Courier 1368

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Monday 30 April 2018 Issue 1368 Free

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Fashion Spring clean your wardrobe with these top tips Page 14

TV BBC’s decision to recast put under the microscope Page 22

Science How well do you know your toxicity?

Page 33

The independent voice of Newcastle students

Est 1948

Newcastle bags four at Educate North Awards SU and Uni of the Year two of four awards won Zoë Crowther News Editor On Thursday 26 April, the Educate North Awards saw Newcastle University win four awards, including Best External Relations Team, the Student Experience Award, 2018 Students’ Union of the Year, and 2018 University of the Year.

The Educate North Awards is a prestigious event that celebrates, recognises and shares excellent practice among the Northern education sector. With this year’s event taking place in the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel in Manchester, hundreds of academics, students and professionals attended.

This year was expected to be highly competitive, with entries increased by 40% from 2017. Nevertheless, Newcastle University achieved great success, and the Students’ Union was commended for its extensive volunteering opportunities and contributions to student experience.

Other institutions nominated included Huddersfield, Leeds Trinity, Liverpool Hope and the University of Chester.

This year’s success is a continuation of how Newcastle has fared in the past: at the 2017 Awards, it won an award for business collaboration and was highly commended for its links with environmental industry.

NUSU President, Ronnie Reid, said: “We are thrilled to receive this recognition for all of our efforts and success achieved for our students this year. We

Inside today >>>

Veganism: What’s it all about?

are committed to empowering our students to reach their full potential and this award is powerful evidence of our effectiveness this year.

“It is a measure of the exceptional efforts that all of our students and staff put in every hour of every day, making Newcastle a great place to teach and learn.”

Marc Lintern, Director of Employability and Student Success, said: “Winning the Student Experience Award for our University Employability and Enterprise Strategy is a great reflection of the commitment and work of colleagues in the Careers Service, as well as staff across the University.”

A total of 17 categories were awarded, with the presentation of the University of the Year rounding off the evening.

Judged by a number of leading industry experts and professionals in education, leadership, business and marketing, Educate North sought to celebrate a variety of outstanding achievements, from entrepreneurship and industry collaboration, to social mobility and environmental protection.

The awards extended beyond universities and encompassed other educational institutions, with Wigan & Leigh College winning Further Education College of the Year, and Birkenhead Sixth Form winning Sixth Form of the Year.

The Educate North Awards was delivered in association with RM Production, Don’t Panic Events and Prolific North, and was sponsored by a number of marketing firms, radio partners, recruitment agencies and entrepreneurial schemes.

By hosting this event every year, these firms assist in the recognition and promotion of the region’s thriving education sector.

Maddy Bainbridge answers your questions on joining the vegan bandwagon Lifestyle, page 13

Appropriation on Halloween Shine a light! Our Beauty editor Lois Johnston analyses the effects of UV and what we can do Beauty, page 16

All you need is... Ed? Sheeran’s new film about the Beatles has raised a few eyebrows in our film section Film, page 24

It’ll be over in a week or two Just why has Fortnite Battle Royal captured the hearts of millions of gamers?

Gaming, page 31

Cod Army’s new recruit Find out if Joey Barton will be staying on following his appointment in the North West Puzzles, page 35

No relegation for ruggers

NUSU staff react to winning Students’ Union of the Year Image: Don’t Panic Events

Read our report on Rugby Union’s heroics as they preserved their division place Sport, page 38

House of Smith wins appeal to stay open Amber Marwick The owners of Newcastle nightclubs House of Smith, Floritas and Madame Koo have won their appeal against further closures, after police found evidence of staff allowing drugs to be distributed on the premises.

The closures came as a shock to many, with the Diamond Strip on Collingwood Street being a popular clubbing scene in the city centre.

The undercover investigation was conducted by Northumbria police last December and raised “concerns about serious criminal activity, namely the supply of Class A drugs taking place both on and near to the premises”.

A temporary shutdown was ordered by the council until further investigation could take place.

Despite the seriousness of the offences, Newcastle City Council has since accepted the appeal of owners against further closures. They have stated that they are satisfied with the changes put in place by the clubs’ management.

The Apartment Group, who as well as owning the clubs manage a number of restaurants and hotels in the NorthEast, have apparently put into place 15 new regulations that have been demanded by the council.

“We are comfortable the Apartment group have fully addressed all the issues that were raised,” the Council have stated. “...significant changes have since

been made that reflect the gravity of the offences.”

The initial closures spanned from late December to early January. During this time, police seized £17,000 as well as an estimated £14,000 worth of cocaine from the venues.

An imitation pistol was also found and is being held as evidence along with the drugs.

Undercover police reports claim that drug dealers would roam freely between the clubs and were given “celebrity status”, bypassing queues and entering VIP areas without being searched.

A total of 21 people were arrested along with the initial closures but have since been released as they pend further investigation.

Illicit drug supply and use in Newcastle has increased in recent years, with an intensive drugs review published in 2014 finding that the North East has the “highest rates of drug related deaths in the UK”.

In 2017, Public Health England identified the region as “an area with marked deprivation, health inequalities and a high prevalence of drug use.”

In response to this increasing problem, Northumbria police have claimed they are taking control of the issue, stating in October that “...a lot of work is being done in partnership with Newcastle City Council to tackle it.”

It is hoped that the recent investigations and arrests signifies a step forward for the police department in this regard.

Courier’s Art Gallery We’ve collated a Smörgåsbord of student art for your delectation.

Find our double page spread of poetry, photography and much more inside Arts, page 28-29

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

Editor 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, Isabel Sykes and Zoë Crowther 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.

From the archives

20 YEARS AGO

Stolen paper crisis

The Newcastle students of 1998 cranking up Word 97 on their snazzy new PCs hit a stumbling block when it came to printing off their work. With the University’s computer clusters left unstaffed after 5pm over the Easter break, paper from the printers started to disappear at an alarming rate.

The thieves stole over £60 worth of bog-standard A4 paper, with staff “baffled as to how the intrepid burglars managed to sneak out with more than 20 boxes of paper.”

The Courier investigation failed to turn up any convincing leads, but thankfully it wasn’t long before the printers were restocked and students could print off their essays in time for the end-of-year deadlines.

“We regard this as theft and a serious matter,” the Computing Service’s Judith Hunter told the Courier. “It’s a great shame that this should happen, it’s ordinary students that suffer.”

Merger scuppered

The Students’ Union was set to remain divided for another year after the Government blocked plans for a new constitution.

Until 1983, student activity at Newcastle was divided between the Students’ Representative Council, which dealt with political matters, societies and publications such as the Courier, and the Students’ Union, which opened in 1925 and oversaw social activities. Each was run by a different set of students and there was much petty squabbling between the two, but by the late 1960s there was serious appetite for the two institutions to be folded into one.

This had to be approved by the Department of Education, however, which raised concerns over the combined union’s charitable status because of a problem with the wording of a clause in its proposed constitution.

A merger was on the cards from 1947, and both institutions were housed in the same building from 1964, but a variety of hurdles stopped each attempt to close the deal. The president roles of both the Union and SRC were made sabbatical positions in 1968, but the following year joint presidents were introduced in anticipation of the merger. The legal setback, however, meant that this complex commingled structure remained in place for another 14 years.

Mark Sleightholm

£5k desk prompts Cambridge rage

Newcastle students may complain of a shortage of desk space in the Robbo, but spare a thought for the poor Cambridge students who’ll have to pay £500 if they want to sit at Pembroke College’s new desk.

The College spent £5000 on the simple wooden desk, which used to belong to controversial poet Ted Hughes, in the hope that “they will be an inspiration for future poets and readers of Hughes’s poems”. Hughes was a student at Pembroke in 1951.

The money was raised through a crowdfunding appeal by the college, but generous donations were rewarded with prizes such as the chance to sit at the desk. Outraged Cambridge students feel the money could have been better spent, for example on 325 more library books.

Coal mine protests

Monk threatened in blood sport row

49 YEARS AGO

CROSS-CAMPUS NEWS

LOCAL NEWS

39 YEARS AGO

Shots were fired in a tense council meeting as the “sporting club” threatened the acting President with legal action.

Club member Jonathan Seed was outraged at a Student Council proposal to deratify the club and sought legal advice. He threatened to take the President, Loraine Monk to court if she attempted to ban the club, which stood accused of using grants from the Union to fund blood sports, breaking their own agreement.

Monk was an outspoken critic of blood sports and had allegedly refused club members access to the club’s funds, and Seed argued that her personal views were prejudicing his club.

Monk was made acting President after the sudden resignation of Tony Jones, who had been under fire from Council, but the sporting club issue was ultimately resolved without the need for legal intervention.

Monday 30 April 2018

Eldon Place housed the Students’ Representative Council until its demolition in the 1960s Image: The Courier

Seven people, former Newcastle students among them, were arrested last week during the clearance of a protest camp at the site of a planned opencast coal mine in County Durham.

The Pont Valley Protection Camp was established in early March to protest against plans by Banks Group, the mining firm behind the failed Druridge Bay mine proposal, to establish a new opencast mine. Bailliffs spent several days evicting the protesters who had chained themselves to underground pipes and scaled trees to block the construction of an access road. Without the access road Banks would be unable to start mining before their planning permission lapses on 3 June.

All those arrested have been bailed and the camp cleared, but the protesters

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the courier Monday 30 April 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 & Zoë Crowther

UCU members vote to end industrial action Hanson Jones News Editor UCU members have voted to bring months of industrial action and uncertainty to a close after voting to accept the terms set out by the UUK, as they continue to propose pension scheme changes. Having come to a close, the result of the e-ballot put to members of the UCU last week to vote on the continuation of industrial action after the Easter break was announced on Friday 13th April.

will be no further disruption to teaching activities or assessments relating to such action, and summer congregations will also take place as planned.

“This is a very welcome outcome... all our staff, who provide such excellent teaching, will resume normal duties” Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Day

“Members have participated in record numbers in the consultation, with a clear majority voting to accept the proposals.”

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of UCU

Based on a turnout of 63.5%, 21,683 members (or 64% of voting members) chose to accept the offer from UUK, against 12,230 (or 36%) voting to reject it. The result means that there will be no further strike action for the rest of the academic year, with planned strikes in May and June being suspended. There

The proposal from Universities UK will establish a panel of experts to review the current pension scheme and put forward future changes, and “will require maintenance of the status quo in respect of both contributions into USS and current pension benefits, until at least April 2019.”

The general secretary of UCU Sally Hunt said: “Members have participated in record numbers in the consultation, with a clear majority voting to accept the proposals.”

“Now we have agreement to move forward jointly, looking again at the USS valuation alongside a commitment from the employers to a guaranteed, defined benefit scheme. USS, the regulator and government now need to ensure that UCU and UUK have the space to

implement the agreement effectively.

We hope this important agreement will hearten workers across the UK fighting to defend their pension rights and was won through the amazing strike action of UCU members.

UCU has more work to do to ensure that the agreement delivers the security in retirement that university staff deserve. On behalf of all UCU members I want to say thank you to students and other staff for their inspiring support throughout the dispute.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Day has welcomed the result, telling students: “This is a very welcome outcome and means that the possibility of further disruption to teaching in the current academic year is over and that all our staff, who provide such excellent teaching, supervision, support and guidance to our students, will resume normal duties”.

64%

of voting members chose to accept the offer from Universities UK

However, Day also expressed concern for students regarding the impact of the industrial action on studies, and asserted that “our priority is to ensure that we can mitigate the impact of the industrial action as far as possible, and that you can be supported and assessed fairly and without detriment.”

A rally in support of striking lecturers at Grey’s Monument Image: Newcastle Butterfly Effect

Student loan repayment interest to reach 6.3% Carys Thomas This week, the Government announced that students in England, Wales and Northern Island will face up to 6.3% interest rates on their student loans due to an increase in the Retail Price Index’s (RPI) measure of inflation.

This rise follows a more significant rise in September 2017 of student loan interest rates from 4.6% to 6.1%.

The rise in interest will take effect from September for students under the 2012 fee scheme

Loans to face yet another increase in interest Image: Flickr

Economists have criticised the Government for using RPI to calculate student loan repayments, as it typically measures the rise of inflation higher than other measures, and lost its status as an official national statistic in 2013 because of this inaccuracy.

The Office for National Statistics spoke out advising against the use of RPI, stating it has a ‘flawed’ measure of inflation. Although the Government have seemingly heeded this advice by switching to using the Consumer Price Index to measure inflation for other forms of interest, such as pensions and benefits, they continue to use RPI when

calculating loan repayments.

The rise in interest will take effect from September for students under the 2012 fee scheme; the changes which saw university tuition fees rise to £9,000 per year. This comes after an announcement earlier this month that the income threshold graduates must reach to begin repaying their loan, is to be raised from £21,000 to £25,000.

A spokesperson from the Department for Education said this rise will save “600,000 graduates up to £360 a year”.

However, with over 1.5 million students currently graduating from undergraduate degrees each year, the rise in interest will disadvantage many students, increasing the overall debt some graduates repay in their lifetimes.

“It is the middle earners who are most likely to feel the longterm impact” Branwen Jeffreys, BBC Education Editor

The BBC’s Education Editor, Branwen Jeffreys, commented that “it is the middle earners who are most likely to feel the long-term impact” of increased interest rates, because “if your earnings are low as a graduate, a larger part of your total loan is likely to be written

off by the government” at the end of the 30 year repayment period, whereas “if you are a higher earner you repay more quickly”.

This change “continues to represent a poor deal for students, their families and the taxpayer” Amatey Doku, NUS Vice President

Student loan interest is not fixed. As of September, graduates will be repaying between 3.3% and 6.3%, depending on their income post-graduation. A minority of graduates - roughly 25% - repay their full loan.

However, under the new interest system, middle earners will now earn enough to repay a considerable amount of their loans over the 30 year period, as all earning over £45,000 will now be charged the maximum interest rate on loans.

NUS Vice President, Amatey Doku, criticised the increase in interest for adding to the already “huge psychological burden” that debt places on graduates. Doku commented that this adaption of debt repayment “continues to represent a poor deal for students, their families and the taxpayer”.

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Fears over increase in student suicide rates Rory Cameron

For a long time, it was thought that university campuses offered safe environments for those suffering from mental health problems, and had lower rates of suicide than amongst those of the same age in the general population. In May, at the International Suicide Prevention Conference in New Zealand, researchers based in Hong Kong will present data from the past decade, to prove that this is no longer the case.

Suicide is the biggest killer of young people aged 20-34 in the UK, and the numbers of deaths have continued to rise steadily since records began in 2001. 2016 was the worst year for student suicides, when 146 students took their lives.

Whilst suicide has historically been an issue plaguing males, Dr Raymond Kwok, of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, at Hong Kong University, precluded next month’s data with the revelation that there was a “significant trend in rising suicides for UK female students, with the exception of those in Scotland.”

Co-author of the data, Edward Pinkey, stated: “This is the first time we can conclusively say that as far as suicide is concerned, there is a real problem in higher education”.

This troubling issue is larger than previously thought, with student suicide rates sharply climbing by 56% between the years of 2007 and 2016. It is thought that increased financial pressure following the financial crisis may have provoked this, on top of the academic pressure faced by students.

For one reason or another, 75% of young people with a mental health issue do not receive treatment. This is argu-

ably in part due to the low NHS mental health budget, which has been further slashed to the equivalent of £8 per sufferer. Recent years have seen many social media sites have also been blamed for aggravating mental health issues amongst young people.

The NHS mental health budget has been further slashed to the equivalent of £8 per sufferer In 2017, the American Journal of Preventative Medicine published an article showing a direct correlation between social media use and “perceived social isolation”. Instagram is said to be the worst platform for inspiring such feelings, including social anxiety and depression, which can begin a negative spiral towards suicide. The much-maligned Facebook also admitted recently that use of their platform could pose a risk to the emotional well-being of users.

A YouGov/MQ survey showed that over one quarter (27%) of students struggle with mental health problems.

The survey also revealed that male students are far less likely to say they have mental health problems than females (19% v 34%). Whilst the stigma surrounding mental health has certainly thawed in society recently, opening up about such personal and difficult issues clearly remains problematic for many.

According to the Institute for Public Policy Research, as of the start of this academic year, there has been a staggering fivefold increase in first-years dis-

closing mental health issues, compared to the previous decade.

As worrying as this statistic is, we can find hope in that more people are talking about mental health issues and suicide. Having an open dialogue about mental health is key to tackling it. The important thing for those who are suffering is to remember that you are not alone, no matter how much it may feel like it. Reaching out to a close friend or someone you trust can help ease you through what is an extremely dark and scary period.

The university offers support through personal tutors, councillors, and networks such as Stressed Out Students (SOS), especially during exam period.

Such people will have heard of similar problems many times before, and will know how to best offer the support needed. Those in trouble should also not hesitate to speak to a medical professional such as a GP for help.

Those in trouble should also not hesitate to speak to a medical professional such as a GP for help One death caused by suicide is too many. And in the light of these recent statistics, the responsibility falls not only on our university to take on a more active role in the prevention of student suicides, but also to ourselves.

We all struggle to take care of ourselves sometimes, which is exactly why our community, must look out for our each other- friends and strangers alike.

