellors from a BAME background. Critics have accused the University of Sheffield of setting up a self-appointed “woke police”, which regulates language on campus. As a result, the role has been met with allegations of “snooping and spying”. This view has been spread by an article in ‘The Post Millennial’, which says that, because the students who are members of the ‘Race Equality Champions’ are getting paid to “snitch” on their peers, the university is encouraging a “snitch culture”. They have hailed this scheme as “authoritarian and crazy”, and even go as far as comparing it to some of the worst dictators known in history, who used citizens to report on one another, under threat of punishment if they refused. The article also claims that this supposed “monetised McCarthyism” is dividing students and pitting them against each other, and so rather than dealing with racism on campus, it “buries it where it can fester”.
Sheffield University is launching a new anti-racism campaign Image: Wikimedia
UK universities award Is NU widening more firsts than ever participation?
Alex Walker
The trend of ‘grade inflation’ has continued to rise, despite the Government’s commitment to a crackdown. Last year 28.4% of graduates were given a first-class degree, double the 14 per cent who gained a first ten years ago, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. A sector-wide review has been launched by British universities following concerns about the trend. Ministers have warned that grade inflation could make degrees worthless to businesses and students, devaluing a university education; it could also endanger the reputation of British universities globally, and risk foreign graduates out-competing British graduates. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has
In the 2018/19 academic year, 28.4% of graduates were given a first-class degree Image: Wikimedia
said the record levels of first and upper second honour degrees being awarded is “undermining” the sector’s gold-standard reputation around the world. The Head of Education and Skills Policy at the Institute of Directors, Joe Fitzsimons, said: “It’s crucial that degrees have credibility in the eyes of employers, and the government is right to scrutinise the growth in top grades. Business leaders have increasingly looked at extra-curricular achievements to differentiate between graduates, and grade inflation may have contributed to this trend.” Mr Williamson is calling for action to “end artificial grade inflation for good”. He described the continuous drift of grade inflation as damaging, and added: “We want to give both students, but also the whole sector, the confidence of what grades mean.”
However the rise in grade inflation last year was slight, rising only 0.6% from the year before, suggesting that the attempts being made to tackle grade inflation may be working. Nicola Dandridge of the Office for Students has said that the rapid increase of grade inflation since 2011 has ended. Dandridge commented: “This arrests a long-term trend, with significant year-on-year increases having been seen since 2011. Previous analysis from the Office of Students found evidence of unexplained increases in the rates of first-class degrees at 94 per cent of universities.” As well as the number of firsts received, the latest figures from the Higher Education Agency revealed that 48% of students received an upper second degree, 19% lower second and 4% third class - with all of these being the same as the previous year.
Grace Dean Editor
Data has been published relating to the demographic and socioeconomic attributes of new students coming to Newcastle University for the 2018/19 year. The report shows that less than a quarter of new UK entrants to Newcastle University each year are from the North East. Alongside the relatively low population base, this is in part caused by the low proportion of students from the North East accessing higher education, with The UCAS End of Cycle Report showing that the North East has the lowest application rate to Higher Education (33.7%) and the second lowest entry rate (29.6%) in England, behind the South West. 23% of Newcastle admissions in the 2017/18 academic year came from the North East, compared to approximately half of all incoming students at Northumbria University and merely 7.8% at Durham University. Transparency data published by the University on its website shows that, of the 4750 BAME students who applied to study full-time at Newcastle, 57.1% received an offer, compared to 76% of the 22,900 students who applied. The data shows that the proportion of BAME students commencing studies at Newcastle University has increased steadily over the last three years, with 11.2% of all new students being BAME in 2016/17 compared to 12.4% in 2018/19. This, however, falls significantly behind the national average for higher education providers, which was 31.1% in 2017/18. Closer analysis of the data for 2018/19 shows that there are significant disparities between different ethnic groups at Newcastle. Asian students are becoming an increasingly large proportion of the total BAME student population at Newcastle at 52%, compared to 13% for black students. This could be attributed to the fact that nationally 58.5% of Black students from state-funded schools progress to higher education by age 19, compared to 78.7% of Chinese students; indeed, 72% of applicants classified as being of mixed ethnicity received offers to study at Newcastle, compared to 48% of Black students. The report also shows the success rates of
students of different demographic and socioeconomic factor, as indicated by the rates of continuation of study and degree classifications. Data shows that in 2017/18 BAME students were 1.4% more likely to drop out of university compared to white students, and that white students had a 8.7% higher rate of graduating with a first or 2:1 than BAME students. This shows that the degree attainment gap between BAME and white students is growing. In 2017/18, 20% of Black and 20% of Asian students received first class degrees, compared to 25% of white students, and 0% of white students (rounded down) graduated with a third class degree compared to 10% of Black students. The University has set the goal to reduce the attainment gap at Newcastle University by 10% by 2024-25. The number of mature students has changed very little over the last three years, with students aged 25 or over representing just 5.6% of all new students in the 2018/19 academic year, compared to the national average of 31.1%. Mature students were also 8.5% less likely to graduate with a first or 2:1 than non-mature students, although this gap has been significantly decreasing over the past three years. The statistics show little change in the percent of new entrants coming from Low Participation Neighbourhoods (LPNs), which is calculated based on the proportion of the population from a postcode area undertaking higher education. The proportion of new students coming from LPNs has increased from 8.1% (399) in 2016/17 to 8.3% (423) in 2018/19, which is well below the national higher education average of 12%. The statistics on the University’s website show a substantial gender attainment gap. Of those who graduated in the 2017/18 academic year, 90.6% of female students received a first class or 2:1 degree, compared to 81.3% of male students. The transparency data published by the University and the Office for Students shows that Newcastle is on the whole increasing access and participation rates for many underrepresented groups, and its Access and Participation Plan details its plans to make the University an increasingly diverse campus.
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campus comment
Monday 10 February 2020
Deputy Editor: Molly Greeves @courier_latest courier.news@ncl.ac.uk courier.comment@ncl.ac.uik
Ragging on Joe Molander ‘Raising and Giving’ Week is certainly good at making itself known: high-profile events, students running around in brightly-coloured hoodies and, of course, incessant bickering on Newfess. It’s also for a great cause: the focus on local, national and international charities helps strike a balance between helping those nearby and whoever needs help the most, regardless of where they are in the world. £6 440 were raised last year (and £104 000 across the entire year, not just the week), and over £5 000 this year; that deserves to be celebrated is hard to doubt. However, it would be dishonest to suggest that that’s all that happens on RAG. Both RAG and Freshers’ Week crew are notorious for two things: the focus on alcohol, and for operating through cliques. To some extent, cliquishness is understandable: both events are logistical nightmares, and less formal networks of people that the higher-ups know can be relied upon can be a helpful shortcut. In spite of this, RAG still seems welcoming. This year, committee members were inte-
grated with crews to break up any existing upper-echelon cliques. A problem can still arise, though, when higher-ups become unable to see outside the bubble, and start taking criticism as a personal attack. The Newfess bickering wasn’t mentioned at the start for no reason. Throwing the idea of charity in a detractor’s face does not address the issues they’re trying to raise, and such knee-jerk hostility deters people from reporting similar problems in future. Then, there is the focus on alcohol. Previous RAGs were
To some extent, RAG is a victim of its past witness to things like Chin the Bin – where people would empty drinks into a bucket before downing the entire thing – and Point and Pull – where people would be ordered to get with someone else on RAG crew for a laugh – which have toxified its reputation. Nowadays, there is far less – if any – focus on games like these (neither of which took place on this year’s RAG week), and an increased drive towards sober socials, but the culture of alcohol lingers. It’s easy to feel like you’re missing out on the full
RAG experience if you don’t go out every night, for example. Meanwhile, contributing some of the proceeds of sales of diesel to charity provides a direct – albeit small – incentive to drink. While heavy drinking is far from unique to RAG, this is an organisation that presents itself as the society for a cause: to then turn around and present this as the actual focus, as some do, seems dishonest. RAG is a victim of its past, parts of which are so toxic that people are unwilling to give it the time of day today. Those that do will find an organisation that is genuinely trying its best to improve: in some areas it’s getting it right, and in others there’s still a way to go. To get involved with RAG see their Facebook @NUSUrag.
Why don't working class students feel welcome?
Charlotte Boulton Only days into arriving at Newcastle as a working-class student, the infamous ‘Poly VS Posh’ t-shirts were out in full force as the classist bar crawl was advertised. One of my first year flatmates in Castle Leazes flew up from the south on a first class flight for move-in day, when I instantly realised I was from a very different world. Realising that the horrific £99 a week halls with shared bathroom, tiny kitchen and nine flatmates was not actually chosen by most because it was one of the cheapest options, but because it held a particular reputation as the place to be for ‘rahs’ and privately educated freshers who wanted to party and take advantage of the boarding school-esque catering was a revelation. Honestly, I’d never been so aware of my class and social status until I came to Newcastle. So, are Russell Group universities like Newcastle – and their students, 25% of which come from private schools – really welcoming places for working class students? Institutionally, Newcastle is pretty good at providing f i n an c i a l support for lower-income
students. Apart from student finance, which is definitely a flawed system for some despite its well-meaning ideals, the university itself offers Opportunity Scholarships for many disadvantaged students. But it’s really hard to know where to turn for non-money related support from the university. The Russell Group culture of prioritising results can leave students burnt out and struggling to adjust to this new way of working, that often other students have been tutored for or had university-educated parents to talk to about it. I’m still not convinced my family really understand what a university even is. Going beyond the university itself, the impact of other students is sometimes really detrimental to workingclass students. Castle Leazes has 56% of its inhabitants from private schools, according to The Tab; when I saw my flatmates doing their weekly shop at Waitrose and paying absolutely no regard for the disgusting messes they left for the cleaners, I felt very different. Rah culture at Newcastle does exist, and there’s certain places I would never go out of fear of being instantly clocked as not fitting in by some posh boys who are just getting their degree to please their families before walking into a family business. A lot of the issues in Russell Group universities aren’t intentional, I’m sure, and is just a matter
of people being unable to recognise their privilege or not understanding how disorienting about their skiing trips, holiday homes and expensive hobbies can be to someone with no experience of these luxuries.
It's a matter of people being unable to recognise their privilege The whole ‘poly vs posh’ dynamic characterised by the popular Freshers events that pits Northumbria students against Newcastle’s is just another example of how little people realise the implications of this classist polarisation. It’s rooted in expectations of working-class people being less intelligent and therefore unable to get into a university like Newcastle, which is currently 22nd in the Top University Guide league table compared to Northumbria at 50th, creating this entitlement and expectation that all Newcastle students must be more intelligent and middleclass. Besides league tables and measures of intelligence being bullshit anyway, this view is just gross and dismissive. These feelings set an elitist haze over everything,
Mental health at uni Molly Greeves
The state of student mental health is nothing short of a crisis. In 2019, the House of Commons reported that 21.5% of university students have a current mental health diagnosis and 33.9% have experienced “a serious psychological issue for which they felt they needed professional help”. NHS waiting lists are getting longer and longer, and with tuition fees being around £9250 a year, many feel that it’s fair to expect the Uni to help us take care of ourselves. Despite this, there are countless students who still feel unsupported. For many of us students, the statistics surrounding mental health aren’t surprising and the reasons for these issues are clear: we feel overworked; we're broke; many of us are far away from home; we feel an immense amount of pressure to be having the time of our lives in spite of this. While I’d always ad mental health issues, the isolation I felt in my first year made things a whole lot worse. Along with the usual feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, I now also felt the sense that I was
leaving working-class students at Russell Groups feeling left out, lesser than and out of place in a space that they have just as much right to inhabit as those from better-off backgrounds. I believe this can improve as people become more aware of the implications of what they say and do that upholds classist ideas, and start to recognise how fortunate they are to be able to ask parents for money, access internships through family friends and be able to consider postgraduate study without the very real fear of not having enough money to pay tuition and live. Russell Group as a term is born out of old-fashioned research ideals being seen as a sign of quality; at the end of the day, why does Newcastle being a research-intensive university make it any better than Northumbria or other non-Russell Group institutions? Working-class students have to find solidarity with each other and fight against the classism deeply entrenched in our universities and the long-standing tradition of education only being for the elite. University should be accessible to everyone, but that access isn’t just about getting into university, it is about feeling comfortable, supported and able to take advantage of the opportunities available just as much as everyone else.
doing university “wrong”, that I’d waited and worked my entire life for these three years, and I was screwing them up. While having mental health issues in any capacity is undoubtedly very shit, I can’t discuss this issue without an awareness that my experience is one among thousands and, if I’m being fair, I’ve been privileged to have the experience I’ve had with student wellbeing service. I’ve been able to get counselling – good counselling, at that – every year that I’ve been here, and while six sessions never feel like enough to help me in the long term, I’m aware that I’m one of the lucky few. Depression and anxiety are a huge topic of conversation, but there are a huge number of mental health issues out there that, due to lack of staff and funding, the student wellbeing service aren’t equipped to deal with. Of course, there’s staff at the University who desperately want to help; NUSU’s Permission to Pause campaign is an example of this. But petting cute animals and doing mindfulness can only do so much when academic pressure is high and support, for certain students, is incredibly minimal. The University
needs to take a look at how it’s spending its money and consider whether the Vice-Chancellor needs to be paid over £300,000 a year when students are suffering and the staff trying to help them are fighting a losing battle.
Illustrations: Elijah Kaburia, tekartstoon.com
comment
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
@courier_latest courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/comment Comment Editors Aastha Malik, Joe Molander & Kelly Corcoran
Labour Leadership 2020
Our writers clash on whether Labour Party’s Rebecca Long-Bailey or Keir Starmer would make a better leader Keir Starmer
Rebecca Long-Bailey
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t must be said, from the nominations purely, it looks to be that Keir Starmer is the favourite to win amongst the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) and the unions/affiliates. Yet this is only the preliminary stages of the Leadership contest, and many a frontrunner has been usurped of that title when voting commences. Yet in this case, as a Labour Member, I say we cannot repeat the mistakes that have resulted in four failed attempts to regain control. So, what were these mistakes? Perhaps Ed Miliband was not radical enough; perhaps Jeremy Corbyn was too radical – not for members of the party, but rather the general public. So where is the fine line between too radical and too moderate? The answer is Starmer. His policy is not dictated by labels or how radical they could be – rather it concerns itself with unity and priority. Those primary concerns must be centred upon social justice, aspiration and the protection of this union. The idea of furthering the powers of devolved governments whilst also embracing the narrative to do away with divides such as leave/remain pushes his claim. It is about rebuilding, not only the party, but this nation. The party cannot continue to support factionalism and dividing itself on how left or how right one’s politics is. We must come together and seek compromise.
he return of Boris Johnson to Downing Street after securing the Conservative party’s largest majority since 1987 has left many Labour members wondering in which direction the party should head. The leadership race is still being hotly contested between the centrist, Sir Kier Starmer, and Rebecca Long-Bailey, who is viewed as the Corbyn continuity candidate. While a continuation of Corbyn’s legacy may strike fear in the hearts of many Labour members, we needn’t be so quick to assume disaster is once again on the horizon. What many pundits incorrectly conflate is the unpopularity of Corbyn with a manifesto that policy-by-policy polled consistently well with members of the public. It would be negligent of Labour members to dismiss LongBailey, the architect of many transformative policies, including the green industrial revolution. A flagship policy such as this, with the correct messaging surrounding employment and the re-industrialisation of Northeast England would remind these communities they have not been abandoned. What must also be addressed is the crisis we find this country in, in areas of poverty, the health services, education. We are seeing unparalleled catastrophes in these areas and will need genuine progressive change to rectify Tory austerity. We will only be able to find the vision and steadfastness to bring about this change by electing Rebecca LongBailey. If Labour is to avoid being consigned to history, we cannot present ourselves merely as “Tory-lite”, too afraid to take bold action. Our bold action can be built on consensus, who is going to oppose: a well-funded health service? Which parent is going to oppose their child attending a well-funded school where they can receive the best education found anywhere in the world? Which homeowner is going to rail against paid for social care, so they won’t be left to sell their children’s inheritance to pay for care? It is these policies, constructed by Long-Bailey, that will resonate with people right across this country if Labour elect a leader willing to show some aggression and willing to tackle the Tories head-on. Stephen Irving
Keir Starmer would take responsibility for Labour's problems
Images: Wikimedia Commons
Put simply, I believe that Mr Starmer can unite the Labour party, work with unions, create dialogue with businesses and listen to what the public wants. We cannot continue to prescribe what we think is right, to continue with existing policy. We must adapt, listen and engage with the public. To understand that promises of free broadband for the nation is simply not a priority of the people. And finally, to crackdown on the rot of antisemitism that grips the party. It is Starmer who would take personal responsibility for its removal, as a leader should. Jack Wallace-Hunter
Nandy-pamby leadership coverage
Image: The Courier Archive
Deputy Editor Molly Greeves on the Daily Mail's smear job against the Wigan MP Lisa Nandy
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ast year, a Courier Blind Date was used in the
Image: The Courier Archive
Mail Online to shame a female student who voiced a negative opinion about her date. History is doomed to repeat itself, apparently, as a Courier archive was dug up last month to slander Lisa Nandy in her bid for the Labour leadership. Nandy was a Politics student here at Newcastle University back in 2000, and ran a fun column called Dear Lisa, where she gave advice. Some highlights that particularly flustered the boomers include her admitting to smoking weed (gasp!) and lying in bed with another woman (even bigger gasp!). Despite these articles being nearly twenty years old and having nothing to do with the leadership race, they were bound to be used as leverage against her by “journalists”. In fact, a cheeky Google search revealed that this clip was already used by the Mail Online in 2013 when Simon Murphy, a former Courier editor, wrote a misogynistic article about the then-Shadow Minister.
It feels redundant to explain why this is irresponsible journalism; most of us know not to pay any attention to the endless stream of bullshit that flows from the Mail Online. The fact that this is not news – or shouldn’t be, at least – is emphasised by the title of the article which conveniently forgets to mention that when Nandy was “offering sex advice to students”, she was a student herself. But disappointingly, they weren’t the only publication that jumped at the chance to humiliate her: our editor was also contacted by Good Morning Britain who, unlike the Daily Mail, at least asked for permission to use the photo.
Women are expected to have spotless pasts and to be “serious”, or as I’d translate it, “masculine” As well as an obvious attempt to take down a powerful woman for the fun of it, this is the latest in a trend of right-wing publications attempting to degrade female politicians for their “scandalous pasts” (some of you may remember how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was chastised for a video of her dancing in college). According to some, not only do women need to be intelligent, educated and qualified to be in positions of power, they must also have spotless pasts and be “serious”, or as I’d translate it, “masculine”. And while there’s nothing wrong with a more
masculine lady, a woman can be both sexual and serious, the same way men have been since the beginning of time. Whoever you chose to vote for in the Labour leadership race, stay vigilant about this kind of coverage, and ask yourself whether you’re more afraid of femininity or an eternity of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. I promise one is scarier than the other.
Image: nrkbeta on Flickr
Image: EU2017EE Estonian Presidency on Flickr
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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comment
Image: Gage Skidmore on Flickr
Monday 10 February 2020
Has Trump reached the “Deal of the Century”?
SOAPBOX
Patrick Young mulls over the latest plan for peace between Israel and Palestine
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rump’s plan for “peace” in the Middle East is, for lack of a better word, dumb. He is all for the Israeli takeover of Palestinian land, despite Palestine having an older claim to the land than Israel. He has also doubled down on his idiotic notion that Jerusalem belongs solely to Israel , even though it is the holy city for all three of the biggest Abrahamic religions (the other two being Islam and Christianity). In my opinion, it should be a free self-governing city, in the same way the Vatican is independent from Italy. As logical people, we need to ask ourselves why he is doing this. One of his biggest allies is Israel, due in part to the sizeable Jewish population in the USA (here I would like
to note the difference between people of the Jewish faith, and Israeli people). Swathes of the evangelical Christian wing of Trump’s support base also believe that, should the Holy Land be ruled by the Israelites again, the Rapture will come about. Apparently, you can screw up the environment and geo-politics, and still have a get out of jail free card. The Palestinian people have suffered terribly due to the Trump administration’s inability to prioritise anything above their wallets and self-interest. And whilst the Israeli people have suffered at the hands of Palestine, it is Palestinian control over land and water sources that Trump’s deal jeopardises. If Israel gains access to these water supplies, they can effectively prevent Palestinians from accessing water at all, potentially creating a crisis in the re-
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The deal jeopardises Palestinian control over land and sources of water
As Britain helped found the State of Israel - the Empire controlled Palestine at the time - I believe that it is our duty to ensure a peaceful agreement that is equally beneficial to both parties. This is the only way to bring peace to the Middle East.
Trump’s impeachment: acquitted and unaccountable
Faye Navesey looks at Trump impeachment trials and the flaws of America’s political system To make the situation even worse, they even decided to refuse to allow key witnesses like John Bolton to stand despite them potentially having crucial knowledge. This shows the impeachment process is highly flawed, as it is controlled by people who have an interest in keeping Trump in power, making it impossible for him to be held accountable for his actions.
What was meant to be a legal trial turned into plain old party politics
ated surrounding this issue is extremely toxic. His rhetoric attacking Democrats and talking about witch hunts has made all criticism of him seem invalid and politically motivated. If he was to be removed from office, there would have been an uproar among his supporters which is yet another example of how partisan and contentious this issue has become. Instead of being a legal trial, it became just plain old party politics. Trump survived this scandal, just as he survived the Russia report and the dozens of other scandals that came before that, because, despite talk of checks and balances, the American political system is incapable of holding the President to account objectively.
The Democrat Debacle Also, the atmosphere that Trump and his allies have cre-
TOAST OF THE WEEK
Our writers on the divide between presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren Lorcan Flahive
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he 2020 US presidential election takes place on 2 November this year. A necessary step before this is the selection of a Democratic nominee who can convincingly compete against President Donald Trump for the White House. At present, there are three big-name candidates who can be divided into two broad stances: Joe Biden on the centre-left, and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on the more progressive side of the left. Whilst such a broad categorisation may lack nuance, it does help us understand the recent clash between Sanders and Warren. The tension between candidates was most apparent on 14 January, during the campaign’s 7th Democratic debate. In a surprising move of outward hostility, Warren recounted a 2018 meeting with Sanders in which it was alleged that he told her a woman “couldn’t win” the presidency. Sanders immed i ately insisted the claim was “incomprehensible”, but Warren snubbing Sanders’ handshake at the end of the debate only seemed to re-enforce underlying
Image: Lorie Shaull on Flickr
conflict. Both campaigns have since made efforts to deescalate the perception of partisan division, but this has been slightly un-
successful. It’s a difficult strategy to pull off, given that both believe that they are better fit to lead than the candidate with whom they are trying to insist there is no tension. It sometimes feels like a fool’s errand trying to point out the ‘liar’ within politics. As such, one might find it more useful to consider the timing of Warren’s allegation, rather than its validity. Either way, it seeks to undermine Sanders’ character on the eve of an important political event on the electoral calendar: the Iowa caucus. The caucus took place on 3 February, and is widely seen as the ‘first vote’ in the Democratic candidacy race. Though it has been said that “the laws of politics are not the laws of physics”, all Democratic candidates who have won in Iowa for the last 20 years (bar 2004) have gone on to be the final nominee. At the time of writing, the eagerly-awaited results of the caucus are still yet to announced in full amidst technical glitches. According to the polling averages calculated by RealClear Politics between 20 – 30 January, Sanders and Warren both trail behind, with 23.5% and 15.0% respectively. Former Vice-President Biden holds 27.2%. It is argued that the squabbling between Sanders and Warren creates a needless instability within the progressive wing of the Democratic faction. Their overlap in fairly radical policy - both promise to ‘cancel’ the $1.6 trillion student loan debt and advocate for similar modes of universal healthcare - mean that policy-based insults can only go so far before they stray into contradiction or hypocrisy. The infighting between Sanders and Warren therefore aims to pick up loose votes, as smaller nominees fail to reach the 15% threshold to qualify for the caucus. The risk, as has been noted, is that this instability dissuades voters, who instead opt for the ‘safe bet’ of centrist Biden. However, this does not make the tension less understandable. After all, only one of them may qualify for the final race.
Patrick Young
T
he recent dispute between Democratic presidential nominees, Senators Bernie Sanders (IVT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), has caused a schism within the party.
The split may see the Democrats defeated in the upcoming election, and pave the way for more of the same from Donald Trump and his Republican cabal. The dispute reportedly started when Sanders suggested that a woman could not defeat Donald Trump. The backlash against this statement is symptomatic of the general feeling in the Democrat party that tokenism is a necessity. Whilst I would love to see a woman - or a member of the LBGT community, like Pete Buttigieg - as president, at the end of the day, the Democratic nominee should be the one that is best for the job, and most likely to oust Trump. The dispute serves to divide the Democratic party; many voters are currently choosing sides just like they did in the 2016 election. What happened last time is Sanders lost the primaries to Hilary Clinton, and a large number of Democrat voters voted independently or not at all. Similar behaviour this time round will only serve to bolster the Republican hold on the White House, especially when they seem better able to get behind a single candidate. Counterintuitive as it sounds, Democrats need to take a page from the Republican Playbook. A Democratic president that wasn’t your first choice must surely be better than a Republican president, particularly one as corrupt and politically unstable as Donald Trump. To avoid this schism widening further, the Democratic party needs to sort itself out, and encourage voters to vote Democrat regardless of candidate. This will avoid Trump’s second term, which is something that I, for one, do not wish to witness. Image: Marc Nozell on Flickr
Em Richardson
rexit - whether you’re on the side of Leave or Remain, it’s inevitably an issue on which we all have an opinion. Personally, I’ve always been open about the fact that I would’ve voted Remain, had I been old enough to vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum. We’re all entitled to our opinion. However, I can’t help but think that leaving the European Union on 31 January has brought out the worst of both sides of the political debate. Those who voted Remain are acting as if the world has literally stopped on its axis. Those who voted Leave are insisting that Brexit Day marked the greatest day in the history of the United Kingdom. Thinking in the long term, both views are overdramatic. Whether or not Brexit is the referendum outcome you desired, I think it should teach the UK an important lesson about moving on. What’s done is done, even if we have stirred up a shit-storm.
