Issue 1424 Monday 14th March 2022
Free every week
thecourieronline.co.uk
Student Rep woes
News & mental health
Imogen Smillie reflects on how staying informed takes its toll Lifestyle | page 16-17
Ignored & frustrated, three of our writers weigh in on what’s going wrong
Arkham hierarchy
Campus Comment | page 6
Gaming | page 30-31
Batman’s games ranked
Meet your 2022/23 NUSU officers Elizabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs Kayleigh Fraser - Campus Comment sub-editor Peter Lennon - Gaming sub-editor
Revealing the next set of Sabbatical and Liberation Officers...
A
fter months of planning, hours of campaigning, and three full days of voting, the results were in. It’s finally time to meet your Sabbatical Officers and Liberation Officers for the 2022/2023 academic year. Starting with the highest position, NUSU’s new President will be Mady Baugh. Running on a manifesto focused on inclusivity and representation, students clearly believe that she will run our Union well. Baugh won the position with a 260 vote lead on runner-up Ali Zuhad. Her experience comes from being on the committee of It Happens Here and pledges to continue promoting diversity in her new role. Xuan Liu won the Activities Officer race. Her goals include encouraging more students to get involved and to help clubs and societies. Liu competed against five other candidates for the position, but won with 750 votes. The Education Officer will be Mack Marshall. His policies include mitigating COVID-19 and strike disruption, while prioritising wellbeing to improve the education of Newcastle University students. His experience as a Course and School Representative may help him in his role in amplifying the student voice in the next academic year.
For the Welfare and Equality Officer position, NUSU will welcome Aleena Ikram, who won with 1115 votes (322 votes ahead of runner-up Elspeth Wilson). The new Postgraduate Officer will be Danica Limawan. There were a total of three candidates: Limawan won with a total of 954, Jack Short who came second with a total of 589, and Peko Tsou who got a total of 436. Meg Howe was voted as Student Media Officer. She promised to introduce climate article quotas, as well as workshops run by senior editors to Student Media. In addition to editing The Courier, Howe will also oversee Newcastle Student Radio (NSR) and Newcastle University Television (NUTV). Howe edged out her competition with 263 votes.
Officer will be Anisha Arya. She plans to start more societies for International Students from specific countries. NUSU’s new B.A.M.E Officer will be Sami Ahmed. She plans to provide opportunities for B.A.M.E students to approach her on issues that affect them. The new Chair of Council, Afiya Ballard Debois hopes to rise to the demands of the role. Having never attended Student Council before, it remains to be seen if the current format will persist under her tenure. The LGBTQ+ Officer, George Wood, pledges to continue to represent LGBTQ+ students by advocating for issues that impact them. With one year
of experience in the role already, he has a unique qualification that no other candidate has.
NUSU’s president will be Mady Baugh, with policies focused on inclusivity and representation The Chair of Scrutiny elected for next year is Fatih Cure. The role
The Welfare and Equality Officer position, Aleena Ikram, who won with 1115 votes Hannah Danks secured the Athletics Union Officer position for next year. Through the Athletics Union, she aims to bring greater spectatorship and to work more closely with Give It A Go. She also aims to continue running NUSU’s sport clubs and the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) programme. The Liberation Officers were elected during the campaign as well. NUSU’s new Disability Officer will be Lauren Gilbert, who plans to advocate for disabled students by raising awareness of disability and neurodiversity. The winner for International Students’
Work with Student Media!
Student Media Afternoons return on 27th April at 1:30pm! Attend for guest speakers, content sign-ups and more!
Find out more here!
includes leading the NUSU Scrutiny and Disciplinary Committees. His manifesto included providing a good experience for students, and will be responsible for making sure everything runs well next year. The Marginalised Genders Officer will be Iori Fraser. His manifesto includes listening to students of all marginalised genders and he brings lived experience to the table. Lastly, Hasab Osman will be the Parents, Guardians and Carers Officer. He will be responsible for making sure all students with caring responsibilities receive the benefits given to carers and aims to listen to their feedback.
Inside 14th March 2022 Current Affairs | News Lower income students to pay extra in loan repayments The newest change to funding is set to increase graduate payments by £15-19,000. Page 5
Current Affairs | Comment Poland's problematic refugee problem Poland's 'open arm' policy toward Ukranian refugees is leaving African refugees behind. Page 9
Life & Style | Fashion & Beauty The tantalizing terror of the tote bag Whether they're falling off your shoulder, or it takes you half an hour to find a pen - are tote bags loosing their signature status? Page 19
Life & Style | Food & Drink Scran it or scrap it: black pudding Two writers go head to head on the controversial breakfast item. Page 23
Culture | Music Introduction to: Me Lost Me Newcastle alumni Jayne Dent explores 'future folk' in her electronic project. Page 24
Culture | TV The crown jewels are stolen... from Netflix Just how were £150,000 worth in props were stolen from the hit TV show? Pages 27
Culture | Arts Introduction to Ukranian art Celebrating the literature, art and architecture of Ukraine. Page 33 Not all construction work is enjoyable. For example, enlarging a drill hole is boring, but fastening pieces of metal together is riveting. - George Bell, Courier Jester and Film sub-editor
A note from the Editor
T
he dust has barely settled from Elections week, but we’re wasting no time getting back out there with another edition of The Courier! As you’ll have already seen, our front page recaps the results from the ceremony on Friday 11th March. Congratulations to all the winners of the night, including Meg Howe, my successor as Student Media Officer. Meg has already proved to be a hardworking Head of Life & Style, and so I wish her the
best of luck when she begins the role in June. Runner-up Hattie Metcalfe ran a valiant campaign and should be so proud of her Elections efforts as well as throughout Student Media each week. Once her term as Co-head of Culture ends, I know that she will continue onto bigger and brighter things. Thank you to everyone across Student Media who worked hard to bring us the coverage of results night, as well as the informative debate nights the week before. In other news, I’ve launched an
Instagram account for my role, so please follow @nusu_student_ media_officer if you’d like to see what I get up to in the job! While you’re at it, feel free to search for accounts for The Courier, NUTV and NSR. Missed past copies of the paper due to strikes? Knock on the door of the Courier office on the first floor of NUSU to get yourself a copy! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue! George, Editor-in-Chief & Student Media Officer
THE COURIER
SECTIONS Editor
George Boatfield -- mediaofficer.union@newcastle.ac.uk
Current Affairs
Senior editor: Elizabeth Meade -- e.a.meade1@newcastle.ac.uk
News
-- courier.news@ncl.ac.uk Ruby Story-Dartford Alexander James Becca Alexander Renzo Szkwarok Daniel Wales
Campus Comment
-- courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk Kayleigh Fraser Tiyanna Mistry Amana Khan
Comment
-- courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk Humphrey Jordan Rosie Norman Emily Kelso
Science
-- c2.science@ncl.ac.uk Erika Armanino Jon Deery
Sport
Deputy Editor
Muslim Taseer -- m.taseer1@newcastle.ac.uk
Life & Style
Senior editor: Meg Howe --m.j.howe1@ncl.ac.uk
Relationships & Blind Date
Annabel Hogg Gabbi de Boer Imogen Mole
Lifestyle
-- c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk Leanna Thomson Faye Navesey Molly Taylor
Fashion & Beauty
-- c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Imogen Clarke Lizzie Yockney Sophia Ayub
Travel
-- courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Lenka Minarovicova Alice Holmes
Food & Drink
Marcel Shamshoum Scarlett Welch
Senior Editor: Peter Bath -- p.l.bath@ncl.ac.uk -- courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Lucy Rimmer Mitchell Hall Katie Siddall Castor Chan Ethan Todd
Social Media
Head of Social Media: Sarah Lahiri -- s.a.n.lahiri1@newcastle.ac.uk Meagan Screen
Culture
Senior editors: Maud Webster --m.webster4@ncl.ac.uk Hattie Metcalfe -- h.metcalfe1@ncl.ac.uk
Music
-- c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Rowan Christina Driver Oren Brown Lucy Bower
TV
-- c2.TV@ncl.ac.uk Rachael McCreanor Rebecca Sykes Carly Horne
Film
-- c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Jess Bradbury Autumn Keil George Bell
Gaming
-- courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Michael Duckworth Joseph Caddick Haaris Qureshi Peter Lennon
Arts
-- c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Ruby Taylor Maja Mazur Tom Wrath
Puzzles
Joseph Caddick
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Becca Alexander, Renzo Szkwarok, Ruby Story-Dartford, Alexander James & Daniel Wales
News
3
Lower-income students set to pay extra £28,000 in loan repayments Sam Norman
New policies will lead to an increase in student loan costs
U
would be strongly tied to the threshold for repayment, resulting in an increase in graduate payments by lower earners. Referred to as a “massive retrospective change in repayment conditions”, the IFS said the stark combination of inflation and loan changes would affect
lower and middle-earning graduates the most. Well-recognised student finance website 'Save the Student' opposed the changes, stating the plans were “at best poorly thought through, and at worst intentionally designed to benefit the
highest earners and punish lower earners". Tuition fees have been frozen at the current rate of £9,250, something to ease the financial anxiety of many students who feared a rise in tuition fees was an inevitability. This freeze will
nveiling a series of changes to post-18 education funding, the government has announced plans to extend the repayment period for student loans to 40 years, and lower the threshold for repayments to £25,000. The changes would affect students enrolling in 2023-2024. Following the Institute for Fiscal Studies' (IFS) first calculation of the effect of the government’s changes, it was expected lower and middle-earning graduates would result in paying an additional £15,000-£19,000 towards their loan.
“Massive retrospective change in repayment conditions”
hort witnessing the lower threshold. The IFS has calculated the changes will reduce the taxpayer's cost of student loans by £2.3 billion in long-run, with per borrower, the taxpayer cost of issuing student loans falling by around £6,200. This is mostly down to the higher repayments, but is also tied to the freeze in tuition fees. The President of the National Union of Students, Larissa Kennedy, has viewed the changes as another disregard for the lives of students, stating “this is nothing more than an attack on opportunity Coinciding with the IFS announced changes and rumours of restricted access to loans without a grade 4 in English and Maths GCSE, outrage towards the current student finance system appears to be growing. The Treasury, nevertheless, have found themselves winners of the situation. The public purse is estimated to gain an additional £600m in loan repayments, from substantially reducing the number of unpaid loans that would expire after 30 years.
Lower and middleearning graduates would result in paying an additional £15,000-£19,000
However, from what the IFS has described as a “crucial tweak”, inflation
benefit both current students and those in the process of applying. Current students will have the benefit of seeing their repayment threshold fixed at £27,000, with the new 2022 co-
Image: Larissa Kennedy via Twitter
Goldsmiths withdraw students from courses for striking and withholding tuition fees Elžbieta Voverytė
New policies will lead to an increase in student loan costs
I
Image: Goldsmiths UCU
n this week of university baddies, special mention to Goldsmiths for bullying and threatening to exclude students for protesting’ – Lizzie Seal, Criminology professor at Sussex University. The Senior Management Team in Goldsmiths University is withdrawing students from their programmes after they expressed support for striking staff by attending picket lines and withholding tuition payments. A Twitter account is currently representing striking students that have been removed from their courses and there seem to be quite a few of them. David Labi, who is doing his master’s in Arts and Politics has supported the striking staff by going on a fee strike. This led to him being withdrawn from his course by the University. "Just been kicked off my MA by @ GoldsmithsUoL, for withholding my fees this yr in support of @ucu @GoldsmithsUCU @goldsmithssu @GoldFeesStrike. Due to strike action I missed half classes last term and half this term, for which I’m still supposed to pay £4k+ upfront" he wrote on Twitter after receiving the email from the Enrollment Team. In an interview with the London Tab, David said that he and the other students who support the strike action felt
as if ‘students withholding fees seems to be the only way to force [the uni] to change their actions’. Prior to taking these measures, David says he and others informed the University about their strike action but never received any acknowledgement, just ‘threatening letters left, right, and centre’. The strike action in Goldsmiths University began in late December 2021 after University released a statement saying that they will be starting the ‘Goldsmiths Recovery Programme’ in an attempt to deal with a ‘range of financial pressures’. The plan involved letting go of the redundant staff, this included up to 32 professional service staff and 20 academics in the English Creative Writing, and History departments. Goldsmiths University and College Union (GUCU) believes that the changes would have an enormous effect on working staff members as this restructuring would be happening in the middle of the term, not to mention the major disruption to students’ studies. Along with speaking up about these issues, the University’s staff and supporting students have been participating in strikes currently happening across the country over pensions and pay, unsafe workloads, and equality failings. The UCU (University and College Union) has announced that there will be another round of strikes from 21st of March to 1st April. Goldsmiths, as well as Newcastle University, will be taking part in the second wave of strikes in different weeks.
Sub-editors: Becca Alexander, Renzo Szkwarok, Ruby Story-Dartford, Alexander James & Daniel Wales
4
Monday 14th March 2022
News
THE
COURIER
Director of Manchester art gallery forced to resign over pro-Palestinian exhibtion
A
Chloe Lewin
listair Hudson, head of the Whitworth gallery belonging to University of Manchester, has been forced to resign in response to the “outrage” caused by an exhibition titled Cloud Studies. The exhibition, in which solidarity to Palestine was expressed, was curated by Hudson and an investigative agency Forensic Architecture. It sought to explore the issues of air toxicity in relation to violations of human rights in Palestine, Beirut, Syria and Louisiana (US). It has been reported that the legal organisation UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) made a series of complaints following the exhibition, which was fundamental to the resignation of Hudson. The group were particularly troubled by the exhibition's assertion that: “Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine. While working on this exhibition we witnessed with horror yet another attack by Israel’s occupation forces on Palestinians. Partners and friends in Gaza told us first-hand about their experiences of the attacks that destroyed multi storey buildings, homes, the offices
of news organisations, schools, hospitals and businesses.” But questions have been raised over whether this expression of solidarity to the Palestinian people is really grounds for losing a job. Many have wondered whether the senitment of the exhibition is actually “controversial” - as it has so been branded by critics. Recent events in Ukraine have shown there is a clear distinction in how solidarity to warzone civiliians can be extended and deemed acceptable.
Image: Geograph
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) made a series of complaints Israel is defined as an apartheid state by B’tselem (Israel's largest human rights agency) and Human Rights Watch. In 2014, the UN deemed that Gaza would be unlivable by the year 2020. It is now 2022 and Gazan citizens remain without the same rights and freedoms of their Israeli neighbours. From 10th May 2021 until 21st May 2021, just months before Hudson’s exhibition began, 256 Gazan citizens were killed, including 66 children. Likewise, hundreds of buildings were levelled destroying the little infrastructure that managed to survive
the previous assault. At this time Gaza is rebuilding itself, but with the Israeli imposed ban on iron, cement and wood for construction citizens are left with repurposed debris. These actions mean that it can come as a surprise to some that expressions of Palestinian solidarity can have
consequences as severe as forced resignations. In 2018, 35 prominent Israeli scholars signed an open letter calling for distinction to be made between "legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism". Though antiSemitism is inexcusable, the conflation between the two actively stops people
from discussing the wrong-doings of the Israeli government. Given that the exhibiton is not antiSemitic, it appears these fears are all too legitimate with the firing of Alistair Hudson. Manchester University has refused to comment.
Home Office incorrectly accused thousands of students of cheating on English tests Elizabeth Meade -Head of Current Affairs
I
n 2014, thousands of students were deported from the UK after being accused of cheating on English tests during their visa application process. For years, they and various MPs have been fighting to get their names cleared. According to The Guardian, about 9,700 students were impacted. 2,500 of which were forced to leave and the remaining 7,200 were threatened with detention and later deportation if they stayed. The accusations were made by a company called Education Testing Service (ETS), a US company that invigilated the tests. When BBC Panorama investigated looking for fraud, Education Testing Service claimed that 97% of all tests were fraudulent.
Panorama's filming suggested students were having other people take their tests Panorama’s filming suggested that students were having other people take the tests for them or read answers to them during the test. This led to ETS labelling 58% of the tests as ‘invalid’
(i.e. fraudulent) and 39% as ‘suspicious’. Later analysis that 97% of tests being fraudulent was implausible. It would simply not make sense for so many students to participate in such a large cheating operation undetected. Panorama’s documentation most notably applied to only two test centres, meaning that any cheating could not be generalized to such a large number of students. There were eighty-eight other test centres that Panorama did not investigate.
Students stuck trying to clear their names The National Audit Office looked into the Home Office’s assessment of Education Testing Service’s assessment of the results. The National Audit Office determined that the Home Office was not qualified to determine whether Education Testing Service’s claims were accurate, as they did not consider the possibility that students had been wrongly accused. As of 2022, thousands of legal appeals have been made by students aiming to clear their names. These accusations have prevented them from gaining education, employment and visas even outside the UK. The Home Office has now changed the English testing process, but students are still advocating to have their names cleared. Stephen Kinnock, Shadow Home Office Minister, is now advocating for these students to receive assistance in overturning these charges.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Becca Alexander, Renzo Szkwarok, Ruby Story-Dartford, Alexander James & Daniel Wales
News
5
UK's Humanitarian Response To Ukraine 'not Enough' Erika Armanino - Science Sub-editor
T
he British government’s response to Ukrainians seeking asylum has come under scrutiny with relatives of close family being welcome, but little provision for others. On 1st of March, Boris Johnson announced an expansion to Britain’s Ukrainian Humanitarian Route. It will allegedly increase the number of Ukrainians who will be able to reunite with their families. This is the main route taken by the government and Home Office. Elderly parents, grandparents, adult children and siblings of Britishbased Ukrainian nationals are all part of the expansion that will see a further 100,000 Ukrainian's elegible to seek asylum, The Guardian reported. Titled the Ukraine Family Scheme, eligibility is restricted to people with at least one UK-based family member and who have been residding permanently in Ukraine prior to the 1st of January 2022. This Visa lasts three years and includes fingerprints and digital photographs being taken. The only Visa application centre is in Rzeszow, Poland as the centre in Kyiv was closed following Russian attacks. The waiting time is not specified on the Government
webpage, and only states that applicants will be contacted once a decision has been made. This scheme leaves behind millions of Ukrainians who do not have close or extended British family members. Following a hail of criticism from other European countries, Boris Johnson has also announced an immigration plan for those with no ties to the UK.
Image: Lois Jacqueline Friedrich (via @RealtyJcframcis on Twitter)
At the time of writing, there have been only 50 sucssessful visa applications To be eligible for this visa, applicants must be sponsored by approved bodies, such as communities, private sponsors, or authorities providing housing and integration support. Charities and privates sponsors will be the ones carrying the economic burden of Ukrainian asylum seekers with no support from the government. Specific details about this Visa have still not been announced by the Home Office. For those who do not fall into these categories, the only other option is the Standard Visitor Visa that costs £95 and lasts for up to six months. Standard visitor visa applications are currently taking on average six weeks to process. Immigration experts continue to criticise the UK’s restrictive visa
policy. Vanessa Ganguin, immigration solicitor, said to the Guardian: “According to the current wording, an aunt can join a niece in Britain but not the other way round. Their British relative has to be an immediate family
member of an extended family member, but an extended family member of an immediate member doesn’t count. Confused?” At the time of writing, there have been 50 successful Visa applications awarded
by the Home Office. Campaigners hope that the Government take in more refugees fleeing conflict in Ukraine
MPs are receiving a pay increase in April 2022 Image: Roger Harris (via Flickr)
Emily Kelso - Comment Sub-Editor
I
t has been announced that MPs will receive a 2.7% rise in their basic wages from the 1st of April. This move, whilst not made by Parliament themselves, has sparked significant backlash regarding both the timing
and the necessity of the pay rise. The pay rise consists of an extra £2,212, which brings the basic income of an MP to £84,144. This figure does not include the expenses paid for by the state, which include hiring staff, living in London and travel costs. This is only the basic income, as MPs can earn further money depending on if they fulfil ministerial duties alongside their duties to their constituency. Boris Johnson, for example, is entitled
to a further £79,286 by fulfilling the role of Prime Minister along with his position as Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, a constituency in Greater London. Downing Street confirmed last year, however, that ministerial salaries would not be included in any pay rise. The decision is not made by Parliament, instead by an independent committee: the Independent Parliamentary Standards. Their
justification for the pay rise is that it was to be the first pay rise for MPs in two years, which matched the increasing salaries for other public sector workers. The pay rise coincides with a rise in National Insurance, which has caused significant opposition to the news that MP will receive a pay rise. National Insurance rates also increase on the 1st of April, which mean that a further 1.25p must be paid with every pound paid. For an employee earning £20,000,
the increase would mean an extra £89 paid a year. The National Insurance rise had already been a contentious topic, given a key pledge in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto was to not raise the rate of National Insurance. There have been several vocal opponents to the news of the pay rise. Labour MP Zarah Sultana for Coventry South criticised the move in a video on TikTok. Sultana questioned whether it was appropriate for MPs to receive a pay-rise during a cost of living crisis, since MPs are already in the “top 5% of earners”. MP Nadia Whittome for Nottingham East expressed a similar view, again pointing to the cost of living crisis and the economic position MPs occupy. There have been no comments as of yet from Boris Johnson or Keir Starmer, but both leaders commented in 2021 that MPs should not receive a pay rise given the pandemic. Starmer elaborated, suggesting any money should instead be given to key workers. One reaction to the news has been for MPs pledging to donate the money to those in need. Sultana pledged to donate her pay rise money to Coventry’s foodbank and Coventry-based charities supporting refugees. Whittome, who already donated her earnings over £35,000, has confirmed “that won’t be changing” on Twitter. While some MPs, such as Richard Burgon, have pledged to donate extra to charities most MPs remain without comment. I have reached out to my Parliamentary representative, Trudy Harrison of Copeland, to inquire whether she will pursue a similar course of action but a response has not been received at the time of writing this article.
Sub-editors: Kayleigh Fraser, Tiyanna Mistry & Amana Khan
Monday 14th March 2022
THE
COURIER
Campus Comment The struggles of the Student Rep system 6
Courier writers weigh in with their opinions of the Student Rep system Joseph Caddick - Puzzles and Gaming sub-editor ’ve been a Student Rep since my second year, and now I’m halfway through my fourth. In that time, the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated bouts of industrial action have ensured that study has been almost constantly disrupted. If ever there was a time when Reps were needed, it’s been these past couple of years. That is, if we were listened to. Last year was an absolute mess, which I think anyone who studied at Newcastle last year would tell you. There was the whole “will they won’t they” over the introduction of safety nets, which ended up with something that was a safety net in name only. This of course caused a lot of tension between students and the executive staff in charge of these decisions. After little movement on their end, it left many of us School Reps lacking faith in the decision-making process. We had to fight long and hard for the photography days last July to provide a decent attempt at a celebration of the hardship students had faced during that academic year. Thankfully, this ended up happening, and was a rare success story where a compromise was able to keep everyone happy. Such cases were, and continue to be, highly uncommon, as concerns are often downplayed or trivialised when they are raised. This year, the stringent COVID-19 measures are being relaxed, but that doesn’t mean the impact of the pandemic has gone away; many students are struggling with their mental health, the sense of community is only just rebuilding, and the student experience has generally been sidelined to focus specifically on academic matters. It is important to note that on a school level, in SELLL there is a mutual respect that leads to productive conversations and practical solutions to the problems
I
that students face. When you go beyond this level, the student voice becomes unheard, evoking feelings of being a kid who is saying the right things, but being ignored because they’re a kid. When we’re supposed to be peers and colleagues to staff, this is extremely disheartening. With the industrial action currently taking place at Newcastle (which I very much support), mitigating the impact on students should be a top priority, as it understandably causes a great deal of anxiety and concern in even those who support the strikes. Students in their third year have had close to their entire course marred with disruptions, and to have no public plans to effectively mitigate this shows that the student voice is not considered anywhere near as much as it needs to be. In meetings that I have attended, I have heard some troubling language used to describe the role of Student Reps. The Vice Chancellor said to Reps last year that their role to was be the bridge between staff and students, though this ignores that we are very much Student Representatives, and if students are angry then we have every right to convey that. We have also been described as pushing an agenda which is not in line with the student opinion. To me, this is deeply unfair, and suggests that senior staff do not trust Student Reps. Having been a Rep for so long, I know the work that goes into trying to gauge as much opinion on every issue we raise. Although it can be difficult to reach every single student, those who can’t be reached are unlikely to engage in any form of student voice, whether it be Student Reps or something else. For a university that claims to consider student representation as “a key part of how they engage with students”, Newcastle University has consistently failed to listen to our voice in times of crisis. While some effort has been made in a handful of cases, most of the time it unfortunately falls short, and students are left picking up the pieces. This leaves me wondering if the system is fit for purpose, and if there should be additional systems in place to make sure our voices are heard.
