Courier 1366

thecourier

Monday 5 March 2018 Issue 1366 Free

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NUSU Elections Manifestos and more inside our elections special 8 Page Pullout

TV Catherine Maw looks at Mary Queen of Scots as a small screen star Page 26

The independent voice of Newcastle students

Sport All 32 teams vying to be the best are put under the microscope Page 36 Est 1948

Discussions over pensions resume as strike continues

Images: James Sproston

Staff at 61 universities across the country took industrial action beginning on 22 February over proposals for pension reform, which has caused severe disruption to lectures and classes at these institutions.

Both sides of the dispute have agreed to begin talks to try and end the disruptive action. Talks are set to begin on Monday 5 March and are to be mediated by the conciliation service Acas.

Ahead of discussions, UCU have outlined a table of proposals that it believes will help to solve the dispute. These proposals include providing a guaran-

teed pension for members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) at around half the extra cost suggested in their previous plans. This means contributions would increase by 4.1%, split 65/35 between employers and employees, rather than the previously proposed 8.3%. This plan would mean universities accepting a small amount of increased risk, but in response to a UUK consultation, 58% of institutions said they were happy to accept the current risk levels or increase them.

UCU has called for collaboration with employers on a number of issues in order to avoid disputes like this in the future, such as a study into alternative ways of providing pension benefits.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “We are pleased the employers have agreed to more talks. UCU tabled proposals which provide the basis for settling this damaging dispute. We have listened not just to our members, but also to the many university leaders who have contributed ideas.”

“At the core of our proposals is for universities to accept a small amount of increased risk, but only at a level a majority have recently said they are comfortable with. Doing this would enable us to provide a decent, guaranteed pension at a more modest cost with smaller contribution increases.

“Our proposals for long-term reform reflect an attempt to reach a consensus around the challenges we face.”

Isabel Sykes News Editor On 28 February, Universities UK (UUK) agreed to enter into conciliation talks with University and College Union (UCU) to try and resolve the ongoing dispute.

Talks are set to begin on Monday 5 march and are to be mediated by the conciliation service Acas

NUSU Elections: Of�icer candidates grilled in live debates as voting opens p4 and pullout

Beast from the East causes chaos on campus delays and closures throughout the city.

The storm is causing unusual and severe conditions in the region, as local areas have been forecasted to experience as much as a 40cm blanket of snow, along with strong winds leading to snow drifts, severe wind chill and even the possibility of white lightning.

And while these snowy conditions may have made for some seriously aesthetic Instagram posts of campus, sadly it has also caused significant disruption to a series of events planned by NUSU. Events affected by the wather include: The Inspiring Women’s conference, Creative Careers, The Wellbeing Fair, and a Day in the Life of Politics, Civil Service and Policy workshop.

Some of these events have been postponed and reorganised for later dates.

The Inspiring Women’s conference will now be taking place on the 18th of May. Sarah Craggs, NUSU’s Welfare and Equality officer, states on the Welfare Fair’s Facebook page that the event will now be postponed until after Easter.

However, many others have been outright cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

Sports and athletic events have also suffered due to the snow, causing interruption of scheduled matches and training sessions.

Izzy Reid, 2nd Year History Student and Tennis Society Social Secretary, commented: ‘The snow caused our ten-

nis match to be cancelled this Wednesday - the other team weren’t able to get here due to transport issues, which is perfectly understandable. However, we received very little contact from the SU over the matter and spoke to the team ourselves directly.

"There was a clear lack of organisation from Lancaster and their plans involving travel and the snow".

And while the University website states that is officially ‘open for business’, many students have experienced cancelled seminars and lectures due to staff being unable to make it into work due to circumstances caused by these weather conditions.

The Marjorie Robinson Library was

also forced to close early on the 28th of February as there was an insufficient number of staff, which meant the University could not keep the building running until its usual closing time of 12pm.

Newcastle University urges students to consider whether it is safe to travel to and from the University, particularly if travelling by car, after a series of serious car pile-ups occurred locally as a result of the ice and snow.

But students using public transport to commute to and from University have also experienced delays, after metro closures and interruption of bus services made public transport unreliable in the height of the storm last week.

Strikes to go on?

Help yourselves

Music looks north

A new age for AoE

Flagship section

Universities' threats to cut pay could mean no light at the end of the strike tunnel News , page 3

Do self-help books really work, or are they just pretentious, meaningless waffle?

Lifestyle page 12

A look at Hit North festival and the best acts coming to the area Music, page 22

Jack Coles looks at the latest incarnation of a Microsoft classic Gaming, page 30

A flag quiz, a Carlisle crossword special and some words of wisdom from Mr Barton Puzzles, page 35

Louise Hall News Editor The bad weather conditions and snow caused by storm Emma in the last week has led to severe interruption to the lives of students and staff within the university.

Many timetabled events from within the university have also been brought to a severe standstill, having been cancelled or postponed by organisers and staff.

After the met office issued an amber warning for the Northeast region, snow and wind has caused severe disruptions to roads and public transport, causing

Inside today >>>

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thecourier From the The Courier is a weekly newspaper produced by students, for students. It’s never too late to get involved in the paper, whether you’re a writer, illustrator or photographer. Just visit thecourieronline.co.uk/about for more information.

Editor James Sproston Deputy Editor Alex Hendley Online Editor Jared Moore Copy Editor Laura Staniforth Current Affairs Editor Sunil Nambiar News Editors Valentina Egorova, Hanson Jones, Louise Hall and Isabel Sykes Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken and Alexandra Sadler Life & Style Editor Izzi Watkins Lifestyle Editors Sophie Henderson, Jaymelouise Hudspith, Lauren Sneath and Victoria Young Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston and Susanne Norris Travel Editors Charlotte Hill and Talia Gillin Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Ciara RitsonCourtney Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaacs and Ally Wilson TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver and Alex Moore Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Daniel Haygarth and Christopher Wilkinson Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett and Richard Liddle Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little and Ciara Ritson-Courtney Sports Editors Mark Sleightholm, Courtney Strait, Tom Shrimplin, Sydney Isaacs and Matt Proctor The Courier NUSU King’s Walk Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QB Tel: 0191 239 3940 The Courier is printed by: Trinity Mirror Printing, Barton Road, Riverside Park Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, TS2 1UT Established in 1948, the Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Students’ Union at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge.

The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of the Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of the Courier, the Students’ Union or Newcastle University.

Monday 5 March 2018

archives 19 YEARS AGO

Courier campaign gets VC’s backing The great student cause of the 1990s at Newcastle was against the introduction of semesters, with the Courier launching a campaign against the new academic year structure. In 1999 this campaign received an unexpected boost when the then-Vice-Chancellor, James Wright, admitted that the system needed serious changes.

90% of students surveyed by the Courier wanted semesters changed or abolished, while lecturers were also heavily against the new system. Previously most exams took place at the end of each academic year, but Newcastle’s semesterisation of the mid-90s split the year in two, with a very long autumn term and midyear exams straight after Christmas.

The Courier campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, although a week of extra teaching before January exams was added in 2005 and a campaign is currently underway to add a week’s holiday before the start of semester two.

27 YEARS AGO

Lecturer-punching president banned President of the Students’ Union Karl Holweger was suspended by the University and faced criminal charges after allegedly assaulting a University lecturer in the car park of Newcastle airport.

Scandinavian Studies lecturer Glyn Jones suffered “a haemorrhage to his right eye, a bruised jaw, bruising about the right eye, cuts to his lips and hand and a bruised knee-cap,” reported the Courier.

As an employee of the Union rather than the University, former Zoology student Holweger was unable to attend meetings with the University but could otherwise continue his role. The other sabbatical officers boycotted University meetings in support of Holweger.

Holweger admitted to police after his arrest that his “hatred” for Jones had “very personal overtones” but would not say why the assault took place.

The plot thickened in April when Professor Jones failed to appear in court and all the charges were dropped. Libel laws prevented the Courier from reporting the “full story” but rumours abounded that the University was investigating Jones’ conduct under a “removal of academic staff ” statute.

107 YEARS AGO

Major impressed

Before the Courier came the Northerner, a magazine produced by and for students in Newcastle that was established in 1901 and only fizzled out in the 1960s.

Just a few years younger was the Officers’ Training Corps, set up to strengthen the reserve army by training students in military ways whilst at university.

The Northerner enjoyed reporting on the expeditions of the OTC, which included a field day under the watchful eye of Major Ashmore of the War Office. Despite pointing out some areas of improvement for the students the Major was impressed by what he saw.

“Major Ashmore was struck with the good ‘turn out’ of the contingent,” reported the Northerner, adding that he “was complimentary about the physique of the men.” Sadly he had to leave soon after the end of the field day to get his train back down to London, and the Northerner assured its readers that all the students were home in time for tea.

Mark Sleightholm

The Breakfast Club: with a new team of sabbatical and part-time officers set to be elected this week, can you guess which year these friendly faces were chosen to represent the students of Newcastle University?

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the courier Monday 5 March 2018

@TheCourier_News courier.news@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/news Current Affairs Editor Sunil Nambiar News Editors Valentina Egorova, Hanson Jones, Louise Hall & Isabel Sykes

Lecturers lead Teach-Ins across Newcastle

Hannah Kent If you turned up to a 9am last Thursday and your lecturer didn’t do the same, you may have wondered what was going on. If you rocked up to an 11am, and the same thing happened, you probably weren’t too impressed. If, by now, you’ve started to question where they are, what’s happening, and what you’re supposed to do in the meantime, keep reading.

Protesting at proposed changes to the USS pension scheme, a scheme in which many academic and academicrelated staff are enrolled, the University and College Union (UCU) has called a strike.

One Geography academic went as far as to say that “the university has moved off-campus” According to the UCU website, this strike means that, subject to Universities UK (UUK), committing to ‘meaningful negotiations over pensions’, members in 61 universities in the UK are taking non-violent direct action. At Newcastle, it’s business as usual on the 1st, 2nd and 9th of March, but on all other days until Easter, UCU members will not be teaching, researching, marking, answering emails, or holding office hours for our university. However, rather than going home and painting the downstairs’

loo, staff have chosen to begin teaching for free with Teach-Ins. Teach-Ins are seminars for social action. “Official” Teach-Ins in Newcastle have been coordinated by Stacy Gillis, and are being held in St Thomas’ and the Hotspur Pub daily, but student and society-led events have been encouraged and are already taking place.

When asked why they were involved in Teach-Ins, the answer I had most from academics was ‘because we love teaching’. At one Teach-In, commenting on the room around him, one Geography academic went as far as to say that “the university has moved off-campus” On Friday, Poetry In Action held a reading, in which sentiments of solidarity were voiced in verse, and a call made for one-line poems to be plastered on The Arches on notecards. Earlier, in the same space, students were asked to plan their hypothetical response in the event that the tripling of tuition fees were announced, following a talk on the “Occupy” and other similar non-violent protest movements.

Participants at Teach-Ins have varied in volume and demographic dependent on their theme, but there was a notably higher undergraduate turnout on the second day of strikes.

During Teach-Ins, audiences have been relaxed and respectful, despite the grievances which underlie these events.

Discussions have seen criticisms of the TEF, REF and NSS, and the composition of University Council, as well as comment on the current pension dispute.

Academics have expressed great dissatisfaction about a growing preoccupation with data and league tables.

Audit was recognised as valuable, but a “performance management” culture of

informal conversations, inferences, and whispers in corridors, was condemned as anti-intellectual, and intimidating. It hasn’t been all doom and gloom however.

Amidst uncertainty, a collaborative and constructive spirit of change is gaining momentum Networks of like-minded people are being forged, ongoing HE issues debated, and the new honesty and confidence of staff praised. Amidst uncertainty, a collaborative and constructive spirit of change is gaining momentum.

Successful strike action in 2016 over an initiative called ‘Raising the Bar’ has been lauded, but foundations for both the short and long-term future of HE at Newcastle University are also being laid.

Teach-Ins, in Newcastle, are providing a mutually supportive space to challenge HE’s current values, and to air even the most visionary ideas for the community in which we study, teach, and research.

In holding Teach-Ins, we join Leeds, Oxford, Southampton, Warwick, Kent, Strathclyde, Sussex, Manchester, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and York, just to the name the number I can fit in my word count.

In essence then, there is sincere hope that negotiations begin soon, but in the meantime, excitement to see how HE can operate outside of the usual systems, institutions, and policies which house it.

Crowds gathered for the UCU rally on 22 February Image: Mark Sleightholm

Unis threaten pay deductions over strike action Louise Hall News Editor Universities threatening big pay deductions risk prolonging strikes After 5 days of strike action, staff at 61 Universities have returned to work while taking actions short of a strike, otherwise known as ASOS. In response however, some Universities have threatened to withhold their whole pay for the entire period for which lecturers undertake ASOS.

The UCU has stated that these actions could cause the strikes to be prolonged

The University of Sheffield will deduct salaries for non-rescheduled lectures Image: Geograph

The conditions of ASOS mean that lecturers will be working to their contact but will wilfully evade other aspects of teaching duties such as: not covering for absent colleagues, not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action and not undertaking any voluntary activities.

As a result, some universities have declared a stance against lecturers taking ASOS, stating that they would withold

large sums of money from staff involved.

The University of Sheffield has said if staff have not rescheduled missed lectures within two days it will deduct 25% of their salary and after five days it will withhold 100% of salary. The University of St Andrews has said it will deduct 100% of salary for any form of action short of a strike.

The University of Kent has said it will withhold 50% of pay for ASOS but reserves the right to withhold 100% and any work staff then undertake would be voluntary. Kent is also under fire for “punishing its most vulnerable employees the harshest” The UCU has stated that these actions could cause the strikes to be prolonged and worsen issues and disputes between Universities and lectures in the future.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “Universities that wish to exploit the law and punish their staff as much as possible are storing up problems for the future and risk prolonging the dispute.

“Action short of a strike highlights just how much universities rely on the goodwill of their staff who go the extra mile. Universities will need that goodwill when this dispute is all over, so it seems foolish to find ways now to maximise the punishment of their staff.

“There has been a spectrum of reac-

tions from Universities in regard to the strike action and towards ASOS in particular. Some have recognised the debating to be at a crucial stage and have stepped back from a previously hostile position.”

“Some universities recognise we are at a crucial stage in this dispute and are adopting a more conciliatory tone” Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary

Hunt commented: “It is encouraging that some universities recognise we are at a crucial stage in this dispute and are adopting a more conciliatory tone. We would urge institutions like Kent, Sheffield and St Andrews to do the same or risk being seen as the pariahs of the sector.”

A large number of lecturers at Newcastle University continue to strike against the reduction of pensions, in association with the UCU.

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Monday 5 March 2018

NUSU hosts first ever election debates James Sproston and Harry Parsons Throughout last week, Newcastle Student Radio and The Courier hosted seven debates across four days between candidates vying for Newcastle University Students’ Union Officer positions.

Twenty candidates took to their podiums in 45-minute debates located in the Herschel and Bedson buildings, being broadcasted live on Facebook and on NSR. The week built up to the Presidential debate on Friday, with Raffaello Marioni, Christopher Murray and Holly Waddell being questioned by lead moderator Harry Parsons and his co-moderator, Ronnie Reid.

Policies towards mental health support, sexual harassment and reducing the cost of living were analysed, which each candidate answered defensively, with few attempts to trip up their opponents.

A recurring theme throughout was a lack of knowledge about sources of finance, with clear plans as to how to fund policies rarely being presented, although Waddell did highlight the University’s promises to reinvest any money saved on the payroll through the UCU industrial action direct to student services.

The Presidential debate followed two heated discussions on from Tuesday through to Thursday, where four candidates across the three days were emptypodiumed. One in the Welfare debate, two in the AU debate, and one in the Activities debate.

On Tuesday, candidates running for Chair of Student Council and Editor of the Courier were in the spotlight.

Though Haaris Qureshi was not able to attend, moderator Harry Parsons allowed the only absent candidate an opening statement before the Chair of Student Council debate began.

We had our first ever debate for Welfare candidates this Tuesday. The debate went very well, covering issues from mental health to liberation and chill out zones. All candidates had strong and interesting manifesto pledges, covering several issues that I raised last year which I was very pleased to see, and I hope to see the next Welfare and Equality Office continuing on the developments we have made this year as a Sabbatical Team. They were all able to defend their views and policies very well, and I look forward to seeing the campaigns they run next week!

Sarah Craggs, incumbent NUSU Welfare and Equality Officer

The opening debate, for the only contested part-time role, saw the two candidates struggle to answer a series of questions about their views on the best way to deal with the many issues council will see discussed over the next year.

The debate concluded with the candidates agreeing that outreach was vital to continuing Councils success. The debate lacked bluster and saw a series of questions go unanswered and an audience feeling slightly perplexed.

As the evening continued the candidates for Editor of the Courier filled the stage and, moderated by Alex Hendley, faced a tough set of questions about their plans for the paper particularly on the issues surrounding the paper’s involvement with societies. Candidates agreed on certain issues but there was a clear difference in direction that they each individually saw the paper going in.

On Wednesday night Welfare kicked off the evening’s proceedings with an almost full panel, Sneha Vincent was not present but this didn’t take away from the night’s debate. Issues from student wellbeing to mental health and the best ways for the Students Union to tackle them were picked up on by Zoe Godden, Jack Green and Lucy Butterworth.

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candidates took part in seven different debates across a four day period in the NUSU Election Debate Series

Education followed with Scarlett Eddie chairing the proceedings, with a full house of candidates the debate saw heavy scrutiny of their manifestos with the issue of inclusivity high on the agenda for several of the students putting themselves forward to be the next Education Officer.

Thursday’s debates began with a quiet

stage with just James Anthony and Max Sharp showing up to see their manifestos scrutinised in front of the sitting AU officer and debate moderator Rory Ewart. The candidates held up well to a strong line of questioning of how their respective policies would be affordable and achieved with so many different hurdles they may find themselves up against.

All three candidates, well against intense questioning Later two of the three candidates for the Activities Officer position faced a barrage of deeply researched fact-oriented questions from Newcastle Student Radio’s Josh Flinton. It was only Errol Kerr and Sophie McDermott that were present to face the questions posed with Room Booking for societies a key policy area where the two disagreed.

The conclusion of the week’s affairs saw the Bedson Building host the presidential debate, with an impressive audience turnout for another snowy evening. Harry Parsons used the candidate’s manifestos to shape the nights topics of discussion. Everything from emergency taxi services, Sky Sports subscriptions, cleaner neighbourhoods and party politics were discussed with no single issue taking up too much of the debate time.

Ronnie Reid, assisting the moderation, asked the candidates to look ahead to upcoming issues like another NUS referendum due next spring. All three candidates, Raff Marioni, Holly Waddell and Chris Murray, fared well against intense questioning and showed what a tough choice Newcastle students have in 2018’s Elections.

The debates are available to listen back to on the NSREvents mixcloud page.

Five candidates across the seven contested positions were not present at the debates Image: James Sproston

Chair chaos Hanson Jones News Editor This year there are three candidates running for the position of Chair of Council at NUSU: Adam Warner, Ze Wang and Haaris Qureshi.

A debate amongst the candidates took place last Tuesday evening moderated by NSR’s Harry Parsons and Editor of the Courier, James Sproston.

And what a shambles it was, at no fault of the moderators.

Both candidates spoke of (mostly) irrelevant previous experience Undoubtedly the candidate with the most experience of Student Council and the arduous ways of the Students’ Union was Qureshi, who unfortunately for the audience was absent from the debate.

Those of us who turned up (about a dozen or so) were then subjected to the most painful ‘debate’ possible.

Between the candidates present, one (Warner) had been to Council. Once, to be precise. One time and one time only. However, this struck us as a heaps of experience in comparison to his rival, who not only has never attended Council, but was genuinely clueless about the role he was running for.

Wang spoke of Council as if it was a monthly student-staff committee meeting. In fact, as far as anyone could tell, he knew no better.

The true victims of this ordeal were those in the audience, who struggled to cope with the second-hand embarrassment I couldn’t tell if he was aware that this wasn’t a position within the University, or in his own school for that matter.

Wang continually used the term “Student Chair” to refer to the position being debated upon. Student Chair? What is Student Chair? Chair of what? This was repeated to such an extent that Warner, the candidate who at least seemed to know what Student Council is, also began to use this term.

Both candidates spoke of (mostly) irrelevant previous experience and gave tragically weak answers to the moderators’ questions. A friend aptly questioned whether the candidates knew where they were.

The true victims of this ordeal, however, were those in the audience, who struggled to cope with the second-hand embarrassment as Parsons grilled the clueless candidates, although as he later stated, “you can’t grill bread if you don’t have any bread in the first place”.

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Monday 5 March 2018

Minister calls for student compensation over strikes Isabel Sykes News Editor At the launch of a new regulator for higher education in England, the Office for Students, universities minister Sam Gyimah said students should receive compensation for missed lectures and classes during the recent strikes.

“Gone are the days when students venerated institutions and were thankful to be admitted. We are in a new age - the age of the student” Sam Gyimah, Universities Minister

Universities Minister Sam Gyimah Image: Flickr

The UCU strike action over proposed pension reform entered its fifth day on February 28th, and tens of thousands of students have now signed online petitions demanding compensation for the teaching time they have lost as a result.

Conciliation talks between the union and Universities UK are set to resume from Monday March 5th, but in the mean-time the strikes are going ahead.

Speaking at Westminster to representatives from universities, Sam Gyimah asked them to “step up to the plate” to give students what they expected from their university experience.

He suggested that acts of compensation could take the form of rescheduling cancelled lectures, and using money saved by institutions from not paying striking lecturers to support students.

The minister said: “Ultimately it is those students that are paying the salaries of the striking staff and I don’t want them to suffer any more than they need to in terms of their education.”

Mr Gyimah noted that recent times had seen universities under greater scrutiny, particularly with regards to funding and vice-chancellors’ pay. He said: “Some in the sector see this as a sort of annus horribilis for higher education, a storm to be weathered in the hope of calmer times ahead.

“I think this is a mistaken reading.

This is not a blip. To paraphrase one Conservative prime minister, we are once again experiencing the ‘winds of change’ in the university sector.

“Gone are the days when students venerated institutions and were thankful to be admitted. We are in a new age – the age of the student.”

Mr Gyimah told The Independent that King’s College London were considering directly compensating students for teaching missed due to strike action, and that he thought this was “absolutely essential.”

A spokesperson for King’s said: “King’s will not accrue any financial benefit from the industrial action by UCU and any salary savings will be ring-fenced as a fund which we can use to offset the impact of the strike on our students.”

Newcastle University’s Vice-Chancellor Chris Day addressed the issue of compensation for students at an openforum discussion about the indsutrial action which he hosted on February 16th.

On the day, he said that money saved from not paying striking lecturers would be treated as a “windfall”. He said that it would “go into a fund that will be used specifically for students” and that the university would be “looking for suggestions” from students as to how it is spent.

RAG Community Day smashes fundraising targets Grace Dean

Student volunteers have used their skillsets to raise money for charity and help local residents as part of Raising and Giving (RAG) Community Day. A team of more than 300 Newcastle University volunteers cooperated with local residents and Newcastle-based charities to raise a total of over £7,500.

Organised by Newcastle University’s acclaimed RAG Society, the event followed on from the Society’s incredible success during the 2016/17 academic when more than £76,000 was raised for charities and community-based projects.

the Manor House Road area.

This litter pick follows others organised by student volunteers this academic year. In the aftermath of Freshers’ Week students and residents worked together to clean the city, litter in Fenham was picked in cooperation with Newcastle University Women’s Football Team, and students worked together to clean up Jesmond before Christmas.

Describing RAG Community Day, RAG President Jack Green said that “seeing the students coming together with other local residents of the community and giving back was amazing. I hope that local residents can recognise more that students actually bring a lot of positive things to Jesmond!”

Welfare and Equality Officer Sarah Craggs highlighted the importance of

events such as RAG Community Day to NUSU’s commitment to “enriching the local community and building strong relationships with residents”. She described how “RAG Community Day is an amazing example of how pro-active and enthusiastic our students are.”

Director of Employability and Student Success Marc Lintern praised the students’ hard work: “While permanent

residents often focus on the negative aspects of students living in residential areas, I’m always blown away by the volunteering that students do in the city. Students’ participation in activities such as RAG Community Day is a reminder of the hugely positive contribution which most of our students make to the life of our city.”

“RAG Community Day is an amazing example of how pro-active and enthusiastic our students are” Sarah Craggs, Welfare and Equality Officer

As part of RAG Community Day, students led a technology workshop to assist residents with using electronic devices including tablets and mobile phones at Jesmond Library.

RAG Community Day also saw Jesmond’s biggest ever litter pick, which was organised by RAG Society and Keep Jesmond Clean. The event saw 200 students working together to collect more than 150 bags of litter from

Members of RAG getting involved at Community Day Image: Jack Green

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news

Monday 5 March 2018

Upcoming TEDx talk asks ‘Would you ever?’

Sunil Nambiar Current Affairs Editor TEDx Newcastle University is holding a ‘Would you ever…?’ event on Saturday, 3rd March.

The full-day event, starting at 9 a.m. with a talk by Dr Kevin Felstead titled “‘A National Disgrace - the Carol Felstead Scandal: a true story of false memory”. Dr Felstead is the Director of Communications for the British False Memory Society.

His talk on false memories will centre on his late sister Carol whose childhood memories were reordered through 20 years of protracted psychotherapy.

Dr Felstead’s talk on false memories will centre on his late sister Carol Fodder for inspiration, no doubt, is a talk by Joseph Valente titled “Expelled from the Classroom to Billionaire Boardroom”. As BBC’s The Apprentice winner, Valente gained Lord Sugar as a business partner in his existing boiler installation business before parting ways in August 2017.

In his talk, Valente will reflect on his troubled schooldays and how an unflappable desire to succeed took him to his present station.

The next talk, titled “You can’t heal what you don’t acknowledge” by activist and campaigner Horcelie Sinda Wa Mbongo aims to end the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. The 22-year-old Fine Arts student was born with HIV. Her highly personal talk

will centre on finding out – age 11 – that she was HIV-positive, on growing up with HIV and her views on the AIDS response.

The ‘Would you ever…?’ event is the latest in a series of informative events held by TEDx Newcastle University. In December, it held a ‘Technology’ session. This looked at the possibility of machines taking over human responsibilities. The week before that, it held a ‘Inspire Me’ session, which explored the theme of inspiration.

“This could be a tremendously informative event. I especially look forward to the talk by Dr Kevin Felstead” Jamie Cameron.

Second-year politics student

Jamie Cameron, a second-year politics student, said: “This could be a tremendously informative event. I especially look forward to the talk by Dr Kevin Felstead on his late sister Carol. The mind is such a fragile thing, and I’ve always thought about how we remember our pasts.

It can do us all some good to remember this, and then seek to treat others with sensitivity and understanding. The way this shows how easily manipulated we can be is also a cause for concern.

This event may give us thoughts on how we should structure society to best make use of scientific developments and understanding”.

TEDx Newcastle University holds regular talks throughout the academic year Image: David Göz

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Monday 5 March 2018

Newcastle students win a year of free rent Laura Higgins News Editor On 14th February, Charlie Lilley and his friends from Newcastle University won free rent for the next academic year.

Thanks to Bubble Student, the winners will be able to live affluent student lifestyles since their rent will be covered in their second year of study.

Every student who downloaded the app was immediately entered into the exciting competition Bubble Student abides by their slogan: built for students, by students. The accessible student accommodation app relieves the burden of exhaustive house hunting by guiding students around over 800 letting agencies and 14,000 properties in one database.

In one single tap, students can fine tune their search and book house viewings in seconds.

As a result, house hunting has become an enjoyable rather than a time consuming experience.

Bubble Student takes the stress out of the hands of students which then enables them to enjoy their life on campus.

The exciting competition was launched by the founders of Bubble Student; Felix Henderson and Solomon Wright.

It ran from October 2017 until February 2018 and involved the founders embarking together on a tour across different universities throughout the United

Kingdom.

They visited Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Leeds to raise brand awareness.

They targeted nights and day-time activities encouraging students to discover more about Bubble Student.

Every student who downloaded the app was immediately entered into the exciting competition which promised: one year, one house, rent free. Simple.

Earlier this year, Bubble Student chose a shortlist of ten houses for the prize.

The ten houses then had to make a video focusing on what the students would do if they won free rent for the next academic year.

The winning house was the one with the most likes on their video. Fortunately, Newcastle University students won this exciting prize since they got over 3,000 likes.

The announcement video captures the students’ excitement when they were given a cheque for £20,000 At 11am on Valentine’s Day, Max Fosh arrived at Newcastle University student accommodation to deliver the exciting news. The announcement video captures the students’ excitement when they were given a cheque for £20,000 from Bubble Student.

Bubble Student mobile app enables students to find their perfect property in a stress free manner. We wish Charlie Lilley and his housemates all the best in their new student property.

News Editor Isabel Sykes tries out the app for herself Image: James Sproston

Why can’t we cope with snow?

News Editor Zoe Crowther comments on Britain’s struggle with Snowmageddon A response to the front page coverage In the Christmas period, commercial images of the snowy British countryside conjure up notions of a white and pleasant land. By the beginning of March, however, the wintry reality is far from idyllic.

Storm Emma, coinciding with Arc-

1991, so these are clearly unusual circumstances.

Nevertheless, disgruntled commuters are questioning whether the country’s infrastructure should be better equipped.

the Moscow river.

These efforts result in cars and public transport being able to continue their commutes as usual, posing lower risks to lives and the economy.

With heavy snowfall part of everyday winter life across much of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, ordinary people tend to be much better prepared as well: windows are usually triple glazed, the vast majority of cars are fitted with winter tyres, and everyone recognises the necessity of many thick layers of clothing and sturdy shoes.

Freezing temperatures Disgruntled commuters are being compared to those of Russian Siberia are questioning whether the country’s The aptly named ‘Beast from the infrastructure should East’ travelled to Western Europe from It is very unlikely that Eastern Arctic regions, with the freezbe better equipped similar snow storms ing temperatures being compared to those of Russian Siberia. will be dealt with any Under up to 30cm of snow, tic temperatures from the East, caused #snowmageddon became the top UK havoc across the UK. better in the immediate trend on twitter.

Both national and local transport future So how does Russia cope with its capwas significantly delayed, if not entirely ground to a halt.

With snow clearance efforts, as ever, proving remarkably inadequate, the knock-on effects of this have been huge, with hundreds of schools and workplaces closed across the North East alone.

With amber warnings issued across the region, the treacherous conditions have presented a high risk to both pedestrians and drivers, as well as potentially causing widespread health problems among the elderly, infirm and those experiencing homelessness.

According to the Met Office, this will have been the UK’s coldest week since

ital being covered in snow from November through to April every year?

There can be up to 15,500 snow clearance vehicles on the streets There can be up to 15,500 snow clearance vehicles on the streets of Moscow in times of severe weather, with the snow collected and taken to bunkers where it is crushed and disposed of in

This is a far cry from the trainers and naked ankles of the average Newcastle student. It would seem that Britain has a lot to learn.

However, UK winters are usually in a perpetual state of moderate damp, and snow has usually come and gone within a matter of days.

With no political agendas behind random cold snaps of weather, it is very unlikely that similar snow storms will be dealt with any better in the immediate future.

Baroness Valerie Amos on universities as safe spaces PJ Thompson Students must be allowed to miss lectures that could offend them, a leading university director has said.

Universities need to balance their “responsibility towards free speech” and protecting students from “painful and difficult experiences”.

Baroness Valerie Amos, the chief of SOAS University London, made the comments during a speech at a Higher Education Funding Council for England conference on safeguarding.

Universities need to ensure that there is a safety net for students.

Are safe spaces the solution?

“We need to support difficult and robust debate about difficult and complex issues. But we also have to respect the right of students not to attend if they so wish”, the Labour peer said.

SOAS clarified that the statements only applied to guest lectures, not scheduled classes.

Amos, who left her role as Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN to join SOAS in 2015, said that universities should “create the

space for students to be able to disagree and question”.

Her statements reflect the developing discourse surrounding free speech, taking offence and microaggressions.

Political scientist and vice-chancellor of Oxford, Louise Richardson, has argued that “education is not meant to be comfortable”, and that students should confront ideas they find objectional.

“Fashion a reasoned argument against them, confront the person you disagree with, try to change their mind and be open to them changing your mind”, she said.

Amos’ notion of universities as safe spaces mirrors the NUS’ No Platform policy; which aims to protect campuses from “those holding racist or fascist views”.

However, calls for a safe space is not a form of censorship; free speech is still alive and well in UK universities. The concern is that students fail to engage in discourse for fear of being offended. For example, controversial commentator Milo Yiannopolous has bore the brunt of many safe space policies, preventing him from speaking at UK universities.

Both Baroness Amos and Louise Richardson admit that they have thrived and excelled by challenging ideas within the male-dominated environments they have worked in.

Universities need to ensure there is a safety net for students. Are safe spaces the solution?

Andrew Anthony argues that “in education a safe space is the communal incarnation of a closed mind”.

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Monday 5 March 2018

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

No Rational Adults: any gun control?

Following the USA’s most recent mass high-school shooting, our writers discuss the urgent need for increased gun control Joe Holloran

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n Valentine’s Day this year, a lone deranged individual entered a high school in Florida, USA, armed to the teeth and killed 17 students and staff. This Valentine’s Day Massacre has again brought the issue of gun-control back to the fore, and again people are asking why? How can the (allegedly) most advanced country on Earth allow these events to continue? The answer is an insidious mix of corruption and warped idealism.

Under Trump there will be no change. The only hope lies with youth.

According to an inside source, the National Rifle Association (NRA) gave over $27 million to the ten most pro-gun senators and congressmen in both houses in the same year. This is corruption.

Plain and simple. There have been 32,540-gun related homicides in the USA since the beginning of 2016, according to recent statistical analysis. These Republican politicians, who often run their campaigns on ‘Family Values’ have determined that the lives of each of these individuals is worth around $3000 each. These scavengers of sorrow attempt to hide their avarice behind symbols and notions of patriotism, then accuse those who call for change as being un-patriotic and un-American. The notion of the lone-individual in the Wild West, gun at the ready, beyond the law, is so ingrained in their collective mindset, that to call for any form of change is seen as an affront to this paranoid view of what freedom is.

American is a country founded upon ideals.

Nothing is fixed, so long as the people can have their say. Well, now is the time for those people to make themselves truly heard. Since the Parkland massacre, students across America have begun to organize themselves on a mass-scale to force D.C. into action. They will not succeed alone, and I fear they will fail to find political allies. The Democratic Party has its sights set on winning back seats in Red districts in the up-coming midterms. They will not risk allowing their nominees to run on progun control platforms, as this, in their perception, will anger the ‘average’ American and push them back into the arms of Trump. This is folly. Survey after survey of Americans shows consistently that the clear majority; between 70-83% support some form of tougher gun-control. It is almost impossible to receive a bigger mandate from the public for action. But, Democrats, like Republicans, have

placed campaign donors ahead of their alleged constituents.

Under Trump there will be no change. The only hope lies with youth. Those who go to school today fearing for their lives will remember it always, and they will look to those among them for leadership and change. Few current senators can be trusted on the issue, but Bernie Sanders is one. Should he, or his ideological allies, win in 2020, then change will be swift. If not, then the young must keep up the pressure and fight the good fight for the sake of their children to come.

used in Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting - is by contrast a killing machine, firing a thirty bullet round forty-five times a minute, with an accuracy range of five-hundred and fifty metres. You could say they are designed for mass shootings.

Amber Marwick

Despite this, Republicans and the NRA insist on derailing every call for updated gun regulation.

A

...the NRA insist on derailing every call for updated gun regulation

lthough pertinent to a revolutionary-era America, the Second Amendment (the right of the individual to bear arms) was simply not created with the progression of gun technology in mind. Yet, politicians have achieved little in updating the country’s gun regulations since the constitution was written up. The NRA and Republican’s absolutist stance on the 200-year-old amendment has blocked almost every call for stricter regulatory laws from passing, leading to countless preventable tragedies as mass shootings have become the norm.

The fact of the matter is that the Second Amendment is a relic

Countless preventable tragedies have become the norm of the past and it should be treated as such. At the time it was written, a typical musket was more likely to scare off an opponent than actually hit the target, firing only a one bullet round three times a minute, within an accuracy range of fifty metres. The modern-day AR-15 rifle – the same gun

rights as an American is to own a gun. In light of the NRA’s overwhelming financial support towards the Republican party, this can be seen as nothing short of propaganda, a tool to keep gun lobbyers in the pockets of the right-wing party.

Perhaps it’s understandable that so many Americans are afraid to have their guns taken away. You can’t get rid of every gun in America overnight, but you can ensure that everyone has equal access to the same thing. But the reality is that easy access to guns and training didn’t protect the seventeen victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. What it did do is ensure that the socially defected killer had no difficulty purchasing a military grade assault rifle. Until politicians start enforcing stricter regulations on the industry – beginning with background checks and regulation of high power assault rifles – history will continue to repeat itself, and more lives will be unnecessarily lost.

Second Amendment absolutism is a dangerously effective manipulation tactic used to sway public opinion, intrinsically tying gun ownership to patriotism. To fully exercise o n e’s Image: Elvert Barnes on Flickr

Theresa’s terrible Tory tuition review

With an impending review on tuition fees, Aaron Bacon considers whether students will see any real change in the system

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uition fees: a system that has become so unworkable and so ill conceived that even the Conservative government have taken it upon themselves to ‘review’ its future.