Image: USCapitol on Flickr
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t’s no secret there are several flaws with the US political system. One of the greatest being the way legal proceedings are highly partisan which renders them simply a spectacle and near useless at holding politicians to account. The actions of the current president have been undoubtedly immoral and illegal, which makes it a damning indictment of the American political system that he was not removed from office. Whilst the House of Representatives have decided that the President is guilty of abuse of office by trying to coerce the Ukrainian leader to provide him with information about Joe Biden, the Senate did not vote to remove him. The Senate is majority Republican, so the chance of them voting ever removing their party’s president was infinitesimal.
BREXIT
gion, rather than ending the strife like Trump promises the deal will.
CASTLE LEAZES Alex Walker
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umours surrounding the end of Castle Leazes have been around for years (none confirmed) yet the heady days of Castle Leazes are certainly numbered. Now is a good a time as any to pay homage to our shabby old castle. Yes, it may be scruffy, loud, and full of Rahs, but compared to other stuffy Russell Groups, so is Newcastle. And nobody will ever match our parties, certainly not Park View. My dad remembers this place, a resident back in the 90s, and so with the passing of Castle Leazes, so shall also pass the old way. Dingy, unpretentious rooms and urinating in sinks give way to spacious flats and en-suits. It’s not a bad thing, times change after all, but in its own way, it is really rather sad. So, charge your glasses and be upstanding, to soon-to-be absent friends. We shall never see their like again.
ROAST OF THE WEEK
LUNCH Tom Leach
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hat an absolutely inconsequential and obstructive waste of time. How often do you find yourself in the midst of productivity, deep in concentration, only to be yanked out of it foot-first by that midday hunger pang? And now is set into mention a series of events that can only lead to disappointment. The quest for sustenance begins, yet rarely will you find satisfaction. Lunch is a meal of reluctant animalistic survival. No pleasure can be gained from a squashed sandwich, or cold leftovers, except from the knowledge that your stomach-grumbling has subsided until the next meal comes. Lunch has none of the glory of the morning meal, the end of that valiant nocturnal fast; nor will it bring together kith and kin alike at the culmination of the day’s activities as the evening meal does. It has none of the mischievous contentment of a mid-afternoon snack.
life&style
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the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
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
Tom Norton meets Hannah Price Second Year Business
Third Year Medicine
Blind Date Kindly sponsored by Harry’s Bar
Image: Emma Monaghan
How long have you been single for? I have been single for just under a year. I believe that this is the result of past relationships being fairly draining.
What made you sign up for Blind Date? My friend and I saw the advert for Blind Date and thought it would be a laugh to sign up.
What do you look for in a partner? My ideal partner is chatty, funny and personable.
Who’s your celebrity crush? How did Tom compare? I’ve never really had celebrity crushes but if I had to choose it would probably be Henry Cavill or Robert Pattison in that Dior advert. I wouldn’t say Tom was quite my type but he does play rugby.
How would you describe yourself? An absolute catch. What were your first impressions of Hannah? Well, she is obviously very attractive and she was smiley and engaging upon arrival. You went to Harry’s Bar but what did you have to eat and drink? I chose to start with a gin and plate of calamari, followed by a lovely pasta dish and a bottle of white. Being too full, I elected for an amaretto in place of dessert.
The best part of the evening was probably the wine Do you think you’ll be returning? Yes I think so, the atmosphere in Harry’s Bar was quite pleasant. If Hannah was a cocktail which one would she be and why? She would be an Espresso Martini, energetic twist on a classic. What were the best and worst parts of your date? The best part of the evening was probably the wine, it went down far too well. The worst part of the date was definitely the Metro journey there; it was delayed. If Hannah was a social media which would she be and why? Instagram, as we followed each other. Describe Hannah in three words. Medicine, medicine and medicine. Will there be a second date, if so where to? No, I think we’re very different people. But, whatever happens I’m glad for the experience. Has taking part in blind date taught you anything? Yes, don’t trust my friends to sign me up to anything.
What’s an interesting fact you learnt about Tom? I found out he is allergic to UVB rays and Sambuca, which sounds like a good way to ruin summer day drinking to me. How was Harry’s Bar? Harry’s Bar was lush! The staff were so lovely and made sure we had everything we wanted. It was pretty quiet but still had a good atmosphere and the Valentine’s decorations definitely added to the feel of the night. What did you have to eat? I had cheesy garlic bread to start followed by a fancy-named tomato and chicken pasta. I didn’t manage to eat it all but luckily the waiter let me take it home in a box. The food was amazing and tasted even better seeing as it was free. If Tom was a pasta dish what would he be and why? I’d say a creamy spinach and mushroom tagliatelle. Rich in flavour and enjoyed by many but not quite to my taste Describe Tom in three words. Southerner in denial.
I’m more of a cheap Haribo ring than a signet ring kind of girl Did you have a lot in common? Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say we had much in common apart from ordering the same main course. I think I’m more of a cheap Haribo ring than a signet ring kind of girl. If Tom was a shop in Eldon Square what would he be and why? Either Fenwick’s or Waitrose, say no more. With Valentine’s Day around the corner will you be seeing each other again? I don’t think we will be seeing each other again but it was lovely meeting him and I wish him all the best!
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the courier
life & style lifestyle
Monday 10 February 2020
Veganuary: a nutty mis-steak? With January now over, Lily Holbrook reflects on her experience of cutting out animal produce
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nless you’ve been living under a rock, there’s no doubt that you will have been at least peripherally aware of the ever-growing movement that is Veganuary. Starting back in 2014, its popularity has increased year on year, with a record 400,000 people committing to the challenge in 2020. But does the end of January have to mean the end of plant-based eating? From breakfast TV and online influencers to radio features and big food retailers, veganism has become the hot topic on everyone’s tongue.
on delicious food. And its’s not just foods targeted at the vegan market…Oreos, bourbons and ketchup are all accidentally vegan.
Myth vs reality
The word vegan undeniably has a lot of negative connotations. Extreme activism, restriction and fear of undernourishment understandably make people run a mile before giving it a chance. The assumptions that vegans only eat lettuce, buy mega expensive health foods and lack protein aren’t exactly great for the cause. So here are the things I’ve learnt this month that prove the above assumptions are just not true! (Mostly).
‘Vegans only eat lettuce’
The classic. Despite already knowing the lettuce myth is far from the truth, something that came as a surprise to me was the huge choice of plant-based alternatives at the supermarket. Who knew you could buy vegan fishcakes, blocks of Greek feta and hoisin duck wraps? Plant-based eating is undoubtedly finding its way into the mainstream, with ‘no chicken burgers’, southern fried tofu bites (just like breaded chicken) and ‘chorizo’ sausages all proving that being vegan doesn’t mean having to miss out
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‘Where do you get your protein?’
The question of protein is such a common one faced by vegans. It may seem that without meaty steaks, roast chicken dinners and protein-packed omelettes that it
Plant-based eating is undoubtedly finding its way into the mainstream
We begin to obsess over things we put into our body As a vegetarian who eats plant-based quite a lot of the time, my main reason for trying Veganuary this year was to cut down on dairy. Over Christmas I found that eating dairy didn’t make me feel great, so I thought Veganuary would be the ideal time for a dairy-free experiment… despite having to put on hold the pile of chocolate I had accumulated over Christmas!
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could be an area where vegans are lacking. Not true! My diet consists largely of chickpeas, lentils & a variety of other beans and pulses as well as tofu, sausages, burgers, nuts, seeds and a range of veg, all of which are great protein sources. This month my favourite snack has undoubtedly been apple & dates with peanut butter…I never used to be a fan of dates but their caramel-like texture dipped in smooth peanut butter makes for a deliciously satisfying snack.
The switch to a plant-based diet is easier now than it ever has been ‘Being vegan is expensive’
Much like any diet, whether veganism is expensive depends a lot on what you buy. Things like beans and vegetables are super affordable but some of the alternatives can be pricey (£.2.70 for a block of vegan feta??). But, by saving on the cost of meat, there’s opportunity to make a few fancy purchases. I even treated myself to the vegan cookie dough ice cream which I can’t wait to try!
Vegan gems to try: •
Vegan pizza at Avanti in Jesmond
Chocolate blood orange tart & raspberry sorbet at ASK Italian If you’re ever in York (only one hour on train) go to Once Across the Garden – from hot dogs and burgers to fish & chips…EVERYTHING on their • menu is vegan.
The effects
Clearer skin (this month I’ve also tried to drink more water so this one could be a combination of both) Weirdly I’ve felt cold, especially my hands and feet. After some research I discovered this can be an effect of too little iron/B12 so this is something to be aware of (bring on the leafy greens & Marmite!) Snacking more often – more grazing this month makes sense as plant-based foods are naturally lower in calories…but I’m not complaining! Overall Veganuary has been a positive experience, but I realise it could be totally different for someone used to eating a lot of meat. Over the last 3 or 4 years I’ve gradually gone from pescatarian to veggie to a weird mix of veggie/vegan that’s difficult to label. But that doesn’t mean I’ll never eat fish or dairy again. I think being flexible and not putting any pressure on myself is the key to being happy and healthy. Choosing foods that make us feel good and accepting other people’s choices is the first step in the right direction. If veganism feels like a step too far for you, here are a few other (chicken-free) options. • •
• • •
intake will help. Humans aren’t carnivores and all of us need plants for a healthy diet. As long as you’re wellinformed, getting the right nutrients and doing it for the right reasons, making the switch to a plantbased diet is easier now than it ever has been. Maybe veganism is something I will keep up…once I’ve eaten my Christmas chocolate.
Nuggets of wisdom:
Save red meat for special occasions Consider trying meat-free Mondays or going for veggie alternatives (the Linda McCartney range is a winner) Buy food locally to cut your carbon footprint Go for free-range options Being healthy doesn’t have to mean cutting out meat straight away, simply increasing your veggie
How to cope with loneliness at university Arifah Badlishah shares her experience of how she overcame isolation as an international student
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o, you’ve been given the brilliant, possibly oncein-a-lifetime privilege of studying in the United Kingdom. For the first few weeks, everything is simply amazing - you are fascinated by world-famous football stadiums, red phone boxes, and Harry Potter merchandise everywhere. Your friends back home are insanely jealous seeing your pictures of beautiful sights in a foreign country, telling you how lucky you are. But time passes by, and reality kicks in. Not everything is as lovely as it seems.
It’s easy to romanticize studying overseas when fed with scenic photos You yearn to taste the delicious flavours of your home country’s dishes. The time difference between restricts the timing for Skype calls with your family. Worst of all, you never really seem to fit in anywhere and you lack deep, meaningful bonds with people. If this sounds like you, you might be suffering from the loneliness that often plague international students. Personally, during my first winter in the UK I appeared to be living the life and told my grandmother back in Malaysia that I was doing great - but secretly I was tearing up looking at pictures of the Petronas Twin Towers and intensely missing late night mamak stall (open-air food establishments) sessions with my friends. Also, the bitter cold weather was brutal for someone who comes from a tropical country. Has the UK ever heard of sunlight? I feel like we talk a lot about this among ourselves, but not really to other people. Perhaps it is the ego of wanting
our lives to seem perfect though we’re dying inside, or just not wanting our parents to worry. But it’s 2020 now and it’s dangerous not to spread awareness about the wellbeing of international students.
Connect with people from your home country who live in your university’s city
It’s easy to romanticize studying overseas when fed with scenic photos. People don’t see the slow deterioration of your mental health, the racism and discrimination you face, and the long nights of scrolling through social media - longingly watching Stories of your squad hanging out in your hometown. There are steps you can take to combat your loneliness. Make friends through events and societies according to your own interests to connect with like-minded people. There’s even an International Society at Newcastle University!
I slowly removed the toxic elements contributing to my loneliness Quality comes before quantity, so try to find a few good people who you can open up to. Call your loved ones back home often and try to connect with people from your home country who live in your university’s city.
Try to determine the causes of your negative feelings, and seek advice on how to reduce or eliminate them completely. Most importantly, please identify healthy coping mechanisms for yourself (e.g. expressing yourself through art or sports, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, prayers). The University and local GPs also offer support services for mental health, so be sure to reach out to them. Dealing with adjustment issues often takes time, patience, effort, and an effective support system. Don’t forget to look out for your fellow international buddies who may be hurting in silence as well. All of this is easier said than done, but we started venturing on this path, so let’s find the strength to finish it. Studying abroad, we get to make friends from all over the world, experience different ways of doing things, and broaden our minds. Best of all, we learn to appreciate the things we took for granted back at home (I was so excited to find out the corner shop near my house sells a local Malaysian snack!). Hopefully, when we return to our home countries, we’ll bring back something valuable and contribute to the na-
tion. So to all fellow international students who feel devastatingly lonely - I see your pain and suffering! You are not alone and you’ll definitely get through this. I used to be like you and there are several others who feel the same way. It took a while, but I slowly removed the toxic elements contributing to my loneliness while focusing on embracing the beauty in studying abroad. Now I am in my final semester and feel so content that I don’t feel like leaving the UK anytime soon! I have full confidence that you are going to be so proud on your graduation day - with a scroll in your hand, a bright smile on your face, and surrounded by loved ones who will be celebrating your success.
the courier
13
lifestyle life & style
Monday 10 February 2020
New year, same me? How helpful are resolutions? Sofia Chiscop takes a look
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e’ve all been there: it’s 31 December, you write your resolutions down, and you promise yourself that the next year you are really going to keep them. The following year will be your year. Then, January rolls around and memes about “the next year being yours” already appear. Who am I to judge, though? I go from one extreme to another. My mum says that that’s because I am a Gemini, but I think that I find this masochistic enjoyment in making my life more complicated. From promising myself that I will quit sugar and Netflix to binge eating and mindlessly hitting “next episode”. From having an over the top skincare routine to washing my make-up off with tears. From Dryanuary to drinking at 11 am, I’m guilty of all of that. However, I don’t think that New Year’s resolutions, or simply any resolutions, can be kept unless they are something that we really want. Sounds obvious, but do we actually do that? Did you really sign up for that yoga class because you genuinely think that you need it or because it just sounds hip? That being said, even though I started by bashing this social construct of resolutions, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I used to make fun of sayings like “New year, new me”, but here I am, fulfilling my resolution by writing this article. Still, when it comes to resolutions, I think that we view them in terms of black and white. No, you don’t necessarily need to set them because a new year starts. And, no, just because you had a cigarette on the 5th of January, doesn’t mean that you need to postpone quitting smoking for the next year. I am a firm believer that you can change your life anytime you want, as long as you genuinely want it. However, I also believe that what drives us to change is being fed up with our own excuses. Not because it’s hip or because it sounds nice. Change doesn’t become available on the 1st of January, it is possible all year round. Still, I understand why resolutions are associated with the New Year as it brings about a certain feeling of hope and excitement. The distance between the actual self and the possible self does not seem as daunting anymore. Too often, we dream about our possible selves without acknowledging that we are the only ones that can put in the required effort to become them. Maybe effort is not even the right word as, once you work towards something you sincerely want, it does not feel like work anymore. Yes, starting can be incredibly hard, but the process can also be surprisingly enjoyable. That being said, for many of us, a new year means a fresh start, and with this fresh start, change seems inevitable. This does not mean that we have to change everything at once. However, the more changes you make towards your possible self, the more trust you gain in yourself and in your ability to keep yourself accountable. And when you know that you are working towards a better you, and you enjoy the process, resolutions do not even seem that necessary anymore.
Bring back the bush Lily Abery responds to Channel 4’s documentary about our modern day desire to be hairless
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n the Channel 4 documentary which aired on 27 January, campaigner Chidera Eggerue grows out her pubic hair for the first time in years for a public exhibition, as she explores our relationship with the hair of the nether regions. Embarking on a social and personal experiment, Eggerue does not work alone; she recruits four women: a model, a student, a cage dancer and a fashion influencer in her journey on re-growing a fundamental element of a woman’s aesthetic makeup. The documentary was not only interesting and insightful, but also extremely thought-provoking. Hair removal is something so routinely fundamental to millions of women and men’s grooming routines and the social stimulant for a billion-pound industry, and yet the conversation about it remains minimal and muted.
So, where has this perception come from? The majority of the answers point to the pornography industry. Online access to porn has soared in the last 10 years. One leading porn site receives over 1 million visits per day. In the UK, and indeed worldwide, porn is where many young people go to learn about sex and what makes women desirable. The moral and ethical implications of this are obvious, that porn is so accessible and used as an educational source, a way for children to seek answers to a topic so often avoided by the adults around them. A porn director in the documentary spoke of how hairless vaginas are preferable because from a practical standpoint, you can ‘see more’ and the shot is less difficult to obtain. Upon reflection, maybe there is more to this than meets the eye. If there is a preference for a more naked vagina in porn, then maybe this is a wider social issue. The societal-structural desire for not only a patriarchal but also a capitalist western society to have full access to women’s bodies therefore becomes very clear. Let’s talk facts. The laser hair removal industry in the United States is predicted to be worth $3.6 billion by 2026.
Hair removal is so routinely fundamental to millions of women Though men experience similar societal pressures to remove, grow, or simply to have or not have hair; the grooming issue does seem to lend itself more to womankind. In the documentary, questionnaires and surveys were carried out, including a confessional booth where women and men discussed their personal relationships with their pubes. Eggerue asks questions such as ‘How does having more pubes make you feel?’, with many of the answers sadly including adjectives such as ‘dirty’ or ‘unnatural’. These responses are not only interesting from a social perspective, but also from a scientific one. The perception that having more hair on your genital regions is ‘impure’ or ‘unclean’ is fundamentally wrong- your pubic hair acts as a cushion between your underwear and your vagina; without that cushion, you are more likely to develop an infection.
It is time for all of us to stop beating around this bush and break some stigmas
Image: Instagram @meggarrod.art
That doesn’t include razor sales, waxing or hair removal cream. This is a multi-billion-pound industry. It is not surprising that the social stigma around women’s body hair has remained so potent for so long then, there is simply too much at stake. There is a delicious irony in the definition of the phrase: ‘beating around the bush’ which ostensibly is to ‘delay avoid talking about something difficult and unpleasant’ which is exactly what people do when faced with the topic of pubic hair. Perhaps it is time for all of us to stop beating around this bush, strike up a conversation and break some stigmas in 2020, surely not that big a task? No? Oh well, I tried.
Are you a lovebug or a humbug?
Kate Stewart discusses her verdict on Valentine’s Day in the post #MeToo movement era
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alentine’s Day is the most contentious of cultural celebrations. Pancake Day receives few complaints, Saint Patrick’s Day is widely loved, and little objection can be made to Mother’s Day. Celebration seems to be engrained in our cultural consciousness; we want to celebrate anything and everything, so why is Valentine’s Day so controversial? Perhaps Valentine’s Day as it is generally understood is simply outdated. The idea of chivalric courtship, of romance as pursuit, doesn’t translate well in a 21st century context. In light of the #MeToo movement, the most well-intentioned box of chocolates from a ‘secret admirer’ can take on far more sinister connotations. Our understanding of love has been primarily shaped by romantic comedies, novels, and songs; often these art forms romanticise pursuit and persistence. They say never take no for an answer, make the object of your affection ‘yours’. Valentine’s Day has been inextricably tied up with this understanding. Over the past decade, we have struggled to unlearn these ideas about love and romance, and maybe the rejection of Valentine’s Day is part of this cultural shift. Many people have been made uncomfortable by unsolicited and unreciprocated displays of feeling; courtship is no longer cute, but cringey at its best and creepy at its worst. Creepiness aside, perhaps it is the commercial aspect of Valentine’s Day that makes it so contentious. Putting a price tag on your affection is a jarring contradiction to the sentiment of the day, and ultimately makes it stressful, joyless, and very unromantic. The mad scramble to find something personal among the supermarket shelves is one that leaves you little faith in love. Often, it results in a mid-range card, some mid-range chocolates and the dawning realisation that your affection
is profoundly mid-range itself. Although Valentine’s Day invites a great deal of cynicism, it can be appreciated as another excuse for celebration. Arguably, that is all the modern holiday is. Christmas, for example, is celebrated by many different people of many different religions. It has come to be an occasion for friends and family to gather together and express their appreciation of one another. Perhaps we should end the Valentine’s Day debate and treat it as an excuse to do nice things for the people we love, embracing our own interpretations of what this means. When detached from its cultural associations, Valentine’s Day is simply about expressing affection. What could be more cute than that?
Image: Instagram @pheobe_ouma
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life & style fashion
c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Kajal Patel, Phoebe Eyles & Shamara Mohsin
Bey Gone: Adidas x IVY PARK Margarita Ivanova discusses Queen Bey's new collaboration with sportswear giants Adidas
Images: @beyonce on Instagram
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eyoncé’s activewear label, IVY PARK, in collaboration with Adidas, has recently released a vibrant, gender-neutral streetwear line, with Queen Bey herself modelling the much sought-after apparel to promote her brand. The collection barely made its debut before selling out within minutes in-store and online, leaving many fans impatiently awaiting a restock. It seems the whole world wanted to get their hands on Beyoncé’s latest creation, and the singer made sure to extend the courtesy to her famous friends (Reese Witherspoon, Janelle Monáe and Cardi B, to name a few) who in turn flaunted the collection on social media. But to say that the collection is, using Beyoncé’s own
words – “a dream come true” – would be far from the truth. The truth is that Adidas x IVY PARK does not live up to the powerful image of individuality and freedom that it tries to promote. As I browsed through the collection online, I was disappointed to see that a lot of the items were clearly gendered, and not, indeed, as gender-neutral as I was expecting them to be. Clothes unmarked by gender are displayed by both Beyoncé and a male model, but those intended specifically for women are modelled by the singer alone, perpetuating the idea that there are only two opposing forms of gender, and thus excluding non-binary people, or those that simply anticipated a wider range of gender-neutral attire. But this is not the only issue. The sizing system, ranging from XS (UK size 4-6) to XL (UK size 20-22), also excludes plus-sized women, despite the fact that Adidas already produces plus-size clothing for its brand. This, again, completely contradicts Beyoncé’s bold assertions regarding inclusivity. The singer has previously stated that she wants the collection to “serve as favourite armour for anyone who acknowledges the strength in their individual style and lives freely and boldly”, and yet “anyone” clearly does not include everyone. Ironically, the “armour” that Beyoncé is so proud of creates conflict instead of eliminating it. The concepts of individuality and freedom feed into this issue. How can one feel empowered, when the collection – which was designed to encourage people to find the “strength in their individual style”, and live “freely” – places a limitation on size, and promotes the unhealthy idea that one body is better than another? Where is the body positivity, and the freedom that Beyoncé is talking about? As it turns out, comparing Beyoncé’s new collection to a Sainsbury’s uniform isn’t the very worst we could say about it.
Images: @adidas on Instagram
Love Island and the fast fashion empire Chloe Buchan discusses the biggest fashion controversy facing television series Love Island
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f you want to gauge a strong opinion, casually slip the words ‘Love Island’ into a conversation; anyone under twenty-one will most likely sing its praises and rattle off a string of opinions regarding the couples and their actions. Meanwhile, anyone over that age will probably shake their head in faux disapproval at the show- that they really secretly binge and watch in the evening when everyone else is in bed. Regardless of age or class, Love Island is something which binds the nation; at work, school and university; heated discussions regularly occur surrounding the actions of the notorious love rat or the girl who is clearly ‘playing a game’. Whether you love or loathe it, love island is ultimately a harmless and light-hearted programme and a great conversation starter right? Although at face value merely a shallow form of entertainment surrounding love and relationships, could Love Island actually be perpetuating the harmful fast fashion culture which is rapidly killing our planet? Sustainability is a worldwide buzzword at the moment – particularly with the rise of global warming- however, Love Island can’t seem to keep up. Every year, the show is sponsored by a notorious fast fashion brand- this year being ‘I Saw it First’. Every year they seem to take this up a notch – it has now reached a point where the clothes of the islanders are displayed nightly on the ‘Love Island’ app, meaning that you can shop the exact outfits of the islanders as you watch them, all from your phone.
Images: @loveisland on Instagram
This ease and convenience foster a dangerous throwaway culture
This ease and convenience foster a dangerous throwaway culture in which single-use outfits are seen as standard. It would be rare to see the islanders wear the
same outfit twice during the series, thus normalising the understanding that clothes should be worn once and subsequently discarded. Given the ridiculously cheap prices of ‘I Saw it First’- 50% off everything, buy now pay later, £15 dresses and £7.50 tops- it's easy enough for the general public to keep up with this fast fashion. Not only this, but the retailer can make use of the limitless advertising in the forms of the islanders themselves. The women with their long lean bodies, flowing hair extensions, tan and flawless makeup, and the males with their chiselled bodies provide the perfect canvas upon which the clothes can be displayed, thus providing a false expectation that everybody can look equally as flawless if they purchase the same neon green bodysuit or denim shorts. All in all, the fashion retailers as well as the producers of love island are playing a clever and dangerous game, with an ominous future for the planet. While sustainable fashion is on the rise, ‘Love Island’ is undermining this by feeding a negative cycle of throwaway fashion and everchanging trends. The show could use its huge platform to promote environmentally friendly brands, and yet it doesn’t: instead, they put out a message that fast fashion is okay and acceptable, something which fundamentally has to change.
Images: @isawitfirst on Instagram
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
No need for worst dressed lists?