The university offers support through personal tutors, councillors, and networks Image: Pixabay

Sports Centre hosts proposal

The proposal took place during an alumni match at the University Image: Emily Jackson

Courtney Strait While there was plenty of excitement on the court during the Newcastle University Basketball Club’s annual Alumni Game on 21 April, it can be argued that even more excitement occurred when the teams cleared the floor.

During the first few minutes of the event, the current players on the women’s side scored their first basket of the game just like they would in a normal competition. From there is where all normalcy ended, though, as the Old Girls point guard called out a special play called “Gators,” which was the cue for both teams to run off the court.

With both teams sidelined, one player on the Old Girls team, Emily Jackson, was left in the middle of the court. She was not told about the “Gators” play, and thus was very confused at the scene occurring in front of her. As Jackson’s teammates distracted her by passing the ball around her in a circle, Old Boys’ player (and Jackson’s boyfriend) Tom Hall left the men’s scrimmage, crossed the women’s court and approached Jackson.

Those who had the job of distracting Jackson saw that Tom was in position, and departed to join the rest of the group. Jackson, still confused as ever, turned to face the crowd and was shocked to see Hall on one knee at centre court (take notes, fellas). Hall

proposed, Jackson said yes, of course, and the rest is history as all of Team Newcastle – alumni and current players alike – joined in on the celebration as the couple was officially engaged.

Hall chose to propose during the Alumni Game because basketball had brought the couple together. The couple, who had been dating for eight years before the proposal, played for Team Newcastle throughout their time at uni together. After uni, they later played together on the same team (called the Gators, hence the adorable play name).

Everyone at the Courier extends their congratulations to the happy couple – not often do we see a Love and Basketball story like this one! match report on page 38

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Monday 30 April 2018

Study reveals sexual misconduct in unis

Grace Dean Recently-published findings reveal that 41% of university students across the UK have been the victims of sexual misconduct from members of university staff.

The survey was carried out by the National Union of Students (NUS) in cooperation with The 1752 Group, which campaigns against the concerning amount of staff-student sexual harassment in tertiary education institutions.

The study, titled “Power in the Academy: Staff Sexual Misconduct in UK Higher Education”, based its findings on evidence collected from 1839 current and former university students.

The study revealed that 41% of students have admitted to being recipients of unwelcomed sexual advances and assault, which include sexualised comments and innuendos, inappropriate touching, threats, and even cases of rape.

12% of current students reported being touched by a member of staff in a manner which they regarded as inappropriate, with twice as many women being victims than men.

A total of 65 students reported experiencing non-consensual sexual contact from university staff, including 15 students who were victims of sexual assault or rape.

Worryingly, the report shows that most of the perpetrators within universities are academic staff, which is particularly concerning when considering the immense amount of influence they yield over students’ academic success, wellbeing and career prospects.

This could leave students vulnerable to such inappropriate behaviour, as students are reluctant to speak out and potentially jeopardise their academic success at university.

The report also addresses the universities’ failure to respond appropriately to the severity of the incidents. Less than

10% of the victims felt comfortable enough to report the incidents to their university, and among those who did so, more than half described their university’s response as inadequate, with some universities even blocking complaints.

Only 25% of those who reported cases of sexual misconduct commended their university’s proactive and preventative response. The study concludes by warning that the higher education sector is “not currently a safe environment”.

“It is unacceptable that higher education institutions...are failing the vast majority of students who disclose” Dr. Anna Bull, Co-Founder of the 1752 Group

The report’s findings have led to outrage across the education sector.

Hareem Ghani, NUS Women’s Officer, said “these problems have been at best sidelined and at worst silenced by institutions”, describing how universities breed “cultures of entitlement” and “abuses of power”.

Universities Minister Sam Gyimah said: “The Government expects universities to take a zero-tolerance approach…so that students feel confident and able to report what they have experienced.

“Following the report…we have asked the higher education sector to do more and implement their recommendations.”

Co-founder of the 1752 Group Dr. Anna Bull said: “It is unacceptable that higher education institutions, rather than enabling students to report staff sexual misconduct, are failing the vast majority of students who disclose.”

41% of university students have been victims of sexual misconduct Image: Tinker AFB

University Challenge team reaches semi-finals Hanson Jones News Editor The Newcastle team in University Challenge has been knocked out of the competition after being beaten by Merton College, Oxford, following an impressive performance throughout the series culminating in their appearance in the

Newcastle’s team competing on UC on BBC2 Image: BBC2

semi-finals, a first in the team’s history.

The outstanding students with indepth knowledge in a wide variety of fields representing Newcastle were Jack Reynard, Molly Nielsen, Jonathan Noble, and Adam Lowery. The four gained their places in the team in November 2016 after competition with fellow students for the prestigious places.

The Newcastle team’s performance at the semi-finals was followed by a series

of wins with big margins against Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the universities of Sheffield Hallam, Southampton and Bristol.

Adam Lowery told The Courier: “It’s a massive honour to be able to represent Newcastle at this level. It was amazing and exciting to get this far.”

The team’s performance was shown live in Luther’s Bar in NUSU as it aired on BBC Two on 16th April. After the

show, Lowery said “it is also really humbling to see how many people turned up tonight and were supporting us, and throughout the entire process. Every time we had a live screening on, so many people turned up and that felt so good.”

Commenting on their head-to-head with Merton College, he added, “you meet a lot of the teams and the further you go on, the more you interact with

some of the teams, and I think everyone on our team will agree that we got along really well with them.”

“We were obviously sad to lose, however we were very happy to get this far and to compete against such a great team.”

Merton College, Oxford, went on to take part in the final, and were defeated

by St John’s College, Cambridge.

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Monday 30 April 2018

Tributes paid to Newcastle’s Professor Paul Younger

Isabel Sykes News Editor Professor Paul Younger, Newcastle University’s former Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement and a world-renowned scientist, has passed away at the age of 55.

Professor Younger was a world-renowned environmental pioneer, considered a global leading expert on the remediation of pollution in the mining industry.

Joining Newcastle University as a geology undergraduate, he went on to become the University’s first Pro-ViceChancellor for engagement and afterwards was appointed Director of the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability. After leaving the University in 2012 he became the Rankine Chair of Engineering and continued his work in Glasgow.

During his time in North East, Professor Younger was one of the pioneers behind the drive to make Newcastle a City of Science and Technology, and lead the research to drill for geothermal energy in Newcastle.

Among his other achievements, he led the research team which won Newcastle University its first Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2005. He was also honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2007 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2016.

Professor Younger’s talents extended beyond science and engineering: he mastered a number of languages, including Gaelic, and wrote a column in the Newcastle Chronicle as the “Go Green Doctor” answering questions on issues of sustainability.

Born in Hebburn, Professor Younger was passionate about the North East,

and his support for and involvement in local communities led to his appointment as Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Day said:“It is impossible to sum up Paul in a few sentences – he was a giant of a man in every way and his warmth, enthusiasm and fierce sense of justice permeated everything he did.

“Academically he was known and respected in his field by experts around the world, but it was in his role as ambassador for the University that I knew him best.

“I enjoyed his intellect, his challenge, but above all, his passion for his subject, the University and the region” Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Day

“I had the pleasure of working alongside him on the University’s Executive Board for many years and I enjoyed his intellect, his challenge, but above all, his passion for his subject, the University and the region.”

Professor Younger’s family said in a statement: “Of all of his achievements, Paul was most proud of his wonderful marriage to Louise and his very happy family life with his three sons, Thomas, Callum and Dominic.

“Paul was an incredible husband, father and inspiring academic and accomplished musician and linguist in his own right. Gan canny bonny lad.”

The family have requested that all donations be sent to Marie Curie.

Professor Paul Younger Image: Newcastle University

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Newcastle Uni climbs national league table Isabel Sykes News Editor Newcastle University has risen in the rankings of the Complete University Guide Table for the third consecutive year.

Newcastle is now ranked 22nd out of 131 UK universities in the Complete University Guide table, which is one place higher than last year.

38 courses feature in the degree tables, and 17 of these have been placed among the top ten in the country.

Subjects ranked particularly highly include Art and Design, Agriculture and Forestry, Food Science, Dentistry, Communication and Media Studies, Medicine, Archaeology, Architecture, English, Linguistics, Marketing, Aural and Oral Sciences, Creative Writing, Anatomy and Physiology, French, German, and Iberian Languages.

The 2017 National Student Survey found that 88% of Newcastle University students were satisfied with their time here These high rankings are consistent with the University’s strong performance in other rankings and league tables, for example their recent achievement of a Gold Award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

Rankings in the Complete University Guide League main table are decided

by judging universities against 10 factors. These are: Student Satisfaction, Research Quality, Research Intensity, Entry Standards, Student: Staff Ratio; Spending on Academic Services; Spending on Student Facilities; Good Honours Degrees; Graduate Prospects and Completion.

“This ranking highlights our key focus on investing in and delivering the best possible environment for education” Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching

Newcastle consistently has a good reputation for student satisfaction, reflected in the 2017 National Student Survey, which found that 88% of Newcastle University students were satisfied with their time here. Last month, the Student Experience Survey 2018 also positioned Newcastle joint 7th in the UK, making this the fourth consecutive year it has achieved a top-ten ranking.

Reflecting on Newcastle’s rise in the national rankings, Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University, said: “We are delighted that the University continues to rise in the table and that 17 subjects are ranked in the top 10. This is a great achievement and a credit to the hard work and commitment of our staff and students.”

“This ranking highlights our key focus on investing in and delivering the best possible environment for education.”

Newcastle Uni ranks among the best for Architecture Image: Wikipedia Commons

Unis encouraged to take softer stance on drugs Mark Sleightholm Universities should focus more on supporting rather than punishing students found to be using drugs, according to a report published by the NUS and Release, a drug information charity.

The wide-reaching report used freedom of information requests to UK universities along with the responses of 2,810 students from across the UK to build a picture of student drug use.

Just over half of the student respondents reported having used illegal or controlled drugs at some point, with around 16% using them regularly.

The report found at least 21 students were permanently excluded from their institutions in the 2016/17 academic year for possessing drugs

NUS suggests support rather tahn punishment for drug use Image: Pexels

One of the contributors to the report was Zoe Carre, a policy researcher at Release and former Newcastle student.

In 2014 Carre established the Newcastle chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, an international movement advocating for universities to adopt a more welfare-based approach to drug use.

As well as looking at student drug use, the report investigated the responses of universities. The report found that many institutions adopted punitive measures even when students were not breaking the law, warning that this may discourage students from seeking help or advice relating to drugs.

The overwhelming majority of drug use reported in the survey took place outside of clubs or bars, with 86% of students who used drugs doing so at home or in student accommodation.

Three years ago, in response to a campaign by SSDP Newcastle, the University relaxed its zero tolerance policy to illegal drug use in student accommodation.

Rather than an instant eviction from halls, students found in possession of drugs will now receive a suspended eviction, meaning they are able to remain living in halls as long as they accept advice given by the University and “refrain from any further substance misuse.”

At the time, a Courier survey found that 40% of Newcastle students were unaware of the University’s policy on drug use.

The NUS report found that students are in general quite relaxed about drug use among their peers, and a majority felt that their institutions should do less to punish student drug users. The report found at least 21 students were permanently excluded from their institutions in the 2016/17 academic year for possessing drugs.

The report also challenges the traditional idea that drug use is necessarily

a problem. Two thirds of the student drug users surveyed believed drug use improved their mental health, and almost a third felt that drugs enabled them to attend lectures they would not otherwise have been able to go to. Using drugs to self-medicate for mental health problems was particularly high among LGBT+ and non-binary students.

“Newcastle University has a zero tolerance approach to all forms of drug misuse” A Newcastle University spokesperson

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “Newcastle University has a zero tolerance approach to all forms of drug misuse.

We work with the Students’ Union to educate and support our students to understand the risks around drug misuse of any kind.

“Students found to be using, possessing or distributing drugs, or other illegal substances, are subject to robust disciplinary procedures.”

A tenth of respondents to the survey had used study drugs at one point, and only 5% cited improving their academic performance as their motivation to take drugs, suggesting that media hype around study drugs is overstated.

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the courier

Monday 30 April 2018

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

Deportation isn’t accidental

Zoë Crowther dispels with the government narrative that ‘Windrush’ immigrants being deported is just an honest mistake

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housands of the legal Caribbean immigrants who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1971 have had their British citizenship, and the rights which accompany it, cast into doubt. This is a consequence of deep-rooted intention, rather than an error of bureaucracy as the government would claim.

For many of the Windrush Generation, Britain is home, and has been for at least forty years. By introducing a ‘hostile environment’ for illegal immigrants, recent Conservative policies have extended to those who have spent their lives cultivating an identity here. Those who should have the same guarantees as other British citizens, of indefinite leave to remain and access to welfare and pubic services.

The 2014 Immigration Act received the overwhelming support of MPs, introducing a deport first, appeal later policy, but was subsequently ruled a breach of human rights by the Supreme Court. The current scandal, while deeply shocking, is not a deviation from this government’s record,

nor from long-standing British attitudes towards immigration.

Citizenship is no longer treated as a right for those who have spent their live here Between 1948 and 1971, Commonwealth citizens were encouraged to seek work in post-war

Britain. This free movement came to an end with the 1971 Immigration Act, and it was no coincidence that only five years later, a Race Relations Act was introduced to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race, following race riots and increased far-right activities.

The backlash against immigration continued through the twentieth century, and while the nature and extent of migration have changed, public and political discourse surrounding it has remained unwaveringly prevalent.

In a meeting with Caribbean leaders, May declared that her “main priority is to dispel the

myth that my government is clamping down on commonwealth citizens who have built a life here.

This is just not true.” From the perspective of Michael Braithwaite, who lost his job of 15 years having been ruled an illegal immigrant, or Gretel Gocan, unable to return to her British home of 50 years after visiting Jamaica in 2010, it would seem that it is.

While migration has changed, public and political discourse surrounding it has not British citizenship is no longer treated as a right for those who have spent their lives here and made lasting contributions. Instead, it bears similarities to the American healthcare system, which the British so resolutely condemn. Any loophole is utilised in order to prevent the provision of welfare to those no longer deemed ‘appropriate.’

In 1948, the British mainstream press reported the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush with jubilant enthusiasm, broadcasting a Trinidadian calypso singer’s rendition of “London is the place for me.” Apparently, London disagrees.

Image: Flickr

North Korea: peace at last?

As the momentous summit between North and South Korea approaches, Joe Holloran questions Kim Jong-un’s sincerity

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he world awoke to some rare good news about North Korea in mid-April when the story broke that the North was willing to talk disarmament with the USA and the South at a special summit held between the three countries. The US administration took this as a sign that their own Supreme Leader’s strategy (one so complex and nuanced not even Wittgenstein could figure it out) on North Korea was working.

In the UK however, the mood was understandably more sceptical. So, what does this mean going forward, and how do we avoid these standoffs in the future?

Many experts’ who have direct experience dealing with North Korea warn that this move is an act of gamesmanship by the North’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, who seeks only to have the economic sanctions lifted, but has no intention of ever giving up his nuclear arsenal. The three generations of Kims have dedicated themselves to creating a nation built around two things: an unbridled ha-

tred of the USA, and the need to militarize the population into a state of paranoid, nationalistfuelled, citizen-warriors. Given this environment, any overtures of attempted productive engagement with the West must be treated with upmost suspicion. The only future acceptable to the West regarding North Korea must be one where the Kim dynasty is removed, the state de-militarizes and North Korean state operatives responsible for the deaths of millions of citizens are brought before The Hague.

The situation is unique, and requires long-term diplomatic, economic and tactical planning This will almost certainly not happen. The rea-

son is simple: China. China want the sanctial solutions are beyond the mind of a mere tions on the North lifted, and these undergrad opinion-flogger. Future tensions talks may do that. However, China will be based largely on how Westfeel that they need a strong ideoern nations act in the logical ally in the Far-East to build up to any poprotect itself from the Western tential issues. We backed states of South Korea would all prefer and Japan. This mind-set is diplomacy to the problem. It comes from win the day, the Cold War, which appears but this is to be raising its ugly head not always again. If there is to be any true a possibility. progress on North Korea, then The time may China must accept that it must come when relinquish its influence. the United NaThe situation between North Kotions must derea, South Korea and the USA are cide what it is unique, and requires longwilling to defend, term diplomatic, economic and what price will and tactical planning if it is have to be paid in orImage: Wikimedia Commons to be resolved. These potender to achieve this.

the courier

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comment

Monday 30 April 2018

Intervention, again!

Allegations of chemical weapon use led to UK missile strikes in Syria. Was this right or wrong?

Scott Houghton

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ntervention in Syria is a complicated problem. One the one hand, it involves taking sides with Trump and a gaggle of western powers whose previous interventions in the region have resulted in catastrophic damage.

However, if you take the other side, you are effectively saying that chemical weapons and the mass slaughter of your own population poses no punishment or international reaction, thus allying with Assad and Putin and setting a horrific international precedent. Not to mention the potential (and very real) risks to the Syrian people themselves.

We need to find a way to send a clear message to Assad and Putin that helps protect the lives of Syria’s most vulnerable people at the same time I can see why people are not on the fence about this. One side feels that Assad and Putin definitively need to be punished to uphold some kind of resemblance of international justice, yet concurrently it’s not clear how much of an impact intervention would have. However, it would certainly lead to deaths on the ground. Not to mention that the escalation of a conflict with Russia, which has never been as high or as risky since the end of the Cold War in 1991, may occur if a Russian jet or military base is hit by Western rockets.

