Brig Vol. 50 No.3: January 2020

University of Stirling’s student newspaper | January Edition | Vol. 50 No. 3

Who needs the Oscars?

Brig’s top movies of 2019

Aussie Action Week Clubs and Socs pull together in aid of burning nation

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Online grooming concerns rise Harry Williamson News Editor

University stuck in web of confusion

Sam Ormiston News Editor

STAFF at Stirling University have misinformed people about their processes for recording student suicide statistics, Brig can reveal.

Students have been misled by the university, following conflicting information issued by staff in regard to the statistics.

In November, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that figures for student deaths by suicide are now available since the 2016/17 academic year.

However, in October 2017, the university responded to a FOI request submitted by a former Brig writer, stating that: “The University of Stirling does not formally record the reason for student deaths and

therefore does not hold information on the number of suicides.”

In response to the apparent conflict in information given by the university’s FOI department, a spokesperson said on January 10 of this year: “The university began formally recording the reason for student deaths on its Student Management System in November 2017.

“This has since encompassed the inclusion of historical records where data has become available.”

However, a week later on January 17, a university spokesperson said: “In academic year 2018/2019, in order to assist with the development of our mental health support for students, we took a sector leading decision to systematically and formally record student deaths, by suicide on our Student Manage-

ment System.

Hence the university have given out conflicting or wrong information about when the university formally began recording suicide statistics.

A number of students have also been misinformed by the university.

In the spring semester of last year, several students organised a protest which targeted an Applicant Day at the university, where prospective students were invited to tour the university campus and speak to lecturers and staff.

The protesters included ex Stirling Labour candidate Mary Kate Ross and the Student Union’s housing officer, Cian Ireland.

Continued on page 3

Councillors and police have stated their concern over young people being targeted by predators through social media.

The concerns were raised at a meeting of Stirling Council’s public safety committee on Thursday January 16.

The chair of the panel Councillor Maureen Bennison asked police to elaborate on the issue of online predators after hearing of “very concerning” cases.

Chief Inspector Gill Marshall, the Stirling Area Commander, said that officers carried out visits to schools and gave out information to educate young people on how to stay safe online and have worked with parents about how to make sure their kids are staying safe online.

Marshall added that school-based officers (SBOs) are trained in how to spot the signs of online abuse and deal with situations when it arises.

The vice-chair of the PSC, Councillor Chris Kane said that as a parent it is often hard to keep up to date on which online platforms and apps are popular, which can pose a danger for young people and agreed that educating parents is an important step. Councillor Neil Benny also voiced concerns over young people sending explicit photos online to people who are pretending to be someone else.

The newly appointed Divisional Commander for Forth Valley, Chief Superintendent Alan Gibson, said that the prevalence of social media in everyday life does provide challenges. He said that this is a continuing issue for Police Scotland, but that they will continue to safeguard young people through educating them of the dangers and by keeping up to date on social media trends.

News News

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Nightmare on Port Street Iona Young

Editorial

Abigail Taylor Editor-in-Chief

As we journey into a new decade it is important to reflect on the one we have left behind. What went right, what went wrong and everything in-between.

I think one of the most important lessons that I have learnt is that it is okay to be selfish in life.

We are often told growing up that being selfish is a bad trait, which can be true. We are programmed to put people before ourselves and it’s hard to override it.

Through failed relationships and friendships, I’ve learnt that self-care should be top of your list in 2020 and beyond.

Secondly, it is okay to fail.

Coming back from what seems to be the biggest failure in your life can be extremely difficult.

Watching your friends walk across the stage at the graduation ceremony that you should have been attending is heart-breaking. Sometimes, you need one more year to perfect your plan in life.

Thirdly, independence is your best friend. Moving out and moving to a new country is something that can be very daunting, but it is probably the best decision I have ever made.

The experiences and opportunities that have been created for me through independence have been life changing. This does not mean to say that it has been an easy ride. There have been just as many downs as ups, plenty of tears shed, but I probably wouldn’t change any of it. I am taking everything from the past ten years with me into the next, and I am optimistic for where the future is going to take me.

PORT Street has been closed to traffic one way and a number of flats have been evacuated since December 20 due to a building being deemed unsafe by Stirling Council.

The disruption occurred when a member of the public reported defects in the stonework above the Let’s Party Shop, under further investigation Stirling Council discovered the beams between the two buildings are rotting and the building is not safe. Resulting in the road being closed for the foreseeable future.

After deeming the building unsafe the necessary construction work now lies with the landlords rather than Stirling Council. A specialist engineering company has been appointed by the property owners to lead on the repair of the building.

The businesses located on the affected side of the street are still open and are using back entrances avoiding the dangerous area enabling them to stay open for business. But the road is still shut in one direction, meaning vehicles travelling from Dumbarton Road and Upper Craigs are unable to turn on to Port Street.

Nadeem Abbas the owner of Port Street News said his profits have dropped by nearly 60% and newspaper sales have halved.

Saying his regular customers just aren’t coming anymore

Credit: Stirling Observer

with access difficult for the elderly and people with prams to get in with all the fences.

Residents from the upper properties were evacuated just days before Christmas, losing any access to their flats and having to find temporary accommodation.

Initially they were told ,worst case scenario, the work would take four weeks and they would regain access on the 17th January but now it is uncertain.

Although because a number of owners are involved there have been disagreements on plans to go forward with the construction causing further disruption.

The first phase of construction work was estimated to be finished by the end of January but halfway through the month the work has still not started.

Phase one of the works will include instating a temporary support structure to secure the building allowing phase two to begin and Stirling Council to reopen the rest of the street.

When phase one is complete, phase two will begin which involves the design and approval of future permanent repair works and may require listed building approval.

Andrew Fleming a resident

who has currently being evacuated from his flat said, “The most obstructive part about this entire process was the handling of the entire situation.

We weren’t given any real information about how long or how serious the whole scenario was.

What’s more, is that this was right before Christmas, a very hectic time, and I had just ordered the entirety of my Christmas shopping for delivery and agreed to take shifts over the Christmas period. But with no home security or answers, this all fell through.”

Stirling drug dealer convicted Credit: The Times

Harry Williamson

A DRUG dealer has been sentenced for drug offences in the Stirling area.

Craig Lafferty was found guilty at Glasgow High Court on Monday January 13. The 24-year-old was found guilty for crimes which involved the supply of cocaine in Stirling with an estimated value of £254,000.

Stirling Community Inspector Lynsey Kidd said: “This significant recovery of controlled drugs and conviction of Craig Lafferty sends a strong message to those who possess and supply drugs in our communities. Drugs will not be tolerated in Forth Valley and we will continue to pursue those who are involved in this sort of criminality to ensure they are brought before the courts.

“Police Scotland relies on the support of the public to build intelligence on drug-related issues so that we can act on their concerns. I would urge anyone who is aware of any

information about the supply of drugs to report the matter to police on 101, or anonymously through independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Drug dealing and use has been highlighted by Stirling police as a main concern for residents in the North and West of Stirling and in Bannockburn. Inspector Anton Stephenson has told residents that police in Stirling have used stop and search powers, using intelligence led policing to target drug dealers as well as carrying out search warrants which have led to a number of drugs being seized and drug dealers being reported.

Senior officers in Stirling as well as Stirling Council continue to work with the Scottish Drugs Death Task Force to tackle the issue of drug deaths in Stirling and Scotland as a whole.

News News

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Investigation launched into Cottrell occupation Credit: Harry Williamson

Harry Williamson News Editor

THE university has launched an investigation to determine whether the students who occupied the Cottrell Building in late November during the UCU strikes, violated the student discipline code.

The students barricaded the main doors and rear doors of the C-Block of the building, which houses the management offices and the University Court.

During the occupation the group, who called themselves the University of Stirling Solidarity Network (USSN) were issued with a letter from the university regarding the blocked fire exits, which led

the students to remove the barricades.

A new letter was sent to the students who occupied the building informing them that they are being investigated to determine whether their actions violated the student discipline code.

The investigation will look into the blocked doors, including the university’s main entrance and the fire doors, the refusal to remove all barricades after the first letter was sent to the group, disrupted the normal running of the university by preventing staff access to their offices.

One incident that is being investigated is when the group “did not agree to reasonable requests” for staff to remove

Local pub gathers food for those in need at Christmas

Ben Waddell OVER the festive period Molly Malone’s pub in Stirling city centre set up a food drive in order to raise donations for local charity Start Up Stirling.

The charity event was organised through volunteer Steven Hughes The local pub set up a range of collection baskets throughout the pub in December, in order to help raise donations to support the local charity.

While having baskets around the pub, Molly’s also had a charity night on December 15 where musicians Scott McGill

Credit: Harry Williamson

and The Haggis Candy Band performed.

The pub managed to collect two baskets of food, which was collected by Start Up Stirling to help those in need.

Molly Malone’s manager said: “Massive thanks to Steven Hughes and everyone that’s helped donate food to Start Up Stirling this past week. Lots of food going to those in need.”

Start Up Stirling is a local charity which aims to help those in need with two foodbanks located in Stirling City Centre and also Raploch.

items from their offices, including medication, car keys, mobile phones and a laptop.

The letter from the investigating officer states that a staff member was allowed access to retrieve a “limited range of items” but was caused anxiety after being watched by eight members of the group.

USSN have criticised university management over the discipline process, a statement previously issued by the group said, “Students of the University of Stirling Solidarity Network are disappointed by the university management’s decision to pursue disciplinary action against student protesters.

Once again the university has

shown a lack of respect towards students, treating us with contempt despite our cooperation.

Even though barriers obstructing one of two fire exit routes from the management building were respectfully deconstructed after discussions with university management, disciplinary action is still being pursued with extra charges tacked on.

“These disciplinary letters arrived with a number of c-block occupiers, stating that their actions may represent offences in the university’s code of conduct. These letters summon students to meetings arranged for less than a week in advance, at a time where most are heading home to see their families and

enjoy the holidays.

“Previous threats from management have suggested that they will be pursuing Level 2 disciplinary action, which is the same level at which offences such as sexual assault, theft, fraud, and firearms offences are tried. The university have made clear that they will not respect the calls from students and staff to make the university a better place and will instead silence any criticism.”

The occupation of the Cottrell building was held to support the striking UCU lecturers and lasted for two weeks.

The investigation could lead to disciplinaries for the occupying students.

Continued from page 1

that since November 2017, around a year and a half earlier, figures have been recorded on the Student Management System.

Learning of the revelations, Ireland said: “Well they’ve misinformed me then. My opinion is if the uni spokesperson said that they were collecting data in 2017, it’s a disgrace that we were misinformed.

“If they only started collecting data in 2019 as I was told then it’s also a disgrace as it should not have taken that long for them to be collecting such important data.

“It’s all incredibly unprofessional.”

The university’s deputy secretary Joanna Morrow originally said that there had been a “fundamental misunderstanding to do with the wording that was used in good faith in the FOI response that we collated into an official record.”

She also added: “At some point in the last academic year, we agreed that we should hold that information.”

After the contradictory statements issued a week apart by the university were

brought to deputy secretary Morrow’s attention, she was asked which one of the statements, if either, were true and why staff had given wrong information to both students and the press.

She replied: “The statement issued on Jan 17 2020 reflects the accurate position on the recording of student death by suicide.”

The university staff member who issued the original statement of January 10, was incorrect, according to Morrow.

This follows revelations of miscommunication between university staff from different departments.

Jill Stevenson, the university’s Dean of Eqaulity, Diversity and Inclusion, commented on matters that were not under her remit on the Applicant Day protest.

Morrow said: “When Jill was discussing with the students at the protest, she wasn’t doing it on the basis of something that her own team does.”

If you are struggling and in need of help, contact Samaritans on 116 123 for free, or visit www.samaritans.org

Student protesters misinformed

The protest, which took place in April 2019, saw students gather at the main entrance to the university and around campus to hand out leaflets to potential applicants, and discuss the state of mental health services.

Anonymous testimonies from student and staff in relation to negative experiences with mental health at the university were also handed out.

Despite claims of the university “taking down” some of their posters, the protest came to a premature end after senior university officials engaged in “productive dialogue” with some of the protesters.

However, it now appears that the protesters were misinformed by university staff.

The protesters claim that they were told by Jill Stevenson, the university’s Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, that no statistics were available at the time.

But in recent correspondence with Brig Newspaper, it has become apparent

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News News

MP voices concerns over nuclear convoys passing through Stirling Credit: STV

Three arrested for Xmas robberies Ben Waddell

Iona Young STIRLING MP Alyn Smith hits out over an increase in safety lapses when transporting nuclear bombs across central Scotland.

The SNP uncovered information from a Freedom of Information Request that revealed since 2014 there have been 40 operational safety lapses when conveying nuclear waste.

Around eight times a year the Ministry of Defence uses heavy trucks containing nuclear waste and weapons between atomic weapon plants in Berkshire to the Royal Navy base at

Coulport on Loch Long where the UK’s nuclear weapons are stored.

Often the trucks contain nuclear materials required for maintenance or replacements. All the incidents have been logged as operational and engineering issues that pose no threat to the public.

Recently elected Alyn Smith responded to the recent revelations about the hazardous safety lapses. Smith said, “​ “Trident nuclear convoys are a frequent and unwelcome sight passing through Stirling communities, and many local

people will be seriously concerned to learn of recent safety lapses that such convoys have experienced across the country.

“The nuclear weapon cargo on board these convoys is extremely dangerous, and no level of protection is ever enough, particularly when they are being transported through quiet residential towns and villages, like those across the Stirling area.

“It is unacceptable that Scotland is forced to house these weapons of mass destruction, but such lapses in safety procedures means that local areas and people

are being put at risk” A spokesman from the Ministry of Defence said: “Public safety is our absolute priority and robust arrangements are in place to ensure the safety and security of all convoys.

Continuing, “The incidents reported include minor issues such as replacing a windscreen wiper blade on a single vehicle in a 20-vehicle convoy. This demonstrates that, regardless of how minor the occurrence, every incident is recorded.”

The Fratellis rock the Macrobert Arts Centre during charity concert Calum Sutherland THE Macrobert Arts Centre hosted the sixth ‘For The Love of Eilidh’ charity concert on Saturday, January 18 to raise funds for the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund.

The charity was set up in memory of Eilidh Brown, who sadly passed away at the age of 15 after battling germ cell cancer, in order to fund her dream of building a holiday home to offer respite to other young people directly affected by cancer.

The charity’s Facebook page stated: “Our hope is to raise sufficient funds to build and maintain a purpose-built property with the highest standard of facilities possible, for families who need a break in comfortable and safe surroundings, within easy reach of Stirling (a central location with many activities, tourist attractions and beautiful countryside) where they can spend quality time together.”

Eilidh was described as someone who “showed tremendous bravery and wisdom

throughout her ordeal and inspired everyone who came into contact with her. Eilidh was the most extraordinary, loving, sweet, faithful and brave young girl, who always thought of others before herself.”

Eilidh was posthumously awarded the Cancer Research UK ‘Little Star’ award almost 5 months after her passing, after being nominated by her best friend.

The concert hosted The Fratellis, a rockband most well known for their 2006 anthem ‘Chelsea Dagger’; Stevie McCrorie, of The Voice UK 2015 fame; Paul Riley, who played Winston in Still Game, and many more big names and performances.