As swathes of young people have been inspired

by Labour’s plans to scrap tuition fees, restore maintenance grants and return dignity to the higher education domain, the Conservative party had no choice but to acquiesce.

I myself am a pragmatic. I’m engaged in how to make the system work not just for students, but also for taxpayers. Higher Education policy is, and will, remain a Pandora’s box. It is extremely challenging to come to a compromise between access, affordability, and taxpayer contribution. In response to

these challenges, the Conservative government has ushered in a system of complete inadequacy, with ever-increasing fees aligned with inflation and uncapped and unrepresentative interest rates.

Higher Education is a Pandora’s box For the majority of students, they will never fully repay their loans. In fact, many will see their debt rise faster than they can repay it. The clock starts ticking the minute you step through the higher

education door, with the average student accumulating £5000 worth of interest on their loan before they even graduate. This state-owned debt, which rises quicker than most can pay it back, will inevitably be written off, but paid for by whom? Taxpayers. Everybody loses in this Tory game of dice, leaving a generation of students shackled with inexplicable debt and a legacy of failure.

What do we believe could be achieved with this review? Will it be a reconsideration of the entire system and how it manifests injustice? Or will it be a lethargic disengaged throwback with a few minor changes to keep the current system on life support?

My predictions are restored maintenance grants, a reduction on interest rates and an indefinite freeze

of tuition fees for the foreseeable future. Any talk of variable rates depending on subject choice or institution would be a major step backwards, resulting in a new legacy of second-class education, akin to grammar schools and comprehensives.

Everybody loses in this Tory game of dice All I can say is that any hope of consciousness or rationality about this review should be discarded.

The review will be a lacklustre throw-out to those that believe Labour’s plans are ‘too radical’.

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Monday 5 March 2018

Mediavsmentalhealth?

Megan Hughes considers the influence of social media upon our experience of mental health

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he issue of mental health is a very important and current topic of conversation.

However, is it really necessary that the media, specifically social media, is glamorising the likes of anxiety and depression?

Statistically more and more teenagers are being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and frankly it is quite scary how the rates of diagnosis are soaring. What is the cause for this? Could social media influencers be the answer?

Well-known bloggers such as Zoella and Tanya Burr are known to openly air their struggles with anxiety, both in the past and how it affects them now. Whilst it could be seen as quite admirable to share something so deeply personal, the way in which they seem to almost glorify mental health is questionable.

They say it is normal to have a mental disorder, and glorify it to the extent whereby their audiences

wish to follow suit, in order to liken themselves to these ‘role models’ that they have been following.

Thus, this notion of normalisation poses catastrophic consequences. This normality is being mistaken and wrongly educated as healthy and ‘cool’. This poses the question of whether it then leads to self-diagnosis. So, do teenagers think that it is in fact abnormal not to have anxiety and depression?

The way in which they glorify mental health is questionable As a teenager, you are at one of the most vulnerable stages in your life, with many pressures put on the way you look, think and feel. It is a time when

you are at your most vulnerable, and are easily influenced. Within the past few years this stage of vulnerability has clashed with the mass consumption of the internet and social media. It goes without saying that social media has had an astronomical effect on the generation of today, seeping into every aspect of life and culture as we know it.

So, is there a correlation between the alarming rates of mental health diagnosis in teenagers, and the unsettling world of social media influences?

For some bloggers and influencers to be so blasé about mental health, something which is so important, is utterly ignorant and exploitative of young people. Not only this, but it is also very demeaning to those with mental illness, in a way that dismisses the severity of it. Genuine awareness needs to be raised through education, which would help enable the lessening of stigma and nonchalant attitudes.

Prosecuting for privacy As campaigners push for criminalising upskirting, our writers discuss the importance of consent

Grace Dean

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espite 2018 allegedly being “The Year of the Woman”, shocking details of a sexual offence trend have recently come to light.

Victims, politicians and campaign groups have been fighting to make “upskirting” a criminalised sexual offence.

Upskirting is the act of taking illicit photographs under women’s dresses or skirts without consent.

Girls as young as ten have been targeted by perpetrators using phones in public spaces including nightclubs, shops and restaurants. Despite the shocking nature of the offence, groups such as the End Violence Against Women coalition are rightly disappointed by the government’s inaction and indeed indifference regarding this issue, which is sometimes brushed aside as being a mere “prank”.

Currently there is no law banning upskirting in England and Wales, and, because it isn’t a specific criminal offence, victims and police can only pursue offences of voyeurism, public order and indecency. Even then this proves difficult, as “outraging public decency” usually requires a witness, yet the very nature of upskirting and the closely-related “downblousing” means it is often unobserved. Furthermore the crime is often only discovered later when the photographs are found online. This difficulty has led to only eleven charges being made of the seventy-eight incident reported since 2015.

The sooner a law is introduced, the more crimes can be prevented The government has said the law is under review as part of the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s current inquiry into everyday and public sexism, but this is coming too late. When it comes to criminal offences, rapid action is needed. Victims are pressing for upskirting to be criminalised, not just to get justice and charge their attackers, but also to prevent this happening to other women in the future. The sooner this law is introduced, the more crimes can be prevented.

Upskirting became a criminal offence in Scotland in 2010 following its inclusion under the broader definition of voyeurism. No wonder the Scots want independence from us. Why hasn’t the rest of Great Britain followed suit and criminalised it?

Campaigners argue that this lack of legal public protection against upskirting “breaches women’s human rights”. Once this act is regarded as a sexual offence and complainants have a right to anonymity, victims will feel increasingly confident in reporting incidents. This will reduce sexual harassment and enable prosecutions of perpetrators, who may be discovered to have committed other sexual offences.

Campaigners point out the similarities between upskirting and revenge porn, which was criminal-

ised in April 2015 following a national campaign.

The act of posting explicit material online without consent became a crime in response to public outcry over a legal grey area, and has led to five-hundred prosecutions annually.

Upskirting is ultimately a gross violation of privacy which belittles and degrades women, and is especially concerning because of the young ages of victims. As a fellow woman, Theresa May should be shocked by these allegations and should ensure that this legal grey area is removed quickly and fairly, with the victims being treated with the sensitivity they deserve.

Georgia Corbett

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highly seriously and if it reached more than 60,000 would look into the legalities around having the Act amended. However he has not commented more recently on the topic. Several American and Australian states have put in legislature and in Japan the issue is so rife camera phones have a shutter sound when taking a photo.

Objectification of women has gone too far So why is it that the UK has yet to consider such a blatant case of sexual misconduct a crime? At best, it is for personal use and is thus harassment and voyeurism, or at worst it is publicly distributed and is thus revenge porn. Another clear crime that found no legislature until only three years ago.

Objectification of women has once again gone too far. No man should consider themselves to have the right to take inappropriate and illicit images of women without their consent, to say otherwise is ridiculous and unsubstantiated.

pskirting is exactly what it sounds like.

Taking photos up women’s skirts in order to procure illicit images for private or public consumption.

Unsurprisingly, this is technically categorised as sexual harassment.. It has in the past however only been prosecuted as ‘voyeurism’ under the 2003 Sexual Offences Act and as a criminal offence of ‘outraging public decency’ as was in the case against Simon Hamilton in 2007. Upskirting itself is not a crime in England and Wales despite having been criminalised in Scotland under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act of 2009.

One of the main issues with criminalising it in England and Wales has been the low statistics. Only seventy-eight cases have been reported and investigated in the last two years, which in comparison to most sexual offences is low. In 2015-16 there were 23, 851 cases of rape in the UK. However one need only take a cursory glance across the internet to find hundreds of thousands of images depicting upskirting, certainly more than seventyeight. This is by no means a new problem, as seen by the fact Scotland has legislated against it, but it has recently been brought to the media’s attention due to Merseyside releasing that of the twelve cases they reported this year, four of them were children. As minors are involved a more emotive reaction has erupted.

Furthermore, last year a woman named Gina Martin began a petition to have the 2003 Act amended to include upskirting following an incident of her own, the petition is currently only a couple thousand short of its Image: Geneva Vanderzeil on Flickr 85,000 target. MPs such as David Lidington, and Wikimedia Commons Justice Secretary have said they take these cases

SOAPBOX COMMENT’S HOME OF WEEKLY RANTS Supportive Students

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Megan McManus

s we are all aware, lecturers and university staff have recently been taking strike action in order to protect the right to a fair pension. To them I say: we commend you.

I have not talked to a single student about the subject who has not expressed some sort of support for the action taken to defend our right. It would not be exaggerating to say that the vast majority, if not practically all, students stand with staff in this struggle and are proud of what they are doing. The strike action taking place is both necessary and important – it is such bravery and the following of moral conscience that enables the hope of a better society. Whilst lost teaching hours may be a nuisance, the continuance and increase of cuts to pensions would be a catastrophe. The staff who are taking action against this injustice deserve to be praised as soldiers in the battle for a fairer future.

National Fail

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Zoë Crowther

f you’re like me, and picturing yourself behind the wheel of a car instils utmost terror, then you too rely on the vast network of disappointment that is National Rail.

My inevitably delayed trains to Nottingham always change at Newark: where no commuter, or human being, would willingly find themselves. This tiny speck of a place has two stations, which, for the tired student with excessive luggage, proves a nightmare when trying to sprint between them in a window of ten minutes.

Navigating the regulations of private rail companies presents even greater challenges.

Having forgotten my rail card, I was informed

by East Midlands Trains that, unlike other companies, paying the difference was “not their policy.” After having paid £87 (yep) for a new ticket, the departures board teasingly flickered between “on time” and “delayed,” repeatedly greeted by a collective groan from everyone waiting on the platform.

The man standing next to me grumbled: “For fuck’s sake, I’d nationalise the bastards tomorrow.” I grumbled in agreement, and I now have a balding Yorkshireman as a friend: solidarity through pure exasperation.

Tyne for Tea?

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Caitlin Disken

tarting uni, you’d expect the biggest culture shock to be moving from a small(ish) town to a city centre. Yet, my biggest surprise happened to revolve around a drink. No, not the excessive amounts of alcohol consumed during Fresher’s Week, but the staple drink of God’s Own County: tea.

Now, everybody has their own tastes, and I’m not saying everyone should drink as much tea as I do. But growing up in a household where the natural reflex was to pop the kettle on, it was strange to meet people who preferred coffee over tea, and even stranger to meet people who didn’t like tea at all.

Is there anything better than hearing ‘want a cuppa?’ after a long, stressful day at uni? I don’t think so. I feel sorry for those who don’t like tea: congratulations, your taste-buds have well and truly played you.

”

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student voice

Monday 5 March 2018

Letter of apology: Louis Ainley The Dolly Club has been a stalwart of the School of Modern Languages since the turn of the year, but following a mass fallout ever-present Ainley was forced to beg for his place Dear all, As you all know, yesterday I took the decision to resign from the Dolly Parton club, owing to an unfair and inconsistent strike system, which seemed to favour certain individuals in the group, and discriminate against other hard workers. My grievances are well known and, in my opinion, the rules are absolute.

In the words of Sean Connery, “only the penitent man will pass” Family circumstances are regarded as authorised absences, and I fail to see why my situation is different. However, I believe we are stronger as a five than a four, and at this stage in our university

The Old Library Building’s Language Resource Centre is home to the club Photography: LRC

careers; concessions must be made for the greater good. I wholeheartedly apologise for my rash actions in leaving the Facebook Messenger group entitled Dolly’s Angels. It was an error of judgement on my part, and a decision I currently regret. Sitting on a different octagon from you all yesterday felt strange, and not something that I wish to repeat over time. I believe we as a group can get past this sticky situation, but let me apologise to you all individually.

Alex. In the words of Sean Connery, “only the penitent man will pass”. Rest assured, my friend, that I will not duck out of my penance, and do everything possible to get things back on track. I value your input on French work, and also as a friend, though your status as a Level C Hispanist lets you down unfortunately, and you provide no assistance to me in this area. Overall, however, you are a valued part of the group, and I am sorry that your

scarf has not been returned to you.

Bäz. You are the voice of reason in the group, and by far and away the most hardworking. Your work ethic is phenomenal, and to be admired by oth-

MISSING

LAST SEEN THROWING TOYS OUT OF THE PRAM AND REFUSING TO ACCEPT AGREED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

ers as a way to improve. I wish that I had not have wronged you in the way that I have. Rest assured that you were mere collateral damage in the argument, and that in your role as Liam’s right hand blowke, you stepped into my line of fire. I will buy you a pint to earn back your trust and respect.

Heather. I’m not really sure what to say to you.

We are new friends, but I have come to value your daily presence in the Language Resource Centre.

Your work ethic and sheer determination is to be admired. the way you stuck to your guns despite peer pressure to buy pints last Friday is not something that I will forget, and the fortitude your displayed provides clear indication of your worth to the group.

Though you cannot pronounce Linguee, and have yet to attend a single strike meeting, I am incredibly sorry for having wronged you, and hope to make it up to you buy purchasing you a glass of red. I hope that in doing this, we can start to rebuild our relationship, and you can buy me that pint you owe me.

Liam. Our dear leader. I fear your adulation of historical tyrants may have led to the power going to your head in this instance. I am incredibly hurt that, not only did you not protect me from committing this mistake as leader, but you also the lied to my face last night on the metro, and tried to blame Alex for the dismissal of my appropriate Aitor Karanka analogy of me walking out. Steve Gibson though you are not, I still recognise the huge part you play in my life, as leader of this club, canny lad of Whickham Cricket Club, and as a friend.

You frequently go beyond the call of duty in household chores, something I aspire to equal one day. I crave your pardon for my mistakes, and hope to do better next time.

Your apologetic friend and colleague, Louis Alexander Ainley

life & style

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the courier Monday 5 March 2018

@CourierLifestyle c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/lifestyle Life & Style Editor Izzi Watkins Lifestyle Editors Sophie Henderson, Jaymelouise Hudspith, Lauren Sneath & Victoria Young

Blind Date

Alex Firth, 19, 2nd Year Media

Alex on Charlotte...

Charlotte Wood, 20, 2nd Year Finance

How did conversation flow?

Conversation flowed well, we talked about a lot of different things, we even tried to talk in Spanish.

Hey Alex! How did you enjoy your date last night?

It was great!

What were your first impressions of Charlotte when you first saw her?

I thought she was pretty, her London accent hit me first.

Where did you decide to go together?

She suggested Alvinos, I’d never been so we headed there.

We heard you were a little bit nervous.

Was it worth all the nerves or was it a comfortable evening?

Honestly, I was more cold than nervous, it was a pretty comfortable evening.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about Charlotte?

She had a house in Spain as a child, that was cool.

Did you sense any romantic chemistry during your time out?

Not really, but she’s definitely a cool person.

What do you think she thought of you?

I hope she thought I’m alright, I don’t know really!

Have you been talking since or do you plan on another date?

Nope, and probably not.

Would you swipe left, swipe right or superlike?

Swipe right...

VERDICT: ALEX ON CHARLOTTE her London accent hit me first

Personality

Fancy a date? We’ll set you up.

Find us on our 2017/ 2018 Facebook page or email at c2.lifestyle@newcastle.ac.uk

Conversation

Looks

8/10 8/10 8/10

Charlotte on Alex...

character, which one would he be and why?

I literally have no idea, but if he doesnt call me a disney princess I’ll be livid!

So Charlotte, when you first met Alex did you think he had made an effort to brush up?

I couldn’t really tell- he didn’t take off his coat because he said he was cold.

And what did you do for the date?

We just headed to Alvinos for a couple of drinks.

How would you describe personality?

Quite funny and chatty.

Alex’s

What was your favourite thing about the date?

My drink was peng...

If you had to compare Alex to a disney

Were you nervous or did it prove to be a comfortable evening?

We got on well so it wasn’t awkward at all.

Did you sense any romantic chemistry during your time out?

Nah, not really.

Were there any red flags?

He was a nice guy but I don’t really ever go for blondes.

Would you like to see Alex again?

I don’t think so, sorry!

Overall, how would you rate the date?

A six?

Would you swipe left, swipe right or superlike?

It would have to be a swipe left just because he wasn’t my usual type at all.

VERDICT: CHARLOTTE ON ALEX I don’t ever really go for blondes

Personality

Conversation

Looks

7/10 7/10 7/10

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life & style lifestyle Monday 5 March 2018 Recipe of Dealing with pet withdrawal syndrome The Week Ella Williams tells us how she copes with her pet withdrawal syndrome while at university

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his dish looks fancy but is actually very straightforward to make, so its great if you’re cooking for you and a friend and want something a little bit impressive. The lightly spiced red lentils are perfect with the mellow roasted aubergine, but you could up the spice level with a sprinkle of chilli flakes if that’s your thing. Serve alongside rice, quinoa or couscous for a hearty, warming meal that’s the perfect cozy comfort food for this time of year.

permanent inhabitants, along with kittens up for adoption for any newly initiated cat ladies. As the (punny) name suggests, choose a frothy coffee to accompany your fluffy experience, or one of the homemade smoothies for a warmer day. It also offers a choice of soups, Panini’s, sandwiches and baked delights if those take your fancy. Swing on one of the hanging chairs while you slurp if you’re lucky enough to get one (though they remain a particular favourite napping area for the kitties!)

Serves 2 Ingredients:

Dog and Scone

1 aubergine a small bunch of fresh thyme 3 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp nutmeg 150g split red lentils a big handful cherry tomatoes 2 big handfuls spinach salt and pepper, to taste Optional, to serve: a small handful fresh parsley, chilli flakes, brown rice/ quinoa/ couscous

Directions:

Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees C. Prepare the aubergine by slicing it in half lengthways, leaving the stem attached (but don’t eat it, it’s just to look pretty). Place each half cut side down so it’s stable and then make vertical slices into the skin side of the aubergine about 1cm apart, stopping each cut 1cm from the flat side of the aubergine so that you don’t slice all the way through and the half stays together once sliced.

Grease a baking tray with a tablespoon of olive oil and place the aubergine halves flat side down, before drizzling another tablespoon olive oil over the skin side, trying to get it in between the slices as much as possible.

Scatter the thyme sprigs over the aubergine and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, then transfer to the oven to roast for about 25 minutes, or until the skin is starting to brown in places and the flesh is very soft and tender.

Meanwhile, halve, peel and dice the onion. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add in a tablespoon of olive oil. Tip the onion into the saucepan and cook for five minutes or so, or until the onion has softened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the spices, then rinse the lentils in a sieve and add them in too, before adding in enough freshly boiled water to just cover the lentils. Stir everything together, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25-30 minutes, but make sure to check packet instructions because different lentil types will vary in cooking times.

Stir the lentils occasionally while they’re cooking and top up the water as needed so that the pan doesn’t boil dry. By the end of the cooking time the lentils should be tender to the point of falling apart, and most of the water should have been absorbed so that it has the consistency of a purée or dip.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add in to the pan along with the spinach and a good pinch of salt and pepper, tasting and adding more salt and pepper as needed. Cook for a couple more minutes until the spinach is wilted.

To serve, divide the red lentils between two plates, spooning them into the centre and spreading slightly with the back of a spoon, before placing the aubergine halves on top, flat sides down.

Roughly chop the parsley and scatter over along with the chilli flakes, if using. And you’re ready to eat! Serve alongside rice, quinoa, couscous, or anything else you want.

Hope Coke

Image: Hope Coke

Image: Jayme Hudspith

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here can be several stabs of separation when you leave home for university. The distance comes in twangs: when you sip a cup of tea from not-your-favourite mug, your halls mattress squeaks in unfamiliar ways and Tesco’s zesty white isn’t quite the Friday night tipple from your parents’ wine cupboard.

For me, though, there’s been nothing to highlight the lack of home like hearing my cat Cleo’s crackling mew from the end of the phone. Boom: cat-ache.

The feline fuzz on your face in the morning, licks like fond sandpaper and little, reassuring purrs of affection are all of a sudden achingly absent.

Thankfully, Newcastle offers options to fill the pet-shaped void. The concept of petting cafés was new to me before coming to the Toon; an ingenious idea! A cup of coffee and a cuddle, a furry friend with your frappuccino or wet nose nuzzles on a wet

day are the perfect antidote to those moments of withdrawal. Leaving your home-scented darlings can be one of the hardest parts about coming to uni. So, when your flatmates don’t bound to greet you with quite the same enthusiasm and 5pm feels more like Sniffle’s dinner time than Lecture Ten, how can you get your daily dose of doggo or feline fix?

CatPawCino

Quite possibly the classic among the pet cafés, CatPawCino is a dainty and delicate little haven for cat lovers, located peacefully by the river on Newcastle’s Quayside. Wooden tables and pillowy seating areas are scattered amongst cat trees, tunnels and toys, creating a light and airy atmosphere complete with soft music and softer mews. A lovely variety of breeds are the café’s

If you crave some tail-wagging and ball-fetching adoration, turn just off Grainger Street for Newcastle’s one and only dog cafe. A larger room allows space for the leaps and bounds of frolicking pups, summing up the energy and playfulness with its large ball-pit centre piece (a doggy favourite).

Six darlings of different shapes and sizes are ready to greet you with their endless excitement, from pugs to poodles to Pomeranians. Grab a drink or a snack while you throw them a ball, or they’re down for stroke if you just want a soul-restoring cuddle.

Mog on the Tyne

Just a few doors down more cats wait in Newcastle’s first and original cat café. With its extravagant kitty climbing frames and toys hanging from every surface, Mog on the Tyne is a moggie’s dream. The hot chocolates are a feat in themselves, and come piled high with cream, marshmallows and other frothy, fluffy embellishments. However, the attention to detail is what makes this catthemed paradise, from the cat-shaped cushions to the chocolate paw prints sprinkled on top of hot beverages. With every element designed with its feline residents in mind, this café is for the hardcore cat enthusiasts.

Self help books - do they work?

Fashion Editor Sophie Schneider and Film Editor Christopher Wilkinson share their thoughts

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lthough I wish I could take back those few hours of my life, I have read a selfhelp book. It was one of those incredibly patriarchal, stuck-up ‘guides’ (guide being an extremely loose term) on ‘How to find the perfect man’, written of course, by a man.

I bought it when I was approximately 15 years old, having been riled-up by too many Hugh Grant rom-coms, and I’d joined the thousands of women trapped in the repressive discourse that believe there actually is, a perfect man. I can confirm to you six years later that there is indeed not.

Riled-up by too many Hugh Grant Rom-com’s However, when I read it in all my naivety I actually believed it to be true. That’s the problem, these self-claimed ‘gurus’ scam you into believing that their 286 page book of padded oversimplifications and self-promotion by an ‘experienced lover/ realist/ driven worker/ techno-wiz/ *insert any other made-up word to describe a slightly amateur writer*, is the key to success, when really it’s the key to six hours of your life wasted feeling like a lesser-human.

The majority of the time, the knowledge that these ‘gurus’ share, is usually common sense with truths such as ‘be confident’ as the route to success in any endeavour. These ‘empowering’ mantras that authors use are often entirely out of context for the average reader. If you’ve taken the time, money, and effort to read a self-help book, it’s quite likely that you’re a shy sort of person.

How likely is it, then, that by the imperative order ‘BE CONFIDENT’ is someone going to automatically drop all confidence issues, shed their skin, and be an entirely different person? Thus, the statement ‘if it works for me, it will work for you!’ is in fact a load of bollocks, as everyone is different; if you’re so up your own asshole with confidence that you’re going to create a self-help book based on your own success, you’re not going to relate to reader timid Tim, who struggles to go on public transport by himself.

Sophie Schneider

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t is an easy thing to misapprehend what a self-help book actually is. In its broadest, most loosely defined sense, a self-help book is a piece of literature used in order to help the reader re-structure their life in a positive direction - what this positive direction may be is entirely open to the readers discretion.

It is because of the ambiguity over what this ‘direction’ is that makes the term ‘self-help book’ one so applicable to many different books.

Take, for example, most religious texts, which might in fact be considered self-help books with a religious disposition. In fact, many people consider the texts which are the foundation of Buddhism to be the introduction to a completely new philosophy of life, something hardly indistinguishable to the kind of conventional self help books which are so often frequently derided in modern times.

At this point I should admit that I myself do not read the conventional self-help book, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am against them in principle. If someone can draw some positive outlook from them – and most people find it hard to

draw a positive outlook from anything nowadays – then good for them.

A self-help book is not as bad as reading the label of an empty Jack Daniels bottle It might well be true that some self-help books enforce a sort of brain-washing, romantic, fanciful approach to life, but while it may not be for me it might be for other people. Bridget Jones may have found it more fulfilling to cast them aside, but selfhelp books have their merits for others (and let’s face it, she needed way more than a paperback to cure her anyway). Let people do their own thing and make themselves happy. A self-help book is not as bad as reading the label of an empty Jack Daniels bottle.

Christopher Wilkinson

Image: Flickr

the courier

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Monday 5 March 2018

Newcastle-based student mags

Beauty Editor Susanne Norris talks local lifestyle magazines, covering both paper and online

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espite living in an age where everything can be read online, I must admit I’m still a magazine lover. Be it Cosmopolitan, Tatler, or Take a Break (a definite guilty pleasure) I love reading them all. I like the style of magazines and their often-informal tones. I try to keep up with reading them in either hard copy or Snapchat formats.

I was intrigued to see what Newcastle offered in terms of magazines. I did a little bit of research and found some super publications. So, without further ado, here are my favourite magazines Newcastle has to offer. Most are run by or in partnership with the university, so are easy to pick up on campus.

I was intrigued to see what Newcastle offered in terms of magazines Gift of the Gab

Gift of the Gab was set up by students at Newcastle to celebrate different languages and cultures. Its Facebook page claims it’s great for ‘language lovers all over the world’; I can confirm that Gift of the Gab is great for many reasons.

Firstly, it’s a super way to get international students involved with writing and a community. I can only imagine how daunting it must be to leave your comfort zone and attend university abroad, so I feel like this is a perfect platform for allowing people to feel more welcome. Gift of the Gab publishes articles in 12+ languages, so there really

is something for everyone.

But don’t be fooled, you don’t have to be a languages student, or speak another language, to get involved. The magazine focuses on what a gift language is, so makes a great read for anyone interested in other cultures.

North East. I’d say particularly for freshers, who are still getting to grips with the city, this magazine could be really helpful. Their Facebook page also regularly posts about local events and includes details on where to find copies of this publication.

Her Campus

Her Campus is an online publication perfect for the modern woman at university. The Her Campus website promotes itself as ‘the #1 global community for college women’.

Her Campus has chapters all over the world and began in the US. So naturally, it was very exciting when a Her Campus chapter was set up at Newcastle University.

Expect articles on all sorts of things that relate to being a woman at university, from advice on fashion and beauty to more substantial issues, such as covering LGBTQ+ rights at university.

Whilst this publication is online, rather than in a more traditional hard copy format, the writing is extremely accessible and fun to read. Just like what you’d expect from any great magazine.

North East Lifestyle

Firstly, this isn’t a publication that has anything to do with the university. However, it has proved itself to be extremely valuable to Newcastle students exploring the city. It covers any activity you can possibly imagine you may want to try whilst at university.

The magazine offers guides on the best places to eat and drink, along with all kinds of hidden gems that are worth a visit in Newcastle and the

Image: Gift of the Gab

Is the paper planner obsolete?

Madison Bainbridge discusses why we shouldn’t give up on our trusty paper planners just yet

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ver the past few years the popularity of paper planners has seen a renaissance, with sales increasing by up to 10 percent in the last year alone.

According to the New York Times, this popularity largely centres on high-end luxury planners, rather than their cheaper, more functional counterparts. But why, in our technology-obsessed society, do we still bother with paper planners at all?

First and foremost, digital planners are far more efficient, providing multiple tools for organisation in one location. Electronic planners are also kinder on our wallets, with a vast array of free planners available on the app store - if you own a smart phone that is.

In 2018 we are constantly bombarded with digital information, from newspaper articles, to Facebook memes, to text messages.

They are also greener for the planet, with no trees harmed in the making. So, with all the advantages of using electronic diaries, why are we still turning to the physical copies instead to fulfil our organisational needs?

In 2018 we are constantly bombarded with digital information, from newspaper articles, to Facebook memes, to text messages. When using our smart phones, it can be easy for our brains to get

Image: PxHere

distracted. Writing down our ideas on paper can help to remove these distractions, and thus allows us to properly engage with the task at hand. When we do this, it is far more likely that we’ll remember what it is we are needing to do. It also gives us more time to think of solutions to any of our planning problems, like overlapping plans that can be easily overlooked when quickly added to an electronic reminder.

Reminders on my phone help to keep me organised when I’m distracted by things like Snapchat or Instagram Paper planners also allow us to be more creative with how we organise our plans. Although the perfectionists amongst us might be offended by the idea of this chaotic practice of organisation, their more creative peers thrive on this aspect of the paper planner. This supposedly old-fashioned medium also provides us with a fresh start each year.

I, for one, think there is something particularly therapeutic about this practice- that of trying once again to reorganise our lives, by making a fresh start at an annual milestone. This is an experience that you simply don’t get with a digital planner, where deleting things is far quicker and easier, and thus less meaningful. If you’re looking to design your life, rather than map it monotonously into identical electronic boxes, buy a planner and a set of sharpies.

The UK stationery industry was work £2.06 billion in 2016, according to Verdict Retail, and was only set to see growth in the next five to ten years.

This is due to innovative design ranges like that of Cath Kidston or Emma Bridgewater, which set their products apart as ranges which can overlap into luxury or gift sectors of the market. ‘Kitsch’ is the word of the moment in stationery ranges, and the market for matching sets is booming.

The question of whether the demand for paper stationery and its various necessary accessories is justified in the impact it has on the environment is yet to be answered.

I personally use a combination of both paper and digital planner to organise my calendar. I

use an electronic planner for brief updates such as ‘lecture at 2pm’, or ‘dentist appointment tomorrow’.

These reminders on my phone help to keep me organised when I’m distracted by things like Snapchat or Instagram. When I’m wanting to create more in depth lists of the tasks I need to complete, such as seminar work or the contents of an email, then this is where I find the paper planner most useful. The quiet contemplation time it provides allows me to properly focus without any distractions.

Ultimately however, the decision between paper and digital is up to the individual. Which would you choose?

lifestyle life & style Rant of the week: USU Strikes

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o apparently there’s a strike on right now.

If the leaflets and posters dotted around campus didn’t make that obvious, I’m sure the numerous hot takes and shit memes all over social media certainly will.

Though I feel it’d be disingenuous to describe myself as their most militant supporter, I do agree with the strike action being undertaken by the UCU. Which is why I find it rather bizarre that around 70,000 students have signed a petition demanding a refund of their tuition fees for lost lecture time. First off, how does one quantify lost lecture time in financial terms? And who’s going to provide this refund? The University? The Student Loan Company? Fat fucking chance either way.

No, I get the impression that calls for a refund are an expression of anxiety rather than a serious demand in most cases. Besides, speaking personally I’d probably just spend it all on bacon sandwiches anyway.

But what I find so utterly dispiriting in the already shit debate around the strikes is how quickly we’ve accepted the commercialisation of our higher education (and I include myself in this unfortunately). Rather than asking for a refund, I wish more people would ask why we’re being saddled with a £27’000 debt most of us will never pay off in the first place? Maybe I’m just solidifying my old man on campus status by saying this but I remember the 2010 tuition fee protests. I remember watching riot police kettle and beat protestors as young as school children and drag disabled protestor Jody McIntyre out of his wheelchair to arrest him (which is illegal I might add) and then David Cameron having the temerity to call said protestors feral. I even remember my Sixth Form held a spontaneous mass in solidarity with the protestors in London.

Has the idea of paying £27’000 or more for a degree truly become so normalised since then?

Because that’s what the idea of a refund for lost lecture time implies. Its a tacit acceptance that degrees are something one can buy rather than earned through study. The attack on lecturers’ pensions is another aspect to this commercialisation of higher education. By eroding lecturers’ pension rights, Universities are turning them into casual workers. And who benefits? Not the people asking for a refund that’s for certain. That’s why I feel their anger would be far better directed towards the University management and the exorbitant pay they receive. They’re the only ones who stand to gain from turning our universities into commercial enterprises.

At the end of the day I understand the anxiety around the strikes. But we must understand that our lecturers are the lifeblood of our university.

Our lecturers organise our degrees and teach our modules. They impart knowledge that can enrich our lives long after we leave university. Many of them even fulfil something of a pastoral function, and their support for a struggling student can make the difference between them dropping out and carrying on and getting a degree. For all this, I think the least they deserve are decent pension rights and if striking is the only way to guarantee them, then so be it.

Gerry Hart

Image: Wikimedia Commons

@Courier_life Image: Max Pixel

@courier_lifestyle

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life & style fashion

LET’S GET ETHICAL

We love sheep thrills

c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska

the courier Monday 5 March 2018

We stand against Weinstein

Emily Scott explores the importance of the Time’s Up campaign at Hollywood’s award parties

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s 2017 drew to a close, the MacArthur’s Foundation released a distressing, truthful and neoteric report. It estimated that the fashion industry creates 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse emissions every year: more than international flights and shipping put together. The report shook the media, but three months on, most shocking is the fact that its staggering statistics were fairly predictable.

Sustainability is a rare thing amidst the upsurge of fast-fashion. That habit of buying a new, cheap top for a night out, only to wear it twice (at most three times) is draining our planet. How difficult can it be to stop the fast-fashion cycle?

Opening London Fashion Week, Vin + Omi have said it’s almost impossible for low-cost high street clothes to be ethical. Talking to the BBC, they challenge any designers who say they sell to 300 stores around the world and are still sustainable.

The ethical brand began creating new, sustainable fabric in 2004, and were awarded a NESTA scholarship to develop their materials. They work with River Keepers to produce fabric from plastic they clean from the Hudson River.

Vin + Omi also manufacture with natural products, and so throughout the Autumn/ Winter 2018 collection, the ‘leather’ is made out of the skin of chestnut. But it’s not just the material; Vin + Omi strive to project a political message in each collection, and this season they’re focusing on the cause of carbon footprint. The designer duo said that there are ‘so many cookie cutters,’ with each design strategy replicating the next. And it seems they’re a fan of the metaphor. This year’s main message ‘WE ARE NOT SHEEP’ suggests a direct move away from the herd in order to be environmentally friendly.

Those of us interested in fashion tend to idolise a certain group of designers and influencers. Trend is ever-changing, and the fashion industry relies on constant turnover, with more and more collections each year and new brands popping up regardless. It is super important to make ethical fashion choices.

We all want to, but just how easy is it to stop being a sheep?

Affordability is key for students - we can’t break the bank for our everyday outfits. For those of you trying to be more ethical (minus the Vin + Omi budget - we’re not Michelle Obama or Beyoncé), try re-wearing some old pieces from the back of your wardrobe. Take some time out to style them differently - pair them with different things. There is always a reason behind a purchase, and if you’re not a fan at first glance, throw some added thought into getting dressed. Charity shops are also an option.

But besides the second-hand, there are plenty inexpensive alternatives to high-street retailers.

Look out for the likes of Hara the Label, who make underwear crafted with bamboo fibre, Galamaar, swimwear made from ocean waste, Everlane, a brand championing the slow-fashion movement, and Reformation (for a bit more of a splurge) - an eco-pioneer. Instagram is a great place for ethical inspiration. It’s all about finding a balance that works for you. So next time you’re scrolling through ASOS, reconsider the items in your basket. There’s no harm in a bit of retail therapy, but do you really need a new striped tee with five sat in your drawer at home?

Sophie Henderson

Instagram: @Vinandomi

Instagram: @reesewitherspoon

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ollywood has been at the centre of extremely bad press in the previous few months, with accusations of sexual harassment and assault becoming something of a norm amongst a-list celebs. However, many famous faces want to turn this negative into a positive and the peak of this year’s awards season has seen this solidarity first-hand.

From this tragedy and violation, comes the opportunity for mass solidarity, a public outcry against these crimes and an active attempt to prevent its continuation. With the world watching both actresses and actors alike have been displaying one very simple mantra; ‘don’t stand out, stand up’.

In the wake of the horrendous Weinstein scandal, members of the acting industry have been standing together, mourning the harassing acts whilst showing a level of strength, a strength that men like Weinstein are unable to shake.

They stood together in reflection of the Time’s Up campaign, making an incredibly bold statement by removing the limelight from lavish garments to one simple yet powerful message.

In the wake of this vulgar discovery it was made a mission for this anti-harassment group to gain worldwide support and make their cause noticed.

Campaigning for parity between the sexes in this misogynistic workplace, with the aim that a case such as Weinstein’s will never be allowed to happen or be heard of again. However, the activists are keen for this movement to go neyond the glaossy gates of Hollywood; raising nearly $15 million in a defence fund to advocate legislation to curtail harassment across industries, whilst taking over award ceremonie’s red carpets and painting them black.

Black is timeless, effortless, glamorous and yet in this case it has a deeper and influential meaning Black is timeless, effortless, glamorous and yet in this case it has a deeper and influential meaning.

The statement induced a sense of no business as usual, Weinstein’s actions would not be forgotten for want of a fashion parade. Instead a dazzling

Instagram: @ashley_judd

blackout was presented.

There was however greater debate surrounding men’s attire, as they would normally sport a fitted black tuxedo, so how would they differ to make a stand. But, in such a case they were seen to be swapping their white shirt for black. Although this was a very simple measure they were now head to toe in black alongside their female co-workers. The outfits in black offer glamour and style fitting to Hollywood yet women become the source of the male gaze for a different reason. Fashion has always had the ability to present strong political messages and this campaign is no different, showing women able to fight back against horrific cases of sexual crimes with an unbreakable sense of uniformity.