What I’m trying to say is that this isn’t the time for parochial side-taking on the issue, which people from all differing political strands seem concerned with. Instead, we need to find a way to send a clear message to Assad and Putin that helps protect the lives of Syria’s most vulnerable people at the same time. This should have been discussed in Parliament. By rushing to meet Trump’s demands Theresa May is effectively putting our foreign policy in the laps of the United States.

What is clear is that this issue is complicated – but what this really requires is reflection and a degree of impartiality, something which Parliament can do better than May and her Cabinet. What we must do is acknowledge this especially complex situation and not look for easy one-size-fits-all solutions to unknot tricky moral and political dilemmas.

Joe Holloran

Jamie Cameron

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H

n the night of 13th April 2018, the Air and Naval forces of the United Kingdom, United States, and France launched a series of air strikes on suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria, and a national and international diplomatic hornets-nest was kicked wide open.

The strikes were in response to two ‘alleged’ (stated for legal, not moral reasons) chemical attacks, one on the ex-spy Sergei Skripal within the UK, and one by the dictator Bashar Al-Assad on his own people in Douma, Syria.

Some have stated the evidence should have been gathered first, and UN authorization should have been given. Which, due to Russia, would not have been given. Regardless of the international legal implications of the strikes, there are some clear conclusions we can draw from the action. Firstly, the Cold War looks to be the latest unwanted eighties reboot to make a return. Secondly, Russia has become even more emboldened by the lack of effective international action (the expulsion of diplomats by our allies is a good show of friendship but will have little effect). Thirdly, Assad must not be a part of any potential peace-deal and must face international justice. Russia, once again, will make this difficult.

The Cold War looks to be the latest eighties reboot to return At a time when the world’s leading bodies united to call out what amounted to a war crime by Russia, the Labour leader refused to do so. He claimed that more evidence was needed, and that the UK should not provoke Russia. That time has passed.

Those who doubt should re-assess their understanding of ‘Occam’s Razor’. Russia is doing all it can to disrupt Western democracies, and they will continue to do so indefinitely. But what cannot be forgiven is Russia’s continued support for the barbarous Assad regime, a man who has shown no respect for human life. The air-strikes on Syria will have no effect on the ground, but their symbolic value is important. May acted without the consent of parliament. Corbyn’s odd views on the former Soviet Union leave voters to question what action he would take if he was PM. Domestically, there are no winners from this action. If Russia’s intention is to undermine the stability of Western democracies, in the UK at least, they have done so.

ere are some things to consider before you blindly believe this intervention is well-motivated or practised.

1. The United Nations Office for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons were going to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons, but we bombed the country just before the investigation was due.

Let’s care about human suffering 2. Western allies have been backing extremist Islamist groups in Syria, often described as “moderate rebels”, such as the White Helmets, who have been responsible for atrocities comparable to ISIS. Some rebel groups have been responsible for the use of chemical weapons - we cannot assume Assad used these weapons without evidence.

3. Assad is going to win the war without intervention that actually amounts to anything. Of course, occupation is off the table because of the failures of Iraq and Afghanistan that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Intervention in Libya also amounted to the destruction of the country.

None of the military intervention options able to achieve anything change the kind of bloodshed Assad is inflicting, except the West would be doing it instead.

4. If there are casualties, civilians blown apart by western bombs isn’t somehow more acceptable than civilians choked with Sarin gas.

5. Bombing campaigns invariably increase the shares of bomb manufacturers. Theresa May’s husband manages the trust funds of companies who have directly profited from the recent western bombings. Quelle surprise.

6. Instead of using killing machines as symbolic gestures, we should protect what is left. The democratic Kurds who fought off ISIS in Syria need our support as they face completely unprovoked bombings from the autocratic Turkish government - our policy is to ignore the Kurds as they are ethnically cleansed. Meanwhile, we bomb and we bomb, and then reject asylum to the refugees we create.

Playing little games with bombs and missiles to position with Russia, to make politicians look big and strong in the tabloids, and to inflate the value of the military-industrial complex, is sad and pathetic. Let’s care about human suffering for its own sake, not just when it’s relevant to existing ambitions.

Some statu(t)e equality?

SOAPBOX COMMENT’S HOME OF WEEKLY RANTS Dealing with Death

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f there is one thing that I cannot reconcile myself with in modern society, it is the fact that a court of law in 56 of the world’s 195 countries can legally condemn a person to die. Is it not a sick, ironic twist that the same courts that condemn murder condone it themselves, if only the word itself is hidden under a thinly-veiled death warrant?

In a futile attempt to solve the societal issues that create ‘murderers’ in the first place, the system only adds to the problem. To me, condemning a person to die is not only an atrocious abuse of human vulnerability, but a coward’s way out.

What is needed is thorough and thoughtful consideration of why crimes deemed to be punishable by death are committed in the first place, and a tackling of these issues before they grow. Brute force and the abruptness of death feeds the problem. Understanding, mercy and grace are what will starve it.

Baby Fever

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O

Women’s contributions to politics have been ignored for so long The campaign was led by Caroline Criado Perez, who succeeded in gathering a petition of almost 85,000 signatures before the statue was commissioned. The question is: why was this even neces-

sary? The establishment should have recognised the need for a statue without such a campaign. Even two female Prime Ministers later, politics still remains an overwhelmingly masculine domain.

The lack of female representation in Parliament Square only mirrors the absence of women in Parliament itself. Although a record number of female MPs were elected in the 2017 General Election, this still only amounts to a measly 32% of MPs. This figure decreases to just 21% when looking at the Conservative Party alone. Clearly, simply putting a statue up of a woman does not iron out this widespread institutional inequality.

The Fawcett statue is one small step

on the journey to gender equality nationwide.

Recently, the country has been rocked by revelations of gender pay-gaps in various companies. Ryanair disclosed that for every £1 a male employee earnt, its female employees received just 28p.

Millicent Fawcett may have pushed for female suffrage way back in the 1900s, but it’s clear that the fight is not over. Putting up a statue honours her memory and the genuine advancements she made for equality. However, until tangible,real-world progress is made, it can only ever remain symbolic.

More can, and should, be done to advance gender equality and female representation in contempoImage: Instagram rary UK politics.

Caitlin Disken

nless you’ve been living under a rock recently, no doubt you’ll have heard that there’s a new addition to the Royal Household: Kate & Will’s baby son. His birth has been the focus of not only excessive media attention, but also of those Royal fans who have been camping outside the famous Lindo Wing for the past couple of weeks.

I’m no Royalist, so naturally I struggle to relate to any excitement regarding a Royal birth, but I really can’t see the appeal of sleeping on a bench for two weeks awaiting this announcement. Yes, the kid might have a unique birthright, but millions of children are born everyday: why is this child so radically different? You wouldn’t camp outside a hospital to await the birth of a niece or nephew; instead, you’d simply go about your daily life.

The Royals are apparently so emblematic of Britain that as a country we are expected to revel in this frenzy of media-created excitement. Yet, what it all boils down to is pointless patriotism, and the upholding of centuries of tradition that is now so obviously outdated.

Congrats to Kate and William, but I’ll reserve my excitement for things actually affecting my own life, thanks.

Caitlin Disken discusses the first female statue in Parliament Square, and gender equality n 24th April, the first ever statue of a woman in Parliament Square was revealed. The statue depicts the highly influential Suffragist leader, Millicent Fawcett (1847-1929), who was undoubtedly one of the most significant female figures in the twentieth century.

Fawcett’s statue joins eleven others in Parliament Sqaure - and all eleven are of men, including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. The fact that women’s contributions to politics have been ignored for so long is shocking in itself, yet what is even more unbelievable is that the statue of Fawcett has only been installed after a two-year long campaign.

Meg McManus

Road Rage

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Alexandra Sadler

’d like to start this rant off by clarifying that, as a driver, I’m no Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton. However, I still like to think that I’m a reasonably safe driver, albeit a relatively slow one (I place the blame solely on my black box).

I’m usually a pretty chill driver, happy to play some music and drive along. But there is one thing that does really annoy me. One thing that happens time and time again. People who don’t, for whatever reason, indicate until they’ve made their turn, if at all. The purpose of an indicator is pretty to clear, to indicate. So why do some people refuse to use them? Oh thank you sooo much for indicating 0.1seconds AFTER you’ve made your turn, really helpful.

Sarcasm aside, there’s a reason cars have indicators, please use them.

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the courier

student voice

Monday 30 April 2018

Anxiety of arrival: tackling it head on Since arriving at Newcastle University, Lucy Housden has spoken openly about her fight with anxiety. In this blog post, the first year student lets others know they are not alone

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nxiety,

It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude to which you can disrupt my life. Your unrelenting ability to uproot the simplest of routines. The refusal to allow a moment of rest between irrational thought after irrational thought. And the insatiable desire to please and to succeed which often ends with the stinging tears of disappointment and selfresentment as you cause me to set bars so impossibly and painstakingly high.

Some days you are kind. Climbing free from the covers of safety that surround me by night and stepping out of the door into the big wide world don’t seem so scary.

You drive a wedge between reality and insanity. Sometimes your grip is so tight around my throat...

But some days just the thought of opening my eyes feels too much to handle. You plague every moment, making my limbs heavy and my heart dreary. Conversation becomes impossible and the ability to tick my way through a to-do list is now beyond comprehension.

People come, and people go but you refuse to let them stop circling my mind. Overthinking every

detail of what was said between us, every touch of our skin, every contact of our eyes. You influence the light through which I am perceived, planting doubt and ridicule into the hands of those surrounding me. You blur the lenses through which my peers are able to assess our interactions and instead of stopping here, you leave me questioning what they see for days on end.

How is it fair? I ask over and over. That while my mind works on overdrive to assess every detail of every situation that those around me appear so carefree. But that’s your trick. Because I am not alone. I am not alone yet you make me feel like I couldn’t be further isolated from the population I am desperate to feel a part of. You drive a wedge between reality and insanity. And some days your grip is so tight around my throat, causing the breath to escape from my lungs and my airways to turn to fire so that it is impossible to take a moment. A moment to realise that I am not the only one feeling this way.

You are a cruel, relentless, inescapable plague that blackens the light which life offers.

You are anxiety.

And I can overcome you.

http://atouchofgracebakes.blogspot.co.uk/

Lucy Housden writes about food and mental health in her blog

life & style

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the courier Monday 30 April 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

Tom Milner, 21, 3rd Year English Literature

Tom on Susanne...

lot in common. I learned that she was an extra on Geordie Shore for a few episodes, which is a pretty decent claim to fame!

Where did the two of you meet?

We met at the Monument to give me some time to come up with where to go.

What was your first impressions of Susanne when you saw her?

I thought she was a really nice gal. She didn’t seem to recoil when she saw me, which is always a positive.

Where did you both go and what did you get up to?

We just went for some drinks at Bar 28 in Grainger Market and chatted, mostly about English Lit things (because what else is there to talk about?)

How did your conversation flow?

Conversation flowed really well, we had a

As the evening went on were you more or less interested in her?

I was definitely more interested in her as it went on, she had good chat.

What do you think was your best connection?

George Orwell, Peep Show, a tendency to try and rap if we do karaoke... I was just worried that I might spoil it all by saying something stupid like ‘I like you’...

Could you see yourself going on another date with Susanne?

I think so. Maybe take her for a cheeky Spoons cocktail sometime... and people say romance is dead...

Would you swipe left, swipe right or superlike?

I actually don’t like to use Tinder. I find it very demeaning.

VERDICT: TOM ON SUSANNE I was definitely more interested in her as it went on

Personality

Conversation

Looks

8/10 8/10 8/10

Fancy a date? We’ll set you up.

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

Susanne Norris, 20, 2nd Year English Literature

Susanne on Tom...

found out about Tom? I found out he set up and runs the poetry society which is really cool.

What did you do and where did you go?

Monument and then Bar 28 for drinks. I’d never been before but it’s so nice in there!

As the evening went on, did Tom prove himself to be a gentleman?

Yeah he did! He bought a couple of rounds of drinks which was really sweet of him.

What was your favourite part about the date?

Just chatting really, I thought we got on really well so that was good.

What did you find to be Tom’s best characteristic?

Definitely how funny and easygoing he is.

Can you tell us anything interesting you

Did you have anything in common?

Funnily enough we actually both do the same degree so had loads in common from a uni point of view. We both like karaoke but are both awful at it too.

Did you sense any romantic sparks, I mean, do you see this going anywhere?

At the end of the date we talked about meeting up again so yeah, we definitely got on well I think, and we’ve chatted a bit since then.

If you were trapped on a desert island with Tom, how well could you cope?

To be honest I wouldn’t really want to be trapped on a desert island with anyone!

But I’m sure I’d cope okay as we’d have lots to chat about.

Would you swipe left, swipe right or superlike?

I’d swipe right!!

VERDICT: SUSANNE ON TOM We both like karaoke but are both awful at it too

Personality

Conversation

Looks

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life & style lifestyle Monday 30 April 2018 10 things your barista wants Lifestyle Editor, Jaymelouise Hudspith, samples Meat:Stack, ‘Newcastle’s best burger’ you to know

Review: Meat:Stack burger bar

Free stuff depends on my mood and how nice you are

I know you’ve heard the rumours, but it’s definitely not a company policy where I work. I can’t give you any packaged products, but maybe I can put some extra whipped cream or syrup in your mocha. Just don’t expect anything!

Your order does not mean you have a personality

It’s just some adjectives in front of a thing on the menu. I am not making any judgement of you because of it, believe me, six other people have probably had the same order today. It really doesn’t matter to me if it’s very fussy, or very simple. On that note…

Please don’t order ‘just a coffee’

What does that mean? Do you go to restaurants and ask for ‘just food?’ Do you rent a house that ‘just has a ceiling?’ I don’t think you’re cool or special or oh-so-above-the-hype. You walked in here, buddy. You’re as part of the corporate machine as the rest of us, just tell me whether you want hot milk or not.

I do not control the price of the coffee

See above, you walked in here. You know what you signed up for. You’re paying to sit in a nice chair and drink expensive coffee beans mixed with specially heated water. I’m sorry that it’s close to three quid, but some very highly-paid people living miles away from here decided that. Your irritated sigh as you pass over your fiver will not change that.

But I understand that you are paying a lot, and you expect a good coffee

Seriously, if it’s not up to your standard just bring it back, or ask for it a certain way. You don’t sound bitchy or picky as long as you’re polite and I don’t look rushed off my feet, I can easily remake any drink. (Just maybe don’t complain in front of my manager, please.)

I’m happy to give recommendations

One of the perks of this job is that I get to try everything we serve. I have my personal favourite drinks, syrups, and mixtures. One of my co-workers invented a ‘Solero Cooler’ from whipped cream and mango ice blend. If we’re any good at our job, we know every single component of everything we serve, and we’re happy to make some kind of concoction to meet your need.

I like chatting

You don’t have to awkwardly pretend to be on your phone while you wait for your takeaway coffee or toastie… if I’m not devastatingly hungover.

I’ll ask you how your day is, or which university you’re at, or whatever. It’s nice to be nice.

And I’m probably listening to your conversation.

Sorry, not sorry. I like my job, but lattes don’t have any gossip.

Be patient!

One coffee shot alone takes at least a minute. If there’s five people in front of you, that means five minutes at the least. That doesn’t sound too long in writing, but apparently some of you can’t handle even that! I already burn myself with 140 degree milk on a regular day, please don’t rush me any further.

Please, for the love of god, don’t order a Frappuccino if you’re not at Starbucks Tilly Parry

Image: pixabay

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ormerly The Grind. Due to a legal back and forth with a similarly named London coffee shop, the brand has had to change their name.

Now Meat:Stack, the home of ‘real American cheeseburgers’ and known by their following, including The Secret Diner as the best burger in Newcastle.

Established by three friends: Charlie Mair, Allan Hyslop and Tom Westman. Three men with the shared vision to create a high quality American style fast food venture, who proudly utilise local ingredients. Many of you foodies may recognise them from the businesses participation in local events including the burger festivals hosted at locations such as the Wylam Brewery and Times Square.

The business remains in their original home as a pop-up in No28, a bar and restaurant above the Grainer Market. The brand has a new second home within the Grainger Market at unit 87 and 88, specifically for breakfast and lunch.

The American modern chic unit is open from 8am to 5pm. Serving a New York style breakfast including hash browns, bacon sandwich, double sausage and egg muffin, breakfast stacks which include hash browns, eggs, homemade tomato relish, and avocado. Not to mention your choice of juice, soda or Pink Lane coffee until 11am. The business to business support is commendable, Pink Lane is a local business with a casual, cosy, coffee shop located near Central station.

Meat:Stack offer a range of four made to order burgers at one time as part of their lunch menu, including two out of eight rotating specials. With the option to turn your burger into a meal option which involves adding a drink and regular fries for a little extra, even offering unique student discount deals.

The menu includes burgers including the West Coast Classic, the Quarter Pound, Cease and Desist, Buffalo Fried Chicken and more, all of which are visible on the website. With the optional sides including beef dipping fries or a fancy gravy and chips to us northern folk.