There was a raffle and an auction after the concert to raise more funds for the charity, with prizes donated Tickets for the £30 concert were entirely sold out. Proceeds from the concert will go towards the £550,000 funding target for the completion of the respite home.

THREE men have been charged after three attempted robberies in Raploch confirms Police Scotland.

The men aged 22, 23, and 24 have appeared within Stirling Sheriff Court on Monday December 30.

The attempted robberies are believed to have taken place around 9pm and 10pm on Saturday December 28 within the Raploch area, close to Stirling city centre.

Detective Inspector David MacGregor, Stirling CID said: “I am aware of the impact violent crime can have on our communities.”

“It is fundamental that people of all ages feel safe, especially around this time of year, and I would like to reassure everyone that we will respond to any report and continue our work to keep offenders off of the streets.”

The three men who have been arrested in connection with the three different robberies have been remanded in custody.

Nightline launch date announced

Harry Williamson

A DATE for the launch of a student-run anonymous listening service has been announced.

Stirling Nightline have announced through their social media that the service will be launched on January 23.

They also announced at what times the service would be available, and it will be running from 10pm to 3am from Thursday through till Monday.

The service will be available at these times during the semester.

Nightline is to be an anonymous listening service for students at the university that will be run by other students.

The service is a partnership between postgraduate student Jennifer Littlejohn and the Students’ Union and has been awarded £2000 over the next two years from the Vice Chancellor’s fund.

Littlejohn previously told Brig, “Student mental health is a topic which is extremely important to me and the union.

“It’s important that we recognise that some students don’t always have the support network or the community necessary to overcome challenges and enjoy their time at Stirling.

“This is where Nightline comes in – who better will understand and empathise with students than their peers?”

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Police tactics at football matches making things worse

Calum Sutherland

RESEARCHERS at the Universities of Stirling, Glasgow and the West of Scotland have shown that the increasing use of cameras to police football matches in Scotland is eroding relationships with fans and could be exacerbating their behaviour.

The research indicated that increased use of handheld cameras and body-worn video (BWV) devices has led to an increasingly detached approach from the police in dealing with incidents while simultaneously creating a more intimidating environment for spectators which has had a

counter-productive effect.

The study, titled ‘Lights, camera, provocation?’, was published in December last year following the repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act, which was in force for just 6 years from 2012 until 2018. The controversial act included legislation that made “other behaviour that a reasonable person would be likely to consider offensive” at a football match punishable by law.

It was revealed that a system of ‘trawling’ and ‘spear-fishing’, whereby large amounts of people are captured on video committing

an offence before small numbers of individuals are singled out for prosecution, is causing a rift in trust between fans and the police.

The paper stated: “Behaviours amongst sections of fans were often left to ‘play out’ with arrests following the game once the police and prosecutors had reviewed footage and determined individuals whose behaviour were suitable to merit arrest; suitability here being defined not only on the basis of severity of behaviour but on the basis of being visible enough to support a successful prosecution.”

This approach has led to some younger fans being encouraged

to wear face-coverings in order to prevent them from being singled out long after the match is over.

One member of the study’s focus group claimed that the police raided their home at 6 a.m. and arrested them after being caught swearing at a match.

The increasing reliance on cameras has caused: “a shift from the active ‘preservation of public tranquillity’ towards more passive strategies based around postevent identification, analysis and prosecution” It was also noted that surveilling large portions of fans, many of whom are entirely innocent and without differentiating between

them and high-risk individuals intent on violence, has caused those innocent fans to be less likely to support and co-operate with law enforcement.

Silkie Carlo, the director of Big Brother Watch – a non-profit organisation for the protection of privacy – has commented on the research saying: “treating fans like criminals damages policing efforts and fans’ rights alike. Some police forces are now even using facial recognition cameras at football matches too. This research should put a stop to this ludicrous Chinese style surveillance of innocent fans.”

Credit: Edinburgh News

Council housing to be Socs club together to provide Aussie aid given solar panelling Credit: Times of Malta

Iona Young

AN award-winning £18.5M project will see 68% of Stirlingshire’s council housing installed with solar panels by April, a local councillor has confirmed.

The ongoing project has reduced annual residential CO2 emissions by 6300 tonnes and produced 9700MW in green-energy since 2012. The project has reduced tenants’ annual energy bills and is helping to reduce local rates of fuel-poverty.

Stirling Council is now the leading local authority in renewable energy systems ownership in Scotland according to statistics from Energy Saving Trust, having 8x more solar panels than any other Scottish council in 2018. Last September the project won “Best Residential Solar and/or Storage Project of the Year 2019” at the UK Solar Industry Awards Ceremony.

The project has also utilised industry leading battery storage units, ‘POWERWALL’, from California based TESLA. SNP Councillor Evelyn Tweed, Housing Portfolio Holder for Stirling Council said: “As the Housing Portfolio Holder, I am proud that our commitment to invest in renewable technologies in our social housing stock has been

recognised by the UK Solar & Storage industry.

“This investment is driven to ensure our housing stock is leading the way in the social housing sector in terms of both having the most energy efficient housing that reduces fuel poverty for our tenants and at the same time reducing the environmental impact.”

“Stirling Council’s Housing Service is committed to reducing the carbon emissions of our social housing stock. The current average Environmental Impact rating for domestic properties in Scotland is currently a rating of 59 and our stock has an average rating of 78 – the higher the rating the more environmentally friendly and thus lower CO2 emissions” “To-date, the Housing Service has invested over £18.5m in solar PV systems and battery storage systems to our social housing stock. By the end of this financial year, 68% (3,900 properties) of our social housing stock will have had a solar PV system installed and a further 5% of these properties having also had a battery storage system installed to maximise the “self-consumption” of electricity produced by the solar PV system.”

Harry Williamson CLUBS and Societies are coming together to arrange a week of events to send help to the people who have been affected by the wildfires in Australia.

The Marine Conservation Society have arranged a series of events over a week.

“Aussie Week” will have events such as pub quizzes, stalls, arts and crafts and other activities.

The week of activities will take place from February 3 to February 9.

Other societies such as Rock and Metal, Gaming society, Uni Boob Team and the Pool society have already signed up

to take part in the week of action.

The president of UBT, Emily Hencher posted online about Aussie Week, “This week of action is set to be the best collaboration event I’ve seen in my four years at Stirling. Everyone is so invested in helping Australia and it’s heartwarming to see. Anyone can join in, it’s so inclusive and thanks to Marine Conservation it’s been easy to involve at least 10 societies and have a strong plan within a matter of weeks.”

VP Communities Josh Muirhead said, “I couldn’t be more proud of

our amazing societies who have been busy planning this for weeks now and they can finally announce that Aussie Action Week will be happening February 3rd-9th!

The week will be filled with activities for everyone to be a part of. From coffee mornings to sports sessions, craft workshops to pub quizzes, 24hr gaming sessions to a club night! There really will be something for everyone!

Come along and be part of what will be an amazing week, a real opportunity to help make a difference in different ways.

Politics News

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What would a war with Iran look like?

Qassem Soleimani (Image credit to thequint.com)

Dominic Cooper Politics Editor On January 3, this year, the US government authorised a drone strike against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard general - Qassem Soleimani.

Since his death, Iran retaliated by sending more than 20 missiles at Iraqi bases where US troops are stationed. Although deescalation seems to be the intention on both sides, the start of this year has shown us how fragile the balance of power between these major powers really is.

So what would a war with Iran look like? A third world war? Are there clear winners and losers? These predictions will be based on the interna-

tional relationships of both major powers, military simulations and just a bit of speculation.

1) Allies and proxies With economics sanctions place on Iran and attacks on Saudi oil facilities, the balance of power between each major nation’s allies is constant source of conflict in the Middle East. The US administration strengthens Israel’s presence in the region through economic and military support whilst Iran attempts to counter this in its support of Hezbollah. Its important to realise that the conflict would not limited between two nations but would drag the whole region into war. In many ways the proxy war between Iran and the US

has been going on for years.

One of the main causes of escalation in the recent US/ Iran tensions were rocket attacks from a Shia militia proxy groups against US bases in Iraq. This may serve as a prelude to the main battlefield of such a conflict. As already suggested by Iran’s retaliation, the main source of violence won’t take place in either of these major player’s home turf - but everywhere in-between.

The US may well retain proxy allies in Saudi Arabia and Israel but its western support is less certain. After its reckless withdrawal from Northern Syria, leaving the Kurds exposed to Turkish invasion.

Trump has also not done his reputation any favours after

pulling out of Iran’s nuclear deal against the EU’s advice.

- less international support, particularly from European countries.

2) Military Simulation Conducted by the United States armed forces, the Millenium Challenge was a simulation of what a US invasion upon Iran would look like. It involved a combination of live and computer simulations.

Commanding the ‘enemy’ combatants was retired Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper. He used unorthodox methods to evade the US’ sophisticated communications network such as manually sending messages via motorbikes to the front lines. The exercise had to be suspended and restarted after

Salmond. The campaign was split into two main campaigns “Better Together” who wanted Scotland to remain in the UK and “Yes Scotland” who were pro scottish independence.

Both the referendum result and the referendum campaign itself had consequences for the political landscape of Scotland with Alex Salmond resigning as First Minister of Scotland after losing the referendum in which 55% of voters wanted

scape to a large extent with the issue featuring in parties’ campaigns during the general election last month.

The EU referendum of June 2016 was a big political moment as the UK will be leaving the EU after over 40 years of membership. The EU referendum which took place in June 2016 was a big political moment, the UK voted 52% to leave the European Union and 48% to remain which meant

saw a Conservative party leadership contest, Nigel Farage resign as leader of UKIP and the creation of a new government department focused on Brexit policy and alongside that a cabinet position named Secretary of State for Brexit.

In December last year, the most recent and last general election of the decade took place.

Labour suffered its worst election result since 1935 whilst the Conservative Party gained its highest majority since the 1987 election. The SNP saw an increase in their number of seats from 35 seats to 48.

At this election several high profile politicians lost their seats, Jo Swinson the now former leader of the UK Liberal Democrats, now former DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds and Dennis Skinner who was an Labour party MP for 49 years between 1970 until 2019. In the aftermath of the 2019 general election, Jeremy Corbyn has announced he will be stepping down as UK Labour leader later this year. In Scotland , the Scottish Parliament has voted to reject legislative consent for Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement.

the US was overwhelmed by the Iranian forces in a naval battle where the real death count would have been an estimated 20,000 personnel.

General Van Riper resigned from the challenge after being told the rest of the simulation must follow a script ensuring a US victory. He criticised the exercise’s true purpose as reinforcing notions of military dominance rather than being a cautionary learning experience.

If we compare Van Riper’s comments with the US’ history of invasions, such as Afghanistan or Vietnam, it becomes clear that what the US military presents itself as for more unstoppable than it really is.

march A decade is a long time in politics: What’s new? 80,000 for independRyan Barclay Politics Editor

As we enter the 2020’s , it’s time to take a look back at some of the biggest political moments of the previous decade.

Starting in 2010 when, after the general election, the Conservative party entered into coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. This coalition was the first UK Government coalition since 1945 and introduced several policies such as Universal Credit and the fixed term parliaments Act.During the coalition which lasted for five years between 2010 to 2015, 2 different referendums were called, the “Alternative vote” referendum of 2011 and the Scottish independence referendum in Scotland in 2014. David Cameron was also the youngest prime minister of the UK for over a century when he took office.

The Scottish independence referendum of 2014 was another big moment of the decade.

After the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2011, the SNP won 69 seats out of 129 and formed a majority government led by then SNP leader Alex

History repeats itself (Image source: indy100)

Scotland to stay in the UK and the Smith Commission which recommended further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament. The debate around whether Scotland should be independent still plays a role in the Scottish political land-

that Britain would be the first ever country to leave the EU. The day after the referendum, David Cameron, who back remaining in the EU announced that he would be stepping down as Prime Minister. The EU referendum aftermath also

ence

The pro-independence group All Under One Banner held their first march of the year in Glasgow on Saturday January 11.

Over 80,000 people braved the wet and windy weather to march through the city supporting Scottish Independence and calling for a second referendum on the issue.

The march went from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green and set off at 11:30am.

The march through Glasgow is the first march in 2020 held by AUOB and the first of other marches that will be held over the coming months.

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Politics

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Student shares his experience campaigning for the SNP Lloyd Melville

After a short Christmas break and the start of a new decade, I thought I’d recount my election experience. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m fairly active in the SNP. Here in Stirling we’d been campaigning hard, long before the election was even called, and I’d had the privilege to spend lots of time out in all weathers with a cracking team of activists. The campaign itself was excellent – and our fantastic volunteers were energised by a first-class candidate (who is now the sitting MP). Stirling University Scottish Nationalist Association put in a real shift, and I couldn’t be prouder of members who helped out during the election – whether here in Stirling or in their home constituencies. There is no mistaking that this was indeed a historic election – its results and the aftermath will set the direction of the United Kingdom for decades to come.

On polling day, I had to be at work through in Dundee, but I finished my shift in late afternoon, and drove through to Stirling to help my colleagues get out our vote. I arrived at my polling station, the wee Boys Brigade hall, just after 5pm, and the first thing that struck me was the queue of people waiting patiently to exercise their democratic voice. With this election sometimes lauded as the most important election in modern history, it felt somehow mundane to place a small cross in a box; though I did it proudly.

Unsurprisingly, my vote went to the SNP candidate Alyn Smith who worked so hard in Stirling to achieve an SNP victory. Afterwards, I headed to the campaign hub to help

Image credit: Lee Rob

with the last push of polling day.

Incredibly, at almost every door we received a response from, it was immensely cheery. From “Oh aye, I voted SNP” to “Good luck!”

– our support was indeed turning out, and this was the first sign that we were going to do well - though I did not let confidence get the better of me. We kept at it for a few hours, but headed back after it was clear our work was done.

I headed to the Albert Hall just before 10pm with a few friends, and we settled in the bar around the TV. The room was abuzz with activists of all parties waiting in tense anticipation of the exit poll. I was nervous too, as I was unsure at whether we would gain as many seats as I had hoped.

Glenn Campbell was sat in front of a digital version of Big Ben’s clockface, and as the bells chimed, the exit poll was revealed.

A Conservative victory; the biggest Tory majority since Thatcher, on a promise to rip Scotland out of the EU against our democratically expressed

will. We were all ashen-faced at this announcement, even more so at the Labour seat tally; at a historic low. “Get Brexit Done” had knocked straight through Labour’s red wall, and had won Boris Johnson a mandate for Brexit in England. That Labour was projected to win in under 200 seats was a testament to the chronic inability of the Corbyn leadership to effectively communicate with real people in the face of one of the cruellest governments in history, and a press that leaned heavily towards the Tories.

But we were mere moments away from finding out if all our hard work in Scotland had paid off. Brian Taylor was musing about Ruth Davidson’s skinny-dipping comments, where she said she would swim naked in Loch Ness if the SNP won 50 seats, just before revealing our result.“If this poll is correct, she’d better get to the banks of the loch…” 55 seats – cheers and whoops from my colleagues and I. I had said throughout the campaign that any increase in seats would

be a victory – and to achieve the result we ended up with in Scotland was incredible.