The pictures of women standing alongside each other in black garments are incredibly empowering, pictures that have created and memorialised a paramount moment in history. They have created a worldwide phenomenon, with participants at the Golden Globes, the Oscars’ and many more award ceremonies to come. In this case, fashion becomes the not only a bold statement in style or trend, but a bold statement universally. All black assigns a political unity and is able to send a sense of recognition in the simplest form.

Unity at London Fashion Week

Poppy Couling discusses how LFW epitomises the inclusivity and progression of the industry

instagram: @londonfashionweek

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he last few days saw London and New York Fashion Week showcasing some of the world’s most famous models gliding with female finesse and energy down the runway, draped immaculately in beautifully designed clothing, dripping with diamonds and sporting sleek hair styles. One of the most poignant shows was Prabang Gurung, who chose the slender Hadid sisters and glamorous Ashley Graham to walk proudly together, breaking the stigma of such shows encouraging extremely thin figures as ones to be most desired and attractive.

Notably, Laverne Cox attended this show in a stunning red trouser-suit, thus representing another woman’s personal gender exploration that has left many others feeling inspired and empowered. With this level of diversity present, it enables spectators and admirers of these fashion events to focus their gaze on the accommodating and accepting nature of the fashion culture.

We’ve previously seen this in Ghesquière’s artistic direction in the 2016 Louis Vuitton show, where Jaden Smith was introduced as an ambassador of the new womenswear as he strutted the catwalk in a skirt. It seems fashion has an unparalleled ability to dissolve gender and size boundaries whilst empowering both men and women, and preparing audiences to not bat an eyelash at a woman wearing a tuxedo and a man in six- inch

heels. In London only last week, the Queen graced Tuesday’s front row as she glowed and giggled next to US Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. The monarch and fashion icon sat gleaming as the room erupted into excited whispers, before falling silent and enjoying the innovative and relevant show constructed by Richard Quinn, a graduate of Central St Martins school of fashion. His collection varied dramatically from vibrant floral prints with contrasting colours covering the legs in knee high boots, to eye-catching black and white polka dots, to long and heavy trench coats.

Fashion has an unparalleled ability to dissolve gender and size boundaries However, perhaps the most unique aesthetic of the show was the way in which the models were presented, as Quinn chose to have some of their faces covered completely with printed material, hiding them entirely with headscarves, whilst others graced the runway wearing printed motorcycle helmets. At the conclusion of the show, the Queen presented Quinn with a British design award that she accepted graciously whilst dressed in an alarmingly casual outfit including a baseball cap, whilst the Queen looked classy in a cool blue skirt suit. The award saw a 91 year-old member of the royal family present an award that recognised the innovation and talent of a 28 year-old male designer whose studio is based in Peckham. This gesture marks such a positive progression of societal maturity and acceptance, proving fashion is the perfect platform for age, gender, and size to be deemed irrelevant in comparison to the dynamic talent that young people are producing.

Fashion has carried with it the clichéd opportunity for one to express themselves, but I see in recent years an unequivocal upward trajectory of ways in which the industry has become a symbol of the diplomacy. By this, the industry allows a timeless quality to encase and protect the sanctity and genuine nature of fashion, whilst ensuring prejudicial scrutiny is avoided. The poetic nature of this particular award epitomises the unique respect that admirers of all ages pay to fashion as an institution, allowing it to become more than material clothing, but actually a form of communication.

The silence that befalls a studio in the anticipation for a show to begin is broken by the language of prints and accessories, that, in turn, become a form of identity, and introduce a creative dialogue between spectators that is void of politics and worldly power struggles. These shows encourage mutual deference to the power of fashion, with everyone in that one setting to appreciate live art.

Amongst a climate of presidential controversy, religious radicalism and unstable global positions, fashion is proving itself to me an industry promoting inclusion, diversity and passion.

Instagram: £shrillsociety Instagram: @baazaruk

the courier

@CourierFashion c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk

Monday 5 March 2018

Afrofuturism: Black Panther

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fashion life & style Fashion News NUFS’ trip to LFWF

Chris Wilkinson shows us the innovative costumes designed by Ruth E. Carter for this hit film

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mong the many things that the newly released Black Panther film has brought attention to, the most notable and the most well received is the new approach to Africanism, now referred to as ‘Afrofuturism’.

Whilst not found solely in this movie, the art world has been in touch with this concept for a while now. The film is particularly interested in how it explores the idea in a very important and highly influential form, fashion. Throughout the film the viewer is treated to an abundant exposition of innovative and distinctive clothing, ranging from princely robes and magisterial dresses, to vibrant casual-wear and ingenious suits of armour.

Without trying to sound totally self-important, I can’t help but mention at this point that I spent three months in Tanzania in Eastern Africa, and saw the variety of dress which sets the western ideas of fashion apart from the majority of the African continent. Further, the fictional country of Black Panther, Wakanda, is located where Tanzania would be in the Marvel Universe. The parallels

between the two countries are shown many times over – for example the strong comparisons to be made between the elegant royal guards of the King and the traditional dress of the Maasai tribes of Tanzania and Kenya.

£190m

The estimated amount of money spent for this production

The film then, can be seen as paying a unique appreciation to the idea of remembering ones heritage through the medium of clothing. This isn’t really a new idea, but what the film does uniquely do is celebrate this vast reservoir of culture and heritage alongside something which makes this singularly ‘afrofuturistic’ – the use of advanced technology. For a long time now, the continent of Africa as a whole has been preconceived as technologically stunted, not only devoid of but resistant to western technology standards. This is simply wrong. And what this film does is show to

an audience, through plot and setting, but most importantly through fashion, that to think of African culture you don’t have to exclude some features which are automatically idealised as ‘Western’.

Saying this, there are a few things I did find quite laughable in the film when looking at the different costumes and outfits. When the five tribes of Wakanda congregate, it seems that the entirety of Africa, almost as if the producers did in fact just use a tar brush drenched in the idea of what westerners think of when someone says ‘Africa’, has settled in one place. Customs and dress which are found in south Africa are found next to ones from Tanzania and Nigeria, and I’m pretty sure if I watched this part of the film with some of the Tanzanians I grew to know so well they would have laughed quite loud. But then again, the film does not purport to be representative of only Tanzania, but is supposed to be a reclamation of African fashion and culture as a whole and showing the world what it innately is: colourful, powerful, and capable of driving the future as much as anything else.

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Image: Awralla Nufs

ondon fashion Week Festival (LFWF), is the event where you can experience the entirety of the UK’s fashion industry, and our Newcastle University Fashion Society made a visit. 44 students underwent a four-day trip to London from February 22nd to 25th, organized

by NUFS. One of the main events of the trip was the open fashion event following the London Fashion Week.

In addition, chances to try hair styling or makeup by professionals were offered, and discounted shopping was given by over 80 boutiques. The trip included activities in smaller groups according to the society’s regular core activities; sewing, illustrating and blogging. They also managed to squeeze in a guided tour around the Dior flagship store, a visit to the Tate Modern, editorial shoots in Shoreditch, and a chance to explore the many markets our vast capital has to offer.

The trip included activities related to the society’s regular core activities; sewing, illustrating and blogging Instagram: @iamruthcarter; @blackpanther; @lupitanyongo

Wrap up warm with & Other Stories

Chloe House keeps it cosy, sharing her top picks from & Other Stories’ new outerwear collection

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espite Spring soon approaching, the new arrivals of outerwear are still on our mind as we travel into university against the cold Northern wind. Although we hope for sunnier days, we still scour through endless coats and jackets in shops, to find items that will keep us warm as we walk (or get an Uber or Metro if you’re lucky) to lectures on cold mornings, or Soho every night of the week…

The only place to look for the latest outerwear is And Other Stories, a Scandinavian brand owned by the well-known Hennes and Mauritz (H&M).

And Other Stories’ aim is to be shoppable by price, style and age, and although they won’t sell items at throw-away prices, they will sell items with department-store quality, at remarkably cheaper prices. To save the online trawling, I have picked out some of And Other Stories’ best outerwear looks.

The lightweight cropped windbreaker is perfect paired with black, and brings together a sporty but chic look. Although it is designed to be slightly oversized, the crop fit of the jacket and the cordlock detailing on the cuffs lessens the oversize. The raised collar adds a degree of sophistication to the jacket, giving the option to dress either up or down.

The long faux fur coat is a classic and will work perfectly with blue, black, or even white jeans And Other Stories’ climbing flower down jacket epitomizes Spring with pretty floral designs, but will also keep you extremely warm and comfortable. The striking mustard colour of the jacket is unusual but perfect if you want to make a

statement, and differentiates the jacket from all the other down jackets around.

The long faux fur coat is a classic, and Stories give us the perfect two toned brown faux fur coat, which works perfectly with blue, black and even white jeans or trousers, making any outfit look elegant and fashionable. Stories also have a classic black faux fur jacket, an essential item in any wardrobe and can be worn on a day to day basis or over a dress or skirt for a smarter night out.

The striking patent leather utilitarian jacket in khaki green is a statement jacket that can be dressed up or down. Pair with black jeans to make your look more casual and effortless, or pair with the matching utilitarian patent leather skirt for an incredibly chic outfit combo.

Founded in 2010, & Other Stories grew from a wish to give women freedom of expression through a brand.

If you’re after a more causal look to don for the Robbo catwalk check out And Other Stories’ slection of denim jackets. Add a flash of colour to your spring wardrobe with the orange version of their classic cropped style.

And Other Stories not only has great outerwear, but also have amazing swimwear, accessories, shoes and even a separate lingerie section, so if you find yourself stuck for things to do this week, be sure to check out their website. They also are known for their ongoing exclusive collaborations, which have included singer Lykke Li, the renowned footwear brand Toms, and many designers including Rodarte and Sadie Williams. So, if its faux fur, padded down, lightweight windbreakers, trench coats, denim jackets or leather jackets you’re looking for (the list goes on), And Other Stories is the shop for you.

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The trip was planned by the society back in November, and directed by the president Khaleel Shazada, who was passionate to organise a successful excursion. The committee had to tackle budgeting, contacting the sponsors (who sometimes would cancel at the last moment) and other minor problems. With the help from the SU and Newcastle University London, the society managed to pu ll off the trip without a hitch.

Dianne Odede, treasurer of NUFS, said that she hoped the visit to LFWF will inspire members for the upcoming fashion show in May. “We don’t want to just mimic what they are doing. They are professionals in London, while we are students in Newcastle and we want to keep that perspective.

However, there is a lot we can learn from the fashion show. Models can learn tips direct from the catwalk, and the committee can learn how the show is planned and organized.” Khaleel stresses that he did not want to turn this trip into just a fun visit to LWFW. He told The Courier: “We have always wanted to plan a fashion trip that inspires the members from different aspects. The visit to LFWF, coincidentally, makes it more inspiring, but we wanted to offer an educational trip where the members can learn skills they can apply into their life generally.”

The society has, from its creation only two years ago, emphasised the importance of offering as much as they can creatively to the members.

This trip has been yet another opportunity where members could take advantage of the NUFS’s bountiful resources as one of the most successful societies at the University, being evoked through the spirit of fashion.

Shiori Ozawa

1. Cropped Denim Jacket, £69 2. Faux Fur Coat, £165 3. Wild Flowers Print Long Coat, £79 4. Patent Leather Utilitarian Jacket, £215 Images: andotherstories

Images: Awralla Nufs

16

life & style beauty

courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston & Susanne Norris

the courier

Monday 5 March 2018

The dangers of beauty at bed-time

Keep forgetting to take your make-up off before bed? Sophie Hindhaugh reveals the consequences of not removing make-up

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hen stumbling in drunk at 4AM with your chicken wrap, the last thing you want to do is think about taking your makeup off. Especially if glitter is somewhat involved. All that scrubbing seems like strenuous exercise, a marathon (but maybe that’s because I wear enough makeup to rival a RuPaul contestant), and as a certified Lazy Girl, it’s a big nope from me. However, sleeping in makeup can be deadly (for your skin, I mean), so I at least manage to do a quick scrub with a makeup wipe and a few other little bits that help me avoid the spots, premature ageing and eye infections that sleeping in make-up can cause.

Perfect for the student budget, Primark does a variety of 2 Pack Facial Wipes for a £1 from their P.S Love range. That works out at a pack of wipes for 50p each, so you can use as many as you like to scrub your face, without worrying about running out because they’re easily replaceable. Perfect for after a night out.

I at least manage to do a quick scrub to avoid the spots, premature ageing and eye infections that sleeping in make-up can cause If you’re more of a cotton pad kind of girl, Superdrug does an excellent range of Micellar Waters and Eye makeup removers, with the B.Pure Micellar Water retailing at only £1.89, and the B.

Gentle Eye makeup remover at £7.99. Superdrug also does a pack of 100 cotton wool pads for £1.79, so you can gently remove even the most stubborn of mascara and glitters. When I’m wearing glitter on my eyelids, I find using this method preferable to baby wipes because its not only gentler on your lids, but it doesn’t move the glitter around your face like a wipe can. If you find your lids sore the morning after wearing glitter, I recommend ditching the facial wipes for cotton pads and remover, as you need more hydration which wipes can’t achieve and there’s less friction when you use a cotton pad to remove your eye makeup.

Image: @nip and fab

My favourite skin care product of all time is, without a doubt, the Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Extreme pads. They retail for 14.95, so they’re quite

expensive, but I honestly cannot rave about them enough. I noticed an immediate improvement in my skin, and the pads are not only effective, but easy and quick. I don’t necessarily use them to remove my makeup, but I definitely use them after I have taken my makeup off for some quick, intense skin care. It’s an excellent exfoliator, and your skin will feel lovely and clean while you lie on your pillow.

I recommend ditching the facial wipes for cotton pads and remover, as you need more hydration which wipes can’t achieve If you’ve got the time for a more luxurious night-time skin routine, then I’d recommend doing it. Sleeping in makeup is bad full stop, but doing a good skin care routine at night can really make you feel like you’ve got your life together. After removing your makeup with your preferred method, I’d recommend using a cleanser such as the cult favourite Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£16.00), then exfoliating (using the above mentioned Nip+Fab pads) and then moisturizing.

I only recently got in to moisturizer, because I thought with my combination skin, it wasn’t really necessary. And boy, was I wrong. My skin is the softest it’s ever been and it’s all thanks to the wonder that is coconut oil. I’ve even got my flat mates on it.

The best part, besides it being wildly moisturizing

and good for a variety of things (such as growing your hair, eyelashes and making your tan last longer) it’s VERY cheap, and often lasts months.

Boots do an excellent pot of Coconut Body Oil for £2.54 that I would recommend. Palmer’s also do a fab-oilous oil for £4.90,that is slightly easier to apply that the Boot’s one which comes in a more solid form and requires a bit more working in to the skin.

If you want 2018 to be the year of your glow up, then make sure you don’t sleep in your makeup. If I can do it, so can you.

Morning SOS Danger detox Jaymelouise Hudspith shares her top tips on how to look and feel fresh when waking up in someone else’s bedroom

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othing is worse than staying over unprepared at someone’s, whether it’s a stranger after a night out or your significant other’s. Either way you don’t feel so great waking up with mascara smeared across your face, the worst case of morning breath, and fuzzy vision due to the lack of fresh contacts.

It’s safe to say you’re looking like a hot mess in last night’s outfit, not feeling so fit now. But at the same time, you cannot show up to the night out, dinner, cocktails, or whatever you have planned with an overnight bag (or suitcase in some cases, we all know the just get ready at mine/leaving the morning after memes). Even if you’re only having a chilled night with your significant other, it’s the same - you can’t be expected to go straight from their place to a full day at uni, lugging along your travel bag.

Instead, I’ve devised a plan that will allow you to rock the nonchalant ‘natural’ makeup look the next day, so that you can look fresh as a daisy instead of a living nightmare. Everything fits in your handbag and will have minimal impact on your day.

Travel-sized Deodorant: My personal favourite is the Sure Bright Bouquet, as it leaves you smelling like strawberry and apricot with 48 hours of protection. Let’s face it, when we stay over we don’t always get our morning shower, so this little life saver will stop your bestie having to do a sniff test at your underarms because you’re feeling paranoid.

Burts Bees Lip Balm: Four hour moisturisation made from 100% natural ingredients, available in a range of flavours, including a line of lip tinting lip balms. Not only does this save your lips from dehydration but a lip tint is the perfect way to avoid heavy makeup and go for an au natural look.

Unfortunately, Burt’s Bees Balm isn’t one of them but many brands have lip tints that can double up as a natural blush.

Brow Pencil: The NYX Micro Pencil comes with a spool attached on one end to help you comb, tame and build a beautiful brow with precision. It coats even the finest of hairs to give you a natural finish.

Perfume: Invest in a spray bottle - these are available online for pennies but also in stores such as Xtras. They allow you to take a small amount

of your favourite perfume out with you, without sacrificing your entire bottle being lost or broken in your bag. Plus, using your signature sent will help you to feel more human throughout the day.

Hair Serum: Chances are you won’t have your curling wand or straighteners with you; which we all know equals frizz and fly-aways. A decent hair serum will tame all of these issues, while giving your hair a natural shine and adding a touch of glamour to your look.

Make-up Wipes: You may not be able to do your full make-up removal routine but at the very least you can invest in some make-up removal wipes to save your skin from blemishes and excessive dryness or oiliness. These will also save you from looking insane and completely ruining your skin as you scrub your face with tissues and a questionable bar of soap just so you can face the world.

Blemish Concealer: Chances are you didn’t have a full night of sleep, and that means one thing: dark circles. This, along with your neglected skin care regime, will leave you looking and feeling less than great. A good concealer becomes your new best friend as it keeps you looking fresh and dewy, even if you’ve only had two hours of snoozing.

Mascara: I can’t be the only person who feels as if they go from pin eyes to doll eyes as soon as they put mascara on? It is one of the most essential parts of any make-up routine. You can buy travel sized versions of these to avoid looking like a train wreck.

Image: @mono.chromatyczna

Image: @palmers

Clarissa O’Neill weighs up the pros and cons of the neverending supply of detox teas and supplements on the market

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he detox tea has been pervading our society for a few years now, with its perceived promises to enhance weight loss and to gain the ideal body. Supplements which aid weight loss have been rising throughout this industry due to society’s obsession with gaining the perfect body. With supplements including, Bootea, Skinny tea, Slendertoxtea, Skinny Teatox all associating around the idea of being ‘skinny’. They are reinforcing that these teatox’s are necessary, which is why people are going to all sorts of lengths, and spending a ridiculous amount of money, in order to be able to have a chance of having that ‘perfect body. Using tea as a catalyst for the detox is a very effective marketing method and appeals to customers as tea is associated with comfort and a wellknown drink which people love. This resembles and suggests an easy and harmless route to lose weight.

28k

the number of signatures a petition to ban laxatives from Bootea gained

However, it must be noted that it is suggested that you still must engage in regular exercise and a clean diet for this to have any impact, highlighting the tea is not as wholly effective as it is portraying.

Moreover, increasing worry has been raised over how dangerous these supplements can be for our health and bodies. All these teas seem to promote how healthy they are, yet some of the ingredients they use seem to have many side effects which have concerning impacts on people’s health. This is especially dangerous as consumers are not always made aware of. It’s worrying how the detox world has been glorified and made to seem a simple method for weight loss, when in fact it is quite the opposite.

These unwanted side effects can cause pain and discomfort and they come from plant extracts.

Senna is one example of a natural laxative which has been proven to cause abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, gas, nausea, and diarrhoea.

Some scientists have also stated that you should not use Senna for longer than two weeks or it can cause irregularities in your bowel system and cause unwanted complications. Guarana is another dangerous plant within these detox teas.

It can cause the body to have stomach irritation, vomiting, headache, anxiety, increased heart rate, and breathing rate. These changes in the body seem to be more overwhelming than the attraction of losing weight. So, whilst you think you might be consuming all ‘natural’ products; the word ‘natural’ should not take away from the reality that these products can be harmful to your body, defeating the aim of a detox.

It has been said that the caffeine consumption within the two to four week detox plan, might cause your sleeping pattern to be interfered with, and ias a result of this it may actually be harder to lose weight due to your body needing sleep to replenish body stores and end up slowing your metabolism, even if you are not eating those extra calories. Equally, people might be feeling as though they have lost weight when unfortunately, they have only lost water weight due to caffeine triggering a diuretic effect. This also means that when you stop drinking the tea (which is making you feel lighter due to the loss of water weight) you actually find yourself going back to the same weight as before.

It is hard to believe that you could lose weight just through drinking tea for two to four weeks.

Nevertheless, the simple idea is very attractive for our society which is why the detoxing industry is booming in today’s society.

Image: @booteauk

the courier

@CourierBeauty thecourieronline.co.uk/beauty

Monday 5 March 2018

Miraculous microblading

You know what they say about a good brow, it defines the whole face. Poppy Couling explores the world of microblading, what the procedure involves, and whether or not it’s worth the hype

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yebrows have become an increasingly important feature of one’s visage, with trends evolving from an over-plucked thin shape, to a block arch, to fiercely powdered.

Now, it seems we have settled for a natural looking brow as the most desirable style, with a subtle tint slightly darker than our roots in order to effectively frame our face, after the brows of London born super model Cara Delevingne sparked an insuppressible jealousy in us all.

In order to achieve this, highstreet brands began to sell mascara wands in various shades of brown gel in order to provide an opportunity to temporarily tint your brows without filling in surrounding skin.

However, these products were really wet upon first application, and therefore it took habitual usage of them to make their consistency become a little drier and thus more flattering.

So, I turned to researching microblading, as the concept of semi- permanent cosmetic procedures was something I was not adverse to, and was pleasantly surprised by what I learned. The internet is littered with collages featuring images of women before and after they have had their microblading treatment, and the thing that impressed me the most was how genuinely natural they looked.

This is made possible by the blade used, which is finer than one used for permanent tattoos in order to create a realistic hair-like stroke. They are individually done in order to create a fuller brow, but I was comforted by the consultation process prior to the treatment itself, as the therapist takes a long time to design the shape, fullness and colour of the brows you wish to have. Sketches are prepared and imagery can be created on computers to see how different options would look on your

own face, allowing for a personalised approach that leaves you feeling comforted.

After the initial discussion and design period, a numbing cream and liquid anaesthetic is applied, although I have been told by various women of different ages that the pain is inherently minimal.

Therapists encourage you to approach this initial session with brows that haven’t been shaped or tinted in the previous few weeks in order to create the best shape, and after the first blading, the brows must be left untouched for three weeks and under no contact with perfumed creams or tan. The initial colour will then fade considerably after this first session, and some a thin layer of scabbing may

Image: @ semipermanentmakeupbymollie

then form whilst the blades lines heal, and leave behind a beautifully natural effect. Three weeks after, a follow- up session is required to complete the process and replenish the faded tint, leaving you with a natural finish and brows that no longer require the gloop of gel or the weight of powder.

The blade itself does not go as deep as a tattoo needle, thus leaving the colour to sit just under the skin rather than deeply engraved below many layers.

£250

the price microblading usually starts at. Grazia has stated this as an average base price, so be wary of technicians asking for a lower amount

The treatment can then last anywhere between one to three years depending on differing skin types, but the important financial thing to note is that once you have experienced the initial blading, the top-up sessions are considerably less in price.

Celebrities of note that have been rumoured to have their brows enhanced by microblading include Victoria Beckham, Selena Gomez and Kim Kardashian. After a lot of research and impressive visual proof, this treatments looks unquestionably impressive, natural and long-lasting, with prices of the initial process varying from three hundred and fifty to five hundred pounds. If you are looking for a comparably painless way to acquire natural looking brows that require no maintenance or make-up, especially during the summer months for midnight swims in the sea and harsh sun, this is a treatment to consider.

Beauty can come at a price

Ever wondered if your beauty routine could be making you ill? Beauty editor Susanne Norris investigates how your everyday beauty practices could be effecting and damaging your health each brush, gently blotting out any excess product onto the towel.

Swapping soap/shower gel for FemFresh: There’s nothing more relaxing than a bubble bath, right?

Maybe for some, but it’s not so great for those of us who suffer from sensitive skin or cystitis. Using bubble bath or washing with perfumed soap ‘down there’ can be extremely damaging. This is because it alters the natural pH of the vagina, which can cause issues such as cystitis or thrush. That’s why, for washing or shaving your more intimate places, you should be using FemFresh. This product is pH balanced and non-perfumed, so is perfect for washing anywhere sensitive. You can pick up FemFresh in Boots, Superdrug and Wilkos.

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Image: @lisad0192

ver heard of the saying ‘beauty comes at a price’? As much as I love all things beauty, I think we all have to admit beauty does come with a price tag. For most, this is a literal price tag. Urban Decay’s setting sprays have been boosted to £24, and Anastasia Beverly Hill’s Brow Whizz is now £22 (rest in peace my bank balance). However, what most people don’t consider is the cost beauty can have on your health. I’ve compiled a list of all the things you should be doing to stop your beauty routine from damaging your health.

Regularly wash your brushes: I have to say it, when it comes to cleaning our make-up brushes most of us are lazy, too busy and just downright gross. I mean when was the last time you can honestly say you cleaned your brushes? It’s something we all forget to do; yet it can have major health effects. Not washing your brushes regularly can lead to a build up of bacteria, which you then spread all over your face every time you do your make-up. This can lead to spots, irritation and even viral infections. To avoid this, you should be washing you brushes once a week. My method is to use Primark Brush Cleaning Spray (£2). I place my brushes on a piece of kitchen towel and spray

I have to say it, when it comes to cleaning our make-up brushes most of us are lazy, too busy and just downright gross Not sharing eye products: Or any products, for that matter. Whilst you may love to be that friend who shares her make-up to help her other friends look gorgeous (yes, I am that friend) this small act of kindness can be dangerous. Eye infections are extremely easy to catch, and by sharing eye products with other people you increase your risk of this immensely. Moreover, sharing skin products can trigger spots and infections too. Sharing brushes, sponges or even foundations and powder with someone who suffers from a skin condition or has recently had a breakout can spread the effects to you too.

Checking ingredients of moisturisers: Some moisturisers and creams have some very strange products in them. Always check labels first as you may be allergic to certain ingredients. For example, I’m extremely prone to rashes, so tend to avoid any products that will easily irritate my skin.

It may even be worth checking with your doctor whether you have any allergies that you should be aware of/ingredients that may trigger allergies. If you’re prone to irritation of the skin, then always go for products that are specifically for sensitive skin. Vaseline’s Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Moisturiser is my personal favourite Regularly wash your bed linen and towels: Again, more of us who would admit it are guilty of not washing our bed sheets often enough. I can ashamedly say mine are covered in tan, mascara, and who even knows what else. However, not only is this a bit gross, it can also have bad effects on your health. Unwashed bed sheets are more likely to make you ill from bacteria build up. The same goes for towels, flannels and pillowcases. You should make sure you’re washing them all regularly.

17

beauty life & style Big - up beauty brand lovin’

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or years my mum would have Laura Mercier products in her make-up bag, and after stealing her Laura Mercier Secret Concealer when I was sixteen, I haven’t been able to look at another brand since.

The Secret Concealer (£21) is actually aimed to banish dark circles under your eyes, but I have been using it for years to cover blemishes. The Secret Concealer does everything in its name: it makes your imperfections a secret by concealing them with amazing coverage, but doesn’t reveal your secret attempt to cover the imperfections. It is really creamy, so extremely easy to blend, and although the pot is small, you only need asmall amount for full coverage concealment.

The Silk Crème Photo Edition foundations (both £35) are also incredible. I first bought the Moisturising edition a year ago and became immediately obsessed with it. The ‘Photo Edition’ element means the foundation prepares your skin to make it look flawless and ready for any photo, which I can definitely confirm. I received so many compliments when I wore this foundation and still do, so I decided to try the Oil Free version, and soon became obsessed with this too! I alternate between the two depending on the finish I want for my skin.

Obviously, I cannot write a Laura Mercier focus review without mentioning the Translucent Setting Powder (£29). You’ve probably heard every beauty blogger rave and rant about this product, but honestly, it really is worth the hype. It instantly smooths and sets any make-up, immediately making an incredibly flawless base. I have recommended this to so many friends and they now cannot get enough of it either.

I also use the Laura Mercier Face Illuminator (£32) which is exceptional. I was recommended the shade ‘Indiscretion’ as it suits multiple skin tones and therefore is the most popular shade. I was so impressed with this highlighter as it managed to give me a beaming glow but, at the same time, it appears very natural.

Beside her make-up, Laura Mercier’s Body, Bath and Fragrance range is also incredible. My mum is obsessed with almonds and their distinctive smell, so when I found the Almond Coconut Milk Souffle Body Crème (£45 for 300g) I was so excited to show her. The smell is beyond extraordinary and very luxurious. Not long after finding the Almond and Coconut Milk scent, my friend at university let me borrow her Laura Mercier Body Butter in the scent Ambre Vanille (£27). This too, has the most amazing smell, and not only is the body butter extremely moisturising, it’s incredible scent stays on the skin and serves just as well as a perfume.

This brand really is worth the hype, and although Laura Mercier products are not at high-street prices, the money you pay can definitely be seen in the amazing quality of the products. The perfect brand for any present, you can find Laura Mercier products in Newcastle at Fenwick’s, John Lewis, Space NK and online on department store websites.

Chloe House

Image: @lauramercier

Image: @vaselinebrand

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18

life & style beauty

courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston & Susanne Norris

Beauty editors get ready with me What happened when the Beauty Sub-Editors of the Courier got together for a day of make-up and pampering? Only the best ‘Get Ready With Me’ ever! Read on for our routines and photographs of the stunning looks that were created for us

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he day was February 12th. It was cold, getting dark early and uni stress was finally starting to kick back in. The result of this was three very depleted beauty editors, not looking quite as beautiful as they may have liked. So, naturally, the solution to this was to spend a few hours applying make-up to make ourselves feel better inside and out.

The one thing we can all agree on is that makeup is meant to be seen. None of us really subscribe to the ‘all natural’ look, we love wearing make-up and we want everyone to know we’re wearing it.

It makes us feel bolder, fiercer and stronger. So, when make-over day came around we decided we wanted to go for bold and glam looks. We each picked a palette of colours to work with and started planning exactly what looks we wanted.

There was a lot of throwing around of phrases such as ‘spotlight eye’ and ‘half cut crease’.

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Introducing Ava Pelham The make-up genius who made our beauty dreams a reality, Ava Pelham tells us about herself and her inspirations

creations and themed looks for fancy dress events like Halloween.

While applying to university for my favourite subject Chemistry, I discovered a ‘Cosmetic Chemistry’ course - I never knew that there was so much chemistry involved in the cosmetic industry - to combine my two passions was too perfect.

I now study Chemistry at Newcastle University and plan on becoming a Formulation Cosmetic Chemist on graduation. The manufacturing of makeup fascinates me - how to manipulate formulas to better a product.

Feel free to direct message me on my Instagram account for bookings.

incorporate into our looks is with lipsticks. Ava gave us full freedom over what sort of look we wanted her to create for us, and we each told her a colour that we wished to experiment with. Each of us has a different skin type and our complexions range from fair to tanned. We also all have different hair colours. Therefore, the looks we requested and the results of the shoot are varied and distinct with something for everyone.

Image: @avanete_makeup

Image: @avanete_makeup

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of women surveyed by Lab42 said that makeup makes them feel more confident

However, now is possibly a good time to mention that whilst we chose our colours and looks, we really did want to pamper ourselves. So, we enlisted the help of the ridiculously talented Ava Pelham to help us out. Ava is a local make-up artist who has worked with us on shoots before, so we were ecstatic when she agreed to do our make-up for us.

We decided that the theme for the shoot would be colourful, as normally the only vibrancy we

the courier

Tuesday 5 March 2018

As beauty lovers, we are all set in our ways when it comes to how we like to apply our make-up.

However, this shoot encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones. We gave Ava full control of our faces and as expected were very happy with the outcome!

With two of us graduating this year (fingers crossed!) this was a great opportunity for us to experience getting our make-up done by someone other than ourselves.

y name is Ava Pelham and I am a 20-year-old self-taught makeup artist from London. This is my second feature for The Courier beauty section. I am always looking for more projects, as I love the sense of accomplishment from my clients’ happiness at the end of a days work!

My passion for makeup began at age 14, when I discovered the power of eyeliner. As many of you know, it takes a while to realise that bold purple liner on your bottom lash line is not always the way forward, so it took me a few years to get my makeup skill set in place!

At 17, I started an Instagram makeup account @avanete_makeup to showcase my colourful

Image: @avanete_makeup

Golden glamour Susanne’s step-by-step something I suffer from. Because of this, and my past history with acne and my current problem with breakouts, I opt for a high coverage foundation over my primer. My go-to is No7 Beautifully Matte in the shade ‘Cool Vanilla’. However, due to my love of fake tan, I mix this with NYX’s Stay matte but not Flat in the shade ‘Tan’ to match my St. Moritz tan perfectly.

After Ava had applied my foundation (with a beauty blender) she applied by LA Girl Pro Conceal Concealer in shade ‘Creamy Beige’. This was applied under my eyes to cover any dark circles, which I have lots of after starting uni again!

It was also used to cover my blemishes (namely the colossal spot next to my nose, thanks for that skin).

We then baked my face using RCMA No Colour powder to allow the make-up to set.

After baking, we picked up the concealer again, but this time to contour. Ava gave me the most gorgeous cheeks and jawline you’ve ever seen, created by a range of LA Girl concealers. She topped this off with further contouring done with the Kat Von D Shade and Light palette (swoons).

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have loved make-up for as long as I can remember. Whenever my mum was out when I was younger, I would raid her wardrobe for all the make-up I could find. I’d take her eye shadows, blusher and the boldest red lipstick I could find and cover myself in it. Whilst I’ve moved on from that now (thank god, I think I made my poor mum scream a couple of times at the sight of me) I’m still a sucker for bold and glam make-up. I love a strong brow and popping shadow, and my favourite lip is still, after all these years, a vibrant red.

So, when I spoke to Ava about the colours I wanted, I explained my prime colours were gold and red. A gold is perfect for a dark brown eye like mine, as it really makes my eyes stand out. What’s more, I love incorporating a bit of red, usually in the form of a half cut crease, to compliment my red lip look.

Ava began by prepping my skin with my favourite primer, LA Girl Pro Prep HD Primer. I love this product, as it’s perfect for oily skin, which is

The consistency of this product is amazing and I will definitely be investing in one soon. Thus I was left with a flawless face and, in Lady Gaga’s iconic words, ‘a jawline for days’.

Next we got to work on my brows and my eyes.

My brows were done with my all time favourite product, Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in shade ‘Dark Brown’. Using the Anastasia Beverly Hills brush, Ava created beautiful, defined brows for me with an arch to die for. After my brows were on fleek, we moved onto eyes. My eye look was created using gold’s from the Morphe 35O palette, with reds from the Morphe Jaclyn Hill palette in the crease. I opted for no liner as I felt my eyes were so bold they spoke for themselves without needing it. To give my eyes that final pop, my look was completed with Benefit’s famous Roller-Lash mascara, to give the illusion of wearing falsies.

There was now very little left to finish my look. But what look would be complete without highlight, one of my favourite parts of the makeup routine. As a highlight lover, I wanted to look gold, glowy and gorgeous. And oh boy, did Ava’s highlight palette come through. We used a mixture of shades from Anastasia Beverly Hill’s ‘Ultimate

Glow’ palette, another one I’ve had my eye on for ages and now want to add to my collection. We swept this over my cheekbones, nose and Cupid’s bow to create an amazing, shimmery finish.

We saved the best for last. It was lipstick time.

I have always loved a bold red, but find myself playing it safe a lot of the time by sticking to nudes and pinks. But today was different. I opted for the bright, vibrant and downright beautiful NYX Suede Cream lipstick, in shade ‘Kitten Heels’. This is not a colour for the faint hearted. It’s the brightest red you can imagine, and wow does it compliment my dark eyes and hair.

And so, my look was complete. We had so much fun doing this shoot and I can’t thank Ava enough.

I proceeded to send everyone Snapchats of how great I looked, and was instagramming the pics we took for days on end afterwards.

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Tuesday 5 March 2018

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beauty life & style

Purple smoke Laura’s personalised tutorial

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am a strong believer in using make-up as a form of personal expression and think that, as long as it’s applied well, there’s no such thing as wearing “too much make-up”.

Therefore, I was excited to ask Ava to create a bold and eye-catching look for me. My favourite part of a night out is spending time applying a whole host of products to my face, so I love the dramatic, smokey look Ava did for me on this shoot. I requested purple shades as this is not a colour I have previously experimented with, and I think it compliments both the colour of my eyes and my skin tone.

We prepped my skin with Smashbox’s Pore Photo Finish Pore Minimising Primer, a beautifully

smooth base that has a touch of colour to help blur and reduce the appearance of imperfections. Ava began by using a beauty blender to apply Makeup Forever’s Ultra HD Fluid Foundation to my face. This product is great because it has a really buildable coverage that lasts all day and leaves a smooth finish. I struggle with dark under eye circles so to conceal these we used Collection’s Lasting Perfection Concealer, a budget-friendly product loved by countless beauty bloggers for its creamy formula, and amazing, long-lasting coverage. This was then baked and set with the RCMA No Colour Powder. Be careful, a little of this goes a long way!

But it’s perfect for baking under eye concealer as it prevents the thicker, liquid product from creasing and wrinkling throughout the day.

