Tside jan 2015

‘Middlesbrough is somewhere where we’ve always had a good reaction’ www.tside.co.uk

January/February 2015| Free

Pages 10 & 11

Win FIVE Dirty Disco tickets Enter the tside competition to win a free night out

Page 2

Instagram

A catalyst for low self-esteem?

Page 7

Spring/Summer

Leave winter and brighten up your wardrobe

Page 15

Inside the Mindsweep

Enter Shikari

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Contents

Notes from the editors

Index Contents & News

Leonie Ann Garlick @LeonieGarlick

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Editor notes & tside competition Elections and education

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Features  Sober for charity What we’re debating  What we’re ranting about  Instagram and Bebo  Auschwitz

Culture&Showbiz 9 Independent Venue Week Enter Shikari Patrick Monahan Award predictions

LET me start this note by wishing what must be the most belated happy New Year. For the first edition of tside in 2015 I am delighted to say we are featuring an in-depth interview with Enter Shikari ahead of their UK tour which includes what is bound to be an amazing gig at Middlesbrough Town Hall. We also spoke to Boro lad and hit comedian Patrick Monahan before he takes his ‘Adventures in Monahan Land’ show around the country.

Check out the back page exclusive from Sports Editor Thomas Robinson as he speaks to the athlete from Teesside who took Mo Farah’s place in the GB team, as well as Daily Express writer Niall Hickman’s say on the Ched Evans saga.

Although we may be approaching a busy end to the year, and as much as we promote revising and the like, tside have teamed up with the university Student Union to offer one lucky reader the chance of winning five free tickets to Dirty Disco. For more information on the competition check out the details below and keep your eyes peeled for even more exclusive freebies on our social media accounts.

campaign launched in the North East 14 Anti-homophobia

By Kristyn Higginson, Rebecca Siddle and Abbie Walker

Life&Style Valentines Day special Spring/Summer fashion Spring travel guide

Sport Blyth Spartans FA Cup dream Baseballing lecturer Rehabilitation of sportsmen Cross Counry Team GB

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Contacts @tsideuk

THIS month has raised some age old issues in the newsroom; including freedom of speech, which you will find discussed on Page 5 in relation to the Charlie Hebdo shootings. There’s an exclusive interview with Arabic cartoonist Sara Qaed on there, which we hope will give you an insight into the mourning industry. To honour Charlie, we’ve dedicated a page to uncensored ranting which takes a look at “double standard” sexism and controversial art following Sia’s music video for Elastic Heart. If you haven’t seen the vid, then we suggest whacking it on YouTube and developing an opinion for yourself. In Features, our reporter Corrie Jones discusses the pros and cons of Instagramming your food, which may reveal more than you think. Join Jack Crute for a tside exclusive with Bebo’s new owner Shaaun Puri; which promises not a glittery GIF in sight. And of course we haven’t forgotten England’s romantic holiday; feel free to join Natalie Devonshire for a spot of vintage Valentine’s dressing (tux not required). Speaking of dressing, Demi’s knocked up the finest in spring trends for S/S- and it’s all about pretty pastels. Yey! Work, party, play and be happy.

Matthew Brown @__MatthewBrown

tsideuk

tsideuk@gmail.com Co-Editors Matthew Brown Leonie Ann Garlick Features Editors Leonie Ann Garlick

Production Editors Matthew Brown Leonie Ann Garlick Adam Burford Thomas Robinson

Chief Reporters Lewis Denison Katya Redding Sports Editors Thomas Robinson Nathan Lee Matthew Jones

Life&Style Editors Demi Cornforth Corrie Jones Culture&Showbiz Editors Matthew Brown Adam Burford

Tside is produced by students for students. The paper is printed by Barton Road, Riverside Park, Middlesbrough, TS2 1UT. The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of Tside and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor. Any views expressed are those of the individual writers and not of Tside or Teesside University.

Staff contact Paul Bailey, email p.bailey@tees.ac.uk

Scan your smartphone here to go to our website www.tside.co.uk

AN anti-homophobia campaign called ‘SO WHAT?’ has been launched in the North East to fight gay prejudice.

Mr Gay World, Stuart Hatton, created the new campaign to fight back against homophobia.

Teesside University students and staff support the ‘SoWhat?’ campaign.

The #SOWHAT campaign was launched in South Shields and is hoping to go global.

ITV’s Lorraine Kelly has joined in the trend where you write “So What?” on your hand, take a picture of it and then post on Twitter to help gain awareness of the campaign.

Since its launch the campaign’s Twitter page @WeSaySoWhat gained 500 followers in the first 24 hours.

Stuart said he was excited to be the ambassador for such a campaign.

have blue eyes, some of us have green eyes, some of us are straight and some of us are gay”.

To show your support go onto the campaign’s twitter page.

Try i on digital For free, with our 30-day trial

Stuart said: “The main aim is to raise awareness of homophobia across the world regardless of age gender or ethnicity.”

He was extremely happy to tell us that so far the campaign has ran smoothly and he is glad that he has the status of ‘Mr Gay World’ behind him to convey his anti-homophobia message.

The campain’s tag line is “Some of us

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TSIDE JANUARY 2015 - COMPETITION #TSIDECOMP

Win Big This Term 1999

2009

2014

What year was Teesside University awarded university of the year?

Do you love a night on the town?

Looking for a reason to have a big night out with your friends?

Fancy winning yourself 5 FREE Dirty Disco tickets?

It’s easy! Simply tick the correct answer to the question, cut along the lines, and post it in our competition box on the 5th floor of the Middlesbrough Tower.

The lucky winner will have the chance for themselves and four friends to enjoy a night at Teesside University’s SU’s Dirty Disco for FREE. The prize can be used anytime throughout the spring term, if the successful party goer does not redeem their prize with-

in this term, it will become void.

Good Luck.

Do you want to have your name behind a new student’s night in the SU? Email tsideuk@gmail.com with your ideas. Barry the Beaver will reveal the winner next term.

Keep a look out for more exciting competitions and new events coming to Teesside University.

News |

3

Elections and education

With the student elections only a month away, political conflict is bigger than ever within the university Student Union with free education on the agenda ELECTION fever is about to hit Teesside University.

But with four months to go until the national ballot box opens, there is a greater event in development – student elections.

Youth parties on campus are preparing to run against the Student Union officers in the elections this March.

With university societies out in full force, there is sure to be conflict before the end result.

This is the feeling shared by Teesside’s Labour and Green societies, who have formed an alliance to create the ‘Free Education’ campaign.

The group was formed last year when members of the society attended a national demo in London, protesting free education for students in response to growing tuition fees and accommodation costs.

On their return, the group presented its argument to the SU officers at the University’s AGM. There was then a vote for free education with a majority supporting the argument.

It was then decided a debate would take place in the future to discuss a vote.

However, no action has been taken, and although a petition of 389 signatures

was handed to SU President Will Ridley, no decision has yet come to light, despite assurances legal action was being sought.

Speaking at the group’s public meeting this month, Chairman Jordan Blyth, 19, Labour, said the actions of the officers were “undemocratic, which shows them to be hum-drum about democracy and organising actual events.”

He said: “We do wish to co-operate with them on all other issues, but all we want in return is a vote.”

Claire Bouskill, 41, Labour and Campaign Secretary, said: “It has been going on for so long, their position now will not be changed.

“Will (Ridley) has made it clear if a vote went through at an AGM, they would have done it by now.”

The SU President was unable to comment at this time, although he has stated legal advice is still underway.

The group are now planning to campaign for all four of the officer positions in order to push the motion through.

David Stringer, 29, Green party, said: “All candidates we put forward will be their own officer, but we ask they support a motion for free education.

By Josh Gallacher

for one ex-Teesside student, it’s about to become reality.

Matthew Norman is soon to be jetting off to the land of kangaroos and vegemite sandwiches but his route to the southern hemisphere was a fairly unique one.

Graduating as a NCTJ qualified Multimedia Journalist, Matthew managed to get a job working as a SEO executive for Colewood Internet in Stokesley and from there started building on skills he learnt at Teesside University.

It was the advertising of these skills on business social networking site LinkedIn that started him on the road to the land down under.

Matthew originally began using the site as part of the MMJ course at Teesside and began to fill his profile up one section at a time.

“On your right hand side you have how full your profile is so I made sure that it was full but it was also good for jobs because of the adverts on LinkedIn. “The articles that are on LinkedIn are great and incredibly helpful,” Matthew said.

His fleshed out cyber CV was spotted

Elections 2015: Political correspondent JAMIE CROW reports the latest issues facing Teesside ahead of the student elections

PROTEST: Labour and Green societies march for free education in London demo “From the response so far, it looks like we have pretty good odds.”

While an actual vote is very unlikely at this stage, it does question officer activity.

While there have been claims that the officers are seeking legal advice, it does pose the question to students: is it time for

change?

Finally, is the way forward for candidates through political societies: will this create a more supported democracy on campus, or will the same arguments arise again next year?

Teesside graduate gets a dream job down under I’M SURE that for a lot of us, getting paid to work and live in Australia is a dream come true. Crisp white sand between your toes and crystal blue waters rolling into the horizon sounds like heaven on Earth. Well

FROM THIS: Teesside

TO THIS: Sydney

by a recruiter in Australia who contacted Matthew about several job openings with their company MatchMedia Sydney, but feeling that his skills were not up to the standard to fill the role properly he decided to leave it for a year and gain more experience in Digital Marketing.