Results rolled in for hours, Tory gains from Labour in England, SNP gains and holds, Labour losses. It was 3.15am when Stirling declared, and I managed to get up to the observation balcony for the numbers. I was quietly confident we’d win, though admittedly I did think it would be by a small majority.

I was, however, immensely pleased to have been proven wrong. The Tories’ vote was down slightly, and Labour’s more than halved – to just over 4,000. A thumping win for Alyn Smith though, with a majority of 9,254 – and 51.1% of the votes cast. A decisive mandate from the people of Stirling for a candidate who pledged to keep Scotland in the European Union, and fight against the Tories for Scotland’s right to choose.

But though we won 47 seats, around 80 per cent of seats in Scotland, we were facing yet another hard-line Tory Government that we didn’t vote for – intent on dragging Scot-

land out of the EU against our will. This means, much to my dismay and the disappointment of those of us who believe our future lies in Europe, that Brexit is definitely happening. It is no longer a hypothetical bogeyman haunting us from the shadows. We will be leaving the European Union. This means students’ ability to study across the EU will end, as the UK Government pulls us out of the Erasmus + scheme, and Scotland no longer benefits from being in the largest trading bloc in the world.

The political paradigm has shifted. With the biggest majority for Tories the since the Thatcher years, we are looking at another decade or more of austerity-obsessed Tory rule. Independence is now Scotland’s only route to achieving a progressive society, where we value those who choose to live here, and don’t have to suffer governments we repeatedly reject.

Overall, a bittersweet victory for the SNP; from unseating Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, to regaining most of the seats we lost in 2017, it was a night to celebrate for us. However, there will be a huge clash of words over an independence referendum to come, and with the SNP winning a renewed mandate for a vote, it is more than likely that one is coming sooner rather than later.

But whether or not there is a referendum later this year, it is clear that Scotland has climbed the foothills of our independence. Our task now as a movement and as a government, is to persuade the nation to continue with us on our journey to the summit.

Local MSP on the impact of Brexit on Scottish devolution Ryan Barclay The Scottish Parliament information centre which is non partisan has published a briefing about the current withdrawal agreement Bill and its implications for Scotland.

The report says “The new powers conferred on Scottish Ministers are also conferred on UK Ministers to act alone or jointly with Scottish Ministers. As a result, the powers granted to UK Ministers in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill extends to the whole of the UK and relates to both reserved and devolved matters. Conse-

quently, the powers allow UK Ministers, acting alone, to make provision in devolved policy areas. This approach mirrors the current arrangements outlined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. On this issue, the UK Government’s Delegated Powers Memorandum states that in respect of most of the powers set out below, whilst the UK Government can use these powers in areas of devolved competence, it will not normally do so without the agreement of the devolved administrations. This commitment is not provided for in clause 28 (fees and charges) or the Schedule

6 powers.”

Bruce Crawford, SNP MSP for Stirling said ““Clearly there are a number of areas in the UK Government’s Withdrawal Bill where a further consequence of being dragged out of the EU -against Scotland’s democratically expressed will- would be in handing Tory Ministers in London the ability to overrule the Scottish Parliament on devolved issues. This is unacceptable and the people of Scotland have never consented to any part of this.

“As the Chair of the Finance and Constitution Committee at Holyrood, I have this week heard evidence from the

Scottish Government’s Constitutional Relations Secretary about what this means for Scotland’s devolved abilities.

“Ultimately, the people of Stirling and the people of Scotland did not vote to leave the European Union at all. That is why my SNP colleagues and I will be voting to reject legislative consent to the UK Government’s Withdrawal Bill.”

The Scottish Parliament voted to reject legislative consent for the EU withdrawal Bill The Scotland office were unavailable for comment before publication.

Credit: Bruce Crawford MSP

Comment

The trends are changing Andrew de Los Perros

‘All clothing is unisex if you stop being a little bitch about it’. This was a tweet that stood out to me following a late-night scroll through twitter. It was significant for two reasons.

Firstly, it forced me to reflect on the variety of clothing that I, as a man, have in my wardrobe and would buy. But also, the uncompromising nature of the tweet itself was bold in highlighting the extent of how traditional male and female fashion is rapidly blending in a swift cultural shift.

I will never forget when I first asked my mum for a pink t-shirt, I believe I was 8 or 9 years old. I had seen somebody in my primary class, the most popular boy, wear a pink t-shirt to a non-uniform day, which

is ironic in itself. My mum thought it was amusing, but was not reluctant to take me out to buy one. If I remember correctly, she said ‘it actually quite suits you’, and from there my perception of fashion was firmly cemented.

If I like it and it looks good, I’m wearing it. This was invigorating, a massive blow to the barriers that had been steadily constructed during my younger years.

But in recent years, gender in relation to fashion has transcended more than just colour. A glaring deconstruction of the gender stereotypes associated with specific clothing and the complete disregard of societal pressures has been established, particularly through particular retailers.

This, at least in part, can be attributed to the fact

that the majority of these retailers also provide a pathetic selection from the menswear section beyond the selection of muted colours and random European cities slammed across the chest.

However, the introduction of gender-neutral lines at shops like ASOS, H&M and Zara, provides a wide variety of options and looks to cater to anyone and everyone.

This only goes so far, though, as the latter two retailers still provide women’s and men’s sections, for which unisex clothing is found in the men’s.

In regards to that tweet, and with some last-season sales still lurking and Christmas money at my disposal, I excitedly prepared for deconstructing the concept of gender myself and buying what I liked rather than within

a new decade or not?

It’s hard to understand why so many people are outraged by a small technicality. So yes, a decade is defined as ten years exactly, meaning that technically the new decade does not start until January the first 2021. Technically. Honestly who really cares?

The last several years have been hard. Times are

tough and most of us have lost all hope for the future.

We needed this. We needed a fresh start, even if it has been as depressing as this one has. The new decade is more than just a calendar hiccup. The new decade represents something else entirely.

Personally, the new decade has arrived. It does not bring hope like I was wishing it would but may-

my designated section of the shops.

I believe much of this perception is also based on my journey through ‘women’s section’ sales with my girlfriend, which left me blown away by the selection and the number of different styles that cater to everybody.

The idea that fashion and certain types of clothing are ‘feminine’ is severely limiting, but have not limited some celebrities such as Jaden Smith, who is not shy of sporting a crop-top or dress, and it looks prodigious.

It is a case of ignoring the gender at the top of your favourite retailer’s website, searching for the style you adore and wearing what you feel is most rad. The trends they are a-changing, and I, for one, will have a crop-top or two come summer.

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2019 the best and the rest Iona Young CommentEditor

The rise in young activists taking back control and working to save our world and future. Think Greta Thunberg, Isra Hirsi, and Autumn Peltier.

Headbands, one of the fashion trends from the early noughties that came back this winter and one I will be bringing into the 20’s. Bold colours, patterns, sparkles and jewels. Release your inner Blair Waldorf.

Ditching fast fashion. Help the enviroment, stop unethical trading. Not to mention finding longer lasting, more creative, cheaper and unique options

The increase of mental health awareness and support. Although there is still a long way to go, the rise of social media has also led to an increase in sharing expebe time will finally be riences, advice and taking kind to us. My thoughts, a stand for the things we money and passion are believe in. with Australia. My anger is with the USA and Brit- Overposting on social media ish government. The last and the increase in social thing that any of us should media has its faults. The obbe concerned with is an session with our devices and insignificant Gregorian the need to post everything detail. The new decade about our lives on social represents so much for all media is a trend I definitely of us, whether you choose don’t want to take into the to believe it or not. new decade.

Are we starting the decade too soon?

Blair McPake

2020. A new beginning.

A better beginning – or so we were hoping. In true human fashion of course, we were wrong. Australia is burning. Trump bombed Iran to distract from his impeachment trial and Boris Johnson is still our Prime Minister. Disaster.

There is also another tiny insignificant problem that people seem to be hung up about: is 2020 the start of

Why I’m not making resolutions this year.

Iona Young

Every New Year I religiously make an extensive list containing all my resolutions for the upcoming year, ever since I was about twelve.

Usually I don’t get round to many of themand they are forgotten in months.

After an over indulgent festive season, four hectic weeks filled with drinking, chocolates and six meals a day followed by watching crap TV and forgetting what day it is. There is a pressure to drastically

change your life to be super healthy and exercise and spend no money.

What is the point in making new resolutions when you didn’t keep the last ones?

New Year should be a time to reflect on your achievements from the last year and to remind yourself, you are doing great, keep it up.

One thing I have learnt this year is not to take on too much and little changes lead to big changes. Last year I had

one resolution to keep a monthly blog going all year. Although some months were tough, I kept to it and completed it.

Ten days into the New Year my flat mate was showing me her list of resolutions, similar to mine from every year before: lose weight, save money, be kinder etc.

This is when I realised I’ve not made any resolutions yet, and actually I probably am not going to.

I’m not against hav-

ing goals or resolutions at all, I just think they should be smaller and manageable rather than a big list that will get forgotten by February.

So I had a think and have stuck with two simple goals. Don’t miss any seminars or lectures and read at least one book a month. Manageable with positive outcomes. Not to mention, this time next year I will begin the New Year with a sense of achievement, ready to complete new goals.

The non proportional voting systems used aceoss the U.K, this decade has been one of many elections, most with heartbreakingly dissapointing results. This cannot all be put down to the voting system we use but it’s definitely a massive factor.

TV shows with anti-climatic endings. There has been so many shows that built anticipation for years. We got to know the characters that we loved. Invested time into following the storylines for years all to be let down with an ending that didn’t do the show justice. Yes, I’m talking about Game of Thrones.

Comment

9

From pet peeves to pet passion Martina Rebecca Inchingolo Comment Editor

It’s a windy Sunday in Italy, I just got home after a never-ending lunch at my grandparent’s house, with plenty of spaghettis, meatballs, panettone and looots of red wine. I thought this could be the best moment to do some writing with a hot, inviting cup of tea.

Seems easy, but it’s taking me a long time to write a simple sentence, since I’m typing with one hand and I’m holding a sleeping little poodle on the other.

Her name is Nana, inspired by the dog in Peter Pan’s story, she’s a small champagne coloured poodle, she loves to fall asleep in my arms, play with squeaky toys and eat dog snacks. She’s the latest addition to our family. After years of begging our parents to get us a dog, my brother finally convinced them.

I’ve never been a “dog person” or an animal person in general, but I was always attracted by the idea of getting a dog. Since the early

2000s, when Paris Hilton was photographed everywhere with her little chihuahua inside her glamourous pink bag, covered in rhinestones.

Unfortunately, through my life I was never around animals, therefore I wasn’t a big fanatic. The only pet my parents allowed me to have was a red goldfish named Nemo. I was 8 years old when we got it and I was so miserable when it died that we didn’t think about getting another animal ever since.

After that, my future encounters with animals made it clear to me that I wasn’t “pet owner material”. The worst one I can remember was the time I met Rambo (yes, it sounds terrifying already).

My cousin owned a big, dark Maremma Sheepdog. I was young when I met him, so to me he looked huge, when I think about it now, I imagine him as big

as a bear. We were at our family’s villa and I was barricaded in the car and I refused to go out. They tricked me by saying he was in a cage, so I left the car and I was now unprotected.

The moment I saw him I started running straight away. I wasn’t aware that dogs love to run after people to play with them and that by doing that I made things worse for me. I ran so fast, that you could see a cartoon cloud shaped like my body after I left.

I finally made it back into the car, and after that day Rambo always haunted my dreams.

At that point in my life, I completely gave up the idea of owning an animal. Everything changed when my mum sent me the picture of this little bundle of happiness.

I was at university when they got her, and they never told me they were thinking about it.

It was a beautiful surprise. When I saw her picture, I got so excited. We started brainstorming ideas for her name and I couldn’t wait to finally meet her.

On my way to Italy I was so nervous and so many questions popped in my head.

What if I don’t like her? What if she doesn’t like me? What if she runs after me and I end up reliving the worst memory of my childhood?

We got home and my heart was beating so fast, we opened the door and she started jumping all around me to welcome me back home. I cuddled her a little, but I couldn’t hold her in my arms. It

was too soon for me and I’ve only interacted with members of the human race in my life, so I was a little scared of her, even though I didn’t want to admit it to my family.

I’ve been home for almost a month and now we are inseparable. When I wake up in the morning, I rush downstairs to play with her. Every time she sees me, she runs towards me and starts jumping for how happy she is, she makes me feel special and loved.

Now on my credentials I can add “dog lover”. I never thought my attitude towards animals would change so much, especially so fast.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a responsibility. We had to baby proof the whole place. We always keep an eye on her, she likes to bite our feet sometimes and for some reason she refuses to sleep by herself, even though we got her a nice, cosy bed.

Credit: Martina Rebecca Inchingolo

Better think before you ink

Harry Williamson

I remember the days when I was totally against getting a tattoo, I was adamant that I would never get one, and yet today I sit writing this out with two tattoos, one on each arm and if I’m completely honest with myself, they will not be the last.

That happens to many of us, we say we’ll never ever get a tattoo but before we know it, we’re sitting with the clingfilm wrapped around your arm thinking, “so how do I tell my family about this?”

The one thing that anyone with a tattoo will say to anyone wanting their first

one is to get advice first, and there are some pieces of advice that everyone should know.

Make sure you are sure.

It sounds obvious but tattoos are permanent, so make sure that you are one hundred percent sure that you want one and of the tattoo that you want to get.

I turned 18 and was sure that I wanted a specific tattoo, but I waited till I was 19 and I now know that if I’d got that tattoo I’d just feel like an idiot for having it, especially with tattoos on the lower arms which aren’t as easy to cover up all of the time, which brings us neatly onto the next point.

Tell your family. They might react badly but that’s not as bad as they’ll react if you hide it from them and they find out from someone else or worse see it online.

Basically, don’t do what I did and tell your mum about your tattoo by changing your Facebook photo, that never works, what was I thinking? Another useful tip is to avoid telling them while they’re watching Emmerdale or something, you’ll probably just end up ruining their night and won’t hear the end of it.

Find a good artist. A basic google search of bad tattoos or watching an episode of Tattoo Fixers just stresses the importance

However, no matter what mischievous things she could do, once she looks at you with those sweet brown eyes, you have to forgive her.

For everyone who is indifferent to animals like I was, I strongly advise you to get a pet. It makes you feel so happy and complete. I know, it sounds cheesy and exaggerated but that’s how obsessed I am with my baby Nana.

Her cute muzzle is the background of all my technological devices, and my Instagram account is now filled with photos of her cute little face.

I’m trying to learn everything there is to know to take care of her, and I cuddle her all the time to make her feel as happy as she makes me feel.

Everyone should give a home to an animal, it’s an experience you will never regret.

of making sure that your tattoo is done by a decent artist. Ask around people who have had tattoos dne and where they got them, what tattoo artist would they recommend, if they’re happy with their tattoo then they’ll probably recommend an artist to you.