During my visit it was a miserable wet and cold day, or a regular day in Newcastle. So, the ‘Golden State Burger’, a double cheese burger topped with tomato, avocado, red onion, crisp lettuce, hot sauce and all the fixings was the perfect taste of summer.

Image: Meat:Stack

One of the most expensive burgers on the menu, £7 on its own or £8.50 as part of a regular meal, £9.50 as a large meal with skin on salted fries and a self-serve soda machine.

A double cheese burger topped with tomato, avocado, red onion, crisp lettuce and hot sauce was the perfect taste of summer When I first read the menu, I was concerned the Golden State Burger was simply jumping on the healthy avocado craze but the combination of the cooling from the avocado with the spice from the

hot sauce complimented each other perfectly. Although, one thing to be cautious of it did begin to make the burger bun slightly soggy.

The burgers are all served as a smashed and steamed double patty cheeseburgers topped with ketchup, mustard and house relish as standard.

The burgers are not cooked one way as standard due to the made to order takeaway style of the burger which is one issue I drew as I prefer my meat served pink, but they did not comprise the moistness or tenderness of the meat.

This takeaway style unit in the Grainger Market does as it promised it provides a quick, easy and high-quality burger at a reasonable price supporting local businesses and utilising local ingredients.

It’s definitely one I would recommend trying. If not for lunch visit their restaurant or even try deliverooing them if you’re lucky enough to be in the right region.

Insta diet and fitness plans Charlotte Cooper dives into the world of Instagram fitness to see if they are worth it

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ealth and fitness has come a long way from your mum’s fitness DVD by some celebrity you’ve never heard of. This social media generation has brought about the ‘Instagram influencers’ who can guide us in our diet and exercise routines… at a cost, of course. Your Instagram feed is full of #transformationtuesday posts promoting before and after pictures to reel you into the fitness ideal.

I am still not convinced that the money-making fitness programmes are worth the hype Kayla Itsines has made a name for herself in the world of Instagram fitness. She writes on her website “I’m known as one of the most influential personal trainers in the world” offering a programme where customers will ‘feel stronger and more confident’ in just 12 weeks. The programme contains workout videos lasting about 28 minutes each with the ability to workout at home or at the gym. The BBG (bikini body guide) also allows customers to connect with all Itsines followers on the ‘sweat’ app where the community offers support and motivation for each other. With a cost of $19.99 a month or $119.94 a year it all sounds rather convincing.

However, is Itsines really as good as she says she is? A personal trainer for many years may have the knowledge to share yet we all know that poor form in workout exercises can do more harm than good.

Are the workout videos really enough for us to go on in order to gain perfect results without harm?

Another Instagram famous fitness influencer

is Grace Fit UK. A 21-year-old student at Oxford university started vlogging on YouTube to get her “way through uni”. As followings grew Grace Fit created the GFHG (Grace Fit Home Guide).

Two books each containing 8 weeks’ worth of 30-minute-long workouts, nutrition, cheat meals and portion size guides. However, there is a catch.

The GFHG workouts are focused around specialty equipment such as resistant bands and dumbbells which generates Grace Fit even more money. With guides costing £35 each or £53 for the two (paperback) the Oxford student may not even need a student loan. But is she really qualified to broadcast and sell her GFHG’s? Possibly not even a personal trainer, Grace Fit is allowed to post whatever content she sees fit as Instagram has no regulations or restrictions therefore hard to tell the difference between a fitness guru and a fitness fake.

Even celebrities are jumping on the band wagon.

Towie star turned fitness influencer Lucy Mecklenburgh has created the brand ‘Results with Lucy’, co-created by her personal trainer Cecilia Harris.

Unlike Grace Fit and Kayla Itsines, this guide is possibly the most supported and true to its word.

Mecklenburgh has a team of experts helping her from chiropractors and high-performance coaches to specialist trainers for pregnant customers. The motto for the brand is to ‘get fit and lose weight the healthy way’ and I believe that from all three influencers Results with Lucy seems to be the most reinforced by experts, as well as the cheapest. For £7.99 a month the plan will allow access to 60 workout videos as well as private members only Facebook forum motivation. Upgrading to £14.99 a month gets you over 500+ workout videos, shop discounts as well as the Facebook forum access. At the highest price (£19.99) the programme gets you all those features plus 350+ recipes, individualised

meal plans as well as bonus access to the With Self Love self-esteem guide.

Whilst Lucy Mecklenburgh’s fitness guide may be my personal favourite due to its low cost, plus the team of experts behind the programme, rather than a student self-proclaimed world influencer. I am still not convinced the money-making fitness programmes are worth the hype. With gym memberships costing as little as £8.99 a month including free classes I think that buying a guide from the Instagram influencers is probably a waste of your money. Less than £9 a month for as much access, all the equipment there waiting for you as well as trainers watching out for your safety is perhaps a better investment for getting those body goals you’re wanting.

Image: Kaylafitness

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lifestyle life & style

Monday 30 April 2018

Veganism: your questions answered

One year into the Vegan life, Maddy Bainbridge discusses all of the misconceptions surrounding her lifestyle choice

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Image: Unsplash

ver the past year, I underwent the journey from a vegetarian to a vegan.

This process was far more enlightening than I had previously expected it to be, and I have come to realise that there is a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding this diet and lifestyle choice.

What I learnt during the early months of my transition, was that you needed to know your facts if you were ever going to convince people about your new (and seemingly radical) lifestyle choice. The following is therefore a list of the most commonly asked vegan questions, and their answers. I do this in the hope of inspiring more open discussions about the plant-based diet, rather than hostilities that often follow debates.

Where do vegans get their protein from?

There are many plant-based foods that are high in protein. Nuts, pulses, and oats, are wonderfully high in protein, and you do not have to eat that many to ensure you’re getting your recommended daily intake.

Isn’t being a vegan expensive?

Like any diet, veganism can be expensive.

However, it doesn’t have to be. There are lots of local markets and stores where you can buy affordable vegan foods. Grainger market in Newcastle city centre for example, offers a large range of fruits and vegetables for significantly less than the major supermarkets. It also allows you to buy your items individually and by weight, rather than being forced into pre-packaged bulk items that can often push up the price.

For non-fresh produce, such as rice, pasta, and tinned goods, areas such as Fenham have many cheap stores that can help cut down the cost of

your weekly shopping. And it’s not that far away either. Only a 10-15-minute cycle ride from West Jesmond, and even closer from Castle Leazes. If you avoid eating out too much, the cost of a vegan diet often works out cheaper than eating meat.

So, do you just eat vegetables?

No. Although fruits and vegetables make up a good chunk of the vegan diet, they are not the only things that we eat. Carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, and bread are essential for ensuring we get that slow-burning energy we need. As well as enough calories. Nuts are also important as well.

However, just because vegans choose not to consume any animal products in their diets, this does not mean that they are always overly health conscious. There are many types of vegan junk food items, including popcorn, sweets, crisps, and sugary drinks, that they also eat too. Just because they like them.

Don’t you miss meat and dairy?

People need to stop asking if vegans miss bacon.

Do you ask your Muslim friends this? The answer to this question is likely different for every vegan.

Although I personally do not miss meat at all, and only crave the convenience of dairy when I’m eating out, that does not mean all vegans necessarily feel the same way. Usually I’d say things get easier over time, as you adapt to a new diet, and to new taste preferences.

But isn’t it natural to eat meat?

There is so much debate surrounding this question, and this could honestly be its own article.

However, for the sake of brevity, and to prevent causing too much offence in my answer, I will keep it brief.

Everybody has different opinions regarding the

question of is meat natural for humans to eat. My opinion, is that nothing is necessarily ‘natural’ for humans. Humans are an adaptive species, and for this reason, I believe that human’s ‘natural’ instincts are constantly adapting to their circumstances.

Whilst eating meat may have once been essential for survival, today that is no longer the case. With the knowledge we now have surrounding diet and nutrition, as well as the many meat-alternatives, and easy access to fruit and veg all year round, it is now no longer a question of what is ‘natural.’

Eating strawberries in winter is not ‘natural’ and yet we can still do it. Today we can freely choose how we want our diets to look, and therefore we can choose to give up meat, and indeed dairy, without having to question if this choice is unnatural.

Do you use bi-products of the animal industry such as suede and leather?

No, if it comes from an animal then I do not support it. And anyway, why would you when fakeleather is cheaper?

What about honey?

In the same way as Christians, not all vegans agree on everything. Honey is one of these times. Whilst there are many environmental positives to keeping bees, some vegans see it as cruel to use bee’s labour for their own gains.

Are you only vegan because you love animals?

No. As the famous animal ethics writer, Peter Singer, once said “If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans?” It is not about loving animals; it is about morality.

Is it time to take a social media detox?

As a proud Facebook deactivator, Joe Rafferty explains why ditching social media might be the best thing for you

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’m sure it’s a question that has crossed all of our minds at one time or another: is social media taking over my life and should I take time away from it?

There’s no doubt that many people feel as though their lives have become completely dependent on social media, and cannot imagine being able to function without it.

However, with the amount of negative press that social media has been getting on a regular basis – with issues ranging from the polarisation of political and civil discourse to its impact on people’s mental health – it can be argued that social media is doing us more harm than good.

Speaking from my own personal experience, choosing to deactivate my Facebook profile turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I hope that by giving you some insight

into how I came to remove my own digital footprint will help to show you the benefits of a social media free lifestyle. When I moved back home after graduating from university in 2016, I discovered that most of my friends were either still at university in different parts of the country or had simply moved on with their lives.

I was digging myself into a virtual hole that I wouldn’t be able to get out of At first I thought that by having all of their contact info on social media would mean we would contact each other at some point.

However, as time passed I came to realise that checking Facebook every day in the faint hope that someone had sent me a message, tagged me in a status/ photo, or asked me if they wanted to meet up for a drink sometime, stated to make me feel as if I was digging myself into a virtual hole that I wouldn’t be able to get out of in the long run.

I realised that I was starting to become incredibly withdrawn which led me to neglect the few people in my life with whom I did keep in contact with. I also discovered that it was starting to affect my social skills to the point where I felt as though I had forgotten how to interact with people in the real world.

Eventually, I decided to go about detoxing myself from social media and decided to deactivate my Facebook account. If you are

someone who is considering temporarily leaving Facebook as opposed to deleting it completely, I highly recommend deactivating your account and keeping Messenger because that will allow you to keep in touch with people without having to deal with all of the white noise on your news feed.

I’m not going to lie however, but the first few months of being away from social media were tantamount to withdrawal and made me realise how empty life can seem when you’re not plugged into that world anymore.

With all that being said, I want to say that the benefits far outweigh the costs of leaving social media in the long run and I strongly encourage anyone is thinking along those lines to see it though and see how much a change you can make in your life.

The guide to planning your Summer Katherine Rawlings helps us to make the most of the Summer months and fill that huge stretch of empty calendar

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ith deadlines, exam dates, and study dates looming, it’s hard for many of us to see past that inevitable mountain of stress and work (sorry for the reminder!), but maybe it’s time to start planning out your summer activities to make that prospect of work a little more bearable.

Perhaps, like me, you’re someone who needs to be constantly planning ahead to provide some motivation for the next assignment, or perhaps summer has crept up on you and you’re beginning to wonder how to fill the upcoming stretch of months. Either way, I’m here to provide you with some suggestions that might (lets be optimistic here) start you on your way to finding the perfect summer activities!

Escape the mundane day-to-day An obvious option, but nonetheless still deserves a mention: summer is the perfect time to book those holidays you’ve been dreaming about all semester. And, with exams finishing late May / early June for many of us, it’s the perfect opportunity to get in on those cheap term-time flights! Remember to check out sites such as Skyscanner and Kayak for the best student-friendly options.

University holidays are not only a great opportunity to take time out with friends or family, but with all the mention of the independence of University-life, perhaps it might be time to brave one of the increasingly popular ‘solo-holidays’. No need to worry about debating whether you should visit the museum or sunbathe all day, and you’ll have plenty of time to meet new people or involve yourself in any of the random activities you find along the way (thermal beer spa anyone?). If you’re already convinced but unsure of where to go, Hamburg and Seville have been titled the best solo-travel destinations for 2018.

Alternatively, if you have a bit more time and money, Interrailing is a brilliant option for anyone who fancies adventuring around a bit more of Europe. Considering the (almost) unlimited travel and variety of tickets ranging from £190 for Global Passes, or £84 for the One Country Pass, it’s a hard to deal to argue with.

Give something back There are so many options out there nowadays if you want to go abroad but would prefer something a bit more organised with the possibility of having a positive impact on the location and its people.

Camp America, Camp Thailand, and many more, give you the opportunity to explore a new country whilst involving yourself in very rewarding activities, such as helping underprivileged children, or even volunteering in a completely new environment such as elephant sanctuaries.

Even in the UK, if you have some free time, summer is the perfect chance to give something back to the community and work for a charitable cause or give some of your time to the local library.

Gain some Work Experience Although volunteering and travelling might be appealing options, as a student we all know that finances often limit our options, and an alternative experience that involves gaining some money is preferable. Finding a job in a café or shop is an obvious option, but a paid internship might be more beneficial. Remember to check out the advice and jobs offers suggested by the Careers Service, or use one of the popular sites such as internships.com.

An internship abroad is also a great option if you still need a way to satisfy your travel bug while keeping the bank account afloat.

Festivals Whether you’ve budgeted well this year and have

some money left to splurge on a week-long festival with ‘glamping’ or have found yourself a bit further into your overdraft than planned, there are so many options to get your fill of your favourite music this summer. Guarantee yourself the perfect camping weather with a festival abroad – take a look at Sziget or Soundwave – or save the pennies as a festival steward to avoid the sometimes overpriced entry fees.

Image: Unsplash

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life & style fashion

the courier

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

Monday 30 April 2018

ASOS finally showcasing diversity

Georgia Hadwin explores how our favourite clothing brand is representing diversity with their models in their new campaign

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ocial media spheres have brought about an age of unreality. There is an immense pressure that now surrounds us to look a certain way. Everywhere you look, there are what society perceives to be ‘perfect’ people showcasing their wonderful lives - which is likely miles from the truth. It is not surprising that people have become so consumed in the strive for perfection that they have become swamped with insecurity. However, things are changing; brands such as ASOS are finally allowing Instagram and reality to live harmoniously by celebrating diversity.

In a period marked by widespread representation, it seems ASOS are walking tall ahead of the rest and have been for some time. The ASOS Curve range has been recognised as one of the most inclusive clothing collections that really do appeal to the modern plus size shape. Not only have they been commended for the clothes they create, but also the medium in which they choose to showcase them. The brand has rolled out a promise to never artificially adjust photographs of models to change their appearance - and we are so here for it! The inclusion of stretch marks and naturally occurring pockets of fat is refreshing and necessary for a generation that craves constant modification. As well as avoiding image adjustment, they celebrate the beauty of every size, representing it across all of their platforms. Finally, we meet women size 16+ rocking a fierce collection.

their consumers want: to see and understand how clothes will look on multiple figures representative of their own.

The brand has rolled out a promise to never artificially adjust photographs of models

plus size model but felt it was insulting to have her in an ill-fitting item.

It seems that, although there is room for improvement, ASOS have finally offered consumers a chance to feel that they are represented in an industry that is so influential. Not only do they represent diversity in size, but they have also celebrated individuals with different disabilities, genders and backgrounds in their new active wear range. If this continues and snowballs into the

marketing offices of other high street chains, then the future of fashion promotion will be a positive one. From a self-confessed plus size female, thank you to ASOS for promoting, celebrating and applauding realistic representation.

Although this is a monumental step in the right direction, it hasn’t stopped criticism. Recently, ASOS posted an image to their Instagram page of a plus size model in a spaghetti strap soft bra. The comments were flooded with people claiming that it was disappointing to see ASOS promote poorly fitting bras. Many claimed that the brand were actively misinforming people on the importance of bra sizing and one even suggested that the image was a ‘good advert for damaged ligaments in the chest’. The general consensus seemed to be that people applauded the beauty and diversity of the

Instagram: @ASOS

Instagram: @ASOS

The inclusion of stretch marks and naturally occurring pockets of fat is refreshing and necessary In the past, a size 12 model with a flat stomach and perfectly sculpted legs was as far as ‘plus-size’ had ever achieved. ASOS have understood what

Put the Spring into your step Instagram: @ASOS

Instagram: @ASOS

Instagram: @ASOS

Miranda Stoner helps you to make the seasonal transformation and welcome the sunshine with her top trends for this spring

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aster is now over and the time has come to take a tentative step out of the winter coats and greet the new season. Spring calls for pastels and florals and dressing in one layer too few after misjudging the temperature, mistaking the clear sky as a sign of a warm day. With the warm weather beginning to show its face, here`s a roundup of this seasons must follow trends.

The Suit Life Both mens and womenswear have seen a wave of multicoloured suits this season. The menswear catwalk especially has witnessed everything from Tom Ford`s pastel pink velvet, to Comme des Garcons Homme Plus glittering numbers. Paul Smith - the king of suits himself proves that the sky is the limit with his blue toned blazers, and Moschino`s go faster stripes

Image: Topshop

also definitely deserve a mention.