After working as SEO Account Manager at Colewood and Digital Account Director at Spring Digital Media in Middlesbrough, Matthew was contacted again about the jobs and this time sent out his CVs and managed to ace the interview at 7am on his hotel balcony while on holiday in Spain.

One of the other reasons he feels he got the jobs that he has had is the MMJ course

at Teesside and the variation of traditional mixed with the adapting skills that he learnt during his time here.

“You need to know everything about anything to do with the internet, good and websites”, said Matthew.

“You kind of need to be half developer, half marketer and that’s where the content came in.

“That’s where the content from the course came in, to market a product you need to be able to write well for the website whether that’s with blog posts or articles.”

When asked about advice on how to get through the minefield that is University life, his answer was as inspiring and blunt as a kick up the backside, “My advice would be to suck it up and do the work, you only get one shot so do as much as you can.”

As he readies himself to step on a plane to go from small town in Europe to one of the most-well known cities in the World, I asked him what he going to miss about our little slice of home: “My family, parmos and the Boro.”

4 | Features

Women’s Rugby Society going sober for charity

By Liam Gillespie TEESSIDE Uni’s Woman’s Rugby team is participating in ‘Dry January’, where all members are sponsored to not drink any alcohol for the first month of the year to help raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Forensic biology student and society member Laura Rook said: “There’s a few reasons why we wanted to do this but the number one reason is to raise money to help fight MS which is a cause we’d all like to see tackled.”

“By doing dry January we hope to raise awareness among people, especially students about this disease and hopefully raise enough money to make MS a real thought provoking issue to people around the university.”

Over 100,000 people in the U.K. are diagnosed as having MS. Dry January is traditionally an event aimed at raising money for cancer research but the society decided to raise money for MS

GOING SOBER: Teesside Uni’s Women’s Rugby society due to several members of the Rugby team having had first hand experience with the disease.

Laura, whose own father is sadly affected by MS, says that although it hasn’t been easy going the whole month sober, it will all be worth it:

“From a personal view point, raising money and awareness for MS charities is an issue that I hold very close to my heart and am inspired by the whole team participating.”

“Not drinking for a whole month isn’t going to be the

easiest thing to do, just ask any student, but when it comes to bigger issues like these diseases which affect thousands of people around the country it, it makes it all worth it.”

“Hopefully by doing this we can inspire others to do similar

things like this throughout the whole year for issues like MS that aren’t really getting a lot of attention.”

Jain Guillaume, another member of the university’s Rugby team, lost her mother to MS and is keen to raise money as well as awareness for the disease: “My Mum was diagnosed with MS when I was seven and I grew up looking after her until she eventually passed away when I was 23, almost 10 years ago.

It really shaped the way I was brought up I think as I had to be independent quite young and I don’t think enough people know about the effects it has on someone and their family so raising awareness is also important.”

As well as having an online donation account, the society has a collection box in the Student Union shop along with their own calendars dedicated to raising money for another cause, ‘Body Dysmorphia’.

Inside UK call centres

By Ryan Welsh

THERE are now over a million contact call centre workers in the UK, with more employers than any number of workers that worked in the mining industry.

And like the industries of yesteryear the proprietors largely show no compassion towards the proletariat (working class) and their personal wellbeing.

Call centres were set up initially to produce cheap and available labour for companies, in order to expand their resources whilst cutting back on marketing and advertising.

The number of people now registered as self-employed in the UK is the highest it’s ever been since records began in 1992 according to the Office for National Statistics who say that the rise in selfemployment in the private sector was the main reason behind the sharp increase in employment figures over recent years.

This of course only benefits the employer, not the employees, in these circumstances workers typically receive no job security or basic in work benefits such as holiday pay or sick pay, and are more often than not

CRAMPED AND REPETITIVE: Inside the UK’s call centres paid the minimum wage.

Having worked in numerous call centres in the North East myself, I was hired on a self-employed basis for each telesales company I worked for.

And this pattern I found was not uncommon for small companies in

regional areas like Teesside.

The job itself is a miserable existence indeed, picture reading from the same script word for word every day. Sitting elbow to elbow with new employee after new employee.

It felt like there was little difference

between myself and a battery farm hen, apart from maybe a headset and opposable thumbs.

For the two years I worked in telemarketing, I had noticed the age groups varied, but on average the majority of these employees were single mothers.

This concerned me, as we’re living in a time of excessive cuts and austerity measures, where two thirds of children in the North East are said to be living on the bread line, however the cost of living crisis is largely ignored by mainstream politicians and many of their advocates.

Lauren Renton, 20, who currently works at a call centre said: “The job isn’t flexible enough for me as a mother. I get home far too late on an evening, it also gets in the way of the school runs as well so I always needed someone on hand to help with child care on a daily basis.”

The majority of the UK’s call centre workers are based in Scotland, the North East, Yorkshire and North West, all of which are old industry towns.

Roughly over 5% of workers in these areas work in call centres, with the lowest percentage of workers being in London.

Features 5

What we’re debating tside co-editor Leonie Ann Garlick discusses the hot topic Picture: Tim Bailey of the moment with contributions from fellow students and industry professionals

Charlie Hebdo: Code for restriction of freedom?

THE massshooting of Parisian satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is the largest and saddest attack in French history.

The unfolding events of those three horrific days have left many questions in their wake.

We, as an international nation are left wondering the value of free speech, if the boundaries are slack enough to allow for costly repercussion?

And indeed, should these boundaries be tightened to prevent murder, or else shall we justify murder as a result of our free mouths and free media?

Unclear as this may be at the moment, the world is continuing to light candles and unite for the Charlie Hebdo brand and its untimely victims. #JesuisCharlie.

•First attack was on Wednesday, January 7, at the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices, Paris.

•Two masked gunmen scoured the

CHARLIE HEBDO: The Independent’s view streets of Paris, asking for the location of Charlie Hebdo, before forcing the magazine’s cartoonist to type in the code of the office doors to grant them entry.

•“Allahu akbar!” was shouted during the terror, meaning “God is greatest”, in response to the magazine’s offensive* satire strip of Muslim prophet Muhammad (Read: offensive is used subjectively).

•The gunmen killed 12 people and injured a further 11, after firing 50

shots in and around the Charlie Hebdo grounds.

•A total of 12 were killed in repercussion of the mass shooting; the deceased including a French National policewoman, on-duty Charlie Hebdo journalists and citizens of the surrounding area.

•A local street sweeper was among those wounded.

•On Thursday, January, 8, four hostages were taken at a Kosher supermarket.

•88,000 security forces were released in France, and the ports and train stations of Britain were monitored.

•The French honoured the victims by illuminating the Eiffel Tower, and allowed public transport to stand still to dwell on their memory.

•The gunmen brothers were discovered as Cherif and Said Kouachi, two al-Qaeda brothers; they were promptly killed by French police on Friday, January 9.

what you’re debating...

“The Paris shootings have fuelled debate around racism.

But no matter what you say, you shouldn’t be gunned down in cold blood. Number one rule- say what you want to say, but think before you say it”, -Anon, Labour party “The tragedy seems to have cause hypocrisy among world leaders; they are the biggest suppressors. The Guardian was prevented from publicising Snowdon.

Journalists have been jailed for speaking freely. Charlie Hebdo is no different; a cause for freedom of speech to be oppressed”-Anon, Labour party “Freedom of speech is a human right. I understand that sometimes this can lead to situations that will offend some, and I, myself being a Muslim, personally find Charlie Hebdo’s choice of satire offensive, but there is never any justification for violence”- Anon, Muslim “In this case, freedom speech was taken too far. It’s fair for people to have their own prejudices, but if they’re working for a public broadcast or paper, they should think carefully before they put those thoughts into action.”Anon, Conservative party

Charlie didn’t humiliate Islam ... the attackers did

By Lewis Denison A POLITICAL cartoonist has condemned the drawings made my French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Sara Abdull Aziz Mohammed Ali Qaed, 24, (Sara Qaed) claims the magazines depictions of Prophet Mohammed are humiliating to Islam.

Her claims come after two Islamist gunmen forced their way into the magazines headquarters, killing 12 people.

Witnesses to the attack said the gunmen repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar”, which translates to God is great in Arabic, as well as shouting “the Prophet is avenged”.

It is understood the attack was carried out as revenge for the Magazine’s depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.

Sara Qaed, a Muslim herself, believes

killing someone and shouting “Allahu akbar” “humiliates God more than anything else”.

However, the cartoonist, who writes for Al-Naba, an Arab weekly news paper said: “I will not apologize for those Muslims.

“Just like all Christians do not apologize for what George Bush did in Iraq, I will not apologize for what happened at Charlie Hebdo, it’s not my fault.

“Those men were extremists, but the way Charlie Hebdo do their cartoons is humiliating, drawing the Prophet Mohammed in a disrespectful way.

“Muslim people will never be silent for that”.

The magazine, which has ran since 1970 has in the past been embroiled in several controversies.

In 2000 journalist Mona Chollet was sacked

after she had protested against a Philippe Val article which called Palestinians “non-civilized”.

Sara Qaed believes actions such as this mean the magazine has a “double standard for freedom of speech.

She said: “If you want to give freedom of speech, give it to everyone.