To create the illusion of a chiselled bone structure (something that unfortunately I am not naturally blessed with), Ava used several shades of the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer to contour my face. A lighter shade was used on the high points of my face, such as forehead, nose, and chin, while Ava applied a darker brown to carve out my nonexistent cheekbones. As my skin is oily and prone to going shiny as the day goes on, my face makeup was set with a daub of L’Oreal True Match Powder.

To enforce the impact of the contour created by the liquid products, Ava also dusted the brown shade of the Sleek Face Form Contour Kit into the hollows of my cheeks (or where they would be if I possessed them!) We then also used the blush shade of this palette on the apples of my cheeks. This product is perfect for travelling, as it includes three shades in one sleek compact, and the pigmentation of these powders is incredible.

For highlight, I was beyond excited when Ava pulled out her Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in ‘Ultimate Glow’. Highlighters are one of my favourite make-up products, and I never do my face without using one from my ever-growing collection. This palette is particularly sought after,

as it features six stunning shades. We applied a generous amount of this to my cheekbones to give my face a gorgeous, golden glow.

I don’t have a preference for high-end or drugstore products and I think that it doesn’t matter what price range a product is in, if it works for me, it works for me - if I save money in the process then that’s an added bonus!

I have only ever had my make-up professionally done one other time and this was some years ago now, and truthfully. I had my reservations about someone else doing my make-up. Normally it is me doing my friends’ make-up and so it was a bit strange to have someone else in charge of my face!

I am normally very particular about the way I want my face to look and tend to favour natural, fresh skin looks for myself but also can appreciate that make-yo is an art and I am fascinated by some of the crazy looks MUAs can create. My go-to look tends to be glowy, dewy skin (well, as dewy looking as I can get it), a heavy-coverage concealer under my eyes and on my acne breakouts and then a light contour, and blusher finished with natural-looking eyebrows and lots of mascara.

I recently purchased the Jaclyn Hill X Morphe palette and anyone who has seen the palette knows that it has a range of cool-toned shades, unlike most of their other palettes, and so is perfect for my complexion as warm tones don’t really work for me. I have had so much fun creating lots of eye looks with it, especially with the Jewel-Toned greens which are unlike anything else in my collection, but felt like the bolder colours in it have been a bit wasted on me so far. So, when Ava asked what colour look I would like I asked her to use the bright colbalt blue to create a look.

She decided to incorporate the bright blue within a brown smokey eye with a smudged eyeliner on the lashline and the eyeshadow brought down underneath. Also on the eyes was a lashing of my Too-Faced Better Than Sex mascara. Not only does this mascara live up to it’s name but it’s also an amazingly buildable mascara which can make any lashes look thick and full. It might have a hefty price tag of £19 but is better than others I have tried for more money, it comes in travel sizes and waterproof versions and is also suitable for vegans.

On my eyebrows, Ava used a combination of Benefit’s Goof Proof eyebrow pencil in shade 4 to draw the outline and fill in the ends, and the Nyx Micro Brow pencil in shade Taupe to fill in the centres. If you’re looking for a dupe to the Benefit eyebrow range, the Nyx range is a great place to

start. They have a huge colour range, cost just £8 and are also cruelty free. The only reservation I have is with their eyebrow pomade which in all honesty does dry out quite quickly. I really like the shape that Ava created with my eyebrows here, as normally I wouldn’t have made them so rounded, as naturally they have a more pointy form.

For my base, Ava applied Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter in Pearl to give an all over radiance to the skin. I discovered this product when trying to find an afforable alternative to the Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder Morning Aura Illuminating Crème primer which is possibly the best make-up product I’ve ever tried in my life but also costs an eye-watering £72. This, for £34 is still on the pricey side but is a great crueltyfree alternative and is perfect as a natural-looking highlight or as a radiant base.

Next, the foundation used was Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation in shade 2. This foundation is the perfect colour match for me and I have never found another base product which matches my

look, Ava used shades from the Morphe 35S palette. These Morphe palettes are incredible – the variety of colours can be used to create endless combinations, and every powder is highly pigmented with minimal fallout. The key to making this look super smokey was a lot of blending by Ava, plus a slick of liquid eyeliner to really amp up the drama. Layers of L’Oreal’s Paradise mascara finished off this stunning purple look. I particularly love this mascara as it separates my lashes, while making them look long and full.

Ava completed my dramatic, purple, smokey look by applying Mac Whirl to my lips. I love this look and would definitely wear it for a night out in Newcastle! After the shoot, I needed to make my weekly trip to Tesco, and I enjoyed wandering up and down the aisles with a full face of beautiful make-up, hoping that everyone would admire it as much as I did!

For my eyebrows, I religiously use Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Dip Brow Pomade in ‘Dark Brown’ (yes, I know it’s price has gone up, and no, I’m really not happy about it!) However, a pot of this does last for absolutely ages, and the product itself survives throughout the day, combatting tears, sweat and general moisture to ensure that I my eyebrows are always on fleek. When doing them myself, I tend to make my eyebrows quite large and dramatic usually because I make mistakes filling them in so I just go bigger and bigger! However, because we were creating a dramatic and smokey eye make-up look, Ava kept my brows fairly simple, and I liked seeing how they looked different when more subtly filled in.

To create my beautiful purple eyeshadow

Blue babe Lois’ get ready with me

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have always suffered quite badly from cycstic acne and originally got into make-up during my school years when I needed make-up to cover my breakouts. Any other fellow acnesufferers will understand the struggle of covering inflamed breakouts and how hard it can be to find a product that covers them but also matches your skin tone perfectly. Back in the day, when everyone was piling on the Maybelline Drean Matte Mousse during lunchtime, I used to hope they would bring out something with similar coverage for my skin tone. Fastforward to now, and although the makeup industry can be criticised for it’s lack of colour ranges in most products, gradually, people with different skin types and different skin issues are being catered for.

The products in my make-up collection range from lip-liners that cost £1 (MUA lipliner in Caramel Nougat, thank me later) to staple base products which can cost anything from £30-£45,

skin so flawlessly. In all honesty, I would like that the finish was a little less matte (hence why I use such a glowy primer) but the high coverage finish is not something that I am willing to compromise on. For concealer, under my eyes, Ava used the LA Girl PRO.conceal HD High Definition Concealer in the shade Creamy Beige to highlight and then the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in shade Fair to conceal my acne breakouts. This concealer is amazing, as it is not cakey and lasts all day. If you are buying make-up online, one of my top tips is that you look at the website www.findation.com as they have a database of high and low end make-up and match you up with your perfect shade.

All of the liquid products were applied using a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, which I would say is better than my Original Beauty Blender and costs a third of the price. The brushes which Ava used were a range from Zoeva.

They were amazing quality and really helped the powder products glide onto the skin and blended the eyeshadows out perfectly. Ava was telling me that since having invested in some good quality make-up brushes she feels the quality of her makeup application has improved.

To contour, Ava used another LA Girl concealer on my cheekbones, around my forehead and down my nose and then set it with the shades Sombre and Shadowplay from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Face Palette. She then baked my concealers using the RCMA No Colour powder. This powder is probably the best make-up product I have in my collection. It is used by professional make-up artists and, although it appears white in the barrell, it is suitable for any skin colour. For £13 you get 3oz (85g) of product which is a complete steal, being that, for example, the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder costs more than twice as much for a third of the amount of product.

To finish off the look, Ava applied a mixture of shades from the Anastasia Beverly Hill’s ‘Ultimate Glow’ palette, which I was very excited about as I have heard nothing but praise for the brand’s highlighters. I have to say the quality of them was very noticeable as the powder was so finely milled that it gave me a very natural but also noticeable glow that unlike some highlighters didn’t have any flecks of glitter in sight. The final step was to apply some of Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray and I was ready to go.

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life & style travel

courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Travel Editors Charlotte Hill & Talia Gillin

@Courier_Travel thecourieronline.co.uk/travel

the courier Monday 5 March 2018

Graduation: where next?

Maddie Raine inspires us to use our time wisely before work The Tenerife sea

Charlotte Hill shares her shots from the coastal Canary Islands The Tenerife flag is the same as Scotland’s! This is because St Andrew was a patron saint of the island

T

he time has finally come. Its graduation day. Long gowns, caps as far as the eye can see, rolled up parchment paper. You didn’t think this day would actually come, and so soon!

But here you are, wondering how you came so far and what life has in store for you next. No matter how many career talks you attend or job fairs you book onto, nothing really prepares you for the sudden realisation that after today you’ve only got a few months until the next academic term and the pressure of your future really starts to hit. Some will immediately go into jobs, but for those of you who aren’t quite sure where life is going to take you, why not consider a gap year?

Australia: the place everyone seems to be dreaming of. Well, this could be your home for a year!

There are so many opportunities for new graduates in this vast country of heat, sun and surf. If it’s a casual job you’re looking for, why not try your hand at fruit picking in the vast fields of Australia’s countryside, or work in one of the many youth hostels that this country has to offer, receiving refreshments and board (what more could you ask for?). If neither of these strike your fancy and you’re wanting something outside in the blaze of the summer heat, many coastal towns and cities offer travelling students and graduates surf jobs, so grab your board and hit those waves for some extra cash!

Get out there and discover what you never thought was humanly possible If Australia isn’t for you, why not travel 9437 miles across to the other side of the world and hit America. With 50 states you simply can’t go wrong with such diverse cultures and languages. Why not visit California, known for its sandy beaches offering so many water sports you couldn’t possibly deny it? If the beach life isn’t for you but you still enjoy the thrill of being in the outdoors and exploring new and exciting places, you could take one of the many hiking routes to the famous Grand Canyon. If you’re looking for a job that’s more permanent and stands your feet in firm ground, why

not consider working at one of the thousands of camps America has to offer? These are not just limited to summer: many states offer hundreds of camps throughout the year that you could be a part of. The sheer size of this continent means it’s suitable for anyone of any age looking for a whole world of ideas!

For those of you wanting to mix your travels with education, South-East Asia is a great place to start.

Featuring the three most prominent and popular countries of Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, it’s difficult not to delve into differing cultures and really search for life’s secrets. Whether you’re visiting the Kek Lok Si temple in Malaysia, or teaching children English in Thailand, you are never short of an amazing and diverse culture. Test your taste buds at the hundreds of markets lining the streets of each and every town, but definitely be cautious with some of the extravagant tastes and cooking methods. South-East Asia is perfect for those eager travellers who want to experience something completely different to what the West has to offer and really emerge from their comfort zone.

As a new graduate, money is often the biggest concern when choosing a destination and subsequent planning. That’s why Europe has become an extremely popular destination for thousands of students wishing to experience new adventures every day. One of the most popular choices for an excursion is interrailing. Sick of staying at the same resort year in year out? This option is for you! With unlimited train access across thirty different countries starting at £179, all that’s left to pay for is food and accommodation. And with most of Europe’s countries offering affordable, student-friendly hostels for low-budget prices, you simply can’t go wrong. Whether you’re perusing the streets of Montmarte in Paris, or visiting the Roman Colosseum, this choice of travel ensures your journey is never dull.

The hardest decision everyone faces when planning a holiday is where to go, what to do and how much this will all actually cost. With the large amount of debt all new graduates are in, who wants to pay those extortionate prices and yet not really gain anything valuable? That’s where the beauty of the planet really shows its colours. The world is your oyster.

Get out there and discover what you never thought was humanly possible before the reality of real life actually sets in!

Words of the week- Aussie Slang Arvo- Afternoon Togs- Swimsuit Slab- 24 pack of beer Grommet/ grom - young surfer

Root - Sex Sanga - Sandwich Bottle-o - Liquor shop No wukkas - No worries

The gin to your tonic Emma Chell talks travel buds, and what to look out for in one

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our travel buddy can make or break an adventure, so thinking through some ideal qualities for your perfect companion might be wise. I am extremely lucky to have travelled around Europe with my best friends, and Asia and Australia with my boyfriend- so these would be the traits that I would look out for.

A good place to start is with someone who is reliable. If you are anything like me, you will need someone you can trust to drag you out of bed in the mornings in order to make the most of the day.

You also don’t need the stress of somebody who loses their passport every week, or even decides to cancel on the trip entirely at the last minute.

Your buddy definitely needs to have a sense of humour Organisational skills are also important. If they can organise themselves, that’s great, but if they can organise your life too, even better! Perhaps they remembered to pack a water bottle for you or researched the best mode of transport to make your way around the city. These things may seem menial, but they will affect the ease with which your trip unfolds.

It’s the little things, like sneakily making lunchtime sandwiches at the free breakfast that can

really cut the cost of your trip down, therefore a resourceful person is key. If your buddy is not prepared to occasionally fold napkins in a restaurant to help pay for dinner, you’re in for an expensive trip.

These things may seem menial, but they will effect the ease with which your trip unfolds However, it is also important that your companion isn’t too frugal. You want someone who knows when to splurge. For example, activities such as skydives or boat trips are not cheap, but well worth the money. I think it’s important to strike a balance between knowing when to save, and when to spend.

Lastly, your buddy definitely needs to have a sense of humour. You will need a friend who will be able to make you laugh even on a 15 hour bus journey. Somebody who lacks hilarity when finding your way back to a hostel in the early hours of the morning, would not be ideal.

Overall, as long as your travel buddy possesses similar qualities to yourself, I’m sure that your trip will go smoothly. Whoever you pick to travel the world with, make sure you relish every moment of such an incredible opportunity.

ELECTIONS 2018

PRESIDENT ACTIVITIES OFFICER WELFARE AND EQUALITY OFFICER EDITOR OF THE COURIER ATHLETIC UNION OFFICER EDUCATION OFFICER CHAIR OF STUDENT COUNCIL SCRUTINY OFFICER MARGINALISED GENDERS OFFICER LGBT+ OFFICER

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the courier Monday 5 March 2018

PRESIDENT OF THE STUDENTS’ UNION Raffaello Marioni Hey, I’m Raff and I’m a third year History undergraduate. I believe that I am the ideal candidate for the SU Presidency due to my engagement with various aspects of Newcastle University life. I have organised course balls, established a football team (sadly one that is bottom of the league), involved myself in different sports and societies, including Rugby League and Dance, and worked hard to improve my subject through being a course rep, a peer mentor and a committee member. Crucially, I believe that my policies are realistic and beneficial to all students and will help create a fair, affordable and positive campus.

These include: Greater focus on mental health counselling and advice Reducing the financial worries of students Revitalising the Student’s Union Reforming the Robinson library

Increasing the future career opportunities of students and ensuring that they are informed and optimistic about the future

My name’s Chris Murray, and I want to be your next Students’ Union President. Here’s just a few of the things I want to change about the Union to improve the student experience.

housing web chat service to answer any questions you might have quickly and professionally.

Safe and Sound Students can be vulnerable coming back from nights out – especially if they’re on their own. This is why I’ll aim to introduce a ‘night bus’ scheme, which you can request and track from your university app. You won’t have to walk home late at night or get an expensive taxi anymore.

Stamp Out Stress I want to tackle the causes of mental health problems at our university – in particular stress. If elected I’ll support the ‘Stressed Out Students’ month by creating workshops throughout the year on issues such as healthy sleep, diet planning and budgeting to help students keep on top of stress at home and at university.

My proactive attitude suits the role of President immensely Representing the needs of all students and providing equal treatment to the issues that prevent everyone from having the best possible University experience.

I believe that my proactive attitude suits the role of President immensely and can result in my policies becoming a reality.

FLAGSHIP POLICY

MAKE STUDENT LIFE AFFORDABLE, INCLUDING FREE TAMPONS ACROSS CAMPUS

Christopher Murray

FLAGSHIP POLICY

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING STRATEGY

THIS YEAR’S OFFICER

I want to tackle the causes of mental health problems at university - in particular stress Helping with Homes Finding and signing for houses can be stressful, so I want to make sure students feel fully supported throughout the process. If elected I’ll aim to introduce a ‘Rate My Landlord’ website and brand new

Holly Waddell I’m Holly Waddell and I want to be your next President. I’m building a progressive platform on the back of my years of experience actively campaigning for and representing students like you.

Experience - Founder and President of the Working Class Students Network - Twice elected Student Parents, Guardians and Carers Officer - Student Representative on Senate If I’m elected, let’s: - Create a NUSU Leadership Programme to empower students from diverse backgrounds to run for leadership roles - Cut the cost of living by working with on-campus outlets, local organisations, and transport companies to secure deals for students - Ensure that all students have thorough representation, and those from marginalised groups feel fairly represented with a formal review. Ensure the

feedback of academic reps is heard and used to improve your education - Make Newcastle University healthier through free quit smoking aids, better mental health provisions and more healthy and fresh food options on campus

I’ve really enjoyed my year as President of the Students’ Union, and have been able to push through some important changes.

I’ve implemented online GP registration to ease access to mental and physical health services, which is vital at university.

The price of university is huge and I have frozen the rent price for St Mary’s, alongside a £34,000 investment in transport for the residence. Alongside this, I’ve helped secure a review of the Silver sports membership and an Eat@ discount of over £10,000.

To help students through their exams, there is to be a summer exam period pilot of typed exams with over 1,000 students, while the fight against proposed increase in placement fees should help students once they have passed them!

We have secured a £10,000 investment in TedX

talks, while personally I also assisted with John Bercow’s MP talk.

As you can see, the role is a huge opportunity for whoever takes it, and they can really push themselves and the union to be the best it can be.

I wish all of the candidates the best of luck in their campaigns and with the results in Friday.

I have experience representing students - Build more opportunities for work experience through generating a “NUSU Job Board”, compiling work placement, volunteering and part-time job opportunities - Better our links with the local community by encouraging students to get involved in community activities and celebrating NUSU’s success in local media

Ronnie Reid During my time I have been able to push through important changes, it’s a real opportunity

FLAGSHIP POLICY

A FORMAL REVIEW OF REPRESENTATION TO ENSURE FAIR REPRESENTATION OF ALL

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ACTIVITIES OFFICER Josh Cook

FLAGSHIP POLICY

HELP FAITH BASED SOCIETIES FIND SPACE ON CAMPUS

My name is Josh Cook, a 3rd year Physics student.

I am running to be your next Activities Officer!!!

Full of enthusiasm for all things extracurricular, and always there to help when needed. Before University I worked as a volunteer with dementia, and have since worked as a fundraiser for many different charities, such as Marie Curie. As a student, who both founded Physoc, and was president of Age UK society, I believe I have what it takes to represent your societies and volunteering needs within NUSU, and to help you get the most from your university experience.

If you vote Josh #1 for Activities, I aim to implement the following: Societies - Help Faith Based Societies find space on campus for religious activity.

- Improve the profile of Refreshers-Fair

Errol Kerr

elections

- Increase Inclusivity of societies - Increase recognition of Performance Based Societies.

Outside of Societies - Increase advertising of Go-Volunteer within the university, and increase the knowledge of ongoing projects.

- Increase advertising of Give it a Go Society Committees - Improve Committee Training, tailoring to each role, and continue/improve Social-Secretary training.

- Encourage Executive-Ecommittee and SocialSecretary to attend First-Aid training days.

- Continue running workshops for society committees.

- Promote NCL+ Vote Josh Cook #1 for Activities Officer!!

Hey! I’m Errol, and I’m running to be your next Activities Officer at NUSU! I’ve devoted years to societies and have been involved in NUSU for a long time now. I’m excellent at working under the pressure of a University environment.

Electing me will ensure all societies have their voices heard and acted on.

This is what I want to see changed: - Dedicated Welfare Reps with mental health training in all Societies.

- Participation Bursaries for second- and thirdyear students.

- Earn Your Stripes scheme for Societies -increased funding for more inclusive societies.

- A clearer, more concise Room Booking System.

- Recognise and integrate marginalised and international students into more Societies.

- Encourage societies and groups to engage with Go Volunteer.

- Monthly awards for our volunteering community.

- Recognition for our volunteering body.

- A supportive foundation for new societies to build from.

My name is Sophie McDermott and I want to be your next ACTIVITIES OFFICER, 2018-2019. I have been heavily involved in NUSU since I began studying History and Politics at university and have joined several societies since my second year here.

thigs societies here at NUSU get up to.

That’s why I want to make the SU more accessible, connected and efficient to work better for you.

My work on the activities executive committee this year has given me the experience I need to undertake this role.

My main goals: 1. Make it accessible. I will give everyone the chance to get involved in societies here at NUSU. 2. Get connected. I will help societies work together to achieve more.

3. Be efficient. I will not waste your time, student life is too busy to get caught in admin.

So please vote for me so that I can give you the best student experience possible!

I’m excellent at working under the pressure - Fortnightly “Spotlight:” videos on societies.

- Collaboration between NUSU Societies as well as with other Universities.

- Society and Club input on the monthly deals at Luther’s!

- Revitalise ‘You Want It, We Got It’ – give societies more input on your Union!

- Personal, one-to-one support for each society running campaigns.

FLAGSHIP POLICY

TO ENSURE YOUR WELLBEING IS SAFEGUARDED WITHIN SOCIETIES AND VOLUNTEERING

Sophie McDermott

FLAGSHIP POLICY

CHANGE THE ROOM BOOKING SYSTEM FOR THE ADVANTAGE OF EVERYONE

I want to make the SU more accessible, connected and efficient to work better for you Having been a treasurer, secretary and social secretary of different societies I understand many of the frustrations faced. I also know all the amazing

Rebecca Bainbridge Campaigns Week is one of the craziest weeks you will experience! Every year I looked at all the candidates and thought you must be mad! But having been through the experience myself I can say it is 100% worth it. It is by no means an easy week but everyone who takes part should be so proud of themselves, regardless of the result! There are so many people who would love this job but just don’t have what it takes to put themselves out there and campaign! Anyone who can plan a campaign, lead a team and speak to so many students in one week has already gained so many skills which will put them ahead in the job market. The week itself is full of so many ups and downs. You’ll speak to students who are voting for you and it’ll boost your confidence and then all of a sudden you’ll start doubting yourself. It’s understandable but try and stay positive! Make sure you surround yourself

with friends who can keep you going! It’s important to take a bit of time out from campaigns for a bit. I remember sitting in a Spanish grammar lecture and being so relaxed as it was one of the few hours I wasn’t campaigning. I would advise all candidates to try an enjoy the week ( which is easier said than done). It’s such a unique opportunity that you should hopefully have fond memories of it when you look back at your University experience in years to come.

Tip for the week: have something planned to say if you win! I didn’t want to think about results night but when I got on stage I totally froze (and I never get stage fright). My friend who designed all my posters and made my video was in the room and I forgot to thank her- needless to say I felt a bit daft after! So just have a few people in mind who you’d like to thank if best possible outcome happens!

THIS YEAR’S OFFICER

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WELFARE AND EQUALITY OFFICER Lucy Butterworth Hi! I’m Lucy Butterworth and I’m running for Welfare Officer.

I’m not trying to butter you up but I am incredibly passionate about the welfare of students. University is already challenging without the addition of further stresses. Therefore, improving students’ mental health is my priority. I will use my experience, knowledge and motivation to provide better support for students throughout their university life. Some of my experience is as follows: - Started up the Watch Your Head Go Volunteer programme involving wellbeing workshops around stress and time management as well as stress relief activities through sports and arts - Combined Honours Society: President (2015/16); Secretary (2017/18)

- Social Secretary of Boxing Club (2015/16) - Combined Honours Mentor (2017) – Awarded Mentor of the Year - Combined Honours Peer Welfare Ambassador (2017/18) Manifesto policies: 1) Focus attention on increasing student support by ensuring all schools have a Peer Welfare Ambassador who can direct to relevant services and be there to talk to.

2) Ensure Watch Your Head wellbeing workshops continue to provide all year support for students.

3) Provide transition workshops for progression of years. Also transitioning support for international students, parents & carers, mature students and students returning from exchange years.

Hi! I’m Zoe, your current Students with Disabilities Officer, and I’d love to be your next Welfare & Equality Officer. I’m a campaigner for liberation groups, having been on committees for the Mental Health, Disability, and Feminist societies; I even won the Celebrating Success Social Inclusion Award last year for my work! My aims: BETTER SUPPORT - Reintroduce mental health training for personal tutors, so staff can better support students who are struggling.

- Campaign for changes to PEC forms regarding bereavement, removing requirements for death certificates and direct familial ties.

- Collaborate with student-led support groups such as Nightline and Mind The Gap to offer valuable

de-stressing alternatives to Wellbeing waiting lists.

BETTER CAMPAIGNS - Introduce better freebies during exam season – think stress/fidget toys, discounted food trips, and movie nights!

- Organise donation drives for tampons/contraceptives for Period Pride, and run events for #NotOnMyCampus for Sexual Abuse Awareness Week.

BETTER INCLUSIVITY - Integrate more LGBTQ+ events throughout the year, bringing back Beyond The Binary Week, and work to ensure documentation allows students to mark their gender as ‘Other.’

- Work alongside international student societies to create a Global Campus campaign, celebrating the vibrant array of cultures here at Newcastle.

I’m extremely passionate about ensuring that all students receive the same, first class experience.

You need someone who can listen to student concerns and fight for a campus free from discrimination and inequality. If elected I will strive for: Mental Health - Break activities like a Wii console in Luther’s.

- Mandate the University to spend more on student mental health.

- Puppy/Donkey days for students to relax.

Welfare Waypoints - Online information for students in various different circumstances. The current online information just simply isn’t up-to-date or detailed enough.

- Online help guides on life skills like budgeting.

Sexual Health

- Regular drop in clinics available around campus.

- Better access to free condoms through C-Card vending machines or similar.

- Access to free sanitary products around campus.

- Implementation of amnesty bins around campus.

Equality & Awareness - More support for Students with disabilities in schools, and ensuring support is tailored to students rather than a blanket approach.

- Implement peer-to-peer support programmes.

- Extend Welfare training to societies.

Experience - RAG & Fresher’s Supervisor 2017 - RAG Week Organiser 2018 - Welfare & Campaigns committee member - Student Council Member

I believe I can be your next Welfare and Equality officer in the NUSU because I intend to bring positive change giving special emphasis to welfare support. Promising to provide it in any manner that I am capable of while focusing on academics, extra curricular activities, finances and equal representation for all. Through being the Part-time International Students’ Officer for 2 consecutive years I am experienced with the Union’s operations.

Through this I have engaged with issues students constantly face and have actively attempted to resolve them. It has taught me how to be approachable and vocal about sensitive issues, especially regarding my environmental policies and concerns.

I am passionate about bringing a change and it is important to ensure that we all, as students have

the same right to receive effective and valuable welfare support.

My aims: 1. Provide support and engagement with informative and liberation led campaigns to create awareness and build a positive student environment.

- Through regular interactive campaigns, focusing on drug awareness week, housing week and S.H.A.G. - Ensuring that extra curricular activities promote positive socializing habits through clubs and societies.

- Increasing engagement through inclusivity with international students, ethnic minority and students with faith or beliefs.

As Welfare and Equality Officer, I have been a part of many movements alongside the University, through a range of diversity and wellbeing University meetings. Alongside the day to day role, I have ran a varied range of events and campaigns, from Food for Fuel, SHAG Week, SOS week, and events such as the Wellbeing Fair and Inspiring Women Conference. Being in the role has given me so much opportunity to improve and communicate change to the University which I am passionate about, including healthier food on campus; which I am continuing to work with alongside the Catering team at the University.

I found the election process an incredible learning experience, and gave me enormous confidence in what I could achieve. I didn’t anticipate the support I got throughout the week, and the week leading up to the campaign, and in particular the votes I receives. I can only understand how apprehensive the candidates must feel, but it is one week I won’t forget in a hurry!

FLAGSHIP POLICY

DEVELOP THE WATCH YOUR HEAD WELLBEING WORKSHOPS

Zoe Godden

FLAGSHIP POLICY

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND INCLUSION FOR MARGINALISED GROUPS

FLAGSHIP POLICY

MAKE STUDENT WELFARE SUPPORT MORE EQUALLY REPRESENTATIVE

Jack Green

Sneha Vincent

Sarah Craggs

It has given me such an opportunity to improve

FLAGSHIP POLICY

ENSURING ALL STUDENTS FEEL SUPPORTED BY THE STUDENTS’ UNION

THIS YEAR’S OFFICER

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EDITOR OF THE COURIER Louise Hall

FLAGSHIP POLICY

INCREASING INCLUSION WITHIN STUDENT MEDIA

FLAGSHIP POLICY

Hi, I’m Louise, third year English Lit student and second year News Editor, and I want to be your next Editor of the Courier! Having dedicated (too much) time to the Courier over the last three years of my degree, I’d love the chance to maintain and improve the legacy of our wonderful student media outlets here at Newcastle Uni.

I’d love to continue the legacy of our media Voting Louise will mean voting to get more from your student newspaper.

More inclusion, with new writer’s workshops,

meetings and media events to encourage anyone to get involved in student journalism whatever their degree of experience. More socials, between all branches of NUSU media, to encourage integration of writers, editors, NUTV and NSR and collaboration between these groups. More online promotion, releasing up to date articles over our online and student media channels more frequently with the help of extra online editors. More representation for societies and clubs with a redesigned weekly news column dedicated to events happening on campus, and a bigger comment section to discuss the issues you care about. Finally, more interactive features in the paper, to encourage student entertainment and engagement. I hope you consider giving me your vote this election season!

Daniel Haygarth

Hello! I’m Dan, The Courier’s Film Editor and third year English & Politics student.

I believe that my three years of Courier experience, my diligence and my policies make me the best candidate to be your next editor.

A vote for Haygarth is a vote for: 1) A newspaper that holds the university to account - The Courier will listen to students and will provide a powerful voice for everyone.

- This will guarantee that the university is accountable to you - the student body.

2) Engagement with societies - I will secure a designated space for societies to publicise their events and causes as well as raising the profile of new societies.

3) Increased Intra Mural coverage - The newspaper will promote all sport at the university, not just the elite.

4) Two pages of puzzles - To provide an entertaining and engaging double dose of procrastination.

5) Proper student representation - Optional writers’ workshops will be introduced so that every student feels confident to write for The Courier.

- I will establish an international section so that a variety of voices are heard, and the newspaper represents our university’s diversity.

- Writers will be encouraged to pitch their own articles, instead of editors dictating all content.

Hello, I’m Jaymelouise Hudspith; a mouthful I know. I’m aiming to be your new 2018/2019 Editor of the Courier.

I have been a sub-editor for the lifestyle section of The Courier for the last year and a writer for the last three years. I am a third-year English Language student with experience working for several other paid and voluntary publications. I believe this experience provides me with an understanding into how to efficiently run a newspaper and with the skills I would need to not only uphold but improve work of The Courier.

If elected I intend to: - Improve collaboration between The Courier, NSR and TCTV

- Increase social media involvement - Increase exclusive weekly online content - Dedicate one member form each of the sections to online content - Social events to encourage writers to get to know their editors o Also encouraging more students to write for us - More frequent feedback to student writers – improving relations across all platforms - Introduce workshops for writers to maintain standards and establish a sense of community For a newspaper that reflects you, your wants and needs, vote Jayme as your Editor of the courier.

Hey! I’m Mark Sleightholm, a history student with dreams of becoming your next Courier editor.

James is doing a sterling job as editor and I’ve been proud to be sport editor this year. I’ve been involved with the Courier in various roles since 2013 and won awards from the Press Association and the Guardian.

Like all the candidates, if you choose me as your editor I’ll try to make our student media the best it can be.

But more specifically, I’d like to: -Make getting involved easier, regardless of your skills or how much time you’ve got. I’d introduce a wider range of roles to the Courier and organise Give it a Go taster sessions for NUTV and NSR.

I also want to collaborate with student media at other universities.

-Support student campaigns and continue to expand our coverage of university sports.

-Invest more in the Courier website and social media, bringing back dedicated online editors for each section, and ensure that print copies are properly distributed across campus.

I’d continue to support NSR and NUTV and encourage more cooperation between them and the Courier.

If this sounds good to you, choose Mark Sleightholm as your Courier editor x

If I’m honest, campaigns week for me was a bit of a different to most other candidates I reckon.

All of these other keen geezers were knocking about campus, thrusting flyers into the hands of those heading into the nearest cubicle, but I stayed pretty clear of campus other than to head to my own lectures and that.

I’m not saying I put less effort in than the others, but doing a lot of campaigning from my own bed was nice. It did make it hard to switch out of campaign-mode and take regular breaks, but I reckoned if Fabien Barthez can finish Le Mans, then I could put my all into a week of campaigning.

I’d like to think that my manifesto was decent, and the emails I sent out to clubs and societies listed enough reasons to vote for me, but I put in some serious legwork during the week to make sure everyone spread the word.

People might say that it’s a popularity contest, but at the end of the day, not even your mates are going to want to vote for you if you’re a complete clown.

Jaymelouise Hudspith

INCREASING SOCIALS, GIVING WRITERS A CHANCE TO KNOW THEIR EDITORS

THIS YEAR’S OFFICER

elections

FLAGSHIP POLICY

INTRODUCE AN INTERNATIONAL SECTION TO ENSURE STUDENT REPRESENTATION

Mark Sleightholm

James Sproston If Fabien Barthez can, then I could

FLAGSHIP POLICY

MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH STUDENT MEDIA

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the courier Monday 5 March 2018

ATHLETIC UNION OFFICER James Anthoney

I’m James Anthoney, a third year Maths student born and raised in Yorkshire. I’m a middle-to-long distance runner of 12 years’ experience and a dedicated Cross-Country captain for NUAXC. As captain I’ve learnt a variety of lessons and skills.

I’ve organised trips and events, hosted committee meetings and I’ve witnessed how sports at this university can bring people together. I’ve fought in my club’s corner with relentless dedication and will do the same for my university.

My first key policy is to improve Stan Calvert across a range of sports, the friendly rivalry it creates with Northumbria unites our city and every club should be fully involved in that.

Secondly, kit is a huge issue for a lot of clubs, often delayed by months with little compensation and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed. Finally,

I would offer more money and support to smaller, non-BUCS sports clubs- clubs that are loved by their members, but underappreciated elsewhere. I will also have a word with Tiger-Tiger about their playlist.

Thank you for reading, I know I’m up to the task and I hope I can convince you too!

3rd year English Literature student and Netball Club Treasurer 2016-18. As AU Officer I aim to: HEALTH AND NUTRITION: - Improve availability of breakfast food in the Sports Centre and provide a hot drinks machine and microwave in the Sports Centre.

- Encourage the provision of a café at Cochrane Park.

- Facilitate talks with fitness experts and provide concise training for Welfare Officers in all clubs.

- Introduce more charity matches and link with GoodGym. PARTICIPATION: - Protect Wednesday afternoons for sport.

- Make S&C programmes accessible for non-Performance athletes.

- Showcase para-sport athletes.

- Run a ‘New to Sport’ campaign to encourage participation in new sports.

- Expand Campus Leagues programme.

UNITING TEAM NEWCASTLE: - Increase fixture communication to encourage support for home fixtures and encourage the inclusion of a communications officer in sports clubs.

- Provide the best kit deal possible.

- Organise an accessible AU Ball.

- Create career links with sports organisations.

FACILITIES: - Facilitate a shuttle bus to off-site home fixtures.

- Ensure new facilities are fairly distributed across sports and source alternative venues during redevelopments.

- Provide a monthly option for Sports Centre gym membership.

I’m Max Sharp a masters student studying history and president of the Fencing club. During the past year I have represented the university and promoted sport at various University events.

I believe that everyone deserves to have the support and opportunity to participate in sport and will work on behalf of all those who feel restricted from joining in. To do this I will be available as a point of contact and will organise specific campaigns in support of sport for all.

Yet, I also recognise performance is key and will work alongside clubs to encourage developments within this.

I will, as Athletics Union Officer, focus on: Allocations of funding based on performance and development as well as for increasing participation;

Work towards reducing the cost of Sports Centre Membership. Alongside this, I would argue for those attending Strength and Conditioning to only need silver membership; Encourage clubs to set up beginner’s programmes; Improve the organisation of Stan Calvert; Making Team transport simpler and cheaper; Increase inclusivity making sport for everybody; Clear Wednesday afternoons for BUCS and intra mural sport; Encourage improvement in the food and nutrition available in the sports centre; Integrate Welfare Officers into wider university support systems.

My name is Zach Thomas and I believe that I am the best candidate for the role of AU Officer. During my time at Newcastle University I’ve enjoyed an active role as an NUAFC (Football) member, having received a ‘Clubman of the year’ award for my contributions to the club.

Being part of a sports team is one of the best and most rewarding aspects of my time at Newcastle.

I will strive to make this the same for all of the sports team members.

I would want my time as AU Officer to further students’ engagement and enjoyment in sports teams.

ExZACHly what we need My Goals as AU Officer - No more waiting on away days.

- Improve engagement in sport.

- Protect mental and physical health.

- Provide sports teams with the opportunity to give back.

I would offer more money and support to smaller, non-BUCS sports clubs

FLAGSHIP POLICY

USING SPORT & HEALTHY LIVING TO IMPROVE STUDENT WELLBEING

Maggie Elstob

FLAGSHIP POLICY

ORGANISE A BUS TO COCHRANE PARK

Max Sharp

FLAGSHIP POLICY

REGAIN INTEREST IN THE RIVALRY BETWEEN NEWCASTLE AND NORTHUMBRIA

FLAGSHIP POLICY

THE REVITALISATION OF STAN CALVERT

Zacharie Thomas

I would want my time as AU Officer to further student’s engagement and enjoyment

Clara Pettitt

Campaigning for the role as Athletic Union officer was a fantastic experience but also incredibly stressful.