Make sure you have plenty to eat before you go. If you eat or drink something sugary to keep your blood sugar levels up. Don’t get tattooed on an empty stomach, otherwise you may pass out. And the most obvious advice, DON’T DRINK THE NIGHT BEFORE, you’ll thin your blood and could bleed during the tattoo, and most

artists will refuse to tattoo you if they even think you’ve been drinking.

Be prepared for some pain. Some tattoos will hurt. Tattoos on your ribs and on your wrists will hurt, some tattoos you will get used to the feeling. Imagine a cat scratching you with a hot claw.

Be warned that aftercare for your tattoo will take anywhere from two to six weeks for it to completely heal, just make sure that you listen to what the artist has to say, after all they’re the professional.

So, before you commit to your tattoo, just make sure you think before you ink.

Are you musically inclined? Looking for an excuse to bring your instrument to university? Keen to get involved in the Stirling music scene?

Look no further, Stirling University Live Music Society (SULMS) is here to provide you with opportunities to get involved in open mics, to collaborate with fellow musicians, and to give you a place to come for equipment, instruments, and information about local music and potential gigs.

No matter what instrument you play or what genres you enjoy, SULMS has a place for you, both metaphorically and physically! Our society has access to Airthrey Cottage located on campus where we keep all our instruments and music equipment - and which you can book out to use as a practice room for yourself or your group/band!

We want to expand the society and make it as inclusive as possible, so we are always open to ideas for future events and how to make the society better in any way. Our aim is that members will look to us as a social group where they can connect with like-minded people with similar interests while also putting their musical talents to good use.

We have our weekly meetings every Wednesday at 7pm in the Airthrey Cottage.

Each week has a new theme, and will challenge your knowledge about music as well as your abilities. This is also an opportunity to jam with other members for anyone who wishes to participate.

The meetings are for everyone, regardless of your skill level!

We also run the open mic every Wednesday at 9pm in the Stirling Student Union.Come along to play a few tunes, or to simply hang out with other members. The more the merrier! Any instruments and musical styles are welcome at the open mic, and you don’t need any previous experience with playing live. The Union open mic is supposed to be a casual and relaxed environment for everyone, whether you wish to play or not.

Music

Elizabeth Hunter Music Editor

THE 2010s have seen some of the most dramatic changes to the music industry of all time.

The way we listen to music has changed completely – the decade has seen an explosion in the popularity of streaming services, and we’ve also witnessed the resurgence of vinyl in recent years.

But what exactly have we been listening to in the past ten years?

For a lot of people, the answer is rap music.

According to the Nielsen Music report in 2017, hiphop and R&B overtook rock music as the most consumed genre for the first time ever.

That year, hip-hop and R&B represented 24.5% of all music consumption in the United States.

Throughout the 2010s, rap music consistently topped the charts, leaving us with some of our most memorable hits – rockstar by Post Malone and 21 Savage was the third most streamed song of the decade on Spotify.

The decade saw many breakout stars achieve mainstream chart success, including record breaking Cardi B, who broke a world record by having 13 songs at once in the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018.

Credit: GQ

12

In 2019, we saw a Netflix documentary about the rise of hit rapper Travis Scott, and the first half of the decade saw the rise of the award-winning Kendrick Lamar.

It wasn’t only new rappers that populated the 2010s – rappers from the ‘90s onwards enjoyed continued levels of success. Drake and Eminem were two of the five most streamed artists of the decade on Spotify, and three of Kanye West’s five albums released in the 2010s went platinum.

Rap has become the most popular genre of the decade and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon.

However, rap wasn’t the only genre to experience a surge in popularity in the 2010s.

In the UK, another genre burst into the mainstream – grime.

Grime experienced some mainstream success in the 2000s through artists like Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, however, the attention soon died down.

In 2014, grime experienced an MC-led revival. Artists that had never been featured in the mainstream before suddenly entered the charts, like Meridian Dan and Skepta, who reached number 21 in the UK charts with That’s Not Me. In 2015, Kanye West in-

Credit: Yahoo News

vited grime artists to perform with him at the Brit Awards, including the now-famous Stormzy.

After the performance received criticism, Stormzy released Shut Up, which rose to number eight in the UK charts.

From there, many grime artists became mainstream successes, including AJ Tracey, Lady Leshurr and Novelist.

Stormzy has arguably become one of the most successful grime artists of all time, after his album Gang Signs & Prayer became the first grime album to reach number one in the UK album chart, followed by a headline appearance at Glastonbury in 2019.

Another UK-led trend was the resurgence of boy bands and girl groups.

This was arguably a result of the immense popularity of One Direction after their creation on The X-Factor in 2010.

The group went on to have the 15th highest grossing concert tour of all time in 2014, and their success spawned many other boy and girl bands.

Little Mix were another Syco Music group, formed on The X-Factor in 2011.

Both Little Mix and One Direction managed to successfully break into the American market as well as the UK’s, a notoriously difficult task for

British artists.

American girl groups also made a resurgence for the first time since the early 2000s, with groups like Fifth Harmony and Icona Pop enjoying mainstream success.

In addition to English-speaking girl groups and boy bands, the 2010s have also seen the growing worldwide phenomenon of K-pop.

It seemed to become popular overnight, partly due to YouTube’s recommendation system introducing people to K-pop videos.

Gangnam Style by Psy was the first YouTube video to reach one billion views, thanks to its catchy lyrics and light-hearted music video.

This brought K-pop to the attention of the mainstream media, but it wasn’t until the success of BTS that K-pop became a global phenomenon. In 2017, BTS released You Never Walk Alone, and followed up with a world tour in 2017.

The album hit number 15 in the Billboard US album chart and in the North American leg of their world tour, BTS became the first K-pop act to sell out arenas in the United States.

Since then, BTS have gone on to perform at the 2019 New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.

Credit: Platform Magazine

Other K-pop acts have also achieved worldwide success, including Twice, Seventeen and Blackpink, the latter of which collaborated with Dua Lipa in 2018.

Another genre which became unforeseeably popular was ‘folk rock.’

Many argue that the trend was started by London-based band Mumford & Sons, with the release of their debut album Sigh No More.

Released in late 2009, the album went on to gain popularity and the band were nominated in several catergories at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

After a performance at the Grammy Awards in 2011 alongside Bob Dylan, the band gained popularity in the United States.

After the breakthrough of Mumford & Sons, many other folk rock artists began to hit the charts.The Lumineers were also a breakout success, as was Vance Joy with his debut single Riptide, which went three times platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the US. However, arguably one of the biggest trends and influences of the 2010s was the EDM boom during the beginning of the decade.

The EDM boom could be considered to have started in 2011, after Swedish House Mafia became the first electronic act to

Credit: Ents24

Music headline Madison Square Garden – a show which sold out in minutes.

EDM influences also began to appear in mainstream pop, as well as EDM artists becoming chart toppers.

In the same year, Britney

Credit: GQ

Spears released Hold It Against Me, which became the first mainstream pop hit to feature a dubstep-style drop.

Disc jockeys and producers began to enter the charts as they collaborated with pop icons to create some of the most success-

13 ful hits of the decade.

Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s song, We Found Love stayed at the top of the charts for 10 weeks after its 2011 release. Remixes also began to enter the charts on a regular basis, often placing higher than

In the first half of the decade, dubstep and other similar genres also had a brief spell of popularity.

Skrillex became the face of dubstep around the world after the free release of his EP, My Name Is Skrillex, which led to a

Credit: Cosmopolitan

the original song.

Cedric Gervais hit number 4 in the UK charts in 2012 with his remix of Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness and Hippie Sabotage’s remix of Stay High by Tove Lo reached number 6 in the UK charts in 2014.

strong dubstep bassline.

However, by 2016, many dubstep artists had moved on to other things.

Dubstep poster-boy Skrillex, for example, had begun producing music for pop artists, including FKA Twigs’ 2019 release

Credit: One’s to watch

support spot on a US tour with deadmau5.

As dubstep began to reach its peak, many pop songs began to feature dubstep influences.

Taylor Swift’s, I Knew You Were Trouble hit number 1 on the US Billboard hot 100 and also featured a

mainstream success by incorporating dubstep elements.

These trends have all had an influence on the artists that began to appear in the second half of the decade, and will continue to impact artists that appear

Credit: Manchester’s finest

MAGDALENE. While Skrillex may not be popular in the mainstream anymore, the dubstep influence has continued throughout the 2010s, with songs like Sorry by Justin Bieber and Lean On by Major Lazer and DJ Snake achieving immense

in the 2020s.

Just like vinyl has come back into fashion decades after its decline, you’ll see all these trends fall in and out of the mainstream for decades to come – for better or worse.

The evolution of Manson:

The Antichrist Superstar through the years

Elizabeth Hunter

THE Antichrist Superstar, The Pale Emperor - Brian Warner has been known by many names throughout his life.

Marilyn Manson turned 51 on January 5, so from Spooky Kid to Mephistopheles, let’s take a look at some key moments.

During the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, his band was named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids. The band got the attention of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, who helped them produce their debut album, Portrait of an American Family.

The mid ‘90s saw the release of Smells Like Children, and cemented Manson’s place as shock rocker extraordinaire.

Music videos were filled with blood, gore and all round creepiness - in fact, the video for Manson’s cover of Sweet Dreams has repeatedly been called the scariest music video of all time.

In the late ‘90s, Manson released Antichrist Super-

star, retaining his place on the throne of shock rock, while this album pushed him into the spotlight.

At the height of his fame so far, Manson released Mechanical Animals in 1998, changing his style into a more Bowie-inspired, androgynous look.

However, with this new look and new venture into superstardom came a new wave of controversy.

In 1999, the Columbine school shootings happened, with Manson being accused of having influenced the shooters.

Manson took a short break from the limelight, cancelling tour dates for the remainder of the year.

His next album, Holy Wood, was a direct response to the controversy he had faced after the Columbine massacre, with songs featuring criticism of religion and American cuture.

During this phase, Manson’s cover of Tainted Love was featured in the film Not Another Teen Movie, giving him his biggest international hit yet.

The mid to late 2000s, however, saw the most bizarre version of Manson yet - the calm, Pale Emperor, signalled by his 2016 album of the same name.

Both his sound and his look changed, both became more subdued, and more subtly sinister than his previous eras.

The makeup was toned down, he wore suits instead of leather underwear, and the music videos, while still creepy, took on a new, subtle aspect.

This style of Manson continued in 2018’s Heaven Upside Down.

This album saw a similar vibe to The Pale Emperor, slow, mature and still scary.

Music videos were sensual - the video for the second single, KILL4ME featured actor Johnny Depp involved in a scandalous threesome.

But, as the title suggests, Manson maintains the nod to the shock factor that he’s become known for. Even at 51 years old, he’s still a Spooky Kid.

Credit: Wisconsin Public Radio

Music

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2019’s most bizarre collaborations Elizabeth Hunter

2019 saw a host of weird and wonderful collaborations – some unexpectedly brilliant, and some that just didn’t quite hit the mark.

One of the most successful collaborations of the year came from power couple Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, in the form of sultry pop song Senorita. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August and was nominated for the Grammy for Best Pop Duo. It’s light, it’s smooth, but overall, it’s bland. Vaguely reminiscent of elevator music, there’s nothing exciting about it, unless you’re deeply invested in the singers’ personal relationships.

Fans of pop queens were thrilled when Don’t Call Me Angel was announced.

Made for the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, the song featured vocals from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey. While the song debuted at number 13 on Billboard, the overall reception from fans and critics was poor.

None of the three singers really have a chance to show off their impressive

Credit: Wallpaper Abyss

vocals, leaving the song sounding flat.

Rock and pop stars alike collided in collaborations throughout the year, arguably the most shocking being Post Malone’s Take What You Want, featuring Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne.

The result is a bizarre, sinister sounding track, featuring Post Malone’s slow raps in the chorus and Osbourne’s howling in the chorus. The highlight is an unexpected but welcomed electric guitar solo

that ends the song. This collaboration shouldn’t work, but it does.

Genres clashed to a lesser degree in Taylor Swift’s ME!, which featured Brendan Urie of Panic! At The Disco.

The track received mixed reviews, with some calling it catchy and refreshing and others criticising the hollow lyrics and screeching chorus.

It is definitely catchy, but to many Panic! At The Disco and Swift fans, the collaboration left much to

be desired.

Lastly, the most explosive collaboration of the year was Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus on Old Town Road.

The original version of the song was released in 2018, but after Lil Nas X tweeted that he wanted to feature Billy Ray Cyrus, the duo released the collaboration in spring of 2019.

This single took the world by storm, creating a debate over the newly created genre of ‘country

rap’, and simultaneously charting on the Billboard Hot 100, and Billboard’s country and hip-hop charts.

Old Town Road became the longest running number one of all time, spending 19 weeks at the top spot.

The unexpectedly successful track broke world records, and deserves praise for challenging genre barriers and for creating a really catchy tune.

The dramatic return of My Chemical Romance Elizabeth Hunter Music Editor

Credit: Nothinghill Acadamy of Music

THE hype began on Halloween last year, when My Chemical Romance changed their social media icons to a picture of a white candle.

Rumours began spreading that something was happening – but nobody was sure what.

Almost seven years after their initial breakup, the band started an Instagram account for the first time ever. They posted four pictures, one captioned ‘clarity’, one captioned ‘sacrifice’ and two more, captioned ‘courage’ and ‘devotion.’

After there had been enough buzz surrounding the band, they released all four pictures around the letters ‘MCR’ – it was a new band logo.

They then announced a reunion show in Los Angeles, on December 20.

All 6,300 tickets sold out in three minutes. Tickets to the reunion show had the mysterious ‘come one, come all

to this tragic affair’ printed along the top.

The California show saw the band perform their biggest hits in a 20 song setlist, opening with emo anthem I’m Not Okay (I Promise) and closing with a second encore, playing the iconic Welcome to the Black Parade.

Luckily for those who didn’t get tickets, or those who don’t live in the United States, My Chemical Romance also announced performances at Download Festivals in Australia and Japan.

However, continuing their cryptic foreshadowing, on January 3, the My Chemical Romance Twitter account shared a picture of a hooded skull…captioned with the Union Jack.

Nothing has been confirmed, but if the rumours are correct, fans should expect UK shows in the coming year.

Arts

15

Wasteland: A deep dive into the UK’s illegal rave scene Dominic Cooper ArtsEditor

THATCHERISM, drugs and counter culture. Gary Glark’s dance show ‘Wasteland’ brings the desperate escapism of post-industrial Britain to the Macrobert’s Arts centre on May 19th to 20th.

Rave and theatre have always had close ties. The beginnings of both emerge in similar environment of hedonistic bliss.

The prelude to Greek theatre took form in the Bacchic rites (drunken orgies). This partying evolved into performances of the human experience, which were eventually scripted and repeated. Rave culture could also be compared to the religious ceremonies of Santa Maria in which participants vigorously dance until they enter a trance-like frenzy.

What binds these ceremonies together is a desire to lose control, to be possessed by something alien even if only for a moment. It is this desire to escape your environment that is one of key themes in ‘Wasteland’.

It is a sequel to Glark’s previous project - ‘Coal’ which focused on the 80’s miners strike through expressive

The Gary Clark Company’s ‘Wasteland’ comes to Macrobert’s Arts centre on March 19th-20th Photographer: Jo Armitage

dance. With his latest production, we see how Thatcher’s closure of the coal industry would be felt by generations to come. It centres around a post-industrial village, ravaged by economic deprivation and mass unemployment.