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s far as I’m concerned, ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ dressed lists don’t belong in this century, let alone this decade. Most obviously, we all know that it must feel dreadful for a celebrity to spend hours getting ready for a red-carpet event, wearing an outfit that makes them feel great, only to wake up to headlines proclaiming that they actually looked dreadful. It goes without saying that opinions on fashion are individual and subjective, but the judgement of the tabloid media can be incredibly cruel. I’m also inclined to argue that there are some rather unpleasant, underlying themes that tend to dictate whether celebrities- in particular women- end up on the Best Dressed List, or the Worst Dressed List. Almost every female entrant in Cosmopolitan’s Best Dressed List for the 2020 Golden Globes awards is extremely slim, and the vast majority are white. In other words, they are conventionally attractive. When it came to evaluating the looks on display at the Grammy Awards, Cosmopolitan did deign to include Lizzo, a plus-sized black woman, in its Best Dressed List. However, rather than describing her as a ‘princess’ or a ‘glamazon’, as it did other female celebrities, the magazine chose to focus on how Lizzo had undergone a ‘glow-up’. It went on to state that she displayed ‘a level of polish in her style we’ve only ever seen snippets of before’. To me, they seemed surprised that Lizzo could look so glamorous, and insinuated that her usual look was the opposite. Cosmopolitan seem to have even surprised themselves by placing someone who is not completely conventionally attractive on the Best Dressed List. The fact that Lizzo is surrounded by more young, slim women, makes one wonder whether the judgements on what makes a ‘Best’ dress are more to do with the looks and body shape of the women wearing the dress, than the dresses themselves. If a dress is worn by someone thin, I’d argue that it’s more likely to be judged positively. In addition, these lists seem to encourage ‘slutshaming’. Several of the dresses that are judged negatively feature comments on their revealing nature, with the Daily Mail berating Tove Lo for having a ‘tacky pink bra’ on display. If a woman dares to be confident whilst baring her skin, it seems fashion critics everywhere consider it perfectly acceptable to label her ‘cheap’.
Many of these articles are written by other women
The saddest part of this whole affair, is that many of these articles are written by other women, who seem to enjoy both nit-picking at others’ appearances, and pitting women against one another. This awards season, I’d like to challenge these women to develop some empathy, and think how they’d feel if their scathing headlines were directed at themselves, rather than some poor stranger. Em Richardson
Image: @lizzobeeating on Instagram
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fashion life & style
Monday 10 February 2020
Cultural appreciation or appropriation? Imogen Davies talks about how the fashion industry needs to acknowledge and respond to cultural appropriation ing criticism surrounding race and ethnicity. In 2016, Gucci was called out for its choice of Caucasian models to showcase a line of turbans and last year had to apologise for a sweater that resembled blackface. Concerningly, these examples of a brand’s insensitivity are part of a larger overall trend. A similar scandal happened just last year as Kim Kardashian made a botched attempt to trademark the word ‘Kimono’ for her line of shapewear, an incident which epitomizes the fashion industry’s apparent insensitivity towards cultural heritage. The latest brand which came under fire for this, Comme des Garçons, received a huge backlash on social media. It was accused of cultural appropriation after dressing Caucasian models in cornrow wigs during its autumn/winter show this year. Although social media posts from the brand show designers’ inspiration and regard for Egyptian pharaoh hair, Egyptian models weren’t considered. One twitter user (@onlykuper) expressed shock that no one on the team realized that could be construed as offensive, tweeting ‘adding insult to injury these faux braids are ill-fitted, proving it is an accessory not appreciation’.
Image: @marcjacobs on Instagram
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n recent years, the term cultural appropriation has become a buzzword for the fashion community. As designers face greater scrutiny than ever, it seems that controversies occur more and more frequently. Is this simply the product of PC culture taken too far or
does this reflect a wider and perhaps systemic problem within the fashion industry? Whether it was for a blasé attitude to given traditional garments or whitewashing on the runway, I’m sure we can all think of instances where brands have faced scath-
It’s wrong to treat cultural artefacts as costumes to dress up in
The hairstylist, Julien d’Ys has since apologized, stating it was "never as it my intention to hurt or offend anyone."
In the debate regarding cultural appropriation, some claim that these sorts of responses, of outrage and offence, are merely a voicing of SJW sensitivity. It has been argued that with globalization it is only inevitable that different nations would express interest in each other’s cultures and that these cultures would mix. Brands often assert that they merely want to show their admiration for different heritages and by featuring cultural garments in clothing lines or on the runway they are showing their deference.
Brands should take ownership of their mistakes
However, the problem lies in context. It can’t be ignored that we live in a society with entrenched structural racism with a deep colonial past. It’s wrong to treat cultural artefacts as costumes to dress up in. Brands should take ownership of their mistakes and strive for positive change. Whether this involves paying homage to an item’s origins or hiring models from particular backgrounds, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Personally, I believe the answer lies in communication. Brands should strive to engage in active conversations with the group their actions affect and listen to their opinions and this is especially important for marginalized groups. This is the only way to show a true sincerity, a sincerity that foregoes tokenism for the sake of appeasing the public.
The new decade watchlist: return of retro
Bella Mullarkey gives us the low-down as she discusses what fashion trends to keep an eye out for in the new year and decade
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ut with the old and in with the older; the 60s, create a more sophisticated formal outfit. Very 2012 Tay70s and 80s have returned and they are back lor Swift Red album. bigger, bolder and better. The Woodstock days of psychedelic patterns and free spirited mindsets have The idea of history returned to the runway and our wardrobes for 2020. Fendi’s psychedelic touches to its spring/summer 2020 repeating itself is collection shows reminiscences of the 60s and 70s with certainly true when bright, neon floral patterns showcasing his show. Oversized sunglasses, shag haircuts finds the show someit comes to fashion where in-between the swinging 60s and the psychedelic 70s. 60s has come back, meaning you better reach to the back Polka dots seem to have stood the test of time, first arrivof your parents wardrobe and grab anything crochet. ing in the 20s and then having revival in the 60s they From cropped crochet tops to straw bags. Altuzarra have sprung back for SS2020. Kate Spade, Michael showcased these must have pieces for your spring Kors and Balmain supporting polka dots once summer wardrobe. Crochet dresses adds an ulagain in their shows for spring summer 2020 tra-feminine touch to spring summer this year . shows that the spots don’t seem to be leavWith the fashion industry focusing on sustainaing any time soon. Carolina Herrera took the bility of clothes there seems to be nothing more spots a step further adding a 90s sheer vibe to suiting than recycling old patterns in way the look mixing the two of the finest patters that embraces handwoven technique of the 20s and 90s. Although s shown by like crochet. Woven tote and knitted Zendaya in Autumn 2019 and fashioned bags were also styled. often by Kate Middleton these spots seem The Oscar nominated film Once to be picking up across SS2020. Upon a Time in Hollywood Blazers and women suits both 80s and has had an impact on fashion 90s staples started to emerge towards forthis new year. Set in 1969 it the end of 2019. Big celebrity names and has brought back double denim, influences styled them on the red carpet. flares, silk shirts and crushingly Hailey Baldwin and Gigi Hadid being just tight trousers with its exploration two women who can sport a suit. This style of the late 60s style. Gucci has been although fashionable comes with female hooked on to the silk shirt groove empowerment and the Me Too movetrend using bold patterns and ment which came about in 2006 and bright colours, with many sporting picked up last year . the disco collar. As previously said, the idea of his70s disco fever also seems to be firing up for tory repeating itself is certainly true this year. Big disco collars and hot pants are when it comes to fashion - it just a essential to get that Saturday Night Fever comes with added twists and tweaks in 2020. Yves Saint Laurent featured the to make it more suited to the runbig disco collar however modernised it ning styles. Everyone has differing with contrasting coats and jackets to tastes within fashion as it is a form emphasis the collar. Paco Rabanne of art and can be subjective to the has also styled the collar with a padindividuals expressions. With the ded suit jacket over the top adding ever-changing and ever-accepting an 80s vibe tothe 70s collar. Saint surroundings of different comLaurent has continued with the munities within the world, fash70s theme including hot pants in ion is one of the things that brings their new collection. If you are everyone together and allows for not a fan of the daisy duke look individuality and expression Chanel paired the hot pant look in whatever way suits the indiImage: @haileybieber on Instagram with black tights to vidual.
Image: @londonfashionweek on Instagram
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Monday 10 February 2020 courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editor Rashida Campbell-Allen & Ellie James
Blue hues set the mood for this year's Grammys L Charley Moran shares her favourite looks from the red carpet T he 62nd annual Grammy awards was held on 26 January at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and, as expected, we saw many celebrities expressing themselves through both fashion and beauty. The makeup on a whole was fundamentally fantastic this year and hard to flaw. From the stunning natural look of the new face of music herself Billie Eilish to the more bold look of another Billy - Porter. His electric blue makeup and outfit theme stood out and became a favourite of the night. However, continuing with the blue theme, the best make up look from the Grammys 2020 for me lies with Dua Lipa's flawless creation combining a combination of past and present makeup trends. The makeup look can be defined by the blue eyeshadow which is the bold and the statement piece of this. Lipa, like many other at the Grammys is contributing to bringing back the 80/90’s style of blue covered eyelids giving a burst of colour and fun to makeup. There is a combination of both matte and shimmer shades focusing on the cobalt blue, blended to
surround her brown eyes from the crease down to the lower lash line. A darker shade in her crease was blended out smoothly creating a mystical baby blue river on the high part of her eyelid. My favourite part of the eye look is the upper and lower lash line, with stunning pigmented blue glitter which shapes her eyes and emphasises the contrast between her hazel eyes with the blue shadow, allowing them to pop. Her lashes are full and fluttery but not too overpowering by having a more natural lash, allowing for the main attention to lie with the shadow. The rest of her make-up is more subtle and following the
The 80s/90s style of blue-covered eyelids give a burst of fun to makeup
now trend of having more ‘natural makeup.’ She has the iconic bushy brows revived by Cara Delevingne back in 2013 - which are not going anywhere any time soon. Lipa masters this busy brow following her natural eyebrow colour and filling it appropriately to give a thick finish. Her face is matte with an airbrushed effect created by her concealer and foundation showing her flawless natural skin. She paired this similarly with a natural contour look blending a warm brown shade to the top of her forehead, sides of her nose and on her cheeky bones. An extremely faint blush with small pigment of pink can be seen being swept upon the apples of her cheeks following the contour up to her high cheek bone again revealing this natural face. Finally she paired her matte base and bold eyes with a classic brown nude lip which has been popular throughout the decades both defining the shape and giving a bold and subtle colour.
beauty life & style
Beauty Icon of the Week
ately, I just can’t stop thinking about how incredibly beautiful and inspiring Gillian Anderson is. Her performance in season 2 of Sex Education has left me in awe, but also left me deeply questioning why “older” women (note the inverted commas) are rarely viewed as beauty icons in the media and society as a whole. Anderson largely came to fame through her role of Dana Scully in the X-Files, back in the late nineties after a career on the stage. She’s more recently become known to a newer, younger audience for playing the role of Jean Milburn in Netflix’s Sex Education, and is set to take on the role of Margaret Thatcher in season four of The Crown. Anderson is renowned for her strong female roles and the work she does with women’s charities, amongst many others, making her a feminist icon as well as the epitome of grace, elegance and sophistication. Her beauty seems so perfectly effortless. Her makeup is typically soft and natural, though she has also been known to sport a mesmerising red lip from time to time. Naturally, she is a striking red-head but has also proven more recently that she can look just as stunning blonde, and regardless of its colour, her hair style is always incredibly chic. Anderson’s clothing choices are just as elegant and unbelievably flattering. She can rock a masculine suit jacket paired with cigarette trousers just as well as she can rock a post-box red figure-hugging dress. However, what makes Gillian Anderson especially inspiring and beautiful, in my opinion, is her confidence. Over the years, she has put her voice out there for other people, other women in particular, has been open about her fears and anxieties on many occasions and boldly stuck up for herself and the life decisions she has made. Back in 2018, when the tabloids threw negative spotlight onto her over speculation that she had cosmetic work done, Anderson turned to social media to reply with the hashtag “#agingwithoutshame”.
I think that the “shame” that Gillian refers to here is not cosmetic surgery itself, but the embarrassment, discomfort and pressure from both sides that comes with aging for many people, perhaps women especially.
Renowned for her strong female roles, she's a feminist icon as well as the epitome of grace, elegance and sophistication
In the limelight of the media, women who reach a certain age just can’t win. Either they are criticised and torn apart for the natural wrinkles that they naturally collect, or they’re torn apart for their equally valid decision to have work done. In the past, Anderson has opened up about ageing in Hollywood and how she has come to feel confident and content in her own body, saying that she has flabby thighs, wrinkling skin and is only 5’3 in height. Anderson has said that she regularly makes sure to compliment other actresses, telling them that they are beautiful and praising them when she thinks their work is amazing. Whilst Anderson is of course incredibly beautiful physically, with her elegance and great hair, it is her talent, honesty, confidence and support for other women that makes her even more of a beauty icon from where I’m standing. Rachel Makinson Instagram: @gilliana
What I unwrapped this Christmas to start the new beauty season Beauty Editor Ellie James tells us about her new goodies
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Instagram: @dualipa
New Year, New beauty resolutions Alice Galatola discusses her 2020 regime
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ith winter in the air and the month of binge eating safely behind us, we’re faced with seasonal complexion challenges. The sweet feasts of December leave us unlucky few with spots and ruddy tones. The bitter winds and harsh colds of the season dry out our skin. We’re left with a conundrum – how do we moisturise our faces while stopping a spot breakout? I may have the answer. Below are five simple resolutions to maximise the efficiency of your skin care routine. Resolution One – Cleanser Find a good cleanser. I recommend anything charcoal based. As someone with sensitive skin, I come out with an unsightly rash to most cleansing products. Charcoal based cleansers are natural and inexpensive. They’re kind to the skin and can be found in most pharmacy stores. But they tend to dry out the skin. If you’re more prone to dryness I recommend looking at the No7 range. Hot cloth cleansers are moisturising and cleansing, giving your skin the best of both worlds. There’s nothing more relaxing than lying back with a warm muslin cloth on your face – it truly feels like a spa experience. Doing this a couple of times a week feels like a real treat. Resolution Two – Witch Hazel If your pores are troublesome, you might want to try some witch hazel products. Again, these natural
products are kind to your skin and are very effective. If in a stitch, you can use this instead of a moisturiser. It has a refreshing feel and leaves you with a nice glow. Again, as it’s natural it’s very allergy friendly. Resolution Three – Primer Daily use of these products can leave a red tinge to your skin, and it can be a real struggle smothering your face in concealer to fix this. Cheap concealer will undo all the work you’ve done to keep your face blemish free, and even if you splash out on high quality product you risk reclogging your pores. This is why I recommend using a green primer. It neutralises redness, letting you enjoy an even complexion without risking spots.
hristmas for any beauty lover is a time to request that one special product you’ve been desperately in need of adding to your collection for the past 365 days. Before the festive blues set in, getting a shiny new makeup item or something to pamper yourself with for the oncoming year is vital to refresh and get you started on that ‘new year, new you,’ or even adding to the perfect you already are! So, here are some of my favourite beauty gifts and surprises I unwrapped this year… Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Diamonds As a previous MAC lover, I was your typical gal when it came to lipstick. As soon as I set my sights on that shade of matte ‘Velvet Teddy’, I was as sold as the rest of the nation - that lipstick has hypnotic powers I swear. But earlier this year I decided to branch out and try a new brand, refresh myself and be a little daring. And who other to be daring with than Charlotte Tilbury? My first buy was ‘Bitch Perfect’ lipstick, with an everyday subtle pink look perfect for those days you want to keep it gentle. And after falling in love, I just HAD to get another. So for Christmas I asked for ‘Pillow Talk Diamonds.’ If I thought I was in love before then I had no idea what was about to hit me. When I unwrapped the dainty little lipstick tube I was more than thrilled. This beautiful lipstick glosses your lips in a blanket of sparkle and glitter, catching the light and glinting gold with a hint of rose. It really is a tube of diamonds. It was love at first sight for sure. I wont be Instagram: @hfashion_in_the_world letting this one go anytime soon.
WunderBrow Gel It’s a wonderful feeling getting a gift you wanted so badly. But there’s something extra exciting about getting a surprise beauty gift you didn’t even know existed, and then finding out its amazing. That gift for me this year was my Wunderbrow Gel (shout out to my sister for this one). As I have naturally full brows, I’m someone who doesn’t usually use eyebrow products. I’ve always been doubtful of filling them in and when I have its been an utter disaster, meaning at first I thought my sister had wasted her hard earned money on a product that would be lost at the bottom of my makeup bag. However, when I applied this brow gel, brushing through with the little brush, I knew she’d purchased the best gift for me this year. The gel is not too bold and can be applied without overfilling the brow, still leaving a natural look but with that something extra defining the shape and colour. And the brush is my favourite part. It gently fluffed up my eyebrows so that they reclaimed their priority in defining my face. If anyone is like me with already bushy brows then this one is a must for your list next year. I mean, you could say I was left in complete ‘Wunder’… Even though the festive period is over and I’m back to the reality of assignments and 9am lectures, these little beauty treats have made it just that little bit easier. Knowing 2020 is the year for some improved – and much needed - self love I’ll be on the lookout for some self-care products next, the perfect additions on top of my new favourite beauty gifts…
Instagram: @ctilburymakeup
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life & style travel
courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Travel Editors: Amy Harris, Meggie Williams and Beth Robson
Coronavirus travelling Travel editor, Beth Robson, shares all that you need to know about travelling during the recent coronavirus outbreak
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riginating in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus is now a world-wide epidemic, and has already affected international travel to and from China. Travellers are therefore being told to be careful as they travel internationally and to avoid high-risk countries. As the first cases of coronavirus are confirmed in the UK, there has understandably been a heightened tone of panic. So far the number of fatalities for the virus has reached over 560, with about 28,000 confirmed infections (as of 6 February 2020). For those who have young children, are old, or are immunocompromised this of course is worrying and brings into question how the UK is handling international travel. Travel appears to be the main way that the virus is spreading internationally, with the majority of confirmed international cases coming from people who had travelled to Wuhan and the surrounding areas recently.
How might I be affected? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao). Travel disruptions are a given with the magnitude of potential harm from a virus like coronavirus and as such, airlines and tour operators have began to take action in preventing any spread. Unless you are a) travelling to China, or have b) travelled to China recently, your planned trips are most likely going to be unaffected. Trips to China however are now becoming more restricted and even cancelled. The current information from airlines is as followed: British Airways – flights between the UK and Shanghai and Beijing cancelled until 29 February; if you were due to fly with BA between now and 29 February you are eligible for a full refund; flights after 29 February are currently not eligible but may become so at a later point; flights to Hong Kong up until recently have not been affected, according to the BA website. Virgin Atlantic – all flights between the UK and Shanghai are cancelled imminently and will continue to be cancelled until at least 28 March; flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong between now and 30 April can be rebooked before the 31 May or refunded Other major airlines – some flights between the UK and various cities in China have been cancelled; check with your providers for more information.
Travel insurance You should now also be able to claim cancellations on your travel insurance which prior to the UK’s travel warning status, would have been more difficult to do. On the offside of this however, should you choose to travel to China anyway you may not be covered for any health problems or emergencies whilst you are there and risk invalidating your travel insurance all together. Some insurance providers will allow for a transfer of plan should you choose to rearrange your trip, and some will cover the cost of this however not all. As a rule of thumb, check with your individual provider for travelling during the outbreak.
How can I prevent catching the virus whilst travelling? If you are travelling during the outbreak it is essential to keep yourself as safe as possible. If you are travelling to a country with recorded infections it is paramount that you are on top of your personal hygiene throughout the entirety of your trip. The current advice being given is to wash your hands regularly and avoid contact with your face as much as possible. Face masks have risen in use over the past couple of weeks in the UK (as evidenced by the sky-rocketing prices and general lack of supply) but they do not entirely protect you from infection so do not rely on these alone. Infection can enter your body through open cuts, your eyes, and genitalia, so the major way you can prevent catching an infection is by keeping your hands thoroughly clean. Also make sure to take your own pillow and blanket, and antibacterial wipes in your carry-on luggage and avoid using airline-provided items to prevent cross-contamination.
How is coronavirus affecting tourism? The virus has admittedly taken a huge toll on Chinese tourism and looks to continue to for the foreseeable future. With China having by far the largest number of outbound tourists (amassing 150 million in 2018) this will not only be a significant issue in China but for the rest of the world economically. For Chinese citizens already outside of China, the future doesn’t look entirely clear – Japan have repatriated hundreds of Chinese national tourists from the Wuhan area already, but the same isn’t being found in other countries. Travel bans however are just now starting to be enacted with countries such as Australia, the United States, and Singapore banning travel from China. A worrying concern in travelling is the impact that the virus is going to have for the Tokyo Olympic Games that are set to begin this summer. Virus’s spread very easily in densely populated areas and with influxes of foreign tourists into the already overcrowded Tokyo, it’s easy to see how this could be a major concern for public health. As of now Japan have categorically denied rumour of cancelling or postponing the games until the outbreak has died down, but being much bigger than other cancelled celebrations such as Beijing’s Lunar New Year festivities, this is an increasing cause for concern.
More information gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china gov.uk/guidance/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas gov.uk/world/china who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 Please check Government guidance before travelling and before booking your next trip. Turn to page 30 to find out about the coronavirus' impact on the gaming industry and community, and read our coverage of the University's response to the virus' outbreak and resultant racist incidents on page three.
Monday 10 February 2020
Top travel destinations of 2020
Madeleine Raine shares her top three picks for travel in 2020
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ew year, new me, new bucket list destinations. Are you itching to go sight-see in a beautiful new city? Desperate to go explore a new country? Don’t fret, we have our top favourite new travel destinations to go see this year! From the quiet of Hobbiton to the hustle and bustle of the streets of New Delhi; this year marks a new decade, and the opportunity to discover the beauty of our planet.
1. New Zealand
Image: Pikrepo.com
the courier
2. New Delhi
If the naturistic lifestyle isn’t really for you and you prefer a more bustling city destination, then New Delhi has something to offer. Flooded with markets, street food and extravagant architecture, this city has something for everyone. As a country birthing four different religions, India is not short of temples and religious houses. Whether you’re visiting the ISKCON Hare Temple or the Lazmi Narayan Mandir, you will find stunning architecture that defines each and every corner of New Delhi. This city is not only renowned for its architecture and religious quarters but also its food. Whether you’re tasting the glorious street food that lines most avenues or delving into a smaller family-owned restaurant you will not be disappointed.
Australia has always been a destination for avid travellers and has grown in popularity over recent years. With the recent bush fires ransacking the nation, much of this tourism has been diverted to neighbouring countries pronouncing New Zealand a fresh alternative. Perfect 3. Barcelona for nature enthusiasts, this country If you want a short city offers a unique break without travelling landscape spantoo far, then Barcelona is Image: : enjoytheworld from Pixabay ning two islands the perfect option. Inunand 103, 500 square dated with gothic archimiles. Whether you tecture, this city offers a are a frequent hiker or enjoy causal ramblings this is the place for you! Wherever you travel there are natural phe- unique experience of Spanish culture. It wouldn’t be a nomena around every corner. Mountains, rivers, lakes, trip to Barcelona without a visit to the famous Sagrada beaches, they all contribute to New Zealand’s calm and Família, with the extravagant detail found in every nook peaceful setting. Whether you’re star gazing at Mount and cranny pronouncing this as one of Spain’s most Cook or sailing around Lake Taupo, you will never find prized works. Antoni Gaudí, designer of this structure, a dull moment. New Zealand is also home to the filming engulfs much of this city’s architecture and is something of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, with their very own you certainly do not want to miss. Barcelona's numerous museums and countless cafes and bars all add to the movie set attracting thousands of visitors every week. hustle and bustle of this popular European destination.
Ski ya later: hitting the slopes in Veysonnaz Amy Harris highlights the tranquil ski slopes of Veysonnaz
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witzerland is known for it’s ski resorts and hiking trials; with many people flocking to the hills typically for a skiing or snowboarding vacation. Veysonnaz is one of the top locations in Switzerland where the views will leave you in utter awe. Veysonnaz, the mountain village located in the beautiful Alps, is renown for its skiing and scenic location. Having magnificent views over the Rhone Valley and being part of the “Four Valleys” skiing area. A rustic old village, beautiful wooden ski chalets scattered on the snow covered hills, a church full of history and the slopes offer ski lovers the perfect playground. Other than being a popular ski resort Veysonnaz is also known for its hiking, with 300km of footpaths and tours in the high mountains. The trails take you on a beautiful tour of Veysonnaz’s unspoilt nature; with the fauna, flora and grazed land all being protected. Veysonnaz is known for its quieter vibe, being more suited to families, but still offers a lot for every type of traveller. Compared to party central Verbier, Veysonnaz Image: @veysonnazswitzerland on Instagram
Image: @veysonnazswitzerland on Instagram
doesn’t have as big of a nightlife, but has over a dozen bars to try out for a post-ski bev. Veysonnaz also offers a clubbing scene to those who want to enjoy a post-ski boogie. Although the nightlife isn’t quite like that of Verbier, Veysonnaz offers visitors fun-filled bars, shops and an excellent spa complex too. For those who are looking to do more than just skiing, snowboarding and hiking Veysonnaz also offers it’s visitors a “torchlight descent”, tubing, an ice risk, treasure hunts, snowshoe walks, tobogganing and tubing. There is endless amounts of fun to have in the utopia that is Veysonnaz. The capital of the canton of Valais, is said to be at its best between May and October. As soon as that snow falls it becomes a winter sport fan’s paradise. Even though it is one of the quieter locations, Veysonnaz offers a tranquil escape from our already hectic lifestyles and allows us to relax in a snowy wonderland.