“Why can some people draw Mohammed and it be okay, but others can lose their job for standing up for people, its not fair”.

“I am going to fight for your opinion even if I don’t agree with it, because you have the right to say it, but if you shut my mouth and open the others, just because they agree with you, that’s racism, not freedom of speech.”

She added that although Charlie Hebdo humiliates Muslims with its cartoons, “no one humiliates Islam more than those attackers”.

QAED: No double standards

6 | Features

What we’re ranting about To support free press and freedom of speech, tside has devoted this page to our reporters’ voices #JesuisCharlie

Sexism? Talk about double standards

By Nathan Lee THE old, yet relevant issue of sexism has reared its ugly head again.

Celebrity Big Brother and ex-Coronation Street star, Ken Morley, was axed from the house after making lewd and sexist comments about his female housemates, along with using racially offensive language.

Morley, 71, angered his housemates after following them into the shower room, proclaiming that “this is the best place to look at **** in the world.”

Morley also called fellow housemate Cami Li “half Moroccan, half **** ”.

After being removed from the house (and rightly so), Morley went on to appear on ITV’s lunchtime panel show, Loose Women, to explain his actions.

While watching the show, something struck me. The amount of sexist comments aimed at men, by the panel of the show, was actually quite blatant but instead of the outcry that Morley faced, the comments were well received and dismissed.

This prompts the question, why is it socially acceptable for women to be sexist towards men?

On the show in question, Coleen

MORLEY: Sexist digs Nolan stated that she would “like to get to know Ben Haenow (X Factor 2014 winner)”, which was clearly meant in a sexual manner and this led me to think what if Ken Morley had said that about Fleur East (X Factor 2014 runner-up) or another young woman – would his comments have got the same laughs from the audience? Almost definitely not.

This also got me thinking, would a

panel show called Loose Men ever get to air? Would a TV station ever endorse a lunchtime panel show of middle-aged men talking about women in the same way Loose Women talk about men?

Again, I think not.

It’s not only Loose Women that are the culprits, as I also caught an old episode of Have I Got News For You this week, with Jo Brand the host.

In the show she was asked what her favourite type of man was and she replied: “A dead one.” Although it is obviously a joke and given, quite a funny one, it also got me thinking if we reversed that joke, would it still be funny? If a male comedian said that his favourite type of women were dead women, would it have got the same laughs? Again, I’m not so sure.

Examples don’t stop there, if you can cast your mind back to I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Edwina Currie’s leering over X Factor reject Jake Quickenden, she said: “Just to sit and watch Jake doing his exercises and doing a bit of stretching and so on. That’s an old lady’s dream.” Again, reverse the subject and the object, is that still OK? So what I am asking is, is sexism a

shocking double standard within British society?

I spoke to some students on campus and took to Twitter to see how people feel about the issue, here’s what they said:Chris Ber, 21, a history student, said: “I think it is a two way street really, it happens towards men but it just seems to be generally accepted.”

Thomas Hunt, 22, a psychology student, said: “I think the difference is is that men aren’t really bothered about what women say about them!”

Sarah Cunningham, 18, a criminology student, said: “I agree, if women can be so offended by sexism like in Ken Morley’s case, then women can’t then go about saying things like that about men.”

James Dunn, 19, an engineering student, said: “I don’t think it’s a big problem really, you can see where the line is crossed and mostly it’s just banter.”

Jess Mason, 20, a sports and exercise student, said: “People need to stop being so sensitive about things like this, people don’t know how to take jokes anymore and it’s almost as if people can’t say anything without the risk of offending someone.”

Sia: tasteful art, tasteless press

By Leonie Ann Garlick

SIA’S WORDS are really quite suited to the media-fuelled controversy over her new music video for Elastic Heart: “Well, I’ve got thick skin and an elastic heart, but your blade it might be too sharp”. Indeed, it seems the comments fired at her dancers, 12-year-old Maddie Ziegler and 28-year-old Shia LaBeouf, have tested the elasticity of her own emotions.

The video features the dancers in a cage, mirroring each other through animalistic leaps and bounds. Maddie and Shia are there to represent two mental states of the singer- Maddie (a wolf), battling relentlessly to defeat Shia, so she can finally escape the cage.

It’s a brave offering, and certainly one for the more artsy individual to enjoy.

And surprise, surprise- the video was promptly ripped apart by our paedophile-obsessed nation (nation, read: world). The outfits, which were nude pants and a leotard, were perturbing. The choreography, which saw Maddie physically biting Shia before slinging her between his legs, is a nightmarish trigger for victims of sexual abuse.

And woah, had we forgotten that Shia LaBeouf was once raped by a female fan during an artistic performance, whereby he sat silently with a paper bag on his head? Woah, woah, WOAH- no we had not. What a press party this has become!

The video came in carefully crafted snippets. The stories flurried two by two, plucking at LeBeouf ’s day-today activities and Maddie’s sense of professionalism, tainting the couple’s hard graft with paedophilic accusa-

tions. Well sorry Mr Media - wouldn’t you feel a little agitated after being publicly shamed, and as all things, a potential paedophile?

To top off this absurd example of close-mindedness, Sia actually apologised for her art.

Art should not be apologised for.

Not in Victorian times when the nymphs were naked in lakes, not on Titanic when Rose laid before Jack Dawson and certainly not now, for this magnificent expression, directed by a naturally talented artist.

It just makes you wonder what the future holds for professional dancers, doesn’t it? Will there soon be a legal boundary between age gaps?

Will there soon be “safe spots” and “danger zones” and moves that are worthy of bagging a jail card?

Seems like a legal revolt is due in the dance department…

LABEOUF: Dancing with Chandelier star Maddie

Features

7

Instagram: a catalyst for low self-esteem?

By Corrie Jones BODY IMAGE is a topic that has recently taken the media by storm.

From Katie Hopkins expressing her negative views on any female who is bigger than a UK size 10, to Topshop Mannequinn scandal, skinny shaming and an increase in obesity across Britain.

The 21st century is a time where image is everything.

Naturally, at this time of year most people are exercising and trying to lose weight they have gained over the festive season.

But does social media help individuals who are trying to lead a healthier lifestyle or prevent them from doing so?

Tside reporter CORRIE JONES investigates whether or not social media is a catalyst for negative perceptions of body image and a rise in pressure to look good for your followers.

We spoke to Jack Doyle, 23, a personal trainer in the North East, he said: “Social media as a whole creates a very strict agenda for everyone.”

“It does place pressure on people to look good, they see all these celebrities posting their bikini bodies on Instagram and then suddenly that is the way we all should look, otherwise we aren’t considered as having a good body.

“I make sure my clients are happy in themselves with the way they look by the time

they are finished training with me. I would never help a client lose that much weight that their health is in jeopardy. As long as you feel good about yourself and are in good health you should be happy.”

Some individuals may not even know they are experiencing pressure to look good, for example, how many of you edit your selfies or use filters on Instagram before uploading a photo?

An article written by CNN explained how users of social media are exposed to images of unattainable beauty on a daily basis, photoshopped images of celebrities and unrealistic body shapes are consumed constantly.

This can be damaging to the self- esteem of the people who are sat at home looking at these beautiful images of other people, then looking at their own unedited, non- airbrushed bodies.

Laura Davis, 20, studying physical education and sports pedagogy explains how she disagrees with the unrealistic goals Instagram sets.

She said: “Social media shouldn’t promote unrealistic body images, there should be less hype about getting the ‘perfect body’.”

“Instead, there should be more education on nutrition. If not, social media is creating room for eating disorders to evolve.

“The term ‘diet’ is quite daunting and isn’t educating, in my opinion I believe diets don’t promote healthy lifestyles and instead promote a lack of nutrition. People need to start being

healthy and eating right, the rest will fall into place.”

Social media however isn’t all bad when it comes to helping people lead healthier lifestyles.

Chloe Murphy, 22, from Middlesbrough explained: “I have recently started healthy eating, although it is hard to see all the images of perfection on Instagram which make you feel bad about yourself, Instagram does have some benefits.

“I have followed quite a few pages on there which gave me exercises to do at home that are just as beneficial for me as going to the gym.

“I have also discovered lots of new healthy recipes from healthy food pages on there which I have been trying out. It tells you exactly what nutrition you are getting out of the food and how many calories it has in it. It’s quite good for that.”

So there you have it, if you make yourself aware that the images you are looking at most of the time are edited and the person in the photograph probably doesn’t look like that then social media might be able to help you on the road to a healthier lifestyle and happier you.

We have found a page that all of you may find interesting and benefit from, follow THEBODYCOACH on Instagram for exercises and healthy meal inspiration.

Not to mention REAL people with REAL bodies.

tside EXCLUSIVE: Shaan Puri speaks Bebo

By Jack Crute REMEMBER BEBO? In 2007, it was The big social network – a rival to Facebook for teens across the globe.

At its peak, the site had 40 million users and generated over a billion page views a week.

In 2008, the site was bought out by internet giant AOL for a whopping $850 million, and things quickly went downhill.

Facebook and Twitter overtook the network, and in 2013 Bebo’s original founders bought back the flagging social network for $1 million, only to close it down.

The old Bebo is gone. No longer are we be subjected to an auto-play of Cascada every time we click on someone’s profile, nor do we have to face those glittery GIF backgrounds that made our eyes water.