This season the focus has been taken off the shirt and placed on the blazer, which is characterised particularly by broad shoulders, loose fits and length. Saturated monotones are ruling the runway, think Dua Lipa in the music video for IDGAF. These are best worn with matching trouser but are equally stunning layered over your floral tea dress or half tucked into a flowing skirt. This look is perfect for casual drinks or a café date and is a great transition outfit between the cold winter and the fresher spring.

Without a trace Transparent materials are another clear trend this spring. The key to updating your wardrobe for this look is to outline your silhouette with a figure hugging base layer - think bodycon and lace, and then experiment with different shapes in translucent materials. Some popular looks involve floaty or delicately embroidered mesh, tulle or chiffon pieces… the more frills and ruches the better. These can be layered over your base layer and all balanced out with a tailored denim jacket and your favourite skinnies.

If Instagram: @paulsmithdesign you have a

more ethereal style, then this is the season to buy your mid to full length mesh dress or skirt.

For when the weather is cooler, replace the mesh with a wide knit or crochet jumper and pair with chunky jewellery. Meanwhile, raincoats and jackets made from clear plastic materials are a great option for staying on trend in the April showers.

Bum bag An item of clothing I’ve grown up mocking my Dad for wearing, has now come into its own. The previously unassuming bum bag (or belt bag to those who have an issue with the name) has updated its status of useful and practical garment to iconic fashion piece - if it’s good enough for Louis Image: Topshop Vuitton, it’s good enough for me. New patterns and materials have helped to elevate the bum bag to fashion essential status, but what lies at the heart of this items popularity is its pure convenience in a world where clothing lacks pockets spacious enough to safely carry all the essentials. If you haven’t already invested, now is the time to add this Tardis-like item to your wish list. They come in every shape, size and colour from sporty to sequins to luxe faux-leather styles, so you are bound to find one that you love. So whether it be for a festival, weekend break or week of lapping up the sunshine, the bum bag is a must. Instagram: @nicoleballardini

Instagram: @schiaparelli

Image: Topshop

@CourierFashion c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk

Monday 30 April 2018

Moschino x H&M Collection

Poppy Couling shows Jeremy Scott’s vision and inspiration behind the high street collaboration

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hroughout the last couple of years, H&M have resourcefully collaborated with many high street fashion brands including Versace, Kenzo, and Balmain, so it is no surprise that Moschino’s creative director Jeremy Scott was their next target. After casually dropping the creative genius an email, he described in the announcement interview that he felt honoured to be asked to work with the popular high street brand. The new line is to be released in stores on the 8th of November, but was announced this week via Instagram during Coachella, almost accumulating as much hype as Beyoncé performance… only almost!

The post on Moschino’s Instagram page featured the iconic Gigi Hadid dressed in a retro-style zipped dress, decorated with vibrant CD disks, paired with a chunky gold necklace and heavy gold- chained belt. The pop art inspired designs permeate Moschino’s previous work, so no doubt these playful colours and bold prints will feature throughout the collection. British Vogue commented soon after the image was posted, claiming intel on a silver sequinned dress that is of particular note amongst the new designs, continuing Scott’s legacy of staggeringly unique pieces.

and affordable. After gushing about Miley Cyrus during an interview once the collaboration was announced, he claimed he was thrilled to be able to dress his friend so often as he felt intensely inspired by her as a person, similarly to his admiration towards Katy Perry. He has confirmed the line will be focused on ‘humour meets haute couture meets the street,’ adding that denim, active-leisure wear, and accessories will all feature in the line. As well as staying true to his integration with Disney characters (after admitting Mickey Mouse was his favourite icon as ‘he’s done it all, moments and moods and looks’), he released a statement expressing his hope that the line will allow kids who can’t afford Moschino alone to buy his fun pieces.

People of note (like Trevor Noah) who a d o r e d S c o t t’s

winged show design has said how popular his designs were in South Africa, opening another consumer base for Scott. His statement hugely inspired Scott, who went on to discuss that, ‘with this collection, we’ll be in South Africa’ where he hopes to create clothes that will encourage people to ‘go out and dance in the collection, have fun, meet the loves of their lives, feel on top of the world, take a million selfies, and keep them forever.’

Well Jeremy, we have very high hopes for this line- if it’s good enough for Gigi Hadid and Madonna, it’s good enough for us, and we are sure to be donning this fun line come November and showcasing it proudly both in the Robbo and the House of Smith this autumn.

Instagram: @theluxepeony, @thefashionnetuk

Lydia Speight delves into the most fashion-conscious USA festival, and shows us her top picks

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All in white Emily Ratajkowski and Ella Hosk showcase their festival look with an LWD, teaming them with a pair of boho sandals to keep it cool and casual.

A cute but simple white outfit is perfect to show off your bronzed legs if you’ve just taken a trip to somewhere warm (or to the tanning salon for that matter). An LWD is a versatile piece which will also compliment a trip to the beach or a beer garden- an essential for the summer.

Street style Edging it up at Coachella this year were Rihanna and Kendall Jenner with their on-trend street

looks. Combining industrial trousers with a crop this summer is the perfect way to keep it grunge this festival season. Adding a splash of colour, like Rihanna, can be a great way to incorporate a feminine touch to the look.

transformed the classic piece into an iconic festival look. Taking a funky twist on the crochet was Alessandra Ambrosio with her rainbow hot pants.

The shorts are a fun statement piece that can jazz up any outfit.

Flower power A very popular trend this year is the floral prints, for both men and women. Justin Bieber wore a tropical shirt and short combo at the festival, which kept people talking. The look would also be a perfect look for the beach or pool-side drinks.

Natalia Dyer took a classic floral dress and made it grunge by adding a pair of vans and a varsity jacket, proving the versatility of the floral print.

Beyonce X Balmain Stealing the show once again, however, has to be Beyoncé with her five incredible custom Balmain outfits. Bey sported funky, futuristic vibes in each unique look and she even managed to switch up her nail colour mid-set! Her first costume oozed royalty, incorporating the most stunning crown and cape with a traditional African design. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, we were blessed with a surprise performance from Destiny’s Child. The iconic trio rocked three unique military looks, serving us serious nostalgia from the ‘survivor’ video. Her performance and above all her show-stopping Balmain looks are most definitely the talk of Coachella 2018.

Crochet A trend that has stuck this year is crochet, styled in a range of looks. Chanel Iman kept it simple with her all-white crochet maxi dress. Teaming the dress some military boots and feather earrings

FASHION NEWS Newcastle Fashion Society Fashion Show 2018

Images: Vogue

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Coachella ‘18 best festival looks

ear after year Coachella graces us with the hottest celebrity looks, reminding us how basic we truly are. From streetwear to Balmain, 2018 most certainly did not disappoint.

Here’s a round up of the biggest trends spotted in the desert this year.

fashion life & style

ith the rising popularity of the Newcastle Fashion Society on campus, the society has made quite a name for itself as being a promoter of future fashion writers, photographers and stylists-to-be on the northern university campuses. It’s courses in recycling and repurposing clothes; fashion illustration and blogging have been very popular, with many roles on their team being taken up by its loyal members. With the end of the year coming up, the society has one last big event in the works- notably, the fashion show.

Entitled ‘Break the Stigma’, it hopes to dispel the myths behind fashion from Devil wears Prada and Central Saint Martins horror stories, and instead present fashion as a field for everyone to display their creativity and love for beautiful, wearable clothes. Recent fashion-related news has headlined the need for more diversity and equality in model and designer representation in Vogue and on social media on both a national and international scale.

Perhaps industry starters coming out of colleges and universities like Newcastle should dictate the future of fashion, championing diversity, equality and fair production wages and local jobs.

He has confirmed the line will be focused on ‘humour meets haute couture meets the street’ In the past, the designer has paid heavy tribute to American brand icons and treasures alike, previously producing an entire line of clothing dedicated to Barbie, and stitching Spongebob onto leisure wear, hoping his exuberant designs will reach an ‘international audience’ as the price ranges vary from £30 to £300. This more accessible price bracket endeavors to infiltrate the high street stores with his designs to become both widespread

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Facebook NU Fashion Page

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Instagram: @emilyrajtkowski, @coachella @allesandraambrosio, @badgalriri

The north of England can get overlooked when looking at the spectrum of British fashion Bringing fashion into the millennial era would be the modern students’ main concern and Annie Chavez, the society’s vice president, wants to make sure that the fashion show is diverse, ‘not exploiting resources’ and anti-elitism in its approach, making sure anyone in the society can get involved in the show’s creation. Over 200 students from the society from its 600+ strong member group will be directly contributing or getting involved, showcasing the collective effort need for such an event!

The show will also prominently feature the designs and styles of students at the university as well as local designers from the Northeast, bringing in the local community to participate and make their designs known. The show will feature five designers and sixteen models, making sure there is plenty to look forward to! The north of England can sometimes get overlooked when looking at the wide spectrum of British fashion, so an event like this will garner both spectatorship from around the country and more loyal customers for northern textile producers, designers and stylists.

If you are interested in finding out more about fashion, seeing a real fashion show from close up or simply enjoying the glamorous atmosphere, why not head over to the Boiler House from 6pm on the 5th of May (Saturday) to enjoy your very own, local fashion show. Tickets cost between £813 pounds, depending on the seating area. If you can’t make it, don’t worry, as The Courier fashion will be reviewing the fashion show next week.

Hope to see you there!

Zofia Zwieglinska

Facebook NU Fashion Society Page

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life & style beauty

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

the courier

Monday 30 April 2018

The highs and lows of the ponytail Sophie Hindhaugh discusses all the different ponytail styles you may be considering, and the pros and cons of each of them

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t’s hard to know how to do your hair sometimes. Do you go for a high ponytail, effortless low ponytail, or even an I-wokeup-like-this messy bun? I’m going to talk you through the pros and cons of each style as, whether you realise it or not, how you wear your ponytail says a lot about your pony-ality.

As a serial scrunchie addict, I delight in how the high ponytail shows off your chosen scrunchie on the top of your head perfectly The High Ponytail: For me, high ponytails are the G.O.A.T (thank you Drake, for that wonderful acronym). I wear a high ponytail nearly every day, without fail. As someone with long hair, who hates it sticking to her face, this is the easiest, quickest style for me to look humanly acceptable. As a serial scrunchie addict, I delight in how a high ponytail shows off your chosen scrunchie on the top of your head perfectly. This high ponytail is preferably worn in a messy style (perfect for when it’s been a questionable amount of time since you washed it) for 90’s Cool Mean Girl movie vibes.

Some girls may feel nervous about having their hair ‘scraped back’, but how else are other people going to notice and appreciate your beat face? Also, for an extra 30 minutes in bed, isn’t it worth the hair risk? The pros include a quick, cool, easy and ideal style for ‘activities’. However, it’s not ideal

if you don’t fancy quite literally facing the world due to it being pulled back off your face, possible headaches if too tight and not a preferable choice when you have a giant spot on your forehead The Low Ponytail: The Low Ponytail. You girls really have your life together don’t you? The Low Ponytail girl enjoys bottomless brunches, filling in her meticulous diary and wearing Zara coats. Her Instagram layout is normally a work of art, and she usually has cool black sunglasses and enjoys LFW. I admire Low Ponytail girls because frankly, my life is just not that together, and my look is very much that haphazard high pony. I envy the Low Ponytail girl, because that perfectly parted, positioned ponytail shows a girl who gets up in ample time and has the confidence of Miranda Priestly. You know you look effortlessly cool and beautiful, dammit.

On the subject of low ponytails, none other than High Ponytail Queen Ariana Grande has been sported spotting a very low ponytail style. This may not seem significant to the average person, but it was enough to trend on twitter and inspire multiple articles.

The Low Ponytail movement is full of empowered, together women who have their lives together, and I’m determined to be (or at least look) like one. This is because the advantages of the low ponytail mean you will feel like a LFW model, it’s a nice change from the high ponytail, you get no headaches, and radiate a more mature, boss bitch vibe? (I’m feeling it). However, it takes more time perfecting that part and position, and your hair looks best sleek and straightened beforehand so takes more time in the morning (However, can be worn to fancy dinners and is then quite a quick hairstyle- a pro! Versatile!)

Beauty can change Erin Holley explores the struggles of keeping up with the constant changes and new releases in the beauty industry

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t can seem like almost every week, a new line of beauty products is being released, just begging make-up lovers to buy this ‘better than ever’ product. With make-up brands capitalising on the popularity of social media to convey products to a larger audience than ever before, companies are better able to gauge public interest in certain trends.

The popularity of Urban Decay’s NAKED eyeshadow palettes saw a boom in palettes with a similar packaging and colour range by several different beauty brands. Also, the rise of celebrities endorsing or creating their own beauty lines creates the ultimate advert for their products. For example, Kim Kardashian KKW beauty range and Kylie Jenner’s overwhelmingly popular Lip Kits and sets are featured in almost every Instagram photo, Snapchat story and tweet that these hugely popular icons post. This in turn generates a huge interest in their products as they are so glamorously advertised by celebrity influencers. As their range of products grow, it can feel overwhelming and many make-up lovers face the quandary of simply wanting it all and feeling pressured to do so by the make-up industry.

Urban Decay Founded in 1996 by by Sandy Lerner, Wende Zomnir, David Soward and Patricia Holmes, this global brand is described as “beauty with an edge.”

Image: @urbandecaycosmetics

Make-up brands are beginning to do more and more crossovers with popular beauty YouTube stars such as Grav3yard Girl X Tarte, mutually beneficial to the company as the YouTuber provides advertising to highly motivated makeup consumers, and to the make-up guru as they see their subscribers rocket up. All these amazing products rarely come cheap, with a Kylie Cosmetics palette setting you back just under £40 or a Smashbox highlighter for roughly £30, the prices begin to pile up. It’s not just that these products are expensive, but the accessories that companies insist are necessary for a correct makeup application, Morphe brush sets can reach up

to £184 and companies often encourage makeup buyers to purchase these brushes and beauty blenders alongside the foundation or eyeshadow.

Through social media we can all see how fast trends can change and make-up companies stay relevant by constantly being at the frontier of new development, collaborating with the biggest stars of the moment (such as the Gigi x Maybelline collection in early 2017 that marked another successful collaboration between the popular model and the fashion and beauty industries).

What was popular one year (2016 was a year of smoky eyeshadow and bold eyebrows, with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomades becoming an essential), can quickly fall out of favour the next as 2017 saw the rise of ‘natural’ beauty with brands like Milk capitalising on the ‘dewy’ trend that focused more on skincare and light, subtle makeup rather than full-face. With so many make-up brands available to us now, it can feel difficult not to want to buy everything and be perfectly on trend. Without buying the latest releases of the most popular brands can leave some people feeling left behind and not part of the conversation regarding new and exciting beauty products.

However, it is important to recognise that constant production of more beauty products is what keeps make-up companies afloat and in competition with other brands and that not constantly buying new products does not mean you are unfashionable or irrelevant. If in doubt, try to totally recreate the brand’s look with cheaper alternatives or be comforted in the thought that expensive make-up trends are often filtered down to drugstore make-up and made more affordable and attainable.

Image: @urbandecaycosmetics

The Bun: Now neither of these ponytails may be your vibe. Maybe you’re a wild card and wear a scandalous side ponytail, or even a half up half down ponytail (do you have commitment issues?), and perhaps, even pigtails (though I hope you’re not over the age of 10 or cosplaying Pippy Longstockings). However, there is one easy staple hairstyle I haven’t covered yet- one of the Big Threeand that is the bun. The bun is a complicated one, in that it looks easy, yet is impossible to achieve.

I spent countless minutes (hours) trying achieve that messy, tousled bun that was so popular on Tumblr (you know what I mean) in sixth form, yet its always eluded me.

That perfectly parted, positioned ponytail shows a girl who gets up in ample time and has the confidence of Miranda Priestly Girls who can rock a bun are girls not be messed with, whether it’s a ‘Cool Lazy I-Just-Put-My-HairUp-What-No-This-Took-Me-30-Seconds!’ kinda bun, or a slicked back bold ballerina bun, they know exactly what it takes to be that girl and they own it.

In the end however, it is just hair, and though a certain style may have you feeling some sort of vibe, as long as you wear it with confidence, you will look beautiful regardless.

Image: @thejoshliu

The SPF-actor Beauty editor Lois Johnston explores the risks of damage from sun and how we can protect ourselves against UV rays

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on’t be caught unawares this summer, prepare your make-up bag now. Unless you have been in a serious revision prison you will know that last week we were blessed with a mini heat wave, which meant many of us swapped the library for the beer garden in the name of ‘getting enough vitamin D’. Consequently, this also meant that people were taking off debatable amounts of clothing and there was a lot of pink skin on show.

Image: @hawaiiant_uk

Most people think that because we live in the UK, the sun here isn’t as strong as it is abroad and so there’s no need to whack on the sunscreen.

But surprise, surprise they are wrong. Sun damage is responsible for a shocking 90% of skin cancer cases, and those who use tanning beds are 75% more like to be diagnosed with skin cancer than someone who doesn’t. Side effects may include premature aging, uneven skin tone and blotchiness. Those who wear suncream on a daily basis are 24% less likely to show signs of premature aging, such as wrinkles and discolouration, as a result of sun damage.