Anonymous student
P
osters exist across the Armstrong Building, asking students “do you think your history course is perfect? If not, tell us and become a rep.” The school of History, Classics and Archaeology (HCA) is always desperate for Course Representatives, we were practically hounded about the matter back in first year. In the years I have been a course rep, it has not always been a pretty sight. I have been involved in tense negotiations asking for information from lecturers. In the first Board of Studies (BOS) meeting after the March 2020 lockdowns had begun, I posed a simple question to lecturers: what will happen to our placements? My peers were very concerned about the matter and as a rep I had no choice but to raise the issue. I raised it carefully, however – we knew plans could not be concrete due to the lockdown but we just wanted to know the options being discussed. I made this clear to staff when posing the question. What followed felt like a dressing down from staff, who stated they could not be sure (which I had already acknowledged) and that our fieldwork was still a priority (which was somewhat reassuring). In all honesty, it felt like a cop out of an answer. I asked the same question again a meeting later, this time in the first BOS of the 2020/21 academic year. Once again I asked for any sort of updates and an acknowledgement that plans were privy to change, students just wanted to be in the loop. The same member of staff began to chastise me again for asking, and a different member of staff actually had to intervene on my behalf to clarify we students only wanted in the loop. What was a simple request for updates felt like a telling off for
daring to ask about a crucial part of our degree, something my peers and I were rightly concerned about. Ultimately the lecturer consigned and we were given more updates, which did reassure peers. I should not have had to fight that hard for more clarity.
Staff are frequently not receptive to the concerns of course reps By far the worst incident I witnessed during a meeting was in a Student Voice Committee meeting (SVC). A student with extra needs had come before the committee to appeal the decision by Archaeology to not enforce ReCap (remember that?!?) in lectures. This student could not always attend lectures and had to rely on the notes of peers, which often was not enough. Staff in the SVC refused to budge however, with one member of staff and the student talking back and forth for an entire 30 minutes as to why the student and fellow students with extra needs could not have ReCap. As a rep, I had never felt so helpless – here was someone in need of help and a lecturer stuck in their ways. The system has changed now with mostly online lectures in HCA as part of the blended learning approach. I don’t feel like hearts and minds have changed along with lectures though. The system of Course Reps in theory facilitates the idea that HCA want improvements and positive change. For the most part, the system does work and staff/ students collaborate to make the university better and representative for everyone. But the system does not always work and lecturers do not always listen. This is why we need course reps more than ever.
Elizabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs
T
he list of issues faced by Course Reps is short but nevertheless important. Firstly, it is hard to communicate with students, many of whom aren’t aware of Course Reps or what they do. Some courses have a group chat so it is easy to advertise, but not everyone is in the group chat and not everyone is willing to speak up on that platform. Additionally, students tend to depend on Course Reps to represent complicated issues that require lots of advocacy, rather than stepping up to make their own voices heard. While many students are very busy and I don’t have a problem with bringing up whatever they want me to talk about, I think they would benefit from speaking up about their own concerns, because that would show staff that course issues are widespread and not limited to three or four Course Reps. Staff are frequently not receptive to the concerns of Course Reps. The prevailing attitude in the Chemistry department is that students are complaining too much. For instance, I and others pointed out that not granting a PEC for a student forced to work unexpected overtime would be unfair to students who need to support themselves. However, the response I received was that since a student knows they have a job, any work-related obstacles are not an unexpected circumstance. This behaviour implies that staff are out of touch with the realities students face and pretend to not understand student concerns so they have an excuse to not address them. I’m not personally negatively impacted by many of the issues I bring up, but I still think they are important because they impact many students. Therefore, I feel less personally hurt by staff reactions and more confused. I don’t have to work to support myself, and therefore don’t face employer issues, but I can still feel bad for students who do and face educational conflicts because of it. Why can’t staff do this?
Image: max pixel
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Kayleigh Fraser, Tiyanna Mistry & Amana Khan
Campus Comment
7
Vape culture: all smoke and mirrors? The Millennium view
E
Francesca Read Cutting
lf bars, geek bars, the list goes on. Vapes have become a central part of society - especially at University. "What flavour vape you got?". The now too familiar one-liner of every night out, and one that I am definitely guilty of. It does not really matter what flavour it is, I'll inevitably pull a sheepish face as it gets passed over, relishing the hit of nicotine accelerating the alcohol buzz I've been slowly building. And the beauty is that 9/10 times I don't even need to leave the warmth of the building, as I would have been forced to do for a smoke. But is that also part of the problem? Big tobacco have been cracked down on hard in the U.K., forced to cover their products in visually shocking images of the destruction they could cause. While most people are able to laugh these images off , they do force you to acknowledge what you are buying in to. This is a strong contrast to the toy-like packaging of disposable vapes, in bright colours and sounding like they count as one of your five a day. I was incredibly
interested in wider perceptions, so myself and The Courier passed around a survey to my friends, many of whom said they "felt violated" by the questions. The responses confirmed much of what I already knew first hand.
There was an equal divide in whether 'disposable' was seen as an advantage My findings showed that people agree with the statement that 'vaping smells nicer than smoking' and 'they would rather be around those who vape than smoke'. However, a range of negative side effects have been noticed, including a sore chest, dry throat, shortness of breath and predominantly a cough. 82% of those surveyed said they would not smoke as much as they vape, if
vaping were not an option. Disposable vapes were by far the most popular type, with 40% of responders saying they get through at least three a month. There was an equal divide in whether 'disposable' was seen as an advantage.
60% of all responders claimed not to be addicted to vaping
Interestingly, 85% agreed that vaping was too accessible, with one respondent emphasising "Absolutely. They are sold in marketshaker toilets! If I am drunk in a club I shouldn’t have the option to buy a highly addictive thing? Awful." While this responder described them as highly addictive, 60% of all responders claimed not to be addicted to vaping. Overall, the survey confirmed that people are noticing a decline in their respiratory health associated with their vaping habits. Yet if the majority are not addicted, then why would they continue to put their health at risk?
N
Francesca Read Cutting ewcastle has so many beautiful bridges, all different in their own way. For me, there's only one bridge that can come
out on top. "What is your favourite bridge in Newcastle?". As soon as the question was asked, I knew there was only one right answer. Let me guide you there. You have made your way to the quayside, trudging down the steep sided slope from town, dashing across pedestrian crossings. You become part of the human traffic flowing alongside the river. Maybe you are alone pondering your thoughts, with fellow uni mates getting some much needed time away from your work, or showing the sights to a first-time v i s i t o r.
You follow along with the crowd, taking in the gigantic mirrored dome of the Sage Gateshead (I did not know what it was called until writing this). A few small boats bob on the waters surface, and debris gently floats by with birds touching down and taking off. Lost in what you are doing, you drift to the right and begin to cross the river. That is when you really stop and fall in love with Newcastle, as the scene from a biscuit tin stretches before you. A view that you can take full advantage of, thanks to the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Opened in 2001, of course, the Millennium Bridge is Newcastle at its best. Whenever you see it, you know that you're in the toon. It's beautiful, yet still so simple and clean. It will always be my favourite.
Image: Legion of Vapers eLiquid
Image: Geograph
Two for the price of one? The ups Rate it or hate it: Clubbing and downs of Combined Honours Ginny Harris
Sam Norman
A writer discusses the critical differences between combined and single honour degrees
M
ore than halfway into my first year as a Combined Honours student and one thing has already become evidently clear, there are vast differences between the experience of a Single and Combined Honours student. A Joint Honours programme is becoming increasingly popular among students who are looking for a broad academic experience. According to UCAS, back in 2013 just under 60,000 people applied for Joint Honours degrees, and the number has only grown since. The ability to select samples of different subjects before narrowing your degree as the three-year progresses attracted me as it does many students; however, it can be this enticement that is also the biggest burden.
Stretching beyond one subject can create an excessive workload
Despite having the same number of modules per semester, stretching beyond one subject can create an excessive workload that a Single Honours programme would have planned against. It is this differentiation in subject, teaching and overall
departments, that can often leave students with two contrasting experiences of university based on their different subjects. I can’t help but be paranoid about missing essential content that is compulsory for a Single Honours student. However, a student on Combined Honours can benefit from selectivism with modules that leaves them with only the modules they plan to utilise further in their degree. This cuts out subjects that would lack fulfilment or use for a student, leaving their experience more well-rounded and efficient for their own needs. Equally, the need to balance and miss out on modules can be a disadvantage.
To me, the difference are distinctive, but not drastic
I'm fortunate enough to be on a Combined Honours degree where both programmes take place under the English umbrella. Last semester I had two linguistic modules and one literature, with this semester the inverse. Whilst the variation is pleasant, I can’t help but be paranoid about missing essential content that is compulsory for a Single Honours student. In Literature and Linguistic modules respectively, there are 4 compulsory modules for the first year, therefore I will be missing an essential part of teaching from each programme that other students will benefit from. Of course, I was aware of this upon entry to university, but it does not ease the idea of missing an important section of education. Socially, there can be ups and down to Combined Honours programmes
too. With Single Honours students sharing a minimum of two seminars, familiar faces become regular, however, splitting time between the two subjects prevents that sense of familiarity. Newcastle University has become good at combatting this, however. During Fresher’s period, there was a Combined Honours mixer, with the University recognising the difficulties and providing an opportunity for students to socialise. There is also a Combined Honours Society in which students are given the opportunity to attend numerous events and further expand social circles. To me, the differences are distinctive, but not drastic. Whilst there are ups and downs to a Joint Honours programme, neither dramatically outweigh the other, with a similar level of pros and cons as a regular Single Honours programme. Minor difficulties fail in comparison to the benefits of a Combined Honours degree if it is utilised efficiently. It is these pros that would push me to have no regrets in my degree choice, and absolutely recommend a programme similar to anyone who felt the pathway was correct for them.
A
s a first year, clubbing is clearly at the forefront of my mind and Newcastle is clearly the place to be for this. Yet my love for clubbing has a less-precedented origin. The calamity of the COVID pandemic and the social suicide of my teen years occurred when Boris Johnson announced I would be spending the legendary 18th birthday in lockdown. With pubs and bars a no-go, clubbing was out of the question and my first legal drink was an Aperol spritz with my parents- not exactly ideal. Fast forward to Fresher's Week and I was introduced to the world of Market Shaker and Grey's, Digital and Bohemia, and I loved it. The antithesis of being cooped up in the house with only my family to entertain my need for socialisation, the bustling nights of non-stop dancing, singing and I can’t lie, knocking back copious shots was nothing short of an extrovert’s fantasy. Clubbing is a chance to socialise without the awkward pressure of running out of things to say with the added bonus of a guaranteed anthem. Clubbing for me? Vital.
Image: Kayleigh Fraser
Kayleigh Fraser - Campus Comment sub-editor
I
feel like in my life I've come full circle when I think about clubbing. At the ripe old age of 19 I entered my first club when I started university. Terrified, I walked with my friends down to Rusty's after finally being persuaded to tag along. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it and resolved to go more often. Unfortunately, that day was in February of 2020, and we all know what happened a month later. I pretty much spent the entirety of lockdown wishing I'd gone clubbing more and regretting my life choices. Of course, nearly a year and a half later, I partied until the early hours when we were finally allowed to have freedom. In that time, I realised what a hangover actually was, (since I'd never actually experienced one before) and drank so many jagerbombs that I can no longer look at one without wanting to be sick. Since then, I've had a few hangovers and chunders that really make me question why I even bother in the first place. Extortion for doubles, a huge fare to get an Uber home, and a raging headache that means I have to take the day after off. Now, I'm much more of a fan of quiet nights in bars and getting home around midnight. Maybe even going for a meal with a friend and having a double with that. I really can't be bothered to push past people in clubs anymore and get drinks spilled on me, and with the added fear of spiking, clubbing just doesn't feel like fun anymore. Is this evidence of me getting old? Maybe. Am I finished with hangovers? Absolutely.
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Emily Kelso & Humphrey Jordan
Comment
9
Two 'Welcomes': Poland's problematic refugee preference Ross Bennett
A closer look at Poland's 'open arm' policy toward Ukrainian refugees in contrast to those from further afield
T
he ongoing crisis in Ukraine has thankfully drawn the attention of the world to eastern Europe, with countries around the globe offering aid and support to the Ukrainians struggling in these disastrous times. One of these nations is Poland, who has undergone a major U-turn in migrant policy when it comes to accepting fleeing Ukrainians. Whilst this is of course a victory for human rights in eastern Europe, there is an alarming contrast between the Polish government’s treatment of Ukrainian refugees and refugees from non-European nations. In the early hours of the morning of March 2nd, the Polish border guard tweeted the following: “Yesterday, 98,000 people entered Poland from Ukraine. Since February 24, our staff cleared the entry of over 453,000 people fleeing wartorn Ukraine. #BorderGuardhelps
#solidarywithukraine”. An hour later, the same account tweeted: “Last night, 51 foreigners tried to illegally cross into Poland from Belarus. 11 people from Syria, 33 from Iraq, 1 from Burkina Faso and 6 from Congo were arrested”. With migrants from nations, usually situated in the Middle East, using Belarus as foothold into Europe as they flee their homelands for reasons such as war, persecution and economic hardship, Poland has been characteristically unsympathetic. Yet when it comes to those fleeing the situation in Ukraine, the Polish government stands with open arms in solidarity. Poland are even using the hashtag #PolandFirstToHelp to promote their welcoming of Ukrainian refugees.
African refugees are left behind Poland’s recent hostility towards non-white migrants has only been highlighted by this recent display of neighbourliness. It is hard to clap the Polish government on the back when you look at the way they treat those from largely non-white nations. This hostility from migrants entering from Belarus could be seen as anger at the current Belarusian government – led by the controversial president Alexander Lukashenko, who in 2021 threatened to “flood” the EU with human traffickers, drug smugglers and armed migrants. Whilst this of course
Image: yonast98 via Twitter
could be seen as the reasoning behind Poland’s hostility towards migrants entering from Belarus, it is alarming that migrants from largely non-white nations are more often seen as violent criminals when compared with their European counterparts. After all, nobody is referring to the fleeing Ukrainians as drug smugglers or human traffickers. When asked about the migrants coming from places like Iraq and Syria, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz
Blaszczak claimed "the open-door policy led to terrorist attacks in Western Europe”. The link between open door migrant policies and terrorist attacks has been a hotly debated one in Europe for years, most notably after the 2015 migrant crisis and the series of terror attacks that took place in Paris in November 2015. It is telling to see the different reactions of the Polish government (and to a larger extent European people as a whole) when it comes to Ukranian
refugees and refugees from outside of Europe. Worryingly, refugees from Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are more likely to be labelled terrorists and criminals when compared with those from European nations such as Ukraine. Is this racism? Or merely the result of European camaraderie being seen as more important? And are the two really that mutually exclusive?
Of 'Women and Children': A gendered perspective on Ukraine Hannah Ross
The Ukraine crisis is considered in light of gendered expectations - and how they are a detriment to all
A
s the crisis of war and destruction continues in Ukraine, we are starting to see the stories emerging of Ukrainian nationals and how they have been affected. However, are some Ukrainians suffering more than others due to gender discrimination? After the announcement from Ukraine that women and children may flee but men must stay and fight, I explore how this has affected men and women in different ways and how they are subject to different forms of suffering due to their gender. It seems a broken record at this point to continue asking why women and children are still lumped together as if they are a single category to the media. To this end, prominent feminist international relations scholar, Cynthia Enloe coined the phrase 'womenandchildren' to highlight this, now almost inseparable, association. Women, portrayed in this way, are seen as helpless as the children they try to protect. This does not seem to be the case in Ukraine however, as many mothers are dropping off their children somewhere safe (relatively speaking) beyond the border, and then returning to protect their country with their partners. The iconic video of a Ukrainian woman berating a heavily armed Russian soldier before handing him sunflower
seeds to put in his pocket so that they bloom after he died demonstrates the attitude many women hold of standing fearless against the Russians. Rather than portraying women as only good for running away with their children, the media must start distinguishing the two, showing women's strength; we must not forget that female refugees are strong too, considering they often have to care for a number of dependents such as children, the sick and the elderly. Examining the other side of the policy put forward by Ukraine, men suffer in an entirely different way; 18-60 year old men are being prevented from leaving the country, forced to stay and fight even if they do not want to or feel able to. Men are painted as the heroes that swoop in and save everyone, a pressure that even the strongest of us would struggle to deal with being thrust upon us. Are the men less scared than the women? Absolutely not – war is frightening, period. Why should men be forced to fight when it may be against their will, all in the name of proving some toxic, archaic form of masculinity?
one rule for all, not a division of roles based on a superfluous categorisation. Women should not have expectations placed on them to flee conflict and men should be given the opportunity to leave and care for their family if women are also permitted to do so.
Are the men less scared than the women?
The gendered discourse of the nation expects men to fill the role of protectors to follow a 'masculine trope', whilst women must be protected as they are seen as the reproducers of the next generation of national culture and society. It is 2022. Why are people expected to fulfil roles based on their gender? Today, it should be
Image: Carolicen via Twitter
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
A foie gras faux pas: UK animal rights in danger Castor Chan - Sports Sub-Editor
Delays and debates may have driven the desire to decriminalise a disastrous duck delicacy
T
he Animals Abroad Bill was first hoped to be passed back in July, but repeated delays have meant that it has yet to happen. One of the aims included in the government’s action plan is a ban against the import and sale of foie gras, but now it seems that it may be dropped. So why is foie gras surrounded by such controversy - enough so that the government is trying to crack down on it? It is duck liver, a delicacy sought after by chefs and gourmands alike. But even in the industry itself, renowned chefs like Wolfgang Puck are against its use. The issue that people have with foie gras is the process of gavage - the force-feeding that is necessary to enlarge the liver and get the fat content that is a characteristic of the food. A long tube is fed down the throats of the ducks and food is deposited into their crop until the liver is approximately 10 times its normal size. Yet some argue that gavage is only done about two to three weeks prior to slaughter, and most of the ducks’ lives are spent in humane conditions.
A long tube is fed down the throats of the ducks until the liver is ten times its normal size
While the anatomy of a duck is vastly different to a human’s and produces much less discomfort than it would if performed on someone, the idea of overfeeding does not sit well with both animal lovers and experts. But in 2005 the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates issued a statement stating, “limited peerreviewed, scientific information is
available dealing with the animal welfare concerns associated with foie gras production, but the observations and practical experience shared by HOD members indicate a minimum of adverse effects on the birds involved". Of course, there are ways to achieve fattier livers without gavage. One method entails coordinating slaughter with winter migration, when livers are naturally fattier. Then there are farms that simply allow the birds to eat freely, or trick them into eating for migration. Even Waitrose makes a product named Faux Gras, with a claim that it is made from “free range geese, humanely reared on British farms and never force fed”. Much of the foie gras now produced in the world is from France. There are numerous countries where its production is banned, but not its import. Therefore, restaurants and people can still purchase the ingredient and use it if they like. India is the only country where both are currently banned. As Northern Ireland continues to follow EU rules, a foie gras ban would mean differing protocols between them and the rest of the country. The ban on the import of fur is also rumoured to be dropped. Frank Zilberkweit, Chairman of the British Fur Trade Association claims that the fur trade industry is sustainable, and has spoken out, “If the public agree that fur is not a suitable product to wear, they won't buy it… The fur trade is always happy to liaise with the government about ways to improve standards in the industry, and to explain what we are doing".
The UK government has claimed they will "legislate further to protect animals abroad as soon as parliamentary time allows" As of now, the UK government has claimed they will “legislate further to protect animals abroad as soon as parliamentary time allows”.
Sub-editors: Erika Armanino & Jon Deery
Science
Russian scientists: "We demand peace"
Gabriela Wieckowsa
Putin's ruthless invasion of Ukraine has also impacted Russia's standing in the scientific community
O
ver seven thousand Russian scientists and science experts have signed an open letter condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The academics living both in Russia and abroad, stated that “there is no rational justification for this war”. The letter states that, by initiating the conflict with Ukraine, Russia “doomed itself to international isolation” and became “a pariah country”. The academic community predicts that the isolation from the rest of Europe will result in a “cultural and technological degradation of [their] country” and call it “a step to nowhere”. The signatories, many of whom
Scientific research is "unthinkable without trust & cooperation"
about a shared history of Russians and Ukrainians fighting side by side in WWII. They emphasise that they “respect the Ukrainian statehood, which rests on the ideals of a democratic institution” and are convinced that “problems in the relationships between our countries could have been resolved peacefully”. They also express concern about not being able to do their jobs, as conducting scientific research is “unthinkable without cooperation and trust with colleagues from other countries”. The letter was published on an independent Russian news website
trv-science.ru and reached over 6000 additional signatures since it was initially published on February 24th with 600 signatures. Russia launched a military invasion on Ukraine on February 24th, attacking from sea and air. The missile strikes on Ukrainian cities included the Ukraine capital city Kyiv. Ukraine’s Emergency Service stated that there were over 2,000 civilian deaths as of March 3rd, and U.N. Refugee Agency has estimated that over 1.3 million people have fled the country.
Image: Pixel
“have relatives, friends, and colleagues living in Ukraine”, remind
Chimps found to nurse one another like humans Jessi Bennett
Who is training these primates in First Ape skills, however, is unclear
T
Image: Anna Lee, Scholarly Commons
11
he wild chimpanzees of the Rekambo community have long been the subject of scientific wonder due to their decidedly unconventional behaviours, some not seen in chimpanzees anywhere else in the world. A new study has now highlighted another unique behaviour, which, other than humans, marks the first ever observed instance of peer-to-peer wound treating in the animal kingdom. Within the dense forests of Gabon, Central Africa, inhabits the now somewhat infamous chimpanzees of the Rekambo community. Studied carefully by scientists for many years, this group of wild chimpanzees are known to frequently demonstrate behaviours that are seemingly unique to their colony. For example, these chimps have been observed catching, killing, and eating tortoises, and there is even an account of a lethal attack on two infant gorillas which coinhabit the same national park as the chimps. This new study, published in Current
Biology, describes how the enigmatic Rekambo chimpanzees may be using crushed insects to treat wounds. Researchers of this group have witnessed the chimps collect insects, crush them between their fingers or lips and apply them to open wounds such as cuts and bites. This is an incredible observation - however, what makes this behaviour truly ground-breaking is that the chimps have been seen using this insect treatment on other members of the group. Self-medicating in the animal kingdom has been observed for a long time, as some animals use certain plant leaves for their antiseptic properties or consume grass in order to aid digestion. However, despite the efforts of scientists, allo-medicating (animals treating the wounds of others) has not yet been observed in any other species, until now. This is also the first time the use of insects to treat a wound has been witnessed outside of human medicine. Scientists have not yet identified the species of insect that is being used by the chimpanzees, and so cannot determine if there are any true healing properties to this
method.
Self-medicating in the animal kingdom has been observed for a long time Whether this insect-ointment is a truly effective healing remedy or a charitable gesture of pro-social behaviour, these fascinating chimpanzees prove to scientists that there may be more similarities between us and our primate relatives than previously anticipated.
Image: Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Gabbi de Boer, Annabel Hogg & Imogen Mole
Relationships
13
Rate the Date What made you sign up for Blind Date? I thought it would be fun and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. What was your first impression of Anisha? I thought she was incredibly smart, funny and an incredibly bubbly person. What did you choose to eat and drink? We didn't get anything to eat, but I had two pints of Amstel Beer, and Anisha had a dark fruits slushie. What was the conversation like? The conversation was great. Never any awkward pauses, and we talked about everything, from our lives before coming to Newcastle, to our music tastes, which were remarkably similar. Did you find out anything interesting about your date? Yes. Possibly the most interesting thing was the fact that she was a cross-country runner and had competed in competitions around the world! Describe your date in 3 words. Fascinating, pretty and fun. Would you like to see Anisha again? Yes.
Anisha, Economics & Finance, 19
Tom, Politics & International Relations, 19
Rate the Date What made you sign up for Blind Date? I had never been on a blind date before, so i was curious. That's how I ended up applying. What was your first impression of Tom? I thought he was very well-dressed and a real gentleman. What did you choose to eat and drink? I had a slushie which was basically ONLY ice. Poor Tom had to sit and watch me figure out how to drink it without a straw because I was too lazy to go and get one. What was the conversation like? It started off with us answering some basic questions. As we got to know eachother more and became more comfortable, it got better. We talked loads about politics and shared some really fun stories. Did you find out anything interesting about your date? That man has lived in, I don't know, at least 10 countries which is crazy to me. Describe your date in 3 words. Sweet, easy to talk to and a good listener. Would you like to see Tom again? I would love to see him again in a non-date setting. We hit it off as friends.
Sub-editors: Gabbi de Boer, Annabel Hogg & Imogen Mole
Monday 14th March 2022
THE
COURIER
Relationships The myth of "If they wanted to, they would" 14
- I’m testament to the idea that even if they want to, they might not.
Annabel Hogg - Relationships sub-editor
Sometimes the ‘if they wanted they would’ trope can stand in the way of potential romances
I
To condemn this with such a widespread statement is reductive
I don’t think I’ve ever soberly texted someone new, I’m usually paralytically drunk and even then, it’s usually a case of friends stealing the phone and doing it for me. Even when I’ve
f they wanted to, they would - It’s a phrase heard all the time. I have used it on many occasions to reassure myself or my friends that the person of interest is not worth crying over. But, on reflection, I think this phrase is an unfair condemnation and one that could harm blossoming romances. I must say that I think this is slightly different in long-term relationships. If your partner is showing you zero attention and never arranges to see you, it’s probably fitting to say that if they wanted to, they would. However, don’t let your friends tell you to dump your partner of three years because they didn’t respond to one text on a night out. There are a million and one reasons why that might be the case and you could lose the love of a lifetime by jumping to conclusions. However, for the purposes of this article, I’m mainly referring to potential relationships - the idea that if you want to be with someone, you will make that known and make it happen. Now I’m not suggesting that many of us suffer from the star-crossed lovers trope and can’t be together because we’re living in our own versions of 'Romeo and Juliet'. But, as someone who is never able to Image: Thought bubbles - Pixabay ( openclipartvectors) properly talk about their feelings
established a friendship with someone and know that they enjoy talking to me, my finger tends to hover over the send button for a good few minutes before hitting it. It seems unfair to hold other people to this standard of always acting as they want to when I fail to meet it 99% of the time. Of course, the simple answer to why we’re so scared of acting as we wish to is the fear of rejection. And I think, to some extent, that this is true. Being rejected, especially when it’s not a casual ask on tinder but something far more sincere, is hard and can end up terminating friendships. However, there are also so many other reasons why someone might refrain
from being with you even if that’s what they want. It takes a lot for me, as a renowned romantic, to admit that sometimes romance is hindered by logic. It’s even harder for me to agree that sometimes, this is okay. There’s the possibility that the person you’re interested in is moving away and doesn’t want to commit to long distance. You could be co-workers scared of mixing professional and personal. They could value you so much as a friend that the potential reality of losing you just isn’t worth the risk. There are a multitude of reasons why someone might not act the way they wish to, and to condemn this with such a widespread statement is reductive and ignores all complexities. Love cannot conquer all, and to believe so is to diminish the feelings of those who are simply trying to do the right thing, not the romantic thing. It's probably no more comforting to think that your feelings are requited but not acted on than it is to be flat-out rejected. In fact, it’s arguably worse. I would rather hear that someone just doesn’t see me that way than have my life dictated by external forces. That’s where the ‘right person, wrong time’ trope comes in, and it’s the saddest one of all. Anyone who knows me will be shocked at the unsparkly tone of this article, so I must conclude by saying that I do genuinely believe that if they want to, one day they might. Right now is not the be-all and end all and if there are obstacles in the way, they might just clear – it’s not all doom and gloom. But right now, don’t presume that someone doesn’t feel the way you do, it could be that at this very minute their finger is hovering over a send button – maybe one day it will be pressed.
Image: ; La La Land (2016) (IMDB)
Obsessive partners: what we can learn from Kanye West Kate Goy
Moving on from a partner is already difficult, even more so when your ex-partner won't leave you alone.
K
anye West is an icon. There’s no denying his enormous presence and influence on our media-obsessed society, his Yeezy brand selling out within minutes, albums consistently charting top, and his self-obsessed nature tops him as arguably the most iconic artist of his generation. But his icon status doesn’t stop with his genius songwriting – he’s also a certified ass. Famously embarrassing poor Taylor Swift, crashing the VMA stage after she won Best Female Video, it seemed that Kanye’s poor social behaviour came from a place of narcissism, something that he seemed to shed only for his wife Kim Kardashian. And it was sweet. We all watched him pine after her for years, finally putting someone other than himself first, winning her over, and showering her with gifts. But then, Kanye decided to backtrack completely. He denied slavery existed, proudly wore MAGA merch and decided to run for
Social media can be a damaging constant reminder that someone can be and is happier without you
president. And this is when his relationship fell apart. “When I divorced him, you have to know it came down to just one thing: his personality”, Kim Kardashian recently said in her SNL host monologue. I believe this to be a rather overlooked statement. Treated as a joke for obvious reasons, the
public brushed off the rather concerning comment from the once besotted wife of Kanye. It seems as if, now that Kanye is no longer under the clasp of the Kardashians, his true personality is being expressed online, and it’s majorly concerning.
Image: You Tube ( The Game)
Obsession with exes is common, we all check up on our old partner's Instagrams now and again, comparing our happiness with theirs, slightly lingering on the photo of their new partner. Kanye takes this to the extreme. Highly humorous at a glance, the icon that lost his mind and wife to a skinny stoner, Kanye’s posts were treated as a joke. And they were funny, the memes were funny, but ultimately, we were all ignoring the incredibly problematic obsession behind it. ‘Skete’ was thrust into a sea of death threats, and Kanye fuelled the chaos, and we revelled in it. But, we forget about poor Kim. Already suffering enough from yet another divorce, the father of her children takes to social media to criticise everything she is doing to chase her own happiness – a sort of mental abuse that no one would be able to escape, with his following so fiercely loyal and large. It makes me wonder how damaging social media is for moving on from relationships, how damaging the constant reminder that someone can be and is happier without you. Obsession leads to comparisons and constant thoughts of ‘why not me? Why am I not good enough?’. This culminates into a toxic, self-indulgent mindset instead of doing the healthy thing. That being just letting go, forgiving and forgetting, and living a life that can be much more fulfilling without the person who clearly just wasn’t right for you. As someone who has been at the butt end of an obsessed, toxic ex, who critiqued my every move on social media and my attempts to move on, please friend, please don’t be like Kanye.
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Gabbi de Boer, Annabel Hogg & Imogen Mole
Relationships
15
For the sake of self love Hannah Ross
Why your relationship with yourself is the best relationship you can have
P
eople are so focused on worrying about everyone else in their life that they forget to look after the most important person in it – themselves. Sometimes we even forget how to look after ourselves and keep up that good relationship. So, what does it mean to have a good relationship with ourselves, and how do we go about managing it? How do we nurture any relationship? We care about that person and help them through the challenging times. We love them. Well, apply this same mindset to yourself. Remember, the person you spend the most time with in a day is you, so it makes sense to take extra care with that relationship. The most important thing is loving yourself and listening to yourself – this goes for your body, your personality, your aspirations, everything! Self-confidence is imperative to a good relationship with yourself. Stress and anxiety are some of the most important things to combat as these can be the most damaging to you both psychologically and physically. If your body is telling you that you are stressed then address the situation, don't avoid it. Avoidance perpetuates anxiety. Recognise the situation you are in and address solutions to the possible scenarios you are worried about. If the stress is work-related, set a cut-off time for working to keep some time for yourself to do what you enjoy. If you must work late, create a calming environment with candles, warm lighting, and gentle music to help
keep your mind at ease as you work. I find it beneficial to set a positive intention for the day when I get ready as well, such as 'today I will be confident'. Telling yourself something like this sets it as a subconscious goal in your mind and so increases the likelihood of acting out your intention. Even better, carry something with you that, when you touch it, reminds you of this intention. This can be anything, though I am secretly a crystal lover, so this works best for me as they are small and nice to look at but choose anything that you would associate with your intention – colours tend to be good reminders. Health and fitness is another key factor – care for your body as this will care for your mind, making you less fatigued and stressed. Don't force strenuous exercise on yourself if this is not enjoyable for you but try a few different things before you give it up completely as it boosts serotonin and helps train your body to regulate energy release. Even just a walk in the fresh air can be incredibly beneficial to you. Don’t give up crisps and chocolate completely – you deserve a treat every so often. But also make sure to eat a balanced diet and plenty of fruit and vegetables, and DO NOT dip out on the carbs – these are your main energy source! Last but certainly not least is good sleep hygiene. Give yourself a regular wake-up time and make sure you are going to sleep with enough time to get your eight hours in. It can take up to two months to regulate your sleep cycle so stick with it. Don't change the time that you get up as this makes you more tired throughout the day. As someone who needs sound on to go to sleeBp to distract my brain, I can’t criticise being on a screen before bed, but don’t use social media and try to put a night filter on. Follow these tips and hopefully, you will find that
you are happier with yourself. Don't get upset if you have a down day or two. It is normal to feel like this sometimes and, as I said, listen to yourself and care for yourself when it is needed. The world is a beautiful place that produces beautiful things like you. Go out and enjoy it!
own body. For some people, their physical disabilities may include being unable to hold a sex toy, genital numbness, erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness. There are commercial options to assist with these, such as sex slings and the Bump’N Joystick, but they are expensive and aren’t always feasible options. I don’t have the space in my bedroom for a sex chair, and I don’t think my flatmates would appreciate me keeping one in the
kitchen. Sometimes sex feels like a constant battle between my libido and my body. Sex can be difficult, or leave me sore and bleeding for the next few days. Being disabled doesn’t mean I can’t have sex; being disabled means I have sex in different ways. If my joints are in pain, it means being creative with positions and propping up various joints with pillows. If I’m too fatigued, it means cuddling my
Image :Pixabay ( Victoria - Borodinova)
Sex and hypermobility Leo David Prajogo
For some, sex is easy. For others, it may be a challenge. That doesn't make it less enjoyable...
I
magine you’re trying to have sex, but your hip starts screaming as soon as a partner is laying on top of you, and you can’t be on your knees either, because your knees aren’t strong enough for you to kneel for long. Then you finally find a position where your hips and knees stop protesting, but now your shoulder’s at a weird angle, and that really hurts. Or, for once, all your joints are fine, but chronic fatigue hits you so hard you can’t move, much less have sex. I have a condition that they keep changing the name of, and its names include joint hypermobility syndrome, generalised joint hypermobility, hypermobility spectrum disorder, symptomatic hypermobility… you get the point.
Being disabled doesn’t mean I can’t have sex; being disabled means I have sex in different ways My condition means my connective tissue doesn’t do a great job at connecting. You don’t realise how much connective tissue is in your body until you have issues with them. My joints are too loose, and that hurts more than you’d think. I bleed and bruise easily, seeing as blood vessels are made of connective tissue. Things like taking off a shirt or sitting down can be surprisingly painful. Disability colours your relationship with your
Image:WikiCommons (Gary J Wood)
partner and using my hands. If I keep bruising or bleeding, it means experimenting with nonpenetrative sex. It means redefining what it means to have sex. Mutual masturbation can be sex; it doesn’t have to be intercourse. Sex with a physical disability can be frustrating. At the same time, sex with a physical disability lets me learn to love parts of my body I might not always love.
Sub-editors: Molly Taylor & Leanna Thomson
16
Monday 14th March 2022
Lifestyle
THE
COURIER
Girl Power: the women in my life
Imogen Clarke - Sub-editor of Fashion and Beauty y Grandma passed away in 2020, at the grand old age of ninety. Admittedly, this seems like a depressing way to begin an article. However, on International Women's Day, I can't think of a single woman close to me that has inspired me more than her. I am very lucky to have been so close to my Grandma; she lived just five minutes from my home and I spent half of my childhood at her house. I loved my Grandma as she taught me to love travelling, cooking and craft. However, her life before I was born is what really inspires me, and is something I have learnt more about after her death. Born in 1930, she was a child of the war and used to tell me and my sister about it regularly. When we were young, her "during the war" phrase became a bit of a joke. However, as we both grew, and discovered a love of history, the history she was a part of became more and more profound to me. The things she went through as a child and young woman, certainly shaped the strong woman she grew into. Not to mention the way she cared for my Grandad throughout his battle with Alzheimer's. In fact, she was the strongest person I knew, right until the end. I am writing about her because, on International Women's Day, I think it is important to think of all the inspirational women in our lives, even if they are not with us. If I could have my time again with Grandma, there are so many more questions I would have asked about her life and journey through history.
M
Annabel Hogg - Sub-editor of Relationships will preface this by saying that if my sister reads this, she’ll feel nothing but repulsion at this affection. However, it seems only right to pay tribute to the powerhouse of a woman who has made me into the person I am today. My sister has had dreams beyond belief, and she has never failed to make them come true, and I find that truly inspiring. She worked her way into grammar school, then into her dream university, then into a school where she became everyone’s favourite teacher. She went to medical school, becoming a junior doctor at the worst possible time without a graduation for payment. She held through plastic the hands of patients who couldn’t be with their loved ones, and made sure husbands and wives were reunited once more. Most importantly, she did and continues to do all of this whilst being the best sister, daughter, granddaughter, fiancé and mum to my gorgeous (dog) nephew, Archie. Despite all of these incredible achievements, Charlotte is still exactly the same to me as she was when I was a baby and she was 8. She’s Dr Hogg, but she’s also just my big sister. We still watch crappy movies together, go on iced coffee runs when I’m home in the summer and curl each other’s hair. She still judges every man I ever mention, we still go for boogies in Flares and most of all, she is still genuinely my best friend. It's one thing to have done so much and have so many achievements to your name, but to be an incredible human being and sister at the same time? That’s truly inspiring.
I
Being mindful of mindfulness Hannah Ross
How to reap the benefits of these underrated practices.
I
n a world where stress is becoming a bigger issue for people every day, taking time out to calm the mind has never been more important. However, this is easier said than done and many people who try, find it difficult to reap the full benefits of the practice. So, how do you get the most out of mindfulness and meditation? The first and most important thing is to commit to the practice. Reduce chances of distraction as much as possible by going to a quiet place with few things around. It is especially important to remove your phone from the room. Meditation and mindfulness work by bringing you back to the present by not letting your mind wander to other things. Be aware of the sounds going on around you but don't let them distract you from the exercise. You must accept what is happening in the present but not allow it to have adverse effects on you. Breathing is an essential component of any practice. Focusing on the breath allows you to stay in the moment. Counting the inhales and exhales is helpful if you know that naturally focusing on it is difficult for you. Make sure to take deep breaths that fill the entire body, not shallow ones. I find beginning with filling up the stomach, then the lungs, and finally the throat, is the best way to ensure this. Don’t be frustrated if the exercise does not come naturally the first time. It takes time to hone it and get your body used to the sensations of not constantly thinking about other things.
Try to practice every day even if it is only for five minutes – everyone can put aside five minutes for themselves, and the benefits are extensive compared to the small amount of time spent on it. If you have been practising for a while but still have the odd day where it is hard to focus, don't criticise yourself for it. Some days are more stressful than others and so it is harder to focus. However, regular practice helps reduce this by making you less stressed in general. Meditation and mindfulness are great exercises and incredibly rewarding, helping you become less stressed in life and be present in what is happening right now. Make sure to practice regularly and incorporate it into your daily routine to live an improved, happier life!
Ginny Harris
I
Image: Pixabay @ OpenClipart-Vectors
n recent years, global pandemic considering, I have realised what many other girls do in society nowadays; that it is the women around us that make the most impact on our lives. I could mention my mum, my best friend, or a teacher, but I want to shed the light on someone who we don’t always think of first. Our little sister. Mine not much younger than myself, has taught me more than I will ever know simply by being a little braver and inspiring me to be stronger for her. She has inspired me to be kinder (maybe let her wear that dress when she asks) or even a little more confident in her presence (perhaps ask for that extra ketchup at McDonald’s). Now being younger, we can’t really look up to little sisters, we do everything in life before they do, so they don’t provide much insight or knowledge. However, she inspires me because the more I want to do for her, the more I want to do for others. She initiates a motivation in me that an older person doesn’t provide, making me want to better the world by fighting the inequalities she may face and standing up for her when she needs it. Having a little sister inspires in me a drive, motivation, and strength to be better and to make the world a better place.
Get your hands wet with Elizabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs
Could this be the future of houseplants?
H
ave you ever wanted to have houseplants in your flat, but don’t want to get soil everywhere? Then you may want to look into the world of hydroponic
houseplants. Hydroponics is a form of growing plants in which nutrient-infused water is used as substrate instead of soil. This method has frequently been used to perform plant experiments, to increase crop yield, and even to grow plants in space. Setting up a hydroponic garden at home can be very complicated, as you typically need to obtain a lot of unusual equipment and put it together yourself. The start-up costs can also be a barrier, as the construction materials and nutrients can be quite expensive if you are making a huge setup. However, there are smaller kits that you can purchase online that include the necessary materials to grow a small hydroponic garden at home. If you are not interested in cutting up your own PVC pipes and purchasing supplies more suited to keeping freshwater fish than growing your own basil, ordering a kit is the best option. These kits are often suited to growing herbs and tomatoes. These plants are perfect for when you want to make spaghetti or homemade pizza. If you want to build your own setup, it is important to research the different methods. Whatever method you are using, you will need to
Image: Instagram @terrariums_by_ella
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Molly Taylor & Leanna Thomson
Lifestyle 17 Is the news damaging my mental health? Imogen Smillie
Juggling our responsibility to stay informed about the world's current climate and prioritising our mental wellbeing is no easy task,
I
n the world that we currently live in, is there a way to stay informed by current events without it damaging our mental wellbeing? Every now and then, it crosses my mind just how much the world has changed in my 19 years of living. I try not to dwell on it too much, as in the end, it’s not going to be healthy for my mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, I’m an overthinker – and that’s an understatement! I can be easily scared by news stories, even those that don’t directly affect me. But as a now fully fledged adult, it’s my responsibility to be informed about local and global news. For me, it all began back when COVID-19 was first mentioned. It’s March 2020 and Boris Johnson announces a national lockdown - well then. So it’s stuck in the house, clap for carers, lack of toilet roll and the news on… constantly! Hearing about the thousands of deaths occurring every day is bound to have a negative effect on a person. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the awful events currently occurring in Ukraine, the ‘unprecedented times’ (sorry, it was bound to be said) we are all living through need to be accurately reported on, so fearmongering stories don’t overwhelm us. For me, it’s all about balance. I believe it’s important that we are aware of current situations Ukraine is under attack and the more we know, the more we may be able to help. But with any news coverage on war, or just any disaster happening in the world, there are those reports that will exaggerate, and therefore frighten reader/ watchers/listeners even more than necessary. For instance, if your main source of news is
Twitter or TikTok, let’s be honest and say that they are often littered with comments of scare stories and clickbait. This doesn't erase the informative potential of these platforms, you just have to keep a critical eye and select sources you can trust. Additionally, certain online news platforms and independent sources are notorious for gossip columns, so cannot always be trusted to give the basic information needed to objectively understand the world’s current climate. Though, as with any
rather save it for keeping in contact with friends etc (my social media use personally consists of scouting out theories on the latest film or TV series!) Most platforms have a function where you can mute content including certain words from your feed. On the other hand, some people view social media as their most reliable news source, so this might not be for everyone. We all have different preferences, and that's okay! And remember, if you ever question anything you see, talk to people
news platform, others have qualms about their reporting, I have personally found it helpful to stick to the BBC for my main source of news. I have the BBC News and Sport app on my phone and check it once a day as I wake up, to make sure I have all the updates of breaking news stories. Notifications have been turned off, however, as even those were beginning to scare me throughout the pandemic and now with the updates from Ukraine. When checking social media, as hard as it can be, its important to filter out the scare stories if you don't wish to use social media for news and would
– we’re all going through the same struggle trying to dig out the ‘fake news’ (sorry again for the cringe jargon!) from the raw details. Everyone is entitled to worry about the world in which we live, so the more we talk, hopefully things can begin to feel a little less scary. through need to be accurately reported on, so fearmongering stories don’t overwhelm us. For me, it’s all about balance. I believe it’s important that we are aware of current situations - Ukraine is under attack and the more we know, the more we may be able to help. But with any news coverage on
hydroponic houseplants figure out the best nutrient mix for your plants and the vessel in which you want them to grow. You might also need a rooting medium, which is not used in “pure” hydroponics but can nevertheless be effective. This method requires a drip irrigation system or similar to flood the rooting material with nutrients. If you are using pure aqueous solution with no rooting medium, you will need an air tube and a pump. An aquarium pump should work well for this. This setup pumps air into the aqueous solution to keep it flowing. The vessel, in this case, can be a large tub. In this setup it is also helpful to have a large sheet with holes in it for the plants to grow through in order to keep them separate and upright. You can also use a nutrient film technique system, often abbreviated as NFT. In this setup, the plants are situated in a tube or a trough and aqueous solution is flowed through the tube with a pump. You can use PVC pipes for this. This setup is a bit more difficult because you not only need the pipes and the pump, you also need a reservoir for the nutrient solution and a receptacle to capture excess solution that spills over and bring it back into the reservoir. A capillary mat is placed at the bottom of the pipe to retain moisture. Just as with the pure aqueous method, it is important to have something on top of the tube to hold up the plants and prevent them from falling over. The “film” refers to the fact that the trough can be made of polyethylene film. While hydroponic gardening can be difficult, it is a great way to grow fresh produce at home if you are interested in doing a small-scale engineering project—or just want to add some greenery to the windowsill.
war, or just any disaster happening in the world, there are those reports that will exaggerate, and therefore frighten reader/watchers/listeners even more than necessary. For instance, if your main source of news is Twitter or TikTok, let’s be honest and say that they are often littered with comments of scare stories and clickbait. This doesn't erase the informative potential of these platforms, you just have to keep a critical eye and select sources you can trust. Additionally, certain online news platforms and independent sources are notorious for gossip columns, so cannot always be trusted to give the basic information needed to objectively understand the world’s current climate. Though, as with any news platform, others have qualms about their reporting, I have personally found it helpful to stick to the BBC for my main source of news. I have the BBC News and Sport app on my phone and check it once a day as I wake up, to make sure I have all the updates of breaking news stories. Notifications have been turned off, however, as even those were beginning to scare me throughout the pandemic and now with the updates from Ukraine. When checking social media, as hard as it can be, its important to filter out the scare stories if you don't wish to use social media for news and would rather save it for keeping in contact with friends etc (my social media use personally consists of scouting out theories on the latest film or TV series!) Most platforms have a function where you can mute content including certain words from your feed. On the other hand, some people view social media as their most reliable news source, so this might not be for everyone. We all have different preferences, and that's okay! And remember, if you ever question anything you see, talk to people – we’re all going through the same struggle trying to dig out the ‘fake news’ (sorry again for the cringe jargon!) from the raw details. Everyone is entitled to worry about the world in which we live, so the more we talk, hopefully things can begin to feel a little less scary.
The chemistry of happiness Alexantra Theodosiou
How can we maximinse the chemical balance ro creates happiness?
A
s International Happiness Day is approaching on the 20th of March, let’s look a little at the things that make us happy. First, however, we need to clarify what 'happy’ is. Science would tell you there’s four aspects to it: the ‘happiness chemicals' serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin. These chemicals regulate our emotions though influencing different processes in our body. For instance, serotonin may affect our sleep cycles or immune system efficacy and endorphins can act as a natural pain reliever. Our everyday activities affect the release of these chemicals in our body, which is why it’s important to include ones that make us happy. However, they may not be what you had in mind. Dr Michela Sorensen tells us: “We often think positive events will make us happy…but the happiness effect doesn’t last. Instead, science shows it’s the little things we do every day that build happiness over time.” Happiness won’t come from one big occasion once IN a blue moon or deciding to only ‘treat yourself ’ after constant, tiring work. To keep both our body and mind healthy, we have to find happiness in the regular, seemingly insignificant activities that we do, the moments we dread, the awkward silence. Understandably, that can be hard for many who have fallen into the pattern of never doing it, though little by little, once you try and your perspective shifts, you can find happiness in the
most unexpected places! Getting to a crossing right when the light turns green, turning towards your friend in a crowded room in a form of silent communication, noticing a little flower growing through the cracks in concrete pavements, holding the hand of the one you love in a dark room, taking a sip of your drink when it’s at just the right temperature, gazing out the window on a sunny day, or catching rain droplets on a gloomy one, the first bite of food when you’re ravenous, playing your favourite song right when you wake up, the last tear rolling down your cheek and knowing you’re done being sad for now. Those are moments in which I can confidently say I may have experienced all the happiness in the world once I finally realised how precious they are to me, though in the past I might have taken them for granted. At the end of the day, every moment is a big moment, you don’t need to exhaust yourself for happiness.