The new Bebo is modern and fresh, a true alternative to modern-day messaging apps likeSnapChat and WhatsApp. Now, Bebo is back with a whole new business model and ethos. Tside reporter Jack Crute spoke to one of its founders,

Shaan Puri, about his plans for the future of the Bebo brand. “We liked the challenge of bringing Bebo back,” Shaan begins, with an all-American enthusiasm.

“Very few internet brands have ever been turned around, but we had an idea exciting and uniqueenough that we thought it was possible.”

The new Bebo is mobile-focused. The network’s app, which is free, can be used to chat with friends through text and an innovative new hashtag system, where users can put their own cartoon mini-mes into the picture.

“The future is on mobile. We won’t be ‘mobile only’ but we wanted to be ‘mobile first’.

The new Bebo is based around messaging friends, which naturally happens on mobile,” said Shaan.

“It’s much different to the old Bebo, and a pretty crazy idea in general,” Shaan adds. “At first, I was nervous, now I’m excited.”

Shaan has every right to be excited. In its first 24-hours on the AppStore, an incredible 1.2m messages were sent through Bebo, and

From the Editors...

“Instagram is bad for girls who are already feeling self conscious about how they look, it dangles the image of perfection infront of us as if to say ‘you’ll never achieve this”- Corrie Jones, Lifestyle Editor

“There’s always beautifully laid out recipes on there, and with a doting community to lean on for support, proactivity towards healthy eating and gym-going doesn’t seem as tough. But knowing when to separate myself is important”- Leonie Ann Garlick, Co-Editor

the figure is growing day-by-day.

Thanks to other social media sites like Twitter, the app is becoming a new viral platform, with millions of teenagers posting their avatars online to show friends.

It’s not just teenagers who are enjoying the app, either. “[X Factor’s] Frankie Cocozza was one of our first users, and when Jedward created a gigantic group chat for all their fans, our servers nearly melted down.

“Brands and celebrities have shown a lot of interest, which is encouraging.

“We haven’t even started building features for them yet, but have some interesting plans that will roll out in a fewmonths.”

The last couple of months have truly been a rollercoaster ride for the Bebo brand, and it appears Shaan’s plans for a big turn-around are paying off. So, what’s next?

“First, a good night’s sleep for me and the team. Then, global domination.”

Bebo is free on iOS and Android. You can find out more about the app on the official BEBO BOSS: Mobile savvy Puri Bebo website.

Features

8

Hope after the horror ...

The Polish city of Krakow was the recent destination for a group of Teesside students.

Here Tside Reporter REBECCA CONNOLLY recalls the trip KRAKOW, what a beautiful city.

And who says romance is dead?

Paris, Venice, Prague, Rome… to name just a few of the most romantic cities in the world.

Where does Krakow, Poland’s capital city of culture, come on that list?

I feel it should be number one.

Imagine an old fashioned Christmas card, set in a dimly lit town depicted in a fairy tale, covered in fresh, white, snow.

After an early 2am coach pickup from Teesside University, by noon we finally made it to Poland.

The first afternoon was for us to explore Krakow at our own leisure, and to absorb the different culture from what we are used to back in Middlesbrough.

After walking just a few minutes away from our hotel, we reached the Main Square of Old Town, Krakow.

Look left, and there were scattered sheds covered with lights and wreathes, and the smell of authentic meats and cheeses filled the square.

The following day was the extremely difficult and mentally challenging day at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Day Three was spent at the Schindler museum and factory, which takes us finally to the penultimate day where we visited the Galicya Museum and met a survivor of the Holocaust,

Monika Goldwasser.

What an honour.

Learning of the heart-breaking events about her life almost brought me to tears, sometimes tears of sorrow and sometimes tears of happiness and hope.

Monika was born into a Jewish family, so she was already vulnerable to the monstrosity of the World War Two and a victim of the Holocaust.

Her parents, knowing they had no chance of survival themselves, saved the life of their only child by taking her to a nunnery and leaving her there with the hope of her never being traced and found.

Monika was left wrapped in a bundle of clothes, with a note attached to her.

This note listed her birth name, date of birth and names of her parents, and was what gave her hope, and gave her a chance of finding her identity later in life.

The story she told, whilst sipping her tea from a white cup and saucer, could be compared to Homer’s epic The Odyssey or The Iliad.

The unimaginable events, from the murder of her parents, to the killing of both her good friend and nun from the nunnery, to the more optimistic occasions of her finding out who she was, and meeting long lost family members…

This story, her story, is one of pure inspiration, sorrow, bravery, and hope.

The one thing that has stuck in my head, which I will carry with me forever, is when she ended with: “If there is one thing you should carry out in life, it should be kindness.”

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL: Rebecca meets Holocaust survivor, Monika Goldwasser

... and why we must never forget LONELY ROAD: Hannah on the trip to Auschwitz

TSIDE reporter HANNAH DODSWORTH was one of 40 Teesside students who recently took part in a visit to the former Nazi death camps at Aushwitz-Birkenau where millions of people were killed in gas chambers. Here she gives a very personal account of her experience.

AS I walked apprehensively closer to the gates opening up to Auschwitz I was expecting to suddenly be flooded with an overwhelming sense of sorrow, yet I was not.

It wasn’t until we went inside the buildings that the unfathomable reality of the brutal tragedies that took place here hit me.

Some of the rooms were almost unbearable to be in, especially one which was full of human hair. Another room was full of single shoes.

Every shoe was yet another person, another victim. Something unsettling started to sink in. The scale of this genocide goes beyond what was in front of me, this was just a small representation of millions of lives unjustifiably stolen.

We were shown pictures of children, men, women, Jews, Poles, Hungarians, Gypsies, all walking towards their deaths.

One wall was full of pictures of people who

had been here and every single one of them had died. Those who weren’t gassed by the Nazis were killed in other ways, they were shot, or died from labour. Most of the pictures showed that the average amount of time spent here before you died was around three months, some lasted days, others years, but all of them had died here.

Walking down into the dark gas chamber was the hardest part of the tour. Seeing the scratches carved into the walls sent a chill down every inch of my body.

We then went over to Birkenau to visit the memorials and see where many people lived and worked. The camp seemed never ending.

From every direction there were more and more huts.

Covered in snow this place had an eerie beauty about it, almost as if you didn’t know about what it really was you would never have guessed. One thing I did notice was not a sound was made, not one bird flew over us, or sang, nothing.

As the tour came to an end I was left wondering ‘How does such a thing as this happen?’ Our guide ended on reminding us that hope is the last thing to die and as a generation we should never allow or accept a genocide ever again even if society has forgotten, we must not.

CHILLING: The students gather outside the gates to Auschwitz

Culture & Showbiz

9

Indie venue celebrations

By Matthew Brown

TEESSIDE will be represented by The Georgian Theatre in Stockton for the second edition of Independent Venue Week.

The event celebrates small music venues around the UK and will host well-known artists including You Me At Six, Frankie and the Heartstrings and this year’s Ambassador Frank Turner.

Questions have been asked around the future of smaller venues and with the rise of multimillion sponsored arenas Britain faces losing one of its most treasured possessions.

Chris Cobain, The Georgian Theatre’s programming and production manager, says the event will allow people to become more aware of Teesside but he is calling out for more protection over the small venue circuit.

“We jumped at the chance to get us involved. I think Teesside has a lot of good artists but we just need the rest of the country to stand up and take notice of us,” says Chris.

“There have been a lot of issues with small independent venues lately with council taken them away from the promoters or turning them into flats.

“You need to be protective of these

buildings because at the end of the day this is where artists cut their teeth. There wouldn’t have been a Royal Blood, Muse or Foo Fighters, without playing small venues.”

The Georgian Theatre has a capacity of 200 and will be joined by the likes of the Lomax, Brudenell Social Club and the Leadmill as over 80 venues host breaking and established artists over seven days.

The Jar Family, Violet Deep and James Kruman will be playing an intimate show on Saturday January 31 to celebrate the work that goes into producing the next big thing in music.

“It’s great when we have someone coming up and then a few months later they’re playing festivals and headlining slots in stadiums,” says Chris.

“Smaller acts can’t progress without our small venues but we can’t progress without them as well.

“It’s also good when the larger bands take a step down to play these kinds of places because I think the fans appreciate it. It’s a small, sweaty environment and it goes down really well.”

Managed by Tees Music Alliance, The Georgian Theatre stage has been shared

by Arctic Monkeys, The Cribs and The Chapman Family.

INTIMATE: Stockton’s iconic Georgian Theatre has a capacity of 200 Chris says Teesside is home to a number of good artists and venues and he is grateful to be working alongside Stockton council.

Chris said: “The council have been really good for us as we work with them a lot.

“At the end of the day people like going to

see live music, whether it’s in a small room in a pub or at a festival, its part of a lot of people’s lives.”

Tickets for the event are priced at £5 and are available from: teesmusicalliance.org. uk/live-events

A Damn fine Lynching

By Jonathan Saunders TEESSIDE’S very own Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art has the privilege to be the first museum in the UK to host Hollywood director and artist, David Lynch’s latest exhibition.

Lynch who directed infamous cult TV show Twin Peaks which has lately made a resurgence within online steaming services, along with films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet , The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive, presents ‘Naming’, a series of photographs, watercolours, sketches and paintings, created by Lynch ranging from the 1980s to the present.