If you’re a bit of a Pale Gail like me, you may have been told that you need to slap on the factor 50 otherwise you’ll burn to a crisp, but fear not, factor 30 is enough. Research shows that factor 30 protects against 96% of the sun’s harmful UV rays, whilst factor 50 protects against 98%, so the difference is marginal. SPF should be applied regularly throughout the day and should be applied at least 30 minutes before sun exposure.

When choosing a suncream, opt for one which is waterproof and contains titanium dioxide, octyl

methoxycinnimate, avobenzone (also parsol) and zinc oxide. It is a common complaint of suncream users that SPF can cause rashes, clogged pores and acne. To avoid this, opt for a lotion or gel which is non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic.

‘But what about my make-up?’ I hear you ask.

Well, fear not, because most of your favourite products already contain SPF, mostly factor 15 but often factor 30 too. It is worth noting, however, that when choosing how to incorporate SPF into your makeup bag, bear in mind that different things work for different people. For example, if you only wear foundation for a night out, it’s not worth buying one with SPF, as this can also cause flashback on photos (nobody wants the dreaded ghost face in their photos.) So, instead opt for a product that is easy to incorporate into your everyday make-up but equally easy to avoid when getting ready for a night out.

If, like me, you hate putting suncream on your face, because it feels greasy and you don’t need to add any more oily-ness to your already oily complexion, then I recommend either a moisturiser or a primer which contains SPF. My favourite is the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Facial Suncare because it is easy to apply and doesn’t leave a greasy film on your face.

Plus, it costs just £15 and is regularly on offer in Boots. In terms of primer, opt for something like the Nars Radiance Primer, which has an SPF 35.

Not only does it do its job as a primer and provide a great base for your foundation, it also gives you that I-just-spent-a-week-in-the-south-of-France glow, all whilst protecting your precious skin!

One honourable SPF mention is the Pixi Sun Mist, available for £18 at Cult Beauty. This spray is multifunctional and can be used to set makeup, protect against the sun and also refresh tired and dull-looking skin throughout the day. I personally steer clear of concealers with SPF as a feel sometimes they can create a white cast under my eyes, but in terms of foundation, Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation is not only one of the best foundations I’ve ever used, it’s vegan, comes in a wide range of shades, and contains SPF factor 15.

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@CourierBeauty thecourieronline.co.uk/beauty

Monday 30 April 2018

Rocking the beauty boat

Over the last year, the beauty world has been rocked by controversy, with comments from some make-up artists causing outrage. Miranda Stoner investigates the impact of these allegations

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or me, the beautifully made up face of Jeffree Star has long stood for positive change. I have always seen his popularity as a move towards a more accepting, open and most importantly diverse society. However, backtrack a few years and you soon realise that on his ascent to a beauty empire he has climbed a staircase of racist and misogynistic comments which continue today. These include, but are not restricted to, his frequent use of the racist slurs and suggesting pouring battery acid on a girl`s face to whiten it!

A video he posted in June last year addressed his mistakes and Star admitted to saying “really disgusting, vile and nasty things”. Star also claimed that his brand now stands for “self-expression, self-worth, self-love”. He cites criticism towards his decision as a man to wear make-up as the source of his anger and lashing out with derogative comments. However, in this case the controversy was avoidable. His choice to make these comments in the past was conscious and having been a victim himself you might expect him to be more empathetic. His apology seems even less genuine when in one of his most recent videos he shamelessly asked “If I did a lipstick called c**t would everyone get mad at me?”, a reference to the brand boycott in 2016 following his decision to name a lipstick “p***y whipped”.

In response to this, Sheffield student Isabelle Webber points out, “as a black woman, I don`t need his videos and I have a strong feeling his products are not made for people like me”. She also comments “I feel like there are other products and companies and YouTube MUAs out there who

are not naming their products awful names, who cater to all shades and eye shapes, who are doing more good than harm who deserve the focus more than JS”. Realistically the make-up market is so competitive that it is always possible to find alternatives.

His choice to make these comments in the past was conscious and having been a victim himself you might expect him to be a bit more empathetic Sadly, Star isn`t the only MUA who has gotten into trouble for unethical conduct. Doe Deere, founder of make-up brand Lime Crime, is culpable of dressing up as Hitler and creating the China Doll Palette, which was accused of cultural appropriation for releasing a campaign with a white model in Japanese dress. Lime Crime even felt the need to address criticism towards it’s founder on it’s website, as people were so outraged at Deere’s comments.

So, the question we need to ask is should we boycott these brands and other controversial makes, or should we be exclusively supporting brands with more positive campaigns and images and sending a message that a good product and

ethical publicity stunts is what the customer wants.

In order to answer this, we need to know if it is even possible to recognise these brands? There have been enough scandals to make you wonder if there are any totally innocent brands, it`s not like there`s a symbol on the packaging to indicate a nice ethical CEO. Furthermore, there is the dilemma of how far we take boycotting? Do we just avoid all products from racist or sexist producers, music, films, make-up, clothing etc. Or do we take it further and stop watching films with actors who have been exposed as paedophiles or listening to music by artists who are guilty of domestic abuse?

It`s so easy to stay oblivious to the negative image behind the brand and just focus on the product in front of us- I`m as guilty as the next person.

However, it is important not to take a passive role and to consider whether what we are buying is worth it or if there is a less morally questionable alternative.

Image: @jeffreestar

Complimenting colours

Ever wondered what eyeshadow shade best suits you? Clarissa O’Neill gives us a detailed run down of the best looks and perfect shades to choose depending on the colour of your eyes

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hen it comes down to choosing eyeshadow, it is always so important to get the colour right. This will help to brighten up your eyes or to create that bold and powerful look that can make those eyes ‘pop’. It is important to know the exact colour of your eyes, so you can understand the eyeshadow colours which you should be using to complement your eyes and face.

Image: @kyliecosmetics

Brown eyes: For people who have brown eyes, there are many options depending on what type of brown shade you have, which is helpful as 55% of the world’s population have brown eyes. For the warm brown eyes, violet and darker greens seem to work. If you wanted a subtler look a light peach and golden brown would work perfectly for everyday wear. However, for a cooler brown shade of eye colour, teal blue and silvers seem to brighten the eyes and make the colour of your eyes stand out, they can even pull off a heavy charcoal for an evening look. Whereas, if you have more of a copper brown eye colour, plum shades will bring out the gold tones and most brown coloured eyeshadows would work. If your eyes are an extremely dark brown shade (sometimes referred

to as ‘black eyes’) then they’re bound to suit whole range of eyeshadow shades. If you are more tanned the pinks and purples will be an effective look, whereas if you have pale skin blues and greens will look great. For an evening look, they can pull off the bold all-black look or dark brown shadows to create the allusion of bigger and bolder eyes.

55%

of the world’s population have brown eyes. This means there are many variations in shades

Green eyes: People with green eyes should use warmer shades including burgundy and orange which intensify the green. You could also consider using pink, purple, or a combination of the two to enhance the eye colour even further. Using warm base tones such as creams and peach can work effectively as well, as these add warmth and depth to the eye. You could even look for an eye primer which has a warm base to help accentuate this look even further.

Blue eyes: With many people who have blue eyes, their main aim is always to make sure that the blue is standing out and noticeable. If you have light blue eyes and want to accentuate the colour, shades of gold and light warm brown would be the most complimentary. If you are wanting a more impactful look, you could branch out to silver and light blue eyeshadows. If your eyes are more of a green-blue, purple, and lilac would be your best bet, as these colours both highlight the green and the blue within the eye. Whereas, if your eyes are darker blue verging on navy, deep bronze and orange shades would be the perfect match for your eyes, and lucky for you both light and dark blue shades would also suit you! Light pinks would suit all blue eye colours for a day to day look to keep those eyes glowing.

17

beauty life & style Big-up beauty brand lovin’

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or the past few years, my love for Anastasia Beverly Hills has grown at an alarming rate. Although I am firm believer in bargain beauty buys, this is a brand I am happy to splash out on. Below I have discussed some of the Anastasia Beverly Hills products that are now firm favourites in my constantly expanding make-up collection.

Founded in 1997 by Romanian-born Anastasia Soare, Anastasia Beverly Hills products were initially inspired by Soare’s passion for brow shaping. She famously devised the Golden Ratio Brow Shaping Method. This eyebrow shaping technique is inspired by patterns found in nature, art, music and the human body, described by Soare as “the key to finding balance, symmetry and beauty.” Anastasia Beverly Hills are famous for their innovative eyebrows products. I myself am a devoted fan of their Dipbrow Pomade and as a lover of bold brows, this is now my go-to product for filling in my eyebrows.

I can’t write about my love for Anastaia Beverly Hills without mentioning their incredible highlighters. Their recently released Amrezy Highlighter is one of the most beautiful additions to my beauty collection. Its champagne gold shade, velvety formula, and amazing pigmentation make this highlighter a dream to apply. Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Glow Kits are also highlighter perfection, and although pricey, the colour payoff and longevity of these palettes make spending the money worth it. I currently own their Sugar Glow Kit but I am desperate to get my hands on the Anastasia Beverly Hills Ultimate Glow Kit as it will be perfect for summer.

We’re all familiar with the Modern Renaissance Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. Its glamorous warm-toned shades, including a variety of popping pinks, make it one of the most romantic eyeshadow palettes on the market. However, I also own, and am a firm fan of, their Prism Palette. The bold and dramatic shades of this product are encouraging me to be more experimental with my make-up.

Prism also features a mixture of shimmery and matte shades, making it extremely versatile.

I’ve recently introduced myself to, i.e. bought, several of Anastasia Beverly Hills’ lip products. I immediately fell in love with their Liquid Lipsticks – the formula is easy to apply and comes in a huge range of colours. I purchased the shade Dusty Rose, a perfect mauve-pink that really compliments my skin tone. Excited by how much I adore this Anastasia Beverly Hills lip product, I went on the buy their limited edition Matte Lipstick Nudes Set from BeautyBay. This particular set contains four adorable mini versions of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick, in four beautiful nude shades – Dead Roses, Kiss, Soft Pink, and Spice.

Although they are a matte finish, these lippies have a gorgeous creamy formula that is easy to apply and lasts all day I feel like I’ve only brushed the surface of this amazing brand and its extensive product range but I will definitely carry on exploring and purchasing from Anastasia Beverly Hills, especially as they continue to release stunning new products and ranges.

Laura Greatrex

Image: @kyliecosmetics

Image: @colourpopcosmetics

Hazel eyes: Golds and dark green shades are a go-to for hazel eyes as they really intensify the beautiful hazel eye colour. Those with hazel eyes can pull off wearing purple and blues as well, if a bolder, more night-time friendly look is desired, as a bold application can work perfectly for an evening look where you want to make a statement.

If you’re not getting ready for a night out, light and dark browns can create a fabulous natural look for the day, as they mimic the hazel shade itself.

Image: @anastasiabeverlyhills

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18

life & style travel

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

A second till summer Yoana Cholteeva shares ideas for some summer adventures

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Tenerife, Canary Islands

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Porto, Portugal

If you are fancying a visit to visit a sunny and adventurous place, Tenerife could be your ultimate match. It a vibrant place, with plenty to see and do.

Plus the tickets from Newcastle are super cheap!

The largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife is beautiful with its territory dominated by the active volcano Mt. Teide (don’t worry, it is perfectly safe).

With its black-and white-sand beaches, this destination promises unforgettable summer memories.

It also hosts a huge pre-Lent Carnival in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is considered the second most popular and internationally known carnival, after the one held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

If you are a fan of highly cultural and romantic places (plus great wine), then you should definitely check out Porto. This city is famous for its stately bridges, port wine production, and eye-catching art galleries. Again, really reasonable and suitable for a student vacation, this place is worth the visit mainly because of the breath-taking views around the Douro River and the magnificent bridges that cross over- these spots are perfect for relaxing boat tours. When I say wine, I’m talking fantastic, highquality wine- exactly the type that can be found around the wine cellars mostly located across the river at Vila Nova de Gaia. Their typical fortified Port wine is produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal.

3

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver, a coastal seaport city in Canada located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, is vibrant and exciting, and making it a great place to visit in summer. This city promises the ultimate urban experience with a really friendly atmosphere.

To quench the thirst of the more adventurous of you, there are a number of sports opportunities in the mountains. Vancouver enjoys an Oceanside location, with plenty of green spaces, attracting people from all over the world. It is also successful in combining purely British elements with North American ones; take for example, all the Englishstyle pubs and restored Victorian-style neighbourhoods. Some of the most attractive spots in Vancouver are the city side beaches, including the English Bay (one of the city’s loveliest and busiest beaches), Stanley Park, Kitsilano Beach, Gastown, Queen Elizabeth Park and many more.

4

Vietnam

After recovering from wars for the larger part of the 20th century, the country is now a hotspot for foodies, beach bums, and thrill-seekers. It is also popular for its beaches, rivers, Buddhist pagodas and bustling cities. Its capital, Hanoi, has managed to retain its traditional feel despite an economic boom. There is so much you can do there - study, volunteer or simply experience its uniqueness.

Something that especially intrigues visitors to the country is its diverse and excellent food, boasting a legacy of the many nationalities, including Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese, that lived or traded here.

One of the especially attractive destinations there is Nha Trang, situated on the south-central coast of Vietnam where the temperature is hot year round.

The town has long been a popular vacation spot for locals. But what you definitely can’t miss in Vietnam is its natural wonders, from Ha Long Bay to the Mekong Delta via the beaches of Da Nang, it is all truly magical.

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Image: GoodFreePhotos

Stockholm, Sweden

You may not see Sweden as your typical summer destination, but the season is actually quite hot, and people are celebrating it. The Swedish capital, Stockholm, is located on the extensive Baltic Sea archipelago and stands out with its cobblestone streets and ochre-coloured buildings of Gamla Stan (the old town)- home to the 13th-century Storkyrkan Cathedral.

In terms of culture, Sweden has a broad assortment of open-air concerts, plays, gigs, and exhibitions, from Abba to Ingmar Bergman, the country is also a major exporter of influential persons.

While there don’t forget to visit the Nobel Prize Museum and Södra Teatern (Stockholm’s oldest private theatre, set on a hill overlooking the entire city).

Why not take a ferry or go for the sightseeing boat shuttles, circulating between the islands? Do not miss the Swedish experience!

Get lost in low cost

@Courier_Travel thecourieronline.co.uk/travel

the courier

Bonsoir!

Monday 30 April 2018

Susanne Norris recalls her recent trip to the capital of France

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ver Easter break, I was lucky enough to go to Paris. And (thanks to my Eurostar on Saturday being cancelled) was lucky enough to spend three nights there, rather than the original plan of two nights. There was plenty of sightseeing, drinking, shopping and (according to my Fitbit) around ten miles of walking a day.

I must admit, I went to Paris with school when I was fourteen, so had already done all the supertouristy things like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. My advice for people going is to avoid these things attractions too. Whilst they’re obviously interesting, they’re always swarmed with tourists. It’s not unheard of to spend hours on end in a queue for the Louvre. So instead, for my fix of museums, I headed to The Musee D’Orsay. Once a train station, this building has been magnificently transformed into a museum holding all things art related, from sculptures to modernist paintings. To be honest, you could spend your time just admiring the architecture of the building alone without even looking at the artwork, as the original arches, windows and big spaces have been kept in place.

For lunch, I headed for the Cafe at the top of the Image: Pixa Bay museum, which is set in a space just behind the building’s clock face. The views were amazing and it was very atmospheric.

After Musee D’Orsay, I headed to the Petit Palais to continue getting my museum fix. This is a free

Image: Pixabay

gallery with some really interesting work in it, although I must say it’s hidden gem was its bar/restaurant. It overlooks a beautiful, Mediterranean looking courtyard and if it’s good weather I think a glass of wine here is a must.

Once my museum fix was over, it was time for a night out. I was staying in Montmartre, so decided to keep my night out local to here (although the metro is really easy to catch in Paris too if you wanted to go further afield). However, I was not disappointed. I’d recommend avoiding the bars on the lead up to the Sacre Coeur, as these can be really expedience, but the bars nearer the bottom of the hill are gorgeous. Think Aperol Spritz’, red velvet draped everywhere and of course the trendiest Parisians you can imagine. I really got a sense that this was the best place in Paris to go out at night, as it seemed to be where all the Parisians gravitated to. And, it wasn’t actually too expensive, by Paris standards anyway.

Just in general, I’d recommend seeing all of Paris by foot. Walking really is the best way to see and appreciate the city. If you get tired, there’s plenty of metros to catch, but walking around the city really is amazing. My favourite place to walk by fat was along the river, starting at Notre Dame and ending wherever I pleased. The market stalls along the river provide all kinds of fancies, from books by Baudelaire to French food, and really give the walk that extra little something.

Scarlett Carroll shares her tips for travelling on a tight budget

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hether you are just planning a weekend away or a whole year of travelling, minimising your spending is always in the front of your mind. So here are some tips to keep your travel on a budget.

Before you even decide where you are going or what you are doing make sure that when checking prices for flights, hostels, or other travel you are using incognito mode. By searching for the same place with the same dates multiple times on an ordinary browser algorithms often pick up on your searches which can lead to steep increases in price.

So search smarter, and use incognito mode.

If you are planning that staying in more than one hostel, bring a towel and a padlock. Although some hostels will provide towels and locker facilities, more often than not these come at a price so if you are planning on staying in more than one place this will quickly rack up. The main reason people often do not want to travel with a towel is that they do not want to bulk out their bag with something that they can just pick up there. However, there are many smaller options perhaps consider a microfibre towel. And to be honest, most hostel towels are

just towels that people forgot - ew.