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travel life & style
Monday 10 February 2020
Sweden flies the flight shame flag LGBTQ+
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Image: Creative Commons Zero - CC0
You’d be forgiven for hearing the words “flight shame” and looking puzzled while on UK soil; in Sweden, however, “flygskam” has rapidly become a part of everyday vocabulary. Coined in 2018, and attributed in part to the ever increasing influence of Time Magazine’s person of the year Greta Thunberg, the Swedish term aims to increase travellers’ accountability for the emissions produced while flying. And the impact of this awareness is undoubtable; Airport operator Swedavia point to the climate crisis as an explanation of their 3% reduction in domestic flight passenger numbers in 2018, and UBS predict that should such a movement take hold globally, the expected growth in passenger numbers could halve. But in the meantime, air travel remains a significant contributor to global warming. Flying from London to New York and back g e n e r-
ates about 986kg of CO2 per passenger, more than the total annual emissions of the average person in 56 countries. The UK is particularly guilty of this; Britons are the most frequent international fliers, and aviation is responsible for 7% of the country’s emissions. “Flight shame”, therefore, could be a key ingredient in tackling the climate crisis, which, according to Greener UK, 70% of Britons consider an urgent necessity. So why aren’t we familiar with it yet? Well, perhaps one reason the movement has not quite taken hold in the UK is the very British love of a holiday, and, given our climate,
who can blame us? But giving up flying doesn’t have to mean giving up on holidays – it takes less than a day to travel by train from London to Barcelona, producing just one tenth of the emissions the equivalent flight would generate. I myself have made the change; previously travelling to Newcastle from Bristol by plane, I’ve found the train not only greener but more comfortable, scenic, and much less stressful than the endless security checks and cramped seating one can expect when flying.
The term "tagskryt", translated as "train bragging", has become something of a buzzword in
In fact, the term “tagskryt”, translated as “train bragging” has become something of a buzzword in Sweden, where the domestic rail system is among the most environmentally friendly in the world. A recent survey published by Swedish Railways (SJ) found that the percentage of travellers choosing rail over air travel rose by 17% between 2018 and 2019, and fares are continuously falling as the two main rail companies, SJ and MTR Express, compete with one another. At £0.21 per mile, Sweden’s average price for a single bought on the day of travel is less than half that of the UK’s, at an average of £0.55 per mile. The UK’s figure tops the list of European prices, perhaps explaining the exceptionally low quantity of journeys currently taken by train in the UK; just 2%. Is it really fair then, to “shame” those who opt for flying rather than train travel in Britain? Currently, 60% of longdistance journeys in the country are cheaper by plane than train, making aviation a more affordable option for many. But perhaps this is where the true power in “flight shame” lies; rather than a manner of condemning those who have no other option, the campaign should aim to encourage
the government to give us other options. Voluntary reductions are a key method of encouraging appropriate governmental action regarding the environmental impacts of transportation, whether this be introducing climate taxes to account for flight emissions, or improving the efficiency and prices associated with rail travel. And while it’s clear that the UK is currently a long way behind Sweden in its efforts to lower transport-related emissions, we are without a doubt gaining momentum; UK Flight Free 2020, a campaign involving the pledging of individuals to refrain from flying for the year, is one of several recent movements following in the footsteps of “flight shame”.
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1. Malta
Plane : djvstock from Canva Clouds: Canva Sign: Charles Edward Miller on Flickr
Isobel Coombs shares some of her favourite spots to make your weekend away memorable
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Amsterdam is famed for its sex museums and Red Light District but be prepared for crowds and queues. As touristy as they are, they guarantee hours of laughs and are a definitely must-see. One of the best sex museums to visit, Venustempel, is located on Damrak 18 (the busiest street in the city!), and is the world’s oldest sex museum and at just €5 admission fee it is definitely worth a visit- even if it is just to get the famous Instagram pic with the giant penis! However, if you aren’t comfortable with crowds, perhaps give this a miss or visit one of the other similar museums further out of the city. The Red Light District is worth a visit but to see it at its best, take a walk through at night. It’s great to wander through after dinner where the street’s windows are illuminated and the famous peep shows are open, although pretty busy, there’s a great atmosphere in the evenings. Another activity to add to the list is the A’dam Lookout which, although a little pricier, is a great romantic day out. If going, try to choose a day with good weather in order to get the best views. The sky bar in the tower has panoramic views over the stunning city to enjoy over a cocktail or lunch. Entry tickets to the tower are €14.50 each however there are premium tickets and lunch tickets available online to make your trip more special. Whilst in the tower it is definitely worth a go on the swing experience. If heights aren’t for you, give this
Patrick Young reveals the top LGBTQ+ countries in Europe
n honour of the start of LGBTQ+ history month, here are Europe’s top 5 LGBTQ+ friendly countries you should add to your bucket list. Whether simply for a romantic get away with a loved one, or a chance to experience Pride in another country, these five countries know the undeniable truth that love is love and are must-gos for our LGBTQ+ and ally readers!
A romantic getaway in Amsterdam abelled one of the romantic cities in the world, Amsterdam is the perfect destination for a Valentine’s (or Galentine’s!) weekend away. Whether you’re wanting to splash the cash on luxurious hotels and fine dining or explore the trendy hostels and street food, Amsterdam can provide you with both. The beauty of Amsterdam is that even two or three days in the city is enough, with the 50 minute flights available and the small size of the city, just a few days gives you more than enough time to explore. It’s difficult to liken Amsterdam to any other city, it’s uniqueness allows you to wander through the streets getting completely lost but stumbling across hidden cafés, weird and wonderful museums and bizarre shops- you can’t get bored. As a student myself, I didn’t want to be breaking the bank on my trip and I soon learned that I didn’t have to. A great way to see Amsterdam is by bike. The one dry day we had in Amsterdam meant that we could hire bikes and cycle through the city all the way to Vondelpark, a great spot for a drink or a nice walk. At first, the idea of cycling through the city was petrifying however on every road there is a separate cycle path so it felt so safe and is a great way to see the city and venture little further afield. We found a bike hire shop who charged just €20 for 2 bikes all day but some hotels offer free bike hire so it is worth asking.
travel
Image: Canberra SpringOUT Association
Time to sacrifice southern hemisphere holidays? Polly Stevens discusses the travel phenomenon
a miss! The swing ‘Over the Edge’ experience is located on the rooftop of the lookout tower and lets you swing together over the city. At just €5 each, this is an amazing thing to do, but certainly not for the faint hearted! Most importantly, food spots. Food is a massive part to a trip and if only visiting for a couple of days, finding the best food is important! If you’re after some trendy brunch spots you will be spoilt for choice. Some of the most well known and Instagrammed being Factory Girl, Staring at Jacob and Sticky Fingers- perfect if you’re just after a snack too. Another place you must try is Van Wonderen Frieten who do the best loaded chips to take away as you explore the city. Before going to Amsterdam, have in mind some places to go for dinner as we made the mistake of spending most of our evenings wondering round spoilt for choice! You will never be lost for somewhere to spend your evening however here are a few recommended restaurants. A great vegan option is The Dutch Weed Burger Joint, which has an exclusively plant-based menu and fantastic reviews (please note: the weed used in the food is actually seaweed!). Another dinner date spot is Louie Louie bar with a varied Mexican menu and beautiful decor located slightly away from the bustling city centre. Finally, if you’re looking to treat yourselves to a romantic evening of fine dining, De Planage is really special with its fairy lit decor and beautiful menu.
For many of us, this is unsurprising, but Malta is ranked as the best country to visit in Europe for LGBT+ people. Due to the overwhelming support for individuals, despite the history of Malta, this island in the Mediterranean is an underrated get-away for any LGBT+ historian who enjoys delving into lesser known histories throughout the world. If ruins, are not your thing, there are beautiful beaches around the island, and a plethora of LGBT+ bars and clubs to be enjoyed.
2. Belgium Belgium ranks as number two on this list, and nestled next to the Netherlands and France, this small country is unexpectedly friendly towards LGBT+ people. This land of chocolate is surprisingly full of amazing sculptures and beautiful parks, as well as delicious waffles and of course chocolate.
3. Norway The first of two Scandinavian countries on this list is Norway. Unsurprisingly, this Nordic country is as LGBTQ+ friendly as their neighbour- Finland who features later in this list. Norway was ranked as the second highest place in the world for LGBTQ+ happiness according to Planet Romeo’s Gay Happiness Index. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people has been illegal since 1981, and the vibrant culture and picturesque views of the Fjords and mountains, has been drawing in travellers from all backgrounds for many years, and will continue to do so for many more.
4. The United Kingdom Our own country, is unsurprisingly on this list, despite there being a dramatic increase in hate crimes in the past few years, the UK is often at the forefront of LGBTQ+ rights, and there are many LGBTQ+ friendly spaces in most cities, from G.A.Y in London, to the city of Brighton itself, and the Pink Triangle here in Newcastle, there is a lot to offer for LGBTQ+ travellers from all over the world to come and enjoy.
5. Finland Finland is not the first country that comes to mind when you think of LGBTQ+ locations, but nestled in the East of Scandinavia, this beautifully forested country is very accepting of LGBTQ+ individuals. LGBTQ+ discrimination has been outlawed there since 2004, and the abundance of LGBTQ+ friendly saunas, dotted throughout Helsinki allow for many travellers to experience the culture of Finland, whilst being protected by law, from harm and discrimination.
Image: : O Palsson from Flickr
Images: Canva
the courier
21
food life & style
Monday 10 February 2020
Food Editors: Cayla Viner & Amanda Goh
The hidden art of film food styling The origins of lasagne Elisabetta Pulcini gives us an insight into how the food styling in the movie industry works
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rom rich Hogwarts banquets, to impressive Chocolate Factories, food is important to so many movies. Yet it rarely gets the praise it deserves. While costume design and make-up get the bulk of the mentions in the conversation about the production design of a film, a contribution that rarely gets their due is the food. Yes, because arranging food for a film set is a skill mastered by few. Not unlike a regular chef, food stylists are concerned with the presentation and taste of a product they put on screen. However, they also need to take into account a number of factors not considered in the preparation of a normal dishes, most notably: research, durability, and on-camera appearance. Research is an essential part of any production. The food presented on the screen needs to fit the historical time and place in which the movie is set. For example, it would be quite jarring to see Elizabeth I enjoy avocado toast for breakfast. However, at times food stylists are required to go further. Not only does the food have to be accurate, but it also should represent an aspect of the story, through the visual portrayal of themes and messages. In Chocolat for example, it goes without saying that chocolate is a central aspect of Image: Youtube the film. Therefore, it is essential
for it to look luxurious and rich, to portray the themes of lust and passion, central to the plot.
While many sets used to resort to fake foods, most directors today prefer to use the real thing. In fact, not only does it look better on camera, but there is more room to make it look realistically imperfect. Zoe Hegedus, food stylist for Midsommar, has stated that “directors prefer not using fake things on movies. It is important for them to use real food”. For example, in the scene where Florence Pugh attempts to eat a raw herring whole, the expression on her face could not be replicated by using a fake fish. Therefore, Zoe Hegedus was in charge of flying the herrings all the way from France to Hungary, where the movie being made, and keeping them fresh throughout the shoot.
While sets used to resort to fake food, most directors prefer to use the real thing
Taste is not always relevant in film-food. For example, one of the popular tricks used to make roast chicken look good on camera is to take a raw chicken and paint it with a mixture of colorants. Though some point to the food waste, it is important to point out that, since a normal food cannot withstand the long times required by a shoot, this is the best way to ensure that the least amount of food is wasted: instead of having to bake a chicken for every shoot, just one chicken will be sacrificed for the perfect shot. However, the same techniques cannot be employed when an actor needs to take a bite out of the prop. Here, taste becomes an essential consideration. A notoriously difficult food to film is ice-cream. Therefore, a lot of food stylists resort to swapping it with dollops of merengue, which don’t melt and are edible. It is clear that a lot of factors go into being a successful in this pursuit. From resourceful problem solving, to creative presentations, to actually being able to cook, food stylists are Hollywood’s most underrated artists.
What's trending in the kitchen?
Maria Olender discusses some fresh, new and delicious food trends you need to try this year
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he new year is a perfect opportunity to try something new. Why wouldn’t you make your diet more exciting and challenge yourself to try something new? Take look at the 2020 food trends to try and get inspired.
Vegan According to Waitrose, Brits are eating less and less meat than before, and more people are planning to reduce meat consumption over the next years. If you’re already eating less meat and fish, why not challenge yourself this year and go fully vegan? There are more plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy than ever. Try vegan sausage rolls and steak bakes from Greggs, enjoy your favourite latte with oat milk, sample plant-based burgers in Byron and Burger King or Meatless Meatball sandwiches in Subway. Almost every restaurant has at least one plant-based option; being vegan has never been easier.
Flexitarian Can’t imagine eating only plants? Don’t worry! Take the flexitarian approach to eating and have some meat-free days a week. Take the best of both worlds and enjoy vegan and non-vegan food.
Less food waste Did you know that the UK is on top of the food-wasting countries in Europe, throwing away millions of tonnes of food every year? Why not be more conscious about food waste this year? It will help not only the planet, but also your wallet. Bring your own bags, bottles, jars and other refillable containers to the stores. Buy local, unpacked food. Nonpackaged retail products are said to appear more often
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his multiple-layered pasta with meats, vegetables, cheeses and spices is often believed to be Italian. Commonly, in our era, people tend to find it in Italian restaurants, but where did it truly originate from? Of course, as is the case with most historic cuisines, Lasagne has experienced many different forms and evolved over the centuries. I would like to attempt to untangle its knotted past. To begin with, the practice of mixing flour and water to create dough which is then boiled to become pasta dates back to the Middle Ages. Egg would be introduced to the mix much later, in the Renaissance.
in 2020. Look out for the changes in your local Waitrose that’s killing the game introducing pick ‘n’ mix frozen veg, pasta dispensers, and tap beer. Remember that you don’t have to make your own food all the time if you want to produce less waste this year. Use apps such as Too Good to Go and NoFoodWasted and pay £3 for a meal often worth around £10! Enjoy a meal from Yo Sushi, Pizza Punks, Leila Lily’s (and many more!) and keep food waste low!
dips, harrisa paste and a range of meat dishes cubed, skewered, roasted and grilled chicken or grilled skewers of beef with a tahinibased, lemon, and garlic tarator sauce.
There are at least two variations of name origins for Lasagne: Ancient Greek and Greek adapted by Romans. First known form of pasta is a flat sheet of bread – Laganon – from Ancient Greece. It is not the lasagne as we know it in a traditional sense, but simply layers of sauce between the pasta sheets. Another possible origin is the word Lasana, which meant “chamber pot” in Greek. Romans then transformed it into Lasanum to translate as “cooking pot”. Where the Greek seem to have claim on the origins of the name, Britain has the first documented recipe. It dates back to 1390s and appears in a British cookbook as discovered by researchers. However, as expected, Italy should be acknowledged for perfecting the layers and ingredients of this famous pasta dish. It is in Naples that this particular pasta originated with its traditional tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, Béchamel and spinach induced dough for layers of pasta. As the dish had become increasingly popular, it started spreading all across the world and variations of it have been introduced in America in 1800s. While the preferences vary from one consumer to another, it is fair to say that Lasagne can satisfy every person with its diversity of full and rich tastes. Aruzhan Sagnay
Make your own lasagne Mince:
Bechamel sauce:
35g Flour 450ml Milk Small onion, diced 40g butter Handful of black peppercorns Dash of salt & pepper Plus: lasagne sheets and 100g grated cheese
1kg beef mince 2 onions, diced Stock cube Chopped veggies 2 tins chopped tomatoes
Seacuterie I bet most of you have heard of the charcuterie board. Originally from France, this is a platter filled with meats, cheeses, olives and more, but why not try seacuterie (seafood charcuterie) this year? Waitrose’s Food and Drink Report predicts increased popularity in this Australian coming trend. Let’s leave meat and cheese behind and switch to pickling, fermenting, smoking or aging seafood. Seacuterie is fresh, healthy and ideal to share with friends. According to Waitrose, more and more chefs in the UK will experiment with this trend, so look out for those options in your favourite restaurants.
Levantine No matter whether you’re vegan, flexitarian or carnivore you will love Levantine food! In 2020 try dishes from Levant - the region that geographically encapsulates Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine with influences from North Africa and Turkey. Levantine cuisine offers you so much to try from hummus, baba ganoush and tabbouleh to fadi, pencar and hammera. Use simple ingredients such as chickpeas, tahini, aubergine, peppers, courgette, olives, pomegranates, mint, lemon, and pita bread to create delicious salads and satisfying mea;s. Enjoy grilled whitebait, squid, yogurt
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Image: Boxed Water
Fry onions in a large frying pan and add the mince. When brown, add vegetables, tomatoes and stock and allow it to simmer. For the bechamel, pour the milk, onion and peppercorns in a pan and bring to a simmer. Set aside and allow to infuse. In another pan, melt butter and add the flour for a 1-2 mins, stirring with a wooden spoon. Now add the milk gradually and simmer and whisk until it becomes thick and smooth. Boil some water in a pan and place the lasagne sheets in there for a few minutes, until soft. Using a deep. rectangular baking dish (a glass pyrex or something similar) Starting with a layer of mince, alternate mince, bechamel sauce, pasta sheets until dish is filled with a layer of pasta and grated cheese on top. Cayla Viner
the courier
22
culture music
Monday 10 February 2020
c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Dom Lee, Jagoda Waszkowiak & Joe Smith
The best of the 2010s: The Courier’s albums of the decade
Our writers compile their favourite albums of the decade and discuss what makes them stand out, in such a busy ten years of music
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Lorde Melodrama
orde’s second album Melodrama (2017) tells an intensely emotional and relatable coming-age-story, which precisely captures the experience of being a young woman in the twenty-first century. The album is packed with messages of self-acceptance, all the while acknowledging the universality of vulnerability and insecurity. Melodrama deals with the hurricane of emotions experienced during the transition from adolescence to adulthood: from the elation of first love, to the agony of heartbreak and loneliness. Lorde proclaims the importance of being able to rely on and take comfort in yourself in times of personal struggles, and discusses fears and feelings that most would refrain from sharing. How Lorde did not receive a Grammy for Melodrama is truly beyond me. It is a masterpiece, which voices a generation and deals with a great many raw and difficult topics, with sensitivity and insight. Lorde reminds her listeners of the fragility of humanity and highlights the roller-coaster-experience that is life. Lorde’s Melodrama is without a doubt an album to define the last decade, and I look forward to seeing what she produces in the coming years. Her third album really can’t come soon enough! Emma McCartney
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Wolf Alice My Love Is Cool
olf Alice’s 2015 debut album, My Love is Cool, is that rare thing: a proper album. There is not one throwaway song. Within it, Wolf Alice achieve a distinctive sound which unifies the twelve tracks: catchy pop tunes to rival Taylor Swift, sung in Ellie Rowsell’s ethereal style, all with a backing of grungy guitar, tight drumming, and dreamy, shoegaze production. The songs are strong enough that this sound doesn’t blur into a vague melange of coolness as is often the case, and the album is punctuated by distinctive shifts between folk and grunge as on ‘Swallowtail’ and ‘You’re a Germ’. Even after the promising EPs Wolf Alice had previously released, for a debut album to be this fully realised is remarkable. Although the 2017 follow-up, Visions of a Life, arguably contains the bands most memorable individual songs such as ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’, My Love is Cool is almost anachronistically cohesive as an album. With the rise of streaming changing how people listen to music, the past decade has not been the best for the album as an art form, bar a few notable exceptions. My Love is Cool is one of these exceptions. Peter Bath
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endrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly offers a musical experience which is unrivalled. From the lavish instrumentals; drawing from funk, jazz and rock, to the overall narrative that is weaved throughout the album using spoken words elements to expanded on the lyrical contents within the tracks, Kendrick provides a fresh approach and method to hip-hop tropes, as he covers concepts of the self. This ranges from Race, a theme throughout the album which serves as both a damning of American society and as a celebration of the musical roots of black culture. Kendrick also laments the music industry, and how the quest for wealth and musical popularity leads to dilution and corruption of the individual. The album manages to achieve both a timely and timeless quality. It was the album we needed during the rise of right-wing vitriol, such as Ferguson riots and Charlottesville Nazi march; the track ‘Alright’ serves as the ultimate anthem to parade in response to these events. Its timeless nature is due to the album not chasing trends, and not dating itself with references or flavour of the month features. This album endured the 2010s and only became more flavourful with time and will continue to age gracefully and will remain a cultural touchstone for generations to come. Callum Trainor
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mong the diverse range of music albums released this decade was the mesmerizingly different Awaken My Love by Childish Gambino. Donald Glover’s promised penultimate album did not fail to both surprise and answer expectations from his listeners. The artist manages to break out of the mainstream and produce an album that is an experience within itself, each song more unique than the last. The songs are said to have been written and dedicated to Glover’s son, revealing a new side to the artist, offering a more personal glimpse into his life.What really grabbed mainstream audiences’ attention however, was the song ‘Redbone’, the biggest hit of the album. A song so different, but with a sense of nostalgia within it because of its retro instrumentals, it managed to capture varieties of audiences and was even turned into a meme.The genius of Gambino’s album and its immortalization through its “memefication” managed to create a timeless piece that has become one of the best albums of the decade. Sara Nigohosyan
Image: Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons user Justin Higuchi. Flickr users Deadpool46, Kristsll
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Elena Corcobado
Foals What Went Down
s everyone knows the indie market is absolutely flooded with the same old recycled material, as more and more independent artists and bands are succumbing the same pop synth sound. Yet this Indie umbrella term has paved the way for several new genres and sub genres to arise – including indie rock. This is where we meet Foals, who dropped their fourth studio album in 2015. It’s loud, its expressive and its fairly thunderous, with their opening title track ‘What Went Down’ hitting the audience hard and fast, and needing no melancholy introduction. The entire album was a definite shift from their previous work, which was subdued and reflective.What Went Down seeks to shout and scream at the world. This album is one of those that you stick your headphones in and feel like you can conquer the world, just as Foals imagined when they penned the tracks. The powerful notion of Foals’ spirit transfers to each and every listener. Ellie Parkin
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Arctic Monkeys AM
he Arctic Monkeys present with AM one of the most memorable pieces of music from the 2010s. Turner’s confident voice, with soft backing vocals, sharp guitar riffs and heavy drums accompany more intricate and complex lyrics. Alex Turner is a hopeless romantic facing the internal conflict of a rockstar. ‘No 1 Party Anthem’ embodies the rockstar essence: an end-of-the-party song that explores Turner’s curiosity and desire for love and human interaction. Thematically, Turner explores his conflict between easy satisfactions and lasting meaning. ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ is the perfect close to a record of doubts and questions: in it, Turner comes to the conclusion that he prefers long term and lasting meaning and devotion rather than the party animal lifestyle. He declares himself as a hopeless romantic, he is willing to let go his other desires and anxieties for true love. AM is one of the albums of the decade because it perfectly embodies the millennial sentiment that contradicts instant pleasures and a long-lasting purpose.
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The 1975 ILIWYS
est Album of the Decade, what a big and arguably undefinable title, especially in an era where about 100,000 albums are created per year. However, I will do my best to explain why I believe ILIWYS by The 1975 is deserving of this honour. Taking inspiration from rock icons such as Radiohead, this album takes on a much more critical tone of the mindless pop songs we listen to today with lyrics that came straight from lead singer Matty Healy’s heart. In an interview, he stated, “Can we stop talking about nothingness? No one’s asking you to inspire a revolution, but inspire something.” In my opinion, I believe the album achieves that. It was during a difficult part of my life that I first listened to this album, and it completely turned my perspective around; it told me I wasn’t alone in my struggles. To be able to touch the hearts of everyone who listens to it all in supremely different ways is truly rare in this day and age. Like Healy said himself, they started a revolution. Grace Lazzaro
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Childish Gambino Awaken My Love
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
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Glass Animals HTBAHB
lass Animals’ 2016 11-track masterpiece threw the band into the indie-world mainstream. Their extremely alternative approach to songwriting coupled with soothing vocals produces a distinct sound which translates into some phenomenal live performances which the group have become synonymous with. The album is especially unique when you discover that it is actually a concept album, with each song coming from the point of view of one of the characters on the artwork, for which frontman and songwriter Dave Bayley created complete personalities. When you read up on all the available information and consider this when focusing on the lyrics to each alt-pop tune, it makes the entire listening experience that much more fulfilling as you get absorbed into each track. This outstanding band truly deserve more recognition for this genre-bending work of art that has captured the hearts of many. Finlay Holden
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Tame Impala Currents
urrents is a farewell album. Kevin Parker builds an introspective narrative of conflict between the grief of loss and the hope for a better future after a breakup, following his psychedelic sound. Musically, Currents can be distinguished by its repetitive sounds, however, the songs do not get tiring as they possess multiple layers that form an interesting atmosphere. ‘Yes I’m Changing’ is the breakup song: hopeful and melancholic, reflecting on Parker’s feelings. Lyrics like “I know I always said that I could never hurt you / Well this is the very, very last time I’m ever going to” make the album both personal and relatable. ‘Eventually’ stood out for me due to the buildup towards the end, breaking the repetitive nature of Parker’s songs. Parker addresses the process of coming to terms with the loss of someone: some songs mourn their past relationship and others hope for a better future, constructing a dichotomy between wanting to move on and not being able to let go. Parker gets personal when he wonders what he has done wrong, reflecting on his mistakes, insecurities and regrets. What makes Currents such a memorable album is the amplification of Tame Impala’s signature unique sound, mixed with personal and heartfelt lyrics. Elena Corcobado
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Bon Iver Bon Iver
on Iver’s self titled album released in 2011 changed my life entirely, because of the aesthetics and emotions of the album. The mix of personal titles and place names creates an intimate vibe to relax to in any mood. I find myself coming to this album when i’m feeling stressed or want to write, it really clears my head and is perfectly crafted. My favourites on the album are ‘Perth’, because of the creative use of instruments, ‘Holocene’, because the lyrics are beautiful with the perfect instrumentals to compliment them, and ‘Hinnom, TX’. Finally, the artwork of the album is beautifully aesthetic and is one of Bon Iver’s most artistic, on a par with latest release I,i. Hope Lynes
the courier
23
Monday 10 February 2020
The Courier Chats: Backstage with BlackWaters
Finlay Holden chats to Sheffield’s rising stars BlackWaters before their Think Tank performance.