I was very lucky to have a brilliant team behind me

and throughout the week they did everything they could to support me. I’m still very grateful for their help!

Good luck to all this year’s candidates!

THIS YEAR’S OFFICER

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the courier Monday 5 March 2018

FLAGSHIP POLICY

TACKLING ATTAINMENT GAPS, SO EVERY STUDENT GETS A GREAT EDUCATION

EDUCATION OFFICER Samantha Cooke I’m Sam, a third-year Linguistics student and I should be your next Education Officer. I’ve been a Course Rep for three years, and I’m now the UG School Rep for English and our SSC Chair. I was Chair of NUSU Council (2016/17), and I also sit on the Education Executive Committee and Steering Committee – both responsibilities of the Education Officer. Years volunteering with NUSU’s academic have informed my main aims: 1. REVIEWINGTHE ACADEMIC REP SYSTEM NUSU doesn’t currently collect data on the inclusivity of our Academic Rep system. I’ll launch a review into what we’re doing right and where we can improve, so that every student’s academic interests are represented.

2. STREAMLINING FEEDBACK STANDARDS

There’s a massive disparity in the quality of feedback between some degrees, so I’ll work to introduce a University-wide baseline standard of assignment feedback.

3. TACKLING ATTAINMENT GAPS With the University’s Equality & Diversity team, I’ll ensure that NUSU does all it can to help close attainment gaps between students from different backgrounds.

4. NATIONAL ISSUES THAT AFFECT YOUR EDUCATION I’ll make Newcastle’s voice heard on the national stage, and keep you up to date with all the facts on HE policy that might affect you.

Vote Emma for Education My policies: Diversify assessment methods: Exams and essays don’t give a fair opportunity for students to prove their knowledge. A varied range of assessment methods would reflect the variety of skills students have.

Lobby the University to scrap 100% essays and exams: Having an assignment worth 100% of a module hugely disadvantages students. An entire module can be affected by one bad day.

I want to change this!

I want to hear from you! : I’ll have an open door policy, where students can speak to me about issues with any element of academic life. I’ll aim to run polls on NUSU social media to gauge student opinion which will influence my plans when I’m in office. I’ll work with academic reps to engage with

students even more!

Better study spaces: I’ll work with students to improve study spaces based on your ideas. With your feedback, we’ll have better places to revise, relax and recharge.

I’m Jonny Hall a 4th Year Electrical Engineering student, and I’m campaigning to be your next Education Officer. I believe I’m the best candidate there is to represent your views on your education and will strive to implement the following to benefit your education experience.

University: - Continue to lobby the university to introduce a week off after January exams - Ensure the university recognises the impact of the UCU strike for future teaching Services: - 24-hour Robinson Library access during dissertation hand-ins for Postgraduates - Abolish hidden ‘add-on’ course costs - Ensure fairer printer credit distribution based on course and stage - Block any university plans to increase fees when

the £9250 freeze lifts in 2019 Support: - Quicker PEC form responses and easier submission - Establish a centralised PEC committee, ensuring all schools follow the procedure correctly to support all student circumstances - A new group app for simple communication between students and lecturers Your voice: - More school support for course societies’ and establish stronger links with course reps - Student Council reform, making it open and inclusive to all students My experience: - RAG President and Shock Soc President 20172018 - Course Rep and SSC Secretary

I am Gillian Salmon and my platform is based on my experience and my passion for learning. I am a stage 3 Philosophy student and am in my third year as a Course Rep and School Rep for Philosophy.

I am also a Student Trustee of NUSU, on Student Council and Steering Committee and Secretary of a society. I have been a student member of the Inclusive Learning Working Group and on the committee of Student Staff Partnership Forum.

If I am elected I want us to ensure education is not closed off to those will ill health or disability; aiming to: - Ensure that all lecture material is made available in advance and is in a font size appropriate for all students to read.

- Extra printer credits for all UG students who have dissertations to write and more modules with opportunity for 4000 word assignments

We must also ensure we have full representation and inclusivity of student views: - Every student is able to make their voice heard through proper representation, such as by canvassing students for suggestions, making Staff Student Committees more visible and effective - Student opinions can be relayed directly through the Newcastle Uni App and through Blackboard #Salmon Education Star

Being Education Officer this year has been very enjoyable representing students in all matters from individual academic enquiries to being the face of the student body as a whole.

During my year I have began processes which may

take some time to complete, such as increasing the awareness of how much feedback students can get, to lobbying the university to introducing a week’s break after January exams.

Whoever wins, the best of luck in your year!

elections

Emma Dawson

Students can speak to me about issues with any element of life No lecture left behind: Many lectures are still not recapped and entire modules are being left behind.

Recap helps students catch up and revise, bettering their grades as a result. I’ll to work with the university and aim to get every lecture recapped!

FLAGSHIP POLICY

LOBBY THE UNIVERSITY TO SCRAP 100% ESSAYS AND EXAMS

Jonathan Hall

FLAGSHIP POLICY

ENDING CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF EXAMS

Gillian Salmon

THIS YEAR’S OFFICER

I want to ensure education is not closed off to those with ill health or disability

Rowan South

FLAGSHIP POLICY

MAKING LECTURE MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE

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elections

Monday 5 March 2018

EXPERIENCE - Very active member of the Newcastle Uni SU - In 2015/17 I’ve sat on Students’ Council, Societies Executive Committee, Disciplinary Committee, and Media Executive Committee - I’ve also sat on the committees of eight societies and media groups - My responsibilities and commitments have lead me to work very often with members of the NUSU Ops group (Sabbs, PTOs, Directors et. al.), which will be helpful when conducting Chair duties.

The role of Chair of the Student’s Union Council is one which demands a competent and well organised individual. This role also requires an individual who has exceptional verbal communication skills and can work well with other officers.

I believe that I possess these traits and so would make a very capable Council Chair. For example, I am President of the Stand up to Injustice society, which I started at the beginning of this year.

The society aims to encourage more students take part in volunteering and political activism related

CHAIR OF STUDENT COUNCIL Haaris Qureshi - Written and rewritten numerous constitution and policies for student bodies within the SU. - Wrote the new constitution for a national student body (NaSTA) to allow it to gain charity status.

- Familiar with NUSU documentation and policy.

- Have chaired society, media and team meetings - Strong background in competitive debating - Have served in returning officer roles for society and media elections, and for NaSTA. AIMS

Ze Wang

I am very glad to have the chance to run for student chair of the Student Union. I am Ze Wang, a senior student in electrical and electronic engineering.

As I know UK is a multicultural country, I am very grateful to the university for giving me this election opportunity.

I was student chair of the EEE school last year.

During my tenure, I got a wealth of work experience and received wide praise from my classmates for my job as monitor. I am good at communicat-

ing and organizing, facing various difficulties in the student community, because I am always ready to help you, quick to react to the needs of my fellow student.

Looking into the future, I will try my best to serve my fellow students if I am lucky enough to be student chair of the student union, I will organize more activities to enhance understanding of each other and I will try to open more channels for you to voice your opinion and needs, to understand the needs of students, and make a bridge to com-

events.

Part of this role involves ensuring that funds are well managed which is something I have gained experience in from my position as Treasurer of the Politics Society. I am chair of The Student Voice Committee for Politics which demonstrates that I am proficient at representing students and communicating their needs to the relevant bodies which is another requirement of this role. Lastly, I am both welfare and social secretary for debating society, taking on so many responsibilities require

excellent logistical and organising skills as well as commitment to be successful, which is why I think I should be chair of the Student Council.

Jamie Cameron the charity Changing Lives, aiding democratic engagement amongst vulnerable groups like the homeless. I was active in RAG Week 2018. I’ve been a Course Rep too I’m independently and morally minded: I’m starting a campaign to End Student Poverty on Campus, while working on a Living Wage for University Workers What will I do?

Ensure the representation PTOs are listened to, understood, and appreciated by NUSU, aiming to work with liberation societies such as LGBT and BAME Host educational sessions around the running of NUSU to aid public scrutiny through democratic engagement Publicise runnings and minutes of NUSU where appropriate to expand public scrutiny

LGBT+ OFFICER

Lauren Sykes Hey, I’m Lauren, a bisexual second year Film and Media Student.

I believe that the experiences of LGBT+ students at Newcastle should be safe and memorable ones.

There are issues that still need to be challenged and targeted – I will make sure that I face these issues head on. I have been involved in the LGBT+ society since my first year, and am currently their Social Media Sec. The society is very welcoming and supportive, and I want to ensure that this reputation is maintained. If elected as your LGBT+

municate.

I sincerely hope you will give me a chance, which also give me confidence to overcome obstacles!

I will try to open more channels for you to voice your opinion

Adam Warner

SCRUTINY OFFICER The Students Union needs drastic improvement, and that begins with honest people challenging the powerful and pursuing the truth. I’m Jamie Cameron and I want to be your Scrutiny Officer.

So why me?

I’ve got a critical eye for detail: I’ve been a Comment Editor for the Courier since 2016, regularly contributing since 2015; Recently, I fully debunked the claims of a supposed deficit in the lecturers’ USS pension fund and took those findings to Council I care, and I don’t do drama: I’m a researcher with

- Build on my predecessors’ work of publicising Council more and encouraging larger turnouts.

- Encourage a variety of voices and representation at Students’ Council.

- Produce simplified and multimedia guides to increase understanding of how NUSU decisionmaking bodies operate - Use strong NUSU Student Media connections to achieve the above

This role requires an individual who has exceptional communication skills

MARGINALISED GENDERS OFFICER

Charlotte Boulton

I’m Charlotte Boulton, a second year Media and Cultural Studies student, and I’m running to be your Marginalised Genders Officer! I’m currently the Treasurer for the Feminist Society and the Secretary of the LGBT+ Society. I have been involved in co-leading campaigns such as #NotOnMyCampus, alongside regularly writing for The Courier. I would love to expand my activism and become a part-time officer!

MAIN AIMS - I will improve awareness and education around sexual violence, including sexual assault around university. I will work with staff to improve consent workshops and continue awareness raising through campaigns and events. I will push for a clear zerotolerance policy to be promoted throughout university and the union.

- I will provide safe space socials and support

groups for marginalised genders and create opportunities for these students to share their concerns and ideas so all voices can be heard.

- I will work to make useful resources, such as information about reporting sexual violence, easily accessible for everyone. I will ensure that anonymous reporting online is simple and common knowledge among students.

- I will promote equality for all genders by working alongside other officers to provide engaging and inspiring events – e.g. leadership workshops, guest speakers and campus-wide campaigns.

UNFILLED OFFICER ROLES International Students’ Officer

Must be an international student – Works with the Officer, I will help marginalised members of the Welfare & Equality Officer and University in issues LGBT+ community get their voices heard and give affecting international students and is a member of them a chance to speak out. I want to tackle sexual the University’s Diversity Consultative Group. and domestic violence faced by LGBT+ students, and assure them that their experiences are valid Racial Equality Officer and should be taken as seriously as non-LGBT+ Promotes anti-racism/racial equality on campus experiences, by collaborating with the Marginal- through campaigns, liaising with the University ised Genders Officer and It Happens Here to raise and NUSU and convenes the Racial Equality Foawareness on campus. rum at least once per term.

Finally, I will also collaborate with the Racial Equality Officer and BAME society to make sure Student Parents, Guardians and Carers that all members of the LGBT+ community feel Officer they are equally represented.

Convenes and chairs the Students Parents, Guardians and Carers Forum at least once per term and I will help marginalised with the Welfare & Equality Officer, the Unimembers of the community works versity and external organizations on issues that afget their voices heard fect student parents, guardians and parents.

Students’ with Disabilities Officer

Responsible for representing students with disabilities in the Students’ Union, the University, NUS and other appropriate organisations and cordinates students with disabilities’ campaigns.

Students’ with Faith and Belief Officer

Actively seeks feedback from students with a faith or belief and act as their representative voice and maintains awareness of national campaigns and events relevant to those they represent, supported by the Students’ Union.

If there is interest in filling any of these roles in the future, then candidates may be appointed through the NUSU Student Council process.

culture What’s on 21

the courier Monday 5 March 2018

student activity

editor.union@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Ciara Ritson-Courtney Student Activity Editors: Alex Hendley

POETRY IN ACTION POEM OF THE WEEK ‘I saw the best minds in my country dismissed as selfish unionised Marxists, Marching through the cavernous streets searching for a wall of support, Monetised academics burning for the ability to heat their homes when they retire, who poverty and tatters and overtime and lies had taken them over the edge, to face a reflection of the neo-capitalist chasm consuming the UK, who bared their brains to the world and found themselves tied to a falling stock, who lifted up universities with their passion and commitment, illuminating Ginsberg and Black Lives Matter against a backdrop of neoconservatism, who give up their income now so as not to stagger through the twilight of their lives, they were with us through the tuition fees rise, we are with them now in solidarity.’

Union University Campaign Society Monday 5 March

5.15pm GIAG: Golf Meet: Outside Hatton Gallery 5.30pm Watch Your Head: Time Management Workshop Location: Kate Adie Room, NUSU 6pm Watch Your Head: Running Workshop Meet: Outside NUSU

Tuesday 6 March

6pm Watch Your Head: Art Workshop Location: Hatton Gallery 6.30pm ManSoc & NUBS Networking Event Location: Business School 7pm Watch Your Head: Running Workshop Meet: Outside NUSU

Wednesday 7 March

1pm Watch Your Head: Stress Management Workshop Location: History Room, NUSU 1.30pm GIAG: Ouseburn Farm Visit Meet: Outside NUSU

Student spotlight NUSU ELECTIONS 2018 F

Monday 5 March - Thursday 8 March

rom noon today, voting is open for the 2018 NUSU elections, giving students the chance to vote for their choice of sabbatical and part time officers for the upcoming academic year.

The Courier’s elections pullout is the perfect source of information to make your mind up with the manifestos and pledges provided by each candidate, while other branches of student media have worked hard all week to produce exciting and informative debates between the candidates for the six main positions.

Across campus, the candidates will be attempting to make their presence known in an attempt to gain your vote

before voting closes at noon on Thursday afternoon.

With results announced on Friday, you have just four days to make sure your pick of the bunch represent you and your interests from this summer onwards.

Candidates for the main roles are given a budget to help them campaign; money which is put towards posters, promotional videos and social media, with every single one hoping to stand out ahead of their competitors to make sure you put a tick in their box on the NUSU website.

For more information, visit the Courier or NUSU’s websites.

Thursday 8 March

11am Let’s Meet in the Middle: Art Exhibition Location: Alphabetti Theatre 11am Team Kenya: International Women’s Day Location: Outside NUSU

WATCH YOUR HEAD Watch Your Head is a student led project with the support of NUSU’s Go Volunteer. The workshops will be helping students’ wellbeing over the course of the week

Friday 9 March

11am Let’s Meet in the Middle: Art Exhibition Lcoation: Alphabetti Theatre 12pm Watch Your Head: Running Workshop Meet: Outside NUSU 12.30pm Cardio Combat Fitness Location: Sports Centre 4pm Night at the Races

Meet: Outside NUSU 5pm Let’s Meet in the Middle: Swap Shop Location: Alphabetti Theatre

Saturday 10 March

11am Let’s Meet in the Middle: Art Exhibition Location: Alphabetti Theatre 11am NUCATS 24 Hour Gameathon Contact: Computing and Technology Society 12pm Watch Your Head: Boxing Workshop Location: Sports Centre 1pm GIAG: BBC Newcastle Backstage Studio Tour Meet: Outside Hatton Gallery 7pm The World Is a Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die Location: Venue, NUSU

Sunday 11 March

5pm GIAG: Badminton Location: Grey’s Quarter, Eldon Square 7pm GIAG: Ladies Football Location: Sports Hall

22

culture music

c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaac & Ally Wilson

A

fter their successful inception in 2017, the Hit The North festival is hitting the North for a second time. Early bird tickets were quick to sell out and Newcastle looks forward to another round of gigs with some of best indie music. 2017 saw headliners, Slaves and Nothing But Thieves, while this year promises Jungle and Circa Waves.

Similar to Live at Leeds and The Great Escape, this inner-city festival boasts exciting venues spread across Newcastle. Beginning in the early afternoon, smaller acts start their more intimate sets.

Often based in the locations you may not have heard of before, last year’s festival locations included Town Wall and Brewdog. After attending

in 2017, I can attest that this is a lot of fun - and it’s a welcomed prospect to find quirky places in Newcastle that are, sadly, less popular than they deserve to be. The chilled atmosphere is a nice way to begin with a few drinks before the more known bands surface around 5pm.

For those wanting to continue the festival, they can head towards clubs like Digital, which saw Le-

Jungle

Meet The North

M

eet the North is the baby brother of Hit the North, celebrating the best music to come from the North East. There are multiple city centre venues hosting some amazing live music on 5th May. This year’s line-up includes plenty of local artists, such as doom-punk trio No Teeth, budding star Brooke Bentham and Tom Joshua, a Middlesbrough born vocalist. There are bands and solo artists from each and every corner of the North East region, playing from 2pm until late.

The festival is headlined by Peace, the indie-rock group making a comeback after the success of their 2015 album Happy People. After being absent for a few years, they’re back with the massive single ‘Power’, a new independent label, and an album and UK tour announced. You can expect popular tunes from their debut, like ‘1998 (Delicious)’ and ‘Lovesick’, alongside the beautifully emotional ‘From Under Liquid Glass’, released in support of MQ Mental Health. Their headline set is bound to blow the roof off and be a more than fitting end to the festival.

No matter what your music taste, there’ll be some live sounds you’ll love The Academic, Irish indie-rock band, are high up the bill. Perhaps prompted by the success of their single ‘Bear Claws’, which currently has 1.8 million Youtube views, or by the success of their debut album Tales From The Backseat. The band are currently touring the US, returning to the UK in April, with Meet the North ending their UK run.

Hartlepool’s PLAZA are also worth a mention.

Their grunge pop sound supported indie giants Blaenavon in autumn, and they’re owning the stage of their own accord now.

No matter what your music taste, there’ll be some live sounds you’ll love. My hot tip is Cape Cub, who regularly plays local shows and is definitely one to check out. With tickets at just £12.50, you’re spoilt for choice.

Charlotte Boulton

@Courier_Music @TheCourierMusic

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track to date, ‘Busy Earnin’’, has nearly 50 million streams on Spotify and, thanks to being featured in a number of TV shows and adverts (most recently for Toyota Yaris Hybrid), is a track that everyone is at least subconsciously familiar with.

Their arrival in Newcastle is, without doubt, one to get excited about. The group will provide the opening party for the Hit The North weekend with tickets setting you back £22. The venue, Boiler Shop, is famed for being the host of student favourite Bongo’s Bingo and is tucked away behind Central Station. Its rustic beams and open-ambiance is perfect for the party that Jungle will be bringing with them up North. Without doubt, there is no better way to kick of the Hit The North weekend’s buzz!

Toby Bryant

Circa Waves

iverpool formed rockers, Circa Waves, came into the indie limelight in 2014 after the release of their debut album Young Chasers. The four-piece met after working at Liverpool Sound City 2013 together and decided to join forces to make music.

Shortly after their debut album was released they went on a small, discreet tour round the UK. They have been asked to play support for the likes of The 1975 on their UK wide tour as well as Courteeners in their hometown of Liverpool. The boys were an incredible opening act as, already having a name for themselves, they warmed the crowd up with ease. The band went from supporting huge artists such as these to headlining their own UK tour, selling out the O2 Academy Brixton and have not

looked back since. They are a ‘windows down, sunny day, long car journey’ type band and its therefore easy to see why they have become so big over the past few years.

With the release of their new album Different Creatures in 2017 and the second single from this album, ‘Fire That Burns’, getting so much air time on radio stations such as Radio X and Radio 1, the boys are set to begin their second tour with this album. They are playing Universities, O2 Academies and all over the UK, including a date in Liverpool.

They are set to play Newcastle’s O2 Academy for Hit The North on May 4th, tickets are on sale now.

It is highly recommended to get down there if you can!

Jen Humphreys

Drenge

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thal Bizzle give his vibrant set early into the morning last year.

Equally, Underground provides late night entertainment when they lend their venue to DJ’s in order to interject non-live music to finish the night. This is the festival experience with a bit more walking but much less mud.

Rory Ellis

Q&A Dominique Daly

abelled as a “modern soul musical collective”, Jungle will be bringing the groove to Boiler Shop in Newcastle on Friday May 4th as part of Hit The North’s events.

The group’s name couldn’t be more appropriate with a cornucopia of sounds transporting you to the wild as Esquire writes of their “tropical percussion, wildlife noises, falsetto yelps, psychedelic washes and badoinking bass”. The group may only have 2014’s self-titled album to their name but it is one of huge popularity. Before been shortlisted for a Mercury Prize in September 2014, the record powered phenomenal sets at the likes of Reading and Leeds Festival, 2014’s iTunes Festival and, the following year, at Glastonbury.

If you don’t think you have heard of Jungle, then you should think again. Their most popular

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the courier

Monday 5 March 2018

usic has a unique quality to frame memories. When I hear certain songs, I can be transported in an instant to a particular time and place at which I was listening to them.

This is evident when I think of Derbyshire band Drenge, and their emphatic debut self-titled album, which still fills me with the same sense of excitement that it did in 2013, nearly 5 years ago. At the time, I was studying at sixth form and beginning to claim my independence as a young adult and this, along with a handful of others, formed the soundtrack to my coming-of-age.

Drenge’s sound features an undeniable punk influence, however also possesses a more sophisticated quality, through their introspective lyrics, intelligent themes and an off-record sharpness and satire that can be seen in the members’ public relations.

Songs from their debut LP such as ‘Backwaters’ and ‘Bloodsports’ are moments in which the band really bears their teeth, with bold riffs, sharp per-

cussion and hard-hitting yet soulful vocals.

Other singles such as ‘People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck’ display Drenge’s ability to encase their rampant sound with seemingly lazy lyrics, which can be seen to almost poke fun at the typical ‘heartbreak-chic’ image occupied by many names within the scene. Either way, Drenge made an impact on not only me, but the British music scene with their debut, and their follow up album Undertow in 2015.

Now, after another seemingly routine 3-year break for the duo, Drenge are returning to the stage for their first live tour since their last album.

If their previous exploits are anything to go by, then we are in for a treat, and hopefully this run of dates spells new music from the band.

The Band will be performing at Riverside on the 4th may, tickets are available on their website and through most established ticket sellers.

Liam Austen

Q: What exactly is your role in all of this?

A: Hmm, that’s a hard question. My official role at SSD Concerts is ‘PR Manager and Editor of Gigs North East’. But, realistically, my job sees me doing a whole lot more. Last year I ran interference on every problem you could imagine a festival may have on the day, managed the show staff and festival volunteers (plus a bunch of other really unglamourous and stressful jobs like hauling an amp up Aikenside Hill to replace an broken one …the music industry isn’t as picturesque as you may imagine). This year we have more staff thankfully so my role has changed slightly. I’m back to running the press side of things which includes PR releases and interviews. I’ve also taken on the role of booking our sister festival Meet the North, alongside my partner in stress Matty from our office. It seemed like a pretty natural jump for us to take over that festival as we’re both pretty heavily involved in the local music scene and like to think we keep our ears to the ground when it comes to new talent etc.

This year on site you’ll find me carrying out interviews back stage and making some fun content to be shared by the festival - that’s a lot more my style than putting out fires!

Q: What were some unexpected obstacles or challenges you ran into when organising Hit The North?

A: Last year things were difficult in a way because we were brand new. It seemed for a while like the city wouldn’t respond well to the whole multi-venue thing and it took a while to really hammer home what the festival was. That and we had a venue pull out on the day of the festival! But we’re seasoned pros at dealing with chaos, that’s what we do. We make it happen on a shoe-string but you’d never know - that’s kind of the fun of it all. 2018 is much slicker because we know what we’re doing now. It’s bigger and better and the line-up is just ace... can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction to it.

Q: Which acts get your personal recommendation?

A: Well, since we’ve not released HTN’s line up (at time of writing), I’d have to say I’m majorly excited to see Jungle at our opening party. Also Mother Night, Shredd, FEHM and Girl Hog who are all playing Meet the North.

Q: What does the future look like for Hit the North; in what ways can you see it progressing/ expanding?

A: As a company we never stand still. It’s always moving forward, getting bigger and reaching the next goal. I’d say Hit the North’s ultimate goal is to get to the size and quality of Live at Leeds or something similar and to be fair with this years line-up we’re not far off.

the courier

@CourierMusic the-

Monday 5 March 2018

How To Solve Our Human Problem Belle & Sebastian

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aving started releasing music consistently since 1996, Belle and Sebastian have always been on the ball with their sound and style. Their latest delight comes to us in the form of a trilogy; three EPs claiming with its title to be a guide of How to Solve Our Human Problem.

These newer albums rely more heavily upon the female vocalists in the group - perhaps a sign of the times - but if not, it also creates a richer variety of sound across the EPs. This new trend can be seen throughout the three EPs, which include songs such as ‘Best Friend’ and ‘The Same Star’ which comprise almost exclusively of female vocals.

The first EP, however, How to Solve Our Human Problem (Part One), is slightly lacklustre. It comprises of five tracks. This release following their fabulous 2015 politically charged album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, which is one of their greatest releases, was slightly disappointing. It’s starting track ‘Sweet Dew Lee’ when first played seems to be the only respite from this odd and uncharacteristic release, but further into the track a more modern electro synth sound is introduced creating a weird disconnect between their more iconic vocals from Stuart Murdoch and the backing track, which is a unfortunately common trend in this first EP. ‘We Were Beautiful’ offers a

drum track you would expect to hear as the default on Garage Band, ‘The Girl Doesn’t Get It’’s synth sections sounds like a poor man’s ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Enola Gay’, the lyrics in ‘Fickle Season’ sound as if they could have been written by any tumblr poet, and ‘Everything is Now (Instrumental)’ features the main melody being played by different instruments it’s as if a year 7 has just discovered all the settings on a keyboard.

Songs filled with hopeless love & softness Apart from this confusing and highly disappointing offering from Part One, Belle and Sebastian redeem themselves. The highlights of the collection is certainly ‘A Plague On Other Boys’ and ‘I’ll Be Your Pilot’ from How to Solve Our Human Problem (Part Two), two songs filled with hopeless love, softness, and coming of age themes which are highly reminiscent of their songs from their 1996 album Tiger Milk. From the same EP, ‘Show Me The Sun’ brings influence from their newer sound from Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance and shows the great and successful evolution of sound from this previous album.

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third and final EP, unsurprisingly called How to Solve Our Human Problem (Part Three), continues this positive trend. The track ‘Everything is Now (Instrumental)’ redeems itself here with its reoccurrence as ‘Everything is Now (Part Two)’, with soft lilt of Stuart Murdoch’s vocals once again blessing us with words of hope and the importance of human connection, alongside the inevitable passing of time.

In my ideal world this is a collection of EPs which I would give 5 Stars out of 5. However, even though Belle and Sebastian hold such a fond place in my heart, the sheer disappointment that I felt when listening to the first EP can only mean that I can only give a 4/5. Don’t change your sound too much, Belle and Sebastian, you’re good as you are.

Scarlett Carroll

n this day in 1907, the very first radio broadcast of a musical composition took place, when Lee De Forest transmitted a performance of Rossini’s ‘William Tell Overture’ from the Telharmonic Hall in New York to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: YouTube

Everything Is Recorded

Richard Russell

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s someone who is already a fan of Sampha, Ibeyii, and Kamasi Washington, the latest album from Everything is Recorded was always going to be a huge hit with me. This album has been long in the works, with the first tracks released back in 2017.

The introductory track to this electronic album, entitled Intro, is reminiscent of the concept album Chill Out by The KLF and tracks from The Orb, with its rich levels and incredible mix of empowering spoken word and vocal tracks.

Though it is hard to pick a favourite track in this album when each track is simultaneously so interwoven with the insanely talented featured artists, my least favourite track is almost certainly ‘Wet Looking Road’ featuring Giggs. But I’m pretty certain that’s because I’m not a fan of Giggs, had any other artist been featured on the song I’d have probably loved it as much as the rest of the album.

One highlight for certain however is ‘Close But Not Quite ‘which features Sampha with his haunting and vulnerable vocals accompanied by an enrapturing backing of soft piano and faint harmonising vocals.

Kyoto

Editors’ Picks

Tyga

ach week, The Courier’s Music Editors are working with Newcastle Student Radio to bring you the best new tracks from the week before...

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yga’s most recent project comes across as uninspired as he tries to reclaim relevance.

When the artwork for Tyga’s latest project dropped in late 2017 it caused a stir in the online community, the crass and vulgar depiction of a woman bent over naked with tiger stripes in the foreground of the Japanese flag.

Tyga responded to the criticism in an interview with TMZ saying; ‘its lit.. it’s art man, art’, if only the same could be said about the actual album. The controversy of the artwork doesn’t reach the same level in the music.

The monotony sets in quickly on the first track

Ultimately, within this album Everything Is Recorded brings the best out of his featured artists, creating a wonderful album which showcases their wild talents. Prominent in this album is the prevalence of young non-white music creators. In the year starting with films like Black Panther and Prada casting their first black female model in 19 years, it is wonderful to be blessed with music such as this. This album is the perfect album to chill out to, stick it on while you’re having a bath, relax.

The opening track begins with promise as a tropical beat opens over a simple snare, but any creativity in the production is quickly drowned out as Tyga’s heavily auto-tuned singing and rapping comes in. The monotony sets in quickly on the first track, as Tyga’s vocals become dull very quickly.

From here, it’s rinse and repeat throughout the album - every song features a simple snare beat with Tyga’s vocals singing the hook, some of these coming off as incredibly cheesy. On ‘King of the Jungle’ Tyga sings as the hook: ‘I’ve been lying like the king of the jungle’; in an album with uninspired production and monotonous vocals the only reprieve comes in the features which are few and far between.

Kyndall’s verse on ‘Leather in The Rain’ brings some much needed vocal talent to the project, Gucci Mane and Tory Lanez’ bars on ‘Sip a lil’ and ‘Faithful’ offer a welcome change on their respective tracks, and while neither of them offer anything particularly exciting, at this point in the album anything to not hear Tyga’s voice is welcome.

Scarlett Carroll

Rohan Katargamwala

A wonderful album which showcases their wild talents

‘Cigarette’ RAYE, Mabel, Stefflon Don Three strong, female artists on the rise, you wouldn’t mess with this lot. RAYE can do no wrong at the moment with yet another bop.

Toby Bryant, The Courier ‘Me And My Mind’ Jazz Morley Fresh from Bournemouth, Jazz Morley’s latest instalment has some lovely harmonies and makes you want to light a candle and get in the bath.

Ally Wilson, The Courier ‘Almost Had to Start a Fight/ In and Out of Patience’ Parquet Courts Seeing a return to the punchy, three-chord punk aesthetic that put Parquet Courts on the map, this two-part single is raw, restless and as catchy as ever.

Charlie Isaac, The Courier ‘Fine Lines’ The Empire Police This perfectly angsty hit boats more heavier vibes than their previous releases but with such a great sing-along, head bopping chorus, this new direction works well for the Preston Lads.

Meg Smith, NSR ‘Who You Are’ SPINN This latest infectious track from Liverpudlian four-piece SPINN is a breezy, dreamy delight.

Make sure you catch SPINN in Newcastle later this month when they are set to play Little Buildings on March 15th - it’s one not to be missed.

Amy Woods, NSR

THE EDITORS’ PICKS RADIO SHOW The Courier Music editors will be joining Meg and Amy from Newcastle Student Radio to play and discuss the Editors’ Picks at 5:30pm every Thursday. Be sure to tune in at nsrlive.co.uk!

Lee De Forest is regarded as one of the most important contributors to the early use of radiotelegraphic communication as a means of both contact and broadcast.

Interestingly, after graduating from Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School in 1896, De Forest was turned away from work alongside Nikola Tesla, beginning his solo journey into the world of electronics.

Eventually, following amendments to the finite details of an original patent by Danish engineer Valdemar Poulson, De Forest began utilising the Arc Radiotelephone for broadcasts of messages.

Whilst the first official broadcast of music using radio as a medium is widely speculated, it is understood that De Forest’s broadcast of the Gioachino Rossini’s overture for the opera “William Tell” was the first to take place in the public eye.

A pivotal moment for music, which spelled the beginning of widespread listening This was a pivotal moment for music, and spelled the beginning of widespread listening. Although the quality, accessibility and stability of this initial broadcast was a far cry behind the technology we know today, it was no doubt magical to hear live music being performed, without actually being there, for the first time.

The overture itself is typical of Rossini’s compositional style, and to most would sound like any other opera score, however it is important to understand the historical significance of this piece given its role in what we might call the conception of musical broadcasting.

Since then, and over a century later, music radio has become an institution, and it is almost difficult to go a day without hearing some kind of music over the airwaves.

Liam Austen

@Courier_Music @TheCourierMusic Newcastle Student Radio: nsrlive.co.uk @NSRlive

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culture TV

Amy Gildert’s The Big Bang Therory

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the courier

c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver & Alex Moore

Bitter

t is the year 2018 and for some reason, I am still hearing about the hot mess that is The Big Bang Theory. What did humanity do collectively to deserve this poor excuse for a sitcom? Since 2007, we have been subjected to half-arsed comedy and unlikable, misogynistic characters. And that might have flown in 2007, but not any more my friend. Not any more.

Lets ease in to the problems, shall we? Have you ever listened to a clip of this show with the laugh track removed? I would encourage you to do so.

Without the obnoxiously fake laugh track telling you what to laugh at, you very quickly realise that none of the jokes are actually funny. The majority of the time, the jokes in The Big Bang Theory rely on one or more of three qualities; sexism, homophobia, or the social awkwardness of the classic nerd. It’s weak comedy at best, and completely offensive at worst.

Image: BagoGames (flickr)

For me though, the real kicker with The Big Bang Theory is the way it tries to suggest that women have no place in geek culture. While two of the three female characters may be scientists, all three of them are presented as either indifferent, ignorant, or as having full out hatred for anything ‘geeky’. The idea that there could be a female comic book fan is unheard of to the characters. The writers seem to have conveniently ignored the fact that with film and television such as Game of Thrones, Star Wars and the entire Marvel cinematic universe, nerd culture is the most popular it has ever been. The idea that women are ignorant of this development is just completely exhausting to watch. When characters make nerdy pop culture references, they aren’t there to get the audience to laugh along with their interests. They are written for the audience to laugh at. The writers seem to be stuck in some weird time warp where geek culture is still associated with scrawny, glasses-wearing, socially awkward guys who live in their mother’s basement.

Sweet

Normally in this column I truly attempt to find the best and worst aspects of a TV show.

However in the case of The Big Bang Theory, I have a hard time finding any aspects that actually make watching this show worthwhile. I suppose that at the time of its release, the show did do a lot towards making geek and nerd culture more socially accepted, simply through exposure.

And both Amy and Bernadette are allowed to be equally as brilliant as the men in their respective scientific fields… That’s it. I don’t have any other nice things to say.

The Verdict: Bitter

Monday 5 March 2018

BBC3: is it still relevant today?

Grace Dean gives us an analysis of how far the online channel has come in the past two years

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hanks to BBC3, Britain has been gifted many of her much-loved television shows including Gavin & Stacey, Being Human and Little Britain. Two years since the channel’s controversial move online, however, has left me wondering whether BBC3 is really worth our license money.

The BBC3 channel was launched in February 2003 to offer innovative programming to viewers aged 16 to 34 whilst leveraging new British talent.

Despite the channel’s success, with 90% of its output originating from UK and 70% being original, the channel ceased operations in February 2016 and converted to an online format as part of the BBC’s £100m budget cut. This decision attracted significant public opposition alongside that from celebrities including Matt Lucas, Jack Whitehall and Daniel Radcliffe.

70%

the younger audience which generally isn’t catered as well for by BBC1 and BBC2. “Box sets” of former BBC3 programmes are available, while new series of its popular shows are still being released, including Cuckoo, Life and Death Row and People Just Do Nothing.

The content’s quality is argued to have declined due to budget cuts

Percentage of BBC 3 programming that is original to the channel

As an internet television service delivered mainly via iPlayer, BBC3 had a 50% reduction in its programming budget, and thus now focuses on shortform content. Despite this, the online BBC3 still offers similar content encompassing a range of genres. Under BBC3 controller Damian Kavanagh’s direction, however, BBC3 bases its content around three so-called “editorial pillars” rather than traditional programming genres. Comedies and entertainment shows come under “Make Me Laugh”, current affairs and documentaries are covered by “Make Me Think”, and “Give Me a Voice” encompasses shows of topical interest which encourage discussion and active participation.

As an internet television provider, BBC3 benefits

ming has to be broadcast on the BBC1 and BBC2 television channels following its debut online.

BBC3 also allows the BBC to test the water and trial new programmes before broadcasting them on its other channels. This was the case with Torchwood, which debuted on BBC3 in 2006 and, following its success, was moved to BBC2 and ultimately BBC1, and Russell Howard’s Good News has a similar history.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Original content continues to be released as the move online has allowed BBC3 to produce more innovative content while decreasing costs. This has brought many original comedies, dramas and documentaries, including the Doctor Who spin-off Class, Thirteen and Live from the BBC. With online television viewing becoming more popular due to watch-anytime services, BBC3 is utilising younger audiences’ focus on accessibility and convenience. For those who still prefer linear television, all BBC3 full-length original program-

Despite this, there is still criticism about whether BBC3 should even exist in its current online form.