The two time periods show a parallel between the police brutality towards the miners strike and the crackdown on rave culture. Both were inherently protest movements.

Rave wasn’t a tradition-

al political movement - it didn’t have a manifesto, or any unifying political goal.

The mass spontaneity of the squatters wasn’t rallied behind one message but by the socio-economic conditions which alienated and gutted the fringes of rural Britain.

Due to a looser attitude on security than we’re use to now, the distribution of drugs and occupation of properties without prior legal approval allowed for an environment

where rave was allowed to flourish and spread. Hundreds of communities emerged outside of government rule, forming their own societal norms and regulations. This terrified the establishment. A drugged up, frenzy of youths bonding over their shared disillusionment with the status quo.

It all came to head durng the Park Lane riots which drew over 35,000 protesters.They were a response to the 1994

Criminal Justice Act which alowed the police to shut down gatherings “characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats” which was a clear attack on the rave scene.

The protests took place in Hyde Park and were a final push to protect the quickly disappearing forms of escapism from a neo-liberal hellscape. after days of riots and police brutality, the legislation remained in place and the suppression of rave began.

The club scene of today has become more privatised, more regulated. That the community aspect that comes with the anarchic organasation of these party’s may well have suffered for it. However, the rave phenomon will always spring up in unexpected places. There’s no shortage of finding escapism in many forms whether its video games, theatre or music. However, nothing brings people together quite like rave does. Hopefully, when ‘Wasteland’ finally arrives in Macrobert, it’ll shed light on where this ever-prescent desire to get f*cked up beyond all recognition comes from.

The Lady Boys of Bangkok come to Macrobert’s Art Centre Image credit: Groupon

Dominic Cooper

SEQUINS, dancing, drinking, costumes and lip-syncs galore! Thailand’s most dazzling diva’s will arrive in Stirling after headlining last year at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Having been described as ‘risque’ but not ‘risky’, the show will immerse you in

outragious, comedic and infectous revelry.

The cabaret venue, Sabai Pavillion, transports you to to the streets of Bangkok. It offers a wide range of sensory experiences including authentic Thai cuisine and alcohol flowing from the bars. Make no mistake, this isn’t an ordinary stage show but a

party like no other.

With over 400 extravagant costumes, the turnout seems much higher than just 16 perfromers.Each queen makes full use of the theatre space -including the auditorium. Oh yes, audience participation has always been a vital part of the long running stage show so don’t be sit-

ting too comfortably.

With a new year brings a new show so even if you’ve seen the Lady Boys before, there’ll be plenty of fresh gags and songs. The show has previously featured impersonations of many iconic divas such as Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Beyonce. Who know what’s

in store for us this time.

The show starts at 7.30 and last around two hours.

It’s ideal for putting you in a party mood for the night ahead.

The Lady Boys of Bangkok will return to Macrobert’s Art Centre from the 4th-5th August.

Film & TV Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) Credit: Universal Pictures

Four movies to see in 2020

Archie Veitch

The changing face of horror Blair McPake

IN 2017 Jordan Peele released his first horror film Get Out, followed by Us in 2019.

Ari Aster also released two major chillers: Hereditary and Midsommar. It has been a great few years for the once tired and corny horror genre.

But why? How have these directors essentially changed the face of horror so drastically?

Many things have moved on since the times of Jaws and The Blair Witch Project.

Those films were iconic back in the day – some would argue that they still are. But the formula of a good horror flick has shifted significantly since Heather and her crew got lost in the woods. The thing that has always drawn people to the genre is the reflection of real life through the story.

Even though many people still see horror as senseless, low-brow content, there has always been a deeper message behind the gore. Our fears have altered over the years, meaning that the horror genre has needed to imitate new perils and struggles.

Today our worries are much bigger than killer sharks and bad mothers. The recent horror movies are not as cut and dry as the films of old. Take Us, for example. On the surface, this is an eerie story that makes people wary of rabbits and twins after they watch it. But one thing Peele does so well is to completely transcend the limitations of one genre. His films can be classed as much more than horror. Us is a resonating tale about the fundamental flaws of American society – something most people find a lot scarier than some old witch in the woods that eats film students.

The same can be said for Ari Aster’s recent works. Aster has made a name for himself by completely flipping our expectations of a classic horror. For example, the recent Midsommar was set in an idyllic sunny field in Sweden. It is rare to find a horror movie shot in complete and overwhelming sunshine.

Upon first watching Midsommar it appears to be an unsettling cult horror about a festival going very wrong.

But like Peele, Aster’s work means much more than just a thrill factor. Ultimately the film is about the crumbling relationship between its two main characters Dani and Christian. It is about found family and empathy – something you really don’t expect to see in a film designed to scare you.

What these directors have in common is the ability to see through jump scares and needless violence. While all that and more is included in their films, the story arc makes the audience think in a long term way that is much more haunting. In a digital age it has become increasingly harder to scare an apathetic generation able to spot green screens and CGI within the first few seconds. Now horror is much more psychological – it leaves the audience thinking about the state of the world we live in.

The future and how we may have destroyed it is one thing guaranteed to scare anyone.

Our society is full with bigotry and blind hatred and we all pretend not to see it. This is how the horror genre has changed so dramatically. Directors are clued in to what we really fear: ourselves.

FOR cinema, 2019 will probably be remembered as the year of the billion-dollar finale, with both of Disney’s golden geese Avengers and Star Wars wrapping up long-running story-lines. Although no-one expects these series to entirely call it a day, 2020 may prove to offer some breathing room for those suffering franchise fatigue. In that vein, here are four films outside of the Mickey Mouse bubble to keep you glued to the screen at the start of another decade.

The Lighthouse Although it’s already been available in the US since October, The Lighthouse comes to UK screens on January 31. The film, director Robert Egger’s follow-up to his 2016 directorial debut The Witch, is shot in black-and-white and follows Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers slowly losing their grip on their sanity when a storm strands them on a remote island. Eggers has become one of the most exciting horror directors of recent years, due to his style of slowly ratcheting up the tension without the use of the ubiquitous jump-scares which lurk in the shadows of so many modern horror films, making The Lighthouse an exciting prospect for fans of the genre.

Weathering With You Another director looking to follow up on their previous film’s success is Makoto Shinkai, whose smash-hit body-swapping romance Your Name became the highest-grossing anime and Japanese film ever at the box office in 2016. This astounding feat has led to many referring to Shinkai as the next Hayou Miyazaki, high praise considering Miyazaki’s status as co-founder of Studio Ghibli and a beloved figurehead of Japanese animation. Releasing on January 17, Weathering With You tells the story of a high school boy who runs away to Tokyo amid an incredibly heavy rainstorm and meets a girl who can seemingly control the weather.

If Your Name is anything to go by Weathering With You promises to be one of the most beautiful and emotional films you see all year.

The Many Saints of Newark

16

first captured the world’s attention 20 years ago. The film is directed by Alan Taylor, who shot 9 episodes of the TV show, with a script co-written by series creator David Chase and fellow Sopranos writer Lawrence Konner. Although little is known about the plot the film is set during the 1967 Newark race riots and will feature Michael Gandolfini reprising his late father’s role as a young Tony Soprano. The Many Saints of Newark is set to release on September 25.

Parasite Coming into 2020 with some serious critical praise Parasite has already won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival and is nominated for the BAFTA for Best Film. South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho best known in the west for his features Snowpiercer and Bokja and in Parasite he tells the story of a poor family who pose as unrelated, highly skilled workers in order to trick themselves into employment from a much richer family. Sure to crackle with the remorseless social commentary of his previous films, UK audiences can find out if Parasite lives up to the hype when it releases on February 7.

Billed as a prequel to the The Sopranos, the godfather of the current age of prestige television we find ourselves in today, The Many Saints of Newark aims to fill in the backstory of the New Jersey mob that

WHAT’S ON AT THE MACROBERT ARTS CENTRE Joker 31 Jan- 6 Feb Little Women 1-3 Feb

1917 24-30 Jan Bombshell 24-30 Jan

Tickets available from £4.50 at macrobertartscentre.org/whatson/stirling-cinema

Film & TV

17

Who needs the Oscars? Brig’s top films of 2019 chosen by you Peter Stewart Film & TV Editor

IT WAS another packed, incredible year for cinema, not least in the sense that Netflix is changing the way we see films – good ones at that.

The Irishman and Marriage Story’s awards nominations appear to add legitimacy to what is a changing industry, but the year was still full of conventional big screen hits.

So what was worth the hype? You voted in your hundreds, each voter picking up to five releases. The top five (six due to a tie) films of 2019, as chosen by Brig readers, can now be revealed.

6. (=) MIDSOMMAR

(dir.: Ari Aster) – chosen by 16.6 % of voters

5. (=) KNIVES OUT

(dir.: Rian Johnson) – 16.6% It wasn’t just Star Wars, Last Christmas, and Frozen 2 competing for the attention of harried Christmas shoppers in December.

A razor-sharp whodunnit blessed with humour, sumptuous plotting and Daniel Craig having a ball as preposterous gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc, it is a gem from the mind of Rian Johnson.

A successful writer’s demise following a family get-together leads to the weight of suspicion falling on… everyone. Each relative appears to have a potential motive for murder and it is down to Craig’s Blanc to read between the lines and uncover the truth.

A stellar cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Chris Evans and 13 Reasons Why’s Katherine Langford are outstanding, but Johnson’s brilliant script is the key ingredient.

You are kept guessing right until the end.

3. ROCKETMAN

(dir.: Dexter Fletcher) – 21.2% Let’s get the lazy comparisons with Bohemian Rhapsody out the way – yes, director Dexter Fletcher is credited as being the man who saved the Freddie Mercury biopic (‘Bo Rhap’ topped our 2018 vote) but that film was not a musical – Rocketman proudly is.

Taron Egerton is Elton John and his performance has everything it needs: joy, passion and charisma, but also the ability to believably portray a complex man who has gone through the darkness of addiction, illness and personal toils. It is difficult to imagine another actor doing a better job.

It was another year full of music in the cinema – there was Judy, Wild Rose, Yesterday and of course Frozen 2 to name but a few. But Rocketman stands out as an impressive, triumphant tribute that will be remembered for a long, long time.

In 2018, Ari Aster arrived on the horror scene with Hereditary, a genuinely terrifying chiller that was met with wide acclaim. His return a year later with Midsommar promised much and it delivered.

Less a horror and more an unsettling break-up movie cum ambitious psychological thriller, this never sets out to be as scary as Hereditary, but arguably achieves more with a Swedish-set tale steeped in memorable symbolism and brutal catharsis.

What’s really scary is that the titular festival is based on real Swedish history and tradition.

Midsommar has images and ideas that stick in the mind long after watching and is curiously, grimly uplifting.

Interestingly, Aster says he will move away from horror for his next feature.

The end of a saga that will go down in history: Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Endgame Credit: Marvel Studios/Everett Collection

JOKER (dir.: Todd Phillips) – 33.2%

(dir.: Quentin Tarantino) – 18%

Quentin Tarantino’s work divides opinion as surely as new year’s resolutions are broken in January, and his ninth film is no different.

His “modern fairy tale” tribute to Hollywood’s late- ‘60s golden age was praised for its clear affection for the era and cinema itself, alongside the central performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as a fading television actor and his stunt double aspiring to success. But critics balked at a controversial depiction of the Manson family murders and an arguably misjudged Bruce Lee sequence - it wouldn’t be Tarantino without a bit of controversy.

Margot Robbie also stars as Sharon Tate in a movie hailed by its fans as among the director’s best – but if you are not a Tarantino fan, this is unlikely to sway you.

are expertly executed, as is the expected mighty spectacle.

The level of prior investment required obviously excludes some, and the experience of such things is always shaped by what came before. Martin Scorsese recently spoke scornfully of Marvel films, claiming they are “not cinema.”

Try telling that to the millions who cheered, laughed and cried in packed Endgame screenings around the world last spring.

Brig’s Film of the Year 2019:

4. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Florence Pugh in Midsommar. Credit: Gabor Kotschy/A24

All that can really be said All that can really be said is that Endgame is a finale to a 22-part saga that will go down in history among the most successful cinematic franchises ever. The film itself became the highest-grossing of all time, taking an eye-watering $2.79 billion (about £2.13bn).

Fans left the cinema as excited as they arrived – no easy thing to achieve, especially with a mind-boggling web of interconnected narratives to tie up and an army of characters to afford time and relevance to. The emotional punches do come and

Taron Egerton: the perfect Elton John. Credit: Paramount Pictures

2. AVENGERS: ENDGAME

(dirs.: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo) – 32.3% It speaks volumes that nearly nine months after release, it would still feel a heinous crime to reference anything with even the slightest chance of giving away spoilers – so we won’t.

Following its October release, Joker was by definition a ‘must-see’ movie.

The kind dominating conversation and debate in the workplace, at parties, on public transport, in online articles and on podcasts.

It is hard to recall a more divisive film.

Love or hate Joker – and it is not an easy film to love – no-one could credibly claim Joaquin Phoenix is anything less than stunning. His is a performance full of broken anguish and raw intensity.

What is also stunning is that this was in the wheel-

house of the director of the Hangover trilogy. If Todd Phillips intended for the angry tone to reflect some rage inside him, he achieves it with a flourish.

You pity Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and are dared to sympathise with him.

One of cinema’s most powerful facets is its ability to provoke. Few could argue Joker fails to do that – even those unconvinced by its unrelenting bleakness and lack of subtlety.

It will be re-watched and discussed for many years to come.

The stunning Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck. Credit: Warner Brios Pictures

Gaming

19

Call of Duty : Modern Warfare review HHHHI Andrew de Los Perros Infinity Ward returns with their soft-reboot, but hard as nails Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

This is a welcome return, as, in recent years, Call of Duty has seen dwindling sales and the player base polarised.

This is partially due to the implementation of gimmicks, like jetpacks which strayed severely from what hardcore and original fans enjoy.

However, in this title, the ‘pay-to-play’ model and microtransactions that the series was known for, has been defused in favour of a battle pass, much similar to games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends.

From the get-go, it is apparent that this game was produced with the intention of eliminating all unnecessary content, to which it succeeds.

As the developer that produced titles that consumed the majority of my high school recreation time, it was difficult to not feel the excitement.

With that said it was time to lock-in (my room), reload (the dusty Xbox) and drop-in (after an 8-hour install).

Modern Warfare splits itself into three sections: the exhilarating as always campaign, fan-favourite co-operative

Spec-Ops and, of course: multiplayer.

A campaign a little too close to home: The campaign lasts around six hours. During this time you play as a variety of characters in a series of flashbacks seeking to take down ‘The Wolf’, a terrorist, who’s chaos thrusts you into missions very close to home - such as London’s Picadilly Circus.

However, as the story progresses, a layer of transparency conveys the villain’s tragic and understandable character trying to recover his broken Russian country to its former state.

Viewpoints from fictional Urikstanian characters show the violence and consequences of war from an Eastern perspective which sheds light on this conflict in a completely new way.