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inlay Holden interviews rising band BlackWaters before their Newcastle show at Think Tank? Underground. How did your band form? James: We all come from different places but had the same desire to pursue music, and we were the one band in college that were together right from the beginning. Has it got to the stage where you don’t have to rely on part-time work as much anymore? Everyone: No James: It’s often misconstrued by the public as to where that point actually is. People see us selling out headline shows and say to me “oh, you could easily quit your job”, and I say are you fucking mental, I have like no money. But you can’t blame people for thinking that When did you record the newer singles you’ve been releasing? David: We did ‘Two Time Lover’, ‘Forget Myself’, and ‘21 Lessons’ at the same time with a guy called Tom Mitchener down in Watford back in September, and we’d already done ‘I’m Not Your Man’ with him as well. He’s a really easy guy to work with. We’ve got another one coming out at the end of this tour, called ‘I Want It All’, that’s an exclusive for you. Did you deliberately move away from a punk sound to almost indie-rock? Max: Yeah, I think we wanted to prove that we could do more than just loud punk music; we all listen to so much different music, and we’re so much better than being restricted to just one style. David: We’d only just moved to Sheffield when we wrote the People Street EP, and at the time a lot of utter shit was going on, so that’s what we wrote about. We were working in a practice room that’s just as dingy as this place… you can’t go into a place like that and write cheery music, so we came out with some dark stuff. Are you planning future releases in the same vein as where you’re at now?
Max: I think we’re at a good place now, yeah. Ollie: We want to do an album, but we want to do that right because it could be a platform for bigger things. I’d imagine there’d be some sort of EP release first rather than just a long string of singles leading up to that. What artists have influenced as you were growing up or even now? Max: The first band that cataclysmically flipped a switch in our minds, as a group, was FIDLAR. I grew up listening to utter shit, like musical theatre. I do think Pink Floyd may have changed my life though, I find them very therapeutic. What smaller bands are you championing at the moment? James: Nervous Pills, they’re really great guys who we invited to work with us. There are loads of great bands in Sheffield, Black Mamba Fever are a really fun band too. Max: Another good one is SPIT, back down in Guildford, they’ve released three tunes now and they’re all great; sort of stoner rock stuff. We’ve met a lot of good musicians through our Arts Lab, a lot of creative people that Image: Finlay Holden work for maga-
zines and stuff all just getting involved together. What are the Yard Parties you guys do? Max: We saw how welcoming Sheffield was and effectively invited 70 strangers to a party in our house, and it didn’t seem to go too badly, so we kept throwing them. It gets so loud it’s ridiculous, we’ve definitely had noise complaints. We’ve had people like Calva Louise, Nervous Pills, RedFaces, Joey Mojito… they’ve all been great so far, and the nights are only getting bigger. BlackWaters are a rock band that can provide a loud, highenergy experience and then switch to slower, melodic and thought-provoking music before riling you up yet again. They’re definitely ones to watch on the indie scene; check out their latest single ‘Two Time Lover’ now.
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Not only the music but also the way we listen to music will keep evolving
Given that this next decade will feature some bright, new talent, I took a swift look at the ‘Best New Artist’ category, and if any familiar faces have cropped up here or there. Starting in the 60s, one can imagine that a name I instantly saw was The Beatles, who won in 1965 for their hard-hitting, English rock vibes. The following year, The Voice judge Tom Jones took home the award, perhaps for his all-time classic hit ‘It’s Not Unusual’. Similar styles of music stained the 70s, with acts such as America, which any Breaking Bad fans will recognise from the song ‘Horse With No Name’, and 71 runner-up Elton John continuing the rock-y vibes of the mid 20th century. The 80s, however, took somewhat of a slight shift, with acts such as Tracy Chapman and Christopher Cross inspiring a folk-ish aspect to American music. In the 90’s, we saw pop-singer Mariah Carey win, alongside other acts such as Sheryl Crow and Hootie and the Blowfish, which overall shows the diversifying nature of music before the turn of the century. In the last 20 years, this diversity has clearly followed. We’ve seen rap artists, such as Chance the Rapper and 50 Cent, on the list, alongside heavy-metal acts of Evanescence and pop-icons such as Dua Lipa and Meghan Trainor. A name which I couldn’t fail to mention, Billie Eilish, exemplifies this perfectly, with her current blend
We’ve got the shift in artists and thus the genres they come with
at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House
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ednesday 29 January at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, we went to see Ryan Bingham, an Americana singer and guitarist who was opening for the Milk Carton Kids. At first, the casual and warm performance seemed out of place in a theatre covered by the names of classical musicians like Mozart and, which stage was crowned by Shakespeare’s. Whilst at first Bingham’s performance would seem more fit for a venue where interaction with the public was easier; The Milk Carton Kids made it obvious that the Opera House was the perfect place to sing acapella and impress the attendees.
With a raspy voice and harmonic guitar riffs, Bingham marked the concert with interludes before each song used to narrate and describe his life in southern Texas. The short monologues sparked some laughs through the public while introducing the meaning of each piece. Yet, his biographical lyrics are in some occasions blunt and basic, almost as if taken out of a country music textbook.
Tom Moorcroft takes a look at how music has evolved and its possible evolution in the 2020s of indie-pop and electronic rap seeing her take home five Grammy’s, the joint third highest for one night by a female artist.
Live: Ryan Bingham
Images: Alex Gervas
Tunes of the future: how will music evolve?
fter picking up this article at the Courier’s writers meeting, I walked back to my desk, sat down and thought: “Look what you’ve got yourself into”. If uni work and my own work with the Courier wasn’t enough, I’d decided to tackle one of life’s many unpredictable questions: “what will happen in the future?” For those like me, lacking the physical ability to do so, I guess I’ll have to tackle the question my own way, by seeing how it’s evolved over the last few decades. Whilst it may be somewhat biased to just allocate different artists to different decades, I thought I’d take a gander at some of the best selling artists decade by decade, to get an all round perspective on the music of the time. Looking at the Grammy Awards, which started in 1959, we can take a look at some of the acts over time that have received critical acclaim, and thus see how they’ve changed.
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the emergence of folk and country acts in the 80s, and the pop and rap injection of the 2000s, we can see that music is constantly changing. Not only have different genres emerged, but the blending of genres, which we can see through current acts like Tame Impala, Billie Eilish and Tyler, The Creator must leave one hopeful for what the future has in store. Also, with the rise in streaming of all platforms, nevermind music, we can see that the availability of music has increased massively. The ability for younger artists to get their music out to the world has given the future artists of the 2020s the platform to promote their talents across the globe. If we look at how far acts such as The 1975 have come, from playing local pubs in Manchester to headlining Reading and Leeds over the course of a
Not only are the acts we’re listening to changing, but the way in which we do so is evolving as well. If you ask your parents, or even look back to the past depending on how old you are, you might be able to find CDs in your attic, or maybe even cassette tapes. Not only have these been and gone, but the following methods of buying and downloading music has become extinct too, with subscription based music platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify dominating the market. However, the ability for new artists to post their music on Image: Pixabay, Instagram @sportsteam sights such as Instagram, YouTube or Soundcloud has truly blessed the up and coming artists of the last decade, who knows decade and the decade to come. The aforemenwhat the future acts the 2020s have tioned Billie Eilish saw a mass following after postin store. ing her video, ‘Ocean Eyes’, on YouTube, and if you At the start of my article, I was somescroll down Instagram today, you’ll be exposed to what worried about what I’d got myself various acts such as The Hunna, Sports Team and into. Like I said, predicting the future even The 1975 who are making use of the intercan often lead to speculation and, more connected world of social media today. times than not, getting proven wrong. I think that there are two schools of thoughts While it may change in content and rewhen thinking about how music has evolved ception, there’s one thing I know for over time. We’ve got the shift in artists and thus certain: music will surely stand the the genres they come with, and also the way test of time in which music has been taken in and enjoyed by fans. If we look on from the rockin’ 60s, to
Between songs Bingham narrated his life in southern Texas
In our opinion, however dull the lyrics were, Bingham’s identity really came from his guitar playing. Although classical, Bingham’s talent is noticeable in the way he gives his music a personal touch, especially with his more upbeat songs. These songs had more body to them and felt more complete, even without the percussion, which seemed to be missing in the more melancholic tracks. After a short intermission The Milk Carton Kids took the stage, and from the very beginning charmed the audience with skilful guitar work and beautiful vocal harmonies. Their performance felt intimate even in such a big venue, all thanks to the Milk Carton Kids restricting their instrumentation to just two guitars and a single microphone. Their set included some of their older songs as well as one from their latest release Only Ones. Overall it was an evening filled with hauntingly beautiful music and brilliant chatter form the performers, who left us curious to further explore the genre of Americana music. Alex Gervás
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culture TV Sex Education earns a qualification in representation Lucy Lillystone discusses the importance of diversity in teen TV shows and commends Netflix's hit show Sex Education S Monday 10 February 2020
c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Amy Brown & Sophie Hicks
ex Education season 2 has finally dropped and it is bigger and better than anyone expected. Alongside a stellar cast, its comedic plot and brilliant one liners, Sex Education is possibly the best show on Netflix at the moment, and that is purely down to providing more representation and diversity than any TV show I’ve ever watched. The show follows the trials, tribulations and sex related problems of the students at Moordale Secondary School. Season 1 focused on protagonist Otis, but season 2 works to include a wider range of characters, each with their own plot lines and appealing elements. Amongst the new characters in season 2 is the paraplegic actor George Robinson who plays Maeve’s trailer park neighbour Isaac. From the start of his introduction, I knew this season was going to epic as rather than just having any actor off the street playing a wheelchair-user character, Sex Education goes above and beyond with the disabled actor and it is truly heartwarming to see the representation. While other shows are often too afraid or believe it’s not worth the risk when it comes to acting decisions, Sex Education removes barriers and gives actors the chances they deserve to represent the reality of society. Alongside actors, there is also representation in the plot that other shows fail to include. Alongside the fact that the school’s star
athlete Jackson is the son of a lesbian biracial couple, something that is almost never represented on screen, the show features one of the main protagonists – Eric – as a proud and out gay man. And when we get to season two, we are given some asexuality representation, something that on TV and in film is very rare. When Florence turned up in the fourth episode, I was nervous because what little asexual representation I have seen, it is almost always inaccurate. And yet, I was shocked again at the way in which the show dealt with the sexuality that it almost had me in tears. Actually, that scene when Florence says she feels broken? I was sobbing. We also have Lily (Tanya Reynolds) who is just a delight in every single way. The season 2 finale opens on a sex scene between Lily and Ola where we discover Lily has something called vaginismus. Now, until this show, I hadn’t even heard of vaginismus, never mind know what it is. But according to the NHS, “vaginismus is the body’s automatic reaction to the fear of some or all types of vaginal penetration.” And Sex Education does a brilliant job of showing that people with the condition can still have great sex lives. This is a show that opens up viewers minds about conditions we probably didn’t even know existed but all
while portraying them in a comedic, but truly groundbreaking, accessible way to audiences that is true and accurate.
It explores the realities that women go through on a daily basis
What hit me the most this season was the story line that brought together the characters through Aimee’s encounter with a pervert on the bus. This is a story line that deals with sexual harassment and the trauma and anxiety associated with it. It explores the realities that women go through on a daily basis. And not only is it moving to watch and painfully relatable, it is also based on writer Laurie Nunn’s personal experience which makes it even more touching. The way in which one by one, each character shares a story of assault, embodying female solidarity is by far the most emotive and powerful episode of the entire series. It removes this pervading narrative and discourse surround-
ing female competition and manipulation, highlighting the issue of sexual violence hierarchies and the power of women in telling their stories. Although I’ve only just touched the surface here, Sex Education is a show that has given us self harm, addiction, disability, sexual assault, bi/pan/gay and asexual representation all of which are dealt with in detail and development that is refreshing and empowering. It’s everything I’ve ranted and raved about for years, demanding TV to be more diverse, to represent society the way it is and finally, a show has come through. Thank you Sex Education. The overarching message Sex Education gives out through it’s representation and diversity is that no matter how different we all are, we must accept who we are and the differences between us because that is the reality of society. Sex Education is a show home to diversity and comical reality, the type that makes you smile at the screen as you realise that holy shit, this show really knows what we want and how to represent this in the right way. There aren’t many marks that Sex Education misses and I’m already impatiently waiting for another season.
Image: Youtube
National Television REVIEW: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 3 Awards Round-up A
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n 28 January, our screens were blessed with Image: Youtube yet another award show in the form of the 25th National Television Awards hosted by David Walliams, his first in the role. As with any award show, there will be controversies with the winners, especially as they were chosen by us, the public. So what did the UK love most on the small screen? Chernobyl, unsurprisingly, took home the award for best new drama thanks to its stellar performances and shows while HBO may have had a small hiccup with Game of Thrones S8, they still have the potential to give us some brilliant television. Despite it only having 5 episodes, Chernobyl managed to beat out some serious competition which goes to show that quality of quantity is certainly a way to go, and certainly got a radioactive buzz from the public for it. Another big winner at the awards is the extremely popular Peaky Blinders with its fifth season bringing in the award for best drama and best performance in a drama for Cillian Murphy’s role as Tom Shelby. The critically acclaimed crime show has been nominated for awards in 2017 and 2019 but sadly didn’t win so it’s great that the show finally got what it rightfully deserved Mrs. Brown’s Boys took home the award for Best Comedy, bringing its total up to four wins at the NTA. This impressive win was secured against fierce competition from shows like Fleabag, Sex Education and Derry Girls. Personally, I think either of those other shows should have won as each held a lot of significance in modern society, especially Sex Education with its crucial use of representation.
The Christmas special for Gavin and Stacey was able to secure the Impact Award. This is clearly well deserved as the special, which was highly anticipated, brought in over 17.1 million viewers live or on catchup. This is an insane number showing how much this show is loved and while many are annoyed at the end, everyone is sure to welcome the show if it returns, even if just another special. The coveted special recognition award was rightfully awarded to Sir Michael Palin, a member of the comedy group Monty Python and has since made several travel documentaries. The majority of his comedy work was written with the late Terry Jones who Michael gave tribute to in his acceptance speech saying “I want to dedicate this award tonight to someone who taught me more about television than anyone else, my dear friend and erstwhile Python, Terry Jones.” This touching message was a sure improvement to the awards and a heartfelt goodbye to one of the greats.
George Bell
fter the exciting trailer and music video dropped by Netflix for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 3, a binge-watch was predicted. Full of dramatic twists and turns, it’s a paganistic, slippery slope for everyone who has ever stepped into Greendale. The new season kicks off with Sabrina rescuing Nick from Hell, in addition to being introduced to some fairly interesting ‘creatures.’ However, unlike the first episode, the rest of the season is anything but hunky-dory. Including Sabrina and Nick, most of the characters have a constant battle going on in their lives, which they almost win but not quite. To start off, step aside for the new matriarchal coven in the town folks; be it Hell or Earth! Zelda, now the High Priestess reforms the Church of Night in a world of absent God. Prudence and Ambrose in their hunt of Blackwood end up uncovering the darker and ‘older’ secrets, which poses a threat on the mortal and witch world alike. Hilda moves towards a more familial life with Dr. Cee but of course, they end up being caught in a web, quite literally. The season also introduces Caliban, The Prince of Hell to the viewers and Sabrina, who might be ‘earthly’ but is driven by the power, much like any other being. Hysterically enough, the writers of the show have slid in daddy issues through both Nick and the Dark Lord, which gives off more creepy vibes than comical. Lilith assumes a more guardian-like role to Sabrina but is just as exhausted of her recklessness, if not more.
The multitude of musical sequences, unfortunately, has failed to gain a good repute amongst the audiences as they break the rhythm of the narrative. On a brighter note, the show portrays relationships in a more practical sense, and not just through Nick and Sabrina. Theo and Robin, along with Hilda and Dr. Cee (oh, and Zelda as well but I’d rather you find out ‘with who’ on your own) are a nice change with a more realistic relationship representation in a mainstream heteronormative narrative. The guilt, shame and depressive parts of PTSD are well represented with a tormented Nick, aiming to bring to light the difficulties endured by those who deal with mental health issues. The show is loaded with surprises and tries hard to engage the viewers but ends up on a tricky note with chaos spread over like the plant people of the paganearth. Sabrina’s character is rather frustrating to watch, with so much potential unrealized. At one hand, mistakes are an understandable part of a teenager’s life, but Sabrina’s independent character assumes a more dangerous position here. In a way, the only character without a character development throughout the series is Sabrina, the protagonist. But with all the support around Sabrina, here’s hoping that season 4 will bring back the magic of the earlier seasons. Arnojya Shree
Images: IMDb
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Monday 10 February 2020
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Too good to be true? The couples that never made it Ellie Pidgeon tells us about a few of her favourite TV duos that sadly didn't become endgame
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he recipe for a good TV show has to include a build up to a relationship between two characters. My most favourite shows, such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Amy and Jake, have a satisfying ending to this build up with the characters eventually ending up together. However, there are many shows that defy my expectations and do not couple up my favourite characters. Like the vast majority of people, I love Friends. The sarcastic humour in combination with fleshed out characters created an amazing TV show. However, my Friends opinions may differ to most – I loved Joey and Rachel and I wanted them to end up together. Rachel will always be my favourite character and so I was desperate to see her happy. Her relationship with Ross was uncomfortable to watch and there was no hope there. Her scenes with Joey were always my favourite and I was so excited when they became a couple, although it didn’t last for long. I therefore controversially wanted them to end up together.
Ashes to Ashes, on the other hand, has been neglected by avid TV fans despite being the most clever show I’ve ever watched. The show follows DI Alex Drake who is transported back to 1981, the year her parents were killed, after being shot. Here, she meets DI Gene Hunt. Initially, I hated them together, Gene Hunt was a product of the ignorant 1980s culture and Alex spent much of the first season belittled by him. As the show goes on, their undeniable chemistry produces an unmissable watch. I won’t spoil the ending (because you have to watch this show!) but they eventually don’t end up together and you’ll be left reeling by the ending for weeks.
Had one of them been a man, they would have ended up together Another show that broke my heart was Once Upon a Time. This show has always been one of my favourites and I adored the reformed villain, Regina Mills. Regina’s love interest was Robin Hood until his untimely death. Whilst I loved them together, my heart laid with Regina’s ‘relationship’ with Emma Swan. They shared a son, Henry, together and had one of them been a man, they would have ended up together as their story was reminiscent of a fairy tale. In my next couple of couples, there is still hope that they could get together as their TV shows are still ongoing. Therefore, there are some spoilers ahead. Sex Education, for example, has recently aired its second heartbreaking season. The build up throughout the
season would suggest that eventually, the show would pair Maeve and Otis together. In stark contrast, however, the ending sees Nathan delete Otis’s voicemail to Maeve diminishing all chances of reconciliation. I’m still holding out hope, however, with season three airing next year. Similarly, Netflix recently released its third season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I must admit that I love Nick and Sabrina together and so was devastated when they finished the season apart. I also love Zelda and Madam Satan together, and so I was bitterly disappointed by the interaction between them. However, the finale did hint at Zelda’s happiness with Mambo Marie and I’m very excited to see where the writers go with this relationship. In too many TV shows, my favourite characters fail to get together. Whilst this could often feel unsatisfying and painful, it often creates the best shows. It often highlights the independence of women, especially in the case of Ashes to Ashes. Sometimes it is for the best.
Image: Youtube
Kate Dunkerton discusses her top picks of TV power couples during the Valentine's season
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a relationship between two existing characters is always a risky move, especially when the two have been nothing but friends for so long, which paid off in this case. Monica and Chandler make the audience forget they haven’t been together all along. Probably one of the most frustrating but endearing romances in TV has got to be Jim and Pam from The Office (2005-2013). Portrayed by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer, Jim and Pam are stuck in a will they/won’t they situation, with their obvious attraction caught by the camera crew, which is dragged out until the conclusion of season three. With Jim’s
constant excuses to go to Pam’s reception desk to flirt with her, assumptions that they’re a couple are quashed in the first episode when the audience is introduced to Pam’s fiancée and childhood sweetheart Roy, who is the polar opposite of Jim (and Pam). It isn’t until the end of season two that Jim finally professes his love for Pam, only for her to turn him down to marry Roy. Realising her mistake too late, Pam must watch as Jim begins a relationship with Karen, who doesn’t take the hint that they still have feelings for each other. Finally becoming a couple in season four, Jim and Pam soon marry and have two children as they conclude the series by leaving Scranton so Jim can pursue his job promotion.
In addition to the programme been critically acclaimed for its excellent production and scripts, the cast have also been praised for making the directors’ ambitions a rewarding reality. The ingenious addition of establishing the narrator of the events in the show as a representation of Lemony Snicket not only makes the storyline more comprehensive for the viewer, but pays tribute to the original inventor of the fantasy. The actors of the Baudelaire children were, as expected, children themselves; the impressive talent shown at their young ages, particularly within the first season, sets the precedent of the show and enables a captivating performance of the three main protagonists. The bond presented between the siblings is realistic and relatable; their compassion towards one another and their instinct to protect what remains of their family installs sympathy and care within the audience, creating an emotional connection between the two. Furthermore, the villainous Count Olaf is performed by the sublime Neil Patrick Harris. Harris delves into the epicentre of the persona that he is required to invent; as a result, he offers an outstanding interpretation of Snicket’s fortune driven criminal. It is now almost impossible to imagine an alternative actor to deliver a performance as captivating and believable as Harris – the perfect creator of the narcissistic mastermind who dominates the events at the heart of the drama.
He proves his love for her by choosing her over Star Wars
A relationship between two existing characters is always a risky move It isn’t until Ross’ wedding to Emily in London that Monica and Chandler sleep together in a shock twist for the series, developing into a secret relationship back in New York. Their attempt to keep their relationship a secret from the group results in one of the best and funniest episodes of the series, “The One Where Everybody Finds Out”, in which Phoebe and Rachel attempt to get Monica and Chandler to tell the truth. From there, Monica and Chandler have the longest romantic relationship of all the friends, tying the knot in season seven and adopting twins after pregnancy struggles in the final season. Writing
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he Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events successfully aired three seasons from 2017 to 2019, offering a new dynamic to Lemony Snicket’s classic books through a gripping visual representation of the unexpected twist and turns that the Baudelaire children are forced to encounter. Mark Hudis and Barry Sonnenfeld exploit the sinister elements of the original stories, relying on the uniquely abnormal quality of the narrative to power the ominous mise-en-scène of the show and the never-ending misadventures of the characters. The drama adopts black comedy in order to heighten this malevolent ambience, emphasising the ‘unfortunate’ lives of the Baudelaire’s and evoking sympathy from the viewers, strengthening the relationship between the protagonists and the audience. The ironic comedy also allows the series to abandon the childish connotations associated with the books and display a darker rendition of the tales, reaching out to a slightly more sophisticated watcher and creating an alternative perception to Snicket’s originally innocent motives.
The bond presented between the siblings is realistic and relatable
The TV love stories that lived on
ow that it is officially February, love is in the air! As we approach Valentine's Day on 14 February, it feels only appropriate to reflect on some of the best TV love stories to grace our screens. From unexpected romances that blossomed over time to immediate attractions, the chemistry between the actors sometimes makes you wonder “Why aren’t they together in real life?!”. First up is, and my personal favourite, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) from legendary sitcom Friends (1994-2004). Although many will always declare Ross and Rachel the Friends couple, who I also love watching, there’s something about Monica and Chandler that seems slightly more stable than Ross and Rachel’s on/off relationship. I’m obviously referring to Ross and Rachel’s “we were on a break” phase. Were they or were they not? You decide. Instead, Monica and Chandler were the unexpected power couple in Friends, starting out as completely platonic friends for the first four seasons, watching each other go through the ups and downs of their failed relationships with Richard and Janice.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Image: Youtube
One of the more awkward TV couples is Sheldon and Amy from The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019). Starting (and ending) the series as a socially inept nerd whose only goal is to make a breakthrough in theoretical physics and win a Nobel Prize, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) doesn’t have time or interest in romance. Setting up an online dating profile as a joke, the gang soon find the female version of Sheldon in neuroscientist Amy (Mayim Bialik). After a brief break-up in season eight, Sheldon and Amy are reunited, proving his love for her by choosing her over Star Wars which, if you’ve ever watched The Big Bang Theory, will know is a big deal. Eventually marrying, Sheldon and Amy achieve their goal of winning a Nobel Prize for their achievement in science. So, sit back and revisit these power couples’ most memorable moments this Valentine’s Day.
Meg Blount
Image: IMDb
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c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors: Elisabetta Pulcini, Joe Holloran, Lucy Lillystone & Steven Ross
Monday 10 February 2020
Are all genres created equal? The Oscars think not
Film fan Peter Lennon questions whether the Oscars are biased in favour of certain film genres and why this may be the case
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t’s that time of year again where we all lament about the Oscar nominees and give out a collective sigh. Disappointment comes in all forms with the Academy, from snubbing female directors to whitewashing the acting categories. However, a much wider net is cast over the bias towards particular genres in the coveted Best Picture category. Between horror and comedy films to the latest comic book blockbuster, some genres just can’t seem to catch a break. But is it all what it really seems? Ahead of this year’s 92nd Annual Academy Awards, I have taken a look at the past thirty years of the show’s Best Picture category, identifying the trends and gaps in genres to see if this “Oscar Bias” holds true, or just a reactionary response to a personal favourite being snubbed. The most interesting results were produced by comedy which, despite rarely winning, has a persistent presence over the last three decades. Comedy has produced memorable and prolific winners, such as Forrest Gump (1994) and Chicago (2002), as well as appearing in the nominations consecutively from 1994 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2004. So, what’s the catch? The catch is that many of these comedy films are laced with strong dramatic elements that make their generic conventions appear supplementary rather than being the driving force of the film. Whether it’s the sobering depiction of depression in Forrest Gump or the challenging depiction of wartime in the small towns of Nazi Germany – as in this year’s Jojo Rabbit (2019) – there has been a story that the Acad-
emy would be able to deem “substantial”, for whatever that may mean.