While eating out for every meal might be fun, it can be incredibly expensive. So finding a hostel with a kitchen or a cooking area is a great idea, and can also be a great way to get to know other people staying there. Alongside this, in many European countries you’ll be able to find an Aldi or Lidl, which are both great places to grab a bag or so of pasta and some sauce. Otherwise, finding a local market will also do the trick.

Although only a good idea for longer trips, finding a job while travelling is a great way to support your travels. Canada, New Zealand, and Australia all offer a travelling working visa, which allows you to work for up to six months in one job, so you can enjoy the area and make some extra cash too. A good idea is to try and find work in a hostel - sometimes they’ll let you stay for free for your work instead of paying you.

Frustratingly, the best way to save money whilst travelling is just to ensure that you stick to a budget. Know when you can splash out on another cocktail, and when to put your cash back into your wallet. It’s lame, but it’s helpful.

Image: Pixabay

culture 19

the courier Monday 30 April 2018

student activity

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

OF THE WEEK POETRY IN ACTION NSR SHOW Poetry in Action POEM OF THE WEEK Cocking its neck In anticipation of the Damnation that will be Caused in the U.S., if Laws aren’t passed to Irradicate gun culture; Death surrounds the country, Waiting patiently, silent, Like a vulture.

WHAT’S ON PICKS OF THE WEEK DISCOVER INDONESIA ‘SEMARAK’ BAZAAR Wednesday 2 - Thursday 3 May A rich and exciting bazaar filled with food, dance and art

GIVE IT A GO: INFLATASPACE THEME PARK Wednesday 2 May Have a bounce at the UK’s largest indoor inflatable theme park, complete with antibacterial socks

GIVE IT A GO: NEWCASTLE FALCONS V WASPS Saturday 5 May Transport will be provided to and from Kingston Park for this Rugby League clash

Tuesday 10am-11am

Poetry is for old and boring people right? Absolutely not! The Poetry in Action radio show sets out to dispense of such a stereotype; well, to get rid of the idea that you have to be old anyway…

The show is comprised of three core sections: the discussion of a social injustice, chosen fortnightly by the members of the society; a recital of pertinent poetry, both existing and brand spankaz; and then a comic relief section, which includes an interview with a ‘Mystery Poet’, and the ‘Poetry Joke of the Week’.

The society promotes poetry-based peaceful protest, and therefore the radio show, embracing the radio medium, also includes the ‘Protest Song of the Week’, as well as one or two just general bangers.

Poetry in Action poetry mornings, Tuesdays at 10am, are the perfect way to begin the day; addressing social injustices with a cheeky bit of poetry is scientifically proven as more effective than coffee to invigorate you for the day ahead.

You can catch up on all of them via the Poetry in Action NU mixcloud. If you’re interested in what the society is doing more broadly, then do follow the terrific Twitter, super Snapchat (both @poetryactionnu), and incredible Instagram (@poetryinactionnu) accounts.

Student spotlight NEWCASTLE UNI BOOB TEAM

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Recent ‘Boobette Talk’, held in association with Coppafeel!

n Tuesday 24 April, Newcastle Uni Boob Team held their final large-scale event of the year. Topping off an excellent year of fundraising that has resulted in nearly £2000 being raised and three nominations at the forthcoming Celebrating Success Awards (Best New Society, Best Inter-Society Collaboration, Students for Health). Combining the society’s love of food, glitter and boobs CoppaFeel! sent in Boobette Tracie to hold a Boobette Talk to speak about her experience with Stage 4 breast cancer and why she volunteers with CoppaFeel!

The event had a good-sized crowd with everyone eager to hear about Tracie’s story, and we were all blown away by her bravery and eagerness to share her story and to inform others (guys, gals and non-binary pals) on why they should check their breasts regularly and what signs and symptoms to look out for and the symptoms she spotted in herself before she was diagnosed.

Many in the audience learnt a great amount from her story, the different types of breast cancer there are and that 7% of people are diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer – there is no Stage 5. Hearing this figure represents the great need there is for charities like CoppaFeel! to continue educating and raising awareness to all people,

and the important role people like Tracie play in furthering that message through speaking to a wide variety of people in workplaces, schools and universities to make sure everyone is aware of the importance of breast checking and early detection. Also, the role we as Newcastle Uni Boob Team play in facilitating and educating students across the university about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

Although the main focus of the night was focused on hearing about Tracie’s experience with breast cancer, NUBT also teamed up with NU Women’s campaign to collect toiletries to donate to women’s refuges and foodbanks across Newcastle. All event participants rallied together and donated lots of products to help women across the region.

If volunteering for a brilliant charity and working with a great society at Newcastle University sounds interesting to you, please get in touch to find out how you can get involved in Newcastle Uni Boob Team next academic year!

Facebook: Newcastle Uni Boob Team Instagram: UBTNewcastle Twitter: UBTNewcastle Iona Crichton

20

culture music

On Campus

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incolnshire’s JoeFest, which began life as a back-garden birthday party and is run by third-year History and Politics student Joe Davies, announced Fickle Friends as its biggest headliner to date.

The Brighton indie-pop outfit, who entered the album chart at number 9 with debut release You Are Someone Else, lead a line up which will feature some of the UK’s most exciting emerging talents: Radio 1 favourites Boy Azooga, future stadium headliners OUTLYA and queen of BBC Music Introducing Abbie McCarthy will join a host of highly-promising local and national artists.

For Joe Davies, whose 18th birthday saw the founding of the festival in 2015, this year’s line-up has surpassed all expectations: “JoeFest started as a crowd of 60 mates gathered in front of the decking in our back garden, so it’s incredible to be able to say that Fickle Friends will be joining us this year.

Four years ago, that prospect wouldn’t have even crossed our minds”.

Following some accidental damage to Joe’s Mum’s raspberry bushes, the festival had to move and eventually found a home in the gorgeous surrounds of Lincolnshire’s Stourton Estate. Now, a community of dozens of people work throughout the year to put on what has become a 1,000-person event.

JoeFest Where? Stourton Estates, Horncastle, Lincolnshire When? 10th-12th August, 2018 Who? Fickle Friends (headliner), Boy Azooga, OUTLYA, Abbie McCarthy (DJ Set), Patawawa, Indigo Husk, and many more Price? £40 for standard weekend camping

“It’s amazing how many people are keen to help out”, adds Joe. “Last year we scratching our heads trying to work out where we were going to serve the drinks, and the next thing we knew someone turned up with a homemade bar in the back of their van. In recent years Lincolnshire hasn’t necessarily been the number one choice of destination for touring artists. I know a lot of people are working very hard to change that, and I’m really pleased that we’re going to be able to play our part this year.”

Amongst the up-and-coming talent preparing to grace the stage at this year are Patawawa, recently announced in NME’s top 100 bands for 2018, energetic London four-piece Indigo Husk and local band The Shrives, whose debut album was produced by none other than Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.

The festival’s line up has been curated in association with BBC Music Introducing in Lincolnshire, with a whole host of local talent set to be announced next month.

Having sold out of early bird tickets within a week, a limited number of discounted weekendcamping tickets for the 10th - 12th August event are now on sale for just £25 at joefest.com. Regular-price tickets will cost £40.

@joefestoffical

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 4pm every Thursday. Be sure to tune in at nsrlive.co.uk!

@TheCourierMusic

Monday 30 April 2018

Coachella 2018: the lowdown Rohan Katargamwala reviews this years incarnation of the festival, featuring huge names in music

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@Courier_Music

the courier

c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaac & Ally Wilson

ar away from the moshpits, wellies and port-a-loos that we have come to expect as a staple of any British festival is Coachella, the antithesis of this experience.

Being removed from the sensibility that festival is about the music and the atmosphere, Coachella has found itself as a cultural mouthpiece for artists as well as attendees. The internet finds itself inundated with an array of articles about the ‘best Coachella looks’ as well as celebrities that heavily Instagrammed in designer outfits, the same cannot be said about the best bucket hats and wellies worn to Reading an Leeds.

The same cannot be said about the best bucket hats and wellies worn to Reading and Leeds It is a far more visual display, as far as performances go; huge backup dance troops and enormous screens built behind every set. At times, this comes as a detriment to the music – during Vince Staples’ energetic performance the rapper was barely visible under a cloud of smoke and flashing visuals, which obscured him from view.

Yet when done effectively, the aesthetic of a performance can add to it something unique. Eminem’s headline set was a visual delight for hip-hop fans; reuniting with Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent and performing tracks from the likes of Tupac, his set defined an era of rap

music.

Beyoncé Beyoncé’s set, while not seeing the typically crowd pleasing set list that normally fills headline festival slots, created a narrative for Beyoncé that sees a continuation from her Lemonade album.

The song ‘Lift Every Voice’, a black power anthem, going into ‘Formation’ shows the level of awareness that she looked to present in this headline set.

Even Beyoncé herself seemed swept up in it, her usually composed stature broke for a second after her intro; standing upon a yet further raised stage with a huge brass orchestra below, she broke into a small smile as even she could appreciate the volume and magnitude of her performance. Also seeing a beautifully choreographed backup dance troop, an array of star-studded guests and a reunion with Destiny’s Child, this set defined the weekend.

Brockhampton The breakout, selfappointed ‘boyband’ came with an energetic and more visceral sound than is typiImage: YouTube cally found

Image: YouTube

at Coachella. As the 13 band members filled the stage with a relentless energy, supported by a full orchestra on stage to give a truly unique live sound, they were still able to bring something political to the stage: each member wore a Kevlar vest with a slur emblazoned on the front. The band’s frontrunner Kevin Abstract sported ‘faggot’ on his, while Ameer Van donned the racial slur ‘nigger’, proving this is a band with a lot still to say.

Post Malone 22-year-old rapper Post Malone gave a performance like a seasoned veteran, though a more stripped back, with little visual enhancements and a limited band. He managed to fill the stage with his presence and energy, as the crowd carried him with their exceptional volume during hits like ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Go Flex’. Post needed not sing, as the crowd sang every lyric of the song back at him.

Ed’s sassy online savagery Ally Wilson explores Ed Sheeran’s recent social media skirmishes, and asks why such an influential artist has such a childish complex when it comes to exposing his critics and his social media presence

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d Sheeran’s recent ‘Dear Natalie Edwards from The Sun Newspaper…’ letter on Instagram came with more savagery than a late night skirmish outside Munchies between a drunken teenager and a tired fast-food worker over some mis-counted nugs. He, justifiably so, and on a significantly sized platform, exposes her disgraceful article, claiming he had railings installed outside his home to stop homeless people sleeping outside it, when in fact it was to keep paparazzi such as herself from invading his privacy. Fine, perfectly justifiable and his anger is understandable.

However, I can’t help but feel that it is a childish way to go about it. Surely, moaning about it on social media in a bitchy and direct post is more reminiscent of Regina George’s ‘Burn Book’ than of a world-renowned, awardwinning artist who is a role model for the v e r y

teenagers for whom online abuse is such an increasing issue? Obviously, an unfounded and insulting article written about you in a national newspaper is something to get angry about, but a spiteful message about it broadcast on social media? Really? Go to one of the lawyers you pay a disgusting amount of money for and make an official complaint, as hundreds of A-Listers have done before you. Break down this disgraceful and cheap form of journalism by attacking it legally, rather than by ac- tively advertising it to your 27 million followers?

But this comes after a long list of social media sulks from the ginger singer- he deleted Twitter last summer after receiving criticism for his performance in Game of Thrones, something which was always going to receive mixed reviews, and certainly not the only role in the show which has been criticised. He tweeted another bitchy message about the grilling he got from some fans for doing his whole Glastonbury set acoustically, and for some people questioning his loop-pedal technique.

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a creative industry like music, being subjective, you have to be open to criticism and not turn on those who disagree with you, particularly not when they’re your fans. And to be fair to them, I would be disappointed if I had paid (it has to be said, probably too much) to see one of my favourite artists play all of my favourite songs acoustically, without the excellent production and back-up band that feature on the album and are a huge part of why I enjoy the songs anyway! In fact, I would begin to question why he hasn’t bothered to bring a band with him- he’s not exactly short on cash and it would make the whole experience more enjoyable for him and for the audience. Unwillingness to share the stage perhaps?

A bitchy and direct post is more reminiscent of Regina George’s ‘Burn Book’ than of a worldrenowned, awardwinning role model Sheeran’s excellent musicality and talent for writing hits is worthy of the success he has enjoyed, and it’s understandable that when he is wrongly accused and insulted as a result of this success, lashing out at the culprit is the easy option. However, as someone who is as prominent and looked up to as Ed is, further consideration has to be taken, and bitchy Instagram posts, deleting social media accounts and a moody-teenage-esque reactions to any iota of criticism sent his way isn’t the way to go about it. You’re fab Ed, but a little grace wouldn’t go amiss.

the courier

@CourierMusic thecourieronline.co.uk/music

Monday 30 April 2018

Speak Your Mind

Anne-Marie E

ver since featuring on Clean Bandit’s double platinum selling single ‘Rocakbye’ at the end of 2016, Anne-Marie’s pop rise has been nothing short of stratospheric. The former world karate champion’s debut album, Speak Your Mind,, is a phenomenal effort that marks the birth of a true pop heavyweight.

Having made a name for herself featuring on tracks for the likes of Gorgon City and Rudimental, Anne-Marie’s solo career is one that has been bubbling at the surface and is now about to take-off. Speak Your Mind has been a long time coming with numbers such as ‘Breathing Fire’ and ‘Used To Love You’ no secrets for fans, being played live since 2016. Those are both pop tracks exceedingly capable of being lead singles, the former actually dropped in favour of the instantly catchy ‘Ciao Adios’ in early 2017.

However, when listening to Speak Your Mind what is so remarkable is that there is so much more than just these hits. Each track deserves to have made the album, not one failing to hit the heights of previous releases. It’s an achievement that few popstars, even the very biggest, can manage and it’s a raising of the bar that other artists will struggle to hit in 2018.

Opening track ‘Cry’ kicks off with “I’ve always been a winner” and packs an immediate punch as it drops into a triumphant chorus. It’s delivered with a trademark smirk and giggle that has endeared Anne-Marie so much to fans. On the artist’s rise to stardom, she has embraced her ability to be a role-model and, as the album may suggest, to speak her mind. Her social media accounts are always down to earth, highlighted by last year’s trending #ConfidentForAnneMarie which saw the star encourage fans to love their bodies. ‘Perfect’, one of two tracks co-written by friend and touring-partner Ed Sheeran, is a heartfelt ode to self-love which will find a special place in listeners’

It’s an achievement that few popstars, even the biggest, can manage When it comes to singles, AnneMarie has not stopped delivering.

All of ‘Alarm’, ‘Heavy’, ‘Then’ and ‘Friends’ with Marhsmello have enjoyed deserved commercial success, the latter recently spending time at Worldwide Number 1 on iTunes.

Expectations Hayley Kiyoko

Geography

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Tom Misch

0GAYTEEN has arrived with Hayley Kiyoko at the helm. She emerged as a queer icon in 2015 with her hit single ‘Girls Like Girls’, loudly and proudly celebrating women who love women. Expectations was anticipated to explore Kiyoko’s sexuality further, and it hasn’t disappointed.

Kiyoko lovingly handcrafted the song order, encouraging fans to listen from start to finish to hear it as intended. The album opens with ‘Expectations (Overture)’, a stunning introduction which builds to a crescendo and flowing expertly into ‘Feelings’; a personal favourite, with an infectious chorus and upbeat rhythm.

Kiyoko only features one other artist, Kehlani, who adds a new dimension to ‘What I Need’. The two women work together perfectly on the track, sharing their desires for their partner to embrace their sexuality and relationship.

The album feels like Kiyoko’s diary, sharing her struggles of yearning for her best friend, healing after an injury, blurry lines of attraction and handling a breakup. She injects summer sounds and irresistible synth-pop beats throughout, melding lyrics and music to give listeners a sense of who Kiyoko is.

The first album single, ‘Curious’, is both an infectiously catchy pop song and a call-out of a girl who’s hiding her romantic feelings for Kiyoko by dating a guy. After this, the album vibe changes and becomes softer, calmer, aided by the ‘xx’ interlude. Kiyoko’s voice starts off softly in ‘Wanna Be Missed’, imploring her lover to miss her and “say you can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t breathe without me”.

‘Let It Be’ ends the album with an emotional acceptance of a breakup, amplified by choral vocal support, showing she’s ready for a new beginning as the album ends.

Each song is raw and honest, often bringing queer experiences to the forefront, showcasing Kiyoko’s talent and identity. Expectations is an expertly crafted album which deserves adoration.

Charlotte Boulton

he words of Roy Hargrove sound out ‘You have to do it because you love it’. An appropriate start for Tom Misch’s album Geography that does not waver in its showcasing of Misch’s unique mix of jazz and electronica. This is not to say it is repetitive, in fact, the album offers something new in almost every track. Accusations of monotony fail to grasp the frictionless and easy listening that the subtly of this album generates.