As well as its audience being limited to those who can stream programming online, the content’s quality is argued to have declined due to budget cuts. The BBC has tried to fill the gap in the market by requiring BBC1 and BBC2 to broadcast “distinctive programmes designed for younger audiences”; this then surely defeats the point of having BBC3 too? The move online has also cost BBC3 many of its most popular shows, including Don’t Tell the Bride, which moved to Sky1, and Family Guy, which moved to ITV2.

Despite this criticism, Kavanagh is still optimistic about the future of BBC3, with a target of reaching 10% of all viewers aged 16-34 by 2020 (this figure is currently 8.5%).

“I feel an enormous sense of pride about what the BBC3…have achieved,” he said. “We’ve more than doubled our total brand reach and seen phenomenal growth on social platforms producing original content with true public purpose.”

Screen Intimacy Reforms; Safeguarding Sex in the Shark Tank Callum Costello shows the need for new measures in sex scenes following the recent scandals

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eforms to rules in casting performers and filming intimate scenes have been proposed by actors union Equity in order to safeguard sets from predatory and demeaning behaviour in film and television production. In response to the on-going harassment scandal, proposals have been raised in order to protect performing workers from being put in compromising and uncomfortable positions in the workplace. Prompted by complaints of humiliation (Jennifer Lawrence spoke of being made to stand in a nude line-up) and peer pressure (Salma Hayek claimed to have been pushed into performing a lesbian love scene), the rule changes seek to ensure ‘best practices’ in production and have offered up, amongst others, the banning of nudity in auditions, kissing with tongues on camera and the covering of genitalia in sex scenes.

In production intimate moments are filmed on what is called a ‘closed set’, where only essential personnel (director, cinematographer, boom operator etc.) remain to allow for as much privacy as possible. With this practice there shouldn’t be a scenario where the performers are uncomfortable, yet it happens frequently. There’s a simple solution - ban sex in film and television. But then you lose the humour, the artistry and the freedom of expression on screen. Sex is part of life - we shouldn’t censor it. To that end, we can’t turn film shoots into pathetic male fantasies either. Reforming the rules only goes so far whereas a cultural reformation c a n

We need to demand better from our shows.

Comedy in particular influences the way that young people act and behave. When we see characters that snicker in the face of two men being gay, make sleazy comments to their female friends, or laugh at the behaviour of an autistic coded character, we are told that that is the kind of behaviour that it acceptable. And it’s really not.

If you’re looking for comedy, look elsewhere. You won’t find it in The Big Bang Theory.

Image: YouTube

fundamentally alter the expectation and by extension the practices in the workplace environment.

There shouldn’t be a scenario where performers are uncomfortable There’s an unwritten rule in screenwriting where if your project is close to selling but the buyer is stalling, shoehorning a sex scene into the work will usually close the deal. To use a known expression; sex sells. If you want to protect actors in the workplace - stamp that theory out of the film and television industry and entertainment culture. Sex doesn’t even really sell - quality performance, good writing and smart filmmaking do. Sex and the City isn’t a sex show, it’s a sitcom. A dramedy. When Samantha seduces the farm boy by accidentally squirting milk from the cow’s teat onto her face it’s using sex for the sake of humour, not using sex to guarantee profit. Sex sells is an ignorant oversimplification.

Protection from shaming, abuse and manipulation is imperative for everyone in all places -

not just actresses in the Hollywood workplace.

Legal paperwork undoubtedly should be introduced to protect the rights of performers. To what should be the outrage of all; anyone who works on or visits a set signs a complex binding contract protecting the secrecy of the production, but aspiring actors can be asked to strip naked in the producer’s trailer without any meaningful checks or balances.

This needs to change - but so can audience expectations.

FRIDA FACT Salma Hayek recently reported that when filming sex scenes for 2002’s Frida, she was told she was “not sexy in the movie” due to her refusing sexual advances on set.

Image: YouTube

We know why we want to free the nipple, we all agree with #metoo - maybe its time to talk about the true artistic value of sex in entertainment from the consumer perspective, and question whether sex is really what we’re being ‘entertained’ by.

the courier

@CourierTV thecourieronline.co.uk/tv

Monday 5 March 2018

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TV culture

Year of the Woman: Reign His Dark Preview

Catherine Maw explores the dramatisation of Mary Queen of Scots and her ladies in waiting

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or those who don’t know, Reign is a drama that very loosely follows the life of Mary Queen of Scots.

I’ll be honest with you: when a friend first recommended it to me, I was sceptical. Something that referred to Mary Queen of Scots as a ‘teen queen’ in its Netflix description did not fill me with a lot of hope. Of course, I was wrong to judge it so soon. Reign mixes a delicious amount of fantasy with history which makes it impossible to resist. Most importantly, it’s a show that celebrates the strength, resilience and solidarity between its female characters.

What differentiates Reign from other ‘historical’ drama is the prominence of its female characters. Aware of her tenuous position as a Scottish queen within the French royal court, Mary, played by the wonderful Adelaide Kane, uses her sharp intellect to as-

Reviews

sert her rightful place and exercise her own will.

The beauty of it is, at its heart there is a sense of sisterhood. Mary is surrounded by her ladies in waiting: Kenna, Lola and Greer. All are equally intelligent, strong and passionate, and making their mark on the royal court. Each facing their individual challenges, sometimes with each other, they are always ready to support one another; a lesson, I think, we all could learn from.

While it claims to be based on history, it is worth mentioning that Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta have taken a lot of creative liberties when creating this series. Reign is predominantly a work of fiction, based on some historical occurrences. Still, it doesn’t shy away from addressing pressing issues that women have dealt with throughout history and continue to face today. It allows these historical female characters to be advocates of their own freedom. In a sense, rewriting history with women at the forefront.

So, if you’re particular about hisImage: YouTube torical accuracy, as I usually am,

then you should be prepared. Some of the main characters didn’t actually exist. (Bash, I’m looking at you.) That is not to mention that the lavish costumes and accessories, which could have been plucked from a recent Oscar de la Renta collection, are wildly anachronistic.

It doesn’t shy away from addressing pressing issues that women have dealt with throughout history

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BBC

fter a string of unsuccessful adaptations, Phillip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, is set to become a television series on the BBC. Comprised of The Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, the series follows two children, Lyra and Will as they move through the gaps between worlds.

Yet, this appears to be all part of its charm.

Conscious of its own inaccuracies, it is a kind of fantasy that allows you to escape to another world of Gothic intrigue and mystery. It is both entertaining and thrilling in equal measures.

There’s something wonderful about Reign that keeps me up at night… literally. It’s irresistible to watch ‘just one more episode’ as Netflix ticks over seamlessly onto the next.

Troy: Fall of a City Celebs Go Dating BBC One/ Netflix

Materials

Derry Girls

E4

Channel 4

Image: Jhonattan Tischer (Wikimedia Commons)

Image: YouTube

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inally, an attempt at historical accuracy.

Unlike previous Greek myth films such as Clash of The Titans or Immortals, we can rest easy knowing that the story of Troy won’t be desecrated with typical Hollywood hyperbole.

Episode one is the story of Paris from his horrific birth, to herdsman peasant lifestyle, and finally reinstatement as Trojan Prince, a promising attempt to portray the origin myth. Although, there has been some controversy over the mixed ethnicity of characters. Many, especially including Greeks themselves, are displaying particular upset at the casting of David Gyasi, known for his roles in Interstellar and Cloud Atlas as Achilles.

There has been controversy over the mixed ethnicity of characters The series’ filming takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, and screen writer David Farr, who worked on critically acclaimed The Night Manager suggests that we could be in for another hit. Other exciting elements include the Gods, who appear more primitive and wild then traditional renaissance depictions, harking back to a more likely depiction in what was not a stereotypical 5th century classical world, but the mythical 12th century Greek World. We are subjected to Helen of Sparta’s somewhat entertaining feathery outfits which are probably stylistically more accurate than the toga, golden laurel leaf crown and large gold earrings we see on Diane Kruger playing Helen in Troy (2004).

The final scene of Paris opening a mysteriously large box, sent aboard his ship by Helen as he sails into the sun set provokes one into watching the next episode. As a story countlessly told and retold over centuries there is still the necessary appeal needed to hook you into the next episode.

To summarize, it is likely that the casting choices will continue to be met with negativity but for those who are myth fanatics, they will be delighted with the trueness of the story-line and general stylisation.

Phoebe Fielder

Image: YouTube

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elebs go Dating is a British reality television program shown on E4. It surrounds the idea of celebrities engaging with love gurus who own an exclusive dating agency. They try to match these single celebrities with ordinary people from the public, which seems to be some sort of challenge.

There have been many series, highlighting its popularity. With our society loving reality television with voyeurism being a key attribute, this television program uses this to their advantage.

Exploiting these celebrities to some embarrassing moments and cringe dates, this television series could be viewed as trashy television at its finest.

They have some great and entertaining celebrities; in the most recent series they have included Gemma Collins who is always attracting attention and comedy with her loud character and extravagant personality, defiantly encouraging viewers to keep watching and explore her love journey to the end. They also have well-loved celebrities, including Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson, who has had many strange dates which have not always gone to plan.

Moreover, another comedic element comes from the voice over, as he is always coming out with some great one-liners and takes the mickey out of the celebrities and their dates.

However, with the constant humour running throughout this program, you are often caught thinking to what extent is it all scripted, how much is it actually reality? Which could make it less enjoyable to watch, with reality being the key feature and if that is untrue then what is the point?

Nevertheless I would still highly recommend watching this television series, if you are searching for an easy watch and if your guilty pleasure is some trashy reality television.

It’s filled with cringe but that is what makes this show so entertaining and full of surprise. Viewers want to keep watching in anticipation of these celebrities finding love.

Clarissa O’Neill

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outed as the “Female Inbetweeners”, Derry Girls is definitely worth your time. It’s a sitcom set in 1990s Northern Ireland (in Derry, funnily enough) that centres on the dayto-day life of 16-year-old Erin, her family and friends. With the Troubles as a backdrop, Erin and her friends seem even more ridiculous and frivolous than just any old gang of teenage girls.

The struggles of adolescence are universal, no matter what the political climate. Each character is endlessly endearing, from resident space cadet Orla, to English punching bag James they’re perfect sitcom fare. They never learn, and they never grow.

A special mention to Saoirse-Monica Jackson’s turn as Erin, Jackson is perfectly cast bringing comedy through her pitch perfect delivery and comic physicality with an expressiveness that screams teenager. The girl’s got a funny face and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible, to see the way she scoffs at the clueless adults in her life is to see how hilarious she is. Talent surrounds her with the older generation getting a fair share in the funny, Aunt Sarah and Sister Michael winning the most laughs.

They never learn and they never grow The first series flies by, incredibly binge-able and leaving you pining for more. Channel 4 has already commissioned a second series and if the last episode is anything to go by, not only will the top-class comedy continue but there will also be room for a little drama. The last episode of the series teases a continuing and developing storyline for one of the girls and it’s an exciting prospect.

Derry Girls packages itself as a fairly typical sitcom but there’s a lot more under the surface. Offering a genuinely funny and honest depiction of teenage girls with an undercurrent of 90s nostalgia and a thread of drama pulling it all together, Derry Girls should be top of your list right now.

Beth Chrisp

I first read The Northern Lights in 2004, at the ripe age of nine years old. From that moment, I was utterly obsessed. I read my copy over and over again until the spine threatened to collapse. I daydreamed about my own daemon. I even owned my own version of Lyra’s truth telling device, the alethiometer, which I, (somewhat embarrassingly) still own to this day. After fourteen years of deep admiration for the His Dark Materials trilogy, I’m almost afraid to get my hopes up again after the disappointment that was The Golden Compass, the 2007 film adaptation that failed to quite capture the essence of the books. I can’t help but worry that the BBC will turn this complex, thought provoking series into a campy, family friendly show running on prime time. For while His Dark Materials may at first seem like a children’s series, it masks a variety of serious themes and topics, such as its approach to religion, which has caused a great deal of controversy from the Catholic church in the past.

I’m almost afraid to get my hopes up again after the disappointment that was The Golden Compass However, television provides opportunities for works of adaptations that other media do not.

While the film rushed through the world and the plot, the TV series has the opportunity to slowly explore the story that is being told and gradually develop the characters, as opposed to cramming a novels’ worth of growth into a hundred and eighty minutes. The world that Pullman created is so detailed that I firmly believe TV is the only form that can accurately represent what readers have been imagining for over 22 years.

The series has been in the works since 2016, so for the time being we can at least be assured that the producers are not rushing this new adaptation. Writer Jack Thorne, known for his work on Skins, This is England and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is set to adapt the trilogy for television. Thorne has Pullman’s approval at least, which should hopefully speak for the quality of the series he plans to deliver.

Casting is already underway, and although there is no release date yet, I remain cautiously optimistic for the newest revival of an old literary love.

Amy Gildert

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culture film

c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Dan Haygarth & Christopher Wilkinson

Golden Oldies

the courier Monday 5 March 2018

I, Tonya (15) Review: a monumental biopic

Helena Buchanan gives us her verdict on the new figure-skating film starring Margot Robbie

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The Godfather : Part III

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he Godfather is a great story however it’s told, but The Godfather: Part III, which moves the action farther away from Mario Puzo’s original novel, is also great cinema.

Scenes like the helicopter hit or the montage towards the end of the film showing the fates of the main villains are a joy to watch and the film maintains both the grittiness and warmth of the original two.

Set in 1979 – after the release of the first two films – The Godfather: Part III shows the next generation of la famiglia Corleone, scarred from the events of The Godfather: Part II and out-of-ease in a more modern world.

20 years on and Michael is still haunted by his killing of his brother, and the film explores feelings of guilt, regret and of trying to move on from a difficult past. This gives it a slower and more thoughtful mood than the earlier instalments, but then part of the beauty of any of the Godfather films is their skilful blending of emotions.

Incredibly, the events of the film are loosely based on reality: the sudden, mysterious death of the Pope That’s not to say the film doesn’t maintain the ferocity of the earlier films; in fact it’s probably the most cynically violent of the three. Over the whole film hangs a feeling that things just aren’t what they used to be: even mafia kids are going off to respectable opera careers, and the drug deals that wreaked such havoc in the original film are playground stuff compared to the international fraud seen here.

Incredibly, the events of the film are loosely based on reality. The sudden and mysterious death of Pope John Paul I in 1978 has prompted numerous conspiracy theories, often linked to revelations of massive corruption at the Vatican Bank. Michael’s confession in the film reminds us of his destructive past, but he still has the moral high ground over the Catholic Church itself.

While it may not have quite such an outstanding reputation as parts I or II, The Godfather: Part III is still a captivating film with all the poignancy, violence and emotion of its predecessors. The handing over of control over the family mirrors Michael’s rise in the first film and brings his life story to a neat close, without being either too twee or jarring. It’s not a happy ending, but then these are not happy films. This final chapter gives us a little bit more of the Corleone magic, and that is an offer nobody can refuse.

Mark Sleightholm

Image: YouTube

s one not generally inclined to do sports, I always find it amazing how emotive films about sports can be. I, Tonya was no exception: it was an emotive, visually arresting, all round stunning film about a sportswoman with everything against her, striking a strange note between realism and sensationalism.

Part of what made this film so startling was that the characters were, though funny, brutal and real. Producing a film about abusive relationships must involve countless hurdles, but this film gently and humorously probed the ins and outs of relationships which logic states one should undoubtedly get out of.

But all relationships deny logic, abusive ones in particular. This film showed the truth of the matter, which is that you can love your abuser, your abuser can be kind, that abusers are as multifaceted as any other type of person.

The nuance of the portrayal of abuse comes from the fierce performances, as well as Steven Rogers’ flawless script. For me, Alison Janney stole the show with her portrayal of Tonya’s mother.

She somehow manages to ruin her daughter’s life

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before our eyes, while being utterly hilarious, yet remains entirely real.

Janney is one of few actresses who has managed to be pigeonholed into the role ‘powerful woman’, but her performances are all unique. Perhaps this suggests that there are multiple examples of how a woman can be ‘powerful’???…

Another striking aspect of the film is the stunning visuals, and the forceful physicality of the characters. From the depiction of abuse to the figure skating, the viewer cannot help but be struck with the presence of the people on the screen.

She ruins her daughter’s life before our eyes, while being utterly hilarious This is aided by the documentary-style interviews which punctuate the film, allowing the audience to see each character’s inner life and their own understanding of the ‘truth’. Though the mockumentary is a frequently used style, these interviews give the film a post-modern feel, and the way the script steps out of a chronological narrative in these interviews lends the film authenticity, spontaneity and self-awareness. This is also seen in moments within the action where the characters break the fourth wall, Tonya yelling “This is bullshit, I never did this”.

What makes this film so emotive, is how utterly charming Tonya is, a bizarre mix of brutality, naiveté, and ruthless determination. While Margot Robbie as a fifteen-year-old was visually wildly unrealistic, her awkwardness and embarrassment was perfect.

This film was steeped in the reality of what it is to be a woman, what it is to be a woman in sport,

Image: YouTube

and a woman in a ‘feminine’ sport. It stings when Tonya suffers by refusing to cooperate with the prettiness demanded of figure skating. Tonya is the unrelenting underdog. She is ‘white trash’, she has frizzy hair, she makes her own costumes and even her own fur coat. It is easy to root for an underdog, but in this case, it is impossible not to. She is so harsh. She is so sweet.

Another thing which makes this film so perfect is that it did not try to do too much. A monument has been made from a simple concept. The story felt well researched and passionately involved with itself. Even with the humour and the drama this was a sensitive portrayal of a hard subject.

Ultimately, we see a woman who wants to be loved.

Overall, I would highly recommend this film. A final moment in praise of the soundtrack, anything including Dire Strait’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has me on my knees.

Netflix Originals on the global stage What do Netflix Originals mean for Hollywood and film fans? Jimmy Athey digs a bit deeper

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ho can beat a trip to the cinema?

Any excuse to see the latest, groundbreaking blockbuster or the next critically acclaimed masterpiece. A cinema is a classic date night for young couples or a nice excuse to spend the evening with the ones closest around you. Netflix however, is breaking the norms of the cinema industry, releasing more and more high budget films to the internet streaming service, creating a new trend of throughout Hollywood.

Netflix original films have varied in quality; the first ever Netflix original which was released in 2015 was Beasts of No Nation, a critical success.

It started a trend of lower budget films getting bought by Netflix and released on the internet streaming platform.

The impact of Netflix in the first two years of releasing films had been minimal, releasing mainly comedies and indie movies, with little critical impact. But this year the platform is adding eighty films to the filmography of original content, so what does this mean to the industry?

The Academy have boycotted the films by Netflix in the past (Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation was a travesty) but with Mudbound earning nominations

this year it’s hard to ignore the progression Netflix is making.

Hotly anticipated films that have come out so far this year include the abysmal The Cloverfield Paradox, which like its predecessor got a surprise trailer and an immediate release. The Cloverfield Paradox had been bought by Netflix and after it had its trailer release during the Superbowl, it simultaneously dropped on the streaming service.

Huge stars are being signed by Netflix, making the platform more competitive A bold move by Netflix, and although it has done poorly with critics and audience, the marketing and the way it was released was arguably very clever.

Films such as The Outsider and Bird Box (starring Jared Leto and Sandra Bullock respectively, releasing this year) show that huge stars are being signed by Netflix, making the platform more competitive to the likes of the big six companies

when buying the rights to films.

With films being available on Netflix from the start, where is the need to go to the cinema? Over 100 million people subscribe to Netflix, the service now seems a more viable option to release a film, with its accessibility it seems a more reliable way of getting a film seen by a large audience, rather than relying on ticket sales to judge on whether the film was successful. Netflix could really damage Hollywood distributors if production companies favour their platform.

The Tyneside Cinema is a wonderful picturehouse; the rustic interior and lesser known films available makes it an independent film fans dream. However, popularity of the independent film is relatively low compared to the box office smash hits that earn Hollywood so much money.

With Netflix reaching out to so many people in so many countries, I encourage them to release many more films, as most of its original content is lower budget and experimental, giving a platform for films such as Cargo (a post-apocalyptic film starring Martin Freeman) to gain viewers. Netflix originals excite me; if they’re anything like Beasts of No Nation going forward, then we should welcome them.

Image: YouTube

the courier

@Courier_Film thecourieronline.co.uk/film

Monday 5 March 2018

Greta Gerwig Joe Holloran delves into the work of Greta Gerwig, and asks whether the specification ‘female’ has to precede director?

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ith the Oscars coming up in the next few weeks, the casual movie goer and buff alike are choosing their picks for the various categories. There is only one woman nominated among the fourteen for either Best Picture or Best Director.

That woman is Greta Gerwig for her latest film; Lady Bird. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as the titular character, a high-school girl living in 2002 California, and her dreams of escaping her strict Catholic mother to the cultural-freedom of an Ivy League University.

The film is nominated for five Academy awards, including Best Director & Best Screenplay - both for Gerwig. Personally, I will be surprised if she does not win for her magnificent, subtle and gripping screenplay.

Gerwig is undoubtedly a fine director, having shaped and honed her cino-eye over the last decade of acting and writing in many low-budget, often improvised indie hits. She has clearly used this experience to give her characters lines that feel organic and spur of the moment yet are deftly constructed. Gerwig was overlooked entirely at the BAFTAs, not nominated for any award herself, although Saoirse Ronan has justly been nominated for Best Actress. Lady Bird is at once funny, tough to watch at times and relatable.

The mother-daughter psychological warfare dynamic between Ronan and her mother, played

by Laurie Metcalf, is in particular one of the most realistic I can ever remember seeing.

With Lady Bird, Gerwig has placed herself at the forefront of a new wave of female directors on the rise in cinema, including Niki Caro (The The Zookeeper’s Wife), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Reed Morano (I Think We’re Alone Now;; a personal favourite) and up and coming British director of Belle and A United Kingdom; Amma Asante.

With the exception of Jenkins, all the films directed by these women and others are small-scale indie flicks. The issue is not (nor ever been) “Can women direct??” it is when will more studio executives take Warner Bros. lead and just hire them for their bigger projects.

These need not be high octane action block-busters like Wonder Woman,, they can be anything; big or small, thinkers or popcorn munchers. It doesn’t matter; if the opportunity is given there are many women out their who deserve the same chance to succeed or fail as any male director.

Despite this, the future for women in the film industry is brighter than it perhaps has ever been. More women are getting the chance to showcase their talents, and in all types of

Lady Bird (15)

Mute (15)

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have watched the Lady Bird trailer at least twice a week for the past 2 months. After swiping a hefty bunch of award nominations, including the Academy Award for best film, there’s been a buzz surrounding this film for some time now. Safe to say this attention has not come undeserved.

Writer-director of Lady Bird Greta Gerwig described the protagonist as the person she wished she could have been at that age. I think this stands true for many young women. Lady Bird is a vibrant character overflowing with feeling and wit. At many points in the film I found myself identifying with her experiences and emotions, however she also did embody for me, like Gerwig, many of the characteristics I feel like I could have benefitted from having at her age.

One of the things I loved most about Ladybird was that it focussed on important relationships young women have that are so often ignored in coming-of-age films in order to make way for yet another Bland Boy Love Interest™. Ladybird’s relationships with her parents and best friend Julie felt genuine, exposing the flaws that are found in relationships as close as theirs whilst conveying the moments of joy a good pal can provide you with.

Not only were the relationships Gerwig crafted beautiful, its filming was too. Never has Sacramento looked to beautiful. It was interesting watching a film set in 2002, it feels slightly too recent to really count as setting a film in “the past”.

But seeing characters with their perfectly dated CD players and mobile phones really drove home to me how much has changed in 16 years.

As you can imagine, after having such high expectations for this film I was a bit frightened that Lady Bird wouldn’t live up to the film I had played it up to be in my head. Luckily, it was. In fact it surpassed any expectations I’d had. It was about all the things I wish the films I watched as a teenager had been about, and the things I hope more films will be about in the future.

et forty years from now, a mute barman (Alexander Skarsgård) is pitted against Berlin’s criminal underworld as he searches for his missing girlfriend.

Directed by Duncan Jones, the son of David Bowie, Mute is the long-awaited ‘spiritual sequel’ to his 2009 classic Moon. The film marks Jones’ return to more intimate and personal filmmaking, having spent the years since his debut making studio films Source Code and Warcraft. Unfortunately, Mute is a total train wreck. It makes little-to-no sense, is deathly dull and Skarsgård’s Leo is an entirely unengaging lead.

However, the film is shot beautifully by cinematographer Gary Shaw. Redolent of Blade Runner and (unsurprisingly) Bowie’s Berlin years, Mute is a visual treat. Nonetheless, narratively and tonally, it is incoherent. It jumps between locations and moods abruptly and never manages to gain momentum or develop a rhythm.

Luckily, the supporting cast offers some respite from Leo and his overwhelming boredom. Justin Theroux commits fully to a truly bizarre role and Paul Rudd is the film’s greatest asset. The two share Mute’s best scene, but not even their talents can save the film. Their sub-plot is just as confusing as everything else.

While it may benefit from a second watch, mainly to try to understand what the hell is going on, the film is yet another major disappointment from Netflix. Swiftly following in the footsteps of Bright’s critical mauling, the failure of Mute suggests that the streaming service is due a rethink about its cinematic output. If this run of dross continues, you wonder how many of the eighty films that they plan to release this year will attract viewers when the whole Friends is ready and waiting.

Mute is packed with slick metallic and neon visuals, but its storytelling is tinpot. Come for the aesthetic, stay for Paul Rudd, leave for everything else.

Carys Thomas

Dan Haygarth

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mplausible plot and cheap gags aside, Finding Your Feet is a surprisingly moving film that addresses the realities of ageing in a light-hearted yet heart- wrenching fashion.

When Lady Sandra’s marriage breaks down after 35 years, she seeks comfort in her estranged sister, who teaches her the importance of letting go of her inhibitions in the form of joining her amateur dance class. She sets aside her obsession with her outward social display in exchange for true friends who care neither for her title or her social class.

The film tell you to seek your best life. The character development was excellent, especially in Timothy Spall’s depiction of the lovable Charlie.

Charlie’s dreams of embarking on an adventure on his canal boat tells an entire generation that it is never too late to change your life.

Something unsuccessful in the film was the clumsy reference to social media trends, which seemed more like an empty name-drop as opposed to genuine social awareness. When Sandra’s grandson asks for ‘Gangnam Style’ to be played at a party, I had to suppress an audible groan.

If it was an attempt to appeal to the millennial generation it needed to have been something more immediate. If we have gained any lessons from social media it is immediacy; trends rise quickly only to die a painful death.

At times I felt that the jokes about aging were excessive and too frequent but perhaps this was another generational discrepancy, as they went down well in the cinema (within which I was the youngest person).

Finding Your Feet has a heart-warming message and endearing characters but some of the attempted humour and implausibility cheapened the production. Nonetheless, its flaws do not detract from the unquestionable feel good factor.

Jodie Duddy

film culture

International Film

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Finding Your Feet (12A)

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genres, from arthouse to blockbuster to horror and sci-fi.

What will help along the way is if journalists would just stop asking women “What’s it like being a female director”, as if they are some kind of freakish anomaly. These questions send out a harmful message to any young aspiring girl who wants to be a director.

Soon though, these questions will stop as more and more women receive their due praise for their work behind the camera, as well as in front of it.

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Blind Massage (2014)

hile picking a Chinese film in celebration of lunar new year, I realised a disturbing phenomenon: most of the well-received Chinese films are overtly nostalgic.

Thinking of the two phenomenal Chinese cinema releases recently, one (Yao Mao Zhuan) depicted the grandiose Tang Dynasty, the other (Fang Hua) portrays a group of dancers after cultural revolution, amazingly managing to avoid any political controversy.

These are made by two “fifth generation” directors who are famous for producing epic films during 1980s and 90s. While now, rather awkwardly, they are still doing similar things, nostalgic turns escapist, and the provoking quality in Farewell My Concubine (1993) and To Live (1994) becomes something to feel nostalgic about themselves.

But thankfully, there are still filmmakers risking the censorship to investigate “hidden” issues in contemporary China, the ‘sixth generation’ filmmakers are the radicals.

The grainy, hallucinatory opening sequence disturbingly imitates Xiao Ma’s process of losing sight The film I finally picked is Blind Massage. The director, Lou Ye, is a leading figure among the sixth generation. There’s little gloss under his lens, but dingy neon lights flashing, messy street, and unattractive people living through strong and raw desires.

Blind Massage tells the gathering and falling apart of a blind massage clinic. As a collective portrait, it follows Xiao Ma working through his sexual desire, Sha’s confusion and longing for “beauty”, Wong’s struggle to get money for marriage: these protagonists face both realistic problems of surviving, and abstract problem of understanding without seeing.

The long hours in a massage clinic are not packed with drama, but always surrounded by sound of pouring rain: it’s a closed, exclusive community of blind people, although visited by sighted customers, it’s rarely disturbed by outsiders.

This approach sacrifices the potential conflicts between the “healthy” and the “disabled”, but creates an equal position for audience to see the protagonists as “normal” humans while living in a world of their own, thus clearing out the suspicion of being a “poverty porn” —as the subject marginalised group often evokes— and paint the emotional world of the blind with calm strokes.

While dealing with issue of reality, the film is powerfully stylised. The grainy, hallucinatory opening sequence disturbingly imitates Xiao Ma’s process of loosing sight and suffering of emotional trauma; correspondingly, when he regains his sight after being beaten, we enter his world through tumbling and constantly out of focus shots, atonal music and brushes of looming colours: he’s starting to see things, in an acute yet ambiguous way. Will it lead to salvation or identity confusion? The film gave a rather postmodern answer, or paraphrasing it, no answer at all.

It’s rare to see film stressing contemporary issue in Chinese cinema, and even rarer for social realism film to not sell poverty nor carry explicit political appeal. Blind Massage isn’t radical in political sense, but it does justice to the socially marginalised, by treating them as equal to audience.

Leslie Deng

the courier

Monday 5 March 2018

c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas

@CourierArts thecourieronline.co.uk/arts

Are physical books outdated?

Gerry Hart and Lucy Lillystone discuss paper books, comparing them to their counterparts and asking whether modern technology is ruining contemporary experiences of reading

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f there’s one thing that fucks me off its gatekeeping, something I unfortunately see all too much being both a fan of heavy metal and video games. And it seems not even books are immune, with many people arguing that audiobooks and Ebooks don’t constitute “real reading”. But whilst this might be technically true (insofar as audiobooks are concerned) I still cannot understand the logic.

The best argument in favour of digital reading lies in accessibility. I myself struggle with the physical process of reading and until my last year of Sixth Form, I honestly believed that fiction simply wasn’t for me, thanks in no small part to the passionless, dry and League Table driven manner in which English literature was taught at school.

Thankfully I was proven wrong when on a whim I decided to give an audiobook of Dracula a shot.

Whilst I’d still not consider myself well read, audiobooks have enabled me to explore a variety of authors such as Mary Wollestoncraft, Karl Marx, J. R. R. Tolkein and H.P. Lovecraft. Then there are people like my dad who, being registered blind, requires audiobooks. Fact of the matter is paper books are not accessible to everyone.

Besides which, I fail to see why paper books are inherently superior. Historically speaking, they’re hardly the only means by which information was conveyed. Yet we hardly see people proclaiming

What’s On: Into The Woods @ Tyne Opera House, 8-10 March, 7:30pm

the only true way to tell a story is round a campfire dressed in animal hides or on crumbling stone tablets. So then why do some turn up their noses at the idea of books being told on an iPhone screen?

Fact of the matter is paper books are not accessible to everyone This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with preferring paper books. But that’s all it is, a matter of preference. Different people have different ways of taking information in and if we want to get more people reading, we need to embrace this.

Gerry Hart

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s technology increasingly develops, everything is starting to become digitalised, including books. No longer are people going to Waterstones to buy a physical copy of their favourite books, they are instead getting eBooks.

While there are advantages of these, there are disadvantages too. Below are some of my main concerns regarding eBooks and why everyone should stick with paperback!

If you’re a true book lover like myself, holding that book and feeling yourself flick the pages is one of the best things about reading. And don’t forget the smell! eBooks don’t allow this. There is only the flicking of the screen and it is not the same. Call me traditional but I love the physical copy in my hands. Also, with eBooks, where is the physical appearance of love? The folded corners, the cracked spine, the look of a book that was read with joy. There is none and that takes away all the fun.

Have you ever had to get a charger for your book? No.

Carys Rose Thomas and Scarlett Rowland would like to extend their support to the striking lecturers. This opinion is not necessarily representative of any of our writers or the rest of the paper.

Grayson Perry: Divided Britain HANNAH HUGHES

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rayson Perry’s series of shows for Channel 4 have offered a welcome antidote to Britain’s current epidemic of dumbed down television broadcasting.

The Turner Prize winning artist, famed for his innovative pottery, has become a household name in recent years. His programmes tackle a diverse range of concerns; from commodity fetishism to toxic masculinity. In his most recent documentary Divided Britain Perry creates two pots; one to represent remain voters and the other a reflection of the leave majority. The encounters he has with both groups are candid, perceptive and often riley comic. His raucous laughter accompanies a childlike curiosity which enables Perry to hold very frank and revealing discussions with his subjects.

In spite of being a remain voter himself, Perry produces a programme which casts the Leavers in a much more favourable light than his own camp.

Through the lens of the yuppie Remainers, Brexit signifies an attack on the metropolitan lifestyles which they hold so dear.

The pregnancy yoga and daytime raves which Perry attends in London are a world away from his experiences in Boston, Lincolnshire, where 75% of voters chose to leave the EU. Here, outside the capital’s bubble of economic and cultural plenty, people have made their feelings of political alienation known. The show captures a gulf in the lived realities between the two groups which appears almost too vast to overcome.

Yet Perry produces two remarkably similar vases, destined to ‘sit on Britain’s mantlepiece’. There is no one right answer, no catharsis for the many questions which our leaving the EU has thrown up. But this was never the intention for Grayson Perry. As shown on screen, his pots create both an impetus and a space for a difficult conversation between two opposing sides. Together, the vases represent how complexed the idea of a national identity is in post-Brexit Britain. Give it a watch.

Our hearts stopped feeling, Their minds stopped beating, But persistent we shall be Fulfilling this righteous decree, A decree filled made of hope yet filled with strife, You’re just another obstacle in this life And so we speak to you.

Newcastle University’s Theatre Society present Graham Linehan’s 1950s classic comedy, directed by Luke Bateman.

@TheCourierArts @thecourierarts

Finally, one disadvantage of eBooks is the cost of the device itself. Although the books themselves may be cheaper, you first have to have a device to read them on and have you seen the price of kindles? No way can I afford that! And what’s worse is that you cannot put that device on your bookshelf. It just doesn’t work.

So, although technology is becoming the norm in the society we live in, let us not forget the wonders of paperbacks and remember that eBooks do have their disadvantages.

Lucy Lillystone

SWEET COLUMN

Poetry in Action held an event regarding the strikes, here is a flavour of their great talents and strong messages of support

The Ladykillers @ The Cluny, 11-13 March

Celebrating international women’s day, this new exhibition showcases work on the themes of the feminine experience, identity and expectations. The exhibition raises questions regarding what it means to be a WO/man in the modern era, through the perspective of female-identifying artists and their work.

With paperbacks, there is no problem of your book dying half way through

arts culture

Student Words in Support of Strikes

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favourite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless yet relevant piece and rare modern classic.

WO/ @ Vane Gallery, 9-24 March

And that is why paperbacks are so much better than eBooks. While you’re sat over there recharging your device because it’s critically on 5%, I’m just carrying on reading. There’s nothing worse than getting to a climactic part in your book and your kindle just dying on you. And what happens if you’re out in a coffee shop and forget your charger?

That’s you finished. With paperbacks, there is no problem of your book dying half way through.

From a lecturers perspective.

Looking at us, Staring us down, Observing us With a frown.

We’re fighting for our right, You forget us Without a fight.

We want to talk You want to ignore So be it.

Watch us imbed ourselves into lore.

All you left us is our eyes, to see The destructive negligence you have wreaked upon this sea You think of us none, You think we are done?

Never, until our dying breath we will persevere, Until justice arises with the morning sun We will never be done.

Our final message is this: We will forgive but we will never forget How you treated us Worse than your pet.

What have I learned at uni?

Were there any facts, figures, or arguments That I couldn’t have gathered from a book in the library?

Was it necessary that I took notes from a Human, especially at nine a.m. up three flights of stairs In the Barbara blooming Strang building?

Truthfully, I don’t know, Because I attended every lecture, Even in the torrential rain, even when I woke up At twenty-one minutes to the hour.

Something, however, that I can say for sure that I have learned From the staff at the Newcastle, Is the power of the spoken word.

Our employers why do you Harm us so?

Without acting and with neglect Your eyes show us to be so low With your negligence.

You robbed us and students of our diligence, Poetry in Action choose not to have the poets names attributed to their work. They feel that this creates a strong voice and an all for one vibe. The arts editors would like to send a thank you to Charlie WinnDavidson for compiling these poems as President of the Poetry in Action society.

29

Image: instagram

POEMBOX Heaven

ELENA TRAYANOVA She’s standing there in a hazed light, a yellow aureole above her head and a white robe. Wings held her up above clouds as she smiled, so alive and so beautiful. Gracefully aged, her white hair was waves of crystal clear ocean water swiftly running through the air. No scars on her skin anymore. No trace of pain - just wrinkles from all of the smiling. I used to love her like that and I hated the frowns and the tears.

I couldn’t handle them so I let her go.

She left alone. She left all alone and I stood there and did nothing.

Mum, I only started caring about your depression when I first faced mine and if this is Heaven what the fuck am I doing here?

Image: Flickr

30

culture gaming

courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett & Richard Liddle

Top 5 dinosaurs in gaming

Image: Jordan Oloman

5. Rudy - Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

You guys remember when Ice Age was that movie with Rusted Root in it about a dumb squirrel that messes with the tectonic plates for an acorn? You know, when cartoon violence wasn’t a totally obnoxious comedy vehicle that struggles to invigorate young minds? When we hadn’t bastardized Shrek, and it wasn’t just Pixar bringing emotional substance or morals to animated movies instead of moronic slapstick and funny voices?

Yeah me neither, but uh, they made a game of the third movie and there was a big dinosaur in it.

Review - Age of Empires De�initive Edition

Jack Coles gets stuck into this iconic RTS remastered for a new generation - has it Aged well?

S

o, Microsoft is continuing its somewhat surprising Age of Empires franchise reboot with this re-release. We’ve already had remasters of Age of Empires II and Age of Mythology, with a brand new Age of Empires IV coming… at some point. Details of that are thin on the ground.

I should preface this review by admitting that the last time I played AoE was more than a few years ago. Also, the version I had was in Spanish, so I might have missed some of the tactical nuances from not having it in my native language. OK? OK. For those of you who have never encountered the original AoE, it’s a real-time strategy game set in ancient times where you spontaneously generate human beings from buildings and order them to destroy somebody else’s human beings for selfevident reasons.

First thing to note is that the graphics have had a substantial upgrade. The original had a somewhat saturated colour palette, with sand and water being almost luminous. Now everything’s more muted, so I don’t get a headache from playing more than an hour. The unit and building sprites have been similarly upgraded, and trees even collapse into logs when cut down.

3. Dorothy - A Day With the Wiggles

In 1998 Australia decided to capitalize on the awful CD-Rom videogame era and their cultural offering The Wiggles, the Beatles of the 90’s who wrote Fruit Salad. A Day with the Wiggles lets you embark on an early 3D acid trip where you modify the purple wiggle’s dreams with animals to ultimately destroy his fragile consciousness, but more importantly you can water flowers with Dorothy the Dinosaur, who doesn’t even do you the honour of telling you where she put her fucking seeds. Don’t let the hat fool you, this demonic harlot eats her young flowers like Saturn and has nasty fangs.

be very boring). The background music even uses real instruments; I know! That’s a massive change for the series!

But for all the improvements made on this game – and there have been quite a few – the AoE team don’t seem to have had the bollocks to sand off some of the more egregious design issues.

Pathfinding is still a massive smelly arse, with villagers still managing to trap themselves amongst buildings or kill too many deer in one go.

Progression is still unintuitive, where advancing to the next age can depend on a somewhat archaic building requirement that isn’t specified on the technology because you need to actually construct said building before you can even see that technology.

And while you’re trying to figure out what the bloody hell was happening in that last sentence, I’ll drop on you the fact that you STILL can’t queue up different types of units; something AoE II has been

There’s other things that have improved too.

Villagers now automatically collect resources after building any sort of depot, so they’re not stood around like puddings waiting for your instructions.

Farms are no longer solid objects that you can’t walk over, and deer don’t block your building plans like hippies in the US countryside. There’s also a load of balance changes that I could list (but that would

1. Birdo - Yumi Kojo: Doki Doki Panic/Super Mario Bros. 2

Anybody who got Super Mario Advance for their strange purple Nintendo boy back in 2001 had to deal with Birdo. A pink dinosaur with a bow on its head and a ring on its finger (so don’t get any ideas folks), this weird monster has a nose/mouth combo and it shoots big, stomach-destroying eggs out of its nasty hooter. For making me shed tears onto a dimly lit screen on a flight to Spain, I offer you the title of The Courier Gaming Section 2018’s best dinosaur. I hate you.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Jordan Oloman

If you’ve never played an Age of Empires game, I’d suggest the AoE II remaster instead - it’s cheaper and better In short, if you have played AoE before and liked it (and you’re sure it’s not nostalgia blindness), then pick it up if your old CD has been bleached by nuclear radiation. If, however, you’ve never played an Age of Empires game, then I’d suggest the AoE II remaster instead. It’s cheaper, better designed, and doesn’t run out of gold within half an hour.

Image: IGDB

Indie Insight - Hatoful Boyfriend

Al Ridley explores this bird-brained tale of pigeon love, bird supremacy and possibly genocide Rather than simply getting a Game Over screen and getting booted back to your screen, you’re privy to a meeting between the Bird Government at the highest level of security. Turns out that your transfer to St. Pigeonations was an attempt to check if birds and humans could socialise. Your failure to do so leads the Bird Government to exterminate humanity.

2. Baby T - Crash Warped I don’t know how Yoshi made it sexy for game developers to use often adorable defenceless animals as meat shields for foolhardy protagonists, but that is a tangible thing in this discourse so here we are. Crash rides this poor creature to his inevitable doom for kicks, seemingly, so second place is just in remembrance of his hard work getting burned to death, drowned or maimed for our enjoyment. He also serves as the inspiration for the song “Baby-T” by Japanese rock band Guitar Vader, a great song from Jet Set Radio Future.

doing since 1999! Heaven forbid we want to create both slingers AND axemen in the barracks!

For all the improvements, the AoE team don’t seem to have sanded off the more egregious issues

4. Alex - Tekken Tag Tournament So, when the guys who make Tekken got really wiped on Ayahuasca one time there was a guy in the corner totally out of his mind just screaming about combining the DNA of a dinosaur and a kangaroo, so for a laugh they were like “sure” and put a Dromaeosaurid in the game. He shouldn’t be alive and consequentially he’s such a dumbass that in his ending he plays rock paper scissors with Yoshimitsu and always picks rock because he has a boxing glove stuck to his hand. Take it off, idiot.

Fourth Place.

the courier Monday 5 March 2018

The more you know, the more the shell of a dating sim falls away, revealing something much stranger

Image: Al Ridley

E

xactly how far can you go with a game before you snap it in half? Hatoful Boyfriend was arguably one of the first large-scale indie games to test that theory. The series sprawled out of an extended April Fools joke by Japanese developers PigeoNation Inc., a group more known for their doujin work than anything else (that’s effectively published fanfiction, for those of you that haven’t already fallen down that slippery slope...).

The first game - and its rapidly-released sequel, Holiday Star - were received by dubious audiences on both sides of the Pacific. Now with a re-release on Steam, it has become firmly entrenched in the weird side of gaming – and here’s why.

Hatoful Boyfriend is a game where, simply enough, you date pigeons of all stripes, from fantail doves to Luzon bleeding-hearts to the most terrifying partridge in any video game. Each prospective pigeon partner is introduced via a little Borderlands-esque intro screen, featuring a stylised anime boy version of each in an attempt

to make it slightly less weird – though Oko-San doesn’t get one. Oko-San is perfect just the way they are.

Your failure to socialise with the pigeons leads the Bird Government to exterminate humanity Your protagonist – your human protagonist, the only human at St. Pigeonation’s – must decide which classes to attend, which stats to emphasise and which extracurriculars she’ll do to become more alluring to her feathered paramours. Looking to date prim, annoying Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane?

Better pass maths.

It’s pretty standard Japanese dating sim fare.

There are multiple routes, decisions to make and computer-generated scenes to watch. But where Hatoful Boyfriend gets weirder is when you fail.

Further progression in the game reveals scenes with killer robots, genocide via poison and a bizarre adventure into a Final Fantasy I-esque world. When you look at Hatoful in light of this knowledge, the entire game transforms. Throwaway lines about “bird supremacy” become even worse. Jokes about your humanity – your character lives in a cave and eats raw meat – become more pointed. And when you proceed further into the game, onto the elusive “Bad Boy’s Love” route, it stops being a dating sim entirely, proceeding into the violent realms of survival horror. The more you know, the more the shell of a dating sim around Hatoful falls away, revealing something much stranger underneath.

Indie games have become the genre for deconstruction. It was what made Braid good, the wonderful chaos that is Pony Island, and the central conceit of Papers Please, which at times is barely even a game. The Stanley Parable. Undertale.

Doki Doki Literature Club. All of these have become much-loved indie darlings for how they shred the form they use and reform the mulch into something funny, charming, or truly nightmarish.

Hatoful Boyfriend is one of, if not the first modern indie game to do it. It’s fairly basic, fairly funny, and certainly not for everyone, but it knows how to subvert your expectations in the way indie games have been tremendous at for years.

the courier

@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming/

Monday 5 March 2018

31

gaming culture

Memory Card: Review - Metal Gear Survive Age of Empires II

Can the Metal Gear franchise survive without its creator Hideo Kojima? Errol Kerr finds out

K

onami presented themselves with a challenge when they announced they were creating a new instalment in the Metal Gear franchise. Not only would this game be released after the critically acclaimed MGSV: The Phantom Pain, but also this game would be entirely without the guiding hand of the legendary Hideo Kojima. After a slew of concerns over the past few months, Metal Gear: Survive has finally hit shelves, and as this franchise is one of my long-time favourites, I had to give it a shot. Would Konami be able to make a Metal Gear to surpass Metal Gear?

No. No, they would not.

After character creation, which I must admit was pretty decent, the player-character is thrown into a parallel universe called Dite, where everything looks like it’s in a 2008 military shooter. Everything i s brown, drab and lacks any vibrancy or interest, but still I marched on.

Me tal G e a r : S u r v i v e has a few outstanding elements, of course; such as the ability to create structures on the fly in order to defend yourself – which I found incredibly helpful as I could just fence off entire areas and build bases across the wastes to my liking, but overall this game just feels rather empty. I don’t mean the atmospheric, emotional kind of empty that you often see in survival games in this current era, no – I mean that in spite of trying to be intellectual and thought-

provoking, it’s convoluted and unengaging. When I say empty, I mean it in its most literal sense. It just feels like there’s nothing there.

Image: IGDB

When I say empty, I mean it in its most literal sense - it just feels like there’s nothing there With generic food, water and eventually oxygen mechanics that feel more like a keep-the-barfull simulator than a survival game, I wandered the plains of Dite, unsure whether to avoid the Wanderers - this game’s take on the generic zombie, this time with large glowing red gemstones where their brains should be - or just put a fence up and spear them in their crystalline cranium until they died.

Even easier, I could just climb on top of ahighish platform and stab them from a height – they can’t climb or attack above their own headheight. There’s no intelligence to these generic enemies, which is a crying shame considering this is a game in the Metal Gear franchise, renowned for rather clever AI. The survival mechanics Image: IGDB aforementioned

Disney reportedly planning to revoke EA’s Star Wars licence

are looped so tightly that there’s no real way to amass enough to really live. It becomes less about an enjoyable replication of survival and more about holding a button to pick things up so your character doesn’t die. Everything about this game makes it difficult, and not the fun kind of difficult.

This isn’t the ‘Dark Souls of Metal Gear’, it’s some Ecco the Dolphin levels of nightmare, like playing Monopoly except when you start, the other players own everywhere except Whitechapel Road. Playing this game just isn’t that fun and it’s very much designed to make you struggle and die.

Playing this game just isn’t that fun - it’s very much designed to make you struggle and die Which leads me to my last point – the unnecessary shoehorning in of paid stuff to make this game faster to play. This game uses Survival Coins (SV) as its in-game currency, and if you want to make this game less tedious, you’d better get spending.

You want resources faster? Between 200 and 2400 SV. If you want more than four loadouts for your character? 300 SV each. Do you want to play through the game with another character? 1000 SV. Have fun breaking the bank on a game that I’d say isn’t worth its asking price.

NUCATS Charity Gameathon returns

Image: NUCATS

T F

ollowing the damage that EA has done to the Star Wars brand throughout their time with the franchise, reports are coming out that indicate Disney is looking for a way to terminate the deal.

Despite the strong sales of the two Star Wars: Battlefront games, both have been embroiled in controversy, the first lacking in content and the second having a progression system that was built around the purchasing of expensive loot boxes.

Though the current contract is set for EA to have exclusive rights to developing Star Wars games until 2023, there appear to be several performance milestones that, if not met, allow Disney to revoke this.

Currently, the House of Mouse is said to be in talks with Ubisoft and Activision as possible replacements. As the other two players in the triad of major third-party publishers, this is unsurprising. However, following the mistakes of EA and the dangers of putting all their eggs in one basket, there is a lot of room for other strategies when handing out licensing deals to developers and publishers.

One possible route is to go with a smaller publisher like Bethesda, which has fewer studios than a company like EA or Ubisoft but makes up for this with greater diversity in the content produced. Games like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry hold a much stronger resemblance than vastly differing experiences like Doom and Dishonored.

Image: IGDB

Images: Wikimedia Commons

An additional benefit from this move comes from how this would address the fan complaints of EA moving away from single-player narrative experiences; Bethesda is one of the few publishers that routinely release games that focus on this form of content. Indeed, they haven’t released a game with a multiplayer component since Doom in May 2016.

Disney could also apply a strategy that is currently working very well for Marvel, another one of their subsidiaries - make short term deals with a range of publishers. Marvel has Insomniac Games developing Spider-Man, while an Avengers game from Square Enix is also in the works.

These are two very different developers and were both specially chosen to ensure a breadth of experiences from a range of specialist developers.

Furthermore, a strategy like this would also open up the opportunity for talented first party studios, such as Sony’s Naughty Dog, to have the chance of working on a Star Wars project.

Whatever happens, EA is under tremendous pressure from both Disney and fans alike to avoid further controversy and improve the situation.

If they fail to do this, other studios will have the opportunity to flex their creative muscles on one of the biggest franchises in all of modern media.

Either way, things are pointing to a healthy future for Star Wars games; this deal’s getting better all the time.

George Boatfield

he Newcastle University Computing and Technology Society’s (NUCATS’) 24-hour Charity Gameathon is returning once again this year, beginning on Saturday the 10th of March at 11am and concluding – yep, you guessed it – 24 hours later at 11am on Sunday the 11th.

Taking place in the Urban Sciences building in the 3.015 hub, the 24-hour long charity event will provide attendees with room to set up their own games consoles and handhelds, access to a range of multiplayer games, and the chance to compete for some amazing prizes – the best of which haven’t even been announced yet!

Furthermore, there will be tabletop games (such as board games and card games), virtual reality motor racing, a game-themed bake sale, a charity auction and a raffle available for attendees to take part in. For those who need a break from their screens, the Helping Our Homeless society will also have an area where people can make sleeping mats out of plastic shopping bags, so you can get handson with their work and help make a difference.

Described by the society’s committee as “one of the biggest events of the year for NUCATS”, the Gameathon is likely to give both existing and prospective NUCATS members a good flavour of what the more regular society activities have to offer. Both NUCATS members and non-members are welcome to take part in the Gameathon, so if you’re a fan of video games and would like to support a great charity, be sure to sign up over on the NUSU website and check out the event page on Facebook by searching ‘NUCATS Gameathon’.

Around £3000 was raised by last year’s Gameathon attendees for Willow Burn Hospice, and NUCATS reckon that they have every chance of beating that figure this year.

George Boatfield

A

lthough Age of Empires II HD came out five years ago, I had no idea it even existed until a recent steam sale brought it to my laptop screen. I am not usually a particularly decisive person, but getting it was without a doubt one of the best impulse purchases I’ve ever made.

First released all those years ago in 1999, Age of Kings is almost as old as I am. I grew up playing real time strategy games, with AoK being a particular favourite. To be perfectly honest, I probably spent far too long playing it - and I grew to be very good.

Having said that, when loading up the HD version, it was a pleasant (if slightly humiliating) surprise to get absolutely thrashed by the AI in my first game. The new AI is far harder, cleverer, and more aggressive, meaning battles are faster paced and my usual defensive base-building no longer does the trick. If this is too much to begin with, there is still an option to fight against the original AI, but this now seems to truly show its age.

The new AI is far harder, cleverer and more aggressive, meaning battles are faster paced Whilst the remastered edition does have some nice revamped graphics, like some far more modern water effects, it doesn’t feel all that different from the original game. For me at least, this is exactly what makes the game such a brilliant nostalgia trip back to my childhood. The music and UI are all just as I remembered, yet with the work on the AI and new features it’s essentially a whole new game in an old one’s body.

Even better, the HD edition isn’t just a typical remaster – there have been a whopping three DLCs published since its release, each with their own new campaigns, characters, and civilisations. As the last of these, Rise of the Rajas, came out in late 2016, this must be in the running for the record for the longest time elapsed between a game’s vanilla release and an expansion pack.

This must be in the running for the longest time between a game’s vanilla release and an expansion It was great to find that a community still existed on a game this old. Online matches are easy to find, and it’s clearly not just me indulging in a medieval blast from my past. Having come from recently playing Starcraft II online, it was also relieving to not be instantly overwhelmed by a horde of Korean children, as the nature of the gameplay means it takes a little while longer to establish your empire.

Yet the future of the community may at risk as players flock to the conquer each other anew with the recent release of Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, the very nice-looking remaster of the original Age of Empires (which incidentally is as old as me). This could suffer further still when Relic Entertainment’s long-awaited Age of Empires 4, the first completely new instalment to the series in over 12 years, is finally released – but who can blame them? If follows lead of the rest of the series, there is little doubt that it will be amazing.

Alex Moore

32

science & technology

Are you Tech-ing the piss?

R

Russian Bots

ussian bots have been accused of spreading disinformation and sowing discord in the West. There is evidence they have attempted to interfere with the U.S Presidential elections and the EU Referendum, but they will target any divisive issues they can exploit. It is alleged that just one hour after news broke on the school shooting in Florida, Russian bots were tweeting about gun control. But how do we identify a ‘bot’? And is there a way to stop them?

The term ‘bot’ is short for ‘robot’. It is exactly as the Oxford Dictionary suggests: “a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically”. Bots that control social media accounts are commonly referred to as ‘social bots’.

Whilst Twitter is their preferred domain, they also operate across other social media platforms.

Not all of bots are in service to cyber-espionage.

Bots are regularly used by businesses and marketing to generate automated messages that can systematically respond to the needs of an audience.

News feeds – like that of The Guardian – are technically run by bots, whilst many automated customer service feeds are too. Then there are the more annoying – and again slightly unethical ones – which you may associate with spam.

Ever been offered the chance to buy followers or likes? They w o u l d come in the form of social bots.

A social bot operates using a computer program known as a ‘chat bot’, which uses software to simulate conversation via auditory or textual methods. Some of these algorithms are pretty darn clever.

One study by the School of Systems Engineering at University of Reading showed that a single bot fooled almost 30% of people into thinking they were talking to a human.

But not all bots have to be as intuitive as this.

Their ability to advocate ideas, support campaigns or undermine faith in public institutions can come from the simplest of actions. Want to get a particular tweet – say one that has a controversial opinion on gun control – to look extremely popular? Then get social bots to retweet it 100 thousand times.

Whilst many of these bots are autonomous, some are also semiautonomous. This is where trolls come in to it. A ‘troll’ is a real human being who uses social media to push a particular agenda.

Some are influenced by their own passions; others are paid for their services. These trolls often surround their social media accounts with bots to amplify their influence.

15%

Up to 15% of all Twitter accounts are thought to be run by bots

This propaganda can be a highly effective way to distort debate. The Twitter profile @SouthLoneStar (which was later found to a Russian troll) tweeted an image of a Muslim woman walking by the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack in March 2017. They accompanied the image with the text “Muslim woman pays no mind to the terror attack, casually walks by a dying man while checking phone #PrayForLondon #Westminster #BanIslam”. This Tweet garnered such attention that it was picked up by both the Daily Mail and The Sun. Under mounting pressure, Twitter has announced changes to its application programming interface (API) that are designed to inhibit programs that mass manage multiple social media accounts. The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRL) has also compiled a list of tips to help users identify bots, which includes such things as a high frequency of retweets or verbatim quotes.

But with a study by University of Southern California (USC) and Indiana University in the U.S. suggesting that up to 15% of all Twitter accounts are bots – that’s around 48 million users - more work needs to be done if we are to neutralise these insidious bots.

Chris Little

the courier

courier.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little & Ciara Ritson-Courtney

Monday 5 March 2018

International Womens Day

Caitlen Disken discusses amazing female scientists and why we need more women in STEM

I

n 2014, a European-wide study found that a quarter of people were unable to name a female scientist, living or dead. Whilst the gender disparity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) remains wide, with women making up just 24% of all people employed in STEM industries, there are many incredible female scientists who work just as hard as their male counterparts, continuing to inspire with their ground-breaking work.

24%

think we could not make equally great or much more progress in the next 80 years.’

Bargmann has already made great progress via her role in the Brain Research Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, a programme committed to establishing links between brain function and behaviour. The research could eventually help us to understand conditions such as

Women make up to 24% of all people employed in STEM

The male-orientated perception of STEM fields is a strongly ingrained societal stereotype, meaning that many of us can easily name male scientists such as Stephen Hawking, Timothy Berners-Lee and Brian Cox, yet struggle to name female scientists. How many of us can say we have heard of Cori Bargmann, US neuroscientist who was named R & D magazine’s 2017 scientist of the year? Bargmann has been studying the behaviour of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a 1-mm long type of worm, since her postgraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

9.8%

The male-orientated perception of STEM fields is a strongly ingrained societal stereotype Whilst this may not sound like exciting or ground-breaking science, Bargmann’s work has laid important groundwork in the understanding of olfaction, and the relationship between genetics and sense of smell. An obviously revolutionary scientist, Bargmann is now the President of the Chang Zuckerberg Initiative, whose primary goal is to ‘cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century.’ To many, this would seem an impossible task, but not to Bargmann. She has taken the challenge in her stride, saying ‘I can see incredible advances that have been made in medicine that come from science…there’s no reason to

male scientists have come into their own, however.

One of history’s most consistently overlooked yet most important scientists is Rosalind Franklin, who by the time of her death aged just 37 had codiscovered the double-helix structure of DNA, as well as making contributions to the understanding of RNA, coal and graphite. When learning about DNA way back in GCSE biology, the names I remember being credited with the discovery were James Watson and Francis Crick. Franklin’s name was not mentioned, yet without her images of DNA, obtained using X-Ray crystallography, Watson and Crick would have been unable to create their famous double-helix DNA model. Franklin’s images were shared to Watson and Crick without her permission, and when Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Franklin was overlooked because the prize is not awarded posthumously. All of this has caused her to become one of science’s forgotten heroes, yet her achievements should be celebrated, not overlooked.

Alzheimer’s. Clearly, Bargmann is an innovative scientist, whose work should not be overlooked because of her gender.

One of history’s most consistently overlooked yet most important scientists is Rosalind Franklin It is not just in the twenty-first century that fe-

Computer-Science,most typically dubbed as a ‘masculine industry’, with girls making up just 9.8% of the cohort who studied it in A-Level in 2017

STEM fields also cover computer science, an area perhaps most typically dubbed as a ‘masculine industry’, with girls making up just 9.8% of the cohort who studied computer science A-Level in 2017. However, there are still inspirational women in this field. Dr Sue Black, who left school at 16 and was living in a women’s refuge aged 25, has since gained a PhD in software engineering. She is founding chair of BCSWomen, an initiative that mentors women who wish to pursue a career in IT. Black is also an avid campaigner, successfully lobbying to secure funding for Bletchley Park, a site instrumental in World War Two for decoding enemy messages. Her efforts have been vital in restoring this important historical site.

Women are clearly fundamental in STEM industries, and a celebration of these pioneering women is needed. With International Women’s Day on 8th March, what better time to realise that women are just as qualified to work in STEM, and that we should encourage those who wish to pursue studies in these fields?

Arteriovenous Malformation

Jack Coles explains how chemotherapy could help the treatment of AVM and possibly more

S

omething very interesting has appeared in mainstream science media lately – the use of chemotherapy agents to treat a condition known as arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. AVMs are bulging blood vessels where an artery has fused with a vein, without any capillaries in between. (Unless you happen to be an amphibian or reptile, oxygenated and deoxygenated blood isn’t supposed to combine like that in your body.) These can burst due to the thin vein walls bearing the brunt of high arterial pressure, and cause bleeding.

The main issue with AVMs is that they don’t seem to get permanently cured. If you have a superficial tumour, you can cut it out, but another similar one might emerge years later; not because the surgeon missed a few cancer cells, but because your genes make you generate these tumours. Similarly, AVMs can be surgically corrected using plastic tubes and the medical equivalent of cement, but another one can arise (or the old one can unblock) simply because you have a defective gene.

The reason that this story has entered the public eye is because now we have found that gene; PIK3CA, a gene that has already been linked to cancer. Scientists designing mutations in the PIK3CA gene in mice found that as well as developing tumours, they also developed these arteriovenous malformations as well. They then analysed DNA samples from 32 patients with AVMs, all of whom had mutations in this gene.

If you’ve done a Biomed course and PIK3CA sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it is; it’s part of PI3K, an enzyme in that MAP Kinase pathway from first year with more Ks in it than a factory for Kellogg’s Special K. If you’re not one of those

incredibly sexy people that did a Biomedical Sciences (or related) degree, you only need to know that this pathway basically regulates cell growth. So yes, PIK3CA mutations can lead to cancer – but it’s also unsurprising that they can lead to these arteriovenous malformations, which are also caused by aberrant cellular growth.

The main issue with AVMs is that they don’t seem to get permanently cured Fortunately, we already have a number of approved drugs that hit the MAP Kinase pathway, from relatively simple “small molecule inhibitors” like erlotinib and gefitinib, to highly sophisticated monoclonal antibodies that specifically target PI3K or its metabolic neighbours. Clinical trials treating AVM patients with these drugs have already begun.

While the idea seems strong, I have no idea if it’s going to work. Nobody really does. Trials have been running for six months, and are due to continue for a further twelve. There’s also the issue that people with these arteriovenous malformations are at no increased risk from developing cancer as a “wildtype” person (i.e. a theoretical human with no genetic diseases or excessive susceptibilities): which is fortunate for these people with an already debilitating genetic disease, but raises questions on how effective this targeted therapy will be.

Then you have the issue that there are other,

similar, conditions that have not yet been linked through this same gene; conditions like venolymphatic malformation, where veins fuse with lymph vessels instead of arteries. What is going to happen with these patients? Will there be a study looking at their DNA to see if their PI3K has been altered as well?

In all, I hope the trials are a success, or at least produce a result notable enough to drive investigation into a second, related therapy. Many patients have to undergo multiple surgery procedures and may become disfigured if malformations occur in the wrong places.

Admittedly this could be solved completely if we were allowed to engineer embryos to not have genetic diseases in the first place but… well, that’s a whole other article.

the courier

@CourierScience thecourieronline.co.uk/science

Monday 5 March 2018

science & technology

The sheep of things to come

Human-sheep hybrids could open the door to growing organs in animals, explains Chris Little

S

cientists have created human-sheep hybrid embryos for the first time; taking us one step closer to the possibility of growing human organs inside animals. It may sound like science fiction, but one day a human heart could be grown inside of a sheep and then used as a medical transplant.

There are around 6,500 people in the UK waiting for an organ transplant. One only needs to look at the NHS’ Organ Donation website for a glimpse into the thousands of lives that are in need. There are people who have waited six years for a kidney donation; children who have waited their whole lives; and a 22-year-old student who is at this very moment desperately searching for a new heart.

Growing organs inside animals could expand organ supply and help save thousands of lives They each face an agonising wait for life changing surgery that might never come. That’s because there just isn’t enough donations to help those in need. Because of this, three people on that waiting list die every day in the UK. Researchers believe growing organs inside animals could expand organ supply and help save thousands of lives. The method is, however, seen as controversial; some critics argue the creation of a human-animal hybrid is unnatural and violates human dignity.

6,500

There are currently around 6,500 people in the UK waiting for an organ transplant

The embryos, which were created by scientists at California’s Stanford University, have a human cell count of 0.001%. They are currently not allowed to develop past 28 days of age – 21 of which are in the sheep. The U.S. National Institutes of Health forbids public funding of human-animal hybrid research, so thus far all funding has come from

public donors.

A hybrid that shares the cells of two different animals is known as a ‘chimera’ (in Greek mythology a chimera was a creature that was part lion, part goat and part snake). To make these chimeras, scientists isolate stem cells from an adult human cell.

They then inject these into an early-stage sheep embryo, before returning it to the sheep.

Scientists use genome editing to ‘hack’ the DNA of the sheep embryo so it doesn’t grow a particular organ. When this occurs, the human cells basically fill in the gap. This allows scientists to grow specific organs for specific needs. If they use the cells of the patient in the initial embryo phase then the chances of the patient re j e c t ing the transplant are also drastically reduced.

This breakthrough builds upon the creation of human-pig embryos in 2017 by the University of California. The challenge now is to achieve a human cell count of around 1%, which researchers believe will be required for the approach to work.

Potential issues include such things as viruses within the DNA of the host, but many other concerns are of an ethical nature. There is the possibility that human cells could spread to other parts of the animal. Were they to set up shop in the brain, for example, some fear the animal could develop a human-like mind.

Though this may seem farfetched, in 2014 the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New York implanted human glial cells, which are a type of human brain cell, into mice.

The dirty truth of cleanliness

Cleaning products a source of air pollution, writes Grace Dean

The periodical Science has published a report suggesting that commonly-used household products are responsible for substantial amounts of urban air pollution.

American researchers have discovered high levels of synthetic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using data from an extensive 2010 study in Los Angeles. Background levels of VOCs from plants and trees are natural, however the scientific community has been shocked to discover high atmospheric levels of ant h rop o ge n i c VOCs. New research reveals that many VOCs are released by an extensive list of household products refined from petroleum, including paints, shampoos, hairsprays, nail polish, cleaning products, inks and glues. When they are released into the atmosphere these VOCs react with other chemicals to create fine particular matter called PM2.5. Through this, these products are polluting our homes, schools and workplaces.

Traditionally scientists have been aware of VOCs emitted from car exhausts, however the increasing worldwide use of cleaning and toiletry products means these anthropogenic sources of VOCs have large environment impacts. Strict government regulation and pollutionreducing technology have reduced road traffic VOC emissions, however controlling the release

of VOCs from household products is much harder because of the sheer number of cleaning and toiletry companies and the wide variety of chemicals they use. As indoor air isn’t a public good like outdoor air, it is difficult for the government to regulate. Despite this, Science’s study suggests that indoor VOC pollution is being released into the outdoor air in quantities large enough to affect human health.

To illustrate this, we need some number crunching. The World Health Organisation has identified air pollution as the largest environmental threat to human health, with 90% of people breathing in polluted air daily which is responsible for seven million deaths annually. Although the average Joe spends 90% of his time indoors, indoor air quality is roughly five times more polluted than that outdoors, and is responsible for more than four million of these deaths.

VOCs contribute to this growing problem, with roughly 30% of all pollution particles consisting of organic compounds originating from VOCs. Some VOCs are toxic, causing headaches, nausea and asthma attacks. This is exacerbated by the exposure of VOCs to sunlight, which produces fine airborne particles that cause heart and lung disease.

Although soaps and shampoos contain high levels of VOCs, don’t decide to stop showering. The study didn’t explore other air pollutants, such as greenhouse gases emitted from cars, and overall these household products have a low environmental impact in comparison.

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As a result, the test subjects were able to solve maze tests twice as fast as normal mice.

Some fear the animal could develop a human-like mind Scientists, however, believe this would be highly unlikely in their ‘chimeras’ due to the small number of human cells present in the animal. They have also already published several papers that show they are adept at targeting where cells proliferate in the body – though they admit that more work still needs to be done.

Researchers are aware they must proceed carefully. The research might offer a long-term solution to the thousands of people who wait desperately for organ donations, but ethical concerns regarding animal welfare and human dignity will be fiercely debated.

Mythbusters:

Can you bite through your fingers...

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he most infuriating of the popular body myths: the idea that breaking off your finger requires the same force as breaking a carrot. It isn’t fascinating because it’s stupid; it’s fascinating because so many people believe it’s true. The survival of the myth requires we’re starved of a relationship with our physical form, and its time that’s changed.

Casual tests of the myth seem conclusive. Bite down on your finger and you will find nothing, just a little pain and a mark. Bite down on a carrot and you’ll find a mark and something new: progress! You may find gashes forming and a crackling of internal damage, a second bite of the same magnitude will surely bring a fatal incision.

Back to the finger and the mark has faded and the second bite will leave you as fruitless as the first. Here lies the first weakness in the theory: carrots have a fragility that humans do not. We can stretch and scab, massage wounds and watch them recover, but carrots are malleable in the way that any home cook will understand.

It’s mystifying that we know carrots better than ourselves It’s mystifying that we know carrots better than ourselves; we know a carrot will snap with a little effort, but we don’t know the parameters of our own bodies. I could say pulling on your eyelids would be as easy as pulling off the lid of a milk bottle, or hiccupping and sneezing at the same time will cause instant death, there is no way of disproving it. We are, in fact as fragile as the body of a carrot; our eyes covered by our perceived slow unfolding of time and the insulation of modern, individualistic life.

Each of us require a mediation of our own bodies so we can see the wonder that it is; understanding its capabilities and limits so we can enjoy life to its full potential. Cars have ruined our relationship with space, windows with our love of listening to birds sing-

Word of the Week:

C

Carrion

arrion is something immediately associated with vultures. Or hyenas, slavering over the body of some unfortunate zebra; downed by a hungry lion, then abandoned to those scavengers willing to spend time cracking open the bones for slivers of marrow; to fight with the flies for the last few rotting scraps.

These creatures come here for food. Butterflies come for liquid nutrients, in a behaviour also known as ‘mud-puddling’. Gathering i n great swarms, some butterflies are attracted to carrion from hundreds of metres away. They drink salts and amino acids, with males transferring these nutrients to females during mating.

Butterflies will go to other sources for these salts, not merely carrion. If a butterfly lands on you, shed a tear or work up some sweat because they’re not here for you; they’re here to harvest your liquids.

Rowena TyldenPattenson

ing; it doesn’t take long to take a second to realise the capabilities of our physical form.

It’s there, all there, constantly pumping, aging and ready to snap given some freak accident.

We hear of car crashes, bombings, hundreds dead or injured, but I’m sure not many know what this looks like. The human body really is as fragile as that bacon in the fridge; a sack of bone and flesh that can be turned to putty in a collision of two tons of metal on a motorway.

Deaths through tragedy aren’t a bullet to the head; they’re a reckless, pummelling of the human form that doesn’t know the confinement of death or heed its wrath at the call of “Stop! He’s already dead!”

You may find gashes forming and a crackling of internal damage This may seem a terrifying, unnecessary reflection on the fragility of the human body but it is, in fact, infinitely empowering. We are animals that can be killed and will soon decay and die, so we each need to take up the space we have and use our bodies to their incredible potential, understanding every passing moment is a new one and every second is a new version of the body we had a second ago.

No need to run a marathon or become a weightlifter, just feel your body and let yourself know your there. In the end, it’s worth living every second because the last one’s already gone.

Conor Newton

puzzles

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the courier

Monday 5 March 2018

Puzzles Dictator Joey Barton Puzzles Editor Alex Hendley Puzzles Myrmidon James Sproston Crossword Layout Director Louis Ainley

BUMPER CROSSWORD: THE GREAT BORDER CITY OF CARLISLE

Across

4 Roman Emperor, gave his name to the defensive wall protecting the city (7) 5 ___ Madeley, began his first job in radio age 19 in Carlisle (7) 6 First place in the Flat ___ wins the oldest trophy in world sport, the Carlisle Bells dating back to 1559 (4) 7 Carlisle is known as the City of the ___ (5) 9 ___ Firth, body of water separating parts of Cumbria from Scotland (6) 11 This was the first of its kind to be delivered to a city in the UK (Carlisle) by aeroplane (4) 13 Colour of the dragons on the city crest (3) 16 ___ Park, home of Carlisle United (7) 18 City motto: Be Just and Fear ___ (3) 19 Border ___, one who roams the Scottish borders assaulting and robbing (6) 21 Brand of world famous tablewater crackers, made in Carlisle (5) 23 The alcohol content of this was reduced in Carlisle to raise productivity from 1916-late 1960s (4) 24 This book (1086AD) features almost every English city except Carlisle, due to its belonging to Scotland (8) 25 ___ Edward died on the Burgh moors in 1307 while fighting the Scots (4)

1

2

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Kingston-upon-Hull crossword:

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1 Custard ___, made in Carlisle (6) 2 Carlisle’s indoor shopping centre (5) 3 The first ___ box was established here (6) 4 Carlisle native, ___ Skelton, former Blue Peter presenter (5) 8 Cumbrian ‘yes’ (3) 10 Roman name for the city (10) 12 ___ Stobart, Cumbrian logistics company (5) 14 Mary Queen of ___, imprisoned in Carlisle Castle in 1568 (5) 15 Eden, Caldew and Petteril are all types of ___ that run through the city (5) 17 Name of CUFC’s mascot (anagram of ‘goal’) (4) 20 First name of the singer who donated funds to Carlisle’s floods in 2015 (3) 21 ___ of Carlisle, said to bring bad luck (5) 22 Olympic ___ saw Carlisle to be the only city to see the ‘torch’ twice in 2012 (5) 23 ___ Shankly, began his managerial career at CUFC (4) 24 Postcode of the next county north (2)

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SUDOKU

Flags are class. Name that flag.

1 3 7

5 8

2 5

5

3

7 8

9 2 1

6 9

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3 8 4 1

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L T A T R A O E D W A R D O A T E N N A K P I G I N G E R J O H N S O N

1 6 3 4 7 8 5 2 9

5 2 8 3 1 9 7 4 6

7 9 4 2 6 5 1 3 8

4 3 5 1 8 6 9 7 2

2 8 7 9 4 3 6 1 5

9 1 6 7 5 2 4 8 3

6 5 1 8 3 4 2 9 7

8 4 9 6 2 7 3 5 1

3 7 2 5 9 1 8 6 4

For Issue 1366 solutions, wait for Issue 1367 or contact your local Hendley. Do not contact Joey Barton under any circumstances.

Difficulty: HARD

7 6 4

E S C O T T

Louis Ainley’s hand-crafted sudoku: 18

19

P K R

S D H U L L H U M B E R T I G E R B E L U M P A G A R K B A N D R E C R K S C O T I W I E M U H O R N S E A M A I H S U T T O

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Down

Paraules de la setmana: la iaia - grandmother, la fusta - wood, un vestit suit, un rellotge - clock, les xerxes socials - social networks, la xocolata - chocolate, el quetxup tomato sauce, el poble - town, un penjador clothes horse, una pel·lícula - film

W I L B E R F O R C E U

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Issue 1365 quiz solutions:

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Last Week’s Solutions...

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______ ________

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_____ ______

Eradicating mistakes Morning/Afternoon/Evening, readers. JB here. Jo-Man. Jay Baz if you want, I really don’t mind, it’s what my dogsitter calls me.

I can’t sit here and say last week was a perfect one, if I’m honest.

However, there were fewer mistakes.

‘Penjador’ may have been spelled with an ‘i’ instead of a ‘j’, and the sudoku may have been more difficult than walking past a Betfred without sticking a quid on the horses, but we did at least publish some answers.

Some people have found the Hull/Catalan vibe a bit chalk and cheese, but like I say to my kids when I tuck them in: ‘I might not have played at the Nou Camp, but I did get sent off at the KCOM in 2015.’

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the courier

sport

Monday 5 March 2018

Write offs and contenders: who will win the NBA playoffs?

As the competition heats up to find America’s best bastketball club, Adam Danks reviews each of the 32 teams’s chances

As NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant towered over a frantic Steph Curry in the remaining seconds of a thrilling “new-look” All-Star game, NBA organizations around the league could not blamed for basking in the serenity of a short-term vacation from the grueling 82 game long season. Soon after the break, teams would be preparing for the last stretch of the regular season, which is often the defining period when clubs their final push to make the playoffs. The present and future of NBA teams are controlled by the final standings set in April, and as it goes, the league table never lies. So with that said, let’s see what you can expect from your team this season.

Write Offs

Playoff dreams may be effectively over, but these clubs will be have plenty to play for with the hopes of gaining momentum for next year. Others, well… they’re vying for the number one draft pick.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have a good young core in Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball…but they need time. A 32-win season for them would be decent and with cap space now clear, you can expect a blockbuster summer in Los Angeles.

Dallas Mavericks

From top to bottom the Mavericks are a mess. Allegations of sexual misconduct in the front office has overshadowed the play on the court, and rightly so. On the court, although future hall of famer Dirk Nowitzki may say otherwise, this is a tank job all the way.

Sacramento Kings

De’Aaron Fox in his rookie season has shown to be decent. Look for the Kings to build around him in the off-season.

But for now, the rest of the season could be hard to watch for Kings fans.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies have a good roster, potentially play-off worthy. But they can’t seem get to healthy. Point Guard Mike Connelly is out for the season and Chandler Parsons has had few minutes in a return, which leaves Marc Gasol left to pick up the pieces.

Playoff Potential

These teams are no scrubs. But what they make up for in spirit, they may lack in sheer star quality and depth of roster. Not all of these will make the play-offs, but each, stand a great opportunity to progress, which for some could be a nail-biter.

Philadelphia 76ers

Don’t expect them to tank for the draft, but expect them to be in a good position for it anyway. The Hawks give effort – Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore are solid, but the talent in depth is just not there yet.

Trust the Process. The 76ers have preached this sentiment for years, with little to no avail. However, this year has shown dividends with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons flourishing as potential stars in the league. Expect this “process| to take a little more time, but there is reason for optimism in Philadelphia.

Orlando Magic

Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks

Amongst the lower placed teams, the Magic has shown the most consistent effort to climb the standings. With recent wins against the Celtics and the Cavs, they have shown no signs of simply rolling over. Expect competitive games from them moving forward.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are full of lost potential with D’Angelo Russell, Jahlil Okafor and Jeremy Lin. If they can get these guys firing on all cylinders, they could be a really decent unit through the end of the season.

Chicago Bulls

Each Bulls player has 25 games left to make their mark. The future direction of the franchise could rest upon those who prove their worth. Zach LaVine is a nice addition, so expect him to stick around along with rookie Lauri Markkanen. Don’t be surprised if Head Coach Fred Hoiberg does some experimenting and rotate the squad for the remainder of the season.

Miami have a dynamic, youthful setup. With the return of the prodigal son, Dwayne Wade, the spirits in Miami should be high. He will bestow a vast array of experience upon the team along with veterans, Whiteside and Dragic.

With championship winning coach Erik Spoelstra at the helm, The Heat could give any team in the league a run for their money.

Detriot Pistons

The Pistons traded big at the deadline a few weeks ago, as acquiring Blake Griffin has thus far proved to be a masterstroke. The partnership of Griffin and Drummond in Detroit has rejuvenated the franchise and they have instantly hit the ground running. If they can continue their form throughout the rest of the regular season expect them to go far in the play-offs.

Portland Trailblazers

Kristaps Porzingis’ season is over, along with the Knicks’ season. They are more than one player, but he has been so instrumental this season that his absence will lead to their downfall.

Damien Lillard asserts he is up there with the best Point Guards in the league, and he’s not wrong. The Trailblazers play-off run starts now and they are in the thick of it. They currently sit seventh in the West, two and a half games behind second-place Minnesota, and two games ahead of Utah. It really is up to them where they finish in April.

Charlotte Hornets

Minnesota Timberwolves

New York Knicks

Michael Jordan owns the Charlotte Hornets. Michael Jordan is also regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. However, his career in the NBA office has not been as successful. Point Guard Kemba Walker is talented, and the acquisition of hot-and-cold Dwight Howard is interesting but I can’t see the Hornets going anywhere fast.

Phoenix Suns

Devon Booker is constantly improving. He is the bright spark in an otherwise poor team. He deserves better. The Phoenix Suns tank the rest of the season.

The Timberwolves have all the right pieces. Butler, Towns and Wiggins each have the quality and potential for greatness. They sit fourth in the standings, which gives them home advantage in the play-offs, something which could prove pivotal for a good run.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards currently sit fourth in the East. They have an exciting duo in John Wall and Bradley Beal. Despite Wall picking up an injury the Wizards have continued to win, proving their depth.

The East isn’t as stacked as the West,

which is good for the Wizards. This means their potential route to the finals may be favorable, especially if they retain home advantage. Fourth place currently for them feels just right.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have won 11 on the bounce. How long can they keep the streak going? Who knows, but it has been fun to watch. Rookie Donavon Mitchell has been sensational. Vying for the Rookie of the Year award, Mitchell can do it all. They’ll be fighting tooth and nail for a play-off spot and are on an upward projection. If Utah can get some assets to build around Mitchell with point guard Ricky Rubio, the sky is the limit. But Utah is a small market franchise, which has always been their biggest challenge.

New Orleand Pelicans

Sigh. The Pelicans are currently placed in the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They have the best big man in the league in Anthony Davis. A couple of weeks ago they were electric. All was well until their other star player, DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins went down, tearing his Achilles. Davis and Cousins were unstoppable and this injury was one that could sadly tear the Pelicans season apart. But more importantly, get well soon Boogie!

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers have seemingly decided to start f r o m scratch (again).

With the departure of Chris Paul the Clippers organization looked to be in free-fall, with reports of inner-conflict and disillusionment amongst players. Now with the departure of Blake Griffin, and the likely near-future departure of center DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers may need to hit the reset button.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are quality. Games show the Pacers are a close-knit bunch. On a three-game win streak heading into the All-Star break, there is still place for growth, which is exciting. With Paul George now gone, the Pacers are in need of star quality but for now they’ve adjusted well without him.

Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a superstar.

Averaging 28 points and 10 rebounds this season, some have gone as far as calling him the best player in the league.

At 23 years of age the potential for ‘The Greek Freak’ is unlimited. With nice pieces like Jabari Parker and Eric Bledsoe complementing him, the Bucks could be an interesting force in the play-offs. However, with the exile of coach Jason Kidd mid-season, there are still questions marks over the management of the team.

Denver Nuggets The Nuggets are decent and

young. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are bright prospects. Paul Millsap, the Nuggets best player, has been in and out of the starting line up with injuries, and whilst the Nuggets sit sixth in the West, they must maintain form in order to avoid missing out like they did in 2017.

vantage in the play-offs in Toronto is an unbelievable opportunity, with their amazing fan base. But it just seems like we have seen this all before – always coming up short at the last hurdle. With the East looking up for grabs, now is as good a time as any to make that final jump.

San Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Spurs always have a knack for success. Gregg Popovich, the greatest coach in recent history, instills a winning philosophy in his teams. With their star player Kawhi Leonard sidelined indefinitely, LeMarcus Aldridge has taken the lead of the franchise. However, the Spurs are team-first. They rely on system and fluidity rather than a franchise superstar, which has proved to be a formula for success in the past. But right now, it seems like a superstar player is what they’re most in need of.

Toronto Raptors Contenders

In one-off games, these teams could beat any of the big boys – and they have. But can they do it over seven games? It would not be unreasonable to think for these teams to get to the finals in June, but here lies those who present a certain element of the unexpected and/or uncertainty. These could be this year’s dark horses.

The Toronto Raptors currently sit first in the Eastern Conference.

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry can be lights out.

Serge Ibaka at center provides well-roundedness. Home ad-

Russell Westbrook can do it all. When the Thunder made the bold acquisitions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in the summer, the Thunder catapulted themselves into contention.

With plenty of riches, a lot is expected of the Thunder and they have appeared to have matured past their early growing pains. With Steven Adams providing presence on the court, the Thunder have the ingredients to contend – only time will tell what they can achieve.

Houson Rockets

Championship Bound

So for the past three seasons, the NBA finals has consisted of Warriors/Cavs, so I’m not exactly putting my neck on the line by suggesting these formidable rivals are due a fourth consecutive display. However, the balance of power in the NBA has never appeared more likely to be dismantled.

The acquisition of Chris Paul has the Houston Rockets nicely assembled to beat the Golden State Warriors. With Harden making his case for season MVP, the Rockets have all the pieces to compete in the Finals. Teammates like Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza provide crucial qualities in supporting Harden and CP3. They currently sit atop the Western conference in the midst of a ten game win streak. If anyone can dethrone the dominance of Golden State, it is this team.

Boston Celtics

When the Celtics acquired Kyrie Irving, they established themselves as serious contenders for a championship. They already have a well-stocked roster that Head Coach Brad Stevens had playing at a high level. But Kyrie was a game-changer. The addition of Gordon Haywood, who suffered a devastating first-game injury, was also a great move. But even without him the young core have proven their ability to compete. I expect them to make the Eastern conference finals that go the full 7 games with the Cavs. It could be decided by the finest margins.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a shambles as an organization all season.

The blockbuster Kyrie Irving trade in the summer proved to be a wrong move.

An aging roster that played no defense, amongst reports of unrest between key players (*cough* Isaiah *cough*) triggered a downward spiral that forced the head office’s hand. As the trade deadline drew closer, the Cavs traded Isaiah Thomas, Dwayne Wade, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert. The Cavs the Cavs added youth in Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., amongst others. So far, they look good. Not to mention the Cavs have the best player in the world in LeBron James. Expect them to be a Finals threat.

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the league. The Golden State Warriors are the current NBA champions. The Golden State Warriors are a super team with Steph, Klay, KD, Draymond, Zaza, etc. They have depth coming from the bench in Swaggy P, Iggy and Livingston.

GSW should be considered the favorites to win the 2018 Finals.

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sport

Monday 5 March 2018

Unlucky Olympians Lindsay Jacobellis For one of the most decorated female snowboarders in American history, Lindsay Jacobellis has had an unlucky (and some would say unintelligent) time during the Olympic Winter Games. Overall Jacobellis has had an illustrious career in the sport of snowboard cross, earning ten gold medals in the X Games and five gold medals at the World Championships.

Despite this impressive dominance, in the Winter Olympics Jacobellis has earned just one silver medal in four appearances at the Games.

While any normal person would be thrilled to earn silver, Jacobellis was involved in one of the most unlucky / iconic moments in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy that cost her the prized gold medal.

As the competitors lined up for their final run in the snowboard cross event, Jacobellis was the heavy favourite to claim a victory for the

Shin Lam

Image: Wikimedia Commons

For a sport so entwined with medieval combat, fencing is surprisingly reliant on modern technology, and every second counts in an Olympic semi-final. South Korea’s Shin Lam

United States. Jacobellis avoided collisions, maintained speed and was showing great promise throughout the race. With one jump left between her and the finish line, Jacobellis was lengths ahead of the competition and was a shoe-in for gold. When she vaulted into the air for her last jump, Jacobellis celebrated proactively by attempting a flashy snowboarding trick called a grab. Trying to “share her enthusiasm with the crowd,” Jacobellis landed unevenly and fell backwards, giving the second place snowboarder from Switzerland, Tanja Freiden, just enough time to surpass her and steal the gold from her grasp.

This year in Pyeongchang, Jacobellis’ misfortunes have continued. After a wild collision at the finish line, Jacobellis crossed with three other athletes. She finished the race .03 seconds from earning a bronze medal, and was less than a half second from earning gold.

Courtney Strait experienced the full brutality of the clock at London 2012, when a timekeeping error meant an extra second was added on to her match.

As the timer ticked down to zero Shin stood to go into the final, but the clock was then reset to show a single second remaining, and Shin’s opponent, the German Britta Heidemann, scored a hit that put her above Shin.

Shin and her coach protested the timer change, with Shin sitting on the piste in tears for fear that leaving the piste would be accepting defeat.

She remained there for well over an hour, before the judges reached a final decision that Heidemann’s hit was in the legal time.

Literally a second away from the final, Shin now had to play for the bronze medal, with that match delayed due to her protest. Shin came back out immediately to play for the bronze, but ultimately lost this match and left the fencing arena empty handed.

Mark Sleightholm

The Courier reviews the top blunders, misfortunes and unlucky performances in past Olympic Games

Derek Redmond Derek Redmond and his father produced one of the most heartbreaking Olympic moments at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Redmond had been in decent form before the 1992 games, he and his team mates won gold in the 4x400m in the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, beating the odds to place Team USA second.

8

They injury-hit British athlete had undergone eight operations before the 1992 Olympics

In the 400m races at the 1992 games, Redmond sailed through his first round and quarter final round before disaster struck in the semifinal. 250 metres into the race, Red-

Elise Christie When it comes to bad luck in sport, no one can be more emblematic of sheer misfortune than the British short track speed skater Elise Christie.From her first appearance the 2010 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships onwards, Christie has been a fierce competitor who has medalled in many events, even winning two overall European titles in 2015 and 2016, and an overall gold in the 2017 World Championships.

However, her Olympic career has been in one word calamitous. In her first Winters Olympics in Vancouver, she finished but failed to get in the top 10 in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m races.

Her second chance for Olympic glory came in 2014 at Sochi, and now with some success and experience under her belt there were high hopes for her to win a medal. Yet it was not meant to be as she was disqualified from all three of her events.

Four years and now as the current world champion, Christie was ex-

mond collapsed to the track floor after tearing his hamstring. Although he was severely injured, he was determined to finish the race.

As Redmond hobbled around the track, his father came down from the stands to help his son finish the race, producing one of the most iconic and heartbreaking scenes at an Olympic games as father and son crossed the finish line together.

Redmond was subsequently disqualified from the race as his father had helped him to finish, and official Olympic records state that he didn’t finish the race. Following on from this incident, Redmond was forced to retire from his athletic career two years later.

However, Redmond’s heartbreak has inspired a number of people by demonstrating that sheer determination can lead to achievement, no matter how big or small a goal is.

Rebecca Johnson pected again to be a medal-winner.

However, her misfortune continued.

Despite breaking an Olympic record in a 500m heat and again in the semifinals, she crashed out in the final taking fourth place.

10

The British short track speed skater is a 10 times European gold medallist

In the semi-final for the 1500m, she again crashed, being disqualified for the collision and injuring her right ankle. Finally, in the 1000m she crashed again. In clear pain she then managed to take second place on the second attempt to qualify for the semi-finals. Yet to cap off another tragic Olympics, in rather controversial circumstances she was disqualified for causing two collisions.

Despite all the heartbreak Christie is hoping to compete in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, so here is hoping that it is fourth time lucky for the speed skater.

Tom Shrimplin

David Beckham

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Stuart Pearce’s decision to leave David Beckham out of his London 2012 football squad ranks with Fredo in The Godfather: Part II and Lando in The Empire Strikes Back as one of the most devastating betrayals ever witnessed. Pearce’s choice to take Ryan Giggs (fair), Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards as his three over-age players instead of the former England captain made very little sense on a football basis and was particularly heart-breaking when Beckham’s role in securing the Olympics for London was considered.

Granted, the Olympics is about elite sport and you shouldn’t be selected purely because you’re a good bloke, but Beckham’s talent had diminished completely during his time at LA Galaxy. His two loan spells at AC Milan in 2009 and 2010 had been resounding successes, while his time with PSG in 2013 proved that Beckham could still cut it in the European game and that his selection would’ve been of great benefit to Pearce’s side.

Britain’s listless campaign was incredibly underwhelming and ended after a loss on penalties to South Korea in the Quarter Finals. With Beckham’s charismatic leadership, passion and experience, it could have been a very different story.

David Beckham remains a footballing icon, while Stuart Pearce is now West Ham assistant manager. There’s a reason for that.

Dan Haygarth

Arsene Wenger: From genius to clueless

Sport Editor Matt Proctor argues that it is time for the Arsenal manager to leave the club after two defeats against Man City Arsene Wenger’s 21-year reign as Arsenal manager seems to be reaching its bitter end. Never before has the call for the Frenchman to leave been so loud. For most Arsenal fans, the list of reasons for why he should leave has become far too long. It’s now unfashionable to defend the man who achieved the greatest success the Premier League may ever see. We were all in awe of the way Manchester City tore Arsenal to shreds twice in five days.

Some of the goals were breathtakingly good. In a way, watching how good Manchester City were served to highlight just how impressive the invincible season was. If Pep’s team can’t go unbeaten in the Premier League, how good do you have to be to achieve such an accolade? It’s therefore both sad and perplexing to see how Wenger has gone from being a genius to looking increasingly clueless.

Comparisons with the ‘Invincibles’ are so useful in understanding how futile Wenger’s managerial nous has become. Not even comparisons between the quality of players; replacing the likes of Bergkamp, Henry and Vieira is no mean feat. It’s more worthwhile to look at the type of

player Wenger now targets. Arsenal may well be the only professional football team in the world that don’t possess a player who considers himself to be a central defensive midfielder. Indeed, Wenger has shown no desire in 15 years to even attempt to replace Gilberto Silva or Vieira.

These two midfield monsters scared their opposition with their presence and power. The trepidation opponents would feel looking at these beasts in the tunnel before a game couldn’t be more extinct. The number of midfielders that have been and gone from Arsenal since 2004 that have possessed either presence or power is, arguably, naught. It is no coincidence that every team, big or small, cannot wait to host Arsenal for the simple reason that they believe Arsenal can be bullied into defeat.

Whilst defending has been a longstanding problem for Arsenal, they have always been able to impress with their attacking flare. Yet this new toothless, slow and sloppy Arsenal show weekly that the manager cannot setup a team that dominates games like he once could. Scoring 16 goals in 14 away games this season is

far more Pulis than it is Guardiola.

The pace of Ljungberg and the craft of Pires don’t seem to be traits Arsene looks for nowadays. Iwobi and Welbeck propel this point. In fact, Arsenal may well be the only professional football team in the world that don’t possess a player who considers himself to be a winger.

The ‘players must take responsibility’ argument is to some extent valid.

Yet few managers have the luxury of being responsible for every member of the playing squad. Wenger repeatedly gets it wrong in the transfer window. £35 million was spent on Xhaka when Chelsea bought Kante for £32 million. The state of the squad is not good enough, and Wenger is wholly responsible for this. Wenger himself is clearly not totally convinced by his own squad, demonstrated most clearly by his failure to make a substitute in a match that saw his side 3-0 down in 40 minutes.

The sad truth is that the younger generation of fans are simply not old enough to understand the brilliance of 03/04,

and loyalty to Arsene therefore doesn’t run as deep. Before this gets even uglier than it is already, the Frenchman must announce now that he is to step down at the end of the season. A deserved sendoff will follow where

Image: Flickr/ joshjdss

fans will unite and thank him for what he has done whilst being excited about the future. The situation is toxic, fans and players are in open disputes on social media, and results are continually failing to silence any critics. Whilst a pathetic excuse for a hierarchy exists above the manager at Arsenal, only Wenger can resolve this current problem. His determination to end on a high has dragged on for far too long. Signing the “batman” Aubameyang shows that Arsenal can still attract quality, but it’s going to take more than one signing to correct this mess.

As Harvey Dent eloquently put it: you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain. It’s time for Wenger to go.

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sport

Monday 5 March 2018

Toon rule the pool in quarter-finals WOMEN’S WATERPOLO

Newcastle 1sts 12 3 Exeter 1sts

Sydney Isaacs at Pyramids pool Finishing the northern premier league in fourth place meant that Newcastle Women’s firsts had to face playoffs against two southern premier league teams in order to secure their place in semi-finals.

On the 18th of February, the women drew Cambridge University, who stood in 5th place in the southern league, for the first play-off. The match, which took place at Northumbria Sport Central was a total washout in favour of the Newcastle girls. The scoreline 32 – 2 was representative of a general tendency for northern teams to dominate their southern counterparts. Despite the discouraging scoreline, It has to be credited that the Cambridge side showed a respectable determination to improve

when they returned to the water to play a back-to-back coached friendly with the Newcastle women’s 2nds during their training session.

For the Newcastle women’s 1sts, the Cambridge win meant that they would have to make a 12 hour return journey including an overnight stay in order to battle against Southern league 1st placers, Exeter, the following week.

Newcastle women’s 1st team have showed fantastic form this year, but with the Exeter maintaining a clean sheet of wins throughout the season and finishing with an impressive goal difference of 189, Newcastle new that they would have to push hard from the start, and that they did.

Within the first two minutes of the match Newcastle’s Jennifer Kreek brought her side to a 2-0 lead. The first of these goals being placed just four seconds after a major foul from Exeter’s Natasha Lawson put her out of play.

Shortly after this, both Jennifer and Ex-

Championship draw template shows Newcastle’s path to finals.

Image: BUCS

eter’s Sam Mare were excluded simultaneously for major fouls. Newcastle were able to take advantage of this in a counter attack which finished in goal from captain, Sarah Poyntz.

Next, the exclusion of Newcastle’s Harriet Robinson left Exeter in a dangerous man-up situation, but Newcastle’s defence prohibited Exeter from profiting from it. Newcastle managed to steal back possession in a counter culminating this time with a goal from Ellie Sowerby, the younger of the Sowerby sisters who both play for the 1st team.

Half way through the 1st quarter, Kreek took the score from 4-0 to 5-0, a significant goal difference for such an early point in the game. Again a Newcastle exclusion, this time Sophie Sowerby, left Newcastle a player down for 20 seconds, but a testament to Newcastle’s defence, they once again managed to utilise five players effectively to prevent Exeter from scoring. Giorgia Bosworth, a Newcastle fresher who has appeared numerously on the Newcastle scoresheet this year was next to score for her side. Following this Exeter’s no.9 was majored out of play. Forming a well-rehearsed “four-two” structure, Newcastle were able use their temporary player advantage strategically allowing Robinson to score a goal. Robinson was unfortunately excluded for a second time with just nineteen seconds left of the first quarter, and a second later Exeter capitalised, scoring their first goal.

The first quarter of the match was by far the most eventful. Newcastle had asserted themselves and all they needed to do now was to maintain a strong lead, holding off the home side for the remaining three quarters.

The second quarter saw Robinson excluded for a third time and therefore permanently, and the third quarter saw the same for Newcastle’s Gemma Deacon, following her contribution of a goal. Kreek, Poyntz and Bosworth also increased Newcastle’s lead to 12-2 dur-

The Newcastle firsts beat Cambridge by thirty-two goals to two in play-offs Image: Giorgia Bosworth

ing the third quarter, leaving Exeter with a near impossible task for the final segment of the game, but this didn’t stop their fight.

Newcastle side were clearly tiring as the match drew to its close. In a defensive final quarter, Newcastle keeper Holly Jackson made four accurate saves, and a goal was scored by Exeter’s Chloe Ellis.

The final score was 12-3, to Newcastle.

A comfortable win which secures them a place at semi-finals.

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sport

Monday 5 March 2018

Basketball dominate King’s College WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Newcastle 1sts 85 Kings College 1sts 40

Courtney Strait at Newcastle College During a blustery, blizzard-y evening, King’s College London made the treacherous trek through the snow to play against Team Newcastle in the first round of the BUCS Championship Playoffs.

Though the Newcastle Sports Centre was protected from the Beast of the East, nothing could protect King’s Col-

lege from a big defeat up North.

The Newcastle Knights scored from all angles and made quick work of the visiting team, claiming an 85-40 victory to advance to the Championship Quaterfinals next Wednesday.

During one of the biggest snowstorms in years, Team Newcastle had to improvise as schools across the city were closing down in preparation of the winter onslaught. The Knights had two options of venues for their playoff game – the Royal Grammar School and Newcastle College – and both closed their doors early on Wednesday. Desperate to play

their game Team Newcastle and King’s College agreed to play at “The Blue Dungeon,” also known as the Newcastle Sports Hall, in what was the only BUCS basketball feature that was not cancelled in all of North East England. Once the players took off their mittens and traded their winter boots for basketball boots, the players were ready to face off for a chance at a spot in the next round.

From the starting tip to the final buzzer, Team Newcastle showcased excellent ball movement and unselfish play to easily defeat their opponent. Because King’s College was particularly under-

CASSIDY SANDERS-CURRY Newcastle’s player did an outstanding job running the floor against King’s College

Looking ahead, the Knights are the ones that have to travel for the BUCS Quarterfinal game. Finishing in third place in the Northern division, Team Newcastle has to travel to London to take on London South Bank, who finished in second in the South division.

Though one of the Knights suffered an unfortunate ankle injury in the game against King’s College they are still confident they can defeat the secondseeded South Bank and advance to the BUCS Championship Semifinal for the first time in school history.

As long as the snow doesn’t keep the Knights from travelling next week, Team Newcastle plans to bring their own storm to London on 7 March.

The Beast from the East put paid to most of this week’s sporting fixtures, but Newcastle scored a few wins in the matches that weren’t snowed off

Newcastle squash Durham Newcastle 1sts Durham 2nds

look at the basket. The visitors had to work hard to earn their points – they had to manoeuvre their way through the long reach of Newcastle’s guards, as well as the strong defensive presence of Elliott and Goodwin in the lane. In fact Elliott was at least a foot taller than the majority of the key guards for King’s College. So as one may imagine, their route to the basket was not an easy one, and this was apparent in the final score.

BUCS RESULTS

Newcastle finished third in the Northern league with six wins and four losses this season Image: Oliver Stewart

WOMEN’S SQUASH

sized, the taller Newcastle guards were able to flash to the basket with ease and finish easy layups around the basket.

Newcastle post player Grace Elliott continued her consistent play in the lane and hit Newcastle cutters left and right all evening. Elliott also had many efficient drives to the basket, strong moves through contact and a few jump shots to lead the way for the Knights. Though every player on the Knights’ squad had a solid outing on 28 February, Elliott’s efforts earned her Player of the Game Honours.

Aside from their ball movement, Team Newcastle used this game to improve their fitness and push the ball on the fast break. Any time the Knights pulled down a defensive rebound, they took advantage of their conditioning and pushed the ball down the court as quickly as possible. Point guard Courtney Strait did a good job keeping pace of the game. She had a number of assists by pushing the tempo and dropping off bounce passes to her teammates for easy layups on the fast break. Cassidy Sanders-Curry and Eleanor Goodwin did an outstanding job running the floor against King’s College. The duo was all over the court during the game and found themselves at the receiving end of Strait’s passes for many easy buckets.

Defensively, Team Newcastle was able to utilise their size to their advantage.

Switching between a man-to-man and their signature match-up zone defences, the Knights made it very difficult for King’s College players to get an easy

7 6

Charlotte Cooper at Maiden Castle Last Wednesday many of the BUCS matches were cancelled and postponed due to the bad weather conditions. Luckily for the Newcastle’s women’s first team they only had to travel to Durham for their quarterfinal squash match. After Newcastle’s win last week over Birmingham 2nd team and Edinburgh 3rd team prior the women’s firsts were on a roll.

Travelling through the treacherous weather the women made their way to Maiden Castle.

Up first were the third seeds where fresher Julia Crowther took to the court.

A slow start from the Newcastle player left her on the back foot and losing the first game 11/3. After a team talk and coaching advice from Head of Racket Sports Liam Gutcher, Crowther went back fighting strong. Playing more of an attacking game meant that Newcastle were neck and neck in points. Unfortunately, the Durham player defended well taking the second game 11/8. In the third, the Newcastle player didn’t give up, but Durham were too much of a match in this case leaving the match score 3-0 to Durham.

Next on court was fourth seed Iona

Jardine. After some of the Newcastle players unable to play, second team player Jardine stepped up to the mark. A little nervous in the first game left Newcastle one game down. Jardine regained her confidence in the second game where she defended well but again the Durham player had too much strength as she took the lead. Going back on court, the Newcastle player had some fight left in her as her speed gave her the edge taking a game 11/4. This meant that it was 2-1 in games with Durham in the lead. In the final game Durham went for the attacking drop shot tactic which resulted in another loss for Newcastle.

The final game left Durham nervous as Wilkins won As both the third and fourth seed players had lost their matches it wasn’t looking hopeful at this point for Team Newcastle. Hard hitting and confident Katherine Wilkins was next to take to the court. The Newcastle second seed went out strong and raring to go.

Durham’s Hodgson had some excellent returns and fantastic speed taking the game to two-clear points. Wilkins fought hard and took the first game

12/10. In the next game the Newcastle player channelled her focus and hit some narrow drives storming through this game winning 11/4. The final game left Durham nervous as Wilkins energetic play scored her a 3-0 match win.

With the score currently 2-1 to Durham the number one seed and captain Charlotte Cooper needed a clear 3-0 win in order to grant Newcastle the success. As both the number one seed players took to the court the pressure was on, but Cooper didn’t seem phased as she attacked the ball well making her opponent fall behind in points. Newcastle took the first game 11/5. As this was a cup match the captain knew that she needed to minimize the points her opponent won in order to reach the next round of the competition. In the second game Cooper was showing no mercy as her technical drops shots scored her the game 11/2. In the final game, the Newcastle player made it look effortless with her play taking the final game 11/1.

The winning matches from Cooper and Wilkins left Newcastle tied 2-2 with Durham. This meant that points from the games were counted and after a brilliant performance from Newcastle’s Jardine, Newcastle beat Durham 7-6 in game scores. Newcastle’s women’s first team are now through to the semi-finals of the cup tournament where they face Nottingham seconds at The Northumberland Club.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Mix1 v Heriot-Watt 1sts

BADMINTON

M1 v Sheffield 2nds M2 v Northumbria 2nds W1 v Bath 1sts W2 v York 2nds

SQUASH

w/o Ncl M1 v Birmingham 1sts M2 v Leeds Beckett 1sts W1 v Durham 2nds 5-3 3-5 TABLE TENNIS 1-7 M1 v Nottingham 2nds P-P

1-4 P-P 2-2** P-P

TENNIS

BASKETBALL

W1 v Lancaster 1sts

P-P P-P P-P VOLLEYBALL P-P W1 v Bristol 1sts P-P 85-40 P-P WATER POLO M1 v Liverpool 1sts 30-3 FOOTBALL M2 v Durham 3rds 13-4 M1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts P-P W1 v Exeter 1sts 12-2 M2 v Edge Hill 1sts Ncl win* *M2 Football’s match was abandoned due to the snow and Newcastle won HOCKEY M1 v Liverpool 1sts P-P the coin toss to take the match.

W1 v Durham 2nds P-P **W1 Squash won their trophy match W2 v Leeds Beckett 2nds P-P 7-6 on games won.

W3 v Leeds 3rds P-P W4 v Leeds Beckett 3rds P-P M1 v Oxford 1sts M2 v Leeds Beckett 3rds M3 v Huddersfield 2nds W1 v King’s College 1sts W2 v Leeds 1sts

LACROSSE

M1 v Northumbria 1sts M2 v Hull 1sts

RUGBY LEAGUE

M1 v St Marys 1sts

RUGBY UNION

M1 v Cardiff 1sts M2 v Liverpool 1sts M3 v Northumbria 2nds M4 v York 2nds

2-13 P-P 36-0 P-P P-P P-P P-P

OVERALL BUCS POSITION Pos

University

Pts

8

Birmingham ■

2244.5

9

Northumbria ■

2089

10

Newcastle ▲

1624.5

11

Cardiff ▼

1611.5

12

Notts Trent ■

1545

sport the courier

Monday 5 March 2018 Issue 1366 Free @Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Sport Editors Mark Sleightholm, Courtney Strait, Tom Shrimplin, Sydney Isaacs & Matt Proctor

Row of wins puts Newcastle on top

Keeping an eye on the competition: the women’s lightweight four Image: David Stephenson

Mark Sleightholm Sports Editor While many of Team Newcastle’s teams were busy losing Stan Calvert, the Boat Club demonstrated their dominance on the water, coming out on top of the men’s events and second in the women’s.

The BUCS 4s and 8s Head saw the country’s best student rowing teams come together on the Tyne last weekend for a string of races.

Once the points from each race was added up it was Newcastle at the top of the men’s Victor Ludorum table on 428 points, well clear of the 360 points earned by their nearest challengers, a combined team from the University of London’s constituent members.

In a closely fought men’s intermediate eights the Newcastle first team came in first for the second year running, just six seconds ahead of a side from

London. Third place went also went to the hosts thanks to a persistent performance from the Newcastle seconds, with the thirds coming up in fifth. This dominance at the top of a 46-team race went a long way in ensuring Newcastle’s outstanding overall result.

Newcastle also chalked up wins in both the men’s and women’s championship lightweight coxless fours and the women’s intermediate coxed fours.

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points, the gap between Newcaslte in first place and London in second in the men’s Victor Ludorum

The men’s team in particular stood out as one of the weekends’ biggest success stories for Newcastle, beating the Nottingham side that won the race last year by a seven-second margin.

With Newcastle a top rowing university, the beginners’ races on Saturday

saw only one Newcastle boat, the women’s beginner coxless four. With Leeds taking a convincing lead it was up to Newcastle, De Montfort and Durham to battle for second place, with Newcastle eventually coming in second.

Sunday saw the intermediate and championship teams taking to the water.

Strong performances from Reading and London Universities gave them a lot of first-place finishes, but Newcastle were never far behind in any of the races they entered. Indeed, a string of second placed finishes saw both the men’s and women’s teams performing strongly in the overall points table.

NUBC’s attention now turns to the Boat Race of the North on 16 March, earlier in the year than in previous years. A longstanding competition between rowing teams from Newcastle and Durham Universities, this year’s event has been expanded to include several other races on the Tyne as well.

The Tyne Rowing Club will also be competing, along with junior teams.

The public will even have the chance to take part in the action themselves, with rowing machines installed on the quayside by NE1 for the event.

Boat Race of the North 16 March

Running order

Racing starts at 2:30pm, with a race every 10 minutes until 4pm Junior women’s 8s Junior men’s 8s W8 freshers M8 freshers W8 M8 W8 2nds M8 2nds W8 1sts M8 1sts

Tyne v Durham Tyne v Durham NUBC v DUBC NUBC v DUBC Tyne v Durham Tyne v Durham NUBC v DUBC NUBC v DUBC NUBC v DUBC NUBC v DUBC

Newcastle University beat Durham in five of the six university races last year to win the Boat Race for the second

consecutive year. Durham have not won the event outright since 2008.

Each race runs from the Redheugh to Millennium Bridges along the Tyne.

The action kicks off at 2:30, with final races due to finish by 4pm, followed by medal presentations and a barbeque.

Colin Blackburn, Newcastle University’s Director of Sport, is looking forward to the event.

“The Seimens Boat Race of the North will be a great spectacle for the public to enjoy,” he said, adding: “as well as a fantastic opportunity for our rowing teams to showcase their talents and hopefully bring back the Siemens Boat Race of the North title and trophy.”

In the BUCS Head Durham’s combined men’s score put them in fifth place, 239 points behind top-of-thetable Newcastle.

Things were much closer in the women’s Victor Ludorum, with Newcastle in second place and just 35 points ahead of third-placed Durham.

Inside Sport today >>>

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Heartbreaking Olympic memories Page 37

WATER POLO WINS

Exeter’s women dominated in the pool Page 38