The exhibition, which was originally curated for Kayne Griffin Corcoran, a Los Angeles based art gallery, looks at the relationship between objects and their names and focuses on the lack of such a connection between the two.

Many of the prints on display are simply titled ‘Untitled’ and portray derelict areas of New Jersey in 1986.

The prints themselves showcase the urban decay of once vibrant industrial communities which mirrors that of Teesside’s own hay day as one of the leading industrial towns in the country and

TV & BBQ: Nightmarish art from David Lynch’s MIMA exhibition ‘Naming’ subsequently it’s spiral into dilapidation.

In true Lynch fashion the other pieces in ‘Naming’ are twisted, dark and mysterious, including ‘Apple Tree’, a charcoal drawing

showing, as the title suggests, a far from natural looking apple tree, which evokes thoughts of a nightmarish forest hiding a sick cruel secret inside, ‘House on a Hill’

an etching of a smog shrouded house and industrial looking chimney, and perhaps the most disturbing piece in the show, ‘Buckaroo’ a portrayal of a baby’s head between a pair of pliers. Other pieces include ‘Dead Animal’ and the curiously named ‘Fire Dog Man House’ The exhibition also shows one of David Lynch’s earliest pieces as a filmmaker. ‘Alphabet’, created in 1968, was the second short film developed

by Lynch when he was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

The short four-minute film combines animation and live action scenes and is based on a dream his wife had about her niece reciting the alphabet.

Lynch describes the film as ‘a little nightmare about the fear connected with learning’.

The artist states that the act of naming something is never simple. Names are not always descriptive of objects and in ‘Naming’ this is apparent.

Through the use of his images and text working together in unusual ways Lynch states that he’s able to create new meaning and a deeper understanding of how language operates.

10 | Culture & Showbiz

Culture & Showbiz |

11

Get your head around The Mindsweep

By Matthew Brown FRESH from releasing their fourth studio album and on the road to meet and greet fans, Enter Shikari are embarking on another mindsweeping journey.

Eight years have passed since their debut record Take to the Skies took the charts by storm and the St Albans band say they’re stronger than ever.

Ahead of their new UK tour, which sees the four-piece stop off at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Sunday, February 22, guitarist Rory Clewlow spoke about their latest record, The Mindsweep, and the thoughtprovoking messages that lay within it.

“The reaction from the fans has been awesome,” says Rory.

“Everyone seems to be saying it’s their favourite which is exactly what we want to hear.

“Rou (lead vocalist) wrote lyrics about all of the subjects he’s interested in, he’s one of those guys who is constantly learning, researching and writing.

“There is a massive array of subjects covered, everything between the social class system, the privatisation of the NHS to love

which is a subject we haven’t written about much.”

Enter Shikari have mastered the art of combining socio-politically aware lyricism with ground-breaking synth beats that have been shared amongst thousands of youthful, committed and switched on fans.

The barracking of modern political ideologies seems to have stemmed since their second album Common Dreads, and Rory hopes to encourage younger people to be more aware what is around them.

“We think people should start looking objectively at the world we live in and social systems,” says Rory.

“We should try and help people rethink things every now and then; there are things in the world that are in place because they’ve always been like that because society is just organically grained like that.

“I don’t know if it’s conscious or not but it is definitely something we feel strongly about.”

Known and respected for their endearing and electrifying live performances, Enter Shikari have moved up an even further level with their fourth album.

Frontman Rou says The Mindsweep is

“even more diverse than normal as we’ve built more confidence and fearlessness to widen our influences further.”

With influences for The Mindsweep conceivably coming from a range of electronic genres, Rory reveals how the band have incorporated classical music into The Mindsweep.

“We got a string quartet to come in for a day to record loads of the strings which was an incredible experience that we never

thought would happen,” explains Rory.

“I know when you listen to it and it doesn’t sound classical but the arrangements are quiet influenced by it.

“There are so many influences, I mean everything from all the previous albums but I guess we’re just listening to a lot of classical music lately.

“I would love to hear it live but I don’t know how practical that actually is, maybe it could be a one off special.”

Having allegedly taken a ‘break’ year in 2014 ahead of a hectic schedule to follow, the band are preparing themselves for UK and US tours as well as headline slot at Download Festival.

“We’re really excited to get back out there again,” says Rory. “It’s really good to be back after a bit of a break”.

“A load of shows have already sold out including two Roundhouse shows in London.

“We’ll be the same old Enter Shikari, doing our thing, but playing six songs off the new album and about six that are a mixture from the old stuff.”

Enter Shikari’s strong relationship with their fans has been received with plaudits from many in the industry, with the band being nominated by NME for Best Fan Community in 2013.

“I think fans expect a more personal relationship with bands they like, but it’s

also good for us to know and speak to people who are listening to our music,” explains Rory.

“It’s a really good feeling and that’s one of the best things about this job, being able to meet someone and make their day. It’s brilliant.”

The bands gig at the Town Hall is their fourth show in Middlesbrough which has saw their fan base in the area go from strength to strength.

“Middlesbrough is somewhere where we’ve always had a good reaction,” says Rory, “people always want to come see us up there so yeah, we’re coming back.

The last few tickets for Enter Shikari’s show at Middlesbrough Town Hall are priced at £19.50 and are available from www.middlesbroughtownhallonline. co.uk/whats-on/enter-shikari.

Culture & Showbiz |12

Middlesbrough labelled a ‘hotbed of great comedy’

By Matthew Brown MIDDLESBROUGH comedian Patrick Monahan has labelled his hometown as a nest of great comedy ahead of his Town Hall show this June.

Patrick, who shot to fame after winning ITV’s Show Me The Funny in 2011, says he can’t wait to be back where it all began.

Middlesbrough Town Hall will be host to the likes of Jimmy Carr, Alan Carr and Katherine Ryan amongst others throughout the summer.

He said: “Middlesbrough has always been a hotbed of great comedy, mainly from the natural Teesside friendly banter.

“Great comics will always come to Middlesbrough because the audience is always full of slightly drunk, but encouraging chatty Teessiders.

“The Town Hall has all the best bits of Middlesbrough inside it such as the old friendliness, funky corridors and a basement of treasures.”

The Irish-Iranian stand-up will be touring his ‘Adventures in Monahan Land’ tour across the UK from February with 46 dates lying ahead.

Having played over 300 shows as well as appearing on ITV’s Splash, Celebrity Squares and Fake Reaction in 2014, Patrick says he can’t wait to be back on stage.

“One of the main reasons for getting into stand-up comedy was so that I could go somewhere different every day.

“Every night is a different audience and it gives

FUNNYMAN: Comic praises hometown’s comedy culture

you a different spin on your material and keeps you fresh and alive.”

As part of the new family show fans will see Patrick record for traditional style of hugging people before, during and after show.

“I’m always up for doing anything that’s fun and that takes me on a challenge,” said Patrick, who attempted to break the longest hug record in 2013.

“There’s nothing as good as watching a live act, prancing, rocking, sweating and jumping about on stage.”

Despite travelling across the globe to perform in countries including Dubai there is no place like home for the comic.

“I love the warm weather of Dubai and swimming pools on top of every hotel, but nothing will ever beat a night out in Boro and a drink in Club Bongo International.”

Patrick also agrees with fellow Teessider and comedian Bob Mortimer in saying that the people of Middlesbrough are the funniest he has ever met.

He said: “Teessiders are always naturally funny because it comes from the honest and charm of Middlesbrough.

“As long as we have the A66, parmos and Teesside retail park, we’re rocking.”

The ‘Adventures in Monahan Land’ will also travel to Hartlepool, Newcastle and Northallerton.

Tickets for Patrick’s show at the Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt are available at middlesbroughtownhallonline.co.uk from £14.

Students upset as The Crown’s reign ends

By Katya Redding

ABDICATED: Historic pub steps down

LONG standing popular student pub, The Crown, has closed down according to its Facebook page.

The Crown pub, situated off Linthorpe Road, has been home to many student nights and tales over the years.

Hosting everything from live music to rock and DJ events, it was the place to go at the end of your week.

The announcement, which was posted on January 3, states: “It is with great regret that I have to inform you all that The Crown has closed its doors for the final time.”

“Thank you for all the memories we have all shared over the past years.

“It’s an emotional day today for everyone involved with The Crown, whether that be employees or

customers” The Facebook status ends with: “Thank you all and goodnight! Team Crown!”

Tside has tried to contact The Crown’s owners to determine if the Facebook announcement is accurate.

The Stonegate pub company hasn’t been available for comment.

The Crown was the Elite Cinema back in the 1920s, it then went on to become the Crown Bingo Club ABC followed by The Crown pub as all students at Teesside would have known it.

Andrew Knights, creator of the Crown’s Overdrive Nights said: ‘’It’s a real shame that The Crown is gone, we put so many great bands on in there like Enter Shikari, Don Broco, The Chariot, INme. However we have lined up a new

venue for live shows and will be running Make a Scene Festival again in the town this summer.

We are launching a new rock night at The Keys on Linthorpe Road in about a months time called Touchdown.’’

Many students from Teesside University were upset to hear of the news just days after the pub celebrated the new year.

Laurence George, a third year computer animation student, said: ‘’I will really miss The Crown. I have been going there for the last three years and I am sad to see it go.’’

Jonathan Hunter, a third year psychology student, said: ‘’I only went to The Crown a couple of times but it had a great atmosphere and the different music meant there was always something on for me and my friends.’’