‘Tick Tock’ proves Misch’s ability to the capture the experience of Apollo 11 ‘Movie’ is likewise initiated with a sample, which are the words of his sister, Polly Misch. The dramatic nature of this short monologue, which does indeed sound ‘Fresh out a black and white movie’, is cleverly contrasted with the indifferent sounding tone of a nostalgic lover who has lost touch with his or her counterpart. Made especially affecting with the preceding track ‘South of the River’, which establishes an addictively punchy melody about the start of a relationship.

‘Tick Tock’, which is less an instrumental than it is a standout track, proves Misch’s ability to capture the experience of Apollo 11’s lift off in the sample, without the assistance of words and the simple craftsmanship of his very own sound. And just as ‘Disco Yes’ does, perhaps, edge its listeners closer to boredom, the welcomed vulnerability of ‘Man Like You’ doesn’t permit an indifference to the album. Though the songwriting is perhaps not the strongest feature of Geography, this song, if only momentarily, depicts the potency of his retrospective lyrics.

Loyle Carner, is a similarly beneficial voice on ‘Water Baby’, and again reinstates the compatibility of these two voices. Which, perhaps to the detriment of the album, eclipses the penultimate and ultimate tracks of an album which shows itself out with the finality of ‘We’ve Come So Far’. Rory Ellis

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hearts.

Elsewhere, the tropically-tinged ‘Trigger’ is a euphoric breath of fresh air whilst the teasing ‘Bad Girlfriend’ is a whole lot of fun.

Annie-Marie hasn’t placed a foot wrong Of all the new material, it’s hard to pick a standout. However, ‘2002’, the second Sheeran copenned track, features lyrics from hits by the likes of Britney Spears and Jay-Z and is an insanely clever pop flick, perhaps even better than anything on Sheeran’s ÷. The simple, yet super smart, lyrics and breezy sound encapsulate everything that AnneMarie does best in what is a track that you will be hearing all summer long.

It’s hard to believe that Speak Your Mind can be an artist’s first attempt at a full record. The album looks set to be not only the pop debut album of 2018, but THE best in the genre too. Anne-Marie hasn’t placed a foot wrong and if you want to hear the very best pop music of 2018, this is an exemplary effort.

Toby Bryant

Editors’ Picks

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ach week, The Courier’s Music Editors are working with Newcastle Student Radio to bring you the best new tracks from the week before...

‘Love Actually’ Off Bloom I had the chance to chat with Mette, Mads and Alex before they supported Dua Lipa late last year.

They are back with their new dreamy-electronic single that is another bold stop forward for the band.

Toby Bryant, The Courier ‘Loaded’ Miles Kane These sultry, relaxed summer vibes will get you in the mood to sit in the park with your friends and a few tinnies. It’s obvious that Miles is great pals with Alex Turner, as their work has a very similar sound and their voices have very similar tones. However, it’s refreshing to hear something new from the dynamic duo and a littles more chilled out that their Last Shadow Puppets offerings.

Ally Wilson, The Courier ‘My Obsession’ Table Scraps I know extremely little about Table Scraps (a quick Google search tells me they are a 3-piece from Birmingham) but I am sincerely glad this dark, surfy jam was recommended by Spotify.

Charlie Isaac, The Courier ‘I luv Robert Smith’ Mt. Eddy Mt. Eddy love Robert Smith, and I’ve now come to love Mt. Eddy! This perfectly high energy track really gets me up on my feet and I would love to be able to feel the vibe of this song live.

Meg Smith, NSR ‘African White’ China Crisis For as long as I can remember my mum and dad have gone to see China Crisis at their annual Christmas show. Somehow, one year my mum managed to rope me along and me, being the moody teenager I was, thought I was far too cool to be going to see a mostly forgotten 80s band... but to my surprise, I came away loving the band.

Amy Woods, NSR

n this week in 1960, almost half a century ago, in the outskirts of Reading, Berkshire, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared in their only known performance as a duo, dubbing themselves “The Nerk Twins”.

A far cry from the arenas and concert halls the pair would go on to sell out as frontmen of The Beatles, it was The Fox and Hounds, a humble working men’s pub, owned by Mcartney’s cousin, Betty, in which the Nerk Twins made their exclusive 1960 performance.

McCartney revealed that the two had “hitchhiked down from Liverpool to help out in the pub” during the Easter school holidays, saying that they “dossed around for a week and worked behind the bar”. But following a suggestion from Betty’s husband, the two took to performing in a oneoff acoustic duet on that Saturday night in the tap room of the ale house, making their own posters advertising the show.

By all accounts, the regulars of the Fox and Hounds weren’t quite convinced by the show, concentrating more on their bitter than the blues.

However, as Mike Robbins, the landlord at time recalls, “they brought a bit of life into the pub”, which speaks volumes of the pair’s infectious charm.

This performance was one of many in which John and Paul collaborated during this early era of their careers, for example as members of The Quarrymen and The Silver Beetles, all aliases of the pair and their skiffle and rock n roll style.

The two took to performing a one-off acoustic duet in that night in the tap room of the ale house In the Liverpudlian slang of the time, “Nerk” would have been a jesting derogatory term for someone who isn’t particularly cool, showing the boys’ taste for humour and irony in all their ventures. Perhaps it is the nature of their title in this performance that has fuelled the search by more dedicated fans of the Beatles as well as Lennon and McCartney for the original handmade posters for this show, crafted by the Nerk Twins themselves.

The most valuable Beatles poster to date is from a show at the Shea Concert stadium, selling for £75,000, and it is estimated that if found, the “Nerk Twins: Live at The Fox and Hounds” flyer could be worth up to £100,000.

Liam Austen

Image: Wikimedia Commons

@Courier_Music @TheCourierMusic Newcastle Student Radio: nsrlive.co.uk @NSRlive

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culture TV

the courier

c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver & Alex Moore

Amy Gildert’s Nailed It

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etflix’s newest baking show Nailed It gives three amateur bakers a shot at 10,000 dollars by attempting to accurately recreate professional desserts, but if you’re expecting the showstoppers of the Great British Bake Off, you’ve got something much messier coming for you here. A show that encourages failure, Nailed It is the answer to anyone who’s tired of pretentious cooking shows.

Bitter

Each episode of Nailed It features three new novice bakers attempting to make the most accurate dessert, and I can’t help but wonder where they find these people because they don’t seem to have a tablespoon of common sense to share between them. And not always in a niche baking way: I was completely baffled to see a man who didn’t know that kit-kat’s had wafers in them.

How does anyone (and in America too I might add), get through 50+ years of life without knowing that there are wafers in a kit-kat bar? Anyone who possesses even a shred of baking knowledge will most likely find themselves getting frustrated and yelling at their screens and the constant spew of mistakes that are being made.

And then we come to the host. Ah the host.

Beautiful Nicole Byers is like the human embodiment of marmite. You either love her or you hate her. While she does deliver some genuinely funny lines and opinions that do sort of endear her to me, my overall description of her would just be LOUD. It’s almost like in-between her normal hosting duties, the teleprompter occasionally reminds her to be the every annoying five-year-old you’ve ever met. Please just shush a little bit, okay Nicole?

Sweet

One of the things I loved most about this show was that the contestants are actually complete amateurs. On most of the cooking shows I’ve seen, most of the so-called ‘amateurs’ always feel semi-professional, and would be capable of baking circles around me. Nailed It however, delivers on its beginners promise, and shows you people who seem to have never entered a kitchen in their lives which is beyond entertaining, because this show appeals to that part of you that likes it when things go wrong on cooking shows. That part of you that is completely riveted as someone’s stack of cakes starts to take a downward slip, or someone takes someone else’s ice cream out of the freezer. The side by side comparison of the professional and amateur desserts reads like a real life example of ‘expectations’ vs ‘reality’.

I’ve scrolled through many a pinterest fail compilation online, and Nailed It delivers that sweet, sweet sense of hilarious fail that we all enjoy.

It shows you people who seem to have never entered a kitchen Somehow the production of the show also manages to be one of my favourite things about it, as it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Wes the stagehand is a recurring character, and the actual trophy looks like they asked an amateur welder to make it. It also features some of the most honest to God hilarious editing I’ve ever seen on a reality show. It almost feels like a big group of millenials got together to make this show, and I’m really here for the style of humour that they create.

The Verdict: Sweet

The first season is available to watch on Netflix, with a second season in the making. It’s such a refreshing take on a cooking show, and is genuinely entertaining to watch. In a verdict that is appropriate to the show, Nailed It definitely gets a Sweet rating from me.

@thecouriertv @Courier_TV

Ordeal by Suspicion Monday 30th April 2018

James Hadley explores the recent case of the BBC recasting a role following allegations of rape

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ith the exposure of rapist, serial-abuser, and all-round awful person Harvey Weinstein in early October of last year, sparking the ‘#MeToo Movement’, our media culture seemed at least to be making baby steps towards a place where victims of sexual assault felt more able to speak publicly about their experiences and their harasser(s). Though people still seem to think it’s just a ‘Hollywood Problem’ rather than a systemic one, the increasing number of accusations being levelled at (almost exclusively) male actors and executives since Weinstein can only be a sign of forward progress and a general, necessary, good.

Image: @christiancooke1 (Instagram)

The most recent UK allegations involve Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick, set to star in the Agatha Christie/BBC drama Ordeal by Innocence which aired earlier this month, minus Westwick.

After Kristina Cohen, a fellow actor, came forward with disturbing accusations of forceful rape against the 30-year-old in November 2017, which were then followed by other accounts from two more women, Westwick’s scenes in the miniseries

were removed and reshot with Christian Cooke in the role. Cohen, who had apparently woken up in Westwick’s spare bedroom to find him on top of her, stated “I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to f*** me. I was paralysed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me.” Westwick denied the allegation, tweeting ‘I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.’

The situation, however, always attracts its (usually male) doubters. Questions are asked: “What if she’s just saying it for attention?

What happened to innocent until proven guilty? How can we destroy someone’s life over accusations?” While in a kind of moral vacuum, these may well be legitimate questions, the real world requires more from us. Given

We need to be moving away from a virulent culture of abuse

that as low as 2% of investigated rape allegations turn out to be untrue, the extremely high rates

2%

of investigated rape allegations turn out to be untrue

of sexual assault/harassment in our society against women (and other groups as well, especially trans people), and the astonishingly low numbers at which abusers are actually prosecuted, it seems obvious at this point (to most except the sceptics) that we need to be continuously moving away from such a virulent culture of abuse and objectification perpetrated by men, often in positions of power.

Perhaps refusing to represent someone accused of such horrible actions on television, as if their crime should for some reason have no bearing on their being allowed to work, is another step in the right direction. We should be addressing the cycles that allow for these things to continue unabated, and, at the end of the day, if simply “not vibing” with other cast members is a good enough reason to remove an actor from a show (miss you, Fresh Prince’s first Aunt Viv), then having possibly raped someone seems as Image: @edwestwick (Instagram) good a reason as any.

Apu excuse for an apology: writers hit back at racism claims

Gerry Hart delves into The Simpsons’ most recent controversy, involving the fan favourite, Apu

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veryone’s heard of Apu, right? The lovable Indian proprietor to the Kwiki Mart played by the brilliant Hank Azaria. But behind that friendly smile and his “thank you, come again” catchphrase, is he nothing more than a racist stereotype?

The controversy surrounding Apu has been present in some form or another since his first appearance way back in 1990 but it picked up steam with the release of the documentary The Problem with Apu, written by Indian American comedian Hari Kondabolu in October 2017. A self-confessed Simpsons fan, Hari interviewed a number of Indian Americans about the show and posed about the portrayal of Indian Americans in popular culture.

Normally, this would garner little attention but on 8th April this year, The Simpsons actually addressed the controversy in an episode entitled “No Good Read Goes Unpunished”.

The fact remains that Apu is an Indian character written by predominantly white men I’ll confess here and now that I wasn’t able to watch the episode in full. I didn’t really want to pirate it and there was no way I was paying to watch the fucking thing so for the sake of fairness just keep that in mind. Still, the offending scene is readily available on YouTube and has to be seen to be believed. In it, Marge reads Lisa a bedtime story whilst leaving out anything that might be seen as problematic. Noticing this, Lisa complains the story lacks substance to which Marge asks what she’s supposed to do. To this, Lisa turns to the audience “It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?” Marge responds, “Some things will be changed at a later date” and Lisa replies “If at all”. Besides them is a picture of Apu with Bart’s catchphrase “Don’t have a Cow man”. Fucking hell. I’d say “well guys, they did it…despite our objections” but I don’t think anyone could’ve foreseen such a poorly conceived, tone-deaf response.

Image: YouTube

The episode was met with scathing criticism and rightly so, Apu still has several defenders who typically argue that all characters on The Simpsons are stereotypes to some degree. And this is true I guess. But the fact remains that Apu is an Indian character written by predominantly white men and played by a white actor. I don’t think there’s any malice underpinning him and Apu does display depth and nuance at times, but let’s just say as a white kid, growing up in a 97% white town with all white classmates, that nuance was lost on my ten-year-old self amidst Azaria’s mock accent.

But more fundamentally I feel the Apu controversy and the writers’ response reveals some fundamental problems with the show itself. I critic think Bob Chipman hit the nail on the head when he said The Simpsons, whilst remaining on air for almost three decades has dedicated itself to simultaneously remaining static and unchanging. Consequently, the show’s shift into the 21st century has been less than graceful because it is a product of the 1990s at its core. This is not to say The Simpsons

has no value (indeed I can chart significant periods of my life with it). But its years past its prime. The best thing for The Simpsons right now would be to just put it out of its misery.

Did You Know?

Image: nick aleck

Hank Azaria also provides the voices for Moe, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Carl and numerous others on the show.

But short of cancelling The Simpsons, what is to be done with Apu? At the very least I think the writers need to acknowledge that a legitimate cause for debate about the depiction of minorities exists.

They owe their viewers and their own creation that much. But beyond that, I just don’t know. All I know is watching that fucking scene took sixty seconds of my life and I want them back! Oh, I’d only waste them anyway.

the courier Monday 30th April 2018

Random Review: The Originals

Danielle Brier reviews this week’s randomised Netflix pick

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he Originals is an American television series that is a spin off from the popular show The Vampire Diaries.

In this spin off the focus is primarily on the lives of the Mikaelson family, Klaus and his four siblings, Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and Finn. The show is based in New Orleans, where Klaus used to rule in the quarter. However, now the inhabitants are ruled by his old protégé Marcel, causing some friction between the two as Klaus is determined to reclaim what is his, and will stop at nothing to get it. The show explores the relationships and feuds between those of the supernatural world; the witches, the werewolves and the vampires. In this show you can expect to see a lot of blood, a lot of suffering and a lot of death, it really is some good television.

This is more than enough material to sink you teeth into Whether you’ve seen The Vampire Diaries or not, you can still watch this series and appreciate it as it’s own stand-alone show. Yes, there are some cross overs during the four seasons, but as they aren’t major ones you can still follow the story as they

Reviews

Plebs: Season Four ITV 2

Images: @theoriginals (Instagram)

do them quite well. So, if you haven’t yet seen this series I would definitely recommend it. In the first three seasons there are twenty two episodes and in the fourth there are only thirteen episodes, but this is more than enough material to sink your teeth into. And what better time to do it than now? With the first episode of season five airing recently in America, it gives you plenty of time to get through them all. So what are you waiting for? Get ready.

Get set. BINGE. ‘Random reviews’ is a new weekly piece in which one brave writer is assigned a random Netflix show, using a generator. What show will it be next week?

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7/10

The rating for season premiere on IMDB, the lowest in the show’s history

The new series sees the boys attempt to open a bar, run a marathon and a hijack a tortoise. Yet many of the earlier jokes seem a little forced, especially as the the hilarious banter of Flavia (Doon Mackichan) and Landlord (Karl Theobold) has sadly been very much pushed to the side-lines.

So, is Stylax’s death the last nail in the coffin for Plebs? It certainly seemed so at first. The first episode of series four, ‘The Accident’, slumps on IMBD as the lowest rated episode in the show’s history. ITV have also recently announced that a US adaptation of the show is being developed (and we all know what a good job the Americans do...).

Yet as the series has progressed the ratings have crept back up, held together by the ever-excellent antics of Grumio (Ryan Sampson), the real star of the show. Plebs has certainly changed, but perhaps there is still time for audiences to adjust to the new format.

Alex Moore

TV culture

estworld, a philosophical fiction Some other cast members analysis of the secwhich blends high art and design ond season is a little more concerning. Leading with science. actress Evan Rachel Wood on her newly develThe first season led us through a game-show oped character Wyatt, ‘I have no idea what I’m western world populated with highly realistic supposed to do or who I am playing anymore.’ androids, to whom high paying So, we know that whatever is coming will guests could do whatever they be extremely narratively fractured, so wished. Season one ended much so that the actors themselves are on a high note with the in the dark. This is a device known to revolution of the androids, be used by HBO to keep all spoilers something we had all been quiet and often employed in Game rooting for. The much-anof Thrones. Yet concerns rise with ticipated character Wyatt had this second season, as ‘the chalnow been revealed. lenge for Westworld is to ensure that As for season two, it is supits complex mythology doesn’t end posedly going to be much, up strangling its narrative.’ James much bigger. Actor Jeffrey Donaghy of The Guardian Wright stated that ‘the first pegs how easy it could be season looks like a little for the second season to kitchen drama compared overreