Courier 1378 by The Courier Online

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Monday 19 November 2018 Issue 1378 Free

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The independent voice of Newcastle students

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Students’ Union plan initiation amnesty Harry Parsons Sports Editor Just 3 weeks after Newcastle University was criticised at the inquest into the death of 1st year student Edward (Ed) Farmer, a planned amnesty by Newcastle University Student Union has been announced.

The amnesty would allow clubs, societies, and any individual students to anonymously report behavior that may take place at banned initiations

The amnesty would allow clubs, societies, and any individual students to anonymously report behavior that may take place at banned initiations, potentially facing no consequences for the events that had taken place. The objective would be to give the union as much information as possible regarding events that are banned but still take place in secrecy. Ed Farmer, a first year Economics student, died after an initiation-style event hosted by the Agricultural Society in December 2016. Initiations and initiation-style events were banned at the time, as they are now. At the inquest into the death of Ed Farmer it was heard that he was “physically shaking” and a number of other students were “nervous”. An amnesty run by Newcastle Students Union, which would be open to students revealing details of banned activities taking place within sports clubs and societies, would likely be the first such event to take place among universities Activities Officer Sophie McDermott, who oversees all societies, and Athletic Union Officer Maggie Elstob, who oversees all sports clubs, spoke to The Courier. Elstob and McDermott both stated their belief that students should have two different forms of contact during the amnesty. These would be dropin sessions for students to talk face to face about their experience,s and an online form in which experiences could be shared anonymously. Initiations, which often consist of excessive drinking and can lead to some students being coerced into drinking alcohol, have been banned at Newcastle University since 2009. Students who are found to have organised or participated in such events will be “subject to disciplinary action” according to University guidelines. While the amnesty remains in the early stages of planning, an email sent to clubs by Elstob on Friday suggested that details are still

to be agreed upon regarding on when exactly any amnesty will take place and how it will. A source within the Union, however, tells us that there are no plans for it to take place before the Christmas break. Elstob stated that she believed the most successful way an amnesty could work and be respected by sports clubs was to ensure that clubs “have trust in the union”. She added that giving people options on “how to disclose information” was important to ensure the process would gather the widest possible field of information. Sophie McDermott said that she was initially uncomfortable with the idea of an amnesty, but if it were to take place would see it as an exercise to “simply try to find out both the details of these events and the way it made our students feel”. She emphasised that she felt action was needed to ensure that the culture at Newcastle University could be changed, but acknowledged that the issues raised in the inquest were societal issues that needed addressing too. While Elstob claimed that there was little to no pushback from sports clubs, McDermott stated that she had heard a number of objections from societies. She said members of Society Executive Committee had expressed concerns about the amnesty going ahead. When asked whether she believed this amnesty would definitely be going ahead, McDermott said that “enough people want it to happen.”

“It would be very useful to hear descriptions of initiations so we are better equipped to tackle the problems”

Raff Marioni, NUSU President

When asked whether she herself wanted the amnesty to happen, she stated that she “will support [her] sabbatical team.” However, she stipulated that it would have to be something she was comfortable putting her name behind, stressing that her main aim is to make a safe and supportive environment for students. Elstob concluded by saying that she hopes “people get on board and see it as a positive exercise to move forward”. Student Union President Raff Marioni said in his State of the Union Speech at Union council that the amnesty “wouldn’t be a period were the current ban on initiations would be lifted”, continuing to say that “it would be overall very useful to hear descriptions of their initiations so we understand the problems and are better equipped to tackle the problems”.

Tackling period poverty: Courier article inspires petition for free sanitary products on campus p.5

Inside today >>>

Beauty advent calendars

On yer bike mate

A lover’s tiff

Dylan Moran

Find out about the cheap and expensive beauty advent calendars on offer this year Beauty, page 17

Our Blind Daters find themselves at ideological odds in this week’s issue Blind Date, page 14

Bike thefts on campus continue to be a large issue for Newcastle Students News, page

Comedian Dylan Moran brings his latest show Mr. Cosmos to the Tyne Theatre & Opera House Arts, page 31

How the mighty fall

Sports writers reflect on despicable athletes caught out cheating, in the act Sport, page 37

Not so trusted reviews James Troughton considers the aftermath of the Trusted Reviews data scandal Gaming, page 33

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thecourier The Courier is a weekly newspaper produced by students, for students. It’s never too late to get involved in the paper, whether you’re a writer, illustrator or photographer. Just visit thecourieronline.co.uk/about for more information. Editor Louise Hall Deputy Editor Isabel Sykes Copy Editor Laura Staniforth News Editors Grace Dean, Molly Greeves, Sidney Pinsett and Steven Ross Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken and Alexandra Sadler Life & Style Editor Sophie Henderson Lifestyle Editors Phoebe Fielder, Holly Margerrison, and Ella Williams Fashion Editors Poppy Couling Joe Hood and Miranda Stoner Beauty Editors Laura Buckle, Susanne Norris and Nimra Rafique Travel Editors Jenny Franken and Bianca Ionci Culture Editors Alex Moore and Carys Rose Thomas Feature Editor Ally Wilson Arts Editors Rosie Mccrum, Julia McGhee Russell and Scarlett Rowland Music Editors Charlotte Boulton, Rory Ellis and Jess Taylor-Weisser TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Tom Cooney and Chloe Mullins Film Editors JImmy Athey, Helena Buchanan and Joe Holloran Gaming Editors George Boatfield, Kelly South and Matthew Neville Sports Editors Sydney Isaacs, Rebecca Johnson and Harry Parsons Online Editors Rory Cameron, Jodie Duddy, Amanda Goh, Thomas Hardwick, Max Hobbs Orestis Katsoulis and Chris Wilkinson The Courier NUSU King’s Walk Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QB Tel: 0191 239 3940 The Courier is printed by: Trinity Mirror Printing, Barton Road, Riverside Park Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, TS2 1UT Established in 1948, the Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Students’ Union at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge. The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of the Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of the Courier, the Students’ Union or Newcastle University.

Monday 19 November 2018

NSR show of the week:

Whats on near you:

Vicky Mepstead

Societies: 9am-3pm: Auditions for International Festival of Culture, Arts and Music 2019. More information on NUSU website. Sport: 5:15pm-7:15pm: GIAG Golf. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance. Film: 6:30pm-9pm: FilmSoc screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Location: Barbara Strang Teaching Centre, Room 1.46.

Midweek Motivation Wednesdays 2pm-3pm

Midweek Motivation is on NSR every Wednesday 2pm and gives you the tunes to get you through the midweek hump with the positive songs. The kind of show you can listen to when you’re in the library and need some feel good vibes or the kind of show you can listen to when you’re at the gym. Playing songs varying from artists

such as Frank Sinatra to MK to Madonna. With jokes chats and funny anecdotes you’re sure to have your mood lifted no matter what is going on. Tune in every week and you’re guaranteed to be cheered up, have a laugh and have the proper feel good soundtrack to get on your way to the weekend.

STU BREW review

Lab Session: Halloween edition £3.00 per pint Carys Thomas Culture Editor As a big fan of Lab Session, I was really excited to hear that they were changing it up for Halloween. Off I went down to Luthers, £3 in hand, ready to buy my first Halloween Lab Session (albeit a bit late). Much to my surprise, out came a stream of questionably green liquid. I was intrigued. The change in colour didn’t change the flavour of the drink, in fact I definitely recommend it to those looking to try something a bit different and support a student enterprise. However, in my personal view, if you’re going to make a drink green, you’ve got to go all out on it. I was expecting a more festive green and was instead presented with something that, while certainly interesting, looked a little

Student Spotlight Jazz Orchestra hosts November Jam-boree Isabel Sykes Deputy Editor Newcastle University Jazz Orchstra are set to host their November Jazz Jam-boree on Thursday 22 November. NUJO will form a house band for the evening in a night of Jazz that will take place in Bar Loco from 8pm until 1am. The Jazz Orchestra are NUSU’s longest running Big Band. They play a number of public and private gigs throughout the year, and have recently started a series of gigs in the Hatton Gallery. On 14 November their Jazz Combo Small Band played 1pm until 1:45pm in Gallery 1 on campus. For their event on Thursday, NUJO have created a Facebook event page where they stress that everyone is welcome to attend, whether as a participant or a member of the audience. Their event page reads: “Please feel free to come along with your instrument and join us for a jam. If you don’t play, feel free to come along and get merry with some drinks whilst listening to some tunes. “We’ll be providing a full backline including bass and guitar amps, keyboard, drum kit, and maybe even a bit of auxiliary percussion - so don’t worry about lugging all that about! We encourage everyone to come and join us, no matter what instrument or ability - we’ve had violins, flutes and clarinets in the past.” Ally Wilson, a member of NUJO, gives her view on the upcoming event: “It’s a really great chance to improvise and play some great music together in a. Relaxed environment. Anyone can get up and join us and it’s really liberating to just kind of make it up as you go along!”

bit off. Despite the colour of this particular pint, I would always recommend Stu Brew’s beer to any Luther’s attendee, as I have always enjoyed the creations of theirs that I have tried, and greatly appreciate the reasonable prices. While the green Halloween Lab Session was unexpected, and the colour wasn’t really for me, I would still encourage any beer fan to give the regular Lab Session a try. It is still a favourite of mine, and if green is your thing, give this one a try before it goes.

Monday

Wednesday

Beauty: 9:30am-4:30pm: GIAG Manicures. Location: Marketing Cube, NUSU. Societies: 12pm-2pm: Go Volunteer dropin. Kate Aide Room, NUSU. Lifestyle: 12pm-4pm: Orchard gardening and apple picking. Location: Northumberland National Park. Sport: 12pm-2pm: GIAG Table Tennis. Location: Venue, NUSU. Sport: 2pm-2:45pm: GIAG Horse Riding. Location: Stepney Bank stables. Sport: 4pm-6:30pm: GIAG Extreme Trampoline Jump 360. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance. Sport: 5:15pm-8pm: GIAG Archery. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance. Travel: 5:30pm-7pm: Portuguese beginner’s language class. Location: Language Resource Centre, Old Library Building.

Friday

Student Reps: 2pm-3:30pm: How to ensure Inclusive Representation, event for student reps. Location: History Room, NUSU. Sport: 7pm-10pm: Falcons v Bath Rugby match. Location: Kingston Park. Music: 7pm-11pm: SHAME live. Location:

Tuesday

Sport: 12pm-2pm: GIAG Table Tennis. Location: Venue, NUSU. Societies: 6pm-7pm: Say Know Discussion, Study Drugs. Location: Dunstanburgh Room, NUSU Central.

Thursday

Lifestyle: 5pm-8pm: GIAG Fat Buddha social dinner. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance. Comment: 6pm-8pm: Public lecture: “George Mobiot: Out of the wreckage; a new politics for an age of crisis.” Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building.

Saturday

Societies: 11am-1pm: Jesmond Street Tidy. Location: Jesmond. Sport: 11am-1pm: GIAG Taekwondo. Location: MPA Room A, Newcastle University Sports Centre. Arts: 1:30pm-4pm: GIAG Silver ring-making jewellery workshop. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance.

Sunday

Lifestyle: 8am-7:30pm: GIAG Caving taster. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance. Sport: 11:30am-12:30pm: GIAG Swimming lesson. Location: Royal Grammar School, Jesmond. Sport: 1pm-3pm: GIAG Hot pod yoga. Location: Meet outside NUSU front entrance. Sport: 1:45pm-4pm: GIAG Fencing. Location: Venue, NUSU.

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Monday 19 November 2018

@TheCourier_News courier.news@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/news News Editors Grace Dean, Molly Greeves, Sidney Pinsent, Steven Ross Online Editor Jodie Duddy

Raising money to house rough sleepers this Christmas Steven Ross News Editor

Residents of Newcastle are volunteering to sleep outside on the night of the 1st December to raise money to support some of Newcastle’s rough sleepers. The aim is to raise enough money to provide 12 rough sleepers with a bed for the month of December. This is expected to cost roughly £7,440, an ambitious, but not impossible target.

8am on 2nd December. Under 18s can attend the event but must leave by 6pm on the 1st December. The Big Sleep Out has been organised by the Jesmond Parish church. Michael Sutherland, a member of Jesmond Parish Church, and Ramzi Adcock, New Executive Minister at the Parish and Newcastle University alumni, helped to organize the

event. Michael is a former homeless person who now wants to help those who are in the same position that he has been in. Their faith has been a significant part of promoting the Sleep out event. Michael said that, “what we do started out of the heart of a recovering homeless man and his compassionate church.

“£20 takes a person off the street for a night this Christmas, but meeting Jesus has given me a home forever.” Similar sleep out events will be happening across the country over November and December to help Britain’s homeless. According to The Big Issue the number of homeless people in the UK outnumbers the entire popu-

lation of Newcastle. Events like the Big Sleep Out may not resolve the issue of homelessness altogether, that will take active changes spearheaded by the government, but raising money to keep some people of the streets in the coldest winter for a decade could be a lifesaving endeavour.

In 2017 there were 45 rough sleepers in the North East and 991 living in temporary accommodation

In 2017, there were 45 rough sleepers in the North East, and 991 living in temporary accommodation, according to homeless charity Shelter. Those who sleep on the streets have a dramatically reduced life expectancy, 47 for men and 43 for women, whereas the average for the general population is 80 for women and 74 for men. To participate in the sleep out you must be over 18 and have registered in advance. You must also provide essential items such as thermals, a sleeping bag and an umbrella. Participants are also expected to raise at least £20 before taking part, the cost of keeping one rough sleeper off the streets for a night. The event will take place in the Civic Centre gardens, from midday on 1st December until

Promotional poster Image: The Big Sleep Out Newcastle, Facebook

Cancer breakthrough for Newcastle researchers Kelly Corcoran New research carried out by Newcastle University scientists has enabled a chromosome signature to be identified within the brain tumour medulloblastoma. The results inform scientists and doctors which children will require intensive chemotherapy to treat the cancer; medulloblastoma

being the most common type of brain cancer, claiming 15-20% of all diagnosed brain tumours in children. The chromosome signature identified involves recognising the patterns of chromosome gains and losses in medulloblastoma tumours. As a result, it can now be recognised which children suffering from this cancer will require intensive chemotherapy, preventing all children from needing to undergo the same

level of intensity of the therapy. The treatment for medulloblastoma currently involves surgery to remove the tumour, followed by an intense course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Prior to the discoveries within this treatment, all children diagnosed with medulloblastoma received the same treatment. With more than 70% of medulloblastoma cases occurring in children under 10 years old, this new insight into the character of the

12 year old Olly McKenna has battled back to health Image: Jason McKenna

tumour will hopefully pave the way for significant improvements in both the treatment of medulloblastoma within children, as well as the quality of lives for children following treatment. Consequently, many children suffering with medulloblastoma will be able to avoid the painful process of undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the toxic side effects that these treatments can have. Professor Clifford who led the European study alongside Northumbria University’s Dr Edward Schwalbe said “our findings provide a new blueprint for the personalisation of treatment in medulloblastoma so that all children are not given the same intensity of therapy”. This research therefore enables patients of low risk to “receive kinder treatments aimed at reducing toxicity and side effects, while targeting more intensive treatments to the highrisk patients who need it most”.

Many children suffering with medulloblastoma will be able to avoid the painful process of undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and the toxic side effects

This will be revolutionary is preserving a better quality of life for children following treatment, those of low risk being able to avoid undergoing the intense treatment, and

potentially toxic side effects that accompany radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 12-year-old Olly McKenna is a survivor of medulloblastoma, beating the cancer after being diagnosed less than a year ago. His mother Jill expressed her relief and happiness towards the results of this research, her son having to undergo months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy after the removal of his tumour; a surgery that lasted nine hours.

“To know that research has identified that therapy should be tailored to each individual child is fantastic”

Jill McKenna, Mother of 12-year old Olly McKenna

Jill expressed that “to know that research has identified that therapy should be tailored to each individual child is fantastic as it will mean that children will not be given toxic treatment unnecessarily”. Therefore, the children fighting medulloblastoma “can continue to have a good quality of life during and after treatment” with “as few side effects as possible”. The study belongs to one of the largest completed clinical trials of medulloblastoma across Europe. Researchers now cooperating with the European trial group in order to make decisions on how these new findings can be applied to future trials; hopefully further improving future therapy methods.

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Monday 19 November 2018

U.N. investigates ‘extreme poverty’ in Newcastle

Isobel Conn

Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, visited Newcastle on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the impact of austerity on the UK.

The West End Foodbank provides food for around 42,000 people yearly ande is giving out 20% more food than six months ago

His inquiry will evaluate whether recent government policies breach the international human rights standards which the UK has agreed to follow, including the rights to food, housing and decent living standards. Alston and his UN team will also visit Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Essex, Glasgow and London. Whilst Alston’s previous reports have concerned poverty in developing nations such as Ghana, Mauritania and Mozambique. This is only the second report to have been conducted into a wealthy country, following the US in December 2017. It has been prompted by the claims of other international human rights bodies that the British government’s pursuit of austerity and welfare reforms since 2010 are incompatible with its international human rights obligations. Alston met with council bosses and visited the city’s West End Foodbank, the biggest in Britain, to understand the direct impact that the adoption of the Universal Credit benefits system and cuts to Newcastle City Council’s

budget, totalling £254m since 2011, have had on the people of Newcastle. The visit was informed by Academics from Newcastle University who entered a written commission, endorsed by the council, to the Special Rapporteur, showing the North East to be a key area of concern. It was found that Newcastle is the 53rd most deprived English local authority out of 326. More than 65,000 people in Newcastle are living in areas that are among the 10% most deprived in the country. Additionally, the West End Foodbank provides food for around 42,000 people yearly and reports that it is giving out 20% more food than six months ago. The situation for children in Newcastle is also dire. The Chronicle reported that in the wards of Westgate, Wingrove and Elswick over half of children live in poverty. In Byker, the situation is barely any better with a figure or 49%. Alston will also be investigating inequality in Britain as regional disparities are unusually high for European standards. Since 2010, while the lowest earners have seen their real wages decline by 20%, those at the top have

Since 2010, whilst the lowest earners have seen their real wages decline by 20%, those at the top have seen a 20% increase

seen a 20% increase, concerning for the UN as one of its Sustainable Development Goals is to ‘Reduce inequality within and among countries’. Alston will present his initial conclusions in mid-November with a final report scheduled to be put to the UN Human Rights Council in 2019.

The West End Foodbank provides food for around 42,000 people a year Image: Flickr

UK Pride 2020 will be hosted by Newcastle Amanda Goh Online Editor

Newcastle has been chosen as the host city for UK Pride in 2020. Members from Northern Pride, travelled

“We pledge to fully support the teams in Northern Ireland in their fight for marriage equality.”

George Frost, President of NU’s LGBT Society

to Glasgow where members of UK Pride Organisers Network (UKPON) submitted their votes on where UK Pride would be in 2020. Through a bid process by Northern Pride, the team behind Newcastle Pride were able to witness the voting and announcement proceedings. Northern Pride is the biggest LGBT Pride Festival in the North East of England, held in Newcastle. It’s annual event in July is held at the Town Moor, being free for all who attends. The event further provides a safe space for LGBT people, their families, as well as their friends. Northern Pride celebrates LGBT culture, history and societal diversity. The yearly festival has grown from 4,000 to 20,000

marching from the Newcastle Civic Centre to Nuns Moor Park to celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Northern pride’s reaction was posted online stating that they “have been overwhelmed with messages of support from our community and local businesses. It is you all, who give us inspiration and determination to continue doing what we do, year after year.” Further referring to the current fight for equal marriage in Northern Ireland and the event being held their next year, they stated: “we pledge to fully support the teams in Northern Ireland in their fight for marriage equality. We are looking forward to successfully delivering our Pride campaigns for sport, in school and Trans Generations in 2019”.

“While it is a fairly liberal city, our community still faces harassment and hate crimes on an unpleasantly regular basis”

George Frost, President of Newcastle’s LGBT Society

Before that, Newcastle Pride 2019 will bring huge changes to prepare for 2020. A

huge marquee will be erected to have house the main stage, as well as a new location and many changes yet to be announced. George Frost, President of Newcastle University’s LGBT Society, hopes that “Pride 2020 will help Newcastle become more welcoming and open of the LGBT+ community. While it is a fairly liberal city, our community still faces harassment and hate crimes on an unpleasantly regular basis. “Both as an individual, and as president of LGBT+ I’m hoping that Pride 2020 will give the city a chance to realise we’re all humans, and that we have more in common with each other than we have differences.” Alongside, Northern Pride, launched a new icon and loco - #WeAreNorthernPride. It encapsulates a feeling of community in the North East. Having the Angel of the North as their influence, the logo shows a proud interpretation of the landmark. Frost further commented on how happy he was for Pride to be held in Newcastle, saying: “I’m happy to that the rest of the UK gets to see this wonderful city, but from an LGBT+ lens I’m hoping that it’ll help showcase some of the wonderful LGBT+ Charities and organisations in the area, they do really good work!” Hosting UK pride shows a focal point for the Pride Movement in the UK, which would enhance its position regionally, nationally and in the global Pride Movement. Having Pride 2020 to be held in Newcastle would impact positively on the city and allow inclusivity.

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Monday 19 November 2018

Don’t cramp our style: tackling period poverty Molly Greeves News Editor On the 29th of October, The Courier published an article about the UCU’s scheme to provide free sanitary products to students at Newcastle College. In light of this article, a petition was started demanding that a similar scheme be put in place at our university, obtaining over one hundred and eighty signatures in its first three days.

“Sanitary products are not a luxury item, the idea that anyone will have to go without is unacceptable”

Haaris Qureshi NUSU Disabilities Officer

The petition was started by Julia McGee Russell, Arts Editor for The Courier, and argues that if the scheme can be introduced at Newcastle College, the same issues should also be being dealt with at Newcastle University. “An article last week by The Courier highlighted the period poverty that young people across the UK face every day,” the petition reads. “NUSU President Raff Marioni and Welfare Officer Jack Green are currently fighting to fund free sanitary products at Newcastle University. Let’s support the institution of this policy for the benefit of everyone suffering from period poverty.” When asked how the idea to start the petition came about, Julia McGee-Russell said: “The idea to start this petition came from one of our News Team shows at NSR, where we talked about period poverty, the recent Scottish and Welsh government’s funding towards ending it, as well as the free products made available at Newcastle

College. “I urge anyone who believes in this to sign the petition and share it with their social media circles. The more signatures we get, the more support Raff and Jack have to fulfil their campaign promise, and the less impact period poverty will have on our students.” The petition was created on Change.Org, which allows people to give their reasons for signing. Some students chose to express their discontent with the current lack of free sanitary products. Haaris Qureshi, the NUSU Disabilities Officer, commented that “Sanitary products are not a luxury item, and the idea that anyone will have to (go) without making use of one due to financial security is unacceptable.” Another commenter wrote: “Let’s end period poverty, period.” But the petition isn’t the only way that Newcastle University students are fighting these issues. On the 8th of November, the Speech and Language Therapy Society held a Pub Quiz to collect sanitary products for the Red Box Project. The event was held in the upstairs of The Junction and took donations sanitary products at the door as an “entry fee”. According to a tweet by SLT, the event was a hit, with over eighty people showing up and donating around 150 packs of tampons and pads.

especially because most of our members are likely to know how expensive sanitary products are. “Our fundraising rep, Hannah Stead, organised the event with the committee’s support... Emma Higgins (SLT’s treasurer)

raised the issue that some students could also face problems with the price of sanitary products, so we are in discussion about making a red box in our building (KGVI) for our members. “It could make a huge impact if (the

“It could make a huge impact if the university made a move towards offering a red box for students”

university) made a move towards offering a red box for students. The amount of girls who miss school due to their period is worrying, and we feel that something really needs to be done to stop this!”

Emily Eceylan, President of the SLT

Emily Erceylan, the president of the SLT society, said that the idea came about after a group discussion on period poverty. “We are a majority female course, so we thought it would really (help to) raise awareness,

Over 150 packs of tampons and pads were donated at the event Image: @RedBoxNewcastle and @SLTSocietyNCL

Bike theft remains a huge issue on campus, NU security claim Molly Greeves News Editor

Newcastle University Security claim that an average of two or three bikes a week are being stolen from university campus. Cycling is considered by many university students and staff members to be the best way to get around as it is quick, cheap and environmentally friendly. However, according to a survey taken last year, Newcastle has the seventh highest rate of bike theft out of the UK’s top thirty universities, and according to Shed Coultard, the Estates Security Manager here at Newcastle University, this continues to

Pride has been an annual event in the UK since 1972 Image: Wikimedia Commons

be a significant issue. “Most bike thieves carry bolt cutters which can cut through flexible locks quite easily. We have found that thieves usually leave bikes with heavy D-Locks alone, however, there have been one or two cases where D-Locks have been defeated too.” According to Shed, bike thieves are even coming onto campus dressed like students to avoid suspicion and “bringing inferior bikes to swap with expensive ones”. “On CCTV cameras they look like legitimate students.” He explained. “It is only when they cut the lock (that) they are identified... a typical theft can take less than five seconds.” He added that when thieves fail to cut bike

locks, they are stealing other parts left such as lights and wheels. As this is an alarming issue for many students and staff members, the university is taking precautions in an attempt to prevent property from being stolen. “The university has put on extra patrols and we give five hundred D-Locks away for free at the beginning of each academic year. We have suggested to the Student Union that they purchase quality D-Locks and sell them at the SU shop. We are working with the police to look at ways of catching those responsible. The security team have made a number of arrests but there are a few thieves out there.”

The level of bike theft on campus is concerning for students and staff members Image: PXHere

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Monday 19 November 2018

Modern languages host conversation group

Grace Dean News Editor Newcastle University Modern Languages Society has set up a foreign language conversation group. The Society is running a weekly free-ofcost conversation club for which the foreign language will alternate each time. While the foreign language conversation groups offered by the Languages Resources Centre are highly praised by their participants, the spaces for these groups often fill very quickly or do not fit into students’ timetables. To meet demand, the Society has therefore decided to independently organise additional classes where attendees can benefit from the presence of native speakers. This also helps the Society to meet its aim of promoting and encouraging language learning, which can be difficult for them to do as the Society itself is unable to provide taught language lessons due to lack of funds. The announcement has been warmly received by members of the Society, who include students of the School of Modern Languages, those who learn languages as a hobby and non-native speakers who wish to improve their English, many of whom are Erasmus students studying for a semester in Newcastle. Captain of the Modern Languages Society’s football team Borussia Modlangbach Jack Redley was the driving force behind the idea. The final-year Spanish and Portuguese student held the first conversation group, which

was for Portuguese, at By The River Brew Co bar on the Quayside on Monday 12th. This group was attended by approximately 20 native English speakers with six native Portuguese speakers from Brazil and Portugal who are currently studying at Newcastle University. As well as free-flowing conversation, games were also played to encourage a fun and informal environment in which attendees could feel comfortable practising their Portuguese without fear of embarrassment or making mistakes. Many students who have a strong interest in the Portuguese language but are unable to study it as part of their degree attended the event and enjoyed the opportunity to speak to native speakers in a relaxed environment. Attendee Rebecca Doneghan, final year Linguistics student, said of the event, “I was quite nervous about going to the café as I knew the [Portuguese] levels of others would be higher

“The point of the classes is to get people, ironically, out of the classroom setting to speak with native speakers.”

Jack Redley, Modern Languages Society

than mine. I enjoyed it though, and was glad for the chance to listen which I find helps my learning. Students there were also patient with

me and willing to translate words I didn’t understand.” Attendee Corin Wright, first year German and Spanish student, said, “I hadn’t spoken Portuguese in a while so it was a great way to immerse myself in the language once again and meet some cool new people at the same time.”

Conversation groups offered by the university fill quickly

Discussing his reasons for setting up the group, Jack said, “I think that one of the main motivations for me personally was that it can very hard to practise speaking in a classroom of other English people. “The point of the conversation classes is to get people, ironically, out of the classroom setting to speak with native speakers. There’s no option to speak English.” The Modern Languages Society aims to run these conversation classes on a weekly basis with a rotational system for the different languages taught within the School of Modern Languages. Native speakers of foreign languages are encouraged to contact the Society if they would like to offer their help for future language sessions. For further information, please see the Modern Languages Society Facebook page or contact President Emma Devenish at E.devenish1@ncl.ac.uk.

Portuguese proved popular Image: Jack Redley

‘Wiggly Bags’ for children Alumni offer publishing opportunity and teenage cancer ward Shwetha Vasan

Jodie Duddy News Editor

Go Volunteer have been busy this month encouraging students to get involved making ‘Wiggly bags’ to carry important medications for sick children at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. The scheme, arranged by Becky Hamer, project development and engagement worker at Newcastle University Student’s Union, is one in a series of micro-volunteer projects that are popping up all around campus to encourage the practice of volunteering. Over 100 Wiggly Bags have been created by Newcastle students so far and are being donated to the Children and Teenage Cancer Ward at the RVI. They are widely used by patients with a Hickman Line to keep the tubes that dispense

their medication clean and out of the way during movement and play. These Go Volunteer sessions are ongoing throughout the term, with even a Christmas themed Wiggly Bag making session in December. No sewing skills are required and they take around 20 minutes to complete, meaning that they fit into even the busiest student’s class schedule but are immensely rewarding. Becky Hamer commented on the success of the project: “I’m really happy with how many students have gotten involved, and I think they have been pleased with the outcome of their work. It’s really good especially to get international students integrated and involved in the community with these micro-volunteer activities and I think they’re keen to do more volunteering.’

Salad pages calls for aspiring authors below the age of 22 for submitting their book ideas. Salad Pages are calling for aspiring authors below the age of 22 to submit their book ideas. They intend to create an easy publishing process to motivate young writers. Claire Napoli, the initiator of Salad Pages has worked in publishing for more than a decade. “We are championing the young writer. They must be given the prominence they deserve. This is a new age of books”. Launched in August 2018, this boutique publishing house is the brainchild of the husband and wife duo Matt and Claire Napoli. They met at Newcastle university and graduated in 2006. Since its inception, Salad Pages has been a positive publisher seeking to create an exciting and nurturing environment for a new generation of authors. It is very difficult for a budding author to receive acknowledgment because of lack of experience. Salad house supports them in the right way throughout, from developing manuscripts to publishing, sales and marketing. “ After all, if you look at some of the most successful authors”, Claire says proudly. “Like Stephen King and Danielle Steel, they started

writing when they were 22 and under. We care about our authors and enjoy what we do, which reflects in our work”. “Everybody has a thrilling story to tell and we want to read as many as possible from Newcastle University especially as it holds an exceptional place in our hearts”, she quipped.