13 | Culture & Showbiz

tside’s definitive guide to the awards season A prediction of what to expect from the star-studded events

By Adam Burford IT’S that time of year again, the Oscars, Brits and Baftas have all come around again.

Once more we all gather around our televisions and share the tension with the stars on the stage.

The past year has been full of new releases in film, music and television.

Great actors and performers have done their very best to entertain us with their efforts.

Now it is time for them to be honoured for their work, with many of them up for multiple recognitions.

From Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne’s performances as Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking.

To the charming and funny animated antics of Paddington and the cast of How to Train Your Dragon.

Spread over multiple nights, we’re treated to a veritable feast for the eyes.

Stars showing off their latest outfits, interacting with scores of people, even taking the odd selfie here and there.

Be prepared for lengthy acceptance speeches and plenty of crying from the winners.

But no matter who wins or loses, remember that just to be nominated for an event like this is a great acheivement in its own right.

For those of you unable to catch the events on TV, you can catch them via an online stream, so you don’t miss a single second.

But regardless of whether you watch them all or only one, tside has you covered with a list of our predictions for night of the awards.

Oscars

Best Picture

GLITZ AND GLAMOUR: The nominees are announced for the best actor category

BAFTAs

Best Leading Actor

Brit Awards

Best British Album

A tough category to pick from, but The Theory of Everything might just pull ahead to take this one, for its stunning portrayal of Stephen Hawking’s life.

Benedict Cumberbatch has a good chance of taking this one for his role of Alan Turing, though it could be a close contest with Eddie Redmayne’s Stephen Hawking

A charming, coming of age film and all round heartwarmer, How to Train Your Dragon 2 gets my vote to win, though it faces stiff competition from Disney’s Big Hero 6.

Rosamund Pike and her performance in Gone Girl should be more than enough to secure this. Her portrayal of a cold, calculating wife is enough to make anyone doubt their own partner.

While it may not be up for the best animation award, The Lego Movie is a surefire win for best song with its infectious Everything is Awesome.

A much loved childhood character for many people, and while the film may take a different route to the source material, it provides a fun time, worthy of recognition.

With her third studio album being out for almost a year, Lilly Allen continues to show off her impressive and unique voice, with pleasing results.

Interstellar shows that space is a perfect place for showing off fancy camera work. The environments are made for Nolan’s exquisite choices of shots.

One Direction are still proving they’ve got what it takes to entertain and giving us more reasons as to why they’re the one of the best boy bands around.

Best Animated Feature Film

Best Original Song

Best Use of Fake Baby

Whilst this isn’t actually a real award, if it was, American Sniper would win it, hands down. Bradley Cooper’s little plastic miracle is a star in its own right.

Best Leading Actress

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Cinematography

Sam Smith released his studio debut album last year and gained plenty of fame with songs like Money on My Mind and Stay with me, which have enjoyed international success.

Best Solo Male Artist

One of the more soft spoken muscial artists out there, Ed Sheeran is a firm favourite amongst people old and young today. His latest music reminds us just why he’s so popular.

Best Female Solo Artist Best British Group

Life & style | 14

tside’s guide to Valentines date wear

By Natalie Devonshire

Cinema date

Faux fur jacket Disgraceland £28

Ladies

AS VALENTINE’S Day draws closer, tside understands how difficult it can be to create romantic couture on a budget but that is no reason to ruin your date.

Whether you’re a man or a woman on your first date or in a new relationship figuring out what to wear for you valentines date always seems to be more difficult than if you were on any other date.

This romantic time of the year is tricky subject for deciding on appropriate fashion choices at an affordable price.

First dates are a source of potential stress giving you the single opportunity to make that lasting first impression, confidently.

The hassle of buying something new can be daunting but it’s time to ditch the fears, work within your budget and dress to impress.

With help from Middlesbrough’s vintage quarter Baker Street tside uncovered the guide to valentine’s couture.

Brown leather jacket Disgraceland £40

This may be more of a casual date but that is no excuse not to take full advantage to look breathtaking. Take a floral dress, paying attention to pastel colours, reds and creams for the valentines feel, comfy pumps and add an extra bit of glamour with a fur coat.

Gentlemen

A-Line dress Disgraceland £20

You may be tempted to wear your university hoodie but please resist the urge. Comfort and style can go hand in hand but remember you are trying to dress to impress. This relaxed look can work a charm with the ladies. Inspired by vintage theme, team a pair of jeans with a casual shirt and a statement jacket to finish the look.

Tweed jacket Vintageous Rags £20

Dinner date Gentlemen

Men, you need to step up your game for a dinner date. There’s no need to rent a tuxedo but we recommend a great fitted shirt buttoned up to the collar.

To finish the look, team your smart shirt with a vintage style Tweed jacket which will keep you both warm and stylish.

Velvet shirt Disgraceland £5 Cream Jacket Vintageous Rags £18

Ladies

Ralph Lauren fitted shirt Vintageous Rags £22

Faux fur leather bag and purse Disgraceland £12

Stone ring Vintageous rags £5

This is the night for glamour and elegance. If you’re going out for a fancy dinner, you will never be let down by every girls favourite the LBD (Little Black Dress). Wear with simple black heels that make you and your feet smile, add an extra bit of sparkle with a belt to emphasise that sleek waist line and finish with a statement jacket.

Gold clutch Vintageous Rags £12

Black dress Vintageous Rags £22

15

Life & Style

What to expect this season ...

Demi Cornforth looks at spring/summer fashions WITH winter slowly leaving us, the fashion world is moving quickly.

Many stores are already introducing their spring/summer fashion lines, giving customers the opportunity to start their new wardrobes.

With an array of pastel tones making a bold statement this season, every girl will be drooling over these gorgeous pieces.

New Look store manager, Freya Coleman, 23, (right) said: “Spring/Summer fashion this year is highly centred around pastel tones, such as baby pinks and lilacs.

“We are set to introduce a lot of camel colours into this trend in the coming weeks, which will accentuate the pastel colours nicely.

“It looks as though monochrome is set to stay this season too, with it becoming a lot bolder than it previously has been.”

If your looking for staple pieces to add to your wardrobe which will take you from winter to the new season then fret no more.

If you want to stay on trend, fill your wardrobe with plenty of pastels, monochrome and camel tones.

From monochrome shirts, camel-coloured boyfriend coats, and pastel everything, there is bound to be something up your street to add to your wardrobe this season.

Amelia York, 22 from Teesside said: “I’m loving the trends that we are seeing already in store.

“I’ve already started purchasing some pastel items to start building up my spring/ summer wardrobe.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what else is in store for us regarding this seasons trends.”

Whether your wanting to embrace the new seasons trends to the full or simply add keys pieces to your wardrobe, there is something for every taste this spring/summer.

If you’re looking for pastel shades visit stores in Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre.

Ways to wear ...

IF you’re looking for inspiration this season, here is a simple but stylish outfit you can add to your wardrobe this spring/ summer.

Ripped skinny jeans are still massively in this season, so adding this item to your wardobe will guarantee a go-to piece for any occasion.

Adding to this a cream polo kneck top, ensures that you look stylish and on trend for the coming season.

Styling your outfit with a very on-trend camel coloured boyfriend coat will make sure your the envy of every girl.

Some pointed PU boots will add an edgy but glamourous feel to this outfit.

To add to your outfit even more, accessories will be your new best friend.

Whether you prefer the minimalist look or not, adding a few extra accessories such as a pastel coloured bag, a watch and some nude nails will finish off your outfit perfectly.

All of these are available in stores in Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre.

16

Life & Style

Ideas for spring breaks

By Gina Kliche SPRING break is just around the corner – well, around a corner miles away from your house, but still – it’s coming.

You’ve probably worked hard over the past couple of months and three weeks off uni can’t come any sooner.

You need to relax, that’s for sure; but how about leaving town for a little while and go out to explore instead of watching Netflix for three weeks straight?

We think that sounds like a brilliant idea and you should totally do it. If you go to the right places, it’s not even expensive.

We’ve put together some of our favourite places to go to on a student budget.

Roll on, spring break.

Hamburg...

Hamburg is located in the cold North of Germany but the sheer prettiness of all the old houses will make you feel warm inside.

This city allows you to go full tourist mode; there’s so much to see and do in Hamburg.

Go for a river cruise on the ‘Elbe’ or visit the biggest harbour of Germany – watching the sunset at the ‘Landungsbrücken’ is an absolute must.

Just opposite the ‘Landungsbrücken’,

you’ll find the “Broadway” of Hamburg – numerous theatres playing every musical from The Phantom of the Opera to the Lion King and Wicked – in German.

The most famous thing about Hamburg is probably the ‘Reeperbahn’, a special street in the city’s red lights district.

Located in the district of St. Pauli, this street has everything from restaurants to night clubs and, of course, musicals.

You can even book a guided tour around the ‘Kiez’ that takes you to all the bizarre

but fun bars of the ‘Reeperbahn’.

Don’t forget your camera and remember to keep your smart phones safe.

Cologne...

Cologne is not only one of the largest cities in Germany, it is also the best one.

(And I’m not only saying this because it’s my hometown, of course...)

When in Cologne, you don’t really feel like you’re in Germany because people are actually super laid back and outgoing.

Cologne, or Köln as we call it, is like its

Head off to sunny Spain

By Xenia Perarnau Lanza CHRISTMAS break has just finished and we are already thinking about Spring Break.

Here are your spring break idea essentials.

In Catalonia we have the typical Barcelona, but if you are looking for something different you can go to Sitges - a place for the tourist in you and full of beautiful things.

It’s next to the beach so if the weather is good, which it probably will be, you can have a good lunch next to the beach or you can walk the magic streets of Sitges.

You can also go to the North East beaches, Costa Brava, where there are really beautiful and small beaches to enjoy with family and friends.

In the Costa Brava, you can do what we call “El Camí de Ronda” a really beautiful walk through all the North Mediterranean beaches in Catalonia.

You’ll like it so much and it’s a great place to

spend your spring break with your family and friends.

There are also other places to go if you like somewhere more lively or places with a better ambience - one perfect destination could be Salou, in the south of Catalonia.

Situated on the beach too, it’s popular with tourists and there are lots of places where you can go out with friends and have a great night out.

It’s near to Sitges, so it could be a really great place if you want to mix relaxing with partying.

Another option could be for those who don’t want a beach break, could be the mountains, specifically to La Cerdanya.

A place between Catalonia and France with really great views, stunning scenery and a lot of walks through the Pyrenees that you can do - somewhere were you can disconnect and breath some fresh air from Catalan Pyrenees.

A really great option to go with the family to have some relax before the last term of the year. Whatever you do, make sure you have a great spring break.

own little country with hundreds of different cultures coming together.

If you go to ‘Keupstraße’ for example, you’ll feel like you’re in Istanbul clothes shops selling sparkly dresses in vibrant colours, oriental music coming from one of the many turkish restaurants and the smell of spices and coffee.

Just five minutes down the road, you’ll find loads of traditional German pubs that sell really cheap, really good beer.

Wherever you go, make sure you consider Germany.

Sport

17

How Blyth star lived the FA Cup dream

By Nathan Lee FOR MANY non-professional football players, playing in the FA Cup third round is what dreams are made of.

But these dreams came true for Blyth Spartans centre-back, Danny Parker, who played his part in Blyth’s heroic run to the third round of the famous trophy, where they hosted Championship club Birmingham.

Psychology student Parker, 23, from Peterlee, came on as an 80th minute substitute for the Northern Premier League Premier Division side, who play in the seventh tier of English football.

The Spartans sensed a giant killing after being paired with Birmingham in the 3rd round, after beating Hartlepool United 2-1 in the 2nd round of the cup.

Blyth were 2-0 up at half time against Birmingham, but the quality of the Championship side shone through and the Spartans were beaten 3-2 in the end..

The Sunderland University student had a chance to equalise in the dying minutes of the game, but was denied a goal after a save from the Birmingham goalkeeper which tipped his powerful header onto the post.

Despite losing, Danny was still excited to be apart of an historic match for Blyth.

Danny said: “There are no regrets, I was on the bench until 80 minutes, and watching the lads lead by two goals in the first half was stuff what dreams are made of.

“We were talking on the bench half way through about who we could have in the next round!

“But it wasn’t meant to be but being part of such an occasion was just amazing.”

Blyth made the third round after they beat Hartlepool in a match broadcasted live on BBC. Newcastle legend Alan Shearer was covering

the game with the BBC and Parker tells us how he gave Blyth a rousing pre-match team talk.

Danny said: “I was in awe of what was going on.

“I just remember Shearer saying, “There’s going be a hero tonight, make sure he’s from this changing room” and it got us really fired up.”

Blyth came up against a plethora of international footballers, including Nikola Zigic, who has played in two World Cups against some of the best defenders in the world and Parker was ecstatic to come up against him.

Danny said: “It was surreal at first trying to comprehend the kind of players they’ve come up against, even more surreal that Zigic has been marked by the likes of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique of Barcelona and now me.”

The Newcastle-based team are now focusing their attention on mounting a promotion challenge, with the FA Cup run meaning they have 11 games in hand over other teams in their league.

“We’ve used the morale we’ve built up from our run and applied it to the league and we’re very confident regarding promotion,” Parker added.

For many lower league teams, the chance to play the big teams in football doesn’t come up very often and that’s what creates the magic of the FA Cup and Parker gave thanks to the teams supporters.

He said: “The support was amazing, I had a lot of my close family and many friends who I hadn’t seen for a while travelling to watch the games, it meant so much.

“The fans, the desire of my team mates, the focus from the media and our opportunity to make dreams come true meant it was all just one big dream.”

Blyth’s run is now over, but the famous FA Cup run of 2014 will long stay in the memories of the Spartans.

COMMANDING: Parker in action for Blyth

Barbarians conquer first powerlifting competition

By Thomas Robinson THE Teesside Barbarians Powerlifting team took part in their first team competition, winning four overall weight classes.

Twenty lifters from the Teesside University club took part in the Five Towns Powerlifting Club Deadlift Competition at Formula Fitness in Yorkshire on December 20th, making up almost half of the entrants in the competition.

Club Chairman Andrew Richardson led the team into Yorkshire, winning the under 105kg class.

Andrew was pleased of the team’s efforts after a few members took part in a successful competition in a couple of weeks before it..

Andrew said: “This competition was aimed at beginners and

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: The Barbarians stand united the majority of the club competing where first timers so it suited us nicely.”

There were a lot of reasons to

celebrate for the Barbarians, with Tom Lingard winning the Under 66kg class for the Barbarians.

Simon Wisdom won the

Under 120kg class while Adam Nash won the Over 120kg as the Barbarians impressed in the final powerlifting event of 2014.

Chris Baker came 2nd in the Under 93kg class while Credia Ineza and Tom Bishop both came third in the U72kg class and Under 74kg classes respectively.

The competition featured powerlifters from around the country and the Barbarians put in a great effort.

This had followed up from success for some of the members at the Open/Junior Powerlifting Competition held by Yorkshire North East Powerlifting Federation, capping off a tremendous first year for the club.

The Barbarians will be looking for even more success in 2015, having ended 2014 off with a bang.  Go to www.tside.co.uk for more news about the Barbarians and other university clubs.

18| Sport

Lecturer is aiming for a home run with Spartans

By Thomas Robinson A TEESSIDE University lecturer is looking to hit a home-run as he prepares to switch from the classroom to take to the ballpark in another season as a baseball coach.

Mike Holton, a senior lecturer in the School of Computing, has been with the Newton Aycliffe Spartans for four years, coaching the side to their first ever title last season.

Lecturer Mike is looking forward to the new season and working hard with the team to compound on last year’s success.

When asked how he got into the sport Mike said: “Baseball has been something I’ve always wanted to do and I noticed that a local team had just started and were looking for players, so I took a chance and went.”

“I started going down to the sessions once a week and two years later I took over as head coach and general manager. It’s a lot of hard work, we run two training sessions per week but it’s worth it, it gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction especially when I see beginners progress into accomplished team members.”

Mike’s no stranger to sport, having previously been a professional golfer from when he was 16 but after eight years in the sport he traded the golf course for the gaming industry, which eventually led him to Teesside University.

Now Mike is calling for new recruits for the only professional baseball team in the NorthEast.

Mike said: “It’s difficult considering the nearest club to us in the country is Harrogate followed by the likes of Liverpool and Bolton.

“We pull in a lot of people who want to play

the game in Newton Aycliffe and also from other areas like Teesside and Newcastle, giving people there a chance to get into the game.

“It’d be great to get a few university students involved and they’re very welcome to turn up and give baseball a try.”

The Spartans were formed in the summer of 2011, and it’s not taken the team long to make an impact.

The Spartans are coming off a very historic season, having captured the BBF AA North Divsion Championship losing only once last season.

And preparations are underway for the Spartans, as they seek to assert their dominance in the division The season begins on April 19 for the Spartans as they are looking for gold once again.

Mike is looking to give a lot of potential future stars a chance at glory as they look to win the title once again.

Mike said: “Things are going well and we’re getting new equipment which is going to allow us to achieve a higher level of training.

“I’ve got a three year plan for the team where I’m wanting to recruit heavily this coming year to give as many people a chance to play and allow club to eventually field teams in both northern divisions.

“If you’re willing to put the time in to train, you’re going to get games.” To find out more about the Newton Aycliffe Spartans and how you can get involved, go to their facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/NewtonAycliffeSpartans or follow them on Twitter @naspartans.

GOING FOR THE THROW: Mike out on the field as his Spartans are hoping to run through the competition. (Photo: Sean Wallwein)

Are esports really a sport?

By Rob Sedgwick VIDEO games have been around since the 70s, but only in the past few years have they become the international competitive phenomenon known as electronic sports.

Teams of professional players play against each other in a variety of games including League of Legends, Counter Strike and Hearthstone in tournaments that are broadcasted live on ESPN and across the internet to huge crowds.

The 2013 League of Legends World Finals drew a whopping 32 million viewers, double the amount for baseball’s World Series.

Some professional gamers can earn almost as much as some sports superstars, with two Korean esports icons earning between $800-900,000 a year.

The DotA2 2014 tournament offered a prize of over $5 million to the winners, out of a $10 million prize pool.

The statistics demonstrate the growing popularity of esports, but the question remains, is it a sport?

Esports tournaments, like other sporting tournaments, display elite players, managers and coaches exhibiting skills in their chosen fields

GAME ON: The 2013 League of Legends World Championships in LA’s Staples Center There are many well-known personalities within the esports community, much like those within traditional sports.

Players are also well known to transition into being pundits for the game, a very familiar concept for football and rugby.

However, critics argue that esports doesn’t involve any actual physical

exertion, and as such, is not a sport.

ESPN President John Skipper recently said: ‘It’s not a sport — it’s a competition.

“Chess is a competition. Checkers is a competition.’

Local personal trainer Sophie Peterson agrees with Skipper. She said: “I don’t think esports should be a sport, as you always

think of sport as physically challenging, and requiring a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

“There’s always a risk of physical injury with actual sports, whereas the most you’re going to get from a computer is repetitive strain injury at most.”

Although there are arguments for both sides, members of the Teesside University League of Legends society suggest there are elements of sport involved.

Edward Mitchell said: “Something that is important in the new era is the involvement of technology in everyday life.

“I think that this should definitely include the changing of the definitions of everyday things that we do, including sports.”

Callum Pumphrey, however, admits: “It should be a sport, but I can’t imagine people wanting their child to grow up to play competitively in esports.”

Jordan Conlin suggested: “There hasn’t been enough time for esports to grow fully into a sport that’s passed between generations.

“But, as long as they’re not called ‘cyber athletes’, it shouldn’t be too embarrassing.”  Go to www.tside.co.uk for more exciting sports news and features

Sport

19

Rehabilitation of sportsmen: Should offenders be allowed back in sport ?

FIVE-YEAR SENTENCE: The Ched Evans case as reported by the Daily Mirror

By Thomas Robinson ON March 26, 1992, Mike Tyson was sentenced to six years of imprisonment for rape which rocked the boxing community. but returned to boxing and go on to regain the World Championship.

Now if Tyson was allowed to continue his career - then why has Ched Evans not been allowed the same luxury?

Evans himself was convicted of rape, released from prison but has been denied a return to football due to outcry from fans.

However, Evans has always maintained his innocence and has shown no contrition for his crime.

I will take a look at how and why, in the last 20 years, attitudes have changed.

Evans’ first tried to get himself back in the game with old club Sheffield United, but a petition signed by 150,000 people led to the club pulling out.

Hartlepool United boss Ronnie Moore said he would like to sign the striker but after outcry from supporters and Hartlepool MP Iain Wright, the club quickly stated he wouldn’t be signed.

The nearest he’s come to a club was Oldham Athletic, who previously signed former convict Lee Hughes.

After losing sponsors and public outcry from the likes of Ed Miliband, they too pulled out.

So what factors that have been effective in putting a halt to Evans’ plans?

One factor is time, with Evans looking to get back in the game almost immedietly after being released.

David Cameron said it best on BBC North West Tonight: “Perhaps he needs to do more to put back in to the community some sense of atonement for what he’s done before he restarts his career.”

Evans is heavily exposed in the media and when Tyson was returning to the ring 20 years ago, there was no such thing as Twitter and the media was different In a recent episode of BBC Sportshour, former News Of The World writer Martin Daubney explained the media’s attitude towards both cases.

Martin said: “The Evans case was very different to Tyson because the media were actually championing his innocence and his reintegration back into boxing was very much eased by the fact that he’d had a very symapethic media treatment.”

Twitter was responsible for campaigns for AND against Evans and has even been responsible for naming the victim of the rape crime 10 times since the incident took place.

Talk of the rehabilitation of sportsmen has also been at large in the US, with two incidents with NFL stars.

On February 15, 2014, Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice was arrested for assault after striking his fiancee in an incident which was later released on film by TMZ. The Ravens terminated Rice’s contract in September and the NFL declaring that Rice was suspended indefinetly.

He was later reinstated and is now in the same position as Evans... a free agent looking to get back into sports.

However, Professor Marie Hardin

of Penn State University, who was also a part of the Sportshour mentioned earlier, said that the public reaciton to Rice has given the NFL a wake-up call.

Marie said: “I think it’s been a rude awakening for the NFL in terms of thinking about the way the public now can weigh in.

“It maybe a small percentage of fans that weigh in publicly but they do it in a way that gets attention and it’s certaintly gotten the interest of the NFL.” What’s also got the attention of the NFL is the arresst of Indianoplois Colts’ Josh McNary for rape in January 2015.

The Colts handled the it well, putting out a statement calling for Commisioner Roger Goodell to add McNary to the “Commisioner Exemption List”.

McNary would be barred from practice and competition while an NFL investigation is under way.

With their championship match with the New England Patriots just around the corner, the Colts had the “rude awakening” and had to keep a lid on things.

If the Evans case is so big in the UK, how much could a case like this could escalate to in the US? As attitudes have changed, so have the times and never has the world been this democrized on social and mainstream media.

I don’t believe public opinon should be so influential that it stops someone from doing what they love.

But for Evans, he should not have expected an easy passage back - who in their right mind would run the risk of backlash and losing sponsors for him?

I SPOKE to Daily Express sports writer NIALL HICKMAN about the Ched Evans case...

He said: “The Ched Evans case does raise major concerns over whether high profile sportsmen and women are being given their full equal rights when it comes to rehabilitation. The facts are these: Evans has served his time in prison after being found guilty in a court of law of rape. The rights and wrongs over whether it was a correct guilty verdict are immaterial as he was, by a jury of his peers.

“In most other spheres of life that would be enough.

Evans has committed a crime and paid for it, with his liberty. He is now available for work. The job he does should be irrelevant. What if he was an oil rig worker, or a newsagent, or a refuse collector? He would obviously be available for work and if work could be found, that would surely serve society and Ched Evans, for the better.

“Of course there are limittations on where ex-offenders can work. All those on the Sex Offenders’ Register cannot work with chilidren - and rightly so. Policemen cannot commit crime and still keep their jobs. The list is long.

“But in Evans’ case, he is a footballer. And footballers play football in front of people who pay to watch them.

There is no apparent danger to the public in Evans’ employment.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Anojan Ahilan, marketing officer for the USA Sports Programme at Leeds Beckett University “It’s depending on the matter of the case.

Ray Rice hitting his wife is a case where having rehabilitation process is more fitting then Ched Evans having one for taking advantage of girl, which would really mean he shouldn’t be allowed in sport.”

Peter Clark, radiotherapy assistant at NHS Tees “I don’t believe he should be allowed back into the sport. Due to its place in our society sportsmen should held accountable for their actions off the pitch. People in any profession can be sacked or stuck off for criminal records and he should be no different.”

sport tside

tside meets baseball coach

PAGE 18

Teessider replaces Mo Farah to lead GB in cross country event

By Thomas Robinson TEESSIDE’s Jonny Taylor described it as an honour to lead Team GB into the Great Edinburgh Cross Country this month, taking the armband from an unavailable Mo Farah.

Jonny was named captain of the team, after the former Olympic Gold Medalist Farah was sidelined with a flu which prevented him from competing in one of the biggest races of the year.

And former Teesside University student Jonny, who currently now works here as a research assistant, was proud to be leading the British charge.

Jonny said: “It’s quite an honour and something I’ll be sure to look back on.

The news that he would be replacing Mo as captain came as quite a shock to the Teesside man as he found out only just before he was scheduled to race.

Jonny said: “I found out two days before the race.

“I found out from a reporter when he came to me asking for an interview.”

Despite university commitments, Jonny said that he was able to get in a lot of training heading to the race in Edinburgh.

He added: “I had a lot more time to get training in as I had time off from the university.

“In the week leading to the race, it was a normal week for me trianing and I was able to get a lot of hours in.

“I was training alright heading into the event.”

Jonnny had previously been a student at Teesside University, being a part of the Elite Athlete Scheme while studying Sport and Exercise Physiology.

After graduating, he began to work as a Research Assistant at the university and has appreciated the help from the university for all of his endeavors.

“It’s good working here and flexible place to work,” he said.

“Good facilities and people to work with to help me with the event.

“It’s good if you’re a student here or a lecturer to help you compete at the highest level.

Jonny said cross country is for people all over the world to get involved in.

He added: “Cross country is a good event and it doesn’t get as much publicity as it should.

“It’s a sport where people can get involved in and not expensive.

“People all over Britain do it at school so it’s a good sport for people to get behind.”

Jonny praised his team’s effort despite not having Farah in the squad.

He said: “We struggled a little bit but we are a young team and this was a big race.

“The women’s team did OK as well but overall we struggled a little bit and Mo was a big loss for us going into the event” Jonny competed in the 8km race during the Edinburgh race, finishing 11th and holding his own against some of the best runners in the world.

He said he was pleased with his performance and added: “It was a solid performance I think.

“It’s always hard when you’re up against that type of oppossition but you have to be on your best day to get a really good result.

“I thought I ran OK and I was very strong but I never had my day.

Jonny has had an impressive athletics career, finishing 31st in the 2013 Cross Country World Championship.

In March, he returns to the World Championships taking place in China and is looking to be in great shape for the race.

Jonny said: “I feel I’m getting better with each race.

“Hopefully, in the next month or two, I can get in really top form for March.”

REHABILITATION OF SPORTSMEN

tside

sport

KEEP ON RUNNING: JONNY TAYLOR MAKING PACE. Photo: David T. Hewitson/Sports for All Pics

TURN TO PAGE 19 FOR THE FULL STORY