Booksmart, which fully embraces its comedy status, has been unfairly snubbed
Looking in contrast to Jojo Rabbit, we can see that Booksmart (2019), which fully embraces its comedy status while not sacrificing its heart, has been unfairly snubbed. As for horror – the devil to comedy’s angel – the bias is much more clearly defined. Perhaps shockingly, there was an eleven-year gap between The Sixth Sense’s nomination in 1999 and Black Swan’s nomination in 2010 in the Best Picture category. Fortunately for horror fans, they only had to wait seven years for the next nomination Get Out in 2017. On a side note, these three films have a downward sliding scale in the number of nominations received: six, five and four, respectively. Although horror is often saddled with the reputation for pumping out B and C list films each year, particularly in January and October, a renaissance propelled by American entertainment company A24 highlights the Academy’s refusal to represent horror as a legitimate genre.
Offerings such as The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019) have been underserved despite their critical acclaim and achievements in the film medium. As for comic books films, the genre appears to be more accepted within the Academy. Last year famously saw Black Panther (2018) be nominated for Best Picture after campaigns for previously acclaimed films, such as The Dark Knight (2008) and Wonder Woman (2017), were unsuccessful. The Academy notoriously expanded the Best Picture nominations after backlash was received from The Dark Knight’s failure to be nominated. Despite this, the genre is only seeing the fruition of this act a decade later.
Of course, this year’s Joker (2019) has received the most nominations with eleven, including Best Picture and Best Actor. While this will undoubtedly be taken as a win, it’s important to recognise that Joker is not a traditional comic book film. In fact, the depiction of Joker in the film bears little to no resemblance to its source material and origins. Quite frankly, it would be unrecognisable to the source had the names of characters and locations simply been changed. Thus, Joker’s success does not necessarily defeat a genre bias, but rather compromises its identity to win the Academy’s approval.
Oscars Snubs: did the Academy m Image: Youtube
Image: IMDB
Our writers champion their top choices for the six main Academy Awards categories that should have been nominated for the prestig Best Picture: The Farewell (PG)
While its safe to say most films have earned their nominations, in typical Oscar fashion there are several films from 2019 that deserve a lot more respect and show how out of the touch the Oscars are getting. One such movie is the brilliant The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina, which received no Academy award nominations. At all. The Farewell is a primarily Mandarin spoken film about a family who decides not to inform their dying grandmother of her illness and go back to China from aroundtheworldtosaytheirgoodbyesunder the guise of a wedding. As expected, it’s quite the bittersweet film with some truly sad moments that will make you cry, but also really heartfelt moments that make this film so amazing. Superb performances by Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzen further elevate this movie and make it a must-watch for anyone with a heart, which the Oscars are clearly lacking. George Bell
Best Actress: Lupita Nyong'o
While Us was generally neglected in nominations this year, the biggest snub is that of Lupita Nyong’o for best actress. Due to her contrasting characters she was forced to manipulate her voice to two extremes delving into the worlds of mutes, almost destroying her vocal cords in the
process. Her role was demanding: she portrayed terrifying, yet vulnerable characters, swinging from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. While there are plenty of worthy nominees this year, Nyong’o is truly noteworthy. Though it was snubbed by the Academy, it will not be forgotten by horror fans any time soon. Is it time for roles in horror to be taken more seriously? This isn’t the first time we have seen a snub for this genre. The Academy needs to open their eyes, hide behind a pillow and appreciate more what horror is contributing to cinema. Eve Ducker
Best Actor: Taron Egerton
Personally, I thought Taron Egerton was a shoe-in for his work on Rocketman, especially after his recent win at the Golden Globes. He perfectly captured Elton John’s mannerisms during the biopic, from his distinctive pianoplaying style, to his speech pattern. This must have taken an immense amount of time and effort, especially given Egerton faced the added pressure of playing a still living, iconic figure. If that w a s n’ t enough, Egerton also sang Elton John’s hits, and did a fantastic job of imitating the singer’s style, to the extent it’s almost
impossible to tell his versions of the songs from the originals. Let’s not forget that last year’s winner, Rami Malek, didn’t actually do all of his own singing when he portrayed Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Above all else, Egerton gave the strongest performance within a movie where the whole cast was incredible, and that deserves recognition.
actors with double her film credits would be envious of. After being nominated at the Golden Globes, there was a bit of buzz that the conwomen-strippers flick could spring a surprise at the Oscars, with J-Lo leading the pack. Alas, J-Lo will have to settle with ‘just’ Super Bowl half-time show this year. Stacey Henley
Best Supporting Actor : Kevin Garnett
Em Richardson
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lopez Forget Little Women, if you want an example of gender imbalance at the Academy, how about the fact Hustlers received no nominations at all. Zero. Being a comedy won’t have helped, nor would it’s unashamedly nonwhite cast featuring less than prestige names like Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and Lizzo. Constance Wu and J-Lo are both kind of the lead, but back against the wall, Wu is the lead with Lopez supporting. Wu’s fine, though doesn’t produce enough to trouble the Best Actress category. Lopez though definitely does enough, holding the whole film together with a mix of confidence and subtlety
It seems the Academy isn’t yet willing to forgive Adam Sandler for his crimes against cinema, because it stayed well away from giving Uncut Gems any attention at all, which is a tragedy. Kevin Garnett’s debut performance as himself deserved a nomination at the very least. His role was pivotal to the story, and he delivered such a convincing performance it’s almost hard to believe he isn't a trained actor. Garnett, a basketball player, has to essentially be himself on screen, but at the same time must act. In spite of it being Garnett’s first role - and a very challenging one at that - he smashes it, and at the same time brings out some of Sandler’s best performances in the scenes they share. Academy politics might have robbed a lot of people of recognition, but I think we can be sure we’ll be seeing Garnett on the big screen again. Muslim Taseer
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Monday 10 February 2020
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film culture
Awards 2020: man club continued
Harriet Metcalfe examines and criticises the lack of female and BAME representation at this year's major awards ceremonies
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ost years, I like to rant on Instagram about this topic. Now it’s going in a newspaper. That’s more progress than most Awarding Academies have made in recent year. Now there’s always drama around the Oscars and BAFTAs, whether it’s La La Land/Moonlightgate, or Olivia Coleman blowing a raspberry when told to start finishing up her speech (personally, I think it’s iconic). But these are pretty minor inconveniences given the very real and present problem with both Awards.
Loathe or look forward to them, it’s hard to deny that diversity has become almost non-existent. #OscarsSoWhite is a social media movement started in 2015 by April Reign and took off almost immediately, making the Academy double the number of women and people of colour
mess up?
voters at the beginning of the following year. Theoretically, this should have resulted in more nominations for minority groups. And it sort of did – Moonlight won Best Picture over La La Land in 2017 (and rightly so), and Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman ever to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for Lady Bird in 2018. After this spike in diversity, everything fell disappointingly back to normal. #BaftasSoWhite started in 2017 when no BAME actors were nominated for leading-role categories, or best director – not even Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Again, things somewhat improved the following year after massive backlash on social media, with Rungano Nyoni winning ‘Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer’ for I Am Not a Witch. But this year sees a disappointing return to the BAFTAs and Oscars ignoring female/BAME talent, and the hashtags are trending again. This year, 19 out of the 20 acting nominees for the Oscars are white. All the actors nominated at the BAFTAs are white. In a year that saw Lupita Nyong’o in Jordan Peele’s Us – the Academy only found room to nominate Scarlett Johansson. Twice. The issue isn’t that there is a lack of talent; the fault lies with the Academy’s voting system. How are informed choices meant to be made, with so many films eligible during awards season, and no method to monitor what voters watch? Little Women’s nomination for Best Picture (at the Oscars) is more than justified, but how then is Greta Gerwig missing from the list of best directors when, historically, the two categories have been so inter-linked? Where is Lorene Scafaria (writer/director) or Jennifer Lopez’s nomination for Hustlers – one of the best
films about female diversity, unity and empowerment? Of course there are exceptions. Parasite has 6 nominations at the Oscars (including Best Picture), as well as 4 at the BAFTAs – yet none of its actors are nominated. For a film reaching 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and gaining rave reviews all-round, it seems pretty odd. There doesn’t need to be a slight ‘reshuffle’; the system needs to change. So before we all go wallow in the disaster that is the Oscars and the BAFTAs, I want to look ahead to the diverse rising talent of 2020. French director Céline Sciamma’s beautiful Portrait of a Lady on Fire gets its wide release in theaters and Birds of Prey directed by Cathy Yan comes out this week. Awards season might have become political – the Eurovision of cinema, if you will – but we can only hope that these might be some of the films recognized next year. And in the words of Bong Joon Ho and translator Sharon Choi; “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazi n g films”. Image: IMDB
Uncut Gems (15)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (PG)
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The Lighthouse (15)
gious awards but have been missed. Best Director : Greta Gerwig
With 6 Oscar nominations, Little Women is a favourite in many categories. Greta Gerwig for Best Director however is not one of these categories. Why? The truth is we will never know. While the discussion about this so far has been at times fiery, it sometimes has been blind to the work that was even snubbed. The glorious, life affirming piece of cinema that undoubtedly touched the hearts of those that saw it. It was loyal to the original text while being new and exciting; a fresh retelling by a modern director. Gerwig’s exceptional direction guided her dream-team of actresses to some of the best performances of their careers, earning them nominations this year. All of this and much more considered I just want to say that while the Academy don’t recognise Gerwig’s talent, I do and Greta I salute you. Eve Ducker
Images: IMDB
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Image: IMDB
he Lighthouse, directed by Robert Eggers is a film equally disturbing and raw in many aspects. To begin with, it contains nudity, violence, sexually explicit scenes as well as allusions to rape, therefore it is unsuitable for anyone who might be distressed by that imagery. The film stars Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, and Valeriia Karama, in particular Robert Pattinson delivers an amazing performance. He is mostly known for his role as Edward in Twilight and has been trying for years to step out of that shadow, and I must say that he has managed it. His accent was brilliant, and he was very transparent, showcasing his character’s emotions in the best way. Another element worth noticing is the role sound plays in the narrative. The editing of the film is brilliant, and the choices the director made, from the use of 1.19:1 Movietone ration with the square framing of early sound movies, to the camera movement, to it being black and white, truly creates an admirable body of work. To my mind, the problem with the film laid mostly with the story and the script. All those elements were unfortunately used to conceal the lack of real plot or conflict. For film lovers or people who are intrigued by techniques, this film is very educative, and the acting is truly brilliant, nevertheless, at the end of the day, it was unable to save the overall sense that there was something missing. Though the tension builds up by the end of the movie, it is purely a collage of plot points that collectively fail to create a narrative that speaks to the audience, and for that reason, to my mind, it deserves 2/5 stars. Sadly, the script brought down all the strikingly beautiful elements of this. Katerina Vasilaki
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Image: IMDB
ncut Gems is a shot of adrenaline to the heart. It follows Howie Ratner, a sleazy New York jeweller in the City’s diamond district, dealing with violent loan sharks and the gambling addiction that brought them after him. The latest Safdie brothers instalment, much like 2017’s Good Time, expertly builds tension to near breaking-point, a tension that doesn’t let up until the final scene. Sandler as Howie is the star of this film. His performance is a far cry away from the likes of Jack and Jill and it’s evident throughout that Sandler is absolutely loving the part he gets to play. His previous experience does not go ignored however, the tense atmosphere being pricked with nervous and awkward moments of genuine comedy. In Uncut Gems he receives the Safdie Brothers treatment Robert Pattinson received with Good Time, showing versatility and skill in an actor often derided by critics. As well as big names, the Safdie Brothers use real life New Yorkers they know from living in the city to add an inimitable layer of realism; many of the bookies, pawnbrokers, and henchmen seen in this film are essentially playing themselves. Most notably, power forward for the Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett, appears as himself in a real-life basketball game that serves as a major plot point. Underpinning the film is the frantic soundtrack, composed by electronic musician Oneohtrix Point Never (Daniel Lopatin). Delightfully new age with uncompromising use of the Moog synthesiser, the music adds to the oddball ambience. Uncut Gems only cements the Safdie brothers as experts of the contemporary crime thriller. Full of tension and larger-than-life characters, Uncut Gems is a Scorsese film (who in fact is credited as executive producer) updated for the modern age. Thomas Leach
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Image: IMDB
Beautiful Day in the Neighbourbood attempts to pay a tribute to the famous American television persona Mr. Rogers, played by none other than the brilliant Tom Hanks. Hanks has the quality to awaken sympathy by bringing a compassionate charm to his characters. The film opens with vibrant tones of a make-believe neighbourhood and a realistic Rogers, who discusses how it is difficult to heal from the pain caused by “our loved ones”. Within a few minutes of the opening credits, Hanks introduces the therapeutic and cathartic aura of the film. Matthew Rhys plays Lloyd Vogel, an investigative journalist who is known for his provoking pieces. He has been assigned to do a feature on Rogers’, someone who falls out of his comfort zone. Under authoritative pressure and with a sense of scepticism, he has no choice but to meet with Rogers to finish his piece. However, his interviews lead him to face his own past and heal from the people and pain who have contributed to the making of his being. The film turns the cinematic world into Mr. Rogers’ neighbourhood with toy models weaving one narrative sequence to another. The film itself becomes an episode of the show and Lloyd becomes the character through whom Rogers teaches the value of forgiveness, acceptance and healing. Rhys portrays Tom Junod’s character with utmost sincerity and vulnerability. However, the film depicts the life of Llyod much more intimately than it does Rogers’. Mr. Rogers becomes a neighbour who often frequents Lloyd’s narrative, but his own fails to be accounted for. But Hanks being the soulful and adept actor that he is portrays Rogers’ character with so much warmth and ingenuity that he definitely makes a permanent home in the viewers’ hearts. Arnojya Shree
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culture arts
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Arts Editors Caitlin Rawlings, Charlotte Slinger & Lauren Sneath
Illustrators of Instagram: the accounts worth following Maud Webster gives us a round up of her favourite Instagram artists who are using the platform to promote their artwork @keiross Kier mainly uploads images of his sketchbook, depicting realistic scenes of streets, travelling, and occasionally politicians, mostly line-drawn in black & white. He's an Englishman living in Berlin so (predictably) is known to post satirical illustrations concerning politics, if that's your kind of thing.
spired if you're a visual artist yourself, or a brilliant place to marvel at talented artists - or both. To find more artists you may want to follow, be sure check out the trending hashtags like #sketchbook or #illustration.
@monachalabi Mona Chalabi is a data journalist, who, in addition to her vibrant and informative illustrations on instagram, creates content for a host of renowned publications - including the Guardian, the BBC, National Geographic and Netflix. She posts easy to digest graphs & and charts on her Instagram, illustrated with colourful and funky pictures.
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s with many things in our world, the curation and sharing of art has become increasingly digital; you can find many talented illustrators among the masses of artists flocking to platforms such as Instagram to display their work. This article serves as a little rundown of some brilliant (in my opinion - I guess art is always subjective) illustrators you can follow on Instagram, so you can easily get an artistic fix without even having to leave your bed.
@skbirdsong Stephanie posts a mixture of polished pieces and sketchbook shots on her spirited Instagram feed, often taking inspiration from popular culture as well as imagined scenes and figures. She somehow makes to-do lists into a work of art - see her account for confirmation. @gemmacorrell Now a famous artist, Gemma Correll is an illustrator with a very unique style who covers topics ranging from mental health, to mensuration, to seasonal cartons, to cats and dogs. Her illustrations are colourful and funny and often relatable - find her Instagram and join her already impressive following. Instagram can be a handy way to both get in-
Images: Inst agram
@Gemma C
orrell
It's a muggles game: Harry Potter book sells for £28k Kate Dunkerton tells us all about how a rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold for thousands at auction H oly cricket, someone’s hit the Harry-pot! Almost twenty-three years after JK Rowling’s magical debut in 1997, capturing millions of imaginations all over the world, she proves once again her spell has stood the test of time. Last summer saw Rowling’s first book in her Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sell for £28,000 at auction on BBC’s Bargain Hunt. Bought at a jumble sale for merely 25p by a private collector and office worker, this rare first edition of Philosopher’s Stone was proven to be the real deal when auctioneer Charles Hanson spotted the Staffordshire libraries sticker on the hardback cover. The auction was held at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire where global bids were set ablaze over the phone for a chance to buy the now highly valuable book, which had been sat on a shelf for over twenty years at the unnamed seller’s home.
This first edition of Philosopher's Stone can be found with typography errors
Images: Instagram @Gjnnypotter
One of just 500 hardback copies published by Bloomsbury publishing house, this first edition of Philosopher’s Stone can be found with typography errors as well as Rowling being penned under ‘Joanne Rowling’ on the inside page. The typography errors include the misspelling of philosopher on the back page. Harry Potter owners at home are advised to look through their editions to spot other errors, such as ‘1 wand’ being included on Harry’s Hogwarts school equipment list twice on page 53. Little did JK Rowling know back in 1990 on a delayed train journey from Manchester to London, where she thought of the idea, that she would become one of the most influential authors in history. Written in a café in Edinburgh in 1995, Rowling was finally given a chance by Bloomsbury editor Barry Cunningham after her manuscript was rejected by twelve
publishing houses. The story of an orphan boy who is, unknowingly, one of the most famous wizards in the wizarding world after his defeat of the evil Lord Voldemort has been credited as inspiring more children to read after an initial decline in children’s reading in favour of television. The escapism of Rowling’s wizarding school and the endearing friendship between ‘The Golden Trio’ captured the hearts of, not only the nation, but globally, becoming a landmark in British culture. Rowling was rightfully awarded the OBE for her services to children’s literature in 2001. Spanning beyond the books into a successful film franchise and the inspiration for theme parks and studio tours, Rowling’s Harry Potter will seemingly never end as new generations of readers become e n -
grossed with Harry’s fantastical adventures as they begin to wonder, “when will my Hogwarts letter will arrive?”. If you have copies of Harry Potter collecting dust at home, check and keep them safe, you never know if yours may be a valuable and rare edition worth something someday. Image: IMDB.com
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Monday 10 February 2020
@culture_courier thecourieronline.co.uk/arts
The Best Book of 2019 - Young Adult Fiction Grace Lazzaro makes her case for Holly Black's thrilling fantasy novel The Queen of Nothing
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elcome to the dark and twisted world of the Faerie. A world where suffering is a game, endless tales are spun, and trickery and deceit are second nature - well, second nature to everyone but young heroine Jude Duarte, a human that calls this nightmarish world home. I will try not to give away any spoilers in this review because if I must suffer the devastating, hair-pulling, up allnight twists and turns of this series, as will you. Though Holly Black's second instalment of the series - The Wicked King - was voted best Young Adult Fantasy and Adventure Book of the Year on Goodreads, my heart will always lie with the third one, and I consider it the best book of 2019. Perhaps it was the overwhelming suspense due to the cliff-hanger at the end of The Wicked King that left me utterly on the edge of my seat, waiting for The Queen of Nothing finally be released, and maybe it was this longing that pushed it ahead of the other two books.
in which Black wrote his character and how she chose to slowly peel back the layers of his personality and past in the last book. A quote from the book best describes this, “I think of his riddle. How do people like us take off our armour? One piece at a time.”
Despite being of a world infinitely more intriguing than our own, this book is populated by intricate, yet supremely real characters
Full of sharp wit and frank stubbornness, she is perhaps one of the most relatable heroines
Or, perhaps, it’s the complexity and relatability of the characters within The Queen of Nothing. Despite being of a world infinitely more intriguing than our own, this book is populated by intricate, yet supremely real characters. Though initially portrayed as inherently cruel and wicked, Prince Cardan Greenbriar’s character holds much more depth than he is initially given credit for, which is ultimately revealed in The Queen of Nothing. Though I always had a soft spot for Cardan throughout the series, I truly began to respect the way
why I would say The Queen of Nothing is deserving of that best book of 2019 slot. Full of sharp wit and frank stubbornness, she is perhaps one of the most relatable heroines I have ever had the pleasure of going on adventures with. Despite being stuck in a world that only mocks and condemns her, Jude never lets it harden her and turn her cruel. Though haunted by both corporeal and imaginary demons from her past, she stands strong against all that try and push her down. But the thing that I respect most about her is the fact that she’s not perfect; she falls and she makes mistakes and she questions her actions, which in my opinion makes her real and human.
I was genuinely heartbroken when the book ended because it meant I had to say goodbye to characters who felt like family - characters who taught me and challenged me and who allowed me to join them on their adventure through the world of Faerie. This intoxicating and bloodthirsty finale had my heart before I could say no. So I urge you to go pick up a copy and let it capture your heart as well.
arts culture Poem Box
Who cares if I broke my own damn stupid heart? So what if I saw the night and followed through the dark? I’ve been so colourblind and missed the signs, And struggled on the path too many times. – I climbed my way out of the alluring black, But now all that I want is to run back. Despite the ache, the pain, there was a warmth, And walls protecting me from raging storms. – It takes the strongest will to stay afloat, To feel the sun, not turn around to face the hurt. But magic in the night still does call out to me, And it’s so very tempting to fall into my dream. – So what is right: to follow my own heart or to forget? To stay where it is safest, where peace is set? To jump straight into twisted heavenly nightmares, And give way to the sweet deceit and stifle my own air?
This quote is spoken by the main character and narrator Jude Duarte, who is perhaps the main reason
Radical feminist artist Judy Chicago at the Baltic
Jade Aruzhan Sagynay
Theatre
Katerina Vasilaki reviews the BALTIC's exhibition of the twentieth century feminist artist
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orn in July 1939, Judy Chicago was a pioneer of feminist art, exploring themes of femininity, gender, and racial equality, the human condition as well as motherhood. The exhibition contains art from her early career to her most recent work, which has not previously shown outside the US. Before the review, I must warn you that this is a raw exhibition. At times becomes very graphic, contains explicit imagery, and is at times triggering, therefore, if anyone is sensitive to this type of content, I strongly urge you to research some of Judy’s work before visiting BALTIC Gallery.
Chicago's exhibition explores themes of feminity, racial equality and the human condition
Chicago has approached art as a means of self-expression, in order to make a statement in regards to women, but also reflect on gender as a part of a larger structure of oppression and injustice. To cite an example, a part of this exhibition is a discussion of childbirth in America. She researched and interviewed a variety of people, ultimately creating a collage of the experience of becoming a mother. She believed that because men were doctors at the time, women had no control of their bodies, even in such a private moment. Furthermore, she utilised colours to showcase different emotions and/or states of mind. She was heavily influenced by the Holo-
caust, the way this affected human nature and the increase in domestic violence women of the time were called upon to face. Femininity is even to this day sometimes referred to as a ‘taboo’ concept, in many countries and expressed in a variety of ways. She created a project called The Dinner Party which contained different ‘seat settings’ for women who left their mark in history. She created art on the tablecloth and on the plates, covered with symbols the truth about the inequality. At times, the art on the plates depicted the female body, in a vibrant celebration of the female body. This is a chilling exhibition, touching the hearts of those who see the pain through every piece. Personally I was left speechless by the pure emotion the majority of her work conveyed. There were also pieces with written text, or photography and
Images: Katerina Vasilaki
writing, which greatly showcased Chicago’s creative rage. I highly recommend visiting BALTIC Gallery to witness the phenomenon that is Judy Chicago. The exhibition will continue until 19 April 2020 and attending is free of charge, and it is open seven days per week, from 10 am to 6 pm.
A Victorian romantic comedy done with a contemporary feel - NUGSS’ (Newcastle University Gilbert & Sullivan Society) Iolanthe is an energetic show about love with a magical twist! Join us for a whirlwind of forbidden love, comical misunderstanding, and beautiful singing and dancing! With the backdrop of a battle of the wits between the House of Lords and the Fairies - this enchanting delight will be fun for all audiences. Tickets can be reserved by emailing nugss@ newcastle.ac.uk or can be bought on the door (£10 adults, £8 concessions). To learn more about the Gilbert & Sullivan Society check out their Facebook page at @nugssociety.
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culture gaming
Monday 10 February 2020
courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Gaming Editors Alex Darbyshire, George Boatfield, James Troughton & Shawn Khoo
CORONAVIRUS IN GAMING Plague Inc. "not a scientific model" League of Legends Pro League, dev warns after virus outbreak other tournaments suspended
As the game's sales spike nearly eight years on from release, As more competitions are postponed, Alex Gervas assesses Alex Walker reports on the comments from Ndemic Systems difficult road ahead for Esports following the virus outbreak
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lague Inc. creator James Vaughn has been forced to comment on a major spike in sales of the Ndemic Creations simulation, despite it being nearly a decade old.
who said that on Wednesday 22 January, Plague Inc. was the best-selling game on China's iOS store, and QZ.com reported users on Chinese social media platform Weibo joking extensively about the similarities. However, Vaughn downplayed these similarities, reminding people that “Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model”, Plague Inc. was the recommending that “players get their information directly best-selling game on from local and global health authorities." On 30 January, the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus a China's iOS store global emergency, which is likely to further exacerbate the explosion of media attention, and presumably the "The coronavirus outbreak in China is deeply increase in sales which Plague Inc. has seen. concerning and we've received a lot of questions from Plague Inc., despite its accuracy, relies heavily upon the players and the media," said player’s strategic choices. The Vaughan on the Ndemic user is granted control of the website. “Whenever there is virus’ evolution and origin, an outbreak of disease, we allowing the player to tailor see an increase in players, conditions to best suit as people seek to find them, something the out more about how coronavirus certainly diseases spread and lacks. to understand the Whether or not complexities of the virus will viral outbreaks.” continue to Va u g h n dominate the went on to news for the comment next few upon the months, realism of Plague the game, I n c . claiming continuing to that it does not sell eight years sensationalise after its release real-world issues, is not common and has even by any means and been recognised certainly indicates by the CDC and gamers are just as other leading health anxious as everyone else. organisations for its Hopefully their anxieties accuracy. are diminished by the fun The spike in popularity was to be found in this harmless Image: Youtube (Nintendo) reported recently by the BBC, viral sensation.
Star Wars KOTOR's rumoured return Peter Lennon looks to learn the ways of EA's shady strategy
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t has been nearly eighteen years since the original Knights of the Old Republic hit shelves back in 2003. The Star Wars RPG garnered acclaim for its characters, story and moral alignment system, while continuing to remain as one of the few entries in the coveted period of the Old Republic (approximately 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire). Now, as reported by cinelinx, a new instalment may be in the cards from the current owner of the Star Wars gaming licence, EA. EA gained the rights back in 2013, when the now-infamous video game company signed a 10-year deal with Disney to produce all of their Star Wars gaming content. By 2015, a Knights of the Old Republic game was rumoured to be in development, but ultimately placed on
Image: IMGB
the back burner. Presumably, the initial backlash from their Battlefront games didn’t do much to move new projects into development, with even single player “Project Ragtag” being cancelled through the closure of the Visceral subsidiary.
Faithfully restoring KOTOR may be able to swing the pendulum in Disney's favour
The success of Jedi: Fallen Order, which greatly exceeded sales projections, has put a Knights of the Old Republic game back on the map. A new entry would make it the first in the new canon that has been established by Disney, with cinelinx reporting that it “would integrate elements from the first two games in order to bring certain things into the current Star Wars canon. Not necessarily a remake, so much as a re-imagining.” The pursuit of this sort of project aligns with adjacent rumours that the next Star Wars films would take place hundreds of years before the Prequel trilogy. After the controversy of The Rise of Skywalker, Disney will want to put as much space between its franchise and the sequel era as it can – at least until the dust settles – and faithfully restoring a fanfavourite to the canon may be able to swing the pendulum in their favour.
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n 26 January, TJ Sports announced the postponement of the League Of Legends Pro League (LPL) Spring Season for the foreseeable future. LPL organisers explained their decision of postponing the event through a statement made on Weibo. In it, TJ Sports expressed their concerns, saying: “We have decided to postpone week 2 of the LPL until we can ensure the safety and health of our players and fans.” At first, organisers planned to celebrate the competition on 5 February; however, now the LPL has been held-back indefinitely. Amidst the Coronavirus’ outbreak last December, China’s General Administration of Sport advised suspending all activities and events at least until April due to the high risk of infection. By the end of January, concerns about the pandemic have affected many events in the industry. For instance, Riot Games stated that the Korean League of Legends Champions (LCK), will take place this month. However, there will be no live audience. The website Polygon announced the WESG Counter-Strike finals, meant to take place in the city of Macau, have also been postponed until further notice.
Blizzard announced through their official Twitter account that the Overwatch League matches in February and March would be postponed indefinitely. The statement said: “We hope fans have a safe and happy Lunar New Year, and we remain incredibly excited to play Overwatch League matches in China later this season.” The long term effect of these cancellations is still unclear. For now, the postponement of the LPL could affect the calendar at an international level, especially with the Mid-Season Invitational that usually takes place in May. Plus, on a larger scale, the effect on the Chinese economy is being marked by the decline in tourism, with airlines cancelling flights, and tourists cancelling their plans to visit China.
Images: YouTube (League of Legends), Youtube (Ndemic Creations)
Reboot for Silent Hill?
Joe Holloran looks on in fear as Konami revives his nightmares
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orror game fans were given a reason to be cheerful when rumours started circulating that Japanese media behemoth Konami were planning to reboot their legendary survival series Silent Hill. The nightmarish series began back in 1999 when gamers were introduced to the eponymous American town of Silent Hill and its population of hellish monstrosities. The success of that first game sparked four main sequels alongside multiple spin-offs and expansion editions.
his team will return to the roots of psychological horror, puzzles and detective work that made it so revolutionary over two decades ago.
The move is seen by industry insiders as a bold, necessary gambit
According to the rumours Konami are also in the process of creating a companion, narrative adventure release to compliment the rebooted series. There is no official word yet from Konami to either confirm or deny these reports. The move is seen by many industry insiders as a bold, but necessary gambit following the mixed response to their digital-release only games like Contra: Rogue Corps. The reboot comes 16 years after the fourth addition to the franchise and eight years since the much-maligned spin-off Silent Hill: Book of Memories. A common complaint among fans of the series is that as more and more titles were released, the once simple but highly effective story became needlessly convoluted and more focused on shock value than narrative depth. Perhaps a reboot of the series will mean Keiichiro Toyama and
Image: IMDB
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
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@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming
Pokémon Centre, return!
gaming culture
YuMe World opens at The Gate
Em Richardson prepares for another wave of merchandise Chief gamer Alex Darbyshire enter a VRworld of imagination
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t has been announced that summer 2020 will see the extremely popular Pokémon Centre pop-up shop return to London. It will be situated next to the 2020 Pokémon World Championships, the venue for which is the ExCeL London Centre. Last year, the temporary shop was located in the Westfield shopping centre, also in London. It stayed open for four weeks and attracted over 30,000 visitors before closing on 15 November. The shop’s appeal lies in the fact that it sells exclusive Pokémon merchandise. 2019 saw shoppers queuing outside the store for hours, in hope of eventually gaining entry. Many of the exclusive items sold out days before the store closed, leaving some fans still wanting. It is unclear whether the store will sell the same goods next year, given that they sold out so quickly that many fans didn’t manage to make a purchase, or whether The Pokémon Company plan on introducing new products. After the store closed, Pokémon fans started a petition to make the Pokémon Centre a permanent feature of Westfield. The Pokémon Company is yet to address the request, but re-opening the store in 2020 has been regarded as a nod to its massive success. The Pokémon World Championships are a tournament for lovers of the video games, as well as the Pokémon Trading Card Game.. Next year will mark the first ever time the Championships
are held in London. It is expected that they will be held in or around the month of August, as the 2019 Pokémon World Championships took place in Washington D.C., from 16 to 18 August.
Image: Joseph Caddick
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long time ago, when gaming was a much younger industry, kids would flock to arcades for a chance to see games that blew what was available at home out of the water. As console hardware improved, the arcade largely died in the west, save for novelty locations and expensive niche bars. The biggest roadblock to many gamers accessing virtual reality experiences is the price of the equipment, with even cheaper setups costing upwards of £100 on top of your regular machine. That is where YuMe World hopes to change the
landscape. Located inside The Gate, in the heart of Newcastle, YuMe provides excellent access to a wide variety of both conventional arcade experiences, as well as higher-end VR setups that really redefine what immersion means. The team over at YuMe were kind enough to provide me with a viewing of the entertainment centre. I was at first shown their more classic arcade titles, obtained from their partnership with SEGA. Their library boasted House of The Dead: Scarlet Dawn, a classic light gun shoot-em-up with some satisfying feedback. What they were more eager to show me was the VR side of the entertainment centre. The first game they showed me was a racing game in the style of F-Zero, which quickly ramped up the speed to an intense degree for a first time VR user such as myself. I should note that YuMe’s staff are very aware of the danger of motion sickness and were attentive to any problems I may have had. When speaking with the director of FEC Group and the man behind YuMe World, he explained the choice of these kinds of machines over a home VR setup. He wants YuMe world to be an “indoor, virtual theme park”, an industry that is largely untapped in the UK, especially in the North East. The entertainment centre also boasts a healthy library of VR experiences, around 100, which they plan to rotate monthly, ensuring customers always have something new.
Image: Alex Darbyshire
Uncharted film faces further development struggles True to its name, the Uncharted film remains unexplored: George Bell laments the fate of this seemingly doomed adaptation W
ay back in 2008, Avi Arad and Sony announced that they would be developing a film adaptation of Naughty Dog’s highly popular Uncharted series. There was certainly a massive buzz around the film thanks to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves released basically back to back and being well received. It’s now 2020 and the release of the movie is as likely as I am to pass my fi rst year. What happened? It has recently been announced that the Uncharted film has lost its sixth (yes, sixth) director in Travis Knight, director of the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee (2018),
due to further delays. These delays have pushed the film back to 2021, likely due to the busy schedule of Tom Holland, who’s set to star as the protagonist, a young Nathan Drake. Mark Wahlberg is also set to appear as a
Will the Uncharted film rise from the fires of development hell?
younger Sully in the film and will act as a prequel to the
games detailing how the two met. But will the Uncharted film rise from the fires of development hell like a phoenix or sink like a T-800? Sadly, all evidence seems to point to the latter. With several directors, multiple rewrites and over a decade in development, the entire project seems destined to fail. There is also the small issue of video game films having, for the most part, bad reputations. Even if this movie does reach the light of day, don’t hold your breath over it being any good. But at this point is anyone still interested in the film that has gradually bled out all hype due to its long
development time? The games themselves are great and have more emphasis on the story over gameplay, so what’s the point of making a movie when the games have already been successful in telling the Nathan Drake story? While a prequel would have been amazing, the risk of tarnishing the spotless reputation of the franchise should be avoided.
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What I'm Playing Fractured Minds
Fresh from the winter break, writer Kaitlyn Maracle delves into a project straight from one of the industry's youngest talents
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hat do you get when you combine a game about mental health, a 17-year old game developer and some very artsy puzzles? Fractured Minds is a game about what it's like to suffer from anxiety, made by 17-year-old Emily Mitchell and Wired Productions. The game deservedly won BAFTA’s Young Game Designer award, and any game with some deeper meaning certainly grabs my attention. Fractured Minds, however, is something else entirely.
Each level is intended to represent isolation, panic, and anxiety
Players will go through a series of six atmospheric puzzle rooms all about finding your way to the next level, while representing the difficulties that those with mental health issues face on a day-to-day basis. These ailments manifest in many ways in Emily’s game, such as a disembodied voice telling you off when you get things wrong, picking up the wrong item over and over again or incredibly tense music despite simple situations. Each level is intended to represent one of the many
struggles people with mental health issues face, such as isolation, panic, and anxiety. One striking scene was at a party, surrounded by balloons and a cake, yet there remains a feeling of foreboding and tension, as though something might pounce on you at any moment. This, according to Emily, is exactly what anxiety can feel like, especially at a place like a party, where a positive mood is expected of you.
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is working with anxiety
Building upon the portrayal of mental issues, Emily says that she made the game to help those suffering from anxiety and depression feel less alone. The game is currently less than £2 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, and 80% of the proceeds are split between Emily Mitchell and mental health charity aimed at the gaming community, Safe in our World. This charity aims to sponsor better mental wellbeing both for gamers as
well as game developers. As a new charity, these funds will be invaluable to the discourse around mental health in digital spheres.
80%
Proportion of Fractured Minds sales donated to Safe in our World
In summary, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is working with understanding the feeling of anxiety, isolation and exhaustion through the interactive medium of a game.
Image: IGDB
32
culture science
c2.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Eleanor Gratton, Patrick Harland & Seshadhri Subramanian
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
Coca-Cola's plastic perception Lily Holbrook reports how the global drinks company may not be as transparent with their recycling policies as we thought
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oca-Cola has been in the spotlight after the company’s Head of Sustainability Bea Perez said the drinks giant will not stop producing plastic bottles because the public still want them. In the last few years plastic pollution has become an increasingly pressing issue, therefore it’s not surprising that Coca-Cola’s decision has been met with controversy.
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the millions of tonnes of plastic that CocaCola produces annually
The company produces an estimated three million tonnes of plastic annually, equivalent to 200,000 bottles a minute. Compare this with the eight million tonnes entering the oceans each year and it is clear how Coca-Cola has become one of the biggest polluters of plastic on the planet. According to Bea Perez, "business won’t be in business if we don’t accommodate consumers.". But like many big industry players, Coca-Cola don’t seem to understand that without significant interventions, there will be no business at all.
down, but the word ‘eventually’ is key here. With most plastic, even those claiming to be biodegradable, it may take years to fully disappear, and even then they’re only being broken down into smaller pieces so they never fully go away. Compostable means a material will decompose into nontoxic components if given appropriate conditions. Materials that require more heat, water, oxygen
and microorganism action than is provided in a basic compost heap can be sent for industrial composting. Recyclable means a material can be reprocessed into a useful form after serving its original purpose. However, whether the material actually is recycled is a different story. Unfortunately, manufacturers often capitalise on public confusion surrounding these terms to convince the public that their products are more eco-friendly than they really are. Coca-Cola’s pledge to make their plastic bottles 100% recyclable sounds like a step in the right direction, but it
Coca-Cola hope to collect and recycle one bottle or can for every one they sell by 2030
When it comes to packaging, there are many misconceptions about the definitions of biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. Despite different meanings, the terms are often used interchangeably. So, let’s set the record straight. Biodegradable means a material will eventually break
Image:Peakpx and Pixabay
means nothing if the bottles are not recycled. It’s identical to the difference between saying you’ll go for a run and actually putting on trainers and getting outside: there’s a difference between saying a product can be recycled and actually going through with the process. This then results in quite a lot of the responsibility is on the consumer.
60%
The reduction in energy required to manufacture recycled bottles
If Coca-Cola are to be successful in their eco quest to collect and recycle one bottle or can for every one they sell by 2030, the public needs to be on board. Arguably the best option would be to stop buying Coca-Cola in plastic bottles. But for the millions of Coke-lovers around the world, this is unlikely to happen overnight. A campaign designed to help consumers is an initiative whereby plastic bottles can be returned to specialised stations in exchange for half price vouchers to UK attractions. These recycled bottles require 60% less energy to manufacture than virgin plastic, helping to drive the circular economy. So, what is a circular economy? A circular economy is built upon the principle of sustainability where everything can be reused and recycled. More circular economy means less reliance on raw materials, helping to conserve our finite supply of oil resources which are used to produce virgin plastic. Whilst these ideas may look good on paper, the return station solution is only temporary. No doubt clever marketing has helped portray Coca-Cola’s action plan in a pretty light but at the end of the day, they’re still producing millions of plastic bottles with no sign of slowing down. If the consumers don’t buy, the big corporations are rendered powerless. Unfair as it may seem to place the blame on the consumer, our influence may be more powerful than we suspect.
New Rolls Royce nuclear reactors: mini genius or mega-risk? Lilla Marshall calls into question whether the latest invention from a leading car manufacturer is as good as it claims that it is
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olls-Royce have announced plans to build mini enough energy to supply the entirety of Leeds. energy to charge those cars if the country is to meet the nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom, by According to the Rolls-Royce website, one of these re2029. actors will produce enough energy to fully charge over The percentage of the UK public 60,000 electric cars. With transport being the major that believe that "nuclear power is safe if properly handled" The new mini-reactors would be just 6.25% the size of source of carbon dioxide emissions within the UK, Rollsthe current standard and would be produced in mod- Royce argue that someone is going to need to supply clean ules – reducing costs and making materials easier to transport. Rolls-Royce boast that internal deadline of 2050 for net zero carbon emissions. the new reactors would be This idea of cost-cutting has been criticised by small enough to fit Paul Dorfman, a senior researcher at UCL, in Wembley Stawho argues that a mistake in batch prodium and yet duction will mean greater exproduce penses and hassle, ultimately arguing that “It’s far more
44%
economic to build one 1.2 Gigawatt unit than a dozen 100 Megawatt units.” A government report in 2017 concluded the same thing, estimating power generated from mini nuclear reactors will cost more than the current standard. Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP, said at the time, “Ministers are ploughing huge sums of money into supporting overpriced nuclear, while retaining a de facto ban on onshore wind and failing to give solar the support the sector
Power generated from mini nuclear reactors will cost more than the current standard
needs.” The nuclear energy sector has been struggling over the last decade, with the rise in popularity of renewable energy and increased concerns towards the safety of nuclear power. A YouGov poll in 2012 found that only 44% of the UK public believe that “nuclear power is safe, if properly handled”. Being so soon after the tragic tsunami in Japan may have had some influence on these numbers, however.
Images: Alexander Migl on Wikimedia Commons
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020
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@culture_courier thecourieronline.co.uk/science
science culture
NIHR BioResource started in NCL Why is massive gravity a big deal? Em Richardson reports on NHS-Newcastle Uni collaboration Patrycja Ubysz reports on the latest scientific space theories
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IHR BioResource is a collaboration between Newcastle University and the NHS, aiming to encourage more people to get involved with health care research. The team is part of a national collaboration, aiming to put together a panel of researchers that can be contacted regarding research projects and clinical trials. They also want to put researchers in touch with volunteers who would be happy to partake in clinical trials, in hope of shortening the length of time it takes to get new treatments tested and approved for use by the NHS. When asked why young people should volunteer to partake in medical trials, Medical Genetics student Bethany Blakemore said “Although it might be hard to see the immediate effects of partaking in clinical trials, the results can have a multitude of benefits in the long term, in terms of both scientific advances and the treatment of disease in society. Trials are essential to determine the safety and ef-
ficiency of new compounds we are bringing forward into clinics, and to be able to treat those with life threatening illnesses in the future. If everyone played a more active role in health care and gave back into a system we all eventually take out of, the end results would be great. Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something”.
The team is looking for volunteers for clinical trials
Currently, the project is struggling to entice young people to volunteer to partake in clinical trials. If you would like more information about volunteering, visit NIHR BioResource Centre Newcastle on Facebook, or @NIHRBioResource on Twitter.
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ravity, as trivial as it is in our day to day lives, is still not fully understood. “What is there to understand?” you might ask. Pushing your favourite mug over the edge of a table will inevitably result in it being shattered on the floor, simple as that. There has been debate regarding the nature of gravity for years and scientists seem not to have reached a consensus just yet. Einstein’s famous theory of relativity assumes that every matter will gravitationally attract all the other matter, regardless of how far apart they are. For example, a galaxy could attract another galaxy millions light years away, therefore gravity would contribute to shrinking of the Universe. Einstein believed the Universe does not change its size. He included a cosmological constant in his theory, act- Image:Pixabay ing as a “reverse gravity” to balance out the attractive forces and allow the Universe to remain static. He did not expect the “reverse gravity”, named later a dark energy, to play a much greater role. When accelerating expansion of the Universe was proven, he removed the constant from his theories.
58
The maximum weight in kilograms of the gravitons
The concept of dark energy as something not only causing but also accelerating expansion, as well as the nature of gravity itself, still puzzles cosmologists. Multiple theories arose but none of them entirely adhere to the known laws of physics and serve as an explanation the majority of scientists would agree with. Some theories, including Einstein’s, assume existence of a massless graviton mediating gravity which moves at the speed of light. Other theories such as Quantization, which describes an interaction with gravitons, is causing severe theoretical issues when it is applied to gravity.
Image: Alex Darbyshire
Claudia de Rham, a physicist at Imperial College London, revisited seemingly a simple yet controversial alteration to Einstein’s theory in her research. What if gravitons possess mass? Research on gravitational waves, for which the Nobel Prize in 2017 was awarded, suggests that if gravitons existed and adhered to de Rham’s theory, their mass could not exceed 10-58 kg. What implications does this tiny mass have on universe expansion? Unlike Einstein’s massless gravitons, the massive particles would lose their attractive abilities with very large distances. Galaxies from opposite ends could not attract each other anymore and the expansion would be undisturbed. They could only move slightly slower than light and so could be detected on Earth by observing the delay between the light signal and gravity wave from distant objects. Although many physicists are sceptical towards the de Rham’s theory, it has its enthusiasts. Detection of a massive graviton would truly revolutionise our knowledge of the Universe and put an end to the discussion of the nature of gravity.
Canadian company starts mapping underrated greenhouse gas Kristina Flexman writes about how one start-up's efforts could help in identifying the roots of climate change across the globe
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86
the number of times methane is more potent than carbon dioxide
ince the 1980s, humanity’s understanding of climate change has only grown. There is unequivocal evidence showing drastic global temperature rise, and most people would argue that human’s carbon dioxide emissions have been the cause. Whilst increasing carbon dioxide levels correlate perfectly with the observed increase in global temperature, it is not the only greenhouse gas we should be worried about. Methane, a gas produced by livestock farming, landfill sites, fossil fuel production, and various other natural and human sources has a significantly greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide. It has a much shorter atmospheric lifespan relative to carbon dioxide (one decade compared to ten decades), and consquently is overlooked by many when considering the causes of climate change. However, for the short time it is in the atmosphere, methane is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide (IPCC).
GHGSat, a Canadian start-up, claims to have the world’s first and only high-resolution satellite monitoring greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sites around the world. They have been producing high quality maps since 2016 and aim to release a map of the entire Earth’s surface by the end of 2020, showing high resolution at 2km2 per pixel. With the map unveiling set for COP26 in November
2020, the map will help NGOs, policy-makers, and all stakeholders to identify methane hotspots and hone in on problematic methane sources. It will highlight farms, oil and gas rigs, and peatland misuse, which will help identify mismanagement, leaks, and unidentified sources. As it stands, there is a lack of data completely explaining the sources of methane, so hopefully the pioneering work of GHGSat can help to fill this knowledge gap. It will also
enable reliable quantification of the environmental im-
Manufacturers have to be careful about what they put in
pacts of big firms or entire countries. The company shows huge potential for advanced remote sensing and aerospace technology, and soon they will be deploying a satellite able to capture detail at 25m2 per pixel. They can monitor various polluting gases even at trace scales using advanced spectroscopy, and combining satellite imagery with aircraft measurements, they are able to detect ~90% of methane leaks from shale gas operations. GHGSat claims that no other company can combine this data in the same single, cost-effective way. The map will mark significant progress in the monitoring of greenhouse gases, enabling better understanding of how humans are causing, and combatting, global warming. Image: Wikimedia Commons
puzzles
the courier
Monday 10 February 2020 Puzzles Editor Emma Dawson Solutions will be revealed in next week’s issue, available on campus from 17 February 1
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1. 2019 South Korean film with six Oscar nominations (8) 5. Informal name for the BBC (4) 7. Global organisation that deals with trade between nations (1,1,1) 9. American search engine (5) 10. Band known for Somewhere Only We Know (5) 13. Language-learning website famous for its owl mascot (8) 15. Green citrus fruit (4) 16. Guy - , key conspirator of the Gunpowder Plot (6) 21. Clement - , British Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951 (6) 23. Romantic gesture often symbolised by the letter X (4) 25. Capital of Turkey (6) 26. Conversations with - , Novel by Sally Rooney 27 - Higgins, Irish star of Love Island (5)
1. Popular online payment platform (6) 2. Weapon with a long metal blade and a hilt (5) 3. 1986 Stephen King novel featuring Pennywise the Clown (2) 4. Host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics (5) 6. Internationally successful K-pop band (1,1,1) 8. Committee of Senior Ministers responsible for goverment policy (7) 11. Singer of Royals and Green Light (5) 12. Abbreviation to express excitement or disbelief (1,1,1) 14. Seventh planet from the sun (6) 17. Japanese martial art (6) 18. - on-Trent, City in Staffordshire (5) 19. Florence - , Star of Little Women (4) 20. Informal name for an Institute of Higher Education (3) 22. Popular auction website (4) 23. A flightless bird or a fruit with hairy skin (4) 24. Waterbird with a long flexible neck (4)
x LIPS
L HEAD O V HEELS E
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Across
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WORD LADDER GIVE, LIVE, LIKE,LAKE,TAKE
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ANAGRAMS CHRISTMAS
NEW YEARS PARTY BOXING DAY SALES CYBER MONDAY WORD LINK
FULL HOUSE- HOUSE WARMING DINNER PARTY-PARTY LINE SECOND BEST-BEST SHOT
CHRISTMAS CHEER-CHEER UP
the courier
36
sport
Monday 10 February 2020
Ecstacy for England as South Africa suffer
Stanley Gilyead looks at the problems facing South African cricket after they fell to a comprehensive defeat against England
England cruised to a 3-1 test series victory over South Africa last month. Having only lost the first test due to an illness that tore through the camp, England looked better than they have in many a year. Their top order woes seem to have finally been banished and Ollie Pope and Mark Wood were imperious on their returns to the test side.
Having been top of the test rankings as recently as 2016, South Africa’s form has fallen off a cliff
It is impossible, however, to ignore how poor South Africa were. Having been top of the test rankings as recently as 2016 their form has fallen off a cliff. The Proteas have suffered whitewashes to Sri Lanka and India over the course of the last 12 months. South Africa are undoubtedly a team in transition. The superstars that powered them to the top of the rankings, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn, have since retired. The loss of such talent would weaken any test team, and with the recent retirement of Vernon Philander South Africa look over reliant on individual players like Rabada and de Kock. However the loss of form cannot be completely blamed on a lack of South African cricketing talent. There are plenty of top class South African cricketers playing the game today, but due to a quirk in UK employment law they are unable to play for their
national side. The cause of South Africa’s woes can be traced back to a 2003 European Court of Justice ruling made in favour of Slovakian handball player Maros Kolpak. The ruling meant that sportspeople from countries with Association Agreements with the EU, such as South Africa, were given the same rights to work in the EU as EU citizens and could not be discriminated against. This meant South Africans had the opportunity to play in the English County Championship without filling up each county’s single overseas player slot. But there was a catch. If a player chose to do so they could not play for their national side. With little money in domestic South African cricket, and few opportunities to break into the Kagiso Rabada test side in the golden Image: Instagram era of Amla, @rabada_25 Steyn et al, lots of South Africans took up this opportunity, signing ‘Kolpak deals’ with English counties and retiring from international cricket. This meant that a cohort of quality players, such as Kyle Abbott, Rillee Rossouw and Duanne Olivier, couldn’t be picked for the test side. There may be light at the end of the tunnel for South Africa, however. Last week the ECB confirmed that the end of the Brexit transition period will signal the end of Kolpak deals. Whilst there are plans in place to increase each county’s overseas player allowance to 2 players, allowing existing Kolpak players to remain with their county side, they
The South African team before their loss in the third test Image: Instagram @cricket_ south_africa
will no longer be ineligible for international selection. Whilst it is unlikely that the return of players such as Abbott, Rossouw and Olivier will
power South Africa back to the top of the rankings, the decision gives South Africa hope. If they can develop a new generation of quality players they can now be sure that this
will benefit the test team, rather than English county sides, making a return to their former glories a distinct possibility, at least in the long term.
“Loco for Coco”: a look at the future of tennis Andrew White discusses the rise of Coco Gauff, a player deemed to be the future Serena Williams within the next decade
Before her 16th birthday, Coco Gauff has been labelled “ the next Serena Williams. However, she is not the next Serena Williams, she is the first Coco Gauff. Born on the 13th March 2004, Cori “Coco” Gauff first rose to prominence following her exploits at Wimbledon 2019. Gauff received
Coco serving up at Wimbledon 2019 Image: Wikimedia Commons
a wild card into the qualifying draw at Wimbledon and upset the highest ranked player in the qualifiers Aliona Bolsova, en route to becoming the youngest ever player to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon. Her first round opponent? Five time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams. Gauff
had idoloised Venus Williams growing up and spoke highly of her opponent Gauff defeated Williams in straight sets, showing maturity and grace beyond her years, sending the tennis world into shockwaves. The tennis world had gone ‘Loco for Coco’ and the Gauff hype train was up and
running. Celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Michelle Obama, Billie Jean King and Ivanka Trump had all taken a keen eye on Gauff, sharing their support. Gauff went from being an unknown entity, to the future star of world tennis in less than a week.
Williams had already won Wimbledon twice before Coco was born
Victories followed against Magdaléna Rybáriková and Polona Hercog, before the fairytale ended in the fourth round, losing to eventual champion Simona Halep in straight sets. By reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, Gauff pocketed herself £176,000. What does a 15 year old do with that money I hear you ask? Well, according to Gauff, they spend it on a hoodie “I mean, I can’t buy a car because I can’t drive,” she added. “I hate spending money, to be honest.” “My mom, she bans me from buying hoodies for two months,” Gauff added. “Every week I was getting new hoodies sent to the house. I don’t know, I like wearing them because at home you can’t wear them because it’s so hot. This modesty is what has served Gauff well in her career so far, she isn’t getting ahead of herself. Since Wimbledon, Gauff reached the third round at the US Open, before losing to World no1 Naomi Osaka. At the Linz Open,
Gauff became the younest WTA player to win a singles tournament since 2004: A star is born. Gauff has still produced consistent success despite becoming a star overnight. In the recent Australian open, Gauff managed to equal her incredible Wimbledon success. The fairytale had a familiar beggining, a straight sets victory over Venus Williams. Gauff’s success over Williams is incredible when you consider Williams had already won Wimbledon twice before Coco was even born. In the third round, she defeated Naiomi Osaka, the defending champion of the Australian open. Becoming, the youngest player to defeat a top 5 player at a Grand Slam since Jennifer Crapati at the 1991 US Open. In the fourth round, she lost to the eventual champion, Sofia Kenin, in three sets. Her dream of winning the Austrlian open at the first attempt is over, but her career is just begginning.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her – I told her she was so inspiring.”
Coco Gauff
Gauff’s success at the Australian Open should no longer come as a surprise, she is continously building momentum and dealing with increased expectations at every tournament she plays. Sit back, and watch the greatness unfold before your eyes.
the courier
37
sport
Monday 10 February 2020
Newcastle United: the takeover conundrum
As Mike Ashley’s controversial reign continues, Tomo Clarkson looks at the other ownership options for Newcastle United
On 25 January, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, joined the illustrious ranks of financiers Amanda Staverly, Peter Kenyon, Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan and WWE’s chairman Vince McMahon as a potential purchaser of Newcastle United football club.
13
The number of years since Mike Ashley first bought Newcastle United
The previous years have seen multiple rumours and leaks of sales to the previously mentioned parties, however little actual evidence of a sale has been seen. This has led fans of the club to suspect that the takeover news has been used as a smokescreen for a lack of spending by the club during the transfer windows.
The club could be used to improve the reputation of a regime linked with torture
The coincidence of every takeover rumour just as the transfer window opens has fuelled the suspicions. The rumoured bid raises questions around the ethics of football ownership and the suggested ‘sports washing’ of human rights abuses by the Saudi government. The worry for many is that the club could be used to improve the reputation of a regime that is linked with torture and other human rights abuses on its own citizens, through investment in players and staff, as well as through the positive media coverage that accompanies successful football teams. As of the time of writing there has been no
official communication from the club on the state of any potential takeover, however, leaks to newspapers suggest that the deal could be as close to 90% complete, which has raised pressure on the premier leagues governing body to make a stand over the suitability of ownership of the club by the Saudi regime
The ‘Fit-and-properperson test’ is pointed to as the potential method for halting any takover
The ‘Fit-and-proper-person test’ that is in place in the Premier League is pointed to as the potential method for the halting of any takeover event, however this only governs the financials around a takeover, no mention of anything concerning the ethics of an owner. In fact, putting to one side the potential that Mike Ashley simply refuses to sell, the biggest stumbling block to a potential takeover could be TV piracy. The Saudi’s have been linked with the distribution of pirated streams of Premier League games, an offence that could cause the Premier League to move to block a takeover.
$500 million
The reported amount Mike Ashley is trying to sell the football club for
This has left the fans of Newcastle United in a difficult position, with the best chance to see the removal of an unpopular owner being in the hands of a group that many fans find to be contrary to their beliefs. A situation that could not be described in any way other than just incredibly Newcastle United!
Newcastle fans protest Image: Wikimedia Commons
The new stars ready to take the Premier League by storm
Seshadhri Subramanian gives the lowdown on the big names snapped the notoriously tricky January transfer window
The January window is typically not the time that many teams make crucial buys to streThe January window is typically not the time that many teams make crucial buys to strengthen their team.
$242.7 million
The amount spent by Premier League clubs in this year’s January transfer window
Some notable exceptions like Virgil Van Dijk moving from Southampton to Liverpool do exist but, by and large, most teams stick to what they have. However, the 2020 winter window has seen some notable activity as teams in the Premier League look to bolster their line-ups for the second half of the season. Here’s a look at some of the key transfers into and out of the Premier League
Takumi Minamino (RB Salzburg to Liverpool FC)
Japanese midfielder Takumi Minamino made the switch from Austria to England as Jurgen Klopp’s side roll on towards the Premier League title. Having impressed against Liverpool during the Champions League group stages, Minamino would be looking to prove a bargain for the £7.5 million the Reds paid to sign him.
Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United)
Not to be outdone by their arch-rivals, United signed attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes who netted 39 goals in 83 appearances for the Portuguese side and is also a full-fledged international. He would be looked upon as one
of the key players of this United team with his responsibility being to add creativity and goals from midfield in addition to supplying the front three. In addition to Bruno, United also signed former Watford striker Odion Ighalo to add something to a depleted strike force.
Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares (Flamengo and Southampton to Arsenal respectively)
and Fernandes. With the long-term injury to Harry Kane forcing the manager to look for goals from other players in the side, Bergwijn’s debut goal against Man City will have been a good omen for The Special One.
Other notable transfers into the league: Danny Drinkwater and Pepe Reina on loan deals to Aston Villa; Cenk Tosun on loan
from Everton to Crystal Palace; Danny Rose, Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro on loan to Newcastle United; Daniel Podence from Olympiakos to Wolves.
Notable outgoing transfers:
Inter Milan was the focus of the Premier League as Antonio Conte raided a few of his former hunting grounds to bolster his squad and try to challenge Juventus in the
league. Manchester United’s Ashley Young joined Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen in the blue and black side of the Italian city, along with former Chelsea winger Victor Moses. Manchester City left-back Angelino found himself sent to Leipzig on loan and Wolves’ Patrick Cutrone returned to Italy with Fiorentina, barely six months after joining the club.
Badly in need of defensive reinforcements, new manager Mikel Arteta decided to complete loan deals for centre-back Pablo Mari (who won the Brazilian title and the Copa Libertadores with Flamengo this past season) as well as for Southampton right-back Cedric. With these signings, Arteta could try and stem the leakage that has become a staple with any Arsenal defence in recent years.
Fernandes will be looked upon as one of United’s key creative players from midfield
Steven Bergwijn, Giovani Lo Celso and Gedson Fernandes (PSV Eindhoven, Real Betis and Benfica respectively to Tottenham Hotspur)
Jose Mourinho set about adding attacking flair to his new club as Spurs splashed the cash to make Lo Celso’s loan deal permanent as well as facilitating the arrival of Bergwijn
Takumi Minamino looks set for stardom Image: Wikimedia Commons
the courier
38
sport
Monday 10 February 2020
A knockout interview with Newcastle’s own
Head of Sport Rebecca Johnson sits down for a chat with Newcastle University student Nesta Baxter, the bronze medallist for Team G Rebecca Johnson: Okay so first question, what got you into kickboxing? Where did you start with it?
Nesta Baxter: I started when I was four, so I’ve been doing it forever! My mum got me into it so she took me to a parent-kids class, so I did it a lot of the time with my mum. Then she got really involved in it and I grew up with the sport, I did do a lot of other sports when I was
little but it was kickboxing that really stuck. I really enjoyed it and doing it with my mum. I started competing and really started to enjoy it and carry on.
When did you really start competing, when did you really know that you could take this to the next level? NB: So I did a couple of competitions when
I was a little kid, so when I was like 8, then I stopped for a little bit and carried on training. The when I was 12 I started fighting properly, then when I was 13 I did my first national competition and then straightaway from there I just kept going up and up. Coming to university, was it in the back of your mind that you had your kickboxing career to focus on? How do you balance kickboxing and university work? NB: Coming to university was a big thing because I moved away from my main kickboxing club and up here there aren’t as many kickboxing clubs, so I was a little bit concerned about that. But I’ve been well-structured with keeping on top of it. I’ve joined the [university] boxing club, and I’m a big part of the boxing club up here as well. That’s really helped because it’s a really nice team as well, and they help with pushing through training, so it improves one aspect of my kickboxing. Then the other half I kind of do by myself, so it’s a lot of self-training as well. The uni have helped a lot with that as well. In terms of balancing studies, it’s important to just try and concentrate on actually doing the studying and then all of the kickboxing comes second! How many hours a week would you say that you put into both the boxing and the kickboxing? NB: Erm… that’s a question! (Laughing) I don’t know to be honest, I train twice a day, but it’s every day at least once and then twice a day where I can fit it in. I don’t know, I could try and think of a number but I’m not going to think of one, it’s probably sixteen?
Nesta holds the Union Flag aloft after winning bronze Image: Nesta Baxter
(Laughing) That’s fair! So obviously talking about your bronze medal, what was the process of getting called up to Team GB like?
NB: It was amazing. So, since I did my first national competition, I actually won it and that kind of gave me a spot onto the GB team as a Junior. And I maintained that national title all the way through until I became an adult last year, so I moved up to seniors. I continued on the GB team as a junior, it was kind of just a given because I’d done it so long on the juniors. Then last year, obviously I moved up to senior category and there’s a bit more pressure on you, because you’re fighting against proper adults, and I wasn’t really expecting to do that well. Then I got the call up to the GB team and attended GB squad trainings and then I was selected from there to represent them at the World Championships, which was amazing. And just to have that experience in the first year I could have done it was really cool. Then I went to the World Championships in Bosnia, it was in Sarajevo, it was amazing. There were so many countries there, it was incredible. It ran throughout a week, so we started fighting on the Tuesday, and I fought on Tuesday, I had the Wednesday off, then fought on Thursday and Friday. It was amazing.
Bosnia and the other half were at a later point in Turkey. So we had quite a small GB team, but for the few of us, they made quite a big atmosphere, I always heard them when I was
“I really wasn’t expecting to win a medal”
Nesta Baxter
What was the atmosphere like? Especially being away from home, and meeting all the different countries? NB: It was a really good atmosphere actually, it was quite a big stadium and it was always full which made a difference. We had quite a small GB team go out because they split the Championships into certain divisions in
Places avaliable on University Five Girls lose out t Great North Run 2020 Team
Rebecca Johnson Head of Sport
Newcastle University’s Jubilee Debt Campaign (JDC) Great North Run team for Action on Global Poverty and Climate Change will be competing for their eighteenth year this year in the eponymous halfmarathon. Led by Dr David Golding, the Newcastle team have raised over a quarter of a million
There are still places avaliable on the JDC team Image: David Golding
pounds in the last seventeen years for areas affected by extreme poverty and climate change. In sponsorships and money raised, the JDC donate 60% of the money raised by the team to efforts to combat global poverty and climate change by other agencies- 10% will go to StopAIDS, 10% to the national Climate Coalition and 40% to British aid and environmental agencies. The remaining 40% is for each runner to choose an aid or environmental agency to support.
The team are endorsed by a number of “patrons” including NUSU President, Katie Smyth, Dean of Sport, Dr Phil Ansell and
The Newcastle team has raised over £250k in the last 17 years
the Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University, Professor Chris Day. Newcastle University student, Charlotte Slinger, participated in the JDC’s Great North Run team last year, she said, “David [Golding] gave us loads of great information like training guides, a seminar with an experienced runner about running gear, the day’s logistics and general training advice. The money we all raised was split between the Global Debt campaign, the StopAIDS campaign, the Climate Coalition and one charity of our choice. The run was nerve wracking, but one of the best things I’ve ever done, it pushed me to train when I really didn’t want to, and the atmosphere on the day was amazing.” Runners or “anyone in reasonable health” who are willing to do the training can still sign up to get a place on the JDC team. You can pick up hard copies for entering the Great North ballot from the reception desks in the Medical School, Devonshire Building, the Students’ Union or the foyer of the Courtyard restaurant, or alternatively email Team Manager, David Golding. The deadline to get involved is 14 February 2020. For further information about how to get involved, email david.golding@ncl.ac.uk.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
Newcastle 5s 0 Northumbria 2s 1
Rory Ewart at Longbenton
Newcastle University 5’s were unable to make it two wins from two after their 1-0 derby-day defeat to Northumbria University. The ‘famous’ fives had managed somewhat of a field day last time out against the neighbouring polytechnic; completing an assertive performance to take home the spoils with a 3-0 win back in the first semester.
“The first half started slowly, but we retained the majority of possession”
On this occasion, there had already been disruption to the five’s preparation. Just that morning usual shot-stopper Alice Dale was called up at the last minute to the fourths team who were lacking in the goalkeeping department. This led to replacement goalkeeper Anshrah Saqib making her debut for the fifths, having predominantly featured for the team below prior to the match. The first half saw Northumbria dominate the possession throughout, with key individuals in their midfield managing to construct key pass combinations to force Newcastle to largely defend from their own half. Dogged defending from Tara McConaghie in particular led to successive blocks
from short corners, with McConaghie at one point electing to rip off her protective mask in order to continue her chase of the ball after initial success of clearing it from here lines. Former NBA basketball player Robert Horry once said that “pressure can burst a pipe or make a diamond”, alas on this occa-
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Monday 10 February 2020
n kickboxing and boxing superstar
Great Britain, about all things Martial Arts, the World Championships and balancing her university studies fighting which was just always nice.
That’s cool, and again, parents and family, were they there supporting you?
NB: They’re always a big part, my mum and dad are both heavily involved in kickboxing now that I was part of the club back home, so it’s just a family thing- it’s like an extra mem-
ber of the family is kickboxing! So yeah, they were there with me and supporting me on the way, so that was really nice.
How did it feel, winning that medal?
NB: I really wasn’t expecting to win a medal. When I beat my first opponent, I thought, “this is amazing, I’m through to the quarterfinals!” I came up against one of the top Italians, there was kind of a lot of pressure on me to do it. I beat her when she came to Bristol Open a couple of years back, and I beat her there but all the other times I thought, “oh, she’s beaten me.” I knew that I could do it if I gave it everything, and yeah, I went up there and gave it everything and got through to the semi-finals, so I won the bronze medal. In the semis I was two points away from winning, and my opponent went on to win the World Title. So I couldn’t really ask for more, especially in my first year. Oh yeah, that’s an absolutely fantastic achievement. How’s it been coming back from that and sinking back into university life? NB: (Chuckles) Yeah I came straight back into uni, I landed on the Sunday night and then got a train straight back here and had a nine o’clock on the Monday morning. So, yeah, no rest! But settling back in again is like a normal routine now. When’s your next big event, what’s next for you on the agenda?
Nesta takes down the competition Image: Nesta Baxter
NB: I have BUCS for boxing then it goes so much in the next couple of weeks for kickboxing. I’m doing the national championships in and that’s in Nottingham. Then I’m over to Ireland for the Irish Open, which is the biggest Open competition and that’s in Dublin, then two weeks after that I’m going to the Dutch Open and that’s in Amsterdam. Then hopefully again go for the GB team again this year.
to Northumbria in derby-day clash sion the former came to fruition as sustained poly-pressure led to Northumbria taking the lead on 25 minutes that would turn out to be the sole goal of the game. Newcastle sparked a mini-revival ten minutes from half time, with sustained pressure leading to half time with just a single goal
deficit. Coach Hannah Cashell took her fivesaside for a half time consultation away from her dugout and fans in attendance. It was clear from her hand gestures that her briefing was full of passion, understandable given the first half was somewhat lax compared to
what the girls usually expect. Cashell’s words had evidently stuck, with sustained pressure and build-up play leading to a cracking effort from Polly Ashford, only to be blocked away by the Northumbrian defence for a short corner. Newcastle’s newfound intensity was equally matched by an all-round impressive Northumbria midfield, whose physicality and powerful passes meant that they could counter effectively. This led to a chance that, upon leaving the Northumbria attackers stick, was destined for goal, were it not for the last-ditch clearance from Sohpie Chaney to keep Newcastle’s deficit to just a single goal. This close call seemingly provided the inspiration to inject more venom into their game. For the first time in the afternoon, it appeared Newcastle realised they were playing in a derby.
Despite ending the season with a loss, the fives bounced back to victory in their following match
Newcastle 5s prepare to defend a short corner Image: Harry Godwin-Austen
Ashford was key to this, before being forced off with a leg knock; she was providing key pivots from defence into attack for Newcastle. This link became especially fruitful for Sophie Sheaf and Alicia Boyle; with Ashford finding each in more attacking areas compared to the first half. The sustained pressure alas led to noth-
ing more than a missed chance from Abbie Spencer from a Sheaf through pass. Newcastle was knocking, but on this occasion to no avail. 1-0 was the finished outcome on what proved to be a frustrating afternoon for Newcastle. Coach Cashell begins her post-match dissection “The first half started slowly, but we retained the majority [of] possession. A few defensive errors led to a turnover that left us a goal down”. “The second half was played with a different attitude and drive for the ball, unfortunately, it didn’t lead to any goals”. Cashell made sure however to commend the girl’s efforts despite ending the season with a loss, with the fives bouncing back to winning ways since the defeat in a nonBUCS game. The fives finish up the season in a very respectable third place in the North East and Yorkshire Tier 5. ICG Women’s Northern Tier 5 North East & Yorkshire
BUCS RESULTS BADMINTON
M1 v Nottingham 2nds W1 v Derby 1sts W2 v St Andrews 1sts
BASKETBALL
M2 v Northumbria 2nds M3 v York 2nds W1 v Edinburgh 1sts W2 v Sheffield 1sts
FENCING
M1 v Leeds 1sts M2 v York 2nds W1 v Stirling 1sts
FOOTBALL
M1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts M2 v Leeds 1sts M3 v York St John 5ths W1 v Lancaster 1sts W2 v York St John 2nds
GOLF
1sts v Leeds Beckett 1sts 2nds v York 1sts
HOCKEY
M2 v Northumbria 2nds M3 v Leeds Beckett 2nds W3 v Leeds 2nd W4 v Teeside 1sts
LACROSSE
2-6 0-8 5-3 89-50 64-62 30-91 65-75 100-115 68-135 122-127 0-5 0-2 0-1 2-2 6-0 2.5--3.5 2-4 1-1 2-1 2-5 2-2
M1 Glasgow 1sts M2 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds W1 v Edinburgh 1sts W2 v Northumbria 1sts
33-6 8-0 6-13 23-12
1sts v Aberdeen 1sts 2nds v Northumbria 2nds 3rds v Newcastle 4ths
79-42 49-38 51-29
NETBALL
RUGBY UNION
M1 v Leeds 1sts M4 v Leeds Beckett 3rds W1 v Birmingham 1sts W2 v York 2nds
26-22 33-26 19-39 20-66
RUGBY LEAGUE 2nds v Bradford 1sts
SQUASH
M2 v Leeds Beckett 1sts M3 v Durham 4ths W2 v Durham 2nds
TABLE TENNIS
54-0 1-4 0-3 1-3
M2 v Durham 2nds M3 v Lancaster 2nds W1 v Durham 4th
14-3 13-4 5-0
M1 v Liverpool 1sts M2 v Leeds 2nds W2 v Leeds Beckett 3rds
6-0 12-0 4-2
TENNIS
VOLLEYBALL
M1 v Nottingham 1sts W1 v Derby 1sts W2 v Huddersfield 1sts
3-0 3-0 3-0
WATERPOLO Pld W
D
L
Pts
1 Northumbria 2nds
6
6
0
0
18
2 York St John 1s
6
5
0
1
15
3 Newcastle 5s
6
4
0
2
12
4 Leeds Trinity 1s
6
3
0
3
9
5 Leeds Beckett 5s
5
1
0
4
3
6 Leeds 7s
5
1
0
4
3
7 Leeds 8s
6
0
0
6
0
W1 v Manchester Metropolitan 8-27
SURF FORECAST Tynemouth Longsands You can wave goodbye to the cloudless days and sweet waves we have had this week so far, as the onshore winds are going to leave us with a flat surf. Don’t get tied down and get your vitamin sea whilst you can, or you’ll have to wait until later next week to get nauti on your surfboard .
sport the courier
Monday 10 February 2020 Issue 1402 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
The team travelled to Scotland to compete Image: Newcastle XC
Team Newcastle take on BUCS Cross-Country Championships
Sport Editor Toby Bryant and Cross-Country Captain Chris Larkin report on the cross-country biggie from across the border Toby Bryant & Chris Larkin at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
Thousands of miles, gallons of mud and half a dozen cross country races so far this academic year culminated on February 1st as Newcastle University’s Cross-Country (NUAXC) team took on the BUCS Championships.
Just a few water features and churned up corners between the team and some impressive times
Hosted by our friendly Scottish neighbours, Edinburgh’s prestigious Holyrood Park was the venue in 2020 – a relief after recent years had seen pilgrimages to fields
Inside Sport today >>>
Meet Nesta
We talk to Newcastle’s kickboxing extraordinaire Page 38
as far-flung as Exeter and London. A flatter terrain than many of the team’s runners who had competed in the local Harrier League races were accustomed to, there were just a few water features and churned up corners between the team and some impressive times. In the Men’s A race it was Chris Larkin, Taylor Glover, Jack Douglas, Will Brockman, David Warnes and Evan Hosking who lined up for NUAXC. The whole field went off like absolute rockets, making for a painful drag into the second half of the race. Nonetheless, support from the other NUAXC members on the sidelines was raucous and helped the team to impressive finishes in a field of 337 of the country’s best university athletes. Larkin sailed home in 36:02 for 100th place, with Glover just 17 runners behind. Just over two minutes separated the rest of
the Newcastle field, who all placed in the top 251.
30
Number of competitors from Team Newcastle
The Women’s A race was a hotly contested affair between the Newcastle team of Amy Fuller, Shona Haston, Lauren DaviesBeckett and Emily Oakshott. The ceremonial pre-race bagpipes only served to up the ante as Fuller, Haston and Davies-Beckett pushed one another to finishes less than one minute apart – all in the top 100 runners. Oakshott finished momentarily after, chomping at captain Davies-Beckett’s heels, with an impressive performance as credit to months of committed training.
Sticky Wickets
South Africa’s cricketing frailties and what the future holds. Page 36
Earlier in the day, the two B races had opened proceedings. In the men’s competition, Sam Hansen had the whole field sweating just 100 meters in with a flawless execution of former NUAXC captain Sean Haycock’s “start fast, maintain the speed and sprint finish” mantra- ‘yeeting’ himself into the top five off the start line. However, having pumped himself and the rest of Scotland up pre-race with Flares bangers, Toby Loveday came through the field to finish first from the Newcastle team in 30:46. Sean Barry was a minute behind with Hansen coming in third. Every runner put forward by NUAXC finished in the top 600 of the near 650 strong category, pleasing performances all round. For the women’s short competition, the day’s opener, there was an intense inter-club race between Meg Ellison and Rebecca Charlton. Over the six-kilometre course,
Ellison just managed to pip Charlton at the last minute, a mere second separating the runners. All 11 runners came home within three minutes of each other in the feisty affair.
“Start fast, maintain the speed and sprint finish.” - A Cross-Country Captain of yesteryear
Another BUCS Cross Country checked off (and celebrated in style that night), thanks must go out to Chris Larkin and Lauren Davies-Beckett for organising the weekend. The big one may be done, but Harrier League races in coming weeks continue, with some athletes turning their eyes to track season shortly after!
Transfer Signings
All you need to know about the new football arrivals. Page 37