All in all, a dark and stirring story that breaks down humanity to its core can genuinely elicit a reaction from its content and characters through several flashback sequences. The relevance and commentary of the current political climate are significant and unflinching.

After completing the campaign, you are provided with an array of open-mapped

missions which can be played co-operatively online.

Although this mode seeks to provide those that prefer more casual shooter missions, the lack of variety in Spec-Ops only goes so far. This aspect, while it is fun to shoot waves of enemies with your friends for a while, does not offer much replayability.

Multiplayer: An absolute game-changer.

When you think Call of Duty, it is synonymous with multiplayer.

Modern Warfare opens with a bountiful selection of gamemodes to hop into; including a series first, Ground War mode which drops you into

Untitled Goose Game: Harry Mitchell

The world does seem to be getting stranger. But with political uncertainty and apocalyptic certainty, we can all welcome the bizarre if in the form of a honking bird simulator. Untitled Goose Game

by House House was an indie title released last September, and a game I had been catching glimpses of in GIFs and screenshots for the previous year. But blowing anybody’s expectations, Untitled Goose Game just launched their new PS4 and Xbox One versions while surpassing one million copies.

Just in case you’re confused, let me catch you up on what just sold a million units. You play as a goose in an idyllic British town causing inconvenient mayhem. You steal, trick, bully, scare and, most importantly, honk. It’s an incredibly charming game that also does happen to be delightfully fun. It was launched on PC and Nintendo Switch

credit : House House

to popular response and positive critique from game sites, but those critics were not what got Untitled Goose Game a million units sold. That reason would be why you probably know the game I’m talking about, even if you’ve never played it. The game was marketed and sold by us, on social media.

Once the indie community grabbed it out the gate, Untitled Goose Game was imme-

a 64 player bombardment of stray bullets and vehicular combat to secure the biggest maps known to the series. It is Call of Duty’s answer to Battlefield with the finesse and fast gameplay you would expect.

If that does not suit your play style, a customisable class system which boasts over 40 weapons, which can be levelled up and customised with a further 60 attachments surely will.

One new addition to the series is also the brand new ranking system which eliminates prestige emblems and instead provides you with a season progressional system, which

offers limited titles, challenges and cosmetic items.

The gameplay, as you would expect is fast and manic.

As someone that would call themselves a veteran, the alluring and addictive feel of the gunplay is something that cannot be understated. his is a welcome return to what made the original trilogy so chaotic and fun!

Modern Warfare as a game is dark, very dark, in all senses of the word. However, as Infinity Ward toggles their night vision goggles, it is easy to see what made this series popular back in its prime.

A hopeful retrospective

diately tweeted more than it was even played. With cute graphics and the comedic chaos of the gameplay, it was easy to share on social media feeds, subreddits and between friends. It was funny, but it was also accessible. Not a number in a series, a violent FPS or confusing RPG, Untitled Goose Game is understood in a glance. “Hold Y to honk” might be 2019’s “Press F to pay respects”, and I wel-

come it wholeheartedly.

Due to social media and meme glory, House House’s chaotic romp quickly rose to the number one spot on the Nintendo charts. Just for context: Untitled Goose Game was released on the exact same day as the remake of Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. A new Zelda game got stomped by a cartoon goose. This use of social media and meme culture is being picked up by

not just games but movies and TV, with The Mandalorian’s adorable ‘Baby Yoda’ being undoubtedly 80% of the reason people are watching the show, which I do not doubt was intended by the creators.

Memes are no longer an inside joke shared by all: they’re a marketing gold mine.

This depressing corporate knowledge shouldn’t tarnish your view on House House’s success – for indie studios, it should be welcomed. Yes, monopolizing giants like Disney can cash in on our social media frenzies, but so can the little guys. It marks a sign of hope for upcoming indie developers or general creators trying to make the next big thing. House House and their publishers, Panic, didn’t need billboards, online ads and critic reviews to sell a million copies. Just tweets, a couple of GIFs, and many, many honks.

Lifestyle

20

Love What Is It Good For?

Live, Laugh, Love Anne Stoop

Love. It’s a word that guessed it; this man touched my shows up on bedding, home knee multiple times. And all I decorations and perfumes. could think about was a drownThere’s a big chance your cash- ing shark. ier will have it tattooed on her While you might start to upper thigh. If not, at least your think of me as a woman with a aunt will have a decoration true ambition to become a Holpiece that shouts “Live, Laugh, lywood show mum, my annoyLove” at you. ance at love is not truly directed

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Is it to teach us to trust and surrender? once met the man who would nicer, smarter, kinder and carAs I’ve to fool love time and time andselections. miserably failed give me tried supermodel children. ing again, than my Minor time and time again I think it’s time for me to do just that. Trust the Not only that, he would take details. baby wearing diapers and surrender to his love arrows. Or lack off. me in his super mounI’ll live andcool laugh, and one day soon I’ll love. I’ll just have to tain van and would show me find a different, non-supermodel career for my children. Since we all theknow starscupids whilegot wea wonky would taste roastin men. Well looks wise then. Maybe his guys are always a whole lot nicer, smarter, kinder and caring than marshmallows over a fire. You my selections. Details.

Picture: pinterest.com

Annemarijn Huizinga Picture: pinterest.com

The first time you truly love someone is a feeling like no other, but for those of you who are no longer with your first love, will know what I’m talking about when I say it is so good until it isn’t.

Having my first big break up made me question if love is worth the pain you experience when it all comes crashing down. I’m usually not one for clichés, but it feels like losing a part of yourself. Trying to fill that part back up is not easy, but I discovered that other cliché, love presents itself in a lot of ways.

Those who get you through a break up all show their love for you in their own way. Whether it’s holding you at 2 am while you cry, or bringing you a cup of tea and telling you to pull yourself together - these people are all equally as important.

I found a lot of love in my friendships. Having been in a fairly long relationship I often forgot to put time and effort into my friends. When you have your one go-to person it’s easy to let the other people in your life slip away, but the amount of support I received even after months of not being around, showed me the importance of the love your friends have to offer.

Then there is the love of my family, who went above and beyond to comfort me even when living miles away.

The kind of unconditional love where they drop everything to accommodate you even when you haven’t called in a month.

Especially the love from your mother when you video call her with your glasses on and your hair in a bun and she still calls you beautiful.

Then I also had to learn how to love myself again. Building yourself up from a place of insecurity and defeat is a difficult task, but I learnt that the best route is to take baby steps.

Following another cliché - it’s okay not to be okay.

I learned how to be patient with myself and to stop setting deadlines for my emotions. ‘’Okay, in 2 months I will be completely fine’’ is just not realistic. It takes a while to get yourself out of bed every morning, but one day it switches and you just get up and get ready that is progress.

Lastly, there’s the love you wait for. The love you don’t have yet but will, someday when you meet the person who makes it worth everything you’ve been through. That kind of love is scary. What if it goes wrong again? But you can’t let yourself be limited by past experiences.

You just have to rip the bandaid off and let yourself be surprised by how well your cut is healing.

So what is love good for? - A whole lot. It’s there to ground you when life doesn’t seem to be on your side. It’s showing you that even when you choose to have a lonely day, you are not alone. It’s teaching you to take the time to like who you are, and in the meantime, those around you will fill that gap in your heart until it doesn’t need to be filled anymore.

Lifestyle

picture: proplants.com

Give Love a Chance

Aine Donnellan - Lifestyle Editor

As we’re sat discussing the current state of the world, my mum concludes that she has “world-sorrow!”

This semi-made-up term is a direct translation from the German term ‘Weltschmerz’, defined as “a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering.” Mulling over the incomprehensible injustices taking place on earth, sends twinges of pain through both of our chests. “Why do humans do such horrible things to one another, and the planet? Why? “Why do humans do such horrible things to one another, and the planet?”

she sighs, despairingly.

“When I was around 24-years old, I used to take you and your brother to these communal dinners at our local preschool”, my mum recalls. “Back then, we lived in a very multi-cultural neighbourhood, so these dinners often consisted of everything from Bosnian, to Somalian to Iranian cuisines – and most of the mums were extremely proud to share a piece of their culture with the rest of the group.

It was such a beautiful thing to be a part of ” “And then there was Ahnab. A young, petite

and truly cheerful mum from Somalia, who always insisted on making traditional Swedish food, when it was her turn to host. Swedish meatballs, Swedish falukorv – which she didn’t even eat herself due to religious reasons, but nevertheless, she’d happily prepared them for everyone else. She wanted to learn the language, customs, traditions – she wanted her kids to grow up with Swedish values.”

“At the age of 10, Ahnab had been kidnapped. Raped and tortured” My mum found her reluctance to share her own culture confusing and would often question her on it. Eventually, after gaining Ahnab’s friendship, she got to hear her full story.

“At the age of 10, Ahnab had been kidnapped. Raped and tortured, she was then recruited as a child soldier.”

With tears in her eyes, my mum sits quietly for a while. “This beautiful, happy, thoughtful mother of three, was personally responsible for the death of more than 150 people. 150 people!”

“Then, like a miracle, her family found her and managed to smuggle her out of the

21 country. She was sent to her cousin in Sweden, a man 20-years her senior.

Within a year they were engaged, and now they have three children together.”

What Ahnab went through is unfathomable. No one should under any circumstances have to experience such horrors. Upon hearing this story, I sit filled with ‘Weltschmerz’ – puzzled confusion over the evils of the world. Why did she have to go through that, why would someone cause a child that much pain, why does it continue to happen - why, why, WHY?

“No one should under any circumstances have to experience such horrors.”

We ponder some more over these ungraspable questions. Fumbling around in the depth of waters so unknown to us, that making any progress is near to impossible. We try to look at evil from all angles, inspect it from below - let it tower far above us. Eventually, we turn it inside out and start looking at its opposite – love. There we find the answer.

Regardless of everything Ahnab went through, my mum’s never met a person exuberating so much bliss. She was so full of gratitude over the new life she had been given. “She was so, so, so happy over the stable future awaiting her children, over having become a Swedish citizen, over waking up each day - knowing she was safe”, my mum explains. This is because Ahnab was able to forgive. She was able to feel love, to show love, to spread love. She recognised that this powerful feeling has the capacity to heal all wounds and allow the release of that which did not serve her.

She also recog-

nised that it was the absence of love that lead her country – just as so many others – into the mess it found itself in, at the time of her abduction. Where love is lost, separation and fear prosper. Those most separated and scared are usually the ones most in need of love and compassion – and simultaneously, the ones who are the most difficult to love.

So, although neither one of us can understand the deep darkness of humanity, we understand its opposite – to fight our ‘Weltschmerz’, we conclude that we shall always keep spreading our love. To embrace challenges, small or large

“ Regardless of everything Ahnab went through, my mum’s never met a person exuberating so much bliss.” with open arms – and give people the benefit of the doubt, because although that approach may or may not work, the opposite is a pre-determined fail. By giving love a chance, there’s at least a chance to succeed – and to help others do so, along with you. Love bravely, love deeply – and hopefully, the people around you will dare to do so too.

Hormonal Love Clara Fors Wisbyse - Lifestyle Editor

Not everyone has been there, but many of us have for sure. It’s that person that you can’t get out of your head. The one who doesn’t love you back, open your messages but doesn’t answer, and still spends the night with you once in a while. You tell yourself you have no right to complain. You haven’t promised each other anything, and you decide that next time you’ll keep away.

You’re not sure it’s love, but the feeling is too addictive to be able to stay away, and you fall back. Again and again, you keep falling back to that toxic game, but why?

When going back to the basics it all comes down to one simple thing – hormones. More specifically it’s about the hormone oxytocin. The year 2012 a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the US, found that couples in the first stages of romance had higher levels of oxytocin than their counterparts that were unattached. This is the same hormone that is also released during sexual activity and linked to the heavenly feeling of an orgasm.

Perhaps this explains a few things about that wicked

feeling we all call love.

As attraction to another person occurs, the brain also releases dopamine, raises your levels of serotonin as well as produce oxytocin. All of these three hormones spark positive emotions and make you feel happy – a feeling we are constructed to long for and want, but that in some scenarios can be a huge downside. As oxytocin increase bonding it can also enhance favouritism, envy and dishonesty.

So next time you find yourself dancing a toxic love-tango with someone that you’re pretty sure doesn’t love you back but that you just can’t keep away from, make sure to blame the hormones.

It’s hard to think straight when you’re body associates someone toxic with good feelings. Three small hormones might not be strong enough for us to get obsessed with someone and see the world through a shimmering filter of romance, but it surely enhances the tunnel vision of just seeing ‘the one’ and it may give us a push to crawl back to someone who makes the body feel happy but the mind confused.

Food

22

Veganuary? Putting the newest meat free products to the test!

Heather Dalgleish Food editor

Subway’s meatless meatball

Subway really did knock it right out of the park with this one. As somebody who hadn’t tried the original meatball marinara before taking the plunge into vegetarianism, I didn’t know what to expect from the trifecta of meatballs, tomato sauce and bread.

However, Subway have really pulled out the stops.

Several meat eaters (even some for whom the original meatball marinara is the sandwich of choice) have testified to the vegan version’s similarity to the original. The texture, the ratio of bread to sauce, and the tomato flavour made this a highly enjoyable sandwich. 5/5.

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KFC’s chickenless

Greggs’ vegan steak bake

This one was probably the most disappointing of the lot, with just a rather basic chicken-esque burger. The texture was highly convincing, but that didn’t match the flavour. Rather basic but would eat when hungover and wanting a quick, greasy fix. dont forget though, the gravy isnt vegan friendly 2/5.

This is where things started getting difficult. Unlike the others, this was a chore to find. Perhaps due to the success of the vegan sausage roll, the vegan steak bake sells out as quickly as it leaves the oven. After trawling around Liverpool for over an hour, the likelihood of finding one of the bakes seemed out of sight, until we finally saw those four glorious or-

chicken burger

ange squares lit up against a bright blue sign. Nestled in a Merseyside alleyway, it was a haven for vegans.

But I was disappointed to find that it didn’t match the energy of the original. The lack of gravy, the rather thick outer layer of pastry made it feel more pastylike. It’s not bad, but it’s not incredible. Hey, I may have had the runt of the litter, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the vegan sausage roll counterpart. 3/5.

Rather than scientists adapting wine for vegan consumption, this bottle has been created by winemakers researching more sustainable production methods. Opting for plant-based fining agents rang from bentonite clay to

Heather Dalgleish

This takes a step away from the rest, with a patty pretty much identical to that of a meat burger. Burger King are not notorious for their vegetarian counterparts, so a version of their most popular burger, the ‘Whopper’ was an incredibly interesting concept. But unlike its name, this was not a whopper. The issue with the ‘Rebel Whopper’ patty is that it isn’t meat-like, but rather an unfortunate texture and a rather peculiar taste. Perhaps its downfall lies in the fact that Burger King are not able to export their American vegan option, the ‘Impossible Whopper’, as EU restrictions pevent the ‘Impossible Company’ patties being used in the UK. Even more unfortunately, through its preparation, it may not be suitable for its vegan targeted audience, making it a fraudulent burger as its cooked on the same broiler as its meat sister. 2/5.

plant casein helps wineries to pull their wines away from the meat industry.

As far as taste goes, this is up there with some of the more expensive Chilean coastal whites. With subtle notes of gooseberries, limes and citrus, it’s perfect to pair with dinner outdoors in the summer. Truly worth the treat.

Pair with rich cheeses or seafood pasta for a night of splendour and luxury.

Credit: Coop.com

Heather Dalgleish Food editor

Ingredients: · Two large mushrooms · One table spoon honey · One table spoon of maple syrup · One cup of Cashew Nuts

· 250ml of Plant based milk · 2 Cups of your favourite pasta · 100ml soy sauce

Burger King’s Meatless whopper

Wine of the month Co-op Leyda Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017. At a slightly boujee price of £7.00, an entirely vegan wine is well worth it, especially if you’re taking part in Veganuary (or you’re a full timer missing the relaxation factor of a nice evening glass.)

Plant based Carbonara on a budget:

Getting stuck in to the month of Veganuary, Brig presents the 100% plant based carbonara, made with creamy cashew nuts, sprinkled with sweet roasted mushrooms. A perfect dish to add to any recipe collection. Vegan food does not have to be costly, as this simple 7 ingredient recipie illustrates as most of the bits you can find in your cupboard at home ready to go.

Method: · Boil the cashew nuts for 15 minutes until slightly soft. · Thinly slice the mushrooms whilst the cashews are cooking, marinated them in 50ml of the soy sauce, the honey and the maple syrup. · Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. · Drain the cashew nuts, put them in a free-standing blender with the rest of the soy sauce and the plantbased milk. Blend until smooth and season to taste. If the consistency is too thick, add additional plant-based milk until a pourable mixture. · Place the mushrooms on a roasting tray and put them in the oven for 10 minutes. · Whilst the mushrooms are baking, cook your pasta. · Pour the cashew sauce over your pasta, simmer gently until warmed throughout. · Serve with the mushrooms on top and voila! Pair with a dry white wine or if you are feeling fancy, sprinkle with marinate tofu for an extra punch.

Money saving tip: Buy your cashews loose from Aldi/Lidl as you can buy so much more for your money at affordable prices.

Weighing your nuts instead of buying them from the bag ensures you have a cost effective way to splash out on those nuts.

Buying loose is also a brilliant way to cut down on your plastic use by bringing your own reusuable containers!

Features

24

Wave goodbye to toxic flings Iman Mackenzie

Ladies and gentlemen, as we all swan out of this decade in a haze of drunken glory, let us not forget what we must leave behind us. The f*ckboy infestation or, more so, its impact on us.

That’s right. They who are all over every campus, with varying degrees of personality that just suck us all in.

Yes, the power of the modern f*ckboy allure is overwhelming. They have lives and interests that might even sync with yours, and that’s where it all begins.

Let us also not forget their pillow-talk, both their worst and best feature.

Because, let’s be real, why do they tell you about their lives when they have no intention of letting you into them? It’s an overwhelming, frustrating enigma.

Sometimes, people just need someone to listen to – fair enough, but these types of individuals use that as a means to get others to open themselves up to something that’s not even there.

Having said that, if you do fall into that crappy trap, don’t worry about it. We’ve got the power of sisterhood and wine on our side, people.

Surround yourself with friends – those badass sisters and brothers who won’t let you succumb to anyone’s crap.

Also – you feel like rubbish because of some guy?

Listen to Lizzo. She’ll be your best friend through the doubt and blame.

But if you need tough love, find your girls. The last thing they will let you do is mourn a relationship that wasn’t even real.

What they will do is force you to face the harsh light of reality. When all you saw was a hot guy who was interested in you, they see all his flaws.

More than anything, your friends have your best interests at heart. And they’re not afraid to show

you the truth hidden behind smoke and mirrors.

Hint number one, ladies: if it didn’t exist outside the bedroom or social media, it maybe didn’t exist at all. And that’s fine.

Sex and sexting are nothing to be ashamed of, and don’t let one bad experience stop you if the rest made you feel good. Most of all, don’t let the experience leave you with anxiety about what you did or did not do right.

This leads us nicely to hint number two: you didn’t do anything wrong.

You simply fell for one of the most elaborate schemes known to mankind: the promise of good sex with a guy with nice hair and a decent personality. There are few people out there who would pass it up. Nor should they.

However, just when you think the relationship is evolving or moving somewhere new, the barrier slams down.

And this one may just rival Donald Trump’s dream wall. Except this wall is meticulously designed to eschew commitment.

Most of us have been there – meeting that one person we feel is going to be endgame material. But what if that doesn’t mean they should be?

What about that other,

healthier option, which would see you always being committed more to yourself than any dreamboat guy you’re seeing?

It doesn’t have to be a self-preservation thing if

“Hint number one, ladies: if it didn’t exist outside the bedroom or social media, it maybe didn’t exist at all.

And that’s fine.” you don’t want it to be – it could be a healthy distance thing, a self-care thing, an independence thing – you name it.

Arguably the most important aspects of any healthy relationship remain in individual autonomy and

personal comfort, empowerment!

But honestly, crappy liaisons may happen to you no matter how sharp you are. And that’s okay.

We’ve all been there, or we might all go there.

The shame of it all is cancelled – you are allowed to enjoy it.

There should be no more pressure to perform for anyone, just in hopes of something someone else isn’t ready to commit to.

And that’s alright as well.

Not everyone is ready for the long stride with another person. Just don’t lie about it, and it’s all good.

University is the time we have for being our most revolutionary selves, not pining over something we’re not even sure we wanted to begin with.

Not many of us know definitively what it is we want, and that’s natural.

You’re allowed to be in-

decisive, you’re allowed to be conflicted about your feelings. It’s the most natural thing in the world.

What is not natural, beneficial or healthy, however, is making some guy the centre of your universe just because he streamed the same series as you.

Now, let’s cumulatively take our heads out of the past. Find the people who make you feel truly your best.

Create a playlist unlike any other (include Lizzo ‘Truth Hurts’ and ‘Soulmate’ for impact), and go be the man your mother always wanted you to marry.

Because being single is certainly not the worst thing in the world; pining away in your room Elle Woods-style through a flood of tears because of some douchebag however, is.

Credit: Selfzone

Features

25

Holism: fraudulent shtick or panacea potential?

Nathalie Hollede

You may already know that I like to experiment with things doctors tell us to do or not do, because honestly, it is so tiresome to hear new rules and trends being shoved down the throats of the general population without any exploration of individual differences or application of theories.

Governments seem to have no problem prescribing half-illegal drugs (which, unbranded, are just psychedelics) to vulnerable people, yet there is a huge problem, apparently, with teaching us how to use the Earth’s natural resources to heal ourselves.

At the risk of being labelled a “hippie”, I would like to urge you to erase the connotations you have with that word.

“Hippies” are onto something. In 2020, we are all hippies, or we need to learn to be, because we are currently a bunch of ungrateful individuals with no clue about the healing powers of the Earth we are destroying.

In the past, I have shown how neither gluten nor lactose are bad or great to eat unless you have applied it to yourself and tested it out.

Now I’m moving on to working on the outside of the body. It is a far reach to claim that massages are the natural version of commercialised physical therapies, but let’s see.

For the past year or so, I have sought out therapies and treatments to try and see if any of it actually works or does anything. For someone with so many small things happening in their body, I figured I was as good a candidate as it gets – a real fixer-upper.

The first therapy I tried was by a friendly former colleague.

She was a mystical,

Credit: Novarehabilitation

straightforward lady who spoke French, wore kohl eyeliner, and offered me Myofascial Therapy.

She told me I had a lot of blockages in my muscles, as well as plenty of stress. She also examined my eyes for signs of stress, a practice called iridology, to check for abnormal things happening in my body. Now this may seem like some soul-searching, hocus pocus thing, but in medicine it is well-known that the eyes are the most exposed and immune-weak place in the body, so if anything is wrong you can usually see it in the eyes.

She then asked me to lay down, and began a series of gentle massaging movements.

It was slow kneading, with few pressure points being touched, and she only moved in one direction at a time.

You would think that this is just a weak massage, but some spots were so sore I nearly squealed.

After the treatment, I felt very hot and tired, although she barely touched me.

She identified some problem areas which I already knew about from my chiropractor and physiotherapists, so that confirmed her level of expertise to me. She told me to work on my stress and my body: dry brush my skin, take breaks, and loosen up.

I tried my best to do all this for a year before I went for Craniosacral Therapy.

Craniosacral Therapy is a form of guided skeletal meditation. Online, it’s generally described as a form of skeletal correction and balancing therapy.

For this treatment, I traveled to Edinburgh, where my therapist Emily was completing case studies

for her certification in Craniosacral Therapy.

It started with a consultation, where I got asked some sensitive questions.

She asked about injuries, trauma, mental illness, physical illness, stress, life history, family history, and more.

It took a good 10-15 minutes, and she listened like an old friend would.

I was allowed to keep my clothes on (hurrah!), and I lay on my back the whole time, simply relaxing and breathing.

She started the treatment with my feet, where she put both hands around my ankles very loosely, and kept them there for a good ten minutes.

At that point the thoughts going through my head were “what’s happening now? What am I meant to do or feel now?” But I relaxed and focused my breathing and my energy on where her hands were.

She then slowly moved to my sacrum and my hip, placing her hands underneath for another few minutes, while I took deep breaths. It was like my body leaned into this new position, where her hands were.

Whether it is just coincidence that her placement of my hip was just how

my chiropractor used to put my hip in place more violently, I don’t know.

But it worked, and I already felt more balanced.

During the treatment, I let her know if I felt dizzy, and she reminded me that the table is supporting me.

She suggested I focus my attention on a part of my body that was stable against the table, like my back and my heels. The dizziness went away.

She had addressed my anxiety and given me a tool of reassurance that no psychotherapist ever did.

But did she do anything?

All I know is how I felt afterwards: drained, tired, used.

The places she put her hands, the places she knew I had problems, felt sore. Walking to Tesco after this treatment, my ankle popped in a weirdly satisfying way.

My bad hip socket started aching.

I thought this was probably a result of where her hands were correcting my body to reposition itself.

A chiropractor could force my hip ball into its socket in a few seconds, but it would be minutes before it popped right Credit: Mahimacentre

out again.

This time, I kept walking and walking, and not once did I feel the usual swaying or imbalance.

The tendons around my hip began to hurt, but it went away.

Where she held her hand under my hip for about five minutes while I was lying flat was exactly where my chiropractor would place a block, nudging and shoving my hip into place for £40 and a few minutes of relief.

She did sort of the same thing, but doing it for a long time to allow my hip to fall into that position more naturally.

After this, I am prone to think holistic therapy works better than chiropractics or physiotherapy.

What shocked me most was, whereas modern medicine tells me I am sick and my body is not functioning, she told me my body was strong and very much alive and thriving.

She felt my body was responsive to the touch and the therapy itself – meaning it was healthy.

Yes, that is how I want to feel about myself.

But are the effects just psychological? Is it placebo? Maybe – but if it works, why discredit it?

The treatment works with you – your vibes and your mind, instead of violently changing your body chemistry or position for a few moments.

I believe in it, but whether I believe that it can cure all ailments I do not yet know.

Features

26

Should schools do more to prepare students for ‘adulthood’?

Credit: The educator

Irina Nakon Features editor

A decades-old debate has recently re-emerged with fresh zeal – the question of whether the modern education system truly prepares one for ‘adult’ life.

Polls, surveys, trends and stats dominate official studies. The Office for National Statistics’ recent report, for example, reveals that only 34% of 15-17 year-olds feel wellequipped for adulthood.

Only 48% of university freshers answered to the same in the affirmative.

A joint study carried out by the University of Manchester and University of Chicago, meanwhile, revealed that over 60% of high school students both in the UK and across the Atlantic feel that their high school curriculum contains ‘irrelevant’ or ‘redundant’ subjects, while simultaneously ‘lacking life-skills, hands-on material, or interpersonal approaches which would prepare one for the practicalities of independent or solo living.’

So what is missing from the modern educational curriculum, and are there any established academic cornerstones which should be reformed, or

perhaps even erased?

On the part of the students, there is one key argument in the educational reform debate which is frequently rehashed: ‘teach us how to do our taxes, not just examine complex algorithms, advanced music theory, or literature criticism.’

The argument here being that although the current educational system is designed to provide students with a broad horizon of possibilities for future careers, the menial, yet vital, day-to-day tasks of adulthood such as taxes, medical insurance claims, pension plans, and even such basic responsibilities as cooking,

scheduling, and cleaning, are omitted.

The popular counterargument to this is that there needs to be rigid boundaries between academic duties and wider individual, or social, duties.

Moreover, many believe that the basic ‘chores’ such as cooking and cleaning should be impressed upon an individual by the parents – one’s self-sufficiency should be instilled in them at home.

However, recent debate is questioning whether any part of this argument still holds water.

As vital as academia is to our society, is it really mutually exclusive with the hands-on skill-

set every young person is required to learn on their own?

Is it not possible to study music theory and the history of the Cold War alongside such practical courses as personal accounting, budgeting, nutrition and healthy cooking, and even more versatile studies, such as argument construction, interpersonal communication, public speaking, career planning?

It seems doubtful that traditional academia would suffer when taught in conjunction with these real-life skills; in fact, I’d argue it would be enriched by this supplementation.

Finally, and crucially, this would open up the field of reform for such vital subjects as sex education, gender studies, and internationalisation.

In her recent Ted-Ed talk, Aliezah Hulett identified a sizable gap between what we learn in school versus what we need in later life.

This certainly refers to such growing discussions as sex education and personal boundaries, as well as the broader conversations pertaining to race, gender, and identity. ‘The school system and parents should be working together to raise educated students,’ Hulett said.

Credit: Washington Examiner

Careers

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Sport

28

Stirling swimmers race to success Iona Brownlie

Stirling swimmers enjoyed a run of winnings at the Scottish National and Open Short Course Swimming Championships.

The team finished with a total of 1395.50 ahead of rivals Edinburgh University who finished with a total of 704.50.

Team Members Craig McNally and Ross Murdoch came home having set new Scottish records for the 200m breaststroke, the 50m breaststroke and 100m breaststroke.

McNally broke an elevenyear-old record with a time of 1:50.57, securing him a huge personal best. He was followed by fellow Stirling swimmer Duncan Scott at 1:54.34.

Murdoch clinched gold in both the 50m breaststroke and the 100m breaststroke with times of 26.26 and 56.67.

Of his performance in the 50m breaststroke, Murdoch

told Scottish Swimming, “I’m buzzing with that. It was a good time and it was a good race which I think I put together really well.”

Both events saw a succession of University of Stirling swimmers following Murdoch. Team mates Zak Aitchison and Craig Benson placed second and third in the 50m breaststroke final.

Aitchison and Benson also placed in the 100m breaststroke. Taking third place and second place respectively with times of 57.76 and 59.31. Duncan Scott continued the run of Stirling swimmers, placing fourth with a time of 59.46.

Murdoch received the Aberdeen 200 trophy which is awarded for the best single performance bases on FINA points for his 100m breaststroke swim.

The team still had more record breaking swims to come with two quartets breaking the British record and claiming Scottish Club Records for the 4x50m

medley relay and the 4x50m freestyle relay.