Image: Instagram @jinjinjinjin
Sub-editors: Sophia Ayub, Imogen Clarke & Lizzie Yockney
Monday 14th March 2022
THE
COURIER
Fashion & Beauty Haircare brand Olaplex banned in EU & UK 18
Imogen Clarke - Fashion & Beauty sub-editor
An endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) has been found in the product, and linked to inter-generational fertility
the pill, for example. The Olaplex ban is a good sign, but similar chemicals are found in many beauty products such as blush, hairspray, SPF, mascara, foundation and self-tan. This list goes on. Unfortunately, EDC's cannot be made harmless by lowering dosage when regulating the
ingredients in cosmetics. This is because very low doses can also cause problems; our bodies are designed to react to even minute doses of hormones (this is how the pill works!). So, it is very hard to regulate how much of such chemicals should go into beauty products; the percentage of
T
he UK and EU have recently banned the popular high-end haircare staple, 'Olaplex No.3' due to the ingredient lilial and its link with infertility. The brand has therefore stated that the ingredient, also known as butylphenyl methylpropional, will no longer be used in their products. It is classified as a ‘Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Reprotoxic (CMR) 1B substance', and, according to Northumbria University, 'CMR's are chronically toxic and pose a serious threat to human health'. The EU also lists them as 'a substance of very high concern'. However, this issue links to wider problems of hormonal health. And, the presence of Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's) in the beauty industry as a whole.
lilial, for example, does not correlate with level of risk. Therefore, the 0.1% (or less) of the ingredient used in products like Olaplex No.3 may still be causing harm. This, combined with the cumulative effect of EDC's on infertility (that can pass from generation to generation), means the EU and UK were right to ban the ingredient from Olaplex No.3. But more still needs to be done to make beauty products safe.
The ban is a positive step in the right direction, and could lead to further research into hormone damage
Hormone disrupting chemicals are found in many beauty products such as blush, hairspray, SPF and mascara Hormonal health has often been dismissed by clinicians, particularly when the effect is on women. Take the ignorance of issues surrounding
Image: Instagram @olaplex
Olaplex as a brand is promoted by beauty enthusiasts as the ultimate hair-smoother and strengthener. What's more, their website cites No.3 to be a bestseller. Due to the ban, the brand has announced that the product will be reformulated so that customers will still be able to use it under EU rules. However, in a statement on their official instagram, Olaplex maintain that they had only used 0.0119% of lilial in the No.3 formulation, and that this was 'not enough to directly impact fertility'. However, we know that the harm of EDC's is not cumulative, and very small amounts are still serious. The ban is not a sign to discontinue using Olaplex, or to be worried if you use No.3. In fact, it is a positive step in the right direction, and could lead to further research into hormone damaging beauty ingredients. More legislation will lead to other brands being forced into formulaic changes. A win for ours, and our children's, hormonal and health and fertility.
The illusion of the influencer economy Samantha Seidu
Is being an influencer all that? A discussion on the economics of fashion and beauty influencing and the illusion of a perfect life
F
or many of us, there has been a point in our lives when we have wished to be an influencer. From vlogging on your private story, to creating TikToks and Youtube videos and even standing in the shower pretending to do all of the above. We’ve all been there! On the surface, being an influencer does look like it’s a fun job: you get paid to create content on things you like, you get sponsorships, brand deals, freebies and lots of praise (for the most part). It’s not something you have to be qualified to do, the only qualification needed is your passion for a certain hobby. Despite the amazing camera quality, the bright smiles and a perfect life, internet influencing has now become a billion dollar industry with a lot of strings being pulled behind the camera. There are two things ordinary people tend to want when they watch influencers, especially when it comes to fashion and beauty: either an element of relatability or an element of aspiration. In the last decade, since influencing became a legitimate source of income, the element of aspiration has been the most popular. Some of the most popular influencers we see today are earning millions and we see the luxury lifestyle they live: the cars, the clothes, bags and accessories. For ordinary people, who are in education or work 9-5 jobs, this is the kind of lifestyle we aspire to have and this is what many corporations have capitalised off. A lot of us may already know that influencers don’t necessarily get all of their income
from followers, views or interactions but rather, advertising. Brands often send their products to influencers who then promote said products to their followers, and this could be anything ranging from vitamins, makeup/skincare products, clothes to services and events. It goes without saying that for ordinary people and influencers alike, using certain products or wearing certain clothes, or being in a certain place, presents a certain lifestyle, one that is luxurious, carefree and glamorous. The thing is, we don’t always know whether these products are what they are advertised to be, even though influencers promote certain things, they are in no way experts. This has landed some of them in trouble.
Influencer culture has created this pressure to be extremely wealthy At the end of the day, influencer culture and social media has created this pressure to be extremely wealthy, or at least look that way. As mentioned before, influencing is a very surface level job, it’s not about how something actually is but it’s about how it looks and how it will be perceived. You could follow an Instagram model with the most amazing figure, clothes that look like they cost hundreds in front of a huge house, but maybe in reality, they are wearing a polyester dress from FashionNova and posed in front of a house or car that they rented specifically for that shoot. Brands profit off the desire to be percieved as "perfect" in terms of looks, style and wealth. They will offer quick solutions to make the ordinary person look like they live a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle. Influencers are often none the wiser, they were once ordinary people and for most part, they still are. Off Instagram, off TikTok, off Twitter, they are just regular people who live their lives, perhaps working 9-5, part-time or in education like many of us. They are merely a small part of a bigger corporate plan and if the brand gets caught up in any kind of controversy, influencers
face the most criticism for promoting it in the first place. Eventually, we are going to have to stray away from this pressure to live a perfect life on social media. Being an influencer is not a bad thing and it isn’t necessarily their fault when brand sponsorships go wrong. However, we all need to question whether they promote a lifestyle that is attainable or suitable for ordinary people. Naturally, we want to share our wins on social media, but we find ourselves pretending to live in a way we typically don't. The circumstances of influencers are different to us, so instead of turning to quick fixes such as fast fashion or ‘buy now pay later methods’ for expensive shoes or clothes, promote your own personal wins and lifestyle!
Image: Pixabay gorartser
Image: Instagram @gxsia
Image: Pixabay
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Sophia Ayub, Imogen Clarke & Lizzie Yockney
Fashion & Beauty
19 When technology meets fashion Twice loved: second-hand finds Eilzabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs
A new fashion phenomenom- TikTik creator Cameron Hughes
C
ameron Hughes initially seems like your average TikTok creator who shares creative stuff that he makes on his sewing machine as a hobby. That is, until you realize that the purple dress he designed is breathing. Describing himself as a designer, engineer and artist, Hughes blends technology and fashion to create pieces that aren’t quite like anything else. He utilizes servos, 3D printing and other electronics to create kinetic art pieces that happen to be wearable.With the goal of making pieces for events like the Met Gala, Hughes has already created a spinning flower bra for Doja Cat and is looking to work with Lady Gaga. The pieces which first got him attention on TikTok were a dress that prints receipts and another dress that changes colour by twirling
individual parts of the skirt. Beyond dresses, he’s made smaller things like headpieces that shoot out water and unfurl feathers like a colourful bird. Staying on the feather theme, he has also made bright red devil wings that unfurl to a full wingspan. Another smaller project is a hat that pulls a curtain away to reveal his face. One of Hughes’ most significant projects is ‘Breathe of Feathers’, a bright purple feathered dress that seems to breathe. When the wearer moves, all the feathers move up and down. Hughes shows the process of making it in a series of TikToks and even got fellow TikTok star @ageofaquaria to demonstrate how it works. In an interview for Vogue, Hughes revealed that he does, in fact, have an engineering background. However, he’s decided to take his hobby forward, get studio space and hopefully create a full fashion collection of his technological outfits. Cameron Hughes’ content can be seen on his TikTok page (@cameronhughes) and his YouTube channel (Cameron Hughes). (Note: He is not to be confused with the fishing champion, sports commentator or wine trader of the same name who also have a lot of YouTube content.) Image: Instagram @cameronhughes
Molly Taylor - Lifestyle Sub-Editor
Three favourite second-hand picks!
D
espite the obvious environmental benefits of buying second-hand, my favourite thing about it is that you fill your wardrobe with many more unique pieces. There's no better feeling than finding an amazing top or pair of trousers for £3 that stopped being sold ten years ago. Chances are, you'll be the only one wearing it, making your style incredibly unique and eclectic. My first piece is a pink shirt I bought from a charity shop in Byker for £3. It's my favourite shirt, because of the red details on the collar as well as near the buttons and in the sleeve cuffs. I love it because it can be dressed up for something more formal, as well as down with some jeans. I really like the charity shops in Byker because they are cheap, and in my opinion, an untapped market. However, the downside is that you need to search through a great deal of bad stuff in order to find a few gems. I bought this next quilted jacket/top from The Vintage Store in Newcastle on Northumberland street. Whilst this shop is a little pricey, it has some really unique pieces. I think I bought this for £22, which is much more than I would usually spend on second-hand items, but I really loved the material and the fit of it, and it felt like a really unique piece that I had never seen before. My third and final piece is a shirt that I bought from a charity shop in South Gosforth (my favourite place to go charity shopping for some real finds!). I was really drawn in by the material as well as the colours. It felt very 2000's, but not in a cheap or tacky way like y2k style can sometimes appear. I thought it would look nice with some nice
jeans, as well as black or brown trousers. Similarly to the other items, it could be worn formally as a shirt, but could also double up as a beach cover-up or casual top if unbuttoned. I have also worn this shirt with a black knitted vest over the top and some black trousers for a more preppy aesthetic.
Image: Molly Taylor
Image: Pixabay gorartser
The tantalizing terror of the tote bag George Bell - Film Sub-Editor
Totebags: a versatile student staple. But can you ever have too many? And what about the cursed ones?
T
he tote bag. A staple of most students' wardrobes that helps support both your looks and your Tesco meal deal. They’ve certainly been rising in popularity in recent years, so let's look at why the tote deserves your vote.
Image: George Bell
Personally, I have a rather eclectic assortment of tote bags ranging from cursed to very cursed. They are horrifying, and I love each and every one of them. A great addition to the horrific arsenal of graphic tees I have. The bags have numerous times put a smile on someone's face (or maybe a grimace). Tote bags are great at giving insight into a person's interests, passions and beliefs, even if those interests, passions and beliefs happen to be Danny Devito eating beans.
Tote bags are great at giving insight into a person's interests, even if they happen to be Danny Devito eating beans There is, though, a harsh truth to the tote bag. They are about aesthetics, not practicality. Sure, it may complete the fit, much like the bag when I need something from it. Be it a pen, keys or a book, it is best to schedule in at least 30 minutes to find them. This will give you ample time to drag countless miscellaneous items from within before making the horrible realisation it was in your pocket all along. I’d also touch on how annoying keeping a tote bag on your shoulder is, but the idea keeps slipping my mind. While carrying stuff in them can be a pain, actually carrying a tote bag is a thing of
beauty. Being able to fold one up and shove it in your pocket, or even another tote bag, gives so much flexibility in how you use them. Don't worry about whether you need a bag when going out as you can easily carry a nice light tote bag without taking up too much space on yourself. This also provides great environmental benefits, as you are less likely to be caught out with a bag for little bits and bobs and have to do the walk of shame home with a plastic bag. Pretty much all my tote bags have been gifts and thus I have a strong attachment to each of them. They make great gifts because of how personal they can be to you, in ways loud and subtle. However, like my shoulder, it’s a slippery slope. Yes, I am making this joke again. No, I am not sorry. Since showing interest in the tote bag, everyone seems to think I need more. Don't get me wrong, I do, but you should never indulge an addict. Unless the impending nuclear war causes me to grow more, I only have the two shoulders. As
Image: George Bell
such, the increasing number of them is becoming impractical, and I’ll have to start picking favourites (spoilers, it is the Robert Pattinson one). If it continues at this rate, I may have spent more on tote bags than on student loans.
At this rate, I might spend more on tote bags than on my student loans As I write this under the crushing weight of a mountain of tote bags, I can’t help but appreciate them. They are sure to be popular for a while longer and I am both giddy with excitement and awash with existential dread when I consider what kind of horror my next one will be.
Image: George Bell
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Alice Holmes & Lenka Minarovicova
Travel
21
Best places to visit in Ireland Forgotten Image: Source: Pixabay
Peter Lennon - Gaming sub-editor
In light of St Patrick's Day on the 17th of March, we explore the best places to visit around Ireland.
T
he island of Ireland is beautiful place just at the doorstep of the United Kingdom, but few take the opportunity to explore the neighbouring land. The island is a hefty enough size with two separate, but softbordered, countries – the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – so a few trips will be needed to fully appreciate the scenic range. That being said, I’d like to highlight my personal favourite spots. Belfast The capital city of Northern Ireland, manufacturer of the Titanic, and birthplace of yours truly. Once the centre of the Troubles, Belfast now enjoys a thriving tourism scene, complete with a Titanic museum and Game of Thrones studio tours. What’s great Image: Source: Pixabay though is the restaurant
and bar scene, which blossomed throughout the 2010s. Restaurants like Ginger and Howard Street offer exquisite food that, while still expensive, will appear modestly priced when compared to restaurants of a similar quality elsewhere in the UK. Likewise, The Crown Bar provides a traditional drinking spot, while the Duke of York will charm you in a warm summer’s evening, with its cobble streets and communal atmosphere. Dublin: The capital of the Republic, Dublin is the antithesis to Belfast in size and pricing. Read: much larger and considerably more expensive. What I love about Dublin, however, is the history of the city. Home to famous authors, such as James Joyce, Dublin also houses the Guinness museum. This is a must: entertaining exhibitions and an interactive experience push the museum beyond a simple tourist trap. Additionally, the Dublin gardens make for a lovely walk and break from the city’s
Image: Source: Photo by Sean Kuriyan on Unsplash
urban modernity. The West Coast: The west coast of Ireland. All of it. No, seriously. If you have access to a car, a road trip along this coast will reward you with glorious, sprawling beaches and uninterrupted scenic views. Personal favourites include Inch and Strandhill, both in County Kerry. The Giant’s Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge: Let’s be honest, you at least knew the first one would be making an appearance on this list. A few miles north east of Bushmills in Northern Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway is a sight to behold. A product of volcanic activity, the Causeway is best known for its namesake myth of the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (often anglicised as Finn McCool). With any hope, the Causeway and legend will inspire you to read more about Irish mythology, which is often reduced to leprechauns and banshees in the rest of the world. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, on the other hand, is much more historical. The bridge connects the mainland to the tiny island of Carrick-a-Rede. The original bridge was thought to have been built over 350 years ago and, though the new bridge is much less precarious, a trip across does wonders for the imagination and the perils taken by these long-gone workers.
My dream holiday: The USA Kayleigh Fraser - Campus Comment sub-editor
T
here are thousands of beautiful destinations across the globe where you can spend a holiday. For me? It's Florida. And I've been lucky enough to experience this dream a few times in my life. But, if I were to travel again in 2022, my trip to the sunshine state would be slightly different. As long as I can remember I've been in love with America. Especially after my YouTube phase from 2012-2014 I was obsessed with anything American. Bath and Body Works, the school buses, the supermarkets, the fast food.... you name it, I was obsessed. This is exactly why I had a complete breakdown when I was surprised to a Florida holiday in 2013. We did everything from the theme parks to Kennedy space centre. Then, the same again in 2016, 2018 and then 2019. But, if I were to take a trip across the Atlantic in 2022, my plan would be a little different. First, I'd make a stop in New York. Having never been to the big apple, it's a bucket list goal of mine to explore the city that never sleeps. From drag shows, fifth avenue, the statue of Liberty and so much more, New York is an unmissable destination. I'm desperate to try all of the famous food places in the city. One dreamy place I know of is called 'DŌ', where they serve cookie dough by the scoop in a variety of different flavours. Another moment on my list is to live my best Gossip Girl fantasy and take a picture on the steps of the Met. Perhaps even have breakfast at Tiffany's. What more could you ever ask for? After around a week in the city, I'd hop on a plane to Orlando for part two of my American escape. This time, I'll hit all the major parks. All 4 Disney parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Perfection. I can stop off at Magic Kingdom for the infamous fireworks shows, then head off to Islands of
Image: Source: Wikimedia
Adventure the next day for a wild ride of rollercoasters and Harry Potter world. Most people only really know of the Harry Potter rides in Universal and IOA. But, there's more than meets the eye. In 2021, Velocicoaster opened in Islands of Adventure, an extension onto the existing Jurassic Park world. I haven't been on it unfortunately, but I'm dying to get onto it! Of course, it's not just around Orlando that you get a brilliant holiday. Why not drive across to Tampa for a day at Busch Gardens? Better yet, have an afternoon at Clearwater beach and soak up some rays. Then, if you're a space fan, drive a few hours to the east to visit the Kennedy Space Centre. If you're in the area, you've got to pay a visit to the malls. The mall at Millenia is definitely my favourite, as it has the most incredible Chinese restaurant in the food court and the best Bath and Body Works. I hope this gives an insight into my dream holiday, and why I hope to experience it all one day. I could discuss Florida and the United States for hours... maybe one day I'll be able to live my full dream holiday.
Europe: Chisinau
Calvin Breakwell
I
n a list of European destinations, I can’t imagine many people have Moldova at the top. It is indeed Europe’s least visited and poorest country but behind that there is a country rich in culture and history which is worth exploring in its own right. When I visited Chisinau, I was really excited to see what this fascinating and seemingly distant part of Europe would fare against such destinations as Budapest or Barcelona but it really didn’t disappoint. Upon on first arriving in Chisinau, it first looks pretty rundown, the roads aren’t great and the buildings are falling down. But don’t let this dishearten you! The centre of the city has some great examples of soviet architecture, especially the Centre of Culture and Parliament Square. It was also surprising to learn that Chisinau is one of the greenest (the colour) cities in Europe. There is a plethora of parks to enjoy and explore, even one with places to barbeque some food and drink vodka by a lake; it is a tradition when one returns to Moldova after a trip that they drink vodka here.
It may Europe's least visited country but behind that it is rich in culture and history After taking a walk around the city centre and seeing all the old and new buildings, it’s great to sit down and grab some Kvass (a beer like soft-drink homemade and sold on the street) and watch the world go by or go and grab some lunch from a local traditional bakery in the form of a Moldovan layered pie. There is also an amazing yet unique mix of food, from Russia, Romania, Ukraine and Georgia as Chisinau was a very international city during the USSR and before. Just outside the city is the complex of Mileștii Mici, which is the world’s biggest wine cellar! With over 2 million bottles of wine inside the cellar. You can go on a tour which takes you in cars around the 55km of tunnels which join the different wine cellars together. At the end, you can even pick up a bottle or two at a price which would seem alien to us in the UK. Moldovan wine is definitely worth trying and is one of biggest hidden gems of this beautiful country. All in all, if you want an experience that will truly leave you breathless and surprised then go to Moldova and experience something totally different!
Image: Source: Calvin Breakwell
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Scarlett Welch & Marcel Shamshoum
Food & Drink
23
Convenience at a cost Scran or Scrap: Sarah Lahiri - Head of Social Media
How our takeaway habits are hurting the planet
F
ood delivery services are easily one of the most convenient and accessible things to come out of the 21st century. Between late night cravings, sheer laziness and busy days, Just Eat and Deliveroo are everyone’s built-in best friend. However, even though the surge in the food delivery-industry brings consumer benefits, it is an environmental disaster. As the number of delivery services increase, online payment becomes more secure and people’s disposable income increases, the environment is left to grapple with single-use packaging, increasing transport costs and emissions and excess food waste. F o o d delivery isn’t just the food you order. It is the kitchen foil around it, the container it is placed in, the additional napkin, plastic straw and utensils that are then all placed in a bigger bag that you then receive.
Takeaway containers are generally made of plastic or styrofoam which are not biodegradable and take around 500 years to decompose. This essentially increases the total solid waste generated per household, and contributes majorly to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Transporting and disposing of these then require huge quantities of raw material and energy to break them down in landfills. Just Eat, the UK’s leading food-delivery service, yields 588 million delivery orders per year alone. To put that into perspective, that is 588 million trips back and forth on the road and over 588 million plastic to-go containers from one service alone. The UK has 24.8 million food delivery app users and this is steadily increasing owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the nature of the industry on a global scale as a whole, regulation of it is not a viable solution. However, individual sustainable choices can go a long way! Limiting the need for singleuse containers or simply reusing them later, ordering f r o m restaurants that use sustainable packaging or even opting out of napkins and plastic utensils are small steps you can take to make the next time you order food online more sustainable.
Black pudding Elizabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs
Kayleigh Fraser - Campus Comment sub-editor
Scran it
Scrap it
lack pudding is an iconic dish unique to the UK and Ireland. While other cultures have their own blood sausage recipes, this version uses specific herbs and grains to produce a unique texture. I know it’s hard for black pudding to find many defenders these days. After all, it is reminiscent of an era in which making it was an easy way to use extra blood and meat scraps after slaughter. That is not the lifestyle most of us are living in the modern era of M&S meal deals and five different caterpillar cakes.
My parents have always been huge fans of black pudding. From a young age, I'd always snoop around the fridge to see these huge, dark blobs sitting in a packet. It wasn't until I saw them cooking it that they explained it was called 'Black Pudding'. Confused, I looked it up. For anyone who doesn't know, black pudding is a 'blood sausage' originated from the UK and Ireland. It contains pork or beef blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal as well as oat groats or barley groats. I was skeptical at first, but then became even more skeptical as they placed it on a perfect looking bacon sandwich. To an extent, it made me hurt inside. Such a beautiful looking bacon sandwich was utterly destroyed by a blood sausage. I can't fathom it! If you want sausage in a bacon sandwich, just buy some sausages. Why on earth would you want congealed blood in a sandwich that looks and tastes disgusting. To be honest, I have the same opinion with beer. Why would you want to taste a field? In my eyes, we need to scrap black pudding. It's an insult to all the great, true sausages out there and even more of an insult to breakfast sandwiches. It must be stopped.
B
It’s hard for black pudding to find many defenders these days However, as someone who didn’t grow up with black pudding, it’s alright. It has a very rich, overwhelming flavour, but when paired with bread or egg it’s more manageable. The squishy texture of one that’s less-cooked might turn people away from it, but that’s typically solved by cooking it to an ideal level of crispiness. I don’t expect black pudding to be everyone’s favourite—after all, a sausage made of animal blood sounds unappealing. But as part of a full breakfast, I think it can be quite good!
Discontinued snacks that should make a return Joseph Caddick - Puzzles & Gaming sub-editor
Five childhood memories wrapped in snacks that are unfortunatly no longer with us, but deserve to be resseracted
F
ood companies are constantly changing their product line-ups, getting rid of unpopular products or ones that have become too costly to justify producing. Unfortunately, this often means that some great products are tossed aside, never to be seen again. Here are some of my favourite forgotten foods.
1. Milkybar Strawberry Mousse Eggs Given that Easter is coming up, a good place to start is with an abandoned Milkybar Easter product. These eggs had a smooth (and very sweet) strawberry mousse in the middle, making them similar to the likes of Lindt’s Strawberries and Cream. It was a perfect flavour combination that had a great texture too, certainly different from Cadbury’s Creme Eggs.
2. Snowflake The brilliantly-named Snowflake (which was changed to the less brilliant Flake Snow) is exactly what you’d expect, a Flake bar that is made with white chocolate instead of milk chocolate. It also has a milk chocolate outer shell, which if anything made it more similar to a Twirl. As a huge fan of white chocolate, this contrast between the crumbly
white chocolate and the harder shell made it a delight to eat.
3. Tesco's Jelly bean cookies These were a staple of my packed lunch box in secondary school, until Tesco took them away from me. Pure, sugary bliss is the only way to describe a snack like this, you know it’s terrible but you just don’t care. Thankfully, they’re pretty easy to make, and I have made it my goal to introduce as many people as possible to this wonderful snack.
4. Wonka bars Unsurprisingly, movie tie-in products are shelved after the movie becomes old news. This means some great products are lost, as was the case here. When the ‘new’ version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came out in 2005, they made the brilliant decision to actually sell Wonka bars. I have a very vivid memory of having my first Wonka bar, my mum came back from the shops whilst I was playing Spyro at home, and as soon as I bit into the chocolate it melted in my mouth. It was one of the best chocolates I’d ever tasted at that time.
Unfortunately, this often means that some great products are tossed aside, never to be seen again.
mimicking Mike’s eye. I can still remember how these tasted so vividly after 20 years or so, making it one of my earliest memories. They clearly made an impression on my younger self. It’s unlikely that most of thesse will ever see the light of day again, and that’s saddening. Apparently Snowflakes were launched in Australia in 2015, but haven’t yet made their way back to the UK. It would be interesting if any of these snacks did return so I could see how they compare to my memories of them.
5. Monsters, Inc. Promotional cereal and yoghurt More movie tie-in products. The cereal had little images of the characters on, and was really sweet, which was perfect for me when I was basically still a toddler. The yoghurt just looked really cool, as it was white with a blue circle in the middle,
Image: Flickr
Recipe of the week
Crab Linguine
I
Leah Graham mpress your flatmates by whipping up this simple yet fancy dish, sure to raise any pasta game!
Ingredients (serves 4) - 200g of brown crab meat - 150g of white crab meat* - 150ml of single cream - 500g of linguine pasta - 3 tsp of olive oil - 2 cloves of garlic - 1-2 chillies - Sprig of parsley Seasonings (to taste) - Salt - Black pepper Method 1. Peel the garlic and slice thinly with the chillies. 2. Add the oil, garlic and chillies to a frying pan (or a sauté one if you have one!) and lightly toast them. 3. Add the brown crab meat and let it warm over a small heat for a few minutes before adding the cream. 4. Stir to combine and add in your seasonings, let simmer for a few minutes. 5. Boil the linguine to package instructions and sprinkle the white crab into the sauce, stir to combine. 6. Drain the linguine but save a ladle full of pasta water to add to the sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix to incorporate. 7. Serve into a bowl and garnish with the parsley and cracked black pepper. Dig in and enjoy! *Fresh is best! Most fishmongers will have these prepared in pots, but you can find tins of both in most supermarkets.
Sub-editors: Oren Brown, Lucy Bower & Rowan Christina Driver
Monday 14th March 2022
Music
24
THE
COURIER
International Women's Day: Our music writers discuss their favourite female artists in honour of International Women's Day
Taylor Swift
Jess Bradbury - Film Sub-editor
T
aylor Swift is, to put it plainly, a woman of many talents and this International Women’s Day I want to celebrate her impact on music and myself personally.
Swift is the queen of reinvention
There’s little not to love about Swift, her passion for her craft is evident, and it seems rare to find any other artist nowadays who can capture the beauty of storytelling within
Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 Johnny Marr
Joe Millward
music like she does. From Folkore to Speak Now to 1989, Swift is the queen of reinvention and there’s not a genre yet that she’s not managed to master. Her music spans every mood you could ever feel, want to have a good cry? Stick on a bit of Red.
Her music spans every mood you could ever feel Similarly, if you’re feeling like conquering the world, put on Reputation. My love for her as an artist has only grown over the years and I’m always excited to see what she does next. Swift is also inspirational not only because of her musical talents, but because of her dedication to her fans. Everything that she creates is for them, and she makes her work as enriching as it can be. Taylor Swift has been a big part of my life since I was young, and it’s honestly been the best journey growing into the woman I am today listening to her music.
M
Betsy Cleaver
S
ince the release of 2020’s “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” EP, Holly Humberstone has been one to watch over the past few years, her success culminating in her winning of the 2022 Brits Rising Star Award. Her sound is tender,
Image: Pixabay
Image: Twitter (@holhumberstone)
unfiltered and raw, her lyrics personal and filled with emotion. For fans of Phoebe Bridgers, her indie-pop tracks tell the tales of doomed relationships (“Scarlett”), mental illness in the family (“Deep End”) and her nostalgia for her childhood home (“Haunted House”). “Friendly Fires” is open and filled with warmth, whilst “Please Don’t Leave Just Yet” is haunting and co-written by Matty Healy (you can tell, the track features signature The 1975 80s synth pop vibes ). “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” has gained over 200m streams worldwide and her follow up EP “The Walls are Way To Thin”, produced by Rob Milton (Easy Life, Maisie Peters), recently won the NME “best mixtape” award. Holly has also made her mark with some of the industry’s biggest names at the moment: she is set to go on tour with Olivia Rodrigo in 2022 and features on Sam Fender’s acoustic version of “Seventeen Going Under”. With lyrics self described as “tattoo lyrics”, Holly Humberstone’s music is melodic, honest and beautiful.
Introduction to: Me Lost Me Leo David Prajogo
usician Johnny Marr - he’s the Smiths guitarist right?’ 2018’s ‘Call the Comet’ basked in this past glory 2014’s Playland attempted a break out, with a bolder sound that couldn't quite overcome being a ‘guitar album’. On his fourth attempt Marr produces a collection that pushes his sound beyond guitar - but perhaps it's too far for his voice to follow. Hitting play, we are immediately met with a barrage of electric and synth that feels instantly Kavinsky x The Killing Moon. Strong start. Unfortunately once past ‘Ariel’s synthesized wubs,the album slowly loses it’s ‘Drive’ - especially in the vocals. Marr describes his singing as from the brain, not the heart - and this shows with continual smart lyricisms. However clinically perfect lyrics with a banausic, almost bland, delivery come off as an unwelcome distraction from the instrumentals; so buried in a thesaurus someone forgot the chorus. (No, that was not my attempt at writing a hook). In an album as long as this there are some deviations. ‘Counter Clock World’ throws a synth on top, and ‘God's Gift’/’The Whirl’ channels some heart, but it's difficult to discern anything of substance over the layers of guitar. Only in the excellent ‘Tenement Time’ is breathing room found for the chorus, the cold delivery creating an undeniably powerful - if ominous, sound. ‘Human’ sneaks in at the end of the album, a relatively stripped song that, despite its uniqueness from the rest of the album, still feels surprisingly uninspired rather than refreshing. In that sense, it is similar to the entire album. This album is a technical achievement, but whether it will matter to anyone other than Marr I can’t say. If you can accept it's simply cold hard cool, give it a listen, but don't be surprised if you are only jolted awake when the album loops to its excellent electronic opening.
Holly Humberstone
Meet the former Newcastle University student Jayne Dent in her electronic folk project Me Lost Me
M
e Lost Me is Newcastle University alumna Jayne Dent’s electronic folk project. She describes her style as ‘future folk’. Combining soothing, soaring looped vocals and gentle, brooding synths, Me Lost Me is an adventure worth listening to. I had the pleasure of watching Jayne perform live last December at Cobalt Studios here in the city centre. I was captivated by her playful performance, and spent the next few days looping her album The Good Noise, with tracks such as dramatic, melancholic ‘The End of the World’ and my personal favourite ‘Worm Unearthed’, which she described in an interview with Now Then Magazine as a song from the point of view of “a worm being churned up by the diggers in the earth and their whole world being turned upside
down.” Some of Me Lost Me’s earlier works include experimental, strangely entrancing ‘Picking Out the Thread’ from her EP Demon. In interviews Jayne describes improvisation and collage as instrumental to her creative process, as well as incorporating field recordings into her work. Her lyrics (which she kindly sent me in an email) are simple but vivid in their imagery.
Jayne Dent has performed as part of the band Emergency Librarian, and was artist in resident at the Sage in Gateshead from 2020 to 2021. She studied here at Newcastle University, and was in the University Wide Language Program studying elementary German with our very own Head of Current Affairs, Elizabeth Meade.
Me Lost Me is an adventure worth listening to
Me Lost Me is set to tour Hull, Chesterfield, London, and Oxford between now and April before returning to Newcastle on the 8th of April at The Cumberland Arms with Junior Brother.
Image: Facebook
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Oren Brown, Lucy Bower & Rowan Christina Driver
Music
25
Our Favourite Female Artists Marina
Emily Kelso - Comment Sub-editor
M
arina, formerly Marina and The Diamonds, is the epitome of a feminist music icon. Her discography is a testament to her journey over the years, both a musical journey and a more personal journey (which led her to drop the diamonds from her stage name). Her albums deal with the theme of change. Family Jewels argues you don’t need to change then Electra Heart (arguably Marina’s most popular caricature and album) declares it is okay to change. Froot reels it in by reminding us to change only for ourselves. Ancient Dreams in A Modern Land is an ecofeminist’s delight: you don’t need to change, the world does.
growth, her music hits home every time and for every occasion. Feeling confident? This Is How To Be A Heartbreaker or Venus Flytrap. Feeling hopeless? Purge the Poison or Forget. Feeling sexy? Froot. Such a range of songs is commendable considering most songs I hear these days are
Such a range of songs is commendable recycled love songs. Even when Marina does tackle love, it’s of the self-love variety. She truly is a singer of and for the modern generation.
You don't need to change, the world does As a person who often struggles with change, these albums mean self-reflect and cope. Aside from her inspirational self-development and
Orla Gartland Rowan Christina Driver - Music Sub-editor
N
obody epitomises modern female artistry quite like Dublin-born singer-songwriter Orla Gartland. Though still making her mark on the industry, Gartland is doing it with humble ease. Fresh off the back of a debut album steeped in undiluted metaphors of naïve susceptibility and a sense of bare sincerity, she writes with juxtaposing assertiveness and insightful contemplation among a stylistically a m b i t i o u s repertoire spanning influences of
Image: Twitter (@orlagartland)
Live Review: Tom Odell at O2 City Hall Newcastle Rowan Christina Driver - Music Sub-editor
T
om Odell’s return to touring was met in Newcastle with a warm and enthusiastic welcome; even as his audience filtered into the historic City Hall venue, overpriced drinks in hands, there was an overarching buzz of anticipation. Opening with “numb”, Odell had his audience captivated; his sole presence on stage shrouded in darkness to leave just the silhouette of singer and piano. A brutally raw song to begin with, documenting the impact of a break-up on mental and physical health, showing this is an artist who is unafraid to exude the vulnerability for which his songs are so poignant. This opening set a precedent for a recurring motif of silhouettes throughout, which lighting designer Joe Beardmore of PhosphorTech later explained was Odell’s own influence, stating he “didn’t want his face to be seen in the most vulnerable moments” – the nature of his lyricism here provided the emphasis on negative space. It was not just the moments of low lighting which hit notes of poignancy however – Beardmore explained that “bringing it down gives you room to ramp it up”, and Odell’s set demonstrated just that. Though at times awkward – Odell is clearly an artist who merely enjoys producing art as opposed to the attention that comes with it – he is fundamentally aware of his audience and capable of playing the showman for his crowd. He even went as far as to flaunt the signature black and white stripes of a Newcastle United scarf for his encore, adding a noteworthy touch for this particular audience.
pop punk to indie-folk and retro peppiness, all while retaining a translucency – she provides authentic honesty, not a total outpouring. “I’m so fucking self-aware, it’s exhausting”: Gartland’s ‘Pretending’ condenses the hyperawareness of conformity into a single line, and the self-criticism which can be found in the act of pretence that stems from striving for perceived perfection. Parallels can be drawn with the female experience here – so often are women forced to acquiesce to preconceived expectations in a modern and ever-changing society. These themes extend further, tackling the toxicity of masculinity and feelings of repression (‘Zombie!’) to the comparative nature of self-exploration under the technological pressures of modernity (‘More Like You’). Gartland is versatile, not only is she an artist but she has also showcased her talents as a producer extensively on her most recent album, released under her self-established record label, New Friends. While her music alone should be applauded, in an industry where female producers are so heavily underrepresented – reports from 2020 claim only 3% of producers in the music industry were female – it is even more important to recognise the work of Orla Gartland this International Women’s Day.
Explosive lighting in hues of blues and reds accompanied the building of rhythmic drumbeats, intricate guitar riffs and rousing piano melodies in Odell’s iconic big ballads like “Grow Old With Me” and “A n o t h e r L o v e ” , guaranteeing uproar from a crowd
Image: Instagram (@tompeterodell)
moved to tears by both a musical and visual spectacle you’d perhaps think more synonymous with rock and roll, yet was orchestrated by Odell in such a subtly commanding nature it could not have been further from the chaos this implies. He managed to encapsulate a natural nervousness which seemed all the more relatable, blending it with the confident outer shell of a born performer who has nurtured his craft. While his confidence may not have appeared entirely effortless, his vocals were without flaw. It is rare a live vocal performance matches the perfected mixing of recorded material, but Tom Odell outshone anything you may have heard of him on any album thus far. He utilized his beautiful falsetto tones which combined with singular spotlights and pale white backdrops gave an air of ethereality, before dropping into his chest to hold notes with such overwhelming power it was impossible not to feel choked. Odell provided us not just with familiarity in performing his old hits and dead set crowd-pleasers but was also rather liberal with sharing new and unreleased material. As well as the soonto-be released “The Best Day of My Life”, a tender tune laced with naked and comforting simplicity, Odell invited his Newcastle crowd to be the first to hear a new song “Just Another Thing That We Don’t Talk About”, a personal highlight of the evening which gives promise of great things to come. Other highlights included a beautifully harmonised collaboration with Rae Morris in “Half as Good as You”, and a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s hit “True Colours” which could rival the original with unexpected ease. It was overall an evening of variety, be it visually, musically, or emotionally - leaving us with no less than warming fulfilment and hunger for what Tom Odell might do next.
From 2 to 3 Peach Pit
Lucy Bower - Music Sub-editor
P
each Pit are amongst a minority who have become renowned for a sound that is both indie rock and chill. The Vancouver quintet have just graced the world with their third album, tellingly named ‘From 2 to 3’. Comprised of eleven tracks, it is safe to say that Peach Pit have found the sound that characterises them nailed. It’s warm, it’s optimistic, and it’s packed with clean guitars. The opening tracks ‘Up Granville’ and ‘Vickie’ feature sharp acoustic guitars that build a foundation for sunny riffs and the unmistakable mellow vocals from lead singer Neil Smith. It’s enough to propel you to grab your shades and sit on a field of your choice drinking beer with your mates – this album will be a treat with the summer sun. Moving onto some of the songs that come fresh with the album, ‘Lips Like Yours’ blurs the line between indie rock and indie pop. As this tune takes on a more mellow tune, there is plenty to dig your ears into. The balance between upbeat and measured songs is one that will take you on a steady journey. Songs such as ‘Last Days of Lonesome’ combine whiny guitar riffs and a slow acoustic rhythm into a bittersweet love song. ‘You know I would give it all for free’ explore the powerful feelings towards someone who isn’t as interested back. As potentially their most bustling song on the album ‘Pepsi on the House’ battles between a powerful rhythm and dulcet riffs. ‘Wake up and see that morning changes all’ are some of the energetic lyrics that speak about the coming to terms with a relationship. The fusion of both the electric and the intoxicating arch of acoustic bliss is a unique combination that isn’t mirrored by many other bands. Peach Pit have exceeded expectations with their third album ‘From 2 to 3’. It’s a beautiful balance of soothing sounds and poetic lyrics to create a sound that feels both nostalgic and fresh.
Sub-editors: Carly Horne, Rachael McCreanor & Rebecca Sykes
26
TV
Andrew Garfield cast in new show Small town murders, big time names - Hulu's new crime show
T
o be completely honest, I was certain I was done with gritty true-crime shows. I’ve watched True Detective, I’ve watched Mare of Eastown and Broadchurch and Sharp Objects, and whilst I am still obsessed with them all, that was enough for me. Surely there’s only so many shows I can watch with a gruesome murder in a small town with only the deeply troubled protagonists desperate enough to solve it. The formula is always the same, someone is horrifically murdered and in the midst of solving it the troubled past of the protagonist is slowly exposed, revealing alongside it secrets and betrayals in which everyone manages to become a culprit. We trust no one until the little, tiny, minuscule moment with a huge impact that reveals who the killer was all along. Every time I’m ready and waiting for this moment and yet every time it manages to catch me by surprise. Under the Banner of Heaven falls into the genre of show I’ve described. It follows Garfield's character, Detective Pyre, in his investigation into a murder in a family of followers of the LDS (Latter Day Saints) fundamentalism church. This proves difficult for the detective in more ways than one, as it brings into question his own faith as he too is a member of this church. Little is known about the show so far, with only a teaser trailer being released however we do know it is based on a novel of the same name by Jon Krakauer and will be available to stream on Hulu in the spring but no official release date has been announced yet. We also know it's going to be written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and also starring award nominated actress Daisy Edgar-Jones. With other shows of the genre being notorious for collecting awards, the ones I’ve previously mentioned holding many Emmy's, Golden Globe's and Bafta's between them, I have no doubt this will do the same. Whilst I’m hopeful this show will bring something new to the genre, even if it doesn't I’ I’m sure the stellar cast performances and trustworthy formula will still create an intriguing must watch for 2022.
Image: IMDb
THE
COURIER
Review: Inventing Anna: fact, fiction, or a little bit of both? Castor Chan - Sports sub-editor
Abbie Thorn
Monday 14th March 2022
W
hen Anna Delvey m a d e headlines back in 2018, all of America knew her name overnight. But with the new Netflix series Inventing Anna, she has become a global sensation. Socialite or scammer, she has forever solidified her reputation as the girl who wrapped New York around her fingers. The series loosely follows the events of the real story, and leading lady Vivian Kent is inspired by Jessica Pressler, the journalist who wrote the exposé that sparked it all. Titled “Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It”, the piece was published in New York Magazine four years ago.
Anna is produced by Shondaland, the same Shonda Rhimes that created Grey’s Anatomy. The show constantly dips back and forth between Vivian writing her article and Anna flitting through the elite. Especially for those who were unaware of Anna Delvey prior to the series, this is a fresh new plot that keeps unfolding to reveal a rollercoaster. Characters like the acerbic Neff Davis and the lovable Scriberia squad keep the humour alight as well as serve as a break from the intense story that unfolds. On the other hand, I feel like Inventing Anna plays a little fast and loose with Anna’s story. She is made out to be a feminist revenge agenda wrapped in stolen designer, and yet she was simply a failed fraud. Even her claim that she didn’t feel guilty just girlbossing a little too close to the sun as some might say - falls slightly flat after her interview with the New York Times. “I feel sorry for the choices I’ve made. Definitely, I don’t feel like the world would be a better place if people were just trying to be more like me.” With social media now crazy
over Anna, you do wonder which Anna they know and mean. And the half-truths that captivated audiences? To get a better idea of what actually happened, you’d be better off reading Pressler’s article, or even Rachel DeLoache Williams’ book My Friend Anna. Despite Neff and Kacy Duke’s beliefs that they were accurately portrayed, Williams was nowhere near the vapid ingenue she was made out to be. She also made hundreds of thousands off the events between selling her story to Vanity Fair, her Simon & Schuster book deal and optioning it for a potential HBO deal.
It's unpredictable, captivating and slightly exahusting
It plays fast and loose with Anna's story
The ethics behind the production itself is also dubious - Anna was reportedly paid over $300,000 as a consultant. There are also talks of a series on events after Inventing Anna, and she is running Instagram bids for the reveal of the ‘futurist boyfriend’s’ name. (Which she started at 10k) However sorry she is, she is still looking for ways to fill her wallet with green. Inventing Anna is unpredictable, captivating and slightly exhausting - much like the Soho grifter herself. One could argue that it would be better focused if it were a shorter series instead of nine hour-long episodes. But Netflix’s want for drama means that much of the nuances of Delvey’s deception are lost in the whirlwind of scams and surface intrigue.
There are details that mirror Pressler’s own life - like the fact she was also very much pregnant or when she was caught in controversy after falsely reporting on a kid who supposedly made a fortune from stocks. In my opinion, one of the biggest draws to this series is how it plays out like a drama show. Every episode starts off with the disclaimer: “This whole story is completely true. Except for all of the parts that are totally made up.” Inventing
Image: IMDb
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Carly Horne, Rachael McCreanor & Rebecca Sykes
The Crown Jewels are stolen... from Netflix, not the Royal Family Kayleigh Fraser - Campus comment sub-editor
On the 16th February, up to £150,000 worth of props were stolen from The Crown
V
ehicles for Netflix's hit show The Crown (2016-) were subject to a robbery in late February. Props worth up to £150,000 were stolen from three vans, including a replica of a rare Fabergé egg that belonged to the Queen's father, George V. These antique props stolen in an overnight robbery in South Yorkshire were supposed to be used for The Crown season 5. They were mostly to be used in scenes starring Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) as Queen Elizabeth II. Following the incident, Netflix has confirmed the theft but has said that production will not be delayed any further. A Netflix spokesperson said: “We can confirm the antiques have been stolen and we hope that they are found and returned safely. Replacements will be sourced; there is no expectation that filming will be held up.” Regarding the crime itself, a spokesperson said that “Police were called at 4.30pm on Wednesday 16 February following a report of theft from vehicles at Pastures Road, Doncaster."
“Officers investigated the incident but all existing lines of inquiry have now been exhausted. The case has been filed pending any new lines of inquiry.” In my opinion, it's quite sad that many of the props were stolen from the set. As we know, so much work and money goes into making television. The Crown is set to return later this year for its fifth season with a brand new cast. Based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the previous four seasons have centred around poignant events from her reign. The latest season focused upon the introduction of Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) and the complicated relationship between her and Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor) as well as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson). T h i s season, we Image: IMDb will witness
Imelda Staunton take over from Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Lost Daughter) as Queen and Elizabeth Debicki's (Widows, Tenet) debut as Princess Diana. The season itself is expected to take place in the 1990's, which (as we all know) was a very turbulent time for the Royal Family. In 1995, Diana took part in an interview with journalist Martin Bashir; an interview that is still making waves 25 years later. In 1996, Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced, before Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997. Where the series will end in this timeline is another question. Who knows? Unfortunately, it's been revealed that season 6 will be the final season of the show. Bringing the narrative into the early 2000's, fans could witness the introduction of the Duchess of Cambridge as well as a party-goer Prince Harry in his youth. Whatever the plot, I'm still excited to see what comes. Season 5 of The Crown is coming soon to Netflix.
Hannah Montana meets Law and Order: OC? Carly Horne - TV sub-editor
With the news that Barry O'Brien is joining the creative team of 'Law and Order: OC', what does this mean for the show's creative direction?
O
n February 28th 2022, Vulture reported that Law and Order's first female showrunner, Ilene Chaiken, would be leaving Law and Order: Organized Crime. Chaiken is to be replaced with none other than Barry O'Brien known for his role in creating Disney's Hannah Montana. While some fans are concerned over what the loss will mean for the spin-off 's creative direction, others have taken to Twitter with golden memes. With a plethora of plot holes and continuity issues hanging in the air, I for one am looking forward to O'Brien's role in taking Law and Order: OC forward. In fairness to Ilene Chaiken, who you might call the 'mother of the spin-off ', I think the issue isn't so much with the franchise's individual shows and more with how each works together. With O'Brien's creative direction, as seen on Hannah Montana, I'm seriously looking forward to seeing the way the crossovers work out, as well as how the storylines are tied up. The budding romance of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) with Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) has been almost 25 years in the works. Though Ilene Chaiken was instrumental in their relationship developing in 'the Christmas Episode', there has been absolutely no followthrough in subsequent episodes. Now, we know that O'Brien is capable of a friends-to-lovers arc - evidenced by the development of Lilly Oken and Oliver Oken's relationship throughout the run of Hannah Montana. Olivia and Elliot may be reeling from the impact of their respective traumas; Elliot from his wife's murder last year and Olivia's issues with abandonment and post-traumatic stress. Though it may be a darker path to finding one another, I have every faith in a fairytale ending for the respective police officers. Romance is not the only task for the Hannah
Montana creator, and making the transition from writing teenage popstars to organised crime might be a little bit of a culture shock for the writer. Luckily, O'Brien's repertoire extends to a stint as writer and executive producer on CSI: Miami. The Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) arc, which informed much of the series' plot, was left with more loose ends than resolutions. Who tried to run Olivia off of the road at the start of this series? Why were there so many threats to her life, only for Olivia not to be mentioned in Dylan McDermott's final appearance? How did Wheatley know "the one true love" of Elliot's life? Is Richard Wheatley really dead? I don't recall Hannah Montana featuring much in the way of organised cyber crime, nor do I remember over two decades of pent-up sexual frustration between two geriatric police officers in the Disney Channel hit. But over a career as established as Barry O'Brien's, I am excited to see where the show's development goes from here. And I'm not the only one. The news of changes to the writing team was met with mixed responses on social media. @ladystabler on Twitter posted: "My entire timeline becoming an OC/Hannah Mon-
tana mashup is not what I expected for Friday night on the bird app, but I'm loving it" while the fandom's timeline also featured a variety of edits with the Hannah Montana theme covering the shows opening credits, for example. Frustration has been building amongst fans of the franchise for a while now, but for some fans, the news of O'Brien joining the team was the final straw. @amockingbird (also on Twitter) said: "I quit long ago, but they just got rid of the showrunner which is never a good sign. And the new one created Hannah Montana?!?". It appears some fans just can't get on board with the changes to personnel over at Wolf Entertainment. Whether this comes as good or bad news, as a meme or a change of great importance - I for one believe Barry O'Brien will be a breath of fresh air for the franchise's newest show. Law and Order: Organised Crime already offers beautiful cinematography and a faster-paced, more exciting alternative to the original shows. I hope O'Brien can also match this standard in his writing and keep the show going for years to come.
Images: IMDb
TV
27
Peaky Blinders: Tommy Shelby is finally back CC Lee
Peaky Blinders – a show that’s gripping and shocking at every turn. What a Season Five Finale, but was Season Six worth the two year wait?
W
ith an ever corrupt undertone and new business adventures – entering a drug and alcohol war – what does this season have in store? First things first, Helen McCrory (our beloved Polly Gray) was paid the most respectable tribute that has been done on screen. Not only was the actress' death handled with care and authenticity; but the beauty of the entire sequence made for an apt farewell to her character. Four years later, after Polly’s death, it seems that the opening episode of Season Six ties up loose ends whilst adding a stream of new ones. It’s clear that Thomas Selby is returning to his old ways of manipulation and organised violence – but also keeping in line an element of his gypsy life. The two are already intertwining and it’s making for a gripping start. As ever, the boys' ambitions are getting in the way of each other and causing a potential war within the family, gasps. But what does this mean for Tommy’s crown and will Michael actually be the new leader? Only time will tell. Peaky Blinders has done well to establish strong female characters – but they always seem to be cleaning up the messes of their male counterparts or being used as sexual exploits. I mean, we’ve had five seasons of this already, what can we expect? I sincerely hope that Ada Shelby, follows in the footsteps of Polly to become the strong female lead that is now not so present in the show. Baby Karl from Season One is all grown up – how time flies! But what's in store for him this season? Who’s side will he take in the war, Uncle Tommy’s or Michael’s? It’s going to be a good Season if we see his character grow to be a Peaky Blinder, but how will they make his character arc unique? I’m also incredibly excited to see how Ruby’s character arc plays out – will she be the “new" Polly Gray?
Image: IMDb
Sub-editors: George Bell, Jess Bradbury & Autumn Keil
28
Monday 14th March 2022
Film
THE
COURIER
Smoking in films: Censorship blown out of proportion? Ross Bennett
After Colin Farrell was denied a cigar for his Batman character, should smoking be completely banned on our screens?
O
n the 3rd of March 2022, The Batman came rollicking into cinemas nationwide. But do you know what didn’t come with this iteration of the Caped Crusader? Colin Farrell’s nicotine habit. It has been revealed that Colin Farrell pushed for his character – The Penguin – to puff on a cigar throughout the film. However, he was refused this by the studio; Warner Brothers. “Big studios make big decisions around such things as the presence of cigarettes in films,” Farrell said. “I fought valiantly for a cigar. I even at one stage said, ‘I can have it unlit, just let me have it unlit.' They were like, 'No.' Like a bunch of 12-year-olds are going to start smoking Cuban cigars because of [The Penguin]”. Smoking in films has come under scrutiny in r e c e n t
years, with the American Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggesting a link between smoking in films and young people picking up the habit. But has this c e ns orsh ip gone too far? T h e Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has defended the use of smoking in films, saying that it falls under free speech and that any legal restriction of smoking on screen violates the first amendment. The CDC has drawn a link between smoking in PG13 (Usually a 12A in the UK) and rates of smoking in young people, with the suggestion that ‘smoking films’ (films w h e r e smoking is
Image: IMDB
prominent) could be given a higher age rating – such as an R Rating (18 in the UK) – in order to reduce the number of young people that see it and potentially are influenced by the actions they see on screen.
Frankly, this is just another iteration of an ageold debate However, the argument against censorship rises again; take period movies for instance – can you authentically set a movie in the 60s or ’70s and have zero characters smoking? And what about when it comes to franchises w h e r e smoking is a character staple? Will James Bond have to start vaping? Frankly, this is just another iteration of the age-old debate between what should and should not be censored. For years Hollywood was subject to the Hay’s
Code which determined what could or could not be shown on screen. Now we again encounter this pitfall in a new guise. Is it really worth censoring smoking? Or should it be preserved under the guise of free speech? Who knows? That’s for the movie makers to decide.
Image: Pixabay
Review: The Batman - Pattinson trades sparkles for spooks Leo Dawson
The bat and the cat are back on the big screen in Matt Reeve's latest take on the caped crusader
T
his may be our first introduction to Pattinson’s Batman, Kravitz’ Catwoman and Paul Dano’s Riddler, but in 2 hours 56 minutes they become the definitive versions of their respective characters.
Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is traumatised, reclusive and brutal, stepping right off the pages of Year One October 31st. Gotham City. A serial killer is at large and we find a caped vigilante in the second year of his quest for justice. Matt Reeves (of the Cloverfield and the Planet of the Apes franchise) brings us an early-years Batman without treading on the ground of previous appearances, which means no flashbacks to the death of the Waynes and no training montages. All of these are welcome choices.
Speaking of bold decision making, Gotham City has never looked so disgusting and that is a brilliant move. Reeves and director of photography Greig Fraser (Dune) have created a city that feels just as monstrous as the comic-book portrayals of the cesspit. Merging the architecture of Glasgow, Chicago and Liverpool on the big screen makes the sprawl of Gotham feel unlike any place in the real world and it is filled with similarly larger than life characters. Pattinson’s (The Lighthouse) Bruce Wayne is traumatised, reclusive and brutal, stepping right off the pages of Year One and turning in one of the most emotionally resonant portrayals of the Batman to date. Reliant on homemade gadgets, a roaring muscle-car Batmobile and fragile relationships with Lt. Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and trusty butler Alfred (Andy Serkis), this Bruce Wayne may be unrefined in both his crime-fighting and detective work, but never have the shadows of Gotham City been utilised by a Batman so brilliantly on-screen. Also working in those shadows is Zoe Kravitz’ (High Fidelity) Selina Kyle, not yet the Catwoman, but still giving Pattinson a run for his money as the standout of this stacked cast, in a role she
was born to play. Kravitz carries herself with the elegance and selfishness of comic book Selina, working with Batman and finding her own mission in looking out for those that slip through the cracks of society in Gotham.
Zodiac Killer-inspired Riddler is terrifying in both cryptic clues and narcissistic glee In terms of Rogues, the unrecognisable Colin Farrell (The Lobster) makes for an amazing Penguin, both slimy mobster and dark comic relief. He is one of the most exciting players in this new universe. Whereas Paul Dano’s (There Will Be Blood) Zodiac Killerinspired Riddler is terrifying in both cryptic clues and narcissistic glee. He serves as the personification of modern-day criticism for Batman, questioning his moneyed and unyielding approach to crimefighting. The Batman is concerned with the decade-old question of why Batman exists, pitted against the corruption of his surroundings and emerging from a symbol of vengeance into a symbol of hope. The rest is an unrelenting dive into the world of Gotham City that has never been achieved to this standard before, unrivalled in both its performances and visuals.
Image: IMDB
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: George Bell, Jess Bradbury & Autumn Keil
Film
29
Celebrating women in front of and behind the camera It's time to give the women in film the recognition they deserve for pioneering the craft of cinema
The women of film Imogen Mole - Relationships sub-editor
I
nternational Women’s Day, like every day, is a day to celebrate all the women in our life: the ones who inspire us, the ones who are there for us and the ones who make us the women that we are. It feels only natural to celebrate the women in front of and behind our screens that have been all those things, even if some of them are fictional. There are so many women behind the scenes and in front of the camera that show us not only is it women that run the world, but there are so many different stories and voices that unite us, and that should be told. From Emerland Fennel’s incredible portrayal of sexual assault in Promising Young Woman, Mindy Kaling and Nisha Ganatra’s breaking down of the
patriarchal structures in late-night tv in Late Night, or the absolute classic Bend it Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha, these women show that there will always be stories and voices, and those are things that unite us. And it’s not only the woman behind the camera or at the writing seat. I can only speak from personal experience but for me, female characters have formed who I am: Bridget Jones taught me it’s okay to be clumsy, Donna from Mamma Mia taught me the importance of female friendship and the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter, which I’ve replicated with my own mum. If I named every woman in film that formed a part of who I am and my relationships with other women, I would honestly be here all day – so all I’ll say is it’s these characters and people behind the screens that we need, and we need to keep telling our stories. So happy International Women’s Day to all the wonderful women reading this. Whether you’re spending it with your nearest and dearest female friends or watching your favourite female-led or created films, remember you all have a story and we all want to hear it. To quote the masterpiece that is Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, spoken by the iconic Soarsie Ronan: "women, they have minds and they have souls, as well as hearts they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent as well as just beauty."
Greta Gerwig Maja Mazur - Arts sub-editor
Images: IMDB
N
o other female filmmaker is as inspiring as Greta Gerwig. Of course, there’s a lot of equally talented women directors in Hollywood, headed by Chloé Zhao, Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow. What is special about Gerwig is that she managed to demonstrate to the critics and the viewers that stories about women deserve recognition and place at the award ceremonies. While Bigelow proved that a woman can make great war films mostly focusing on men and stereotypically targeted for the male
audience, Gerwig showed that female cinema is for everyone. After all, both of her films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars tell coming of age stories of female characters. Lady Bird (2017) traces a complicated relationship between mother and teenage daughter, while Little Women (2019) concentrates on sisterhood, friendship and women’s hardships in 19th century America. Even though it’s been two years since Gerwig was snubbed at the Oscar nominations for Best Director, I’m still upset – shame on you, Academy. The fact that she still struggles to get well-deserved recognition shows how far we are from equality in the film industry. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from her upcoming project, Barbie, but as soon as it’s released, I will run to the cinema (definitely not to see Ryan Gosling). Above all, Gerwig’s films bring much-needed freshness to male-dominated Hollywood. And we need her beautiful stories about women because as she said, “writing about something makes it important”.
as she dances (quite literally!) into her nineties. Between 2017-2020 she portrayed Lydia Alvarez in the remake of One Day At A Time, a sitcom about a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles. Norman Lear requested Moreno for the part, and she agreed on the condition that her character be ‘sexual’ and vibrantly full of life as a grandparent. To this day, Moreno continues to act, sing and campaign for better representation of Latina women on screen, and hopefully, she will for years to come.
Rita Moreno
S
Leah Graham
he’s of the last remaining stars of the Golden age of Hollywood, she’s one of the few performers to achieve EGOT status, and at 90 years old, she’s more alive than ever. This International Women’s Day I’d like to talk to you about the legend that is Rita Moreno. Born in Puerto Rico in 1931, Rita Moreno has fought against Latina stereotype casting since her first role. More than sixty years after her breakout role as Anita in Westside Story, she’s still campaigning for better representation. The Puerto Rican actress openly states that she dislikes most of her early roles as they were very stereotypical depictions of Hispanic women. She praised Gene Kelly's influence in casting her in Singin’ in the Rain, calling her experience working on the film and being cast in a nonstereotypical role a ‘privilege’ and an ‘amazing experience.’ After winning an academy award for her role in Westside Story, Moreno was disappointed that her roles hadn’t evolved. She stated she didn't make another movie for seven years after the role as all the auditions on offer were degrading and prejudiced; she returned to Hollywood years later, taking more control of her career. But it’s not only her campaign for Latino representation and her talent in dancing, singing and acting that Moreno is inspiring, but her refusal to slow down
Images: IMDB
Local Cinema: Tyne Valley Film Festival this week Autumn Lily - Film sub-editor
T
his Friday marks the relaunch of the Tyne Valley Film Festival by the Forum Cinema Hexham. The community-led celebration of film will last 10 days and show 35 screenings across 17 venues (including your own home!) in the Tyne Valley. The diverse programme includes films from 12 different countries, with some released this year while others date back as early as 1912. Much of the screenings take place in areas outside of the city centre, which gives students a great chance to explore the wider local area, and find new spots for cinema. Ask your housemate for a lift, hop on the metro, or catch a bus, and change your scenery for the day as you enjoy the events Tyne Valley Film Festival has planned. The closest event for Newcastle based students is the screening of Patagonia on the 24th at Ye Olde Cross Inn in Ryton, only a twenty minute drive out the city. You might enjoy the Forum Cinema Hexham itself, which has recently launched a 16-25 membership. The membership is completely free
to sign up for and includes benefits such as £5 tickets and discount on popcorn from the Cafe Bar. The screening of Kind Hearts and Coronets on the 26th of March has been chosen by those with the 16-25 membership, who have chances to programme films. “After the uncertainty of the past two years, we’re delighted to be relaunching the festival.” says David Nixon, the founder of the festival. This festival offers a unique chance to support rural film clubs and local cinemas, while also experiencing films from all around the world. “Our mission at the Forum is ‘to create community through film experiences’ and Tyne Valley Film Festival really encompasses that.” David adds. “We are proud to be able to support all of these great film clubs and community organisations to help them bring the best films from around the world directly to rural communities across the region.” For the full programme and ticket information visit www.tynevalleyfilmfestival.com Image: Tyne Valley Film Festival
Print sub-eds: Michael Duckworth & Peter Lennon | Online sub-eds: Haaris Qureshi& Joseph Caddick
Monday 14th March 2022
THE
COURIER
Gaming Preview: Nightingale Review: Aperture Desk Job 30
C
Hannah Ross
ompany Kickbyte recently released a trailer for their new game Nightingale which they hope to release on PC later this year. Nightingale is an open world fantasy game with a mystical Gaslamp Victorian aesthetic – it looks beautiful! Stranded in the Fae realms, cut off from our world by the collapse of an 'arcane portal network', you are left to fight and survive in a labyrinth of realms wrought with mysteries and perils. The search is on for the way back to the last haven of humanity: Nightingale. Though we only have a taste of what is to come, Nightingale looks to hold a lot of promise. There looks to be a vast range of areas and environments to explore, the trailer displaying deserts, swamps and forest and the potential for others as well. It also hinted at a selection of giant, beautifully constructed creatures to act as bosses to fight. The artistry of the lighting has particularly enhanced the appearance of all environments and creatures in the game. Lighting design can make or break the quality of a game if not executed
properly, but from the freezeframes and trailer footage I don't think it is something we need worry about.
They have also opted for the ability to play the game in multiplayer
Nightingale is marketed as a survival-type game with both construction and conflict aspects, but with an element of progression through these various realms to eventually reach an end goal. They have also opted for the ability to play the game in multiplayer which I have found is somewhat lacking in many open-world and fantasy games or at least not developed enough to participate fully in the initial storyline. In contrast, Kickbyte have emphasised this feature, which suggests it will be an exciting option for gameplay. With Alpha and Beta test coming very soon, Nightingale suggests that excitement is in order as we wait to see what is instore for this upcoming game. Image: IGN (YouTube)
Josh Watson - Deputy Station Manager
W
ith the release of the Steam Deck - Valve’s attempt to get into the handheld market many PC gamers are getting their first console in quite a while. It seems there have been worries at Valve that these warriors of the keyboard haven’t held a controller for such a long time that they need some help to get used to the control scheme. Enter Aperture Desk Job: a new game set in the Portal universe. This simple game seems to be somewhere between a tech-demo and something closer to Wii Play as a way of getting used to the new shiny device. For everyone not willing to put up £350 for portable Steam, the game is still available on PC, which feels like its defeats the point of the game somewhat. However, you are restricted to a controller on PC, so it’s time to dust up that Xbox 360 controller and give it a spin. Of course, the biggest part of this is the Aperture Component of the game, a return to the world of Half-Life and Portal since Alyx. I guess this is the first game in the timeline, set during the heyday of Cave Johnson's leadership of the company. The game still holds on to much of the wit of the games it’s based on, with your own Wheatly-like orb teaching you the ropes of how to check if the aperture is built well (which look as well built as expected) by rotating and opening objects.
This short experience only lasts for an hour and is jammed packed with all that Portal nostalgia. There are plenty of details and secrets to spot if you have an eye out for them but nothing as crazy as the lore we expect. While it's no Portal 3, Aperture Desk Job offers a short, sweet and free experience that proves that when Valve makes a game, they hit the mark.
Image: Valve
Riddle me this, Dark Knight: which Arkh In honour of the release of The Batman, we discuss our favourite entries in the critically acclaimed Batman:Arkham series Batman: Arkham Asylum Michael Duckworth - Gaming sub-editor
I
t’s often said that nothing beats the original, and while this isn’t always true (see Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed) it is certainly true for the Batman Arkham series. Originally released in 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum encapsulates the quintessential Batman experience. While imprisoning Joker on the island prison he activates his trap card, releasing all the inmates and establishing himself as the new leader of Arkham Island. While this game lacks the open world of City and
Images: Rocksteady
Knight, it uses its tighter level design to deliver an excellently paced adventure through the claustrophobic halls of the asylum. Each section of the complex has a distinct personality and allows its individual boss to develop their character as you fight and clamber your way to them. The Joker and Harley are at their best in these games, taking them down is immensely satisfying after they spend the game taunting you through an insistent Tanoy system, and Poison Ivy is an incredible anti-hero figure and provides one of the best boss fights in the whole franchise. Exploration is rewarded with mountains of Riddler trophies, easter eggs referencing obscure Batman villains and mysterious monuments that reveal the writings of Amadeus Arkham, the man who built the complex, who reveals the secrets behind its construction. These collectibles encourage you to sneak around every nook and cranny of the expertly constructed map and allow you to fully appreciate its complexities. While the consensus seems to dictate that the more “open world” a game is, the better it is. Arkham Asylum stands in total contradiction to this, utilising the linear nature of the game to craft a compelling story that appeals to newcomers and fans of the comics alike.
Batman: Arkham City Peter Lennon - Gaming sub-editor
H
ardly the underdog of the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham City is more than deserving for all its Game of the Year accolades and reverence it has received from fans since its release. A sequel to 2009’s Arkham Asylum, City expanded its world into a portion of downtown Gotham that has been walled off and converted into a prison. Naturally, Batman’s villains carve up their territories in this makeshift penitentiary – headed by the mysterious Doctor Hugo Strange – and Batman investigates. The mystery of the plot – written by comic book legend Paul Dini – is captivatingly deep, with more villains being woven into the scheme as the night unfolds in a way that feels natural to the story. I don’t want to get too into the details because, even though the game has been out for over a decade, I’d never forgive myself for ruining someone’s
first time. Though Arkham Origins has a multitude of incredible boss fights, Arkham City fills its slate with variety and ingenuity. In particular, the Mister Freeze fight requires the player to carefully plan their approaches and stealth tactics, being unable to fight the cryonicist head-on. Freeze, in turn, will prevent you from attacking him the same way twice, so the player will have to rely on spatial awareness and scouting the environment. Of course, Batman would be nothing without his family, who are introduced more fully in this entry. The special edition of the game includes Catwoman chapters that are intermitted throughout the story. There are only four chapters, but the ability to free roam Arkham City as slickly and slyly as Selina Kyle is a joy and a welcome change from the more brutal movements of the caped crusader. Overall, a brooding atmosphere, a rabbit hole of a mystery, and engaging boss fights all establish Arkham City as one of the most pinnacle Batman stories of all time, let alone in gaming.
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Print sub-eds: Michael Duckworth & Peter Lennon | Online sub-eds: Haaris Qureshi& Joseph Caddick
Gaming
31
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announced for late 2022 What's in store for Gamefreak's next main-series Pokémon game?
A
John Heycock
wild Pokémon roaming around in open expanses - as we saw in Legends: Arceus. Whilst some areas looked admittedly rough, most of the game looked like an upgrade to Sword and Shield. Little touches, such as more realistic Pokémon textures (Seviper received scales and Magnemite actually looks like
fter a bumper 25th Anniversary Pokémon Day Presents last year, it seemed unlikely the Pokémon company would try to top that this year. At just 13 minutes in length, this Presents was a lot shorter, and after mobile games and the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Shaymin event took up most of the slot, it seemed likely that the Pokémon Legends: Arceus additional content would be the main event. But out of nowhere came a Detective Pikachu-esque scene with seemingly no context; it turned out to be a big red herring. A flash of light through the window and just like that: Gen 9. Looking back retrospectively, with Pokémon Legends: Arceus releasing in January rather than November, it seemed almost certain that a new game would release later in the year as well. Given the fact that a new generation is almost always released every three years, the reveal shouldn't really have been a surprise. Scarlet and Violet are the brand-new Pokémon mainline titles, set in an open-world region seemingly based on the Iberian Peninsula. The reveal featured almost exclusively overworld footage with no real insight into gameplay mechanics. We did, however, see
metal) didn't go unnoticed. With a new game comes a new starter trio - and this one has got a lot of people talking. Once again in the rock-paper-scissors format of a grass, fire and water-type starter. Admittedly, when I first saw them, I wasn't a fan at all, thinking they looked like "fakemons" and struggling to pick a favourite. After talking to fellow Pokéfans, it seemed like a common opinion that at first people didn't like
Image: GameFreak
them but after hours of relentless staring they loved them, and I've warmed to them too. In fact, it seems like this trio have received more love than any recent starter trio. Let's go through them in a bit more detail: The grass cat Pokémon seems to be the most popular, with many people falling for its (apparent) cuteness. This one I think is a perfect example of what frustrates me about starter design: they've got a cat, coloured it green and called it a grass type. I'd love to see starters that aren't necessarily the typical colour associated with a type but possess physical features in the design which relate it to its type. However, it's growing on me but not my pick as things stands. This fire crocodile Pokémon looks like a chilli with the face of an apple. Fuecoco is the Pokémon that I think contributed most to my initial "fakemon" impression. But clearly there's fire in its belly as I warmed to this one much more quickly than the other two. If I had to pick now, I'd be forcing Fuecoco to come with me on my adventure. Calling this creature Donald Duck would seem like a cliché at this point. I'd be surprised if it didn't have a dedicated meme page, but its goofiness makes me somewhat partial to it at this point. Ultimately for many, the choice of starter will likely depend on their final stage forms. What kind of adventure faces you and your partner Pokémon is yet to be seen.
ham game is the cowl-est of them all Batman: Arkham Origins Leo Dawson
T
he black sheep of the Arkham franchise and the dark horse of the Caped Crusader’s gaming history, Batman: Arkham Origins is WB Montreal’s only instalment in the series, bridging the four year void between City and Knight. A prequel focusing on the early years of the cape and cowl, it makes for an appropriate match with Matt Reeves’ The Batman, introducing the Dark Knight to members of his iconic Rogues Gallery that would go on to give Gotham grief across the Arkham series. Dedicated to the slick combat and high-tech gadgetry of previous games, Origins gives the player free rein over a younger Bruce Wayne that is still learning what it takes to be a caped vigilante and is a fan favourite for its numerous and inventive boss battles. Whether it is facing off against the equally skilled Deathstroke, grappling with pyromaniacal Firefly, or being hunted down
by Bane in various states of Venom-induced rage, every boss has something to offer. Origins is a primary factor as to why Batman: Arkham Knight felt like a major step backwards in terms of gameplay, reducing boss fights to a multitude of Batmobile based tank battles and quick time events. Arkham Knight may be the visual peak of the series, but Origins was all the more inventive with its gameplay. Something else to be commended is the voicework in this addition to the franchise. Although Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill do not return for this outing, Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker turn in some great performances as younger versions of Batman and The Joker. Though there had been some contention around Joker even making an appearance in this game, it is a satisfying inclusion given his importance across the series. Despite an annoying twist of antagonists and some truly unsettling facial animation, Origins is well deserving of its cult favourite status. Much maligned for its deviation from Rocksteady’s primary trilogy, stunning voice work and one of the most exciting stories in the franchise makes it the best Batman video game to date.
Batman: Arkham Knight George Bell - Film sub-editor
I
In a Curious Case of Benjamin Button kind of way, when it comes to the Batman Arkham games, I started with the last one: Batman Arkham Knight. Since then, I have played the main trilogy to death and cemented this series as one of my favourites. I’ll admit right off the Bat (see what I did there), this game is not perfect and its criticisms of being the weakest entry are entirely warranted from the overuse of the Batmobile to the true ending being locked behind an excessive number of Riddler trophies. But despite its faults, I still find this title so charming. Despite coming out all the way back in 2015, Knight still looks as if it could have come out yesterday. The visuals are beyond stunning and matched only by the gritty atmosphere we get to see from the biggest open world in the series. I think this is an excellent conclusion that manages to satisfy a lot of key points. Mark Hamill
is given one last chance to shine as Joker as the omnipresent stalker of Batman’s mind, giving both tension and welcome humour in this bleak world. References to the old games show how much of a love story this is to the caped crusader and you get to spend hours upon hours unearthing them all. The revolutionary fighting system of the Arkham games somehow manages to improve here with even more satisfying takedowns and combo moves that have you questioning whether these people are actually dying. And while the Batmobile was used excessively, that doesn't mean it didn’t have its moments. From the Riddler races to drone fights, there were some epic moments that made you feel like Batman. The side-quests have been a highlight of the series giving the opportunity to meet a fantastic mix of Batman’s rogue's gallery. And Arkham Knight has some of its best with a highlight being the creepy Professor Pyg. This is only improved with the astonishing array of DLCs this game had, with opportunities to play as loads of characters like Red Hood, Nightwing, Harley Quinn and Batgirl. Some people may have been disappointed, but I wholeheartedly think the Arkham series went out on a high.
Sub-editors: Tom Wrath, Maja Mazur & Ruby Taylor
32
Arts
Review: A Curious Incident at the Theatre Royal
Peters bounced off of, stage son, David Breeds (Christopher) as though they were actually father and son! The chemistry was undeniable. Aside from Peters, Breeds was a phenomenal actor as he played the perfect Christopher I envisioned. Still classed as a "newbie" to the theatrical stage, he was everything I could have hoped for. He did not shy away, break character or anything else an actor wishes to avoid. As the two main characters of the play, you could not have asked for a better duo. You could also not have wished for a better ensemble of actors throughout the play - the inclusion of actors was incredible. Transgender actress Rebecca Root (who can be seen in Sex Education and The Danish Girl) performed as Siobhan whilst deaf actress Sophie Stone (Casualty, Holby City and The Crown) played Judy. It was a special night to witness the inclusion that the casting directors brought to the stage, especially as Stone occasionally uses sign language. I believe this was one of the most diverse castings I have ever seen on a stage and to say I loved it would be an understatement. It is the representation everyone wants! Moving away from the acting, the stage itself was (literally) electrifying. The effects that were used; such as lights to highlight maps, paths, drawings and Christopher's mind were illuminating. I have not personally seen many productions use these effects - it is very individual to the play's production and is amazing to witness.
Erika Armanino - Science Sub-Editor
Image: freesvg.org
T
I believe this was one of the most diverse castings I have ever seen on a stage and to say I loved it would be an understatement
THE
COURIER
Kindness Russian State Ballet is Book Sale cancelled by UK Theatres
Katie Siddall - Sports Sub-Editor
he Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was performed at Theatre Royal Newcastle over the last week, with March 5th being its final performance in the toon. Having read the play as a novel, based my language A-Level coursework on the opening chapter and saw it back in 2017... only five years ago.... I was not disappointed! I was very reminiscent of this play, especially as the father Ed Boone was played by the same actor I saw back in 2017 - Tom Peters. Starting with Peters, I was impressed to remember the exact actor; however, his performance is unforgettable as proven by my memory of him. Ed Boone is a very powerful character within the play and a big part of Christopher's life. Within this production, during the second act, Peters stood an arms width away from me (I sat in the aisle seats of the grand circle) and I was in absolute awe of this convincing performance.
Monday 14th March 2022
We look at the recent Russian State Ballet cancellations due to the country's invasion in Ukraine
16TH MARCH 12-2 PERCY BUILDING FOYER The Student Voice Committees (UG and PG) in the School of English Literature, Language & Linguistics are hosting a KINDNESS BOOK SALE on Wednesday (March 16th) between 12-2. Come along to the Percy Building Foyer – there will be lots of books. t some fun reading material, and support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
T
he Russian State Ballet of Siberia’s remaining UK dates have been cancelled in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Seven British theatres have cancelled the performing acts all around the country: Bristol, Wolverhampton, Northampton, Edinburgh, Bournemouth, Southend and Peterborough. With nine remaining shows, the Russian Ballet of Siberia has been performing in the UK for over twenty years. Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, urged the remaining venues to cancel the events in sympathy of Ukraine. “We can’t allow representatives of the Russian state to continue performing” she wrote on Twitter. Formed in 1981, the Russian State Ballet of Siberia has quickly established itself as one of the best Russian’s ballet companies, creating an international reputation and bringing the Russian ballet around the world. The company has been awarded with numerous International acknowledgements such as The Golden Ticket, the Most Grandioso Performance of the Year and The Best Ballet Company of the Year.
The current tour already visited cities including Sheffield, Manchester, Blackpool, Hull, Liverpool and Nottingham, performing classics such as The Nutcracker and the Swan Lake. The original end date for the tour was the 25th of March in Bristol. The cancellation of the Russian Ballet is only one of the main artistic performances that are being cancelled in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Darlington Hippodrome stated it will not host any productions of Carmen and Aida anymore, that were originally scheduled for next week. Conventry’s Belgrade has also cancelled every Russian show in addition to the Russian Ballet show scheduled for November.
This is only one of the artistic performances canceled in response to Russia's invasion Amande Concerts, which runs the Russian State Opera, tried to defend the show explaining that the show is not Russian and that the name is just used as a "brand name" and that the origin of company is British. “We understand the potential for confusion this name causes, but there is no link between Amande Concerts to the Russian ‘state’ as a political entity.” They stated.
What are your favourite books as a kid that still hold up today?
O
The Tiger Who Came To Tea (Judith Kerr)
ne of the first books I fell in love with as a kid was Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea. My mum would read to me every night since I was an infant up until I was around 5 years old. It was one of the very first books that I read for myself and then went on from there to read all sorts. Given it was, really, my first ever book, any time I see it in a bookshop now, or when they play the cartoon on Christmas Day morning, it still gets me just as excited as it used to before. Judith Kerr was definitely a forefront figure for me with loving literature, and her other books, like the Mog series, are also ones I still reread every now and then. Sarah Tunstall
I could not take my eyes off the stage - it hooked me from the beginning!
W
The Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank)
hilst it might raise a few eyebrows as a book read during childhood, there is no doubt that The Diary of Anne Frank holds up today. I was first introduced to her diary in year 3, and I asked for a copy that Christmas. Ever since, her diary has been a source of fascination to me in terms of chronicling the thoughts and life of one girl and her family in a heart-breaking situation. It goes without saying that her account of discrimination, wartime and family holds up today. For a younger audience, her diary clearly shows how growing up can be difficult and it is human to struggle - her last entry details her internal conflict before ending “if only there were no other people in the world”. Her last entry is perhaps the most poignant part of all, that sometimes stories do not have a happy ending. Given the past few weeks, her words seem to resonant more than before. With discussions of war and the conflict in Ukraine, most of us have felt helpless. If there is one thing Anne’s diary can tell us, it is this - we must wait and we must hope there is a better world out there. Emily Kelso (Comment Sub-Editor)
Having been obsessed with the novel and play for years, I took my boyfriend to watch the play. He did not know the plot or what to expect - he just saw me getting more and more excited as the night went on. It is easy to say that he did not expect the dark topics that the play indulges in; however, he thought it was "interesting" and "impressive". I could not take my eyes off of the stage - not for a drink, food, nothing. It hooked me from the beginning! I cannot fault this production on and off stage. It was the highlight of my last COVID-19 years (which I have actually seen two or three productions during)! I encourage you all to try and see this production as it tours the UK.
D
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Image: Flickr
espite being published over 15 years ago, The Book Thief is a novel that is still as culturally and historically significant today as it was back then, perhaps even more so. I read this book when I wasn’t much older than the protagonist is, and absolutely adored it - the wit of the narrator, the three-dimensional characters, the style of writing which pulls you in as if you were there. Most of all, I liked how the novel often makes you question
many aspects about life and about yourself. If you’ve never read or heard of “The Book Thief ”, one important thing to consider about the book is that it’s set in Germany during WW2. Following Liesel, a young girl navigating her life during this time, it forces you to draw a comparison to any modern day situation we’re living through - a war in Eastern Europe, a pandemic, climate change, and so much more. I believe this novel holds up, as reading this book today just as I did 10 years ago evokes the same question I had back then - “how have we not learnt from history, when it repeats itself so often?” Avika Sharma
Goodnight Mister Tom
G
(Michelle Magorian)
oodnight Mister Tom was a book I used to read and reread back to back when I was younger, and I still reach for it when I need a comfort book to escape from university work. It’s a heart-warming story of a boy evacuated from London to the countryside during World War Two. The way the two main characters adjust to their new lives and truly find family in one another is such a lovely thing to read. Their characters leap off the page and the development of their relationship throughout the novel feels so real. The emotional parts also still hit hard no matter how many times I read this book! This is a novel I can see myself continuing to reread for many years to come.
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Tom Wrath, Maja Mazur & Ruby Taylor
Arts
33
Introduction to Ukrainian Art Literature Elizabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs
Visual Arts & Paintings Maja Mazur - Arts Sub-Editor
Death and the Penguin, Andrey Kurkov
D
eath and the Penguin surrounds a man named Viktor living in post-Soviet Ukraine. He gets a job writing obituaries for people who are still living, which seems suspicious at first but he needs the job. Once the subjects of the obituaries begin dying shortly after he writes them, the drama unfolds from there. The penguin in the title is a penguin, named Misha, that Viktor obtained from a zoo, which follows him throughout the book. Death and the Penguin is an interesting novel because Kurkov captures elements of life in post-Soviet Ukraine through an absurd story. The themes of isolation, confusion and living in a world where things don’t make sense anymore are captured in Viktor’s strange career path. The penguin’s experience out of its natural habitat (Antarctica) only highlights this concept. This book is, surprisingly, a pretty quick read, and I got through it in a few days back in the summer of 2020. While difficult to find in English, it’s available on the UK website Bookshop.
Untitled, Serhiy Zhadan translated by Amelia Glaser and Yuliya Ilchuk Everything will change. Even this perpetual warmth will change. The fog’s settled steadiness will shift. The wet orthography of the grass will lose its inherently clean line along with its stem’s expressive calligraphy. The measure of things, which you accept so easily, will change, the voice, which grew thicker in the dark, will get hoarse, October, which you know by its broken light and oversaturated space, will change too. It will go like this: a bird’s lightness and rage people, who forestall the evening chill by singing, will start to remember winter like a forgotten language, they’ll read it, re-read it, recognize it. And everything will change for you, too, you won’t escape this warning, this fear of the blackbird in the morning circling the sharp, warm trees, beating its wings against the blind gleam. Lands that freeze to the core. Sunny days for the brave and the luckless. Your breath will change, in the end, when you recite a memorized list of apologies, dogmas, and faults. Dryness will change, and the wetness from the lowlands will change, the field’s winter cold will change, the stubborn October grasses and women’s inflections will change. Like in fall, like in fall.
Image: Instagram @dailyartmagazine
Kateryna, Taras Shevchenko Taras Schevchenko was not only a painter, but also wrote poetry, studied folklore and enthonography, and was a political and public figure. He campaigned through his work for the independence of Ukraine, such as by writing poems in Ukrainian language rather than Russsian. "Shevchenko was the only Ukrainian painter of his time who brought up themes of liberty that resists the cynicism of powerful aristocrats. A special place in his artwork is dedicated to Ukrainian women's fate. For instance, Shevchenko presents the most common character of Ukrainian women: "pokrytka"(litteraly - "covered girl"). "Pokrytka" is a young girl who lost her virginity before marriage and gave a birth to the child. Kateryna (Catherine) is the main heroine of self-titled poem. It is a story of young girl seducted by Russian officer. Learning she is pregant, and the recipient of rejection both from her family and society, she runs away into selfexile. Alone and disgraced, she walks toward a tragic death and bidding farewell to unfaithful Muscovites." - Daily Art Magazine
Architecture Tom Wrath - Arts Sub-Editor, NUTV Comms Manager
Khotyn Fortress, Chernivtsi Oblast Constructed in 1325 as a fortification of the Rus' federation, Khotyn underwent major renovations in the 1380s and 1460s, expressing one of the finest examples of medieval defensive architecture in Eastern Europe. Legend has it that a single girl called Oksana was buried within the walls during rule by the Ottoman Turks, and her tears are still visible in the form of a large dark mark on its South face, whilst other common myth refers to the tears of Khotyn rebels slain during the Turkish invasion Perhaps resultant of this mystique, the fortress has also been utilised as a film set; appearing in Russian movies The Viper (1965) and The Arrows of Robin Hood (1975). As of 9th March 2022, Khotyn is untouched by the current invasion.
Holiday divination, Mykola Pymonenko Pyomenko is often misrepresented as purely a Russian painter, when he was actually painting in Kyiv whilst it was under control of the Russian Empire. He is known for his astonishingly realist paintings and expert command of light. His main subjects were farmers, country folk and working class people, both in urban and rural settings. His painting "Hopak" is currently exhbited in the Louvre, and throughout his life he was widely exhbited. “Mykola Pymonenko was a realist. Many of his paintings skilfully depicted night or evening light. They say the artist used to observe the moonlight and really painted his studies at night. His paintings are often used in books or articles about ethnography or folklore, full of life and joy. He is well known for his scenes of everyday life; both from the city and countryside.” - (State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg)
Image:Wikimedia
Golden Gate of Kyiv, Kyiv
Image: Instagram @artpreciatetheday
Lyrical Melody, Ivan Marchuk Ivan Marchuck is a contemporary Ukrainian painter working, who is well-known for creating the technique "plytontanism." He has produced over 4000 works in his lifetime that have been displayed internationally.
Image: Instagram @treasures.ua
“The painter was born on May 12, 1936 in the village Moskalivka in Ternopil region of Ukraine, in a family of famous weaver. Studied in Lviv College of Decorative and Applied Arts named after Ivan Trush at the Department of decorative painting as well as at the Department of ceramics of the State Institute of applied and decorative arts. In the mid-1960s, Ivan Marchuk arrived in Kyiv and found his way in the artistic space, which allowed the artist to say I exist!. Further he faced the tough opposition of system, which ruthlessly suppressed all that did not fit into the dogmas of socialist realism. 12 years of immigration (Australia, Canada, USA). Since September 2001 after returning from exile, the artist has lived and worked in Kyiv. According to the British edition of The Daily Telegraph, in 2007 Marchuk was included in the list of 100 geniuses of our time. In the West, his “Coloured Preludes”, “New Expressions”, “White Planet” and “Gaze into Infinity” are well known.”
Affectionately known as Zoloti Vorota, the Golden Gate takes its name from a similar design in Constantinople. although their designs differ massively. The structure has a rocky history, being dismantled during the Middle Ages before a full reconstruction by the Soviet Union; which ultimately proved controversial. With semi-circular domes atop the Gate, it stylistically borrows from Ancient Ruthenian Churches such as Saint Sofia Cathedral in Veliky Novogrod,. However, it also retains a semblance of Defense architecture like at Khotyn; evident in both its stacked nature, strong angulation and sandstone pallet. The interior is comprised of a Church, situated to provide heavenly protection to the city, with a bell tower and museum ajoining. It is both and ironically and sadly symptomatic of the current invasion that Putin is seeking to destroy much of the USSRs heritage; although as of 9th March 2022, the Golden Gate r e m a i n s standing tall over Kyiv.
Image:Wikimedia
Sub-editor: Joseph Caddick
34
Monday 14th March 2022
Puzzles
Across
1. Wood used in building and carpentry. (6) 4. Description of animals from distant countries. (6) 7. Antonym of in. (3) 8. Small arthropod with six legs. (6) 10. Agrees with bosses for approval. (6) 11. App to help you learn other languages. (8) 12. Alone. (4) 13. Hat associated with France. (5) 14. 2013 Bastille song. (7) 16. Foe. (5) 18. Fake. (4) 19. Fossil resin used in jewellery. (5) 22. Crab star sign. (6) 23. Sensationalist journalism. (7) 24. Stay away from. (4)
Down
1. Organised crime group based in China. (5) 2. State that Tom Sawyer is from. (8) 3. Rot, Decay. (3) 4. The study of word origins. (9) 5. Musical speed. (5) 6. Italian pastry desert. (7) 9. Bill ___, America’s 42nd president. (7) 12. Area that separates the nostrils. (6) 13. Northern Ireland’s capital city. (7) 15. Lazy and avoiding work. (4) 16. Microsoft’s spreadsheet software. (5) 17. Mouldy or musty. (5) 19. ___ Stark, played by Maisie Williams in Game of Thrones. (4) 20. Pen with a small metal ball. (4) 21. Paul ___, star of Ant-Man. (4)
THE
COURIER
Crossword
Codeword:
Wordsearch - Sports
Last Issue's Answers
Codeword: Potatoes
Badminton Boxing Darts Hockey Rounders Sailing Tennis
Baseball Cricket Football MMA Rugby Snooker Volleyball
Basketball Cycling Golf Motorsport Running Swimming
Word Wheel: Orangutan
WIN A PRIZE!
Upload your puzzle solutions to Instagram and tag @thecourieronline
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editor: Joseph Caddick
Puzzles
35
Instructions
Nonogram
Colour in the cells in the grid according to the numbers on the sides of the grid to reveal a picture. The individual numbers in each row/column are separated by spaces of 1 or more squares.
Notes
Difficulty: Hard
Word Wheel Sudoku 14 March 2021
THE
Create as many words as you can of 3 letters or more from the wheel. Each letter can only be used once and you must use the one in the middle of the wheel. Try to find the 9 letter word that uses all the letters. Goal: 40 words
Sub-editors: Castor Chan, Katie Siddall, Ethan Todd, Lucy Rimmer & Mitchell Hall
36
Monday 14th March 2022
Sport
THE
COURIER
Roman Abramovich’s Putin suspended as Honorary frantic bid to cash in President of Judo Federation on Chelsea ownership Tom Barlow
The owner faces pressure from antiRussian sanctions
F
ollowing the oligarch's apparent ties with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the billionaire owner is in a possible race against time to sell Chelsea Football Club. Putin’s invasion into Ukraine has led to countries placing sanctions on Russia and this includes the oligarchs hiding money around Europe. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss claimed to have a ‘hit-list’ of Russian oligarchs that she was going to slam sanctions on. She refused to comment on whether Abramovich was on this list, but this did not stop any pressure from coming his way. The danger for the Russian would be his assets being frozen, leaving Chelsea in an unprecedented situation. The man renowned for starting out selling plastic ducks out of his car boot and spending billions on turning Chelsea into world champions was now losing control. His first play was to hand down ‘stewardship’ of the club to its charity foundation on the 27th February. “I am today giving trustees of Chelsea's charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.” The Russian saw an opportunity for his assets to be safe, as assets of a charity cannot be seized by the government. However, legal experts have simply called this ‘stewardship’ role as nothing more than looking after Chelsea and meaning nothing legally. On March 2nd, Abramovich released a further statement saying he was going to sell Chelsea. “The sale of the Club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process.” The seemingly frantic scramble to sell the club before his assets were frozen now seems no more, as the sale of the club would not be ‘fasttracked.’ Perhaps the oligarch has had
assurances that the club he has owned since 2003 would be safe from jeopardy, as an established institution in the UK. The owner further commented on how all net proceeds of the sale of the club will go to a new foundation to help the victims in Ukraine. A shocking statement for many, as the media has dubbed Abramovich and Putin to be friends. Roman finalised his statement by saying that he hopes to be able to visit Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to the club in what was felt to be quite an emotive statement. What do Chelsea fans think? Cries of ‘Roman Abramovich’ during a minute’s applause for Ukraine before the 4-0 win at Burnley were drowned out with boos from the home fans at Turf Moor. Chelsea fans seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place in this situation. They have so much love for what Roman has given to the club, yet they’re met with the oligarch having his hand forced to sell the club for his relationships. Amanda Staveley, on the board of directors for Newcastle United, claimed that what was happening was not ‘particularly fair’ but that we need to hold ‘our relationships to account.’ Moral ethics aside, Chelsea FC will be sold after almost 20 years under Roman’s occupation. The Swedish American consortium and Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak seem to be front-runners to purchase the club. Editor's note: Since the time of writing, the UK has frozen Roman Abramovich's assets, preventing the sale of the club at present. They are also unable to buy, sell or offer contracts to players. Chelsea have been granted a special license, allowing fixtures to continue, current ticket-holders to attend, and payment of players and staff. Image: Twitter (@brfootball)
Emily Kelso - Comment sub-editor
I
n a short, blunt and to the point statement, the Judo Federation announced the suspension of Vladimir Putin as Honorary President and Ambassador of the International Judo Federation (IJF). The decision was made “in light of the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine”. Putin was first appointed as Honorary President and Ambassador in 2008. Putin’s enthusiasm for the sport can be seen in his attainment of the eighth dan (which the IJF have also revoked from Putin) in 2012, the same year in which he watched the judo matches at the London 2012 Olympics alongside David Cameron. He’s also produced a book on the history and theory of Judo and even an instructional DVD entitled “Lets Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin”. Such a move to suspend Putin’s has been a signal to other supranational judo bodies: the Russian President of the European Judo Union Sergey Soloveychik has tendered his
resignation within the last few days. Several sporting committees and federations have moved to remove Russian teams or boycott Russian events. Russians and Belarusians must compete as neutrals in the 2022 Winter Paralympics and Formula 1 whilst Russian football clubs have been banned from participating in future events (and future fixtures in Russia have been cancelled). Russian athletics competitors meanwhile cannot even compete under a neutral flag in March’s World Indoor Championships and July’s World Athletics Championships. Sanctions such as these have led to questions over whether it is right to punish the athletes for what the government have been doing. This is where the IJF’s announcements are significant. Firstly, they have refused to exclude any Russian athlete on the basis that athletes promote peace and international solidarity, and should not be punished for their government’s actions. Their only sanction directly impacts Putin, unlike the rest of the sanctions mentioned. As their decision was to suspend, and not completely remove, Putin as Honorary President, it
makes one wonder whether their ruling really is genuine or if it is just masquerading as such.
Ukraine crisis dis Kayleigh Fraser - Campus comment sub-editor
A
s Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, the international community has responded by posing sanctions and restrictions. One area of life this has greatly affected is sport. On the 24th February, Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to 'demilitarise' the country. Responding to Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, Russia invaded in efforts of their own security. Since then, the world has responded by placing tough actions on Russia and Russian
oligarchs. Whether it's been economic disturbances or sanctions overseas, many areas of life in Russia have been disrupted. An area that has taken a big hit is, of course, sport. In the last three weeks, various tournaments and championships have announced they would not be affiliated/ play within Russia. This is a widespread effort from across the sporting world, so let's have a look at exactly what's going on.
Football: Whether it's international or British football, Russia's football aspirations are looking rather like an own goal. English club Everton FC has announced it will no longer associate itself with Russian sponsors. Unbeknown to many, news broke that Everton is in part financed by Russian money. The club said in a statement: "This tragic situation must end as soon as possible, and any further loss of life must be avoided." It added: "The club can confirm that it has suspended with immediate effect all commercial sponsorship arrangements with the Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota." Internationally, Russia has been suspended from all FIFA and UEFA competitions. The suspension means that Russia will not be included in the mens World Cup qualifications, unless there are any improvements in the situation. UEFA has also suspended its partnership with gas giant
Gazprom, worth around £80 million in sponsorship money for the Champions League and Euro 2024. The same thing has happened with women's football, with the Swiss Football Association announcing that their team will not play Russia in the July European Championships. Most importantly, the Champions League Final will now move from Moscow to Saint-Denis, France. The game will still go ahead as scheduled on the 28th May.
Olympic Sport: The British Olympic Association has stated that they would like Russia and Belarus to be removed from the competition. They issued a statement saying: “The British Olympic Association, together with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Germany, demands the immediate exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the international sports family until further notice.” Continuing, “We call on the international sports federations to ban athletes representing Russia and Belarus from competitions for the time being and to suspend Russian and Belarusian officials from their positions. As of now, the 83 athletes who were meant to compete at this year's Winter Paralympics have been withdrawn with no plan to appeal from the Russian Paralympic Commitee. However, they expressed that they felt ''double standards have become the norm for modern sports'' and that such decisions would "lead to the degradation and collapse of the entire global sport". IOC president Thomas Bach has said that there is no plan to lift sanctions on the athletes even in the case of a successful peace deal. Image: Hands (MaxPixel)
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Castor Chan, Katie Siddall, Ethan Todd, Lucy Rimmer & Mitchell Hall
Sport
37
Are we right to suspend Haas drops Mazepin Russian athletes and clubs? from 2022 lineup
N
Hannah Ross
ow the question of the case of morality around suspending Russian athletes and their clubs from sports is a difficult one to answer. Are we unfairly alienating and punishing civilians for the actions of their government? Unfortunately, it comes down less to a question of morality than one of international nationstate discourses which are out of any one international
Image: Twitter (@indolentdandy)
governing body's control – it instead being permanently situated in the mind of every single citizen of every single modern nation-state. Sorry sports fans, it's time to get political. The nation-state promotes nationalism through the idea of 'us' and 'them' - the existence of an imagined national community, superior to every other state, creating a never-ending tension between each of them. In the extreme, wars are fought because of this existing natural conflict. More commonly, sport is used as an outlet to express these aggressive nationalistic tendencies. I am not saying here that there is an inherent problem with competitive sports – everyone enjoys some healthy international rivalry as an escape from mundane life. However, in times of war it only perpetuates a conflict that has already spiralled out of control. This does not make the decision to punish athletes for their government's actions fair, but they are unfortunately inseparably tied to them through nationalist discourses. Competing under a neutral flag may go some way to solving this issue, using a symbol
srupts sport Formula 1: Formula 1 have announced that Russia will no longer host a Grand Prix. The Sochi Grand Prix, which was scheduled to go ahead in September, was cancelled by the F1 directly. On the 25th February, @F1 on Twitter issued a statement saying "We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation." Nikita Mazepin has been dropped from Haas' 2022 lineup following the situation, and so has their sponsor Uralkali. Gene Haas has insisted that the team will continue to be financially stable without their involvement. Haas has been said to be using the team for marketing purposes for Haas Automotive instead of seeking profits.
Skiing: The International Ski Federation have said that five World Cup skiing events due to take place in Russia have been cancelled. The sporting body said: "FIS has decided that in the interest of the safety of all participants and to maintain the integrity of the World Cup, that all remaining World Cup events scheduled to take place in Russia between now and the end of the 2021-22 season will be cancelled or moved to another location." The sport is allowing Russians to compete but the Norwegian Ski Federation said they will not be allowed to participate in upcoming events in Norway.
Tennis: Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, but they are now barred from the
Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. As things stand, Russian teams will not be able to defend their titles from either tournament later this year, while Belarus’ Davis Cup play-off against Mexico – scheduled for this weekend – will not take place. Meanwhile, the Kremlin Cup, a joint WTA and ATP tournament due to be held in Moscow in October, has been suspended.
Athletics: All athletes and sports personnel (including officials) from Russia and Belarus are barred from World Athletics Series events including this summer's World Championships in Eugene. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said: “Anyone who knows me will understand that imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain." “I have railed against the practice of politicians targeting athletes and sport to make political points when other sectors continue about their business." Overall, it looks like the sports world is something that will majorly hit and impact Russia. Whether these sanctions will be revoked if talks do go ahead is the next question. For now, it looks like Putin has been given a red card for Russian sport. Image: Racket (Wikimedia Commons)
which specifically states that they do not represent their country, but it does not get rid of the issue completely.
It only perpetuates a conflict that has already spiralled out of control Scholars of nationalist discourses note that once a member of a nation, you can never 'unbecome' one. That is, you are forever associated with your nation, through these ideas of 'us' and 'them' used by every other nation in the world. So, unfortunately even though these athletes are not representing their country, it is not seen this way by the rest of the world. President Putin will also claim them as part of his 'national community' and so will benefit off their success regardless, to help fuel his propaganda to the state. If anyone is to blame for the suffering of these athletes, it is less to do with the international sporting bodies, and a lot more to do with Vladimir Putin.
Arthur Ferridge
Despite the FIA's verdict against banning Russian athletes, Haas have decided otherwise
H
aas F1 Team announced this week that they would terminate their partnerships with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and title sponsor Uralkali following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a statement released to their social media channels on Saturday morning, the Indiana-based team wrote that “Haas F1 team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin… The team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict.” The decision came following fallout regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many athletic organizations around the world have already banned Russian athletes, and, despite the fact that F1 would have allowed Mazepin to race under a neutral flag, Haas have chosen to cut ties. Mazepin’s father Dmitry, who is a close friend of Vladimir Putin, largely funded his son’s F1 career through Uralkali’s sponsorship, which led to the Russian flag livery featured on Haas cars in 2021 and the start of testing in Barcelona. The team has dropped this color scheme, however, opting instead for a plain white paint job. Nikita Mazepin responded with a statement of his own, expressing his disappointment with the situation. “I am very disappointed to hear that my F1 contract has been terminated,” he wrote on Twitter. “While I understand the difficulties, the ruling from FIA plus my ongoing willingness to accept the conditions proposed in order to continue were completely ignored and no process was followed in this unilateral step.”
He is referring to requirements set to Russian drivers by the FIA in order to compete following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These included a ban on pro-Russia social media content, a ban on Russian flags and symbolism on liveries or racewear, and the banning of the Russian national anthem in the event of a podium finish. As Mazepin claims to have agreed to the terms, he may be eligible to race in other FIA championships in 2022. This is not the FIA’s first anti-Russia move, following the termination of their contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix. Following this decision, it may be several years before Formula 1 returns to the Sochi Autodrom. Some motorsport governing bodies have taken a more aggressive approach to dealing with Russian competitors. Motorsport UK recently announced a ban on all Russian drivers competing in Great Britain, meaning that had he kept his Haas drive, Mazepin would have had to watch the British Grand Prix from the sidelines. The FIM, motorcycle racing’s answer to the FIA, has also recently announced a ban on all Russian competitors. At the time of writing, Haas are yet to announce a replacement driver, with preseason testing only two weeks away. Present frontrunners include test driver Pietro Fittipaldi, who substituted for Romain Grosjean in the final races of the 2020 season, and ex-Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi. Nico Hulkenberg has also emerged as a dark horse c o n t e n d e r, however, his role as test and reserve driver for Aston Martin F1 will likely stand in the way of a move. Image: Twitter (@TheF1Republic and @OsOfficialF1)
Sub-editors: Castor Chan, Katie Siddall, Ethan Todd, Lucy Rimmer & Mitchell Hall
38
Monday 14th March 2022
Sport
THE
COURIER
A tribute to one of cricket's greatest: Shane Warne, the 'King of Spin' Tom Wrath - Arts sub-editor
I
t’s not often as a fan of any sport that a player on the opposing team becomes your favourite, let alone one on the other side of such intense rivalry as England-Australia. Yet with his bleached mullet, eccentric personality, and undeniable ability to catapult stunning deliveries down the legside, there can be no greater tribute to Warne than admitting my idolisation. His death, announced Friday 4th March 2022 at the age of 52, comes not just as a great shock to the cricketing world, but to Australian culture and global sport. Born in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, Warne grew up a multisportsman; combining football and cricket before moving to Accrington, East Lancashire where he took 73 wickets at 15.4 runs each in the 1991 season. Although impressed, his lack of batting ability rendered him surplus to requirements, and early 1991 saw him transition back to familiar conditions in Melbourne, making his first-class debut in February 1991 for Victoria. Little over a year later and having made just seven first-class appearances, Warne made his first appearance in the green and gold he would go on
to become intrinsically linked with, joining the Australian national side at the Sidney Cricket Ground for a test against India; before series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka saw him hit the honours board with sensational figures of 7/52. A mark of potential, 1993 saw Warne undertake his first Ashes tour, returning to England with greater fanfare than he left (just ask Mike Gatting). It was to the experienced batsman that a fresh faced 23-year-old delivered his world-renowned ‘Ball of the Century’, nonchalantly strutting down the crease and pitching a ball wide on the off-side that beautifully swung in, stunning both Gatting and a good quantity of the England support.
By 1998, Warne's prodigious talent had blossomed into cricketing greatness If Warne had given us this moment alone and then retired, that would have been enough to warrant his legend status, yet this was utilised as a springboard to propel himself forward, taking a career best 8/71 and hat-trick in the return series (1994/95) before destroying Pakistan with eleven wickets
across the first test of the 1995/96 season. By 1998, Warne’s prodigious talent had blossomed into cricketing greatness, surpassing the 300-test wicket (which remarkably formed less than half of his 708) threshold at just 28 years old. Perhaps more remarkable is the fact that between 2001-2004 Warne was rocked by both persistent minor injuries and a year-long doping ban. During these controversial and highprofile absences, he dabbled in the TV commentary and charity matches which became second nature following his 2007 retirement. Subject to much speculation, one could have forgiven Warne for returning half the player he previously was, yet the three years between 2004-2007 arguably gave us his Golden era; characterised by the resurgence in his rivalries with Sachin Tendulkar and Kevin Pieterson and supported in a three pronged bowling attack by Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. Backed up by Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps, the legendary 2005 Ashes series added 40 wickets to his tally, making him the all-time leading wicket taker in England-Australia history despite the Aussies’ incapability to retain the urn. By the 2006/07 series, an aging Warne had announced his retirement and began a spiritual goodbye to cricket with his final, and world-best 708th test
wicket in the penultimate match at the SCG. Stints in Twenty20 with Rajasthan Royals and Melbourne Stars were the caveat of retirement, footnotes to a glittering international career before a final appearance in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord’s. How apt that the King of Spin finished his career at the cathedralic home of cricket. Warne was a controversial, unruly, and occasionally salacious party animal, culturally famed for an attitude and lifestyle wilder than his dance atop the Trent Bridge balcony in 1997. Yet in moments like this, he rejuvenated cricket and rebirthed the art of spin bowling, inspiring the transition of the sport away from its older, upperclass demographic toward younger, culturally engaged audiences. Whilst not a direct influence, one could barely doubt that Warne’s involvement in the birth of the limited overs franchise gave it a cultural significance, and financially re-energized cricket.
Warne rejuvenated cricket
For someone who grew up watching compilations of his wicket taking
Image: Twitter (@WisdenCricket)
with my cricketing sister, Warne’s death has come as a huge shock; although my words pale in significance when compared with the countless tributes from his successors and colleagues. However, I want to leave the final word with the man himself, a simple quote which summarises exactly why he is beloved the world over. “To me, cricket is a simple game…just go out and play.”
All about the World Baton Twirling Federation Virtual Nations Cup Image: Twitter (@WorldBaton)
Elizabeth Meade - Head of Current Affairs
Despite COVID restrictions, baton twirlers worldwide spun up excitement in an online competition.
T 2022. Unlike
his year’s World Baton Twirling Federation Virtual Nations Cup took place over the course of January and February in-person
competitions,
competitors entered this competition by sending in videos of themselves performing. This model was ideal, as we are still in a pandemic and not everyone is comfortable going back to in-person athletic events yet. Baton twirling, as a sport, has multiple divisions. For women, these are Youth (12-14), Junior (15-17), Senior (18-21) and Adult (22+). For men, these are Junior (12-17) and Senior (18+). There are also three different skill levels: B, A and Elite. Given that a small number of entrants split up into all these different sections, the sport is highly competitive. The Virtual Nations Cup included five competitions: Solo, 2-Baton, 3-Baton, Artistic Twirl and Artistic Pair. Artistic
Twirl is similar to Solo, only features more dance and gymnastic elements. While these routines are harder and require more exact timing and flexibility, even the ‘simpler’ routines require great dexterity and control. This is particularly true as you increase the number of batons. This event attracted a large global pool of competitors, including some who have competed in events like World Championships. These include the Women’s Adult Elite first and second place winners in the solo event, Himawari Kushima and Julee Stewart. At the Elite level, most twirlers have been competing for years and have a lot of experience. Many of the Elite and
Image: Twitter (@WorldBaton)
Senior winners’ older routines at World Championships can be found on YouTube.
Most of the winning twirlers in this competition were from Canada and Japan
Most of the winning twirlers in this competition were from Canada and Japan, although there were a few from Germany, Spain, France, Russia, England and the USA. The sport seems to be overwhelmingly more popular in certain places than others. This may be due to the fact that these countries are known for having good sports programmes that win a lot of awards in international competitions like the Olympics. Hence, it would make sense that smaller sports like baton twirling would garner enough interest for serious training opportunities to be made available to athletes. The event can be watched on YouTube on the British Baton Twirling Sports Association’s YouTube channel (abbreviated as BBTSA). The winning entries are an intriguing insight into the world of a lesser-known sport that nevertheless demands great focus and dedication.
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 20222
Sub-editors: Castor Chan, Katie Siddall, Ethan Todd, Lucy Rimmer & Mitchell Hall
Sport 39 Rowing: Newcastle triumphant BUCS as they host BUCS heads RESULTS Phoebe Cave
Newcastle University Boat Club hosted the BUCS rowing heads at Newburn and enjoyed the home advantage
N
UBC were incredibly grateful to be hosting the first BUCS Head since 2020 again at the water sports centre in Newburn. The event spanned over the weekend with Saturday seeing the Senior Fours , and Eights racing, and the Sunday being dedicated to Novices (those who have learnt to row this season). We fielded 21 boats on Saturday between the men’s and women’s squad, and after a successful day blessed by the sunshine - ended up finishing the day leading in
the Men, Women’s and overall Victor Ludorum.
The next stop for Newcastle Uni Boat Club is WeHORR. Although we didn’t have enough novices for the Sunday racing (mea ning they were thrown into the deep end racing on Saturday with the seniors), we still managed to just hold onto the Men’s and Overall Victor Ludorum, retaining it from our win in 2020, unfortunately only just losing out on retaining the Women’s. A huge thanks to all the Marshalls and Image: Instagram (@newcastlerowing)
Umpires from British Rowing and BUCS, and everyone who volunteered this weekend, to ensure the event ran smoothly, with a special thanks to Tyne Amateur and Tyne United for hosting and feeding us all this weekend! The Next outing for NUBC is the Women's Eights Head of the River Race (WeHORR).
Champ Lightweight Coxless Four B - 2nd Champ Coxed Four - 1st Inter Coxed Four A - 4th Inter Coxed Four B - 14th Champ Eight - 3rd Inter Eight A - 7th Inter Eight B - 2nd Inter Eight C - 12th
Newcastle's newly established Pole and Aerial club are off to a flying start with their first competition
H
aving entered their first competition as a sports club representing Newcastle University, the Pole and Aerial Club travelled to York on Saturday 27th February to compete in the Northern Regionals for the annual InterUniversity Pole Dancing Competition. On Friday 26th February we travelled down to York to compete in the first annual IUPDC competition since Covid, and our first competition since becoming an official sports club at Newcastle University! We were nervous but also incredibly excited and spent the evening in York preparing for the competition, including some much-needed TLC and the odd facemask thrown in for luck. The competition itself is huge across the UK for all universities with an interest in pole dancing; organised by the National University Pole Association, it is a chance for all universities to demonstrate their skill and passion for this incredibly fun sport, and not only are the judges hugely influential
in the pole world, but some of the biggest brands in the industry sponsor the competition every year. Whilst the winning university gets the bragging rights (which is of course the best part), it also has the honour of hosting the competition the following year. As first-time competitors in the regional qualifier up against six other Northern Universities, we started the day with some nervous giggles and high spirits. The beginner category kicked off the competition, with our very own Eira Bassett
Image: Instagram (@newcastlerowing)
4-4 5-3
FENCING
M1 V Durham 4
123-111
M3 V York st John W1 V UCLan 1 M1 V Nottingham 3
1-3 0-2 1-3
M1 V Loughborough 2 M2 V Teesside 1
5-5 2-14
FUTSAL GOLF
1 V Warwick 2 V York 2
1-5 1.5-4.5
HOCKEY
M1 V Sheffield 1 W3 V Sheff' Hallam 1
2-0 1-1
W5 V Northumbria 4
45-35
NETBALL
Champ Quad - 5th Champ Coxless Four - 3rd C h a m p Lightweight Coxless Four A - 1st
Image: Newcastle University Pole and Aerial Club
M3 V Leeds Beckett 3 M2 V Northumbria 1
FOOTBALL
Men:
performing a beautifully flawless routine to ‘Slip’ by Elliot Moss. This was followed by our intermediate performer Charlotte Stepney, who is also the Club president, demonstrating her pole skills with some incredibly eye-catching stunts to Beyonce and Shakira’s ‘Beautiful Liar.’ With a quick break in between for lunch and guest performances by the judges, our advanced competitor Mia Crawford was up next, bringing energy to the competition with her masterful pole moves and fun interpretation of ‘Gun in my Hand’ by Dorothy. To finish was our group performance, where backed by Christina Aguilera’s ‘Dirty,’ six of our amazing
15-7
M1 V Loughborough 1 108-97
Women:
RUGBY LEAGUE
M1 V Leeds Beckett
RUGBY UNION
Pole and Aerial Club: NUPAC climbs to the top at Regional Competition Shoni Rae
1 V Nottingham Trent
BADMINTON
BASKETBALL
Here are the Results... Champ Coxed Eight - 2nd Inter Eight A - 2nd Inter Eight B - 12th Champ Quad - 3rd Inter Quad A - 3rd Inter Quad B - 2nd Inter Quad C 28th Inter Coxed Four A - 11th Inter Coxed Four B - 4th Inter Coxed Four C - 1st
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
committee members took to the stage to wow the audience and the judges. Shannon Jamieson, Charlotte Stepney, Emily Anderson, Mia Crawford, Abby Collins, and Rachael Crompton delivered a wonderful performance which had the spectators in awe and our supporters from the University practically screaming with excitement. Waiting for the results of each category was nerve wracking but worth it once we heard the results; not only did we place first in group and beginner, and second in intermediate, but out of seven universities we qualified second over all in the Northern regional qualifier.
Having never before competed this is an absolutely amazing achievement for our club Having never before competed this is an absolutely amazing achievement for our club and means that we will be taking part in the national competition hosted by UCL next month. We are incredibly proud of our competitors who all worked so hard for this competition, and we wish them all the best for the next step in hopefully winning the championship; I would say ‘break a leg’ but in the pole dancing world that isn’t exactly helpful so instead I will say, good luck everyone!
M1 V Exeter 2 M3 V Durham 4 M5 V Man Met 3
4-48 26-17 26-10 33-27
SQUASH
M2 V Leeds 1 W2 V Hull 1 W1 V Nottingham 1
1-4 3-1 0-5
TABLE TENNIS
W2 V Lancaster 1
0-5
W1 V Sheffield 1
5-1
TENNIS
THAI BOXING + KICKBOXING Gareth Roberts Joe Elliott Bailey Redfern Fin Farrier Daniel Kiiver Sofya Galimova
Won (TKO) Won (TKO) Won (TKO) Lost Lost Lost
ULTIMATE FRISBEE
M1 V Northumbria 1 M2 V Durham 2 M1 V Hull 1 M2 V Durham 3
VOLEYBALL
W1 V East London M1 V Essex 1
WATER POLO
M2 V Leeds Beckett 1
BUCS TOP 10 1. Nottingham 2. Loughborough 3. Durham 4. Exeter 5. Edinburgh 6. Bath
7. Newcastle
8. Birmingham 9. Nottingham Trent 10. Bristol
15-1 0-15 15-2 7-14 3-2 1-3 5-21
THE
COURIER
Monday 14th March 2022
Sub-editors: Castor Chan, Katie Siddall, Ethan Todd, Lucy Rimmer & Mitchell Hall
Sport
NUFC go from strength to strength with undefeated run Peter Bath - Head of Sport
Newcastle United’s recent matches continue an unbeaten run
V
ictories for Newcastle over Southampton and Brighton look to have solidified their Premier League survival hopes. The Magpies’ 2-1 victory away to Southampton on Thursday night made it six wins from their last seven league games at time of writing. Initially, Stuart Armstrong’s goal threatened to end Newcastle’s winning run, but both Chris Wood and Bruno Guimarães scored their first goals for the club to come from behind. Guimarães’ goal, on the January signing’s first start for the club, was a particular highlight. An ingenious back heel flick proved to be the Brazilian flare needed to win at St Mary’s. It is now nine games unbeaten in the Premier League for Newcastle, bringing them from the brink of relegation to a comfortable mid-table spot. A 2-1 victory at home to Brighton last Saturday had already eased fears of the drop. Early goals from Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schär were too much for Graham Potter’s men. Jacob Murphy undid the Seagulls’ defence on the break, his shot deflecting off the post for Ryan Fraser to tuck in. Two minutes later, Fraser whipped a perfect free kick into the box, which Schär headed in powerfully. After Dunk beat Newcastle keeper Dubravka in the air to head home a corner, the home side were left to cling onto their lead for most of the second half. Cling on they did, and three more vital points have brought them up towards a comfortable-ish mid-table spot. The arrival of new ownership, Eddie Howe and a slew of January signings have brought a feel-good factor to St James’ park, and this has fed into results on the pitch. The Sports Direct signs which once loomed over the majestic ground are gone. Instead Brazilian flags in celebration of Joelinton and new signing Bruno Guimarães add welcome colour to the black and white sea of flags. Howe acknowledged the fans’ role in the team’s success, telling the BBC “I can’t thank the fans enough. The atmosphere on game days is incredible. The only disappointment is we haven’t got a home game in a while.” Flags and good will only count for so
Image: Twitter (@NUFC)
much in a relegation battle, but they now have the results to back it up. Although the appointment of Eddie Howe and a worrying relegation battle poured cold water on the unbridled excitement of the Toon Army, the former Bournemouth manager has turned things around and is proving himself the right man to steady the ship on the banks of the Tyne.
Newcastle are now unbeaten in their last nine Premier League fixtures
Magpies fan and Newcastle student Paige Rutter described the feeling: “I don’t think I’ve seen the club more electric than it is right now. The recent run of success has shown the transformation within the team. The credit has to go to Eddie Howe… This season didn’t start well but it has turned
into an unforgettable one.” Injuries to star men Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Kieran Trippier threatened to dampen the party atmosphere on Tyneside over winter, but the team’s momentum has persisted nonetheless. One figure who has embodied the whole team’s resurgence is Joelinton. Once a laughing stock, he has impressed in a deeper midfield role this season, playing with a confidence and swagger once unimaginable when the £40 million Brazilian scored 2 in 38 league appearances in his first season on Tyneside. After Saturday’s win Howe had praise for him alongside Ryan Fraser, saying that “since I’ve come in he’s been magnificent for me.” Oren Brown, another fan at the university, put these improvements down to Howe: “With a coach who can bring the best out of previous under-performers such as Joelinton and Ryan Fraser, I’m not suprised Newcastle are turning things around.” Image: MaberAmber (Pixabay)
“This season didn’t start well but it has turned into an unforgettable one.” - Paige Rutter By the time this goes to print, Newcastle will have faced one of their toughest challenges yet away to a strong Chelsea side on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea have returned to form in their last few games despite off-pitch turmoil, but they come up against a confident Magpies side who have nothing to lose. Whatever the outcome at Stamford Bridge, those results are not going to define Newcastle’s season. For now at least, survival is all that matters for Newcastle, and their recent wins have gone a long way towards that.
View from the AU Fergus Mainland - Athletic Union Officer he best part of my job is the ability to go and take tours round our sports facilities on a weekly basis. Every Wednesday afternoon, I find myself on a touchline or courtside, cheering our teams. Last Wednesday, my time was split between two national championship semi-finals, Men’s Football and Men’s Basketball. It was great to see support for both teams. Congratulations to Basketball for booking their place in the Championship final at Big BUCS Wednesday and commiserations to Football. You’ve been a brilliant club to follow, and I can’t wait to see what you can produce at Varsity. Maybe it was the pints talking but I left the football absolutely gutted for our lads. They’d had a brilliant run in the Championship having gone down to Hartpury and won a couple of weeks ago as well as being in the topflight of BUCS football for their first season. However, they can hold their heads high because of the integrity with which they carried themselves. The same cannot be said for Nottingham Trent. At what point are players coached to fake injuries, dive and bring their university’s name into disrepute? I’ve seen better acting at my Primary 7 end of year show. Their coach should be ashamed of the way he conducted himself. It was laughable to watch him yell at his players to “get down” when moments before they were miraculously jogging across the pitch. I wasn’t aware the 3G pitch at Cochrane Park had mystic healing powers… Ultimately, the lads lost. They were beaten on the day by a better team. That’s sport. However, having talked about Olympism last week, I found it incredibly disappointing to see a team at university level feel that had to resort to cheap tactics and GCSE drama for some decisions to go their way. A coach should train their athletes to be the best version of themselves that they can be, ensuring they are always striving for the highest standards on and off the pitch. Some of life’s greatest lessons are taught on the sports field and we must always seek to create an environment that fosters not just great athletes but great people.
T
INSIDE SPORT THIS WEEK
Uni sports reports Newcastle host BUCS rowing and Pole Club’s first tournament as part of Team Newcastle Page 39
Image: Instagram (@newcastlerowing)
Ukraine crisis From Chelsea to Beijing, the consequences of Russia’s invasion for sports Page 36+37 Image: Twitter (@brfootball)
40
Shane Warne Tom Wrath remembers the late, great spin bowler Page 39
Image: @WisdenCricket via Twitter