Writers who have a submission accepted by Salad pages will be personally mentored and given all the support and expertise needed to publish their book. And when the authors turn 23, they will be invited to mentor other budding writers and encourage upcoming talents.

Matt and Claire Napoli graduated in 2006 Image: Clair Napoli

Hate Crime helpline launched in Newcastle Toby Bryant

More volunteer sessions are available throughout the year Image: Becky Hamer

The nation’s leading Hate Crime charity, Stop Hate UK, has announced the launch of its Helpline service in Newcastle. Open since the 1st November 2018, Stop Hate UK offers specialist support with reporting hate crimes and support for victims too. Newcastle Councillor and chair of Safe Newcastle, Habib Rahman, has spoken about the introduction of the helpline in Newcastle: “There is no place for hate and prejudice in Newcastle. We are a city of fairness, tolerance and equality, and tackling hate crime is a priority. We know the devastating impact hate crime has on victims and we are committed

to making our communities safer. That’s why we’re bringing in the Stop Hate UK service to help manage hate crime reporting in the city. We are confident that victims will get their voice heard and receive the support they need.” Stop Hate UK defines Hate crime as “any behaviour that someone thinks was caused by hatred of: disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion or faith, race”. The organisation was founded in 1995 with a focus on helping victims of racial harassment in direct response to the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The Stop Hate Line was then launched in 2006 following Recommendation 16 of The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1999. That recommendation read:

“That all possible steps should be taken by Police Services at local level in consultation with local Government and other agencies and local communities to encourage the reporting of racist incidents and crimes. This should include the ability to report at locations other than police stations; and the ability to report 24 hours a day.” If you feel you are the victim of a Hate Crime, or have witnessed one take place, there are a number of ways to contact Stop Hate UK. Their phone number is 0800 138 1625, their Text Relay is on 18001 0800 138 1625 and there are ways to talk via chat and post detailed on the website too.

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news

Monday 19 November 2018

Student triumph at annual Enterprise Challenge Grace Dean News Editor

On Wednesday 7th, Newcastle University students competed in the annual Enterprise Challenge organised by the university Careers Service. This year the Challenge was organised in cooperation with the multi-national consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, and therefore took place at their Newcastle premises in Cobalt Business Park. Students from the Schools of Modern Languages, Maths and Stats, and Computer Science were invited to attend. Attendees were set the task of suggesting modifications to P&G’s current product range to meet currently unmet consumer needs or to address current societal issues. The 20 teams were each able to select a product from P&G’s product range to adjust, with the choice of Gillette razors, Pampers nappies, Fairy washing up liquid and the Flash Mop. Working in groups of five, attendees had to research their selected product to identify gaps in the current market or unmet needs, define a target market for the redeveloped product, develop a prototype, and deliver a business pitch in which they presented their solution. The hypothetical proposals predominantly focused on making environmentally-friendly

adjustments to P&G’s current product range in response to increasing consumer consciousness of making “green” purchases; solutions therefore including the development of disposable nappies and reusable washing up bottles with refilling stations. These proposals and their pitches were then judged by a panel including representatives from P&G, the Careers Service and the three Schools participating. The activities were complimented by brief presentations on business planning for Careers Service Enterprise Advisor Dr Charlotte Hope. Discussing the success of the event, she said, “The P&G Enterprise Challenge is one of many creativity and innovation challenges that we run across campus. This event gave 60 students from mixed disciplines the opportunity to exercise and develop their enterprise and entrepreneurial capabilities including opportunity spotting, problem solving, team work, communication and presenting. Students are presented with a real world problem and challenged to generate an innovative solution with a business case to support this. Discussing the success of the event, Dr Hope said, “This was an excellent event and P&G Staff were very impressed with the response of the students including their flexibility, resilience and adaptability whilst working in a pressured environment. All of the skills utilised and showcased by the students at this

Attendees at the challenge Image: Charlotte Hope & Jessie Partlow

and our other events help to demonstrate how employable they are and how important these skills are in the world of work.” German and History student and attendee Sophie Roberson said, “I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Enterprise Challenge this year. The challenge not only gives you the opportunity to develop a number of skills that all employers look for but also dishes out free pizza! I would highly recommend this experience to any student.” For students who unfortunately missed out on attending the Enterprise Challenge, Dr Hope explains, “Newcastle University is excited to host its 3rd Health Innovation Day! Funded by EIT Health, a network of best in class health and ageing innovators, Innovation Day offers students the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to real life health based problems. Supported by health care practitioners and entrepreneurs in the health and ageing space, Innovation Day is open to all students! Any discipline, any stage and any university - we welcome students from across the North East. “The intensive one day event will allow students to exercise their enterprising skills and entrepreneurial mind-set, work within multidisciplinary teams and compete for prizes including an all expenses paid trip to London to compete in the European Final. This is a pan European event and 18 higher education institutions are hosting an Innovation Day in 2018. “This year the focus is “Innovative Homes for the Future: Smart Houses to support an active and ageing society”. For more information please contact Dr Charlotte Hope on charlotte.hope@ncl.ac.uk. “This challenge is part of the Careers Service creativity and innovation workshop delivery which is supported by Santander Universities. Santander Universities will soon be helping us to launch funding for student innovation projects.”

The winners of the challenge Image: Charlotte Hope & Jessie Partlow

Acorn’t believe it! Red squirrel Students left in the population stable in North East dark during blackout on Newcastle campus

Grace Dean News Editor

Northumberland Wildlife Trust have released their seventh annual report which reveals that numbers of red squirrels across the North of England are stable. The study takes into account surveys conducted in local red squirrel conservation areas across Northumberland, Tyne & Wear,

County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cumbria. The promising results show that red squirrel populations were found in 42% of all sites surveyed, while their grey counterparts were found in 48% of sites. The fact that the grey squirrel population is larger than that of red squirrels is however a cause of concern for conservation experts; red squirrels face high levels of competition for food from grey squirrels, and the greys are also carriers of the

squirrelpox virus, to which they are immune however which is deadly for red squirrels. Chairman Nick Leeming of Northern Red Squirrels, was delighted by the success of the surveys, describing how, “Reds are bouncing back in areas of Northumberland, for example around Cramlington, Morpeth and Ashington, where people are putting in the effort to look after them. “They have also been seen in the city of Newcastle again in 2018”.

Squirrel populations are stable Image: Pexels

Haaris Qureshi

On Tuesday 6th November, Newcastle was hit by a city-wide power cut. The loss of power, which hit areas in the city centre, Jesmond, Spital Tongues, Fenham and Elswick left many houses and businesses without power. The blackout occurred around 5pm, with street lights and road signals also affected, causing Northumbria Police to issue a warning to motorists and pedestrians. The power cut, which followed one the previous weekend which hit the BALTIC and parts of Walker, also caused an impact at Newcastle University. During the time of the blackout, NUTV were filming an episode of their Student Voice current affairs program which required filming to be cut short. The Courier encountered issues as the blackout caused the computers editors were working on to shut off, causing slight loss of work. Station Manager Harry Parsons, also present during the outage and witnessed dashing off out of the Courier and into Newcastle Student Radio, reported that the station was forced off air, saying “each time the power went off our server would crash, meaning we had to reset all the equipment. The city was without its student radio station for a whole 20 minutes that evening. Goodness knows how they coped.” Over at the Robinson Library, the power loss caused frustration and panic for students working. Second year psychology student Tara Worthington told the Courier, “I was in the Robbo and all the computer screens suddenly went black and went off! There were a

lot of confused faces, they came back on a few seconds after but others it took a lot longer. I was waiting for about 5 minutes.” Ally Cloke, English Literature Stage 2, was also in the Library: “I was working in the Robbo on the computers on the 2nd floor when suddenly the power went out. The weirdest part was the shared moment of frustration between everyone, in a place where you normally try not to ever make eye contact with anyone.”

“The city was without its student radio station for a whole twenty minutes. Goodness knows how they coped.”

Harry Parsons, NSR Station Manager and Sports Editor

Newcastle University’s backup generators prevented too much loss of work, with power coming back on in the Students’ Union seconds later. A spokesperson for the Royal Victoria Infirmary told the Chronicle that the hospital was not affected significantly beyond two small power cuts, and the Metro network was unaffected. The Northern Powergrid, which was inundated with almost 100 calls during the outage, have not disclosed the reason behind the blackout.

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editor.union@ncl.ac.uk Student Voice Editor: Isabel Sykes

Monday 19 November 2018

student voice

Fit just got real in NUSU’s This Girl Can campaign 2019 Isabel Sykes Deputy Editor Monday 19 November sees the start of NUSU’s This Girl Can campaign for 2019. This year’s official campaign is called #FitGotReal and aims to recognise the different ways people fit exercise into their daily lives. Everyday activities like doing the school run or walking the dog are part of this year’s initiative to celebrate people making the time to keep fit in their busy schedules.

Last year NUSU’s campaign included a FemSoc panel celebrating women in sport, fun-runs and other traditional sporting events, as well as plenty of opportunities for students to try their hand at sports they may never have previously considered, such as ultimate frisbee and pole-dancing. Last year’s Athletics Union Officer, Clara Pettitt, commented on the success of This Girl Can in 2017: “Throughout the week many female teams took part in

BUCS events across the country with some remarkable achievements. I am so pleased to see so many people engaged in this week and I hope it has a strong legacy for the future.” The legacy of the campaign is set to be strong, with the 2019 This Girl Can week highly anticipated by Maggie Elstob and NUSU’s sports clubs. This year will certaintly provide an opportunity for Newcastle’s sports teams to promote and celebrate women in sport, continue the

good work of previous years in raising awareness for this valuable campaign, and have the chance to get out of their comfort zone to try a different sport or activity. Maggie has posted the Youtube video for the offical This Girl Can 2019 campaign on her Facebook page. She has encouraged clubs and societies to keep up to date with next week’s events and how to get involved on this page and also through the NUSU website.

Last year NUSU’s campaign included a FemSoc panel celebrating women in sport, and plenty of opportunitys for students to try their hand at sports they may never have previously considered”

The official This Girl Can website states that “there’s no right way to get active” and that their campaign this year will be about helping women to “find what’s right for them.” Their website has a useful section called “ways to get active” through which people can find useful information about different sports and activities to try out, how much they cost, what equipment they will need, and where to go to get involved. NUSU’s Athletics Union Officer Maggie Elstob has been keeping sports clubs up to date about what this year’s This Girl Can campaign will involve for Newcastle University students. At the start of November she sent an email to sports clubs asking them to get in touch if they were interested in being part of the campaign. She will also be hosting a panel session on Monday 19 to talk about women in sport, and sports clubs were invited to attend this to give their ideas and show support for the campaign.

Women’s Lacrosse taking part in This Girl Can week 2017. Image: NUSU

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Monday 19 November 2018

@CourierComment courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/comment Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken & Alexandra Sadler Online Editor Rory Cameron

USA Midterms and mayhem Following the US Midterm Election results, our writers discuss the divisive nature of US politics and the impact of the youth vote Jack Smillie

ver since Valentine’s Day, a gutsy group of school shooting survivors from Parkland, Florida have been challenging the National Rifle Association’s fiendish grip on US political culture. So far their work has been building towards the midterms, and it looks as if expecting to topple a political heavyweight so early was an unrealistic goal.

Voting is not the only medium citizens can use to interact with their governement

Don’t get me wrong here, I fully support the work that these students are doing. They’re incredibly brave and genuinely trying to change society for the better. It surely cannot be right, let alone healthy, that American school children should have to live in constant fear of never returning home from school one day. The midterm election presented in itself an apt opportunity to see just how far these Parkland students have come and to provide a yardstick to measure their early stages achievements. Indeed, this November’s election saw a ten point jump in the percentage of 18-24 year olds who voted. 68% of these voted for a Democratic candidate, which could have been crucial in close races. However, it would be myopic to suggest that the Parkland students are the reason for this, albeit they played a part. Something has rattled Trump about Florida. Yes, the world’s most famous fake-tanned buffoon isn’t a stranger to erratic behaviour, but something looks peculiar in Broward County. With only 15,000 votes in it, a margin of 0.18%, a recount will be triggered. As it stands, the incumbent senator Bill Nelson is set to lose his seat. Six years ago, Nelson reclaimed his seat with a clear 10 point gap. Nelson opposes gun control ownership and has praised the Park-

land students for their work. However, it’s hard to see exactly how and where the March for Our Lives group have had a successful impact here. A bête noire of the Parkland students, Barbara Comstock, did lose her seat representing Virginia’s 10th district. The story goes that upon a visit to The Capitol, Comstock slammed her office door shut on the Hogg siblings. Whilst Comstock has been the subject of negativity at rallies, it’s hard to imagine that this had any significant impact on her defeat, let alone statistical data to back this up. Whilst it may be hard to decipher the precise effectiveness of this new, emerging student protest group right now, in the future it could become much clearer. The midterm election results haven’t even all been confirmed yet and the Parkland students are already planning ahead for 2020. This is remarkable for multiple counts. The group are training young people to run for office themselves. If a future Congress representative were trained by, or a part of the Parkland student group, that would ultimately be a mark of measurable success, surely. But it’s worth noting that voting is by no means the only medium by which citizens can interact with the governing of their state or country. Expect the March for Our Lives group to continue organising rallies and lobbying for stricter gun control laws na-

tionwide. The group is less than a year old but have kept and sustained global media coverage, a feat that no other school shooting survivors have managed. Despite inconclusive results from the 2018 midterms, the Parkland survivors have a long and bright future ahead of them.

Elisabetta Pulcini

nce again, recent developments in the United States have shown the strengthening of a division that is rooted in the 2016 campaign. For the first time since 2016, this division will be reflected in government, with the Democratic Party gaining rule of the House of Representatives, and the Republicans tightening their grip on the Senate. Since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, not many seem to have changed their opinions about the President. Whether deeply disturbed, or extremely satisfied, the American people have finally woken up. In fact, in 2016 people did not turn out to maintain the status quo, because a Trump presidency was out of everybody’s perception. A good example

are the poll projections, which awarded the presidency to Hillary in most cases. But now that Trump is President, those who didn’t turn out to support Clinton in swing states feel compelled to perform their duty as citizens by voting. A consistent theme throughout Trump presidency have been protests. From those set on the red carpet, to those in front of the White House, political activism has dominated pop culture: this has been reflected in the mid-terms, by the strong comeback of the Democrats. Voting is truly the only form of protest that matters. It is the one thing the citizen can do that will directly lead to lasting effects on the country. Protesting is a staple of any functioning democracy. It is a tool that helps raise awareness, enraging the population and pushing them to the vote.

Voting is truly the only form of protest that matters

Through this election, the Democrats have gained back some control: with the majority in the House, they will be able to block Trump’s agenda, and possibly even propose his impeachment. While the latter would be much more complicated to accomplish, and could lead to further political division in the country, the Democrats have an instrument to at least establish a system of check and balances with the figure of the President. In fact, given all the liberty Trump and his officials have taken regarding the horrific policy of family separation at the border, the other half of the country will now have a tool to respond to these reprehensible violations of human rights. Even though division is more profound than ever, voting still remains the quintessential tool that makes any democracy work. Americans were able to use this effectively to make their voice heard, which will hopefully bring about some much needed change of diImage: Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia rection.

Tuition fee policy: all about that money?

The government is currently reviewing its tuition fees policy: Edward Ingram questions how useful a change in policy could be

ollowing her electoral humbling last year, Theresa May has been eager to try and win back the youth vote, who overwhelmingly backed Jeremy Corbyn and his tantalising offer of abolishing tuition fees. As a result, the government has indicated that tuition fees could be cut to £6,500. There are several reasons why this policy is short sighted and a waste of money. Firstly, assuming the government doesn’t impose a cap on the number of students going to university, the policy would cost the Treasury and extra £3 billion a year. In an age where the NHS, schools, and social services are all seeing their budgets shrink and are fighting for every penny, such a policy would clearly be a complete misallocation of taxpayers’ money. This is further underlined by the fact that since tuition fees were trebled in 2012, admissions to university have soared, whilst the number of students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds has never been higher. Cutting tuition fees would therefore be a regressive policy as it would essentially see more affluent

students have their tuition fees subsidised through the tax contributions of ordinary working people. Additionally, if the government decides to impose a cap as well, then the number of disadvantaged students securing places at university will almost certainly plummet.

The number of disadvantaged students at uni would plummet

Adding further cause for concern are reports that the government is considering increasing fees for more expensive courses like medicine and engineering. This would discourage young people from taking up these courses, despite the fact that the government, the NHS, and numerous large employers are consistently vocal about the fact that we need more graduates from these intensive scientific degrees. It really makes you wonder if any of these policies have been properly thought through

at all. There is nothing wrong with the policy of tuition fees. Surely it is right and fair for those who benefit most from higher education to pay for it, rather than the tax payer. The real issue, which May and Corbyn have both missed, is the issue of value, not the fees themselves. Many of us have as little as 6 contact hours a week, many of which aren’t compulsory or useful. Compare that then to secondary education. Secondary schools not only provide 25 contact hours a week, but also provide sport and extracurricular activities, pastoral care, exam prep, university prep, regular assessments, deal with ¬parents, and offer a very wide range of cheap and expensive subjects. And all for as little as £6,300 per pupil. That’s £3,000 less than what we currently pay now at Newcastle. So what’s the solution? Well, the primary reason most of us go to university in the first place is to increase our career prospects. Yet many degrees are failing in this regard. Universities therefore need to put their money where their mouth is. If their degrees are so unique and valu-

able and will honestly improve our prospects, then they should be held accountable for unpaid student debt, not the government. They could be rewarded by the government when loans are paid off quickly. Such a policy would compel universities to increase spaces on degrees which are offer higher graduate salaries and employment prospects, whilst limiting places on courses which are offer fewer prospects. At the same times universities must be much more transparent with how and where feWes are being spent.

Reforms could transform the tuition fees policy into a winning formula

Tuition fees as a policy work, but they are very far from a flawless policy. Rather than chuck the entire policy, some reforms and fine tuning could transform it into a winning formula.

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Monday 19 November 2018

Is politics a money machine? Seshadhri Subramanian considers the relationship between money, politics, and elections

t has recently been announced that The National Crime Agency is investigating Arron Banks and Leave.EU campaign for possible financial wrongdoing regarding the Brexit vote. The Agency said that Banks, along with Liz Bilney, another important figure in the campaign to leave the European Union, were under investigation following their referral to the agency by the Electoral Commission. The issue is that Mr Banks was allegedly not the ‘true source’ of loans to the campaign and that the funds may have been derived from ‘impermissible sources’. Mr Banks seemed to welcome the investigation and said he is ‘confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues’.

What is important is where campaigns get the money from

campaigns have a level of transparency in their financial dealings and make sure that all the money they get is from domestic sources. Another question that gets opened up to discussion is if such large sums of money should be allowed in politics and if the outcome of political elections is now dictated by the financial muscle of the parties involved. It is inevitable that large sums of money do get into the funding pipeline in politics. It costs money to do almost anything in that field – whether it is big things like campaigning across the country, or arranging logistical things like booking hotel rooms, conference halls, and trying to arrange travel for the people involved. But there must be a limit on how much money can be spent by an individual as well as by a political entity on a campaign. That way, even if there is an abundance of riches on one side, the playing field is levelled to a good degree. To answer the problem that was posed before,

Any political campaign today runs on money. The Leave.EU campaign, while not the official campaign for leaving Europe, was still a political campaign with a clear motive on an important issue. Personally, I don’t have a problem with a political campaign taking money. Money is an essential part of political campaigns. But, to me, what is important is where they get the money from. With foreign funding essentially being banned by the Electoral Commission, it is essential that political

politics today is a battle – in most places across the globe anyway – between the haves and the have-nots. While regulation of political financing may be strict in developed nations like the UK, the situation is not as good in some countries abroad.

Money and politics have been joined at the hip for centuries

Money is a key factor that helps political leaders achieve multiple objectives in many countries where the electoral system is not adequately equipped to deal with the vices of the financially rich. Money helps buy security, buy votes, silence political opponents and so on and so forth. And even in developed nations, while the actual campaign may be regulated, there are so many other things that go into an electoral run that are not. For example, in the US, before a person makes a major run for any post – be it for Congress or Senate or even the Presidency, setting up an exploratory committee costs money. The candidates themselves need to exercise and demonstrate some financial clout especially during the initial stages of the campaign before donors are convinced to join them. Money and politics have been joined at the hip for centuries. One cannot exist without the other. In order to regulate its influence, however, rules are needed. Yet, it is an undisputed fact that, more than the existence of the rules, the implementation of said rules is what will impact whether the outcome of a political race becomes determined by how much money the winning candidate or group amassed.

Image: Flickr, Pixabay, Air Force Medical Service, Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia

Preventing pollution problems

SOAPBOX

PROGRESSIVE PEACE

bout a month ago, President Donald Trump was boasting about being a nationalist. Meanwhile, Yemen and Serbia are struggling for peace. With the Taliban bombing Afghanistan many times over and refugees still struggling for basic human rights, I wonder why the spirit of unity and cooperation is slowly vanishing. 11th November 2018 marked one hundred years since the First World War ended. Thousands of people lost their lives while striving to achieve what we have today. As a student cadet of the Royal Navy, when I pin the red poppy to my uniform, I see people looking at me with a delightful smile filled with pride and gratification. Thanks to their sacrifice, we are living in the harmonious times. The consecutive wars, loss of lives and disastrous effects for the years to follow must always remind us about the importance of peaceful multilateralism for a progressive society. Let us not drift away from these values.

ROAST OF THE WEEK

RAIN TRUMPS TRUMP

We can pressure the people who have actual power

If you haven’t read the paper itself, but rather the news articles that had reported on it, you could be forgiven for thinking that there is a definitive link between air pollution and obesity. Herein lies the rub – the review listed 66 different ‘associations’ made on the subject, of which only 29 found a positive association between obesity and air pollution. The same number of studies found no correlation, and the remaining 8 suggested that air pollution reduced obesity. Bottom line, we don’t actually know if air pollution does much to promote obesity.

So mainstream newspapers are bad at reporting science properly, and the sun continues to rise. How about some actual, practical advice? For example, if you’re buying a new car, try to go electric or at least hybrid, and try to use biofuels where available. Should you have children, I would suggest moving to a small village for the first two years of their life, as the study indicates that very young children are at their most susceptible to pollution-induced weight gain. The best thing we can do about pollution is pressuring the people who hold actual power rather than lamping the responsibility on ourselves (because collectivism is a nice idea but ultimately fails when applied to real life). Get politicians

to ban fracking, invest in public transport, and bring in cleaner fuels – not that the Conservatives would want anything to do with these ideas. The good news is levels of air pollution have been steadily declining in the UK (although falling short of international quotas, quelle surprise) and technology is forever improving our ability to remove environmental toxins. Personally, I wouldn’t worry about this; smoked meats give you cancer, your sofa is making you infertile, and now living in a city will make you obese. You can either faff around tryi n g to avoid every single ‘contributing factor’, or you can live your life a little less healthily but with a bit more fun. I know which one I’m going for.

Image: Pexels

Toby Bryant

hilst the world leaders gathered in Paris to mark the end of World War One, Donald Trump refused to leave his hotel due to the rain. It seems stupid to even have to write a few sentences to explain why that is so ignorant. By all means Donald Trump can sit in the White House, tweeting absolute crap that has no bigger effect than to wind up liberals on Twitter. Those comments are easy enough to rise above. However, refusing to even get out of his large, plush car and have someone hold his umbrella while he pays respect to Americans who died at war is ignorant, not only to today’s population, but those who have come before. Ironically, it was those men who died at war that played a huge hand in Trump being able to sit on that White House couch, put his feet up and Tweet away today. What a prick.

TOAST OF THE WEEK

A recent review noted a possible link between obesity and air pollution: Jack Coles argues not group of 16 studies brought together within one review showed that there is a possible link between obesity and air pollution. The review suggested that nitrogen dioxide causes localised inflammation of adipose (fat) tissue in young children, making it accumulate mass easier. It also suggested that air pollution causes (or exacerbates) asthma, which causes airways to narrow and discourages physical exercise.

Shwetha Vasan

BASIC DECENCY

Jamie Cameron

he US midterms have returned the House of Representatives to the Democrats. For now, the position of the would-be feudal lords of the Republican Party has been weakened. However, with a President espousing fascist rhetoric on the regular, this is hardly a strong performance. The dominant corporate wing of the Democrats are irrelevant and unwanted. The progressive wing of the Democrats are those we should toast, making strong challenges in red states and willing an end to the economic oppression of regular Americans. Their platform of universal healthcare, money out of politics, and mass infrastructure spending is the only legislative path America has right now to anything remotely humane.

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Monday 19 November 2018

life&style

@CourierLifestyle c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/lifestyle Life & Style Editor Sophie Henderson Lifestyle Editors Phoebe Fielder, Holly Margerrison, Ella Williams Online Editor Amanda Goh

Blind date

We find out how they got on. . .

Danny Tapper meets Sophia Kypriotis

Where did you go and what was the vibe? 97 social, vibe was friendly and we had a good chat but not much more than that Ah, so did the date meet your expectations? What were you hoping to get out of it? To be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting. I went into it with an open mind and signed up because thought it would be fun! I enjoyed the date but I don’t think we were that compatible. We had a good chat, though. A shame you weren’t compatible! Were there any particularly memorable or awkward moments? How did you end it? I feel like the initial meeting was awkward because I’m not used to meeting someone not even knowing their name but past that it was fine. We went to get food and then went home. I had a flight to Poland at 7am so didn’t want to stay out Yeah,blind dates can be kind of daunting! Brave doing it before a flight too. Did you find that you clashed with political views or anything? Yeah a little bit. We were both interested in politics so we started talking about it and found that we had quite different views. I think the fact that we were both into politics meant that we talked about it but it was more of a discussion than clashing if you know what I mean! I guess politics can always be a tricky one to talk about with someone you don’t know. Would you say you were attracted to her? Would you introduce to her your friends? At the start yeah sure, but when we started talking it was clear we didn’t really connect on some of the things we feel strongly about but she was a nice lass. As far as introducing to her to my friends, my friends followed me to the pub to be pricks, but she was sound so I would! Just because we disagreed on a few things, it doesn’t take away from the fact I thought she was a nice person and was easy to talk to. I think we both saw there was just nothing romantic there, though.

It was more of a political discussion than clashing, if you know what I mean

That’s hilarious, definitely something my friends would do too. Finally, if she were an alcoholic drink, what would she be? Hahaha, what kind of question is that?! Umm, I’d guess a vodka shot because I don’t love it but I don’t hate it...

He was a tory and an anti-feminist

What was your first impression of him? Not bad, he seemed to be dressed fairly well and was friendly. I don’t think I was attracted to him but was open to see what he was like

Where did you decide to go from there? We met at 97 and social and then we both got a pint and sat down outside and chatted. We both had friends that had also been on these blind dates so we spoke about that and just some basic things about ourselves We moved inside and got another drink and it became clear we weren’t suited to one another. He’s a Tory and anti-feminist! He also said all he wanted was to get a job, get married and have kids and told me he was very traditional.

Oh dear! Did you try to explain your views to him? I really don’t like to talk politics when I’ve just met someone and stayed as calm as I could and I tried to educate him on his rather misogynist views. He called feminism “toxic” which allowed women to behave as “slags”. I found this very insulting and I was actually very offended. I want to say it was a matter of ignorance and I don’t think he is a bad person but his views certainly are not okay by any stretch. What did you do from there, then? Well, this all came to light mostly on the walk to MM Flame and to be honest I needed the falafel wrap! We were walking and I stopped and said I wasn’t really enjoying myself and was going home. We were standing outside my friend’s house and I just said it was mine so I that could escape. So I’m guessing you will not be meeting again? We definitely won’t be meeting again. I was shocked at his archaic, sexist views. I think it was pretty awful but he messaged me saying he had a pretty good time which I found confusing! If he were an alcoholic beverage, what would you say he would be? Probably a pina colada: unsophisticated and a bit embarrassing. Actually substitute ‘a bit’ for really...

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

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life & style lifestyle

Monday 19 November 2018

missed-steaks for Vegans Unbe-leaf-able ways to No Miranda Stoner uncomplicates the vegan life for sceptics cosy up this Autumn V The dark nights are upon us, but how do we avoid getting bogged down? Caitlyn Rawlings gives her soul-warming tips I t’s finally sweater season so dig out your oversized wooly jumper and get ready to slip on your fluffy socks and get snug for autumn. Now, the nights are drawing in and the average temperature

o f Newcastle is plummeting down to five degrees, it’s about time you started feeling festive. Below are some of my best tips and tricks to get into that seasonal mood. Sugar scented candles Whether you fancy cinnamon, cider or caramel scents, buying candles is one of the cheapest ways to give your house that homely feel. You can dim the lights and save on the electricity bill whilst making every room in the house smell like spiced pumpkins and maple

grab your pile of blankets and wrap up tight for a night in watching ‘When Harry met Sally’ syrup. What a treat! Fuzzy throws and bundles of blankets Grab your pile of blankets and wrap up tight for a night in watching ‘When Harry met Sally’ or an evening of bickering over a game of monopoly with your flat mates. An easy way of making your home welcoming is by draping blankets over your sofa or piling them up in a basket for each and every visitor to use.

Syrups and spice and all things nice ‘Tis the season for some of the best flavored coffees, teas and hot chocolates in Newcastle coffee shops from pumpkin spiced lattes to fireside hot chocolates. The Sunday quayside market is the perfect place to pick up a seasonal beverage to sip on in the Robinson library during exam season. Alternatively, if you fancy a bargain you can buy a tub of Galaxy hot chocolate and a bag of mini marshmallows for less than £3 to have anyImage: Pixabay time of the day or night. Brownie baking and pie prepping Now it’s time for you to be your own star baker and cook up some pecan pie or Nutella brownies for all your flat mates to approve of. It’s the perfect opportunity to do some home cooking and to invite everyone over to show off your culinary talents. Bust out those berry tones It’s that time of year when every shop on Northumberland street is filled with an array of autumnal tones, so pull out those purple purses and burgundy berries and flaunt your festive wardrobe. Why not invest in some plum nail polish or some okra orange eye shadows and experiment with your style this season? Conker hunting in Jesmond vale Pull on your mittens and ankle boots and have a wander through the piles of crunchy leaves in Jesmond vale. This secluded spot is the ideal place to have a bit of peace and quiet away from the chaos of the city centre. Whilst you are there you can pick some pine cones or even collect some conkers for a D.I.Y bunting or garland session with your course mates. With all these ways of counteracting the midterm gloom, don’t allow the stress of submissions or looming exams stop you from doing the little things which will make you fall in love with this time of year.

egan food isn’t hard to track down in Newcastle. Apps like Happy Cow or Trip Adviser can help you find your local options, but I find that most menus cater to herbivore visitors anyway, and you’d be hard pressed to find a coffee shop that didn’t offer at least one milk alternative. There’s also no need to be disheartened if you’re tired of meat substitutes and falafel wraps because Newcastle’s independent scene boasts a whole host of more inventive vegan-friendly eats. If it’s breakfast you’re after, then Heaton is the perfect location. It’s a bit further out from the city centre but for a vegan full English or an artisan avocado toast, a brisk walk to the Sky Apple Café, the Shoe Tree café or the Wild Trapeze will not be regretted. The Wild Trapeze tofu scramble is seasoned with turmeric and it comes with a massive pile of mushrooms and spinach- what’s not to love! For something you couldn’t make at home, try the Sky Apple Café hash brown pancakes and revel

Image: PNGimg

in the fact that you can actually have chocolate on your cappuccino. If you’re having a mid-day snack attack that the Pret a Manger almond butter cookie just can’t satisfy, then head to the Fenwick food hall to pick up a Naked Deli cheesecake. I don’t even like cheesecake,

but the Snickers equivalent is worth getting a loyalty card for. Cake Stories in Jesmond also currently offers fivr vegan cake options as well as a savoury menu. If you’re looking for an indie dinner then Lost and Found Social, located on the top floor of STACK, has a bao bun, dumpling soup and lotus roots all suitable for the meat-free munchers. Or for a twist on traditional pub

eating vegan is about so much more than carrot sticks and Oreos

food The Ship Inn in Ouseburn has the most amazing selection dishes from Kimchi to Tofu fish and chips. If you’re bank balance is holding you back from eating out though, then don’t worry about missing out, cooking at home has so much scope for creativity. The internet is an amazing source for all recipes and inspiration, eating vegan is about so much more than carrot sticks and Oreos. There are so many foods I had never even thought to try before, like Butternut squash but now this risotto is one of my absolute favourites. Pumpkin Risotto -Serves 3 Ingredients: 1 Butternut squash 2 tsp Paprika 200g Brown rice ½ lemon Salt/pepper (peanut butter/tahini optional) Equipment: Baking tray Blender/masher Medium saucepan Method: 1. Begin by putting the rice on to boil. 2. Whilst the rice is cooking, roughly peel the butternut squash and chop it into bite size cubes. 3. Lay the butternut squash out onto a baking tray and sprinkle with the paprika before baking at 190°C for 15-20 minutes. 4. Check the rice to see if it needs more water. 5. When the butternut squash is soft remove from the oven and blend or mash ¾ of the tray with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, ½ cup of water and peanut butter or tahini if using (if mashing add water gradually). 6. When the mixture is smooth add to the rice with the remaining squash pieces. NOTE: Serve with peas or spinach. It can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For more restaurant and recipe ideas, check out my Instagram: @veg.and.beauty

Does my just-woke-up face look legit in this? Here’s Instagram’s ugly truth Emmmanuelle Gammage tells us how comparison is dangerous when social media only shows the highlights

Image: pixabay

ou’re sitting in your Christmas pyjamas with smeared makeup, your hair resembles some kind of messy bun and you’re demolishing a share pack of cookies to yourself scrolling through Instagram. One person has posted a bikini photo on holiday. Another person is giving you tips on how to get a bigger butt. Someone else has bought the new pair of Givenchy shoes you can’t afford. Suddenly you put the cookies down and start googling how to get Instagram rich and successful. Positive affirmations like, ‘Don’t compare yourself ’ and ‘do what’s best for you’ don’t seem to be coming in very handy right now. The point is, we’re all subject to the famil-

iar feeling of inadequacy that social media instils in us. We compare ourselves to Instagram users that we’ve never met and never even heard of! Why? Because we lose ourselves, wrapped up in a social me-

I am definitely guilty of snapping tons of selfies in different poses, lighting and outfitsjust to find the right one dia bubble and forget what is real. Some bloggers, like Chessie King document the ins and outs of the effort that goes into their photos. She often shows us ‘posed’ and ‘un-posed’ photos of her body. We know what angles suit us best and we know where the best lighting in our room is. I am definitely guilty of snapping tons of selfies in different poses, lighting and outfits just to find the right one. My Instagram is loaded with nights out, cringe photos of my boyfriend, holiday snaps and dedicated posts to my dog. Who on earth documents the morning hangover, the arguments and the failed classes? No one. Because we want to forget these moments. We want to be the fun, motivated, productive and successful person. Editing tools are handed to us on an app. It only takes a few clicks to air brush your skin or tuck in

your waist and it only takes a few seconds to blow your confidence. So, if we know all the work and tools that goes into creating our identity on Instagram, why do we still let it make us feel rubbish? As an anorexic recoveree, I can confidently say that scrolling through Instagram sparked my eating disorder. I wanted to be the girl that worked out every day. I wanted to be the girl that ate salads. I wanted to be the girl that I was so envious of. But you know what? when I became ‘that girl’ the happiness and success I was promised, never came. I just felt exhausted, depressed and hungry. What I thought looked like happiness was actually fake. Because it’s so easy to hide the restriction, hard work and dedication that goes on behind the photos. My stance on Instagram is simply to be yourself. Be inspired and be supportive of what you see on Instagram but don’t be jealous. You might not be as successful yet, you might not look like that person, your dream might not be happening right now but as Pinterest is always telling me, don’t compare your chapter one to their chapter five. Next time you feel that familiar feeling creeping in, remember that Instagram isn’t a true reflection, it’s only a snapshot.

@TheCourierLifestyle @thecourierlifestyle

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lifestyle life & style Deathly deadlines: avoid the meltdown Cooking with

Monday 19 November 2018

Emily Mathews gives us advice on finding that inner zen when you are sure you don’t have any

t really is that time again. The nights are getting darker and the mornings are getting colder, making it just that little bit harder to get up for 9ams. Every student will understand the pressures of impending deadlines. It’s easy to forget about workloads and assignments when you’re having the time of your life in freshers. But now that fresher’s is over, and winter is upon us, it’s time to settle down and deal with all that work we’ve brushed under the carpet. Stress is a natural feeling, and everyone will feel it at some point in their university lives. The most important thing is to address it, not hide it. Here are some helpful tips to help deal with any stress and anxiety you may be feeling at this point in the semester. For the first tip, think: healthy life – healthy mind. By adapting to a more stable, healthy lifestyle you are ultimately proving to yourself that you can take care of yourself and any situation life may throw at you. Join a gym – not only does regular exercise benefit you physically, but mentally too. Work out your anxieties and stresses by exercising and releasing that built up tension and endorphins.

If the gym isn’t for you then try a run or long walk. Reward your mind with the time to reflect and recharge from the busyness of your life. Be organised and set yourself goals. Organisation is the key to any daily problem. If you wake up and follow your plan of the day, not only will you find that you have found the time to complete every task you wanted to, but you will feel good in yourself for sticking to a plan.

By adapting to a more stable, healthy lifestyle you are ultimately proving to yourself you can take care of yourself Once you ease yourself into a daily routine, you will find that dealing with everyday problems will become easier and come with less stress. Try self-mediation. Although some of you may be sceptical to this kind of stress relief method, you can’t knock it un-

til you try it. Try downloading a self-meditating app on your phone and listen to it before you go to sleep. By doing so, your allowing your mind a break from all the busyness of your day and the freedom to relax in your own personal space. If meditation isn’t really your thing, try yoga. Yoga videos, for both beginners and more advanced, can be found on YouTube for free, so dedicate 20 minutes of your day in the morning or evening to stretch your body and give it the love it deserves. Practice self-love. It may seem easier said than done, but self-love is the key to calming your body and mind throughout worrying times. Self-love can come in the form of bubble baths, scented candles and your favourite playlist on Spotify. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just ensure that you are taking the time to care for yourself, so you aren’t letting your stress consume you. There are always people around you who are available for support, if you are looking for a professional to talk to, why not seek advice from the university councillor? Try to remember you are not alone and learn to enjoy every minute.

Hope Coke

Aubergine, Black eyed bean and Coconut Stew

This stew is just the kind of thing I want to eat this time of year, with comforting richness from the coconut milk and the warming kick of ginger and spices. Roasting the aubergine and tomatoes brings out their mellow sweetness and pairs nicely with the earthier flavour of the black eyed beans, which helps deliver the heartiness I crave from winter food. So whip this up and hunker down, with something delicious to see you through the winter nights. Blanket optional.

Humans of Newcastle

the experience of a friend passing away Holly Wilson writes about her poignant expereince of having a close friend with cancer

n 2016, one of my closest friends Evie was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The phrase ‘out of the blue’ doesn’t even come close to how it felt at the time- one minute we were walking to college together and the next she was in hospital. After operating on the tumour, the surgery resulted in a stroke, meaning she lost the feeling in her left side, leaving her unable to walk or use her left hand properly. Evie’s life changed drastically, spending the initial few months in hospital- a place you least envisage yourself hanging out with one of your best friends in the height of your teenage years. Hearing the word ‘cancer’ is everyone’s nightmare and the fact it had happened to my 17-yearold friend was the most difficult thing to comprehend. I can never compare the difficulty I or her family and other friends experienced to the difficulty faced by Evie herself, however seeing someone you’re extremely close to go through such a hard time is one of the most devastating experiences. Initially, the shock of the situation led me to cope on adrenaline, the newness of this routine being handled simply because I had no other option. Yet, as it all settled down and sunk in I simply couldn’t cope with it. I felt a lot of guiltwhy Evie and not me? Why had this happened to Evie and how were we all supposed to deal with it? One of the hardest aspects of this was

living your normal life as an 18-year-old knowing that this is what Evie should be experiencing too. I felt endless amounts of guilt at the fact I could go on with my life while Evie was missing out on so many things a young woman should be experiencing. From my experience, the best thing to do in these situations is to keep in touch and make sure they know that you’re always there for them, whether you can see them in person or not. I had to realise that life doesn’t stop when something like this happens; it simply changes the course of your life. In a strange way, you have to make the most of these awful times; difficulty does bring strength and reminds you to be kind and helpful to those around you. I learnt that honesty is the best policy and you definitely can’t stop living your life in fear of upsetting somebody else- as much as I knew Evie may feel left out, I also knew she wanted us all to be happy and never wanted us to feel bad about doing things without her. To put it bluntly, the best way to get through a situation like this is to let go of how you imagined life to be and focus on how things actually are. Evie is by far the biggest inspiration in my life. Seeing someone rise from such fear and anxiety to conquer and battle a situation so daunting and painful is absolutely incredible and her determination amazes m e every day. From her physically progression in terms of learning to walk again to her astounding positive mental attitude, I’ve never known anyone be as brave and determined as her. There are the physical challenges- the sickness from chemotherapy, the constant pain in her body, the tiredness- as well as the men-

to donate to Evie’s cause, scan the QR code and search “Evie’s Mission” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

tal struggles of having your life completely turned upside down. However, Evie genuinely faces every challenge with a smile on her face and more concern for those around her than for herself. The past few years have really made me real-

hearing the word cancer is everyone’s nightmare and the fact that it happened to my 17-year-old friend was difficult to comprehend ise just how resilient humans can be. Looking in hindsight at how Evie has coped with this illness as well as how I’ve dealt with seeing her struggle, it’s incredible how much you can cope with and overcome. It has also made me understand that trivial issues of life are absolutely nothing in comparison to the wellness of a loved one. You can complain about the smallest things but as long as you have those around you healthy and well, you are the most fortunate person in the world.t you are taking the time to care for yourself, so you aren’t letting your stress consume you. There are always people around you who are available for support, if you are looking for a professional to talk to, why not seek advice from the university councillor? Try to remember you are not alone and learn to enjoy every minute.

Image: Hope Coke

Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 large aubergine 2 big handfuls cherry tomatoes 2 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion a thumb sized piece fresh ginger 1 tsp mustard seeds 1tsp cumin seeds 1 x 400g tin coconut milk 1 x 400g tin black eyed beans 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp smoked paprika 2 big handfuls kale or spinach salt and pepper, to taste a handful fresh mint or coriander Directions: Start by preheating the oven to 220 degrees C. Prepare the aubergine by slicing it in half lengthways, cutting off the leafy top then cutting into roughly 2-3cm chunks. Tip onto a baking tray and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil until well combined. Spread the aubergine in an even layer, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and place in the oven to roast for 10 minutes. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half, then remove the aubergine from the oven and add the tomatoes to the baking tray. Drizzle over a little more oil if most of it has been absorbed, then return the tray to the oven to roast for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the aubergine and tomatoes are tender and just starting to brown and crisp in places. While the aubergine and tomatoes are roasting, start on the rest of the stew. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Halve, peel and finely chop the onion, then peel and very finely chop the ginger. Add the onion into the pan with a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes until the onion is starting to soften. Add in the ginger, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the onion is soft and just starting to brown in places and the seeds are fragrant. When the aubergine and tomatoes are ready, remove from the oven and set aside. Drain and rinse the black eyed beans, then add into the pan along with the coconut milk, turmeric, garam masala and smoked paprika. Stir everything together until well combined, then add the roasted aubergine and tomatoes, the kale or spinach and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bring the stew to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for about 5 minutes, until it’s thickened slightly and the spinach or kale is wilted and tender. Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt and pepper, if needed. Finally, roughly chop the mint or coriander. Ladle the stew into two bowls and scatter over the herbs, and you’re ready to eat! I love it topped with a dollop of yoghurt or crumbled feta cheese, plus plenty of crusty bread or pita for dipping.

life & style beauty

courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Susanne Norris, Nimra Rafique Laura Buckle Online Editor Molly Taylor

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Monday 19 November 2018

Great lengths vs short but sweet Is short hair making a comeback? Amy Harris analyses the latest trends to give you the pros and cons of long and short hair gives you a chance to try out many different looks, always changing up depending on the occasion or your mood.

I personally have gone from short to long hair consistently for years, as I can never make up my mind on which length I prefer

Image:@kyliejenner

rom looking around campus it has become evident that short hair is back on trend. A lot of people are rocking the cropped cuts, so I’m here to break down the pros and cons of both long and short hair. There are some great factors and there are some difficult factors in having short and long cuts, but it is also about what you prefer and what is easiest for you. I personally have gone from short to long hair consistently for years, as I can never make up my mind on which length I prefer. Sometimes I have regretted the somewhat rash decision to cut it all off but there are so

many benefits to both that I’m always on the fence to which length is best. Long Hair – The Pros: With long hair you can do numerous styles. You can braid it, tie it up, curl it, do a milkmaid braid, have space buns, long beach waves, the styles are endless when you have a lot of hair. Even if you don’t know any hairstyles YouTube does some great tutorials. Due to the length you can experiment with a lot more styles involving colour and hair dye, such as dip dyes, balayage and ombre as you have a lot more hair to work with. With long hair comes more opportunities, it

The Cons: With long hair you constantly shed in the shower (which then clogs up the drain), then when you are brushing your hair it gets absolutely everywhere. Long hair can be the most irritating in summer, especially if you are on holiday as it makes it unbearable to have your hair around your neck. It always ends up having to be tied up to stay out of the way. You end up having to use a lot of conditioner and shampoo to properly wash your hair and get some decent moisturisation on the ends. Drying your hair also seems to take years, don’t even talk about naturally drying your hair when it’s long, even after leaving it to dry overnight I still wake up to damp hair. Short Hair – The Pros: Shoulder length short hair always seems to be on trend. It is a classic look for any time of year. It is so quick to style. It is easy to wash, as you don’t use as much conditioner or shampoo, and it doesn’t take long to dry naturally or with a hair dryer. So, if you need to get ready quickly it is great. Short hair doesn’t stick to the back of your neck when

you are hot and can help keep your neck cool in the summer months. So overall it is low maintenance and doesn’t need much attention or time to still look good. The Cons: You can’t do as many styles with your hair. From personal experience when I’ve tried to do different styles that I did with my long hair they would just constantly fall out. Your hair tends to get in your eyes a lot more as it isn’t as easy to just tie it up in a bun out of your face. You end up having to buy more products for short hair as it doesn’t tend to stay in place compared to long hair, so products have to be used to make sure it doesn’t misbehave. Especially when it starts flicking at the ends and won’t co-operate. At the end of the day all hair is fabulous! Whether you suit short hair or long hair that is up to you. All lengths are great, and they all have their pros and cons. So pick what you feel most comfortable and confident in.

Image:@kyliejenner

To age or not: that is the question

Rashida Campbell-Allen argues why we should let our skin age naturally and embrace the beauty of the ageing process

or what feels like milenia, society has been constructing beauty standards which place pressure on people of all ages to aspire to look a certain way. Flawless, on-trend and youthful. These standards we aspire to are fluid and transient in the sense that, what was trendy or aspirational 30 years ago, have changed today. Yet the one recurring trope throughout the history of beauty ideals is the concept of “youth”. The more youthful you look, the more opportunities you have in employment, the more desirable you are etc, and this seems to dwindle as age begins to show. Age is natural and something that should be liberating, not oppressive. Time is constantly moving forward so it makes sense to follow suit and allow ourselves to change and evolve with time. Yet there’s a strange mentality and obsession to not just stop the clock on aging but to reverse it. My question is why? Why has ageing become problematised and almost depicted as an enemy? As if ageing is a condition that needs to be tackled and fought. The term anti-aging is defined as the prevention of the appearance of getting older. So why obsess over preventing something that is natural, and will inevitably show? A few wrinkles, crow-feet or bags? For some, these can induce restless nights and lowered self-esteem however they are marks to embrace and admire. There is a special type of history that can be found in these features and indents. They act as a map of one’s history, one’s story, one's experiences, one’s successes and failures; one’s growth. As model Christy Turlington Burns once said in an Elle interview, “Our face is a map of our life, the more that’s there, the better”. By aging naturally, is not to say to ditch our go to face masks or our tea-tree scrubs but it’s about changing and adjusting our mindsets and attitudes to ageing and allowing ourselves to grow into our skin rather than rely on products to change and manufacture it to look other than itself. Another reason why we should encourage natural ageing is the very fact that the anti-aging industry is not doing much for our personal confidence and self-esteem, but instead simply capitalising on the inevitable and our fears. The anti-ageing market was said to be worth $324.6 million last year. This perhaps explains why we’re swamped with hundreds of products claiming to do the same thing. How many times do we see countless articles and skincare ranges claiming to have the best anti-ageing,

anti-wrinkles, bag-busting effects (whilst costing an arm and a leg)? We need to ask ourselves if it’s all worth it? Natural ageing can avoid the hassle, cost of these trial and errors, by instead prioritising and focusing on how we feel from the inside as we age, finding alternative methods and habits that can allow us to ooze natural beauty and confidence from the inside out. Ageing naturally by adopting healthy lifestyles and natural products can be incredibly empowering. Living in a western society, where beauty is commercialised and the stigma of imperfections and ageing is omnipresent in our everyday lives, it is becoming ever more important to step back and focus on ourselves. It’s time we recognise and embody our natural beauty and features, acknowledging the power that exists in every crease or blemish of our skin, instead of endlessly hunting for the perfect product that will rewind the clock by 10 years. From a practical perspective, some anti-aging products and cosmetic treatments can do more harm than good, containing toxic ingredients that can have irreversible long term effects or completely change our appearance, so why not adopt more natural and basic products and methods to avoid such risks. There’s beauty in ageing and beauty comes from within. Cliche, I know, but that is arguably the crux of this debate.

Image: @huffpost

Emily Cartwright questions why we should agree to ageing naturally and discusses the benefits of anti-ageing formulas

lthough the anti-aging debate is quite controversial in the beauty community today, where the focus is to feel good and not care about what anyone else thinks, I am going to argue three main points that I feel justify using anti-aging products and remedies. Some see cost as a big downside to anti-aging products and many use it as an excuse not to use them. Particularly as students, there is always the concern of spreading your loan across semesters effectively and given that anti-aging products aren’t essential, we don’t bother including them in our overall costs. However, it is undoubtable that in the vast market of anti-aging products today, there is something available for everyone, whether you’re wanting to pay low or high. We all know that brands like Tatcha are crazy expensive, but with skincare brand the Ordinary successfully bursting onto the scene this year, companies are following suit and selling anti-aging products for shockingly cheap. Retinols are one of the few skincare remedies that have been scientifically proven to ‘prevent’ the aging process, and the Ordinary offers them from just £4.20. From personal experience I can say that these products work and will last you around 6-8 weeks (it depends how religious you are with your skincare!). Undoubtedly a bargain then, with the expanding skincare market nobody has the excuse of complaining about cost. Undoubtably, using anti-aging skincare can make us feel good too. By following an extensive routine, skincare can be a form of self-care and it means we can incorporate relaxing and pampering into our daily/weekly routines. What’s more, if these skincare products are anti-aging and work, you will be able to see a real difference in yourself, which presumably will put a smile on your face. Keeping our skin looking young then, can definitely be empowering as it can make us feel good about ourselves and forces us to make time to look after ourselves. After all, there’s nothing better than being able to look into the mirror and feel and look good, right? Anti-aging skincare can also be made into fun. Personally, I love waking up every day putting on my boujie toner with my Nivea day cream knowing my skin is protected from those harsh sun rays (even though Newcastle never really gets them??). It’s like putting on a new outfit you treated yourself to, but every day. So, who can complain? Even if your products aren’t expensive, you can still play around with it and have fun – to be

honest, if they’re cheap there’s all the more reason to play around because they’re easily replaceable! You can also incorporate it into social events with your friends. Making those takeaway nights (that by the way, aren’t great for your skin) into skincare nights can be a new kind of fun. The crazy Asian beauty market that has burst onto the western beauty scene in 2018 has truly captured this union, for example the many anti-aging bubble clay masks on the market are super fun and will hopefully help get rid of early signs of aging! Therefore, anti-aging skincare can not only make you feel good and help you socialise but will make you look good too! It is truly a win win. So why wouldn’t we use anti-aging products? There are so many pros and it doesn’t have to cost that much at all. OK so perhaps, it means another five minutes lost in bed but if it’s five minutes that makes you feel good then why not?

Image: @mamoirsofa_mskinsha

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beauty life & style

Monday 19 November 2018

A day or night on the lash Sophie Hindhaugh shares her knowledge on the best places to buy false lashes on a budget

multipack is definitely worth the hype. For a glam, night time outing - Any of the Pinky Goat lashes, Superdrug, £9.99: Multi award winning Pinky Goat is a relatively new brand for me, but I’ve already tried a few different styles. More suited to nights out because of their density and length, I usually wear a pair of these when I really want to draw attention to my make

Wearing lashes will make your eyes pop and your Instagram posts that little bit fitter - you'll feel better all round

am a firm believer that false eyelashes make a look. You can’t have bold eye shadow and just a whimper of mascara on your eyes - you need that drama so your little lashes don’t disappear into the oblivion of your carefully done, smoky eye. What’s the point in meticulously blending your eye shadow, just to drop the ball at your lashes? Eyes are the windows to the soul, so do yourself a favour and get them some nice curtains- for nighttime and daytime. Don’t underestimate the power of wearing a nice, subtle, wispy lash on a special day trip or an occasion, where you know there will be a lot of photos taken, as the result is anything but subtle. Wearing lashes will make your eyes pop and your Instagram posts that little bit fitter - you'll feel better all round. And while I’m saying they’re worth

Image: @pinkygoatlashes

investing in, that doesn’t mean you need to spend a bomb. £30 Lily Lashes that can be worn up to ’20 times’ (we both know that they’d be lost on their first night out) are not, student friendly or necessarily worth it, not when there is a plethora of cheap to moderate wonderful lashes you can buy. For daytime and night time - Ardell Wispies Multipack, Boots, £16.90: Boots' Ardell Wispies are a staple favourite of many. I’ve worn them both during the day (they’re not too thick and quite feathery) and night (they’re just long enough for when you’re wearing eye shadow). They’re the perfect transitional lash, and are flattering on just about everyone. They flare out slightly towards the end, giving them a sexy, subtle cat eye effect, which make them one of my favourites. Easy to put on because of the thin band, the

up. My recommendations are the silk fibre style Noura lashes, which have glamorous levels of volume and are double layered- giving twice the intensity, as well as the Sahar lashes, which are slightly softer but designed with beautiful, long wisps of hair that create the perfect length and blown out look. Grab three packs when Superdrug has its 3 for 2 on- and don’t forget your student card for 10% off! For day and night - Primark, various prices but all below £5.00: If you’re really on a budget- don’t underestimate Primark. Don’t get me wrong, Primark does have some awful, tacky lashes- but they do have some hidden gems. Recently they have upped their game, with their GWA and SOSU ranges, as well as their 3D Iconic lashes- that are as low as £2.00. These 3D Angel eyelashes from the Iconic range are the perfect date look, not too bold but just the right amount of drama for your peepers, being soft and fluttery. They’re also only £2.00, so they’re perfect to practice with. For a night out, I recommend the SOSU lashes, which are £5, and are just lovely as well as easy to apply. They look way more expensive than they are, and add a definite flair to your look. So make sure to check out Primark if you’re on the look out for some new lashes!

Beauty advent calendars With Xmas fast-approaching, Ellie Irving gives us beauty calendars for high and low budgets

epitome of opulence (£195), while clad in emerald green and burgundy is Space NK’s first ever advent calendar. It hosts brands such as Eve Lom, Sunday Riley and Hourglass (£250).

How better to celebrate the run up to the big day than with a calendar packed full of twenty-four luxury beauty products?

t’s that time of year again. You know what I’m talking about, the most wonderful time of the year! I can already hear the jingle bells in the distance and smell the brandy-soaked fruit cakes. Hands down, Christmas is the happiest season of all; forget about monster-mashes and sparklers, because Father Christmas is in town and to quote Elf, ‘oh my god! Santa’s coming! I know him! I know him!’. But, before we even start to think about rocking around the Christmas tree, we need to prepare for Advent. And, how better to celebrate the run up to the big day than with a calendar packed full of twenty-four luxury beauty products? And a word of warning, move quick because they always sell out every year. If you are looking to bag a beauty bargain, the Gloss Beauty advent calendar (£12.50) is available at Boots and contains products such as tweezers, nail files and cosmetic sponges behind twenty-four doors. ASOS is counting down the run up to Christmas with a twelve door ‘Beauty Extras’ calendar (£25), while Marks and Spencer’s beauty calendar (£35) features products by Pixi, Balance Me and

Image:@marksandspencer

This Works. The Body Shop’s ‘25 days of the Enchanted’ deluxe advent calendar is full of bath & body, skincare and makeup favourites (£65). Maybelline’s ‘Countdown’ advent calendar is filled with twelve favourite Maybelline products (£49.99) and is currently 20% off on feelunique. com.

If you are looking for a beauty bargain, the Gloss Beauty advent calendar (£12.50) is available from Boots For sheer luxury, try Charlotte Tilbury’s ‘Beauty Universe’ advent calendar. Filled with twelve full-size and mini award-winning beauty and skincare favourites, it’s certain to make any beauty connoisseur feel merry and bright (£150). The Liberty London advent calendar is the

And for those of you who already own the entirety of Fenwick’s beauty-floor, why not give Master of Malt’s ‘Ginvent’ calendar a try (£124.95). Full of twenty-four different drams of luxury gin, this will be perfect for a little tipple whilst you do your makeup for a night out! Or, for those of you (like me) who prefer a good cup of tea to a shot of juniper goodness – and a skin and body detox while you’re at it – give Bird & Blend Tea Company’s advent calendar a try (£36). And, if you love the beautyfilled health benefits matcha gives, they also have the firstever matcha-tea advent calendar (£65). For a relaxing and holistic treat, try the Selfridges Kikki.K advent calendar (£90). It’s full of candles and much more hidden behind twenty-four stylish doors. So, it’s time to get out your Michael Bublé Christmas CD and head on down to Fenwick to see their ‘Snowman’ themed window, because whether you’re ready or not Santa Claus is coming to town. Get into town to bag all your beauty bargains. And, for all you bah-humbugs out there who tell me that November is too early to put up the Christmas decorations and blast out The Pogues, ‘Fairytale of New York’, let me leave you with the wise words sung by Faith Hill, ‘if there is love in your heart and your mind, you will feel like Christmas all the time’… So merry Christmas, you filthy animal!

Big-up beauty brand lovin'

here’s no doubt that we’re all crushing over this new dream-come-true nude palette. Huda Beauty are renowned for their high pigmented eyeshadow palettes, but ‘The New Nude Eyeshadow Palette’ steals the whole show. Ever since it launched in 2013, Huda Beauty has gone down a storm in the beauty world and truly made a name for itself in the industry. The much-loved billion-dollar brand has over 28 million followers on Instagram, making it one of the world’s fastest growing beauty brands. The woman behind the brand, Huda Kattan, makeup artist, beauty blogger and CEO of Huda Beauty is one of the most successful and in-demand influencers. Huda originally started her career in finance, but quickly discovered that her love for beauty was more than just a passion. The Huda brand sprang into the beauty market with its lashes, famously worn by the likes of Kim Kardashian West. It then rapidly expanded to a whole host of beauty products including lipsticks, complexion products and – you guessed it – our favourite eyeshadow palettes. Although we’re still getting over the iconic Rose Gold and Desert Dusk palettes, the Huda New Nude is a complete game changer. Released worldwide on the 1st November, this palette is truly a make-up revolution. Fans flocked to Cult Beauty to be the first to get their hands on this innovative masterpiece, where the palette has already sold out! If, like me, you always find yourself in search of the perfect eyeshadow palette, you really don’t have to look much further than this one. Huda has blessed us with a palette that is the answer to every make-up lovers’ prayer; The New Nude’s creamy mattes and gorgeous shimmers make it perfect for any casual daytime or evening glam look. But what makes this palette like no other is its unique textures, pigments, and colours. Huda recognises that nude doesn’t just mean boring beiges and neutral, washed out pinks, so she has reinvented it with warm and cool mauve, rose and taupes. Each matte shade is enriched with aloe vera and coconut oil for a soft, buttery application which keeps your eyelids nice and moisturised, whilst also allowing that colour to last all day long. The New Nude palette is like opening your own precious treasure chest with its jewel-like iridescent flecked metallics and pressed pearls. Another aspect that makes this product original and unique is that it also includes its very own never seen before concealer base, allowing the shimmers to pop and also means you don’t need to go out and buy an expensive eyeshadow primer. As suggested by the cheeky names for the shadows, such as “Spanked”, “Love Bite” and “Kinky”, the New Nude palette is sensual, intimate and playful. However, it is this image that Huda reinvents; this eyeshadow palette is all about looking sexy for yourself, no one else. Make-up is more than just a way to impress others, it is a mode of selfexpression, a creative outlet, an empowering way to be the best version of ourselves. Huda has well and truly set the bar high for the beauty industry, and this palette is going to be pretty hard to follow. Priced at £56 the palette is definitely at the top end of our beauty budgets, but with Christmas just around the corner, it’s guaranteed to be on all of our lists this year. Whether you’re a bit of a make-up geek, or a complete beginner, the New Nude palette has something for all of us. Its versatile textures allow you to experiment with the palette and create your own unique looks, whilst the warm hues make it the perfect go-to palette for any occasion. Lori Harper

Image:@shophudabeauty

the courier

life & style fashion

c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Miranda Stoner, Poppy Couling, Joe Hood Online Editor Molly Taylor

Monday 19 November 2018

Is lingerie getting too close for comfort? Fashion Ed Miranda Stoner rifles through the laundry of America’s biggest selling lingerie brand to undress Victoria’s secret

Instagram: @victoriassecret

e’ve come a long way from the crushed ribs and fainting spells of our corset wearing ancestors but even the modern day woman is no stranger to red marks and restriction, or heaven forbid a bit of fall out! So you’re forgiven if you’ve swapped your constraining fully padded, push up bra for something even your mother approves of. What’s more, you are not alone. November 8th this year marked the 23rd year of the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show, but instead of the usual hype, there has

1850

been a general sense of awkwardness around the whole thing. The company has seen a decrease in its profits and last year with 4.98 people tuning into the show25% less than the year before, it has reached its lowest ever viewer numbers. As model Elsa Hosk parades another million-dollar diamond encrusted fantasy bra down the runway, it does beg the question, what has changed since 1995? Whilst Miss America is removing the swimsuit category from their competition and Rihanna’s SavagexFENTY show is broadcasting diversity over perversity, Victoria’s Secret seem to be stuck in a time warp where stick thin, six pack angels reign. In response to this marketing officer of L Brands (the parent company of Victoria’s Secret), Ed Razek said in an interview with Vogue “Everybody keeps talking about Rihanna’s show. If we had done Rihanna’s show, we would be accused of pandering without question.” Market trends suggest though that recent society shifts are rendering the ‘sexy’ lingerie outdated. Does this mean that Victoria’s Secret need to pull their stockings up and start sculpting a new silhouette? Throughout its history, Victoria’s Secret has been known for selling more than just underwear. The goal of the Victoria’s Secret brand is also to create a definition of sexy and sell their products as part of this lifestyle. Whilst it is still the number one underwear brand in the US, it is losing millennial customers to a new ideal of comfort and acceptance. After all these years, is such a social shift possible? I’m sure Bridget Jones would be pleased to know she no longer needs to decide between the thong and the granny pants.

1913

To get that perfect hourglass shape, corsets made of whale bone or steel were worn.

1860

Mary Phelps Jacob patented the first brassiere- these were two handkerchiefs tied together with a ribbon.

Age of crinolinessteel cage-like structures worn with a corset and petticoats.

1945

@marilynmonroe

Yet, as Leisurée (you guessed it; leisure + lingerie) brands such as LIVELY emerge, it does seem that consumers are now being offered a choice. Their website claims “LIVELY is inspired by what we believe makes women sexy today; smart, healthy, active and outgoing. We are delivering bras and undies that blur the aesthetic lines of lingerie, active, and swim, taking the best elements of high-style and comfort from each category.” Women are voting with their wallets and the success of companies such as LIVELY is clear in the sales figures- they are reported to be outperforming their sister company J. Crew. Moreover, recent market research from the NPD group also shows that women are prioritising comfort in their underwear choices.

Market trends suggest that recent society shifts are rendering ‘sexy’ lingerie outdated.

The beauty of this new movement is that consumers no longer have to make the decision between comfort and style, as lingerie is taking on a less restrictive form. This gives rise to innovations such as the bralette. This is the unwired, more laid-back cousin of the conventional bra. They often come in sizes XS- XL instead of the standard system and go without a clasp for

A brief history of underwear

Marilyn Monroe modelled for hand painted lingerie advertisements.

added comfort. Whilst they are best suited for the less busty among us, advances have been made into offering support for the well endowed. As with past developments in underwear trends, steps towards liberating and comfortable choices can only be applauded. Here’s to hoping that our lifetime sees the invention of a stylish anti-gravity bra, then the weight of the issue truly will be lifted off our shoulders.

Sporty look calvinklein.co.uk

High-style

marksandspencer.com

1974

The thong is introduced from Latin America. @mmwritergirl

wearlively.com

Comfortable

1995

Victoria’s Secret’s first fashion show took place.

2011

1990

Madonna popularised Jean Paul Gaultier’s pointy bras on her Blonde Ambition tour.

@victoriassecret

Law passed in Germany that women may be fired for not wearing a bra.

Fight away those November blues @waistcorsetscinchersgh

Nusrat Jahin Angela says NO to November outfit slumps and shares how to liven up the worst of your mid-season blues

t is already November and the cold chills are starting to signal the arrival of winter. With the change in season, it might be a good idea to revamp your wardrobe and make way for this season’s fashion essentials. Here are some outfit ideas to help you get started. Teddy Bear Coats One of the most popular items of this season is the teddy bear coat for sure. Not only are they warm, but also a piece anyone can pull off. Since it looks good over almost anything, pairing it can be quite easy. Wear it simply over a black or white t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans and your look is complete. Sneakers are a good choice to go along with this snugly concept. To go an extra mile, add a newsboy cap and you are at the top of your fashion game! Oversized Knitwear They are a classic in terms of giving a soft holiday look. Plus, they are nice and cosy, perfect for beginning winter in style and comfort. The point to look out for is to shed the regular knitwear look and add edge by wearing them oversized. There is a variety of colours to choose from, starting with the neutral tones to dark yellow and green. Pair it up with boyfriend jeans and short boots to complete the outfit. Mini Skirts Don’t start folding up the mini-skirts and making space for them at the back of your closet just yet! Pair them up them with black leggings and camel coats. To make the look more sophisticated, you can add knee length boots. The finished look you get is chic, sleek and versatile, ideal for evenings or even if you are simply going to class. And

if you are a fashionista, throw in a bright beanie to jazz it up. Shearling Coat Another favourite of this month and one you cannot go wrong with is Shearling Coat. Wear it over a turtle neck top. Turtle neck tops make any outfit look significantly better, so it really should be a staple for your wardrobe during winter. Pair it with flared jeans to add a touch of retro vibes. You can also wear animal printed boots to add further drama to the look. Double breasted Coat Double breasted coats with high heeled boots are one of those looks that are timeless, elegant and easy to conjure. Adding layers can be a good idea to make the look trendier. Wear a plain pastel sweater or shirt underneath for a neat look. If you are opting for an informal look, wear the coat over a hoodie and replace the boots with a pair of sneakers. Bombers A bomber jacket may be the perfect item to beat the crispy winds in style. Pair it with ripped jeans and Chelsea boots for the street style concept. Go for a black coloured bomber so that you can wear it with almost anything. And honestly, black makes any style look effortless. And finally, Accessorise! This time of the year gives the perfect excuse to wear hats. Be it a Beanie, Fedora or Berets, all of them add a sense of your personality to the outfit. And don’t forget about scarves. You can opt for the oversized plaid scarf,, the faux fur scarf to add drama or simply a pashmina. All of them will look great and keep you warm!

Instagram: @vanessaevelynh

the courier

fashion life & style

Monday 19 November 2018

Put your best foot forward

Phoebe Eyles is making sure we’re hot to trot this party season with her comprehensive 4 step guide to must-have foot attire

arty season truly is just around the corner, with end of term balls, Christmas parties and celebrations at home all within the next few weeks. Party shoes are often overlooked as everyone frantically searches for that perfect dress. However, it is important to consider what shoes to wear as shoes pull an outfit together. The best part about party season shoes is that it is a perfect time to experiment with bold trends. It can often be overwhelming knowing what shoes to go for, so here is a roundup of the latest shoe trends and where to buy them for the party season.

Velvet shoes Velvet is a trend that seems to come around every single year during the winter. The unique, soft texture is often associated with winter and can be seen on a variety of garments from forest green party dresses to cosy velvet jumpers. Pairing a simple party dress with some velvet heels is a simple way to spice up your outfit and follow the velvet trend. W earing velvet shoes is a good way to ease yourself into the velvet trend and make your outfit appropriate for the Christmas season. New Look are offering the most extensive range of velvet heels on the high street, with velvet stiletto heels in a large variety of colours.

Glitter/ Embellished

Christmas and new year is the best time to experiment with glitter, and there is no better way to do it than with a pair of glittery heels. For a smart casual event, a simple way to add a festive touch to your look is by pairing skinny jeans with glitter heels. Equally, a black dress or jumpsuit paired with a glittery clutch bag and heels allows you to look put together whilst staying on trend. Pretty Little Thing are offering the best range of embellished and glittery heels, which are perfect for a student budget.

Lace Up Heels There is a wide variety of heels across the high street featuring ribbon tie up details and large bows around the ankles. This classy trend would be a great choice of heel for any Christmas Ball you might have coming up. As this is a trend that isn’t typically associated with party season, these heels could be an ideal addition to your wardrobe as they would be easy to wear all year long. ASOS have the best range of this trend in a variety of heel heights and styles making it easier to find a pair of comfortable heels which is particularly beneficial if you have any cocktail parties to go to. Alternatively, Pretty Little Thing have a range of heels fitting in with this trend, yet they tend to be very high stiletto heels that may not appeal to everyone.

Feathers Shoes featuring feathers are everywhere at the moment,

with pale pink fluffy heels being the ultimate girlie shoe. Like the glitter trend, feathers can easily be incorporated through accessories. A brightly coloured outfit could be paired with a black feathered clutch and black feathered heels to create a festive look. Missguided have lots of heels in this style at affordable prices. Topshop also offer an extensive range of this trend and even have feathered mules, which provide a more subtle look than stiletto heels. Once again, the high street and online retailers have provided an extensive range of the latest catwalk trends for party season. If you still feel lost as to what shoes to buy, you can never go wrong with a pair of flats as they are the most comfortable option after all!

kurtgeiger.com

Instagram: @missyempire

The shape debate Streetwear 2.0

Scarlett Rowland shares her thoughts on the way we catego- Fashion editor Joe Hood shares his fresh perspective on rise our bodies and what influence this has on our minds streetwear and its significance for those high-fashion homes

recently had an experience in a shop where I thought to myself, “Wow I love that outfit, but it wouldn’t look good on my chubby 5’5” body”. So, I went back a week later, tried it on, and decided it actually looked great – so I bought it. From speaking to other women that I know, this is clearly not an uncommon experience. There is something in our brains that tells us that outfit won’t look good – and that voice comes from the media. We are bombarded constantly by the media with words that can only make us feel crappy about our own bodies. And come on, who really wants to be told they look like an apple, a pear, a burrito, or even a Dorito? Unsurprisingly, nobody. When it comes down to it, what are we really saying when we tell someone they should be thinking about dressing for their body shape? The main focus of the articles that talk about this kind of dressing is inherently patriarchal. The goals become about minimizing (most often) the female form, something which in our progressive society, is something I’m surprised people are still supporting.

Creating thinness and minimizing your body should not be your main focus when thinking about what to wear

Let’s take the example of being apple shaped, the most accurate shape to my body. Fashion mags then tell me, that I should wear shorter skirts, I should not wear high waisted jeans, and draw attention to my chest with lower cut tops. It boils down to three statements, get your legs out, get your tits out, but dear god put your fat stomach away. I do not care if someone doesn’t think I look sexy, or fit, or whatever when I’m wearing an outfit I love – I dress for myself. These statements are ones that stick with you. There is a whole industry based on people, predominantly focusing on women, feeling bad about their bodies: shape wear. This industry reaps the benefit from articles that promote

this unhealthy view of our bodies and the clothes we wear, through items such as shape wear. Creating thinness and minimizing your body should not be your main focus when thinking about what to wear. Clothes, just like makeup and hair, are an expression of yourself, and should be something to enjoy. If someone is apple shaped and they want to wear something that isn’t going to minimize their stomach – why do you care? If someone is hourglass shaped, and they want to wear something less form fitting – why do you care? We need to stop policing people’s bodies and be a lot nicer to each other and ourselves. It’s the same rhetoric that surrounds the discussion around having a beach body. There is a plethora of articles which tell women not to bear bikinis if they’re apple shaped, only to wear bikinis if they’re an hourglass, but don’t even think about stepping on the beach if you’re above a size 10. Companies continue to make money on coveralls for women who have been made to feel uncomfortable wearing their beach wear on the beach, so have to wear something on top to hide the body seemed publicly unacceptable by the fashion world. I do understand, however, that some people do feel like they have to dress for their ‘body type’ to look the best in their clothes, but I personally don’t think this actually has anything to do with why they feel they look best like this. Anything you feel confident in, you look great in.

≠

rab your vintage track suits, and dust off your favourite pair of Nike Air Max’s, because streetwear is making a name for itself all over

again. A new evolution of streetwear is hitting the block, showing people how to dress like their favourite hip-hop stars from the noughties. No more will you get the look of shame for wearing a pair of black Adidas track bottoms, accompanied by the offensive but edgy socks and sliders combo. This niche area of fashion was always peaking its way through, past the Dad jeans and fitness watch trackers, desperate to break through and revolutionise the fashion industry. Now, I’m not saying that streetwear is this brand new sub-culture, but it has certainly had a well needed upgrade from the likes of: Off-White, Louis Vuitton, Supreme and so on. The designer for Off White, which in my opinion is in the top tier of high fashion streetwear brands, Virgil Abloh spoke to The Guardian about, “how real people wear clothes, sneakers with dresses, a hoody, it’s mixing the genres.” These people are considered the ‘conquerors of streetwear’ to Abloh, so everyone and their dog are copping whatever they can, spending thousands to attain this title. It is important to mention that Abloh was recently named creative director of Louis Vuitton, a streetwear designer in a high-fashion luxury fashion house, this was huge news for the industry.

Real people wear clothes, sneakers with dresses, a hoody, it’s mixing the genres

@faith.fully.yours

Streetwear has the younger generations to thank for its rebirth, they will do whatever they can to stay relevant and branded on the streets. When I say ‘anything’ I really do mean it, whether it’s queuing up for days on end for a pair of sneakers, or blowing all their money on ‘hyped’ garments. Popular streetwear brand Palace recently collaborated with the classic and timeless brand Ralph Lauren, on a 16-piece collection which released on 9th November 2018. The collaboration blind-sided everyone, a London born skating brand working closely with Lauren was definitely something no one saw coming.

But we’re living in a society now where skating brands are being recognised for their uniqueness and ability to control the consumption of youths. The collection sold out in less than a minute, reselling for double, even triple the retail prices – now that in itself is a sure sign that streetwear is changing up the fashion game. So, I would be lying to you if I said I’m not one of these people who buys the product for the brand rather than the way it looks, but for most of these streetwear brands once a collection has been released it is never re-released. The only way to obtain any of these pieces post-release is through online marketplaces such as; Bump and Depop, but unless you have £200 to spare on a t-shirt that retailed at £40, then I’d stick to the classic ASOS rip-offs. This wouldn’t be a streetwear article if I didn’t mention one of the most popular brands in st re etwe ar, Supreme. Don’t act like you’ve never heard of the brand, Supreme is the epitome of streetwear hype. People go crazy for the famous box logo and will pay absurd amounts of money just to own something from the brand. This ‘hype’ makes streetwear threatening to other classic designers, so they’re all jumping on the band-wagon…or I guess hype-wagon. Sorry I apologise for that tragic attempt at being funny, but seriously classic designers are clinging to their annually reused and recycled designs panicking that they might actually have to start being creative! A lot of you may be thinking it’s just a phase, it’ll be irrelevant again in 2019, but if you take anything away from reading this today - it’s that streetwear is here to stay. The streetwear uprising is real, so get ready for it! Instagram: @supremenewyork

the courier

Monday 19 November 2018 courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk

Travel Editors Jenny Franken, Bianca Ionci Online Editor Amanda Goh

How to find the cheapest flight

travel life & style

Couple die taking a selfie

Dominic Howard on how to travel the world on a low budget Vaishali Ramesh comments on the recent Yosemite tragedy hanks to flights becoming increasingly or Copenhagen for Aarhus, and watch the flight prices

cheaper owing to budget airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair, as well as Norwegian and WOW Air, a holiday is on the horizon for more people than ever before, including us students. However, they’re sometimes not as easy to find as you’d like, so I thought I’d point out a few general tips for nabbing yourself a bargain (such as Barcelona-Boston for £142 return, the lowest price for a transatlantic flight I’ve ever seen). There are a few general pointers that tend to lead to cheaper flights (but it’s impossible to speak for all routes

One thing I occasionally do is keep my idea of a destination vague

and airlines); travelling with hand luggage only, flying with layovers on long-haul trips, booking early before airlines run out of seats they’re selling for the lowest price, flying out on Tuesday or Wednesday (since airlines like to catch out business travellers who fly out at the start of the week and fly back for the weekend), flying early in the morning or late at night (though this rule probably has the most exceptions), and flying in and out of secondary airports (e.g. Oslo Torp, Brussels Charleroi or London Stansted). One thing I occasionally do is keep my idea of a destination vague. For example, if I wanted to go to Italy, I’d check Ryanair flights from Leeds and Manchester to all Italian destinations. So instead of paying £150 for a flight to Rome, I managed to grab a £26 return to Pisa! So maybe swap out Berlin for Cologne, Krakow for Gdansk,

plummet. A big problem people encounter is lacking the right website to choose flights on – since flight prices can vary day-by-day, a return flight to New York might be £300 one day and £700 the next, so randomly plucking an outbound and return date is not very helpful.

Google Flights is an extremely useful tool, since it shows you a full-year calendar of all return flight prices

As a result, Google Flights is an extremely useful tool, since it shows you a full-year calendar (for roughly 11 months in advance) of all return flight prices based upon the number of days you choose to stay. After you’ve checked Google Flights, use Skyscanner or Momondo to find the flights listed on Google – Google Flights prices tend to be slightly higher than the lowest fare, so using these websites show you how cheap the flights truly are. A riskier way to travel (particularly on multi-leg trips) is to book flights that are self-connecting, i.e. essentially just all one-way flights. Now, I really need to stress that this is riskier, since if you book all journeys on one itinerary with any airline, they are legally obliged to get you to your destination if any of your flights are delayed. If you book a series of one-way flights and work out the connections yourself, you are responsible yourself and in the worst case scenario, can do your wallet some serious damage.

n Indian expat couple, Vishnu Viswanath and Meenakshi Moorthy, fell to their deaths from around 300 feet at Taft Point in Yosemite Park, USA. The couple was said to be taking a selfie when they fell off. Tourists who visited the spot the next day saw the tripod setup and alerted authorities. Vishnu, aged 29, employee at Cisco’s California headquarters, and his wife were travel bloggers. Their nowdeleted Instagram page featured trips to various places and them attempting many stunts such as sky diving and sitting on the edge of cliffs. The bodies were found by authorities with the help of a helicopter from California Highway Patrol. The funeral was set to take place in the US since the bodies were in no condition to be transported back to their homeland of India. Due to a creepy coincidence, another couple posted a selfie at the exact same spot of Yosemite Park in which Meenakshi can be seen in the background, easily recognizable due to her cotton candy pink hair. This incident brings to light the issues of several new

age habits. Around 259 people have died in the quest for a perfect selfie between the years of 2011 and 2017 alone. These statistics are alarming and point towards a rising trend of insanity for pictures on social media. One of Moorthy’s Instagram posts shows her sitting at the edge of the cliff and the caption warns her followers about the danger of doing daredevil stunts for that perfect picture. This really grabs our attention and makes us all wonder whether we are going insane- we are risking our lives trying to present a perfect image of ourselves on social media?! Is it really so important in today’s world to have a social media presence where everything seems fine and dandy? Are we really crossing limits, physically and mentally in search of likes and comments on social media? We must be more careful of our surroundings in my opinion. We should look beyond our camera lenses and enjoy what nature has to offer with our own pair of eyes. A blanket ban should be imposed on taking selfies at risky places to warn tourists about the dangers of doing so. Instagram and Facebook likes are not going to help save lives, however, using our own common sense and staying away from dangers will.

Airport-hopping around the world

Traveler Rebecca Doneghan discusses her top-rated airports

hether you’re delayed, on a layover, or just checked in super early like I always do, it’s never fun when the airport you’re in is small, lifeless, or just plain boring. It always makes for a better trip all round when every aspect, even the airports, are exciting and full of things to keep you busy! Here are some that are considered to be the best in the

Detroit Metropolitan Airport was particularly memorable in regards to its aesthetics

world. Popular travel site Lonely Planet featured an article on its website in March of this year, listing the “Most Highly Rated Airports Around the World From 2017” as revealed

b y t h e Airports Council International Wo r l d . Included are the top airport for each continent, such as Abu Dhabi International Airport being the travellers’ favourite for the Middle East, and Sochi Internationa l Airport in Russia the most popular in Europe. According to the article, the overall top spot went to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in China. It is also noted that winners were not only recognised for size and the number of visitors each year, but customer service played a great part – reassuring, having friendly staff around to help when you’re tired and lost! I won’t lie, having been lucky enough to travel to many different places around the world over the past few years,

I’ve found that I have a couple of favourites of my own. First, Detroit Metropolitan Airport was particularly memorable in regards to its aesthetics; how could you not enjoy a layover at an airport with a large water feature, as well as a grand piano played regularly to entertain travellers while they wait? Additionally, Hong Kong International Airport is different to any other that I have been to. It made a great first impression when I was greeted with the stunning view of traditional junk boats at sea from my window as my plane was descending. There were plenty of traditiona l restaurants (and a McDonalds for some home comforts), but the highlight was the shuttle train under the airport. It takes you from one end of the departure lounge to the other, saving your legs from the potential long walk – very handy after a long haul flight! With cultural items, such as traditional clothing also on display, it was easy to enjoy the culture of Hong Kong when unable to leave the airport itself. Finally, I believe that our own airport deserves its own special mention. Newcastle International Airport can take you to 80 destinations direct around the world. It may not be the biggest airport, but its departure lounge still has enough amenities to keep you entertained. With a great range of pubs, bars and restaurants, clothes outlets to book shops and even a spa, there’s something to help everyone get their holiday started properly! Here’s hoping that you’ll be able to take a trip this year to let you experience the toon’s own airport for yourself! Unsplash @ben_neale

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What are we willing to do for the perfect picture?

Social media presence & being in the present by Swetha Vasan

f a friend I follow on Instagram is about to explore a new place, I better be prepared for tons of pictures starting with the boarding pass at the airport and an in-air sky picture. This is followed by a number of Instagram stories and posts. And then, would it not be a sin if you didn’t post a couple of pictures on Facebook or Snapchat too? Once uploaded, waiting for the number of likes to go up and replying to everybody’s comments is a ritual. Cliché travel pictures and multiple hashtags have become a thing, #mountainsarecalling, #travellerforlife and why not!

Amidst all this unwanted stress, we somehow forget to wholeheartedly enjoy the new destination

Perhaps, the idea of showing off has become predominant. Everybody’s life has to be interesting, or at least appear so for social media. Amidst all this unwanted stress, we somehow forgot to wholeheartedly enjoy the new destination. The things people do for a good picture are absurd. After climbing a 16,000-ft. peak, snapping a selfie at that height has become more important than reflecting over one’s achievement and enjoying the mesmerizing view. While kayaking, taking a video of the boat with all their friends cheering is a must. People even tend to overlook the fact that their phone or themselves could fall into the

water! The increasing number of deaths while trying to take a picture has alarmingly gone up. I see people stand right next to the #noselfiezone and take multiple pictures even with this signboard. Trying snapchat filters while crossing the road can be perilous but who cares? I must upload it before the phone battery dies! Does breaking rules make a person cool? Are these pictures worth somebody’s life? Is the pressure of social media overshadowing our ability to think logically? These are questions you must ask yourself. I like to travel a lot. Taking pictures is definitely a part of your travel adventures - but it’s not all of it. Looking at the amazing pictures on travel blogger feeds is without a doubt inspiring and makes you want to travel more. I take a lot of pictures and love to experiment with new photography techniques, but safety comes first. Nothing can come at the cost of your life and well-being. These are certain things I do and it might be helpful for you too. When taking pictures, be aware of your surroundings. Nature is beautiful but never predictable. Do not take a chance when at an altitude or with water. Doing things to get an uncommon picture might be tempting but be sure that it is safe. I do not upload any pictures whilst travelling. I try to stay away from social media which allows me more time to notice the little things we might otherwise miss out on. I would always suggest to switch off the internet connectivity of your phone when on a trip. Let go all your worries and just enjoy. Once the trip is over, I get back home, edit the pictures and then post. This saves me from all the unwanted anxiety while travelling.

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feature

Monday 19 November 2018

Feature Editor Ally Wilson

The hidden corner

Jack in a box (room)

Jack Green gives us exclusive access to the brand spanking new Urban Sciences Building

s one of the first students let loose in the Urban Sciences Building (USB,) I was keen to explore the nooks and crannies of the building. I didn’t realise that I would be speaking so literally. The gem that I found is located at the far left side of the building. The space is on every floor except the ground floor. At about 4 meters in length, and 50cms wide, it is a pretty confined space. Struggling with the responsibilities of adult life? This could be a great place for you to hide from those responsibilities; however, to those of you who struggle with small spaces I would not recommend this space. I asked one of my lecturers about the area, and was told that it was originally meant to be part of a corridor linking the USB to another building but the plan was scrapped as they didn’t want people from the other building using space intended for computing students.

Herschel’s hid

Dominic Harrison disclose coolest common room on c you’re on the right degree

he common room with a view is located on the top floor of the Herschel building and is exclusively for the students of maths, stats and physics. From St James’ to Monument and spanning across all of campus, Penthouse would surely be the go-to place for a panoramic shot of the city. With two floors and ample seating, the Penthouse accommodates both the hungry and the studious, by having its own kitchen for PhD students. Whether you’re a solo worker or team up to tackle deadlines, the

Image: Jack Green

A buzz about the SU’s roof

Editor of the Courier Louise Hall shares an insight into the bee garden on the Students’ Union’s roof

Image: Sophie McDermott

ow if I’m being honest, I’ve actually never vistited this secret location myself, but i believe that in that, lies its wonder. For what could be a more interesting hidden place on campus than one that barely anyone has visited. I have heard many tales of the bee garden that lies above the SU roof, where the union keeps and nurtures its own bees, yet have never been allowed to see it for myself. My colleagues Sophie McDermott (Activities Officer) and Maggie Elstob (AU Officer), have been granted acess to the bee garden, donning white suits fit for a contagion zone and getting up close and personal with our buzzy friends. It was a surpise to me to find that the Bee Society does more than watch bee movie on repeat but in fact works to sustain the enviroment that bee’s lovingly provide. I hope one day I will have the great honour of being able to see them for myself, locked away in their mysterious tower much alike Disney’s Rapunzel. Image: Wikimedia Comons Image: Pixabay

penth tables refurb gets c to 6pm top co den g sive cl

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Monday 19 November 2018

rs of your campus

feature

dden haven Percy’s postgrad paradise

es possibly the campus, but only if

house has both study cubicles and group s. Don’t let its altitude deter you, the newly bished lift will take you up before your food cold and your legs get achy. Open from 8am pm, with regular cleaning staff keeping it in ondition, the Penthouse is definitely a hidgem of campus with, but I’m afraid it’s excluclientele only.

The elusive basement floor of Percy Building is revealed by Culture Editor, Carys Rose Thomas

ou know the type. Those stressed out, feverish first year English Undergrads in the Percy building. They walk in at 9am the day before a deadline and leave in tears at 6pm when the cleaners physically remove them at the end of the day. If they could live in there, they would. Well lucky little Postgraduates, they can do that very thing! Down in the unknown depths of the Percy building there is the holy grail that is the Postgraduate Study Room. Whilst that snivelling first year wallows in their midterms in the common room, post-

grads are living their best life downstairs, kitchen? They’ve got it. Shower? I mean if the rumours are true…

Images: Newcastle University

The mysterious ‘minus three’ NUSU veteran and ex-Courier editor James Sproston reveals the secretive wonders of the SU’s level -3

aving been out of bounds for most of my time at university, the Armstrong Courtyard has long been a mystery to me. Being part of probably the sexiest building on campus, I knew whatever work the many builders were doing to it must be decent, and I was not disappointed at the end of last year when the red tape was pulled away, the diggers and machinery ousted, and I was able to walk through it. Of course there is the much-publicised Martin Luther King statue, where he stands in all his glory and of course his graduation robes for the honorary degree the university bestowed upon him in 1967. Behind him are some extremely snazzy doors to the music department of Armstrong, leading you down corridors of open-plan glass to the soundtrack of whichever accomplished musician may be practising in one of the many room available. There are also some gorgeous flower arrangements and shrubberies in this quite little corner, complimenting the red brick of the Armstrong building perfectly. My only criticism of this quite space is that there simply aren’t enough places to sit and enjoy it Images: Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay

Images: Carys Rose Thomas

culture music

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c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Charlotte Boulton, Rory Ellis, Jess Taylor Weisser Online Editor Max Hobbs

Monday 19 November 2018

Did Spotify really kill the video star?

Dominic Lee discuses whether music videos still have relevance and our writers discuss some of their fave vid throwbacks.

emember when video killed the radio star? At 12:01 am on August 1st, 1981, MTV made history. They were the first 24-hour music channel and proudly announced a new era in music with the aptly titled ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by little known pop band The Buggles featuring as the first song. If that song were made in 2018 it would have been Spotify killing the video star instead, as the Swedish streaming service has dominated music for a number of years with its 191 million monthly active users helping maintain its hegemony. Streaming may have overtaken the music video in popularity, but streaming lacks the cultural impact that so many music videos have given us.

Music videos are still relevant, cast your mind back to Halloween just a few weeks ago. I’m not a gambling man but it’s a pretty safe bet that at least some of you reading this will have seen someone dressed as Michael Jackson from Thriller. At the time of writing Michael Jackson’s epic 14-minute short film and music video has over 550 million views on YouTube and countless more on TV but think for a second about what would’ve happened if none of that happened and the song was simply released on Spotify. The song, now known all over the world as an all time classic, may have been just another Michael Jackson song. Music creates stars, that much is for sure, music videos make stars into legends.

The video can even be the big break for the artist, indie band OK Go found their success with ‘Here It Goes Again’, the video for which was shot on treadmills with the band jumping from treadmill to treadmill with inventive dance moves in between. Music videos are still relevant, maybe they don’t get as many views as they used to and yes maybe they are a little outdated in a world where you can stream playlists in a matter of milliseconds, but they create culture and memories in a way that streaming services simply can’t match. I’m not having a pop at Spotify here, it makes choosing albums for the day quick and easy, but it’s nothing compared to the experience of watching an iconic music video - you can probably tell I’m a vinyl

collector from that sentence too. My personal favourite is another classic, the Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ is possibly the greatest spoof of an American police show in history. The costumes, the aviators and the fake moustaches enhance the already impressive vocal performance from the group in a video that became a cultural icon. The music video is not dead, its popularity may have decreased but its status in music culture is very much alive. They may no longer be necessary in a world of Spotify but music videos are still relevant, even if MTV have had to stoop to showing Keeping Up With The Kardashians in between music.

Max Hobbs

Nimra Rafique

Laura Buckle

Miranda Stoner

ribute by Tenacious D was the anthem of my childhood. It’s a really great bit of rock music and one that brought Tenacious D into the mainstream. And yet, what really makes this track exceptional is the music video. We see Jack Black and Kyle Gass rummaging around a novelty recording booth in a shopping mall, guitars in hand, before they are suddenly transported to the desert. Whilst walking, they encounter Satan (played by Dave Grohl) and have a guitar solo duel to the death. So there you go. and emotive. And then there’s the likes of Red Fang’s ‘Prehistoric Dog’ which are just funny.

Gerry Hart

s far as music videos go, ‘Prehistoric Dog’ is precisely the sort of thing you’d expect four hairy, beer guzzling lads from Oregon to make. To surmise, the band does battle with an unfortunate group of LARPers with weapons and armour crafted from beer cans. As far as the music itself is concerned, ‘Prehistoric Dog’ is a competently crafted heavy metal song with plenty of memorable riffs but it’s the video that completes the experience. It’s a daft, low-brow affair that the band seems to utterly relish in.

he K-POP industry is known for their lavish and extravagant music videos, and one group who is particularly popular in the industry is BTS. They have created many amazing music videos throughout their 5-year career, and it is speculated that through their songs and music videos BTS is creating an ongoing narrative. Many fans have made theories to try and put the pieces together to discover the hidden story. One particular music video that I like is for one of their title tracks, ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’, from their album Wings. The music video is mainly set in an art museum, which creates a very surreal aesthetic. It has been said that the concept of the music video is based on the story of the fallen angels and temptation. The video even includes a clip of the famous painting, The Fall of the Rebel Angels, by Pieter Bruegel. The group includes their dance routine for the song in the video and showcase a bold sense of fashion which works well with the video’s aesthetic. The multiple elaborate scenes along with the impressive visual effects help to unfold the story of the music video, and capture a very beautiful piece of work

Susanne Norris

his one was way ahead of its time. But then again, when isn’t Beyoncé way ahead of the times? ‘If I Were A Boy’ features the singer imagining just that; showing all the things she would do if she were a man. The premise is that she flirts with lots of people, making her lover see that a woman’s biggest fear in a relationship is her lover being unfaithful. Naturally it received reactions from certain men stating that ‘not all men are like that’ and ‘this is why we don’t need feminism’ – but hey, some things never change. They were missing the point. What we see here is a feminist take on the fears of society, beautifully shot in black and white. Yes, Beyoncé can be that deep.

or me, a favourite music video will always lie within the Gaga hall of fame. classify myself as a “little monster”, I definitely have a place in my heart for her completely bonkers videography. Undoubtedly, one of the most iconic and insane music videos from 2010 has to be ‘Telephone’. If it’s not the insane McQueen-esque outfits, or the bizarre choreography, or even the feature of Beyoncé Knowles, it will definitely be the twisted criminal narrative which makes this video stick in anyone’s mind 8 years later. I remember being hypnotised every time 4 Music streamed it. Whilst I really have no idea why 14-year-old me was completely captivated by team Gaga/Knowles committing mass homicide… I know that it was their “girl-power” and “untouchable” attitudes, avant-garde fashions and semi-ridiculous dance scenes which still make it my favourite today. Love you Gaga x

he success of the music video for Avril Lavigne’s 2007 hit single ‘Girlfriend’ can be accredited to three simple things; the combination of High School Musical style choreography in the bathroom with slapstick bumper car battles and the imparting of important life lessons in how to steal yourself a boyfriend. Whilst there were a lot of other great songs and videos at the time, this one will always be my favourite because it’s just so ridiculous. The video connects perfectly to the lyrics of the song and Lavigne’s slightly punky sound. When I first watched the video, age 11, the immediate comic value of Avril hitting herself in the head with a golf ball got a laugh every time I would watch it on repeat- daily. Now that I am the same age as Avril in the video, I can still relate to the slap stick comedy and admire her ability to make fun of herself.

Ally Wilson

ot only is this an absolute primary school disco banger, but the video for ‘Rockstar’ is also one of my favourites. Back in the day when 4Music was the channel to watch on a Friday afternoon, I’d sit and watch the UK Top 40 from start to finish and throughout the summer of 2006 this song reigned in the top spot with its catchy lyrics and distinctive video. The video takes you around the world, getting fans and celebrities alike from every background to sing along to this anthem, ending very appropriately on one of Nickleback’s many sold out performances. It’s a good one for showing off all of their many famous friends, like Nelly Furtado, Lupe Fiasco and Kid Rock just to name a few. It sounds like a simple concept, but it’s very watchable and goes with the song very well because at the end of the day, we ALL just wanna be big rockstars.

Images: Youtube

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Monday 19 November 2018

@CourierMusic thecourieronline.co.uk/music

music culture

‘Thank U, Next’: a song of nostalgia and gratitude Random Review Lucy Lillystone looks into Ariana Grande’s well-received surprise single and the nostalgic story behind it

fter the recent success of Sweetener earlier this year, Ariana Grande is rolling in the fame as we all just cannot stop listening to her music. And yet, she strikes again with her new single ‘Thank You, Next’ that has every girl who has ever experienced relationships and breakups screenshotting the song and posting it all over their social medias. But what does this single mean for Ariana Grande? After her recent split with Pete Davidson and the devastating loss of Mac Miller, it is only plausible to suggest that Grande is dedicating this song to the memories both of these boys provided her whilst they were together. Can this song be read as a form of gratitude to her ex-boyfriends and all that they have taught her? What I

got from this was a sense of moving on: Ariana Grande has accepted her past and she is going forward to bigger and better things. And despite it’s almost bitter sounding title, it is clear that Ariana Grande means no harm with this single as she recently tweeted after the release: “no drags…no shade…jus love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness… and growth” While it’s not my favourite of her songs, it certainly does hit hard with lyrics such as “one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain” making me, and probably everyone else too, overwhelmed with nostalgia and love for the past. It is a song that delves into the deepest of Ariana

Grande’s emotions and I cannot wait to see it performed live. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, Ariana Grande’s new single ‘Thank You, Next’ is available to stream almost everywhere and I certainly recommend listening. Especially if you have a dating history similar to the one Ariana Grande is thankful for.

Who inspired the lyrics? Big Sean: Ariana Grande dated Big Sean from

August 2014 to April 2015, collaborating on hits such as her song ‘Right There’. They apparently broke up due to “conflicting tour schedules”.

Ricky Alvarez: Ricky was one of Ariana’s

back-up dancers, with rumours about them sufacing in 2015. They dated until 2016 and she wrote ‘True Love’ and ‘Moonlight’ about him and their relationship.

Pete Davidson: The paid had a

whirlwind romance, first being spotted with matching tattoos in May 2018 and then announcing their engagement in June. After writing ‘pete davidson’ on her latest album, Ariana and Pete broke up in October.

Mac Miller: Ariana and Mac were in a Image: Youtube

Westside Gunn Hitler Wears Hermes VI

lthough the mixtape doesn’t deliver the highs of Westside’s last project, it is still a solid project with strong wordplay throughout. When thinking about Westside Gunn, my mind jumps to street lyricism and a throwback to the 1990s, like Gunn is an estranged nephew of the Wu-Tang Clan. Gunn’s sophomore album, Supreme Blientele (a Ghostface Killah reference) found Westside Gunn establish himself as a 90’s revivalist with his grimy, New York beats with basic drum patterns and a focus on word play. Having signed to Shady record in 2017 (with his brother Benny the Butcher), it has been interesting watching the development of Westside and Benny.

1990s throwback street style raps, breaking down drug dealing and violence with creative lyricism

However, I feel this is where Hitler Wears Hermes VI has an issue. Hitler Wears Hermes IV and Supreme Blientele were important in creating the Westside Gunn brand and the high quality expected from it, and so when just a solid project is released it feels even more flat as a result. The album features great production from Evidence and DJ Muggs, icons in the underground hip-hop scene. However, the only real standout production was the inspired choice on the ‘B.I.G. Luther Freestyle’ of the sampling of Luther Vandross, feeding into the theme of the track in a creative and fresh way. Up to this point, this review does seem negative, but it truly isn’t. This is a solid, well rounded EP from rappers at the cutting edge of the underground scene. However, it just doesn’t come close to his sophomore outing and as a result just seems ‘OK’, and nowhere near the progression we saw in Hitler Wears Hermes IV. If you want some 1990’s throwback street style raps, breaking down drug dealing and violence with creative lyricism and unique outlooks then I recommend this album highly. However, it does feel drowned by the slew of large hip-hop releases coming out around the same time. Callum Trainor

Tenacious D Post-Apocalypto

ost-Apocalypto is the new studio album released earlier this month by the notorious comedy-rock duo Tenacious D. Consisting of long-time best friends Jack Black and Kyle Gass, Tenacious D gained a cult following over the last 24 years for their diverse range of comedic songs, which any long-time fan of ‘The D’ (as they are dubbed by their fans) would be able to recite on demand. However, the band have taken a hiatus from the newmusic scene as of late, with their previous album, Rize of the Fenix being released in 2012. Along with their return, the band have also taken a more creative role towards their music. Along with their creative streak, and the modern influence of technology, the band have taken a unique approach to their new album, choosing not to release conventional songs, but to actually produce and create a Youtube show, with the album consisting of songs and scenes from the cartoon. The show has been released weekly since October 4th, with each episode carrying on a narrative arch of Jack and Kyle trying to survive in a postapocalyptic Earth. The show came as a response to the band’s previous movie creation, The Pick of Destiny, and continues the crazily creative aspect of Tenacious D that has made fans hungry in the past. After watching just 2 episodes, it was clear to me that the show is the imaginative love-child of the band, with its rugged artistic style and explicit narrative making the show the perfect canvas in which the band can express their ideas. Each chapter of the show includes a variety of different songs, one named ‘Hope’ in the first chapter particularly caught my attention. The song itself is technically gifted, due to the ability of Kyle on the guitar, whilst Jack’s vocal range displays his sheer ability. Although many new faces to the Tenacious D scene may have a predisposition to view them as perhaps immature, the band themselves are capable of creating extremely technical music, but manipulating the lyrics for comedic effect. In this way, perhaps this album is not the easiest way for new listeners to gain an understanding of the band, but at first listening to their earlier songs, such as ‘Kickapoo’, ‘Tribute’ and ‘Wonderboy’ can open their eyes to the creative brilliance of the band. In a way, this album is a fantastic example of how bands can express their creative talent in other vessels as opposed to music, and for fans of the band, the opportunity for Jack and Kyle to express themselves freely via the internet is a dream come true, following in the legacy of The Pick of Destiny, and hopefully spurring the band to consider even more unconventional ideas in the future. Tom Moorcroft

Sampha Process

relationship between 2016-2018, breaking up amidst Mac’s struggle with drug addiction. He died of an accidental overdose in September.

The Prodigy No Tourists

his week’s random review features an album created by a male artist that discusses male mental health. As it is International Men’s Day (Monday 19th November), we want to draw attention to the often ignored topic of male mental health. Sampha Sisay is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Morden in South London. Most listeners will recognize his signature, dreamy voice from the collabs with SBTRKT or Jessie Ware, and even Drake, Kanye West, and Solange. Process is his first full album, released in February 2017, awarded the 2017 Mercury Prize. It is a lyrical and instrumental masterpiece, fuelled by Sampha’s anxiety – a product of his parent’s death, his own health scares and self-doubt. All of those themes are vividly present throughout the album, beginning with the song ‘Plastic 100oC’. I love the use of harp and guitar combined with electronic beats. It introduces us to album’s atypical instrumentation - a mix of soul and RnB, electronic with acoustic, synth with drums and piano. Emotion is running deep within, it defines the general mood, as heartbroken, sad and poetic. The vocal follows that manner, perfectly balancing passion with power. Sampha’s candid lyrics touch extremely deep, describing emotions previously indescribable.

haunting, intimate confessions

ndoubtedly true to itself, The Prodigy’s album No Tourists comes at you head first. They remain faithful to their old school rave heritage, emphasising hard hitting repetitive synths with short vocal samples to ensure that there is at least some audience recollection. With their first album released in 1992, The Prodigy are unquestionably the biggest veterans on a scene that they themselves helped produce. The creation of music that is solely influenced by their own past times, means that they only grow stronger and stronger. No Tourists is no exception to this pattern, and the fact that they’ve stuck with their guns is momentous. It is however almost incomprehensible that The Prodigy would ever divert from their recognisable sound. Why would they with no less than six No.1 albums, and 30 million records sales worldwide? This method has evidently paid-off as the album has dropped straight in at No.1 on the official charts. No Tourists is The Prodigy’s seventh studio album as is stated on the front of the cover, which clearly offers a distinct nod to their roots as the London bus is destined for where it all began. The Four Aces Dalston Lane, where sadly you will now find residential flats, was once the breeding ground for new underground music. From the get-go you realise that No Tourists has brought The Prodigy’s quality of production into the modern day, with all ten songs having both increased depth and width of sound whilst retaining that nostalgic tinge. You’re reintroduced by ‘Need Some1’, a short and familiar primer for fans to regain their affiliation before you are dropped into the thick of it with ‘Light Up The Sky’. This is an aggressive and unapologetic track that will force even the most doubtful into constant elation. This feeling continues to ‘Champions of London’ which somehow manages to go that step further. Following this, the energy does appear to ebb a little with the lyrics for ‘Boom Boom Tap’ becoming increasingly frustrating as they don’t feel quite as developed or impelling as what comes after or what came before. With nine other tracks available, it is by far the weakest on offer. Any possibility of a future album remix should excite any fan immensely. The Prodigy have never been, nor will they ever be tourists, and the album is without doubt a mesmerising success that entices even the uninterested. If you’ve any opportunity to experience The Prodigy live you would be a fool to miss it. Bruce Skelton

The first track is a subtle cry for help: “It’s so hot I’ve been melting out here”. Background vocals are brilliantly layered, partly distorted, possibly by a shortwave transmitter, as a reference to Apollo 13. Later, on ‘Blood on Me’, the most punchy track, Sampha delivers an amazing chorus and explosive instrumentation. It’s composed of various types of drums and beats and a very strong piano melody, which reminded me of Massive Attack’s style. Sampha has so many innovative ideas, such as the inclusion of heavy breathing to highlight the anxiety expressed in the lyrics or the unusual use of popular banjo motifs in ‘Kora Sings’. ‘(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano’ is a piano ballad, where he totally exposes himself emotionally. The piano is a tool to channel those feelings, pain, and anxiety, which normally are hard for him to express. The ending result leaves the listener with chills. Similarly, ‘Take Me Inside’ and ‘Under’ are extremely haunting and intimate confessions. ‘Timmy’s Prayer’ is surprising in terms of its electronic instrumentation. Sampha is crying out loud here: ‘My ribcage opened, my heart ballooned (…) I’m on the floor trying to dress my wounds’. Amazing songwriting accompanied with strong drums. Unfortunately, the rest of the songs are so gentle they melt together. Most notably, ‘Reverse Faults’ was a very interesting attempt at new beat composition, but it might go further and be more experimental. Despite that, the sentiment is there and strong. I don’t think I know any other current artist who talks about his mental health so openly and beautifully. An expression that poetic and intimate, can be found only in Bob Dylan’s work in my opinion. However, Process thankfully has an extremely modern sound and a rare, young, black male voice. Because of that, the album is relevant and needed in terms of cultural representation. Men’s health crisis that isn’t being talked about enough. Sampha breaks that stigma within the music scene and provides us with songs everybody can easily relate to. Jagoda Waszkowiak Image: Flickr

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culture TV

Shame of Thrones: Trump's latest Twitter gaffe

Credit: monkeywing (Flickr)

ex and the City was first broadcasted twenty years ago. It ran for six seasons over six years and follows four successful thirty-something year old women in New York as they navigate the dating world. I discovered Sex and the City at the age of eighteen, when the girl who stayed in the room next to mine in halls invited me to watch with her. That girl became one of my closest friends, and like the characters in SATC, she taught me a lot about love, life, and friendship. Sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes hilarious, SATC is important as it is about four women openly and unapologetically discussing sex/men, but ultimately finding their soulmates in each other.

Credit: YouTube The show is liberating to watch. The women are frank and refreshingly open about sex. They discuss the need to orgasm, their opinions on anal sex, and they do not hold back in the ownership of their bodies. Even in 2018, this is needed. A woman’s sexuality is still seen as dirty, as embarrassing or, perhaps worse, as invisible. The feminine sexual voice is often ignored but it is universal. This is probably why as a northern girl who grew up in a boring country town, I somehow relate to these women, who strut around Manhattan buying Prada and going on dates with business men. I do neither, but I have had many a bad date and have many hilarious one night stand stories. It shows that women dating, whether in New York or Northumberland, is difficult, embarrassing and entertaining. Unfortunately, it is sometimes incredibly outdated, such as when Carrie Bradshaw (the narrator) dates a bisexual man. Her comments and opinions on his sexuality are pretty gross, suggesting that he should ‘just pick a side’. These sorts of comments haunt every bisexual, and so for a show so forward it is even more shocking and upsetting. And of course, there is the massive issue of diversity. These women are white and rich, and they mostly only date white, rich men. I try to look over this, like I am sure many of us who watch older shows do, by telling myself ‘it was the nineties’, but in a world where poor and nonwhite voices are ignored, I do often feel guilty in my love for the show. But at its core, SATC is about the power of female friendship. These four women are always there for each other, and this is the most important aspect of the show. Regardless of their endless dates and relationships, they never leave each other, and are always there to pick their friends up when needed. Because of this, SATC is still as important as ever, and still resonates with every woman who watches it, regardless of their background. In a world where men rule the screens, SATC is still a breath of fresh air, in its hilarious and uninhibited way. Lou Siday

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Monday 19 November 2018

Sesha Subramanian reports on the reaction to President Donald Trump's ...Thrones meme

TV Time Travel

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c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors: Jacob Clarke, Tom Cooney, Chloe Mullins Online Editor: Max Hobbs he Presidential Office and its Twitter account have been a source of entertainment for quite some time now, no matter which side of the aisle you’re on. Even the fact that the Democrats could take the House of Representatives away from the Republicans in the midterms didn’t deter the Don. On 2 November, he tweeted a Game of Thrones themed meme stating "sanctions are coming" (image right). This may not be a popular opinion but this is quite a savvy move. Using one of the world’s most popular TV shows to announce a major policy decision that was soon to be implemented – how did anybody not think of that? #Sarcasm. Obviously, the decision to advertise his move to repeal the nuclear arms deal with Iran and impose sanctions there drew a reaction from a wide variety of people. Chief among them was broadcasting network HBO, who responded with a statement to INSIDER, saying that they were "not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes." HBO also came out with a more hilarious tweet in response, saying “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” Other celebrities also weighed in on the twitter-sphere on the use of Game of Thrones imagery. Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark on the show, was one of the first to tweet back, simply saying “Not today.” Co-star Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, was much less cryptic with her emotions, responding with “Ew". One surprising critic was JK Rowling, author of the famous Harry Potter books, who tweeted Trump’s picture alongside a meme that ridiculed the President with the words “He Who Lives by the Meme, Dies by the Meme”. The President’s tweet also attracted ridicule on social media, becoming the subject of many Game of Thrones related memes, including one featuring the character, Ygritte saying “You know nothin’, Donald Trump”. Many more referenced either Robert Mueller or the indictments that are supposedly on their way. The use of popular cultural references to make political statements is nothing new and it makes sense from a political perspective.

No matter which corner of the world you live in, as long as you have access to television, shows like the Game of Thrones will always remain relevant in culture. Therefore, use of cultural television icons will inevitably be used as a medium to reach out to the masses. Former President Barack Obama was, in fact, very adept at using television references and even sports references for a lot of his campaigns. But in his case, the reactions haven’t been as strong for many reasons. First of all, President Trump has been a controversial figure who has divided the American public like nobody before him. Whilst the move to use a popular TV show to publicise sanctions on Iran may be a politically savvy move in other circumstances, it is less so when it comes directly from the office of the President, as it serves to demean that office. It also reduces the seriousness of the issue at hand – the retraction of the nuclear deal and the imposition of the sanctions on Iran. The politics of the deal is a whole other subject on its own but suffice to say that a meme on it is not going to go down well with anybody involved. At the end of the day, the “Sanctions Are Coming” Game of Thrones-style tweet is an example of good creativity used for the wrong purpose and by the wrong person. If a similar meme had been used for any other issue by anybody else it might have been more appreciated than ridiculed. Coming from the President’s Office though didn’t seem very presidential. Then again, the Don doesn’t operate by conventional methods, does he?

Credit: YouTube

TV’s top five: Corden's 'Carpool Karaoke' Vaishali Ramesh recounts her favourite 'Carpool Karaoke' episodes from The Late Late Show 5 Michelle Obama

The video starts with James wandering into the White House and Michelle Obama surprising him as the tour guide, which leaves even the viewer flabbergasted. This is on my top five list mainly because it’s the former First Lady and one of the few non-artist celebrities on the show. They do sing along to Obama's favourites including Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé. They talk about what she would miss when leaving the White House, what their secret service code names are, and what projects Michelle is currently involved with. She manages to answer them with equal amounts of humour and sophistication, exactly like a First Lady should.

her contact list which ensues in a hilarious chat between them. But what you should definitely watch this one for is the Spanish song that Jennifer Lopez’s sings that will pull at your heartstrings.

4 Adele

This 'Carpool Karaoke' brings a smile to everyone’s face solely because it’s two brits in a car drinking tea and singing along to soulful music. They kick off the show by singing ‘Hello’ and Corden’s melodious voice catches Adele by surprise at one point too. They also discuss Adele’s hilarious behaviour when drunk and James potentially joining her on stage during one of her shows. Finally, Adele also shows a side of her not many have seen before by singing along to The Spice Girls and rapping to Nicki Minaj’s ‘Monster’.

2 Shawn Mendes

5 Barbara Streisand

Albeit being a few months old, this video is one that you will laugh out loud at. With a whole lot of head banging and rhythmic hand tapping, the pair manage to capture your heart throughout the video. They also discuss Shawn’s fanatic love for all things Harry Potter and Corden’s lack of fighting skills. The pair’s voice meld together like honey when singing ‘Mercy’ and ‘In My Blood’ which leaves the listener mesmerized. Ultimately, they also hilariously discuss Canada’s tradition of ice hockey and Shawn even teaches Corden a few moves on the ice.

This one is my top choice not only because it’s Barbra Streisand, but also because Corden is at his best in this video. His pitch and throw of voice really come through and the camaraderie between him and Streisand is utterly fascinating. The highlight of the entire video though is Barbra Streisand’s sense of humour that is on point every

3 Jennifer Lopez Lopez’s 'Carpool Karaoke' is one of the ultimate feasts to the eyes because not only is she as gorgeous as ever, but she also manages to show us some of her moves in the limited space of a car. The two of them are completely dramatic during their renditions of ‘Booty’ and ‘Locked out of Heaven’. Corden even gets Jennifer to hand over her phone at one point and allow him to text a person on

They talk about Streisand’s highly noticed absence from the music scene and what got back her into it time. The pair sail through the tough notes of ‘No More Tears’ and ‘The Way We Were’. They also talk about Streisand’s highly noticed absence from the music scene and what got back her into it, which to all her fans must be a prize all by itself.

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Monday 19 November 2018

Review

AHS: Apocalypse Available on Sky

Credit: YouTube

merican Horror Story: Apocalypse is the newest season of the show, the eighth in the series. It opens with the news that a missile is heading for Los Angeles. This season, so far, feels quite different to the previous ones. It isn’t quite what you would expect, the plot going a different way than most other apocalyptic works. Writers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk still cater to realistic fears, but not in an artificial way. The season before, Cult, was criticised for being somewhat messy in plot and subject matter. This season feels fresh and needed. It deals with the idea of the apocalypse in a less obvious way and, without giving too much away, the actual ending of the world is not shown for that long. The plot focuses on asking why and how, covering the events leading up to it. The effortless storytelling of the season so far will keep you engaged. There was certainly a dip in interest for this show, and arguably a dip in quality and enjoyment. But Apocalypse was a great surprise for me. The concept of a crossover season has brought back audiences from season one (Murder House) and season three (Coven), two of the most popular seasons and my personal favourites. It certainly has delivered. It would definitely be ideal to watch those seasons first before starting Apocalypse so you can fully understand what is going on. The timeline is slightly choppy but this isn’t necessarily a detriment. We spend many episodes in flashbacks but this is needed for the plot, and with the crossovers it remains dark and thrilling. Many familiar faces are around, including Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters ,who have been present for every season of the show so far. They are seen portraying multiple characters, some from past seasons, while others are brand new characters. It could be slightly confusing but their impeccable acting makes up for it. Paulson in particular shines this season. We also see the return of Kathy Bates, a well-loved addition to the cast. However, one of the most impressive actors for me has been Cody Fern. All eyes were on him as he was a new member of the cast and he portrays a very important character plot-wise. He absolutely delivered; Fern is compelling and exciting, and kept me engaged at all times. He is fully dedicated to his role and it certainly shows. Overall, the new season has been addictive and has a certain flare that I’ve not seen in this show for several seasons. Give it a try for yourself and you might be surprised. Amy Brown

TV culture Pete and Ariana's "oh-so" Netflix: public break-up scandal Pick ‘n’ Mix Following Davidson's recent Saturday Night Live appear@CourierTV thecourieronline.co.uk/TV

ance, Molly Greeves discusses the impact of the couple's split

arlier this month, Pete Davidson announced his breakup with Ariana Grande on Saturday Night Live by pretending to propose to a co-host, making a self-deprecating joke about moving in with his mother and wishing his ex-fiancé all the best. Who cares? You do, and I’m here to defend you. Unless your Wi-Fi has been down since May of this year, the Ariana-Pete situation is not new to you. The relationship and following breakup has been so public that, even if you couldn’t care less, you probably know all about it. It was pretty obvious to anyone who knows the nature of celebrity engagements that no one would be walking down the aisle and, lo and behold, two matching tattoos, an explicitly titled love song and a $16 million apartment later, the pair called it off.

16m

Price of the five bedroom apartment ($) that Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson moved into in June 2018

It’s a little embarrassing for me to admit that I’ve been following this relationship, but there’s no other way to put it. I watched the SNL clips, I read the articles, I checked for statements and drama after the breakup. And many people could ask a very fair question: why do you care? Are we all pathetic for following the personal relationships of celebrities? In cases like this one, I don’t think we are. As much as it’s probably very troubling for celebrities to have everyone know their private business, it’s also often incredibly beneficial. From the outset, Ariana and Pete didn’t seem to have any concerns about PDA, with both talking about each other extensively in interviews and Pete discussing the engagement on SNL. Sure, normal people talk about their relationships and post about them on social media. But normal people don’t have 133 million followers on Instagram, or an audience of seven million people watching them on TV. Normal people don’t benefit from having context to their music, or their stand-up.

I’m not suggesting that the entire thing was staged; I don’t think either of them would have been quite so public if they knew they were going to break up. But I think it’s naïve to think that the attention they are getting is a complete nuisance when it has come from a demand they created. The investment from the public has made Pete Davidson (who, honestly, I hadn’t even heard of prior to this year) more famous, it’s drawn more attention to SNL, and it’s helped Ariana not only to release a number one album but also to release a breakup song that’s breaking Spotify streaming records. Pete claimed on SNL that the breakup was “nobody’s business”, which is true. If they have decided to keep certain things private, of course that’s their right to do so. But I also don’t think we can be blamed for our curiosity, because it was purposefully generated. Despite the engagement’s unfortunate end, these two public figures and their managements have profited hugely off of our interest in this relationship. And yes, 'Sweetener' probably would have gone to number one anyway and SNL always bring in a huge number of viewers, but the public’s knowledge of the pair’s personal lives has undoubtedly helped their

So, by showing these storylines, the soap writers are indeed hitting hard on issues that viewers should be aware of: rape; murder; grooming. These are unfortunately all a part of society and perhaps by showing these storylines in soaps, we can help to make the world a fairer and more civilised place. However, there is heated controversy on social media regarding these storylines, with people complaining that rather than raising awareness, the soaps are instead inspiring some viewers to recreate these narratives in reality. While on some level this is plausible, it also suggests that perhaps we take soaps too seriously. This is emphasised when we see people go up to actors, such as Connor McIntyre, and treat them as if they truly are their characters. Credit: YouTube On the other hand,

Credit: CMetalCore (Wikimedia)

he mild sound of chirping birds and the silence of the desert is just the calm before the storm. The music gains pace and you suddenly see a half-naked man in his white underwear driving a truck in the middle of nowhere. The iconic scene of trousers falling from the sky is perhaps one of the best transition attempts I’ve seen. It takes a while for the perplexed viewer to understand what’s going on. They go through multiple emotions along with the protagonist Walter White. The opening scene keeps you gripped every second. Having watched all the seasons, the first one titled ‘Pilot’ still remains my favourite.

I think its naive to think the attention they are getting is a complete nuisance relevancy. Pete's joke about moving back in with his mum, which relies on the audience’s knowledge of the breakup, proves this. So was it wrong for them to make their relationship so public? No. But don’t feel bad for following along; celebrities can’t have a highly public relationship that ensures both their success and their privacy.Let’s face it, Pete and Ariana chose the former.

TV soaps: are they hitting hard enough? Lucy Lillystone explores the pros and cons of harrowing soap storylines on television today A s soaps like Coronation Street and EastEnders are meant to be a portrayal of reality and social issues, there is often the question of whether story-lines in modern soaps are serious and hitting-hard enough for viewers. Personally, I think they 100% are. For example, in recent episodes of Coronation Street, the show has dealt with some very serious and even dark plotlines, such as the date rape of David Platt, a fan favourite character, and the teenage grooming of Bethany Platt. It is through these storylines that Coronation Street is able to raise the much-needed awareness of social and political issues that are a reality of the society we are currently inhabiting. Another example can be seen in EastEnders, which has focused on the issue of gang crime and the stabbings of innocent civilians by teenagers. Even now, this storyline still plays a prominent role in the soap as we see the impact this has had on the family involved.

Shwetha Vasan watches Breaking Bad

there have been complaints that often, when it comes to storylines like this, it is just too hard and even uncomfortable to watch. With soaps often airing early in the evening (7pm and 8pm), parents in particular cannot watch as these storylines air to avoid exposing their children to such sensitive themes. So, while some storylines are hard-hitting enough, I believe it is also important that when it comes to portraying these issues, it is done more sensitively and less explicitly than many soaps have been gravitating towards recently. Also, as many do with characters such as Gemma, it is

Writers are indeed hitting hard on issues that need to be made aware to viewers vital to maintain a sense of comedy for relief that ensures, ultimately, that these soaps are not so hard-hitting that people just find it too hard to watch. At the end of the day, I applaud Coronation Street and the like for taking on serious and often even triggering topics and dealing with them in a way that will hopefully widen viewer's minds.

Credit: YouTube Do not dare judge Walter. The storyline is unpredictable and nothing like one could possibly imagine. Walter is a Nobel Prize awardee, a father, and a loving husband who struggles to make ends meet. He is definitely much more interesting than all the chemistry professors who have taught me, but his students seem to be less bothered. Walter is a little frustrated with his life, his cholesterol levels, and boring routine. The nerdy professor who struggles to hold a gun, even for fun, breaks bad. The question is how? One fine day, he is diagnosed with lung cancer and his reaction to it is most unusual. He is lost, perplexed but not hysterical even after being told that his illness is terminal. Bryan Cranston has done a fine job. I have always liked him, be it in Trumbo or All the Way. Kudos to Vince Gilligan, the director - he brings out the best in his actors. Walter takes out all his frustration on the car garage owner and gets sacked from work. Devoid of any hope, he is desperately looking for a way out. He accepts an offer to help the DEA but that’s not what he is actually looking for. Somehow he ends up becoming a partner with one of his students who is in the narcotic business. It doesn’t take much time for Walter to make this big decision. It’s as if he has had this completely contrasting personality hidden inside him which then reveals itself. He is a bolder, stronger version of himself. Willing to take risks, he wants to support his family and make quick money for them before his cancer kills him.

You go through multiple emotions along with the protagonist Walter White. The opening scene keeps you gripped every second Breaking Bad could have become one of those cliché drug stories in the southern states of America, but it manages to stand out. Every aspect of the story is genuine, novel, and interesting. It is definitely one of the best shows currently available on Netflix. I’m not a very big fan of this genre but I have enjoyed watching Walter White’s kingpin journey. Now that Bryan Cranston has confirmed a Breaking Bad movie, it’s not too late to catch up with

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culture film International Film

c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors: Jimmy Athey, Joe Holloran

Top 5 Living Directors

Steven Ross takes a look at who he sees as the top living directors. Do you agree with these?

(1972)

Image: YouTube

very year Peppino (Alberto Sordi) and his wife Antonia (Silvana Mangano), a poor Roman couple, are invited to play cards with an old American billionaire (Bette Davis). This is the set up for a dark comedy which has captivated audiences by conquering them with its incredible show of empathy. With their life torn apart by profound poverty, any remote chance of success sparks desperate excitement in the couple. Having never won a game over the years, tension starts to show in the dynamics of the pair: Antonia, a much more skilled player than Peppino, is shown to be doubtful about their partnership in the game. This offers an interesting commentary on married life, and how malcontent and misery can affect how we see each other and ourselves.

Monday 19th November 2018

– Stephen Spielberg –

Anyone with even a passing interest in films will not have escaped the influence of the world’s greatest living director; Stephen Spielberg. It all began with Dune, back in 1971. An intense low-budget car-chase that catapulted the director to blockbustersuper-fame.Infact,thewordblockbuster was coined after the astounding popularity of Jaws. Spielberg can tackle any genre and does so perfectly, from iconic family films like E.T. and Hook, to the adventure flick that was Raiders, to the redefining of the war genre with Saving Private Ryan, and of course Spielberg’s Magnum Opus; Schindler’s List. If we can just forget about Cowboys & Aliens, then Spielberg could be the Shakespeare of cinema.

– Martin Scorsese –

A director who should have a genre named after him; Scorsese has made the greatest gangster movies of all time (I sit in the unpopular

camp that rates Goodfellas over The Godfather). Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino and Mean Streets all include some of cinema’s most intense and thrilling scenes. I’m not even mad that I wasted time watching Scorsese’s overrated passion project Silence, I’m just glad he’s still directing, and I know he’ll be back on form with upcoming film, The Irishman, a classic gangster movie with a whole cast of wise guys!

–Quentin Tarantino –

The man who takes an age to make every movie, and as a consequence, directs only true masterpieces. From Reservoir Dogs to The Hateful Eight, Tarantino does not put a foot wrong. For sharp, hilarious dialogue and over the top bloody shoot outs, his films really are a staple of modern cinema. Let’s hope that his upcoming Once up on a Time in Hollywood lives up to our high expectations. And here’s also hoping that Tarantino doesn’t stop directing after his tenth film, as he has said in the past.

- Peter Jackson –

– Spike Lee –

Purely because of The Lord of the Rings, and to a lesser extent, The Hobbit, Jackson makes this list. He brought the sprawling world of Tolkien to life in two amazing trilogies that have filled many a film buff ’s lazy Sunday’s. More recently, Jackson has embarked on a mission to bring footage of the first world war to the silver screen in full colour, an amazing tribute for the centenary of the conflict.

For highly charged political flicks, look no further than the works of Spike Lee. His latest, Blakkklansman, wasn’t exactly subtle with its anti-Trump theme but it’s a fantastic modern blaxspolitation movie in any case. His famous biopic Malcolm X is a lengthy, hard-hitting tribute to the eponymous civil rights leader and potentially this director’s greatest work. Lee has also had some impressive forays into more

Image: YouTube

The frustration felt by Antonia, and the misery experienced by inadequate Peppino serve to create an incredibly tense tone, who is sure to spark visceral emotions in the audience. This is contrasted by the twisted joy the old lady proves in winning every time. In fact, even while seemingly on her death bed, the billionaire cannot renounce a situation to lead on the couple, in this sick game of cat and mouse. This might be why she chose them to play with every year: their desperation feeds her profound need to prove herself superior. In addition to being a contained and effective story, this movie mirrors Italy’s ‘Years of Lead’ of the 1970s, a period of social and political turmoil, characterized by the working class towards the elite. This dark tale utilizes a simple story structure to deliver profound messages about not only the class struggle, but how our tendencies as humans play into that, shining a light in particular on frustration and misery. Elisabetta Pulcini

Gladiator II Announcement: The

Al Ridley explores the potential cinematic comback of the 'Sword & Sandles' genre following the rece

t’s been almost two decades, but after fighting many battles to claw itself out of development hell a sequel to 2000’s Gladiator has finally been greenlit. With an attached scriptwriter – Peter Craig, of Hunger Games: Mockingjay – and a new cast of characters, Ridley Scott’s historic history-drama is finally going to have a second act, focusing on the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla. But the world Gladiator 2 is going to bravely stride into is not the ripe, untapped market for historical drama that led Gladiator to be such a success: we live in a post-Downton world, where period and historical dramas have been wrung through Ho l l y w o o d and the BBC, expunged of all

Image: YouTube

/NewcastleCourierFilm @Courier_Film

Image: Flickr, Global Panorama

Image: Wikimedia

Image: YouTube

their possible novelty, and regurgitated into DVD bargain bins. Does Gladiator II stand a chance when its genre has long since been consigned to history?

It's likely the film will take us right back to the corrupt court of the deceased Commodus

The past couple of decades have been fraught with dozens upon dozens of historical dramas taking notes directly from Gladiator, from its serious, historical-political tone to its gritty costume design in various ways. Even the Hellenistic and Roman periods seem played out after a spate of imitators in the Noughties: 300 echoes the machismo and violence, Alexander the tone, with The Passion of the Christ somewhat stealing Scott’s thunder as a controversial, gritty character piece. Even fantastic spins on the setting like Clash of the Titans and the Percy Jackson films have firmly drawn the classical era through the woodchipper of the public consciousness. Genre fatigue is inevitable, and there’s only so many swarthy men in sandals one

can see before wishing they’d put some shoes on. This is compounded by the glut of period and historical pieces that have saturated the television and film markets as well. In the UK, Downton’s popularity and the arrival of the centenary have instigated hundreds of trite, identical historical dramas and flooded the public consciousness. Gladiator’s serious arena combat and politicking were not exactly novel on release and haven’t stayed fresh over time. With the new script focusing on Lucius Verus, the child of Connie Nielsen’s character in the original, it’s likely the film will also take us right back into the corrupt court of the deceased Commodus for more Roman politics interspersed with some excuse for arena combat. Given that Russel Crowe’s initial push for the sequel script required his character be literally brought back from the dead, it’s unlikely the film will tread much new ground. But does this mean Gladiator II is dead on arrival? It’s impossible to say. Genres very rarely die permanently – the live-action movie musical was considered to have died after the 90’s, but Les Mis and Chicago breathed new life into the genre – and perhaps the source of the frustration surrounding Gladiator’s world and story is less fatigue and more a surfeit of poor-quality movies. It all depends on whether Scott can make lightning strike twice with his directorial flourishes and a good cast.

the courier

Monday 19th November 2018

@Courier_Film thecourieronline.co.uk/film

Overlord (18)

Widows (15)

Documentary Corner

Image: YouTube

Peterloo (12A)

film culture

verlord, (or should that be O’lordy) what a film. This B-movie gore-fest catches you off-guard, kicks you onto you back and stomps on your cranium for good measure. Not a movie for the faint hearted. By taking from some of the most horrifying moments from the classics of the war film genre, just when the unwitting audience thinks they seen it all before, BAM, the boot comes stomping down again. Overlord begins in a war plane flying into Nazi-occupied France though an emergency landing is soon required amidst a hail of bullet fire – despite this seemingly innocent introduction, there is more to this movie than meets the eye. Private Boyce, played by Jovan Adepo, an African American soldier with a good heart soon links up with the war harden Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell) and the rest of the stereotypical, characters that make up the platoon. The interplay between the Corporal and Private Boyce gives Overlord some character development though if you are looking for a film with a moral or a transitional story of self-discovery this is to the one foryou. The ingenuity of this brutal flick is its intentional use of drab conversations, cliché circumstances, and a mixture horror tropes to keep the audience guessing in a-way that I haven’t noticed done before quite so successfully. Overlord is a strange concoction of Rambo, Saving Private Ryan and Predator with a very large dash of Nazizombies thrown in for good measure. This Frankenstein of a movie does not lead to an (total) abomination, but something bizarrely believable. Where most films focus on exaggerated overkill violence or jump scares, Overlord attempts to do it all with varying degrees of success, creating a movie with an organic vitally and absurd authenticity, with the ability to outwit the over-stimulated and desensitised mind of the modern viewer. Over-all I was impressed though is this a movie to go down in the ages? No. but to miss this original and engaging ‘piece’ would certainly be to miss out.

s soon as I learned of the star power behind Widows, it quickly became one of my most anticipated releases of 2018. The film is based on Lynda La Plante’s original British TV series following a group of recently-widowed women who decide to take on what would have been their criminal-husbands’ next robbery. The tale is updated and recontextualised into contemporary Chicago by director Steve McQueen, the man behind 2013’s triumph 12 Years a Slave, as well as by Gone Girl and Sharp Objects author Gillian Flynn co-writing the screenplay. And if those names weren’t enough, there’s also the all-star cast. Led by the acting-powerhouse of Viola Davis, alongside the likes of Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall, there was no way that this could go wrong. Thankfully, Widows does not disappoint. It is no surprise that the film is based on a TV series, almost feeling like an entire season of a show within itself. All bringing their own converging sub-plots into the mix, the huge cast of characters manage to construct a storytelling landscape not unlike HBO’s True Detective or the similarly Davis-led How to Get Away with Murder. Having so many plates spinning at once could have easily been a stumbling block for Widows, but amazingly, McQueen and Flynn get the pacing and characterisation just right. Despite the poster containing eleven names alone, there isn’t one character that gets left in the background. Davis is of course a standout here, with Elizabeth Debicki’s fellow-widow Alice also knocking it out of the park in what I believe is her best performance to date. Relative newcomer Cynthia Erivo is the jewel in Widows’ crown, proving that she is undoubtedly a name to look out for in future. The only member of the cast who left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed was Farrell, a flailing politician constantly upstaged by Duvall as his truly despicable father.

merica have a civil war, France have one too. Russia have a revolution and India a independence movement that changed how we all see the world. They’re all great shifts in human existence for liberty and independence. But what to we have? That civil war? Cromwell? This is surely too boring to count. In fact, by 1819, the time of Peterloo, most men, let alone women, still didn’t have the vote. Peterloo, captured so wonderfully by Mike Leigh, is a moment when Britains broke away from a history of suffering and servitude and found liberty. The story moves around a poor mancunian family who are struggling to feed their unemployed veteran son with falling wages at the cotton mill. Soon the pubs and homes of poor Manchester begin to simmer with talk of a movement for the vote, and a representative in Parliament. But the peaceful movement turns violent as an elite tries to quash the protesters. And it’s here that Peterloo finds its purpose. Not to entertain, but to persuade. The the film grabs you by the collar and points you to a time of toil, suffering and change, and wouldn’t let you go until you said you were thankful. Because the truth is we live in a time of infinite luxury and ease. We don’t have to march for our right to have a belly full of bread, we can go and pick it up from Tesco for 50p and still not worry about whether its too much to have butter AND marmite. Peterloo tells the story of those people who, not long ago, were slaves under the British flag, struggling for the next meal while wages fell under the increasing mechanisation of production. And it’s told with the same sense of building anger that those of the time must have felt. Taking tentative steps towards liberty like looking for something in the dark, not knowing if your going to find what you’re looking for or stub your toe. Mike Leigh has brought to life an episode in British political history as dark as any, but told it with wit, humanity and beauty.

Theo Turvill

Tom Cooney

Sidney Pinsent

e Resurrection of a Dead Genre?

ent announcement of Ridley Scott's upcoming sequel to the 2000 classic 'Gladiator': 'Gladiator II'

Image: YouTube

(2017)

im and Andy: The Great Beyond is a 2017 American documentary film which explores Jim Carrey’s performance as comedian Andy Kaufman in the 1999 bio-pic of his life Man on the Moon. The film intersperses clips from an interview in which Carrey reflects on his experience filming Man on the Moon with clips from the set of the movie on which Jim Carrey chose to remain in character for the duration of filming. Carrey claims that during the filming process, he became Andy Kaufman and with clips from the filming process such as Carrey having an in character argument with the character playing Andy’s father and the claim that he had an in character conversation with Kaufman’s actual daughter, who never had the chance to meet her father when he was alive, it certainly appears Carrey lost himself in the role.

Image: YouTube

The The film explores questions of identity and the line between playing actors and the characters they’re playing in films. Carrey heavily implies that he is always in some respects playing a character and speculates that so is everyone else. The documentary is both fascinating and disturbing as the more we see Carrey evaluate his on-set action alongside the clips, the more it seems like he is a little delusional about how his performance was received. Many of the other cast and crew of Man on the Moon seem more than a little antagonised by Carrey’s actions while Kaufman always aimed only to entertain. The only criticism I have of the film is that it doesn’t attempt to explore further into the negative side of Carrey’s performance and question if it went too far. The narrative is a little too driven by Carrey’s own introspection and could have benefited from filming interviews with his costars. That being said, the film is still powerful and gives an interesting window into Jim Carrey’s mind.

Billy Lamond

Image: YouTube

culture arts

c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland, Julia McGee-Russell, Rosie McCrum Online Editor Scarlett Rowland

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Monday 19 November 2018

Should we be adding words to the dictionary?

Ally Wilson and Scarlett Rowland debate whether new fangled words like ‘selfie’ and ‘hangry’ should be added to the dictionary

ecent years have seen the addition of millennial phrases such as ‘bougie’, ‘selfie’ and ‘hangry’ into our beloved, ancient and much-loved language, and by extension, into our dictionaries. This has been met with mixed reviews, buta heavy emphasis on the negative. It would seem the majority of people aren’t a fan of blighting such a prestigious language around the world with such modern dysphemisms as these, imposed upon us by the careless youths of today.

Language is just a crossgenerational concept - why do you think your grandparents are so good at crosswords?

This I find quite puzzling. The English language as a concept, beloved and celebrated as it may be, is nothing more than a patchwork jumble of other languages

Image: max pixel

chucked together. Its earliest appearance was in the mid fifth century, and even then it was brought to us by AngloSaxon settlers. After that it was moulded and adapted by various invaders like the Vikings and the French until it became what we’ve got today - modern English, which features those oh-so-English words like baguette and bourgeois. It is fortunate that there weren’t the same traditionalist protestors in those days, as they would’ve had their heads chopped off and raised on a pike. At least the “bladdy awful youthful colloquialism nonsense” we’re seeing added to our dictionaries are coming from people who live here, rather than people who’ve invaded us again. If anything, we should be celebrating the fact that we are coming up with our own terms rather than just stealing them from another language. You only need to watch one episode of Horrible Histories to realise that the majority of our words come from either Greek or Germanic origin, and the rest are all Latin-based, just like every other language. So far in 2018, there have been over 2000 new words, senses and sub-entries into the Oxford English Dictionary, and unsurprisingly, even the young in society don’t understand all of them. But it is foolish to imagine we would. Language is a cross-generational concept- why do you think your grandparents are so good at crosswords? I’ll tell you why- they’ve lived longer and learnt more words, both old and new. I can assure you that crosswords when we’re their age will look very different than how they do now. And so they should. If every language had shunned new additions into its vocabulary, they

would not only be extremely boring things to learn, speak, read and write, but they also wouldn’t be able to articulate the progress of the human race. Why do you think Shakespeare invented so many new words? We need words to communicate as our lives change, with the development of technology, transport, and social hierarchy, we need the words to talk about them. Sometimes traditional ones just won’t suffice. Having said this, it is important to preserve the language we already have, but this preservation should not stand in the way of progression. As we have for centuries through the influence of other languages, we can embellish our language without forgetting its bread and butter (which by the way comes from the Latin butyrum, which is the Latinisation of the Greek term- I rest my case). Ally Wilson

any sort of system seems to have just been thrown out the window, and the addition of words has just become a weird pissing contest/publicity move, over which dictionary can put in the most clickbait-y word. Do you all remember the addition of the tears-of joy emoji to the Oxford Dictionary in 2015? I wish I didn’t.

hen it comes to the removal of words, it is the poor concise dictionary that really bears the brunt. Words no longer considered relevant are replaced by those deemed to be more hip and happening. But can we be sure that the dictionary wizards are making the right decisions?

Recent uproar was caused by the removal of nature words from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. Seemingly the decision here was for the addition of more technological words, based on a researchers reports about the sort of language that young people were using – further perpetuating the stereotype that kids have no care for the environment. Again, this almost seems to be a publicity stunt, as when reacting to the petition to reinstate these words into the dictionary, a former dictionary editor spoke out about how lovely it was that these changes to the dictionary were getting people to talk about this dictionary. I wonder how that effected sales … Surely this seems to be a slightly backwards way of forming a dictionary, also. Dictionaries should be a way for people to look up words they’ve never heard of before, rather than be a collection of all the words which are being used at that exact moment in time. What child in 2018 is going to pick up the Oxford Junior Dictionary needing to look up the word ‘chatroom’, rather than ‘bluebell’? We do, however, live in a world that has the internet, an ever expanding corpus of knowledge that has no limits. Although out of print, these words do still live on in our digital memories, in the online OED – the funeral home for archaic and obsolete language. Scarlett Rowland

Funky Fact In 2017, Donald Trump was called a ‘dotard’ by Kim Jong-Un. As reported by Merriam-Webster, searches for this word 14th century, and other archaic insults flew through the roof.

Of course, for the majority of the additions, I have no issue. Rather, I am excited by the way that language evolves and changes- but I am a Classics student, I suppose that just a given. I think it is important that we allow our language to adapt, but now it seems that fad language that goes in to our dictionary, ends up being taken out a couple of years later. Surely there must be a rubric that the dictionary masters use to decide whether a word goes in. And at this point,

The Influence of Instagram on artists

What child in 2018 is going to pick up the Oxford Junior Dictionary needing to look up the word ‘chatroom’?

Poembox

Imogen Davies comments on artist @arianah00 and the importance of Instagram on the art

sually when we think about Instagram, holiday snaps, aesthetically pleasing images of food and barrages of selfies airbrushed to perfection are what comes to mind. Yet it’s so often forgotten that this platform is home to many thriving communities, and within them countless talented individuals.

Instagram has allowed artists of all ages to share their talents with the world

About a year ago, as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across the work of @arianah00. Instantly entranced by her digital illustrations, I followed her right away and ever since, I’ve enjoyed watching her work progress and improve. This young artist favours digital programs such as Photoshop and is known for creating

illustrations of many famous figure such as K-Pop idols, alongside her own original characters. Her forte lies especially in the use of vibrant colours and interesting textures. It seems that each brushstroke truly animates her illustrations. My personal favourites among them are her more abstract pieces in which she incorporates eye-catching textures and patterns which set off the colour palette and compliment the overall mood. Her dark and brighter palettes are both equally effective. You can clearly see the influence of those she admires such as Sui Ishida, yet her work remains recognisably her own. Even more impressively, her skills are completely self-taught and at the age of 19 she has amassed 113k followers. To me, this is concrete proof of social media’s positive influence. Instagram has not only allowed the public ac-

cess to a wealth of creative content, but has allowed artists of all ages to share their talents with the world and build up a positive, constructive community. I couldn’t recommend her account enough. In today’s social landscape, creators like @arianah00 represent a safe space from the ultra-political doom and gloom that seems to engulf the internet. Aside from her obvious talent, her love of music (particularly K-Pop) and art shines through everything she creates. While it has been interesting watching her style evolve away from physical sketches and lean more and more closely towards digital media, I’m excited to see where her ambition will take her next. She has huge potential, and I believe she will progress further and further. If you haven’t followed her already, I would encourage you to do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Dust to Dust

There is only an outline of what used to be Tracing paper silhouette A handful of gem-cut memories I have no regrets, I have learnt from you I held too tight, and still too loose You held the sky, I orbited you But now, I throw the shutters wide And there’s a whole universe outside You, miniscule, dimming speck Light reaching me from years ago I have stopped looking over my shoulder for you Distant, waning moon, barely aglow.

Image: libreshot

Julia McGee-Russell

@TheCourierArts Image: @arianah00

@thecourierarts

Image: @forbiddengateau

the courier

Monday 19 November 2018

Moran’s Cosmic Comedy

arts culture Photo Box

The Passenger Seat of My Best Friend’s Car

Joe Holloran reviews comedian Dylan Moran’s Mr Cosmos at Tyne Theatre and Opera House

SCARLETT ROWLAND

preachy or overtly angry, rather he puts these topics in their wider context of the craziness of the modern world with surreal tangents and metaphors aplenty. It is easy for anyone to get an easy laugh by attacking Trump or millennial puratism, but Moran does so through the prism of ageing, or as he puts it ‘Everyone thinks everything was better yesterday and worse today’ and this simply repeats and intensifies as the days pass and we get older. Moran’s whole show is an attempt to break this self-defeating cycle. The show was less surreal than his previous efforts and some in the audience were disappointed with his quite mainstream choice of topics. However, unlike others, Moran’s show does make a philosophical point throughout and not the one you might expect. Underneath all the anxiety and misanthropy that is at the surface of his stand-up, is the message that the only way to fix things is to stop complaining about the little things and treat each other better. Hence the semi-ironic title of his show Dr. Cosmos. This he states, is the cure to everything.

rish comedian Dylan Moran’s new show Dr. Cosmos has been touring for over a month now and played out to a packed house at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House on November 9th. Moran is perhaps best known for his role in the earlynoughties sitcom Black Books as the titular Bernard Black. International viewers may recognise him from his supporting roles in the Simon Pegg films Shaun of the Dead, and Run, Fat Boy, Run. But stand up comedy fans will know him as the chain smoking, heavy drinking cultural philosopher who tackles subjects such as ageing, illness, science, politics and, in the case of his latest show, Alan Rickman’s cats. It was with his back-catalogue firmly in mind that I headed down in the heavy rain to the wonderful Tyne Theatre for a showing of his latest show Dr. Cosmos. Mo-

ran is currently in the middle of his first tour in a number of years and it was with great anticipation that I settled down to enjoy a few hours of his unique take on the current goings on in this bizarre world. Before he said his first word, the talk of the room was about how different the show might be now that Moran is newly sober and a non-smoker. Gone are the glasses of red wine and gin, replaced instead with a fresh pot of boiling tea. I am happy to report that any fears of changed style were quickly put to bed as soon as he stumbled his way up to the microphone. It is almost impossible for any stand-up these days who deals with the wider world to ignore the topics of Brexit and the buffoon in the White House and Moran was no exception. However, what makes his show so different is the way in which he tackles these topics. He is in no way

Biscuit Factory: Winter Exhibition Caitlin Disken reviews a Winter Exhibition at Biscuit Factory

orget Fenwick’s Christmas window: there’s nothing to get you feeling festive like having a glass of mulled wine whilst taking in the Biscuit Factory’s new winter exhibition.

One of the Biscuit Factory’s strengths is the wide range of art on display, from ceramics to textiles

Adorned with fairy lights on a cold November evening, the gallery was alive with ambience for its winter launch. Admiring the artwork with my free wine as the live band played violin left me feeling classier than ever before – especially considering how sophisticated everyone around me seemed. But, above all, the Biscuit Factory’s little alcove of culture and craft in the heart of Shieldfield made me feel cosy and welcomed. One of the highlights of the exhibition was undoubtedly Malcolm Teasdale’s collection of paintings. Evoking Lowry’s work, Teasdale’s art is firmly set within the industrial North-East, conveying the atmosphere of working-class life through the urban landscapes of Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland. A personal favourite had to be ‘City Lights’: a winter scene showing Christmas shoppers by Newcastle’s Grey’s Monument. ‘Beneath Byker Bridge’ was another evocative piece, contrasting snug-looking houses with a heavy pollution-stained sky and snow-lined streets. One of the Biscuit Factory’s strengths is the wide-range of

art on display, enabling you to encounter everything from ceramics to textiles. Pratima Kramer’s ceramic art pieces were an unusual but incredible departure from more traditional art forms. The delicate elephant ceramics were carefully crafted, and decorated with intricate patterns. Kramer’s ceramic women were also an enjoyable aspect of the exhibition, as Kramer adorned these unique-looking ceramics with funky patterns. Having visited the Biscuit Factory a few times over my time at Newcastle, I have to say that this year’s winter launch is the best exhibition I’ve ever seen there. The atmosphere paired with the broad selection of pieces made for a really pleasant evening, filled with class and local culture. If you’re in the Shieldfield area then do pop in – you’re bound to spot a piece you’ll like.

Images: @thebiscuitfactorygallery

Moran’s show does make a philosophical point throughout and not the one you might expect

There is a sincerity in Moran’s new show that is not there in some of his earlier work. A result of his children entering the wider world and his sobriety no doubt. Overall it left me feeling much more optimistic stepping back out into the late Newcastle night that I had expected. Moran’s targets may have changed, but he his brilliant use of language and surreal semaphore has not. Dr. Cosmos is not Moran’s best show, defined as it is by current affairs topics. However, if you have grown tired of either the bland observations of McIntyre or aimless cynicism of a Boyle or a Burr, then Moran’s new show is for you.

Image: @scarlett_lilyy

was travelling back in the passenger seat of my bestfriend’s car, after my first trip to Manchester. We were all exhausted and perhaps a little bit hungover, but it had been lovely to get out of the house for a weekend and do something different. I was down in Manchester for club even at Warehouse Project. On the drive down the M62, we saw the famed Stott Hall, the farm in the middle of the motorway. I’d been in a bit of a rut, and getting out of the house had been a little tricky. Making the move to actually get out of my house, making it all the way to Manchester was probably only down to the fact that I was surrounded by lovely, lovely people. Sometimes, it’s important just to do some selfcare - even if that’s getting very drunk in a new city. I think I’ll look fondly on the weekend forever.

Bare Necessities Zoe Merity comments on Cobalt Studio’s Life Drawing class

nyone that has visited Cobalt Studios before will know what an interesting venue it is, hosting a range of different events from storytelling and theatre to art, film and live music nights. I have visited the evening on two separate occasions and have included drawings of two different models. For each drawing I used willow charcoal and no eraser to try and produce studies more freely, without worrying about the final outcome.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing what other ‘interesting’ creations will arise from my next visits

As someone who simply enjoys art as a hobby and, not a profession, I found it interesting to see varying levels of artistic ability in the class, yet still felt comfortable and under no pressure, despite the presence of some extremely talented people. Life drawing wasn’t something I’d tried before, so I was excited to see what I could create; some studies were more difficult to complete than others, which produced some comical outcomes. My friend and I found one of my sketches of a more difficult pose highly entertaining and the bizarre result of my attempt is now framed on her bedroom window ledge. After my experiences at Life Drawing, I’m very much looking forward to seeing what other ‘interesting’ creations will arise from my next visits, and to build up my collection of studies of naked strangers.

culture gaming

Reigns and Reigns: Her Majesty Kelly South looks at a series ideally suited for smartphones

oth Reigns and its sequel Reigns: Her Majesty have a simple premise: rule a kingdom for as long as you can. Published by Devolver Digital, they are available on Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Apple store, as well as the Play store. The length of your rule is determined by how well you balance four groups: the Church; army; treasury; and your subjects. Upset your general and face a violent insurrection; let your debts spiral and find yourself ousted for poor money management. If you’re one of the many unfortunate souls that uses Tinder, or ever has, you will be familiar with Reigns decision making mechanic - a swipe to the left or right. This is partially why it’s so engrossing (and unlike Tinder there’s zero danger of an obnoxious student patronising you while demanding you meet him for drinks), and the game provides visual hints for what impact your choice might have.

Once one monarch is deposed, another replaces them and faces new challenges

Once one monarch is deposed (or, in exceptional cases, dies of old age, beloved and fondly remembered), another replaces them and faces new challenges. Possibilities include a plague outbreak, or the effects of treacherous gossip circulating in the royal court. Common sense and luck might save you from a gruesome death, when it comes to negotiating peace with an aggressive Lord or appeasing a conniving Cardinal. However, a few mistakes or simple bad luck can be equally important when it comes to sealing your fate. In Reigns: Her Majesty my Queens have the bad habit of dying in childbirth, and while I appreciate the historical accuracy I’m beginning to spurn the affections of every single Sir in an attempt to prolong my rule. Ideal for strategy game fans, mediaeval history enthusiasts, and students with fifteen minutes to fill (or even a couple hours, if you’re really absorbed by political scheming, alarming alchemical plots, and mysterious warnings from the All-Mother who appears in Her Majesty). The art style and writing are a highlight, as these games lose little entertainment value on repeated playthroughs. At only £1.99 on Steam for the first game, and similarly low prices across platforms, there’s hardly any reason not to try these delightfully weird, witty games.

Image: Kelly South

courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Gaming Editors George Boatfield, Matthew Neville & Kelly South

the courier

Monday 19th November 2018

Half Life: Twenty Years

In a special edition of Memory Card, James Troughton looks back on a genre-defining game

alve’s Half-Life has an incredible reputation in the gaming industry amongst players and developers alike. It took the first-person-shooter genre and flipped it on its head, going from games where the player would mindlessly shoot at anything that moved, to story-rich cinematic experiences with, (in most cases) amazing gameplay to match. Many beloved modern games take inspiration from this twentyyear-old title. My best memories from Half-Life come from the earlier levels because of how amazingly they showcase the atmosphere of horror and the feeling of hopelessness. You traverse the early levels twice, seeing the facility operational and safe and then again after the experiment as they are overrun by aliens and in ruins. Witnessing the destruction of Black Mesa allowed for the truly horrific nature of what had just happened to sink in. Not only did the testing chamber fall apart, so did the entirety of the facility and, as shown in the sequel, the entire world. All this isn’t to say that there weren’t any fun memories from Half-Life, beyond being scared to death by the zombified science team and the collapsing, claustrophobic underground facility. The voice acting in the game wasn’t bad, but it was quite over-the-top, especially the

Image: IGDB

scientist’s groans of pain or fear which were exploitable through deadly explosive traps. Something I always enjoyed doing was placing a trip-mine and luring a poor lab-coat-wielding shrieker into the blue beam of death. The base game of gunplay and puzzles was also extremely fun in itself. From fighting back against the military clean-up crew to taking on an army of alien slaves, the game always felt fair in its difficulty, pushing the player to be better and to utilize their arsenal of deadly weapons in the most effective manner. Whilst FPS games of the era had the player kill everything in sight without a second thought, Half-Life questioned the morals of their silent protagonist, Gordon Freeman. Certain enemies were just animals acting on their survival instinct and others were enslaved and ran from the player should they sustain enough damage. Rarely were any of the enemies truly evil. The infamous G-Man, potentially one of the biggest mysteries in gaming, is the only character that could be considered as the villain of the story as he caused the Resonance Cascade, also known as the Black Mesa Incident, and allowed for the Combine to invade in the sequel as a result. He appears to be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes and his various monologues throughout the series are what stick with me the most all these years later. Half-Life was revolutionary. It altered the way we play FPS games, the way stories are told through gameplay, and it pushed the technological boundaries, encouraging other developers to be better in every way. Because of it, we have a gigantic library of games to enjoy from Call of Duty and Overwatch, to Valve’s own Counter-Strike, another gigantic game in the genre. There’s only one problem: where’s Valve’s own ending to the series? Where is Half-Life 3?

Image: PNGimg

Riot Games in hot water After another case of rampant sexism in the video game industry, Kelly South is ready to riot

iot Games, the developer of League of Legends, is being sued for gender based discrimination. The lawsuit was filed in California, and the two plaintiffs include one current and one former employee. They allege that sexist discrimination is rampant at Riot Games, and that the studio is in violation of the California Equal Pay Act - by systematically underpaying women at the company - in addition to not fulfilling promises to address sexist abuse at the company. The lawsuit, which the plaintiffs have asked the court to certify as class action, stated “Riot Games is simply sweeping these allegations under the rug with empty investigations and counseling”. The suit claims that Riot is even protecting the perpetrators of abuse. According to Business Insider the lawsuit alleges that the games company “denied them equal pay and blocked their career advancements on the basis of gender”. In August, Kotaku reported on the extent of the accusations against Riot Games’ toxic “bro culture”. Kotaku spoke to twenty eight former and current employees during this investigation. One of their sources, Jessica Negron, is now one of the plaintiffs. Following the extensive report, Riot apologised to current and former employees in a blog post and made assurances that the studio was committed to making sweeping changes — yet over a month later, Kotaku found that Riot still employed many of the men who were alleged perpetrators, including COO Scott Gelb, who was said to have “grabbed colleagues’ genitals”. As well as Gelb, Riot still employed a man who was accused of verbally harassing women at the studio, and another man who was the subject of numerous complaints regarding “sexually charged comments” and making advances towards unwilling female employees. Riot Games is a studio with 2,500 employees, and is 80% male. The lawsuit states that outspoken women who apply for job openings, and existing employees, are dismissed as ‘aggressive’, ‘too ambitious’, and ‘annoying’. Other examples of the misogynistic environment at the studio, included in the lawsuit, range from: bosses sending unsolicited photos of their genitals to employees; an email chain wherein male employees discussed what they

imagined it would be like to “penetrate” a certain female colleague; another email chain dedicated to the ranking the “Hottest Women Employees”; and repeated instances where employees joked about masturbation, rape, and torture. Plaintiff Jessica Negron’s supervisor at Riot reportedly told her that “diversity should not be a focal point of the design of Riot Games’ products because gaming culture is the last remaining safe-haven for white teen boys”. This statement is clearly incorrect and insulting, as evidence

overwhelmingly indicates that white men have historically been privileged above all other groups, and they still wield the majority of socioeconomic power. Discrimination and harassment at Riot extended to the CEO and co-founder, Brandon Beck, who is accused of saying “no doesn’t necessarily mean no” during an internal meeting. These virulently sexist attitudes are not exclusive to Riot Games, or only the gaming industry (as the #MeToo movement has demonstrated in the past year), but they cannot be tolerated or ignored.

Image: Chris Yunker (flickr)

the courier

Monday 19th November 2018

@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming

gaming culture

Deltarune’s surprise release Is this unexpected creation Toby Fox’s latest and greatest? Al Ridley ‘piles on the smooches!’

ne would believe that after the cultural impact of 2015’s Undertale it would be hard for indie developer Toby Fox to step up to the mark again. But if the demo of Deltarune – a game that may or may not be a sequel to Undertale – is anything to go by, there’s a good chance of lightning striking twice. Deltarune inherits the tone, sound design and comedy that defined Undertale as an indie phenomenon with a renewed focus on making a game that’s actually enjoyable to play. Coupling Fox’s increasing confidence as a game designer with his clear and present ability to write compelling characters, the demo suggests great things are in store for the final build. One of the most grounded criticisms about Undertale was that it was mechanically weak, drawing heavy influ-

ence from Earthbound Zero in its bleak, simple UI. Your interactions with enemies were limited to mindlessly hitting them or puzzling through menus to try and pacify them. But Deltarune completely overhauls the battle system, with multiple party members, spells, and a side view

It completely overhauls the battle system, with multiple party members, spells, and a side view of the action

of the action allowing you to actually see your characters act. You still dodge attacks by manoeuvring your heart through short bullet hell sections, but you’re encouraged to be daring here, as near misses will increase the magic resource TP, allowing for more explosive, powerful turns. The whole kill/spare dynamic is still there, but it’s more nuanced, with combat encounters that are actually challenging for pacifist players focused on tiring your enemy out rather than finding the correct text prompt. The demo is about two to three hours long, depending on your level of thoroughness, and it shows a lot of promise for the final product, when it eventually releases. It’s free, easily available, and a surprisingly well-built experience already for both Fox fans and skeptics alike.

Trusted Reviews fiasco James Troughton gives his own trusty review on this unusual situation of journalism law

n February 2018, UK-based games site Trusted Reviews leaked confidential Rockstar documents, which contained spoilers for Red Dead Redemption II, in an article published on their website. Rockstar, the company behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, then took legal action against the website in response.

Leaked video game details are not a new occurence within the industry

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gets final Direct presentation

Playable Piranha Plant, new game modes, and much more: Haaris Qureshi takes a look

n 1 November, Nintendo ran a Super Smash Bros.-flavour Nintendo Direct presentation, where they announced further features and DLCs coming to the latest edition of the popular fighting game series. ‘Spirit Mode’ is the new play type announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate¸ allowing you to earn ‘Spirit’ powerups which can be equipped to your characters and enable a variety of abilities. The Spirits being introduced come from various levels of Nintendo lore, with everything from Gordo and Rabbid Peach to Dr. Lobe and Yama, which can all be equipped as either Primary Spirits or Support Spirits. The abilities use a rock-paper-system of vulnerability and advantage. The spirits can also be levelled up, and an additional tactical layer is introduced as certain spirit combinations can prove advantageous. There is also good news for fans of Super Smash Bros. who often bemoan the latest release when it drops their favourite character from the roster. Nintendo intends to include every fighter who has ever appeared in a SSB game, as well as new characters, coming to a grand total of eighty-two (twenty-four more than the previous game). New fighters include Incineroar, Simone & Richter Belmont, Street Fighter’s Ken and the DLC character of the Piranha Plant, with a further five DLC characters, coming in February, yet to be announced. Among other modes, the trailer for ‘World of Light’, Ultimate’s Adventure Mode, was also shown, appearing to depict all of the characters except Kirby losing their bodies, which are then possessed. It’s down to Kirby and the player to progress through the game and free the fellow characters. The game also allows features for co-op play, custom taunts and new stages. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases on 7 December 2018 (buy the game before the end of January to get Piranha Plant for free).

Variety then reported that to Trusted Reviews’ publisher, TI Media, and Rockstar came to an agreement in which Trusted Reviews would pay over £1 million to charities chosen by Take-Two Games, the parent company of Rockstar. Trusted Reviews posted a statement on their website in response, where they acknowledge they “should have known this information was confidential and should not have published it” and “unreservedly apologise” to TakeTwo Games. The question that some people have on their minds is whether this was an ethical or reasonable move by Rockstar. Leaked video game details are not a new occurrence in the industry, and Trusted Reviews were simply writing about the information that they had acquired.

Image: IGDB

New Diablo gets backlash

Alex Darbyshire reckons Blizzard is dropping dud loot

lizzard finally revealed a brand new Diablo game! Fans were collectively happy for all of about twenty seconds of the Blizzcon gameplay trailer before the details of this new title were announced: Diablo Immortal will be released exclusively for smartphones. As a largely PC-based community, fans immediately generated a large amount of backlash across many forums. However, this outcry was not restricted to the online sphere. Blizzcon itself had its share of dissatisfied fans, with one even asking if the reveal was an “out of season April Fools’ joke”. The fans attending Blizzcon were particularly burned, as the reveal came as a flashy finish at the end of an event that was not cheap to get into. Diablo Immortal is being developed by Chinese developer NetEase in partnership with Blizzard. NetEase, an enormous company, have had hands in the development in all sorts of areas, but mainly focus on the Chinese presence of Blizzard’s games. They have been in partnership for over ten years, meaning they are likely to be well-integrated with Blizzard’s plans. One of the most scathing pieces of criticism aimed at the reveal is that the game is seemingly a ‘reskin’ of another NetEase title, Crusaders of Light. These claims are based on the similarities shared between the two games’ interfaces as well as the “massively multiplayer” aspect that the reveal advertised. “Multiple projects” were confirmed for the Diablo franchise by Blizzard before Blizzcon, but they will have to reveal something rather impressive in order to regain the favour of fans. This wouldn’t be the first time either, as Diablo III fans will know. Dissatisfied fans will have to wait a little longer if they still hope for the rumoured Diablo IV or a Image: IGDB remaster of the original.

What I’m Playing - Fallout: New Vegas Gerry Hart suits up for the wasteland and mods up in the process to explore New California

o I haven’t had the opportunity to check out Fallout 76, Bethesda’s new multiplayer extravaganza, but from what I’ve heard the open beta hasn’t exactly gone off without a hitch. It’s a sad state of affairs, though truthfully I feel the game was doomed from the minute it was announced as an online multiplayer experience. Thankfully if you’re still itching to get back in Fallout’s glorious hellworld, the good folks at Radian-Helix Media have you covered with Fallout: New California. New California is a conversion mod for Fallout: New Vegas that seeks to bridge the narrative gap between Fallout 2 and the aforementioned New Vegas. As with so many Fallout games, the mod opens in a vault, specifically vault eighteen whereupon the player is given two potential paths for their character to take, the path of the warrior for the sporty jock types or the path of the scientist for those of us whose hobbies include pretending to be clever and feeling sad. Being the emasculated soyboy I am, I naturally picked the scientist path. From there comes one of two prologues after which things invariably go to shit and you’re thrown into a world full of factions vying for control.

The world design is worthy of a full game, with a wide variety of diverse and finely crafted environments

The effort the creators put into New California is obvious right from the start. Though a bit barren, the world design is worthy of a full game, with a wide variety of diverse and finely crafted environments. The writing is (for the most part) engaging and even funny (I particularly enjoyed making my character scream “SHOW ME YOUR WAR FACE” at the weird incel kid in the prologue) and the voice acting, whilst not quite on the same level as the main games is still very professional. Unfortunately New California is far from perfect. Being a mod (and a mod for New Vegas for that matter)

the installation process isn’t exactly graceful and there are a number of technical imperfections like framerate slowdowns and infuriating crashes to contend with. I also take issue with Kira Mann, one of the main characters and potential player companion. As one of the singular most venomous and dislikeable characters in any medium I’ve ever come across, Mann is the vehicle for one of the worst depictions of an autistic character I’ve seen. Also without wishing to give anything away, the ways the mod tries to reconcile the main character’s backstory with the other games through its endings are pretty weak. Still for all these problems I think New California is worthy of discussion. It’s not that it’s an expertly crafted fan project (which, flaws aside, it most certainly is), but moreover, I think New California stands as testament to the power of modding. Video games are unique amongst

artistic mediums in that they are inherently interactive, but modding takes that one step further. By allowing the creation of new forms of art within a video game itself, the meaning of a game can be subverted, enhanced, or, as with New California, become something new altogether. New California is flawed, glitchy and doesn’t come close in quality to the main games. But it’s still very much worth a look, if only for curiosity’s sake.

Images: flickr

puzzles

Empty or Full? Is the cabinet empty or full? A lovely philisophical conundrum for you all with absolutely no political undertone/ hidden meaning. You can also name it if you want...

Image: Flickr

Image: Pixabay

WORDSEARCH

(How very exciting and slightly off-piste)

the courier

Monday 19 November 2018

Puzzles Supreme Overlord Would be good to have one, wouldn’t it Puzzle Matriarch Rihanna Puzzles Editor Guess Confustion with regards to state of the nation Great Pepper and Salt the.courier.puzzluzz@gmail.com

Soduko (reasonable)

WORD THINGS TO LOOK FOR BIG BOLLOCKS BULLSHIT CHEQUERS CONFIDENCE CONFUSION EGOISTS EMBARRASSMENT EUROPE FEELINGS FRUSTRATION GENERAL GOVERNMENT

INCOMPETENT LOVELY MAY MESS NONSENSE PARLIAMENT PLAN SERIOUSLY THOUGHTS UNSUSTAINABLE UNTENABLE USELESS

Some of us actually have solutions... Sudokus I mean, I didn’t do them. If you did, many congratualtions, good on you lads, the winning is the taking part.

Crossword Across 2 Churros

Down

4 Gazpacho

1 Cordoba

5 Lorca

3 Balenciaga

Picture quizzes

7 Velazquez

6 Canary

8 Aragon

9 Madrid

1. A leaopard can’t change it’s spots

13 Paella

10 Carmen

14 Dali

11 Flamenco

2. When life gives you lemons make lemonade

16 El Greco

12 Tapas

17 Cervantes

14 Sangria

3. A chip on your sholder

18 Gaudi

15 Tortilla

4. An apple a day keeps the doctor away

19 Andalou 20 Matador 21 Picasso

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sport

Monday 19 November 2018

Men’s team la-crosse the line to victory

Scots-land crushing victory against Fiji Rory Ewart

Scotland’s Tommy Seymour scored a hat trick of tries for Scotland, on their way to a crushing 54-17 victory over Fiji. A clinical second half from the Scots saw them fend off Fiji’s earlier tries, which had seen Scotland lead by only four points as they left the field of play for the half time interval. Given what had happened the last time both teams met - a staining Scottish loss in the Pacific paradise of Suva – Scotland will most certainly look at this result, and more precisely the second half, as an extremely positive outcome. In the run up to the game, Scotland coach Gregor Townsend had described Fiji as the “Rugby equivalent of the Brazilian football team”, complimenting in particular their unique “play it out from their own 22” approach. A statement that many may have felt was over complimentary, but Fiji’s first half would suggest

Men’s team proudly present their sticks Image: Newcastle University Men’s Lacrosse

MENS LACROSSE

Newcastle 1sts York 1sts

12 2

George Dury at University of York playing fields The sun was low in the sky over the University of York playing fields on Wednesday afternoon. The sun shone with a weak intensity that warned of winters impending arrival as a palatable tension gathered in the air. Newcastle University Men’s lacrosse 1st team, recently crowned as the league table leaders arrived to a cut the tension, and transform York’s apprehension to dread. The outcome of the battle that would take place was already decided – all that remained was for York to choose when and where to meet the inevitable. With the battle lines drawn, the two forces sought to get the measure of one another as warm ups commenced. The York squad had brought close to 25 men to the field; providing them with a distinct advantage in terms of endurance over the course of the 80 minute game. Newcastle, on the other hand, had arrived at the field with only 12 men to achieve victory. Outnumbered 2 to 1, what Newcastle lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality. The day would go to prove that Newcastle’s men were worth 2 of every York player at the very least.

Inspiring words by Captain Patrick Kearney at half time encouraged the small squad of players to fight harder

The opening whistle blew, with the first faceoff being gained by York. The defensive unit, led by Goalkeeper Jack Clohessy was steadfast in their defence of the initial York offensive possession. With an offence that relied heavily on cutting misdirection, it was crucial that the defensive players stayed alert. Goalkeeper Jack Clohessy easily repelled attempts to win the first goal, and longpoles Miles Moran, Harman Singh, and Matthew Rees were ready to move the ball up to the midfield clearing units. The reclamation of possession rang hollow, as midfield and attacking units had difficulty breaking through a much-improved York defence. The first quarter ended 0-0, neither team able to break the deadlock. Inspiring words by Captain Patrick Kearney at half time encouraged the small squad of players to fight harder to beat their adversary who outnumbered them greatly; the day must be won

at all costs. The second quarter opened with George Dury winning the faceoff and the offensive unit capitalising on the opportunity, striking the first blow and scoring the first goal. Goals quickly followed as the midfield and attack units went to work of the rapidly crumbling defence. Step-downs with immense torque from

Points brings newcastle level with league toppers MMU, who have maintained a clean sheet

Nicholas Beauchamp, precision underarm corners from Matthew Tute and masterful quick stick shots from Jasper Piper added to the goal tally, which was rapidly mounting. An on the run laser from Joseph Chartres found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, breaking his 5 game duck. Frankie ‘the lefty Bomber’ Lees muscled his way to the centre of the pitch to drop one off, and Captain Patrick Kearney still couldn’t catch anything even if his life depended on it, despite being the starting X attackman. For attackman Luke ‘Rambo’ Ramsbottom, finding the back of net was not the main obstacle to overcome; the York defence could not stop the relentless onslaught of dodging and goals coming from the Manchester native, however a loose shoelace, possibly untied as a cowardly act of sabotage by disgruntled Captain and potential York spy Patrick Kearney, led to the only takedown of the game. Enraged by this affront, and the offence it gave, Rambo decided to retaliate with a measured, but appropriate show of force; he threw a ball at the York defender. A scuffled melee ensued and was rapidly and decisively finished by Newcastle enforcer Matthew Rees. As if to serve as a metaphor for the game; the end of the scrap signalled the collapse of York resistance. As the York defence began to crumble, goals began to pour in from all short stick players (except Captain Patrick Kearney), with Goalkeeper Jack Clohessy taking an attempt at his first goal of the season. Sun Tzu, Chinese military general and writer of ‘The Art of War’, once said that “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.” When Midfielder George Dury found himself one-on-one with the Goalkeeper, he attempted to find the opportunity to a problem which did not exist. Dury behind the back went wide, earning him the Goon of the Toon accolade, the 2nd time Dury has been fined for such an offence. As the final whistle blew, the day belonged firmly to Newcastle, who next play the University of Strathclyde in their first cup game of the season. Final score Newcastle

12 – York 2. MOTOM – Joseph Chartres.

MENS LACROSSE

Newcastle 2nds Sheffield Hallam 2nds

9 7

Harrison Booth at Longbenton Sports Ground Haway the lads! A tremendous effort on all fronts; from solid D to fierce attack the twos have only gone and bloody done it! 8 goals, the best of them all an absolute ripper from Tom Cox leaving the poly team shaking in their cleats. The match began with Newcastle winning the face off and Dominic Aldridge putting in a real shift in hoovering up the ground ball, quickly snatching possession and sending it through into the attacking half where the lads deftly set up into possession. The ball, sadly, was conceded and Sheffield managed to get one under their belts quick! It seemed that maybe this match would be in a similar vein to earlier fixtures. With a rally from the troops and a contagious cheer from the side-lines raising moral tenfold Newcastle began to hammer it home. Goals came in succession from Kieran Burger, Will Herford and Harry Cash. But it was cat and mouse for the entire first half. Equalising, pulling ahead. Equalising, pulling ahead. With the game at neck and neck Newcatsle gained ground with two goals early in the third quarter. There wasn’t long to go for the Newcastle lads. Into the final quarter, the score was 7-5 to the hosts. Another face-off, another easy win by George Thompson, making light work of the task. Keeping the ball moving, and maintaining possession. But alas, the poly’s lack of teaching real subject matter has produced some halfway decent players and they manage another quick steal leading to a goal. Into the last ten the pressure was mounting, yet this seemed to only spur the Toon on. A screamer right down the pipe pushing the score up to 8-6! Only a few minutes left and a win almost certain, keeping it in their half, biding our time. The whistle blows. A cry from Sam Yates resonates with all of us “let’s fu***ng have it”. Final score 9-7 to the Toon.

Fijian flair was replaced with Scottish splendour; captain Greig Laidlaw giving a cheeky inside pop pass, unlocking Seymour to easily cross for his second of the afternoon otherwise. An early union of tries from front rowers Allan Dell and Fraser Brown were quickly repelled with tries from their opponents. With Fijian flair running aplenty, the initial try came from a strong Number 8 run from Edinburgh giant Viliame Mata, with Fiji then taking a surprise lead through a well-worked backs set piece, finished off by speedster Semi Radradra, scoring only his second international try. A couple of ill-disciplined moments saw Tevita Cavubati, then Leone Nakarawa sent to the sin bin. Scotland managed to capitalise perfectly, with Tommy Seymour walking in to score off a blistering pass from Scotland fly half Finn Russell. From there, the floodgates opened. Barely two minutes into the second half and Scotland were crossing the white line again, Maitland this time on the opposite wing using his brutish upper body strength to knock off two Fijian defenders to cross over. Fijian flair at this point was replaced with Scottish splendour; captain Greig Laidlaw giving a cheeky inside pop pass, unlocking Seymour to easily cross for his second of the afternoon. Seymour quickly added his third from a ruthless Scottish counter attack. Youngsters Jamie Ritchie and Adam Hastings were then able to cap off a fifty point scoring game for the Scots with their first international tries. On the whole the Scotland backroom team will be happy with Saturday afternoons work. Can improvements still be made? Absolutely. But Scotland can take pride from posting 50 points past their opponents, something that Fiji hadn’t conceded to since late 2016. Next up for Scotland is a far sterner test. South Africa arrives at BT Murrayfield off the back of an impressive 2018. They have, at some point this year, beaten South Africa and New Zealand, and additionally recorded a test series win over England. Scotland enter this prepared however, with the likes of Jonny Gray, Huw Jones and Hamish Watson returning fresh faced, having been away from the festivities last Saturday.

The Scottish team stormed to victory Image: Flickr

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sport

Monday 19 November 2018

Initial thoughts on initiation amnesty Former Social secretary and current sports team captain Sydney Isaacs voices her views on the proposed initiation amnesty Throughout my time on club committee, I have become well acquainted with the issue of initiations. Whilst attitudes vary between clubs and individuals, I think that there is no greater disparity than that between what a club or committee member will tell anyone (other than those they deeply trust) and what their real opinion is regarding the practices. Ask any club committee member about

SYDNEY ISAACS Sydney is an editor for Courier Sport. She is currently the team captain of the women’s seconds waterpolo team

initiations and they will tell you that they disagree with initiations whole heartedly and would never practice them as a club. I believe that in reality, a large proportion of these people have not only helped to organise these events (perhaps re-branded as ‘welcome drinks’), but made some of their

fondest memories and forged lifelong bonds during them. Pretending that initiations don’t go on is not the answer. I do not agree with some of the things that go on during the age old tradition that is ‘initiations’, but I do believe that the University’s ban has, rather than stopping them, created culture of fear induced and secrecy that actually results them being more dangerous. When addressing this issue, it is impossible not to reflect on the events that lead to the tragic death of Newcastle student, Ed Farmer, two years ago. Clearly, a blanket ban on initiations and threat of disciplinary action was not enough to prevent the death of a student and therefore university policy has to change. Texts reading “deny, deny, deny” which circulated following the incident show that fear of consequence outweighed a human and emotional response to the tragedy. It is known that Mr Farmer was nervous and seen to be ‘physically shaking’ prior to engaging in his initiation activities. He may well have felt unable to voice his concern and seek advice from his wider peers for fear of the university finding out about the event. Witness testimony stating that freshers were told prior to Mr Farmer’s death “to be mindful of what [they] told people” (about

the event) suggests that senior members were well aware of the ‘initiation’ ban and took measures to ensure that the event would not be discussed beyond the society whilst measures to ensure students’ safety and wellbeing were not taken.

The university’s ban has created a culture of fear and induced secrecy that actually results in them being more dangerous

When initiations still take place despite the potential disciplinary consequences, it points to a few things: Firstly, they must be very important to the club. Secondly, whoever steps up to organise the event has to be a risk taking person. Thirdly, the organiser(s) and participants of the activity will not ask for advice, or face criticism from any community wider than that club. This combination means that what starts

out as a misjudgement can easily perpetuate into a disaster. Social secretaries want to give back to a club they love, and at the start of the year, when initiations occur, they are inevitably inexperienced. I don’t think it is fair to put these students in the position of feeling duty bound by their role to deliver memorable and bond-building events whilst personally upholding responsibility for each student’s safety and welfare, without any guidance at all. In my experience, these individuals would be grateful for any input or advice offered to them that could improve the success and safety of their events. It’s my opinion that ‘initiation ceremonies’ will not cease to exist and are not the problem: The real issue here is a matter of judgement on the part of the senior club members. Only when the activities involved are dangerous or there is unacceptable pressure to participate do ‘initiations’ become a problem. From a former social secretary, I have learnt that prior to the initiation ban, ceremonies would be photographed, videoed and shared on social media, open for criticism by the wider public. This forced clubs to consider their own reputation and put more care into the organisation and safe delivery of the events.

Personally, I don’t think that there is yet enough trust between the University and its’ clubs for an initiation amnesty to succeed but as a gesture it signifies a move in the right derection. I think that we have to re-open honest conversation about ‘initiation’ practices.

I don’t think that there is yet enough trust beween the University and its clubs for an initiation amnesty to succeed

Providing the right kind of support to committee and senior club members, such as information on the dangers of alcohol, and guidance on how to facilitate effective team/ group bonding in ways that don’t involve coercion or drinking, is the only way make a real change and prevent future tragedies from happening.

A super new European Super League?

Our sports writers analyse the pros and cons regarding the recent leaked rumours of a proposed European Super League seen. Financially, the move is substantially more lucrative for teams and television companies

The new European Super League is a much better advertisement for quality football than the Champions League

than the current format. Having the best teams go at it every week against each other is bound to guarantee high viewing numbers throughout the year unlike now when television companies have to figure out how many people will watch Manchester City play Shakhtar Donetsk before deciding whether it is a worthwhile effort to televise the game. The new European Super League is a much better advertisement for quality football than the Champions League and while some of the teams may not like it, it has the potential to be a more competitive, a more lucrative and overall a better league than anything we have seen before as football fans.

Real Madrid are one of the clubs supporting the proposal Image: Flickr

Sesha Subramanian The UEFA Champions League is a wonderful competition – no question about that. It’s given us many memorable matches and many wonderful moments. But maybe it’s time to move on. The Football Leaks data revealed on German outlet Der Spiegel that some big names in European football, apparently spearheaded by German champions Bayern Munich wanted to start a new league with other big clubs across the continent including Juventus, Manchester City, and Paris St. Germain among others that would run for the entire season. The German club vehemently denies the

Jack Smillie

allegation but I would not be averse to a new Europe-wide league that runs for 34 weeks featuring the best teams in the continent. From a footballing point of view, this is a fairer and more competitive way of deciding the best team in the continent. Right now, with the knockout rounds in the Champions League, there is sometimes a feeling that one team gets an easier draw than the other in the run to the finals. That would not be the case when there is a 34-week season and the winner has to make it past the best teams in Europe. The winner would be a deserved champion and worthy champion. This new European Super League also would add to the excitement of football. Manchester City may not dominate European teams the way they dominate England

last season. The league would feature close games, would have more unpredictability and a higher level of performances than the current Champions League sometimes pro-

The league would feature closer games and have more unpredicablity

vides. It can prove to be a stage when the cream will truly rise to the top and some of the best football – both from a playing perspective but also from a coaching point of view – will be

It was indeed a dark day for football when Der Spiegel lifted the lid on clandestine meetings between Europe’s elite tycoons. Imagine a world where greed runs rampant, hubris is the norm and betrayal is no longer punished. The rich can do as they please. Football’s death knell is just years away from knocking. Whilst football clubs are businesses and not charities, club owners must owe a degree of diligence to supporters and spectators. It is undeniable that the new, secretive European Super League is fundamentally about making rich owners richer and billionaires multi-billionaires. It’s hard to actually find anyone else in favour of this idea. Temporarily stepping aside from this, Premier League club owners have recently come under fire for moves which were seen to be purely financially motivated. Fulham, cur-

rently sitting at the bottom of the table, have absurdly raised ticket prices once again this season. When this spirals out of control, to what extent are fans going to be priced out of the game? A similar question begs in regards to the supposed Super League. I highly doubt that a match ticket to watch the likes of Real Madrid v Manchester United will be inexpensive. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money is by no means the only issue with the League. A breakaway bandit league would devalue existing institutions and football as we know it. The Champions League and the vast incentives it offers would be no more. Europe’s top divisions would be weakened. International football would also be ruined, with FIFA pledging banning orders to any breakaway member. If England’s so-called big six outcast Tottenham and leave as a five, there could be a genuine possibility that Spurs may dominate the Premier League for the foreseeable future. Whilst this could totally blow open an already fairly competitive league, the risk of a one team hegemony still exists, such as Celtic in the Scottish league. Nonetheless, the League would portray a bad image for the sport. A competition - and I really do use that noun lightly - with no relegation for founding members would be categorically boring and exist to serve as nothing more than a cash cow.

With no relegation for founders the competition would be categorically boring and serve as a cash cow

It isn’t unreasonable to suggest that, lacking credibility and integrity, this League fails to materialise. Perhaps it’s an elaborate bargaining chip which the El Classico clubs can use in order to take an even more preposterous share of La Liga’s finances.

the courier

sport

Monday 19 November 2018

Foul Play! The biggest sporting cheats

The good, the bad and the ugly: our writers name and shame some of the dirtiest cheats to disgrace their sport in recent years Lance Armstrong By Jack Dugan

Lance Armstrong, a staple of the primary school assemblies, shocked the world when he was revealed to have been taking performance enhancing drugs throughout his career. Armstrong inspired many when he won the Tour de France despite being riddled with cancer. Told he had zero chance of survival, Armstrong overcame the odds of not only living but of the toughness of elite cycling. This led everyone to revere Lance Armstrong as a model of triumph and perseverance- or so it seemed.

“Why would I then enter into a sport and dope myself up and risk my life again?” It was later found Lance Armstrong had consistently been doping throughout his career, faking test results and lying about the use of performance enhancing drugs. Despite famously saying in 2005 “Consider my situation: a guy who comes back from arguably, you know, a death sentence, why would I then enter into a sport and dope myself up and risk my life again? That’s crazy. I would never do that. No. No way” Armstrong was left red-faced when he admitted in 2013 to taking banned growth hormones and testosterone, and having blood transfusions. The former Olympian’s reputation was in tatters. Multi-million-dollar sponsorships cancelled, his foundation in tatters, an idol became a villain. Yet this story of cheating is somewhat barbed, though of course cheating is despicable and wrong, a source of inspiration for many has dissipated into nothing, the sport of cycling itself has suffered from his actions.

The Australian BallTampering Trio By Rebecca Johnson

This should have been Australia’s year. This should have been the year Australia cricket swept everyone off their feet with their cricketing brilliance. Captain Steve Smith had an excellent Ashes series and was regarded as the best batsman in the world in earlier in January. The Australian bowling line-up were regarded as ruthless and blitzed through England in the Ashes. Theoretically, they should have taken the cricketing world by storm. I guess they did take the cricketing world by storm in some way when it was uncovered that they had devised a plan to cheat their way to success. During their test against South Africa, young opener Cameron Bancroft was seen fiddling with something in the waistband of his trousers, which looked like a tiny piece of yellow card. Unfortunately, Mr Bancroft was not clever enough to

realise that he was not only being watched by all those in the stadium, but also on TV across the world. The cameras picked up his mysterious behaviour, which lead to the umpire calling him over and questioning him. After the game, Cameron Bancroft and Captain Steve Smith admitted during a press conference that the Australia “leadership team” had devised a plan to ball tamper. Their plan involved sandpapering the ball, so that the ball is rougher and can go faster- a move known as reverse swing- which then results in startling the batsman. The fallout continued, as ViceCaptain David Warner was also involved and the Australian trio were sent home. Eventually, all three were given bans from the sport, twelve months for Smith and Wa r n e r, and nine

months for Bancroft. How the mighty have fallen, the Australian cricket team were seen as heroes at the start of the year. They were Ashes winners on home

This team faced fury from not only the Australian public, but even from Prime Minister, Malcolm Turner

turf and had a team jam-packed with talent. Australia take their cricket so seriously, with a lot of the team- past and present- being seen as legends. This team faced fury from not only the Australian public, but even from the then Prime Minister, Malcolm Turner. However, their disgusting antics have branded the team a disgrace to cricket. The pride they once had will take a long time to get back.

Former Australian captain Steve Smith breaks down in tears Image:Youtube

John Terry and Wayne Bridge By Jack Dugan

A famous incident of “cheating” in sport is John Terry playing away from home with team mate Wayne Bridge’s wife. John Terry had started seeing Vanessa Perroncel behind both his wife and teammates back in the summer of 2009. The changing rooms must have had some atmosphere! Terry’s EastEnders like antics lead to then manager Fabio Cappello stripping him of the England captaincy and his place in the England set up being questioned ahead of the World Cup. On the other side, it also led Wayne Bridge to withdraw from international duty as he would refuse to play alongside the man who broke his marriage. The situation was never resolved with the animosity continued throughout their careers, Bridge famously snubbing his former teammate’s handshake prior to Chelsea vs Man City and in all their subsequent meetings. On a lighter note, the whole messy situation at least gave us inspiration for many chants on the terraces and possibly one of the most awkward images in the sporting world (see below).

Wayne Bridge snubs John Terry’s handshake Image: Wikimedia Commons

Paraguay’s boy wonder makes international news Adam Williams takes a closer look at fourteen-year-old Fernando Ovelar who scored a goal in the recent Paraguayan derby Fernando Ovelar has recently become the youngest ever player and goal scorer in Paraguayan footballing history aged just 14. The backdrop to this stunning achievement makes it all the more remarkable. Having made his senior debut the previous week, Ovelar netted the opening goal in of all games, Paraguay’s Superclassico. The derby, contested between Paraguay’s two biggest clubs Cerro Porteno and Olimpia, is the country’s most iconic and fiercely contested fixture. Ovelar’s name will now become a permanent part of its folklore.

The goal could have easily been that of a seasoned striker ten to fifteen years Ovelar’s senior Ovelar scored his goal in Estadio Manuel Ferreira Image: Wikimedia Commons

The current social media trend when someone so incredibly young does something so incredibly impressive is to ask: “what were you doing at…years old?”. But in this case being 14 is such a distant memory for most people that they are unlikely to be able to provide an answer. The goal itself, a well-executed dink over an onrushing keeper, could easily have been that of a seasoned striker ten to fifteen years

Ovelar’s senior. What struck me most about the goal however was not the quality of the finish, but how composed Ovelar looked immediately after scoring it. It might be that he was simply in a state of sheer disbelief at the frankly absurd situation he found himself in, but I have genuinely celebrated goals on FIFA with more gusto. Come to think of it, that’s probably many people’s answer to the aforementioned question “what were you doing at 14?”. Of course, everyone, with the possible exception of Olimpia fans, should be happy for Ovelar. And perhaps even the arch rivals of a team cannot begrudge a goalscorer who is essentially a child. To begrudge this would be the footballing equivalent of storming out of the room when your nephew is winning the family’s traditional game of Christmas Monopoly. Amongst all the talk of fairy-tales and potential superstardom however, there is a serious warning to be heeded for both player and club. In scoring before his fifteenth birthday, Ovelar joins a not-so-elite list of other former young footballing big wigs; Freddie Adu, Martin Odeegard and Mauricio Baldivieso to name a few. The poor fortunes of these players illustrate the fact that the phenomenon of boys playing in a man’s game is always, to some degree, problematic. The psychological complications which arise as a result of child stars in any given field being given too much too soon are well documented. In sports however, there are also

lesser explored issues regarding physicality. Imagine playing five-a-side and putting in a big, Vinnie Jones style tackle on a young teenager who happened to be playing. At the very least there would be raised eyebrows.

The game has a duty to look after and nurture its precocious talent

In the modern game where physicality is increasingly emphasised, this is something which should be given due consideration. Players intentionally going out to hurt one another is a happening as old as the game itself, but when there is a 14-year-old involved it seems inherently wrong to do so. This holds true even if the said 14-year-old has the physical presence of a fully-grown man, as is the case with many of today’s young footballing talents. A boy, two months shy of his fifteenth birthday, scoring in front of 45,000 adoring fans in the midst of an explosive derby day atmosphere is one of those surreal moments which only football provides. The game has a duty to look after and nurture its precocious talent in order to ensure moments like these are not ultimately detrimental to the players themselves. Hopefully this will not be the case with Ovelar. Good luck, Fernando.

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sport

Monday 19 November 2018

Resilient Newcastle break Hallam hearts WOMEN’S VOLEYBALL

Newcastle 1sts 3 Sheffield Hallam 1sts 2

Tom Hardwick at Sports center

Newcastle women’s volleyball 1’s have endured a difficult start to the season, but they demonstrated quality and courage to battle to a 3-2 win against a talented Sheffield Hallam side. The first set was dominated by Hallam, who caused issues for the Newcastle team with strong serving and resolute blocking. Hallam eased to a 25-11 win, and on this early performance Newcastle’s chances of victory were looking slim. However, Newcastle seemed reinvigorated in the second set, playing with an increased intensity and forcing mistakes from Hallam. Maria Shipilli in particular was responding well to some fierce efforts from Hallam, and with the scores tied at 13-13 it was unclear which way the set would go. Shipilli and Berkem kept applying pressure with powerful and accurate serves and Nikou created a multitude of chances by setting the ball well, but Hallam responded well and the scores

were soon 20-20. Despite the game being even thus far, Hallam seemed to crumble as Newcastle kept the tempo high, and after some poor Hallam serves Newcastle had claimed their first set.

Maria Shipilli in particular was responding well to some fierce efforts from Hallam

The third set started with a super block from Grigalyte and some well-worked play to set up Berkem for a stunning shot, with these early stages being a glimpse of what was to follow. Nikou and Berkem combined to salvage the ball when a Hallam point looked certain, and followed it up with a venomous strike to earn a point. Hallam were docked points for using the wrong server, and this allowed Newcastle to establish a dominant lead that they never looked like losing. They threw themselves at everything and refused

to let any of Hallam’s efforts hit the floor, and this battling spirit was reflected in the eventual 25-18 scoreline. Hallam knew that they needed to win the fourth set to have a chance at an overall victory and beagn to play as such, racing into a 14-6 lead. Newcastle endeavoured to whittle away at that lead, but it proved to be insurmountable, with Hallam winning 25-20 to force a fifth and final set. Hallam took a 4-0 lead in the final set, with Newcastle seeming to lose composure, communication and concentration when they needed them most. At 11-6 to Hallam the game looked to be all but lost, yet Newcastle began to rediscover their rhythm. They kept racking up points, managing to equalise at 13-13 before taking a 14-13 lead. The momentum had evidently swung in favour of the home side and there was some considerable noise from those gathered to watch, and when a Hallam mistake sealed Newcastle’s victory there were deservedly jubilant celebrations. Newcastle’s 3-2 win wasn’t the most comfortable victory but they demonstrated their quality and resilience, claiming their first win of the season and giving them some confidence as they face an away tie against dominant league leaders Durham next week.

Titans of Toon Tennis do the double and ace the sing MENS TENNIS

Newcastle 1sts 12 Leeds Beckett 5ths 0

Corey Chan at Sunderland tennis center

Newcastle Men’s Tennis 1st’s continued their perfect start to the Northern 2B season with their fourth win on the bounce over Leeds Beckett University Men’s 5th’s. Meanwhile the 2nd’s closed the gap at the top of the Northern 3B table taking all the points away from University of York Men’s 2nd’s. After securing a formidable 10-2 victory over Leeds Beckett 4th’s just two weeks ago, confidence levels were high going up against the Beckett 5th’s this week. However, the Men’s 1st’s could not afford to rest on their laurels, as maintaining top position in the league is essential and every point counts in this first term. Going into the match, nerves were running high as Chan was suffering from a shoulder injury sustained in training the day before. The matches kicked off with Chan and Juergen Springer playing doubles, whilst Alex Wilson and Alex Dodd commenced their singles.

On the next court, Ailson was in cruise control and his apponent’s head was wavering.

At No.3, Wilson got off to a great start dominating from the baseline and giving his opponent hardly any chances. Both players were striking the ball cleanly, but Wilson’s consistency was giving him the edge. Meanwhile, Dodd at No.4 was employing a clinical style, simply outclassing his opponent in every area of the game. Dodd blistered through the first set without dropping a game; his forehand was on fire. In the doubles, Chan and Springer closed out the first set 6-2 after securing a crucial break of serve early on. With Chan’s service game suffering from the injury, he and

Springer had to use a more tactical approach. The second set took a turn, with Beckett’s doubles pair upping their game. The Newcastle duo were struggling to close out the points and quickly found themselves 0-4 down. But they dug deep and brought it back to 5-5. On the next court, Wilson was in cruise control and his opponent’s head was wavering. With relentless pressure, he closed out the match with a 6-1 6-2 victory. Whilst Chan and Springer were holding on in the second set, Dodd saw off his opponent with an impressive 6-0 6-0 win, putting Newcastle 4-0 ahead overall. At 5-6 down in the doubles, a sudden death deuce point marked set point for the Beckett pair. A great return of serve from Springer was not enough, as the Beckett’s players closed down the net and finished up with a winning volley. One set all. Chan and Springer were no strangers to this situation, having played third set tiebreaks in three out of their four doubles matches this season. The rallies were close from the start, and with no team edging ahead the score quickly turned to 8-8. Both teams were feeling the pressure at this point, but Beckett’s team were on serve, which gave them the advantage and they capitalised with a big serve down the middle. Match point Beckett. Springer served out wide to the backhand and entered into a cross-court battle. Chan was looking to intercept and found the opportunity, but fast hands from the Beckett net player kept the point alive. Springer came into the net but was met with a near perfect lob. He sprinted backwards past the baseline and chipped the ball back as it was mere centimetres from bouncing twice. With Springer out of position, Chan was left to cover the whole court. Employing fast reactions, he sprinted out wide and marginally retrieved the following volley, but the ball floated up slowly towards the Beckett pair who were on top of the net. Both Chan and Springer thought the match was over as they watched the Beckett player line up a sitter of a smash. NET! They missed it! Newcastle’s boys knew they had been gifted a lifeline rarely seen at this level of tennis. 9-9. A perfectly executed serve volley combo from the Newcastle pair secured them a match point. 10-9. Beckett responded with a strong serve and a missed return by Chan saw the scores tied again at 10-10. The Beck-

ett pair, clearly feeling the mounting pressure, handed Chan and Springer a second match point in the form of a double fault. 11-10. Chan to serve. With a kick serve out wide followed by a strong backhand approach, Chan piled on the pressure. Springer saw this as an opportunity and crossed to intercept with a volley. Newcastle’s No.2 connected perfectly and hit it straight at Beckett’s net player, who couldn’t do anything as the ball deflected off his racket and out of play. Match Chan/ Springer. Overall score 6-0. The rest of the match concluded shortly after, with a deflated Beckett team struggling to find motivation. Wilson and Dodd closed out a comfortable doubles victory, guaranteeing Newcastle the overall win. Finally, Chan and Springer secured the final two singles matches to conclude a 12-0 victory. This result not only sees Newcastle Men’s 1st’s in a strong position at the top of their league, but it also marks their 6th consecutive win. This team is very much in form and are due to play Hull 1st’s in the third round of the Cup next week.

MENS TENNIS

Newcastle 2nds 12 York 2nds 0

Thomas Smith at York Backtrack in time and the 2nd’s were feeling confident on the coach ahead of their clash against York. Everyone knew the day’s opponents had not had the greatest start to the season, meaning a big performance was needed from all the boys. After a thorough warm up and the afternoon’s order of play decided, No.1 Joey Thompson, No.2 Gurvinder Sidhu and debutant Alistair Bourne at No.4 took to the court. Thompson raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set of his tie, firing down big first serves and showing off some neat groundstrokes. His opposite number then get a game on the board and showed signs of growing into the match, but Newcastle’s No.1 confidently matched his opponent’s increased intensity and made it 5-1. The following game must have seen at least 10 deuces and 9 set points for Thompson, one of which a bread and butter forehand volley framed into the

net, but he eventually closed the set out to give all the Newcastle boys a confidence boost. Sidhu was next to bag the opening set (64), even with a number of questionable calls from his opponent. The York man looked to be becoming increasingly frustrated with Newcastle No.2’s style of play. Bourne, despite an understandably nervy start and losing the opening three games, then followed suit and took his opening set 6-3. Newcastle in the driving seat. Bourne then quickly closed out his match, winning the second set 6-2 and Thompson finished moments later, professionally dispatching his man 6-0 in the second. That put Newcastle into a strong 4-0 lead, with Sidhu easing towards the finish line and Smith at No.3 just getting started. Smith raced into a 4-1 lead and had multiple break points in the following game to move 5-1 up, but couldn’t convert, which allowed York’s man to get a foothold in the game. He pulled it back to 4-4 and Smith was visibly nervous. After taking a moment to regroup, nerves were put aside and Smith won his service game to love. That just left closing out the set, which he, of course, did the hard way. York’s man was 40-15 up and looked a dead cert to even up the tie. However, Smith didn’t give in and won four points in a row to take the opener 6-4. Meanwhile, Sidhu closed out his game, taking the second set 6-3 and Smith then ensured the Newcastle win by taking the final set of the singles 6-2. The boys in blue lead 8-0 heading into the doubles and they didn’t ease up on the pressure. Sidhu and Smith made light work of their tie, easing to a 6-1 6-2 win. On the next court, Thompson and Bourne were locked in battle with a much improved first York pairing and the tie looked like it could go either way. The Newcastle duo put their game faces on and came from 4-5 down to take the opening set 7-5. Then, with the added support from Sidhu and Smith, they completed the clean sweep by closing out the second set in a tiebreak (7-6). Game, set and match Newcastle. Despite remaining in third place in the Northern 3B league, Newcastle 2nd’s now sit just five points off top spot and three behind second place. They will look to build on this strong win when they face Sheffield Hallam Men’s 1st’s away in the cup next week.

the courier

sport

Monday 19 November 2018

BUCS RESULTS HOCKEY

BADMINTON

M1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts M2 v Sheffield 2nds W1 v Sheff Hallam 1sts W2 v Leeds Beckett 1sts

BASKETBALL

M1 v Loughborough 1sts M2 v Leeds 2nds M3 v York 2nds W2 v Sunderland 1sts

FENCING

M2 v Durham 2nds M3 v Hull 1sts M4 v Bradford 1s W1 v Edinburgh 1sts W2 v Durham 2nds W3 v Hull 1sts

FOOTBALL

M1 v Manchester 1sts M2 v Leeds 1sts M3 v Teeside 3rds W1 v Leeds Beckett 2nds W2 v Durham 3rds Athletes celbrate a ball hitting the floor. Image:Tom Hardwick

GOLF

Mix1 v Leeds Bkt 1s

6-2 5-3 WO Ncl 6-2 60-98 63-60 46-68 99-38 49-135 WO Ncl 119-117 35-135 49-135 WO Ncl 3-1 2-2 7-0 0-1 2-1

2.5-3.5

ngles and the doubles Netball fours’ first

win of the season

WOMEN’S NETBALL

Newcastle 4ths 48 Sheffield 3rds 37

Maggie Elstob at Newcastle Sport Centre

On BUCS Wednesday, Newcastle University Netball fours took our first victory of the season and won it on home turf beating Sheffield threes 48-37. We’ve had it hard facing the two teams at the top of the league in our opening games, playing Hull (who we lost to by three) and Durham (the less said the better). This is especially tough for a newly formed team. Although there are positives to be had as we then faced Lancaster twos in the cup and lost by three, we only lost by a small margin to a team who are two leagues above us. Although we faced a bad spat of games in recent weeks, this week saw no such loss. At the end of the first quarter we were 13-10 up

after some great shooting from Beth Cooke and Jenny Nicholson, with Sophie Jones and Katy Matthews keeping it calm throughout the court. Jess Oliver kept the pace up and insured the shooters had plenty of opportunity to put shots up and Lizzie James and Kate Vavasour put pressure on in the circle to gain possession. Half time brought on some fresh legs in attack with Lauren Roberts proving to be a strong substitution, and Amy Guise made solid interceptions through court. Going into the fourth quarter three goals up, the atmosphere was electric. With support from the third team, everyone was on their feet whilst the fours extended their lead, taking fifteen goals in as many minutes. This was a great game to kick-start our season and we can take so many positives into our next game against Leeds Beckett later this month.

M1 v Durham 2nds M2 v York 1sts M3 v Sheffield 3rds M4 v Hull 2nds W1 v Liverpool 1sts W2 v Leeds 2nds W4 v York 2nds

1-1 2-1 7-0 9-0 3-2 2-1 3-0

LACROSSE

M1 v york 1sts M2 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds W1 v Leeds 1sts W2 v Leeds 2nds W3 v Northumbria 1sts

NETBALL

W1 v Liverpool 1sts W2 v Durham 2nds W3 v Leeds Beckett 4ths W4 v Sheffield 3rds

RUGBY UNION

M1 v Durham 2nds M2 v Liverpool 1sts M3 v Durham 4ths M4 v York 2nds M5 v Hull 3rds W1 v Birmingham 1sts W2 v Durham 2nds

SQUASH

65-23 33-27 38-39 48-37 20-15 10-41 11-12 WO Ncl WO Ncl 12-41 5-40

M2 v Leeds 1sts M3 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds M4 v York 2nds W1 v Leeds 1sts W2 v York 1sts

RUGBY LEAGUE

M1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts

TABLE TENNIS

M1 v Lancaster 1sts M2 v Sunderland 2nds

TENNIS

M1 v Leeds Beckett 5ths M2 v York 2nds W1 v Loughborough 2nds W2 v Durham 5ths

ULTIMATE

M1 v York 1sts

VOLLEYBALL

W1 v Sheffield Hallam 1sts W2 v Durham 3rds

WATERPOLO

M1 v Manchester 1sts W2 v Lancaster 1sts

12-2 9-7 16-8 15-3 9-12

1-4 3-0 2-1 1-3 3-1 22-18 14-3 16-1 12-0 12-0 0-12 8-4 14-9

3-2 3-1 11-23 2-21

OVERALL BUCS POSITION Pos

University

Pts

Cardiff

Newcastle ■

1327.5

Northumbria

1225

Nottingham Trent

1224

1375

SURF FORECAST

Tynemouth Longsands

The boys stand tall and proud as victors Image:Newcastle University Tennis Club

Newcastle Fours celebrate their win Image:Maggie Elstob

Looks like we can wave goodbye to being high and dry folks! It seems the North Sea is really splashing out on us this week and giving us the break from the boardom that we’ve all been wetting for. Wave quality is hard to predict, but worst case it’ll be a barrel of laughs. Its time to get wet-suited and neoprene-booted and smack your beach up - we’re shore you won’t regret it!

t e , t

y y t

sport the courier

Monday 19 November 2018 Issue 1378 Free @Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Sport Editors Rebecca Johnson, Harry Parsons, Sydney Isaacs Online Editor Tom Hardwick

Badminton make a racquet and shuttle towards victory

Inside Sport today >>>

MEN’S LACROSSE York 1sts walk away crosse Page 35

AMNESTY OPINION Sports Editor and team captain Sydney Isaacs gives her view on the latest amnesty proposals Page 36 Four men are separated by a net and they shuttle over the net Image: Rebecca Johnson

MEN’S BADMINTON

Newcastle 2nds 5 Sheffield 2nds 3

Rebecca Johnson at Newcastle Sport Centre Newcastle badminton men’s seconds continued an unbeaten streak in the BUCS Northern 3B League. After a tasty 8-0 victory against York seconds last week and sat at the top of the table, the lads were hungry for more wins. Newcastle’s opponents this week were the Sheffield seconds, who were sat in second. Like Newcastle, Sheffield were un-

The Newcastle doubles first seeds had a dominant start and really fazed Sheffield with their powerful smashes

beaten going into the game. It was a battle at the top of the table, and it did not disappoint. On the first court, dynamic doubles duo Ryan Jackson and Jeremy Revell were ready to do some damage to the Sheffield second seeds. The Newcastle first seeds had a dominant start in their first game, and really fazed Sheffield at times with their powerful smashes. Sheffield were stunned by this and resulted in them hitting the net more times than a dissertation student hitting the booze. Newcastle took the first game 21-11. Sheffield weren’t going to take this lying down,

and really fought back in the second game. As Sheffield got more and more into the game, Jackson and Revell became visibly more frustrated. At times Newcastle showed sparks of class, as they poured their frustrations into the game, their playing style became more aggressive and really threw Sheffield at times. Alas this wasn’t enough, and Sheffield pulled it back to win the game 16-21 and take the match to 1-1. The doubles match rattled down to a thrilling third and final game. Newcastle opened with a quick and fast rally to set the pace for the rest of the game. Jackson and Revell moved around the court more, and showed more domination. Some powerful, hard-hitting shots from Revell really forced Sheffield to react quickly. Sheffield quickly found some more energy and challenged the Newcastle duo to really move around more. The game was littered with quicker and faster rallies compared to the previous two. As the game trickled closer to the end, both Sheffield and Newcastle had the chance to finish it but the

Sheffield were hitting the net more times than a dissertation student hitting the booze

points kept moving backwards and forwards. Eventually, Newcastle snatched it to win 2523 and win the match. In their second game against the Sheffield doubles firsts, Jackson and Revell couldn’t find the energy they needed to defeat the

Sheffield pair. Although again Newcastle displayed some solid pieces of movement, Sheffield were hitting hard whilst Newcastle were hitting the net. Newcastle produced some more aggressive play and a series of good smashes, particularly from Jackson but this wasn’t enough and Sheffield won the first game 14-21. The second game saw some good bits of teamwork from the New-

4/4

The amount of games Newcastle badminton men’s seconds have won this season

castle duo as they glided across the court, but Sheffield responded well to the pressure put on them. Newcastle upped the pace and forced Sheffield to make mistakes, but again Sheffield reacted well and took the game narrowly 18-21. Elsewhere on court, Newcastle doubles second seeds, Prakash Navaneetharajah (Nava) and Jeremy Liew had a decent day. Although they lost their first match against Sheffield’s first seeds 13-21 and 14-21, they pulled it back in their second game to beat Sheffield’s seconds 11-21, 21-19 and 21-18. Additionally, Newcastle’s singles second seed Quincy did well, he beat Sheffield’s first seed 21-19, 20-22 and 21-16 to get another point on the board for Newcastle. However, he couldn’t quite muster a win against the Sheffield second seed and was narrowly defeated 17-21, 21-18 and 16-21. It was a very good day for the Newcastle singles first seed, James Ashcroft. Ashcroft won his first match against the Sheffield second

seed 21-12 and 21-17. Going into his next match against the Sheffield first seed, he must have been feeling confident as fellow teammate Quincy had beaten the first seed earlier on. Ashcroft’s confidence shone through as

Newcastle badminton were making the Sheffield steel look more like jelly

he delicately performed drop shot after drop shot to overwhelm the Sheffield first seed. Sheffield’s player was becoming more and more frustrated and began to make more mistakes, letting Ashcroft take the first game 21-17. Sheffield came back into the game and began to turn the pressure up on Newcastle. Although Newcastle intially struggled to put points on the board he soon got back into the game. Ashcroft was like a puppet-master as he had Sheffield running all over the court at his command. He took the second game 2117 too, and won the match overall. Newcastle made the Sheffield steel look more like jelly as they remain at the top of the table and unbeaten in the league. Newcastle are on the prowl for more wins as they face Sheffield Hallam seconds in two weeks time. Disclaimer: I was reliably informed that in my last match report for the Newcastle badminton men’s seconds that I misspelt a team member’s name. I would therefore like to issue an apology to Prakash Navaneetharajah for my unprofessionalism that occurred last time.

TENNIS SERVE UP AN ACE Newcastle tennis firsts and seconds record a double victory Page 38