The 4x50m medley relay team consisted of Martyn Walton, Ross Murdoch, Duncan Scott and Scott McLay with a time of 1:33.52. Scott, McLay and Walton also competed in the 4x50m freestyle relay alongside Craig McLean securing a time of 1:24.61.

Stirling’s women swimmers produced wins with Kathleen Dawson taking gold in the 100m backstroke (58.54) and the 50m backstroke (27.08) and securing silver in the 200m backstroke (2:08.66). Cassie Wild took second in both events with times of 58.84 and 27.21 and Lotta Upanne placing fourth with times of 59.88 and 27.49.

Danielle Huskisson took gold in the women’s 1500m freestyle and 800m freestyle completing them in 16:08.01 and 8:31.82. Keanna MacInnes placed second in the 200m Butterfly finishing within 2:07.88 and

Credit: Stirling Uni Sport

fourth in the 100m butterfly (59.01).

The women’s relay team placed second in the 4x50m Freestyle relay in a time of 1:43.22. The mixed 4x100m medley relay was dominated by the Stirling teams taking first and second place respectively with times of 3:42.43 and 3:47.25.

University of Stirling head coach Steven Tigg told Scottish Swimming of his team’s performance, “really happy with how things have

gone this weekend. There have been some real big steps in the right direction looking towards the Trials, and some real positive performances that I think will keep people motivated.”

Tigg also told Scottish swimming the coaches have a good group of swimmers that keep them motivated and excited for the new season as we come into the new year

Scottish Highlands & Islands tours from Stirling University, incl. Easter Shetland & Orkney Islands nature, wildlife, pre-historic sites, stunning beaches, walks & seabird cliffs. Weekend tours to Mull, Iona & the Westcoast & upcoming Hebridean 12 island hopping tour, incl. Harris & Lewis. A tour to Islay & Jura and a lot more – www.unicorntours.co.uk – contact@unicorntravel.co.uk

Sport

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Festival kicks off year of sporting glory Credit: Stirling Council

Continued from back page

Convenor of Stirling Council’s Community Planning and Regeneration Committee, Councillor Chris Kane, said, “This superb sporting spectacle was a wonderful way for Stirling to start 2020 and another success story for the city.

There was a brilliant buzz around the course as athletes of all ages and abilities took on these exciting running challenges around some of Stirling’s historic landmarks.

“Not only did we successfully stage another high-profile event with elite athletes from across the UK, we ensured that residents and visitors had the opportunity to

Credit: Stirling Council

get active through taking part in the Great Stirling Castle Run as part of our drive to improve health and well-being.

“By watching home grown Olympic running stars such as Andrew Butchart at close quarters, I am sure people will be inspired to get involved in sport and continue to lead healthy lives.

“Congratulations to all the participants and they should be very proud of what they achieved in some very challenging conditions.”

The festival is set to further Stirling’s reputation as a host city for renowned sporting events with the Stirling Mara-

thon returning in October of this year.

Vice Convenor, Councillor Maureen Bennison, said: “One of our key objectives for the event was to encourage physical activity and the Great Stirling Castle Run was a huge success.

“Set against the stunning backdrop of Stirling Castle, Run Stirling offered a great day out for those either taking part or for those who braved the elements to watch one of the many races involving either elite athletes or simply someone they know.

“If anyone is already looking for their next challenge, there is still time to get training for

Stirling’s marathon in October, which will further cement Stirling’s reputation as a key location for top class sporting occasions.”

Run Stirling was organised in partnership between Stirling Council, EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, and scottishathletics. The castle run was organised by Great Run. VisitScotland’s Director of Events, Paul Bush OBE, said: “Congratulations to everyone who braved the weather to take part in Run Stirling and a big thank you to the organisers and all volunteers who helped make the event such a success. It

was great to see so many runners taking part and to see Scotland come out on top across the various cross-country events.

“EventScotland was delighted to have supported Stirling Council, scottishathletics and British Athletics to deliver the event, which was a fantastic blend of elite and junior racing alongside the mass participation Great Stirling Castle Run delivered by Great Run. Events play a key role in our visitor economy and it was great to see so many people getting out and enjoying the event.”

All results from the day are available from the Scottish athletics website.

Sport

Rowing

Autumn 2019

Rowing - "This year our club has gained massively in terms of freshers, the club is also developing a lot better than previous years.

All of our freshers has their first 2k test (which in the rowing world is the worst thing you’ll do) and all smashed it. They also then had their first race at Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships where we came away with a gold. The club are continuing to train together up to 4 times a week, and individually every day in the hopes to make it to BUCS next year"

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Credit: UOS Boxing club

Boxing

Volleyball - "SUVC has had a great first semester, both on and off the court. We have both teams in the 1st division of BUCS for the first time ever. We've been busy this semester with fundraising by bag-packing at Waitrose Stirling, selling tickets for our sponsors

Fubar and by using the easyfundraising website.

For mental heawwlth awareness week we partnered with NHS breathing space on their ‘you matter we care campaign’ and held a stall with their materials, as well as the student services materials for a couple of days in order to raise awareness. Furthermore our members have proudly worn their rainbow laces at trainings and games in support of the LGBTQ+

Boxing - "The boxing club has focused on fitness & technique, especially Credit: UOS Volleyball club through some of our sparring sessions. We've also done a lot of pad work with community. our members which have In November some membeen helpful in the develbers of the club took part opment of the boxing at the in the Movember campaign to raise awareness of university. Have had a new men’s physical and mental coach this year, who's been health whilst raising money. our most qualified coach Additionally we organised who's helped at the club and looking on being a Level 3 an inclusive #ChallengeYDistrict boxing coach. The ersel sit-volleyball event level of boxing from our to de-stress before exams.

And to finish off the season members have significantly improved since the start on a high, the teams had of the year and people are a Christmas dinner at the more than welcome to join Golden Lion Hotel with for next semester!" amazing food and great

well all the girls are doing!

In particular, our 4s have managed to win against Netball - “Our first semes- everyone in their league ter of year 19/20 has been a and are sitting top of the massive success for SUNC! table! 2s are second in their The club has developed league with only a few better than ever with more matches in the way of winthan 150 members, 40 ning, and our 1s and 3s are more than last year. We doing very well with some are so proud to be growing important matches ahead and reaching all different to watch them progress. abilities and interests.

This is all thanks to our Within our BUCS teams, very committed coaches! we are so proud of how We are so proud of our

CNA team and our social girls for their continuous commitment to training and their passion for developing the club.

This semester alone we have raised well over £2000 in funds and raised awareness for Target Ovarian Cancer, Alzheimer’s Society, #pegtalk for mental health, Movember, Start Up Stirling and more! We have volunteered every Wednesday afternoon

down in Bridge of Allan to coach netball to primary school children within the community. We have played against local teams within the area in particular U17s for Stirling to assist with their growth of the sport. We are sitting top of the table for our sponsor Fubar having sold most tickets! And last but not least we won our university campaign for #CHALLENGEYERSEL19

Credit: UOS Boat club

Volleyball Sam Ormiston Sports Editor

Netball

Credit: UOS Netball club

our biggest achievement of the semester yet! We reached over 500km in a variation of walking, running and cycling, and collaborated with teams such as basketball, Muay Thai and American football to try out their sport. This took hard work, dedication and creativity from all our girls and we are so happy it paid off!

Sport

Sports team round-up Polo

Credit: UOS Basketball club

Basketball Basketball - "As of this semester, there has been a massive boost in club spirit! Since recently joining the 4 separate teams into 1 club, it has changed dramatically. Most of our socials are together, we attend each others games, supporting each other with different events and

working cohesively as a team. There has been an increase in membership I believe, especially on the women’s side of things, however we have gelled together this semester as one big happy basketball family! Long may it continue!"

Polo - "We’ve had a really successful year so far which began by welcoming some great new beginners who are doing really well in the Scottish Polo National League with the score tied leading into the final which will take place next semester.

We’ve had some brilliant socials as always including a Disney themed Fubar social and also a quite social where we decorated cakes and raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness week.

We also donated money to Crohns and Colitis UK charity which meant a lot to us as Crohn’s disease affects one of our members so we wanted to raise some awareness.

However the greatest success of the year will be successfully organising and hosting the very first Stirling Winter Arena Tournament (SWAT 2019). We planned this tournament from scratch and it was a

Credit: UOS Polo club

massive success with numerous Scottish Universities competing at our training base in Kinross. We also had Exhibition chukkas which saw players from all across the UK compete and hosted a dinner and Players Party as well. The committee and club put so much work into this tournament to make it run so

smoothly and we received amazing feedback from everyone involved as well as recognition from SUPA, the leading association for University Polo in the UK and host of the largest University Polo Tournament in the world. We hope to run this tournament again next year and watch it grow.

Clansmen

Judo Judo - "A fantastic semester for the club. Players have been medaling in the local competitions - both in SSS kyu grade and Infin8. This is a fantastic achievement for the new players as most have never competed before - some only starting judo this year. For the more senior graded members we have had a massive achievement for one of the female members earning the coveted black belt. The club has also managed to host SSS kyu grade competition at the start of the semester, opening up the competition to both university students and those newer players in the local club. Finally, and probably the most exciting, the club was awarded the University Judo Club of the Year award from British Judo for our exclusivity and growth in our wee three years"

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Credit: UOS Women’s Rugby club

Women’s Rugby Women’s Rugby - “The women’s rugby team at Stirling University have had a great start to the semester.

We’ve increased our membership and the inclusivity of our team by creating a safe environment within our team where our members can feel secure about coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Competitively the club is having great success. After having played 6 games in

the league so far, we are unbeaten in the league. We’ve won every game so far and have taken the maximum points away from every match having managed to secure the bonus point in every game. This is thanks to the hard work put in by every member of our squad both in training and game time.

We look forward to continuing this success next semester and bringing home a 2nd league title in the clubs history.”

Clansmen - "The biggest change for the club coming into this year was that we decided to train more days a week, training Tuesday to Friday. This meant that when we got into the main bulk of the regular season where we had 6 games in 6 weeks, we were all together for 5-6 days a week.

Playing in the Premier tier is never easy, especially with every other team in the Prem north recruiting Americans who have been Credit: UOS American Football

playing their whole lives and high-quality coaching.

Every game can go either way. For our first game of the season, we went down to Nottingham to play in their headliner event with commentators, a livestream, music and a large crowd.

We managed to squeeze out a 13-6 win with a last-minute score to go ahead. Since then we have won 2 more games, one against last years national champions, and 2 loses

Sport Brig

Stirling swimmers make a splash Stirling starts the year with sporting spectacular

Credit: University of Stirling Football Club

Harry Williamson

Stirling slam the Shire

Lewis Fraser

Stirling University stunned local rivals East Stirlingshire on Saturday as the students grabbed all three points at the Falkirk Stadium.

Second half goals from Callum Downie and Craig Brown ssw the Uni team come out 2-1 winners in a fantastic performance. The result was made more impressive by the fact that the oldest member of Stirling’s starting eleven was only 21 years old.

Chris Geddes was very pleased with his side’s performance, “I thought we were excellent for 90 minutes, and I think we deserved it, we more than matched them. East Stirlingshire at times had a lot of pressure, but Ben Fry didn’t have too many saves to make. I think Jamie Barclay in the East Stirlingshire goals, had more saves to make than Ben. “We defended excellently and scored a couple of good goals, so it was really well deserved.

“The first goal is a great ball from Liam McMaster, round the back of the defenders. Kieran Hall’s pulled it back and Callum from left back has found himself at the penalty spot. He’s bent it with his weak foot, excellent

goal, really well done.

“We managed to get ourselves back in front, it’s a great ball through from Matty Burrows. To be fair, Kieran is in the area, but he never went to the ball, so for me, he wasn’t offside. Their defender was spooked by Kieran being there and he’s tried to play a back pass and Craig who ran from midfield has went around the goalie.

“We seen it out really well, like I say I think we deserved it. It’s another great performance on the road and it pushes us up the table.”

It was Stirling Uni who started on the front foot, as Connor Doan had the first shot on target after only five minutes. His free kick was well struck, but Jamie Barclay collected it without any trouble.

Despite their strong start, the Uni team had some defending to do later in the half, which was largely down to former Aberdeen player Nicky Low. After 24 minutes, Low was through on goal, but the uni ‘keeper, Ben Fry bravely came off his line and saved the midfielder’s close-range effort.

The uni had their best effort of the half in stoppage time. Conor Doan played an excellent ball to Liam McMaster on the left wing. The

midfielder then squared the ball to Craig Brown, whose shot from the edge of the penalty box was just wide of Barclay’s post.

The second half started similarly to the first, with the visitors looking the most dangerous. Craig Brown was once again involved in a uni attack, as he played Robbie McGale through on goals after 53 minutes. McGale’s shot was heading for the roof of the net, but Jamie Barclay did just enough to tip it over the bar.

At the other end, Nicky Low lined up a free kick from the edge of the penalty box, but his effort could not clear the wall.

Stirling broke the deadlock after 63 minutes. A brilliant cross from Liam McMaster found substitute Kieran Hall in the box. Hall looked like he might shoot, but the striker expertly picked out Callum Downie, who powered his right footed shot into the top corner to give his team a deserved lead.

The uni’s lead was short lived however, as the home team equalised only three minutes later. Stirling Uni could not defend a corner, and the ball fell to Reis Peggie. Ben Fry looked to have Peggie’s shot covered, but a deflection took the ball over the ‘keeper and into the

back of the net.

After equalising, Shire were on the hunt for a winning goal, and they might have had it were it not for Conor Doan. Bobby Barr’s cross to the near post was met by Nicky Low. Low’s effort was headed for the bottom corner, but at full stretch, Doan managed to deflect the ball onto the post.

With eight minutes to go, the game had opened up, and both sides looked like they could snatch a late winner.

It was the students who scored the vital goal. A ball forward towards Kieran Hall looked dangerous. However, the striker knew he was offside and cleverly did not attempt to win the ball. An ill weighted back pass from Martin Orr was latched onto by Craig Brown, and the midfielder rounded the ‘keeper and slotted away the winning goal.

Despite Shire’s protests that Hall influenced play and should have been ruled offside, the goal stood and gave the students a slim lead into the final minutes of the game.

The youngsters showed great maturity to see the game out in the corner of the park and recorded a famous victory over their local rivals.

Runners turned out in their thousands and braved wet and windy weather to take part in Run Stirling, a festival of running which was the central hub for athletics in Scotland that weekend.

The all-day event hosted a range of events for more than 3000 runners of all ages, including the home countries match with runners from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The sold out 7k Great Stirling Castle Run, Primary Schools 1km fun run, Inter-District Championships, Celtic Cross Country International with teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, as well as a number of inter-district and international races being held on the day.

The festival attracted some big names in sport, including Dunblane Olympian Andy Butchart and GB international Mhairi Maclennan who led the Scotland team in the home-countries match.

Scotland took two golds in the home countries run for women’s under 20 and senior mens, a result for the home countries cross country history books. Scottish teams performed well taking seven team golds of the 10 team events.

The 7k Great Stirling Castle Run took 1200 runners on a multiple terrain course King’s Knot, Castle Canons, Heritage Trail Wood Carvings and Stirling Castle before finishing in Kings Park.

- Contined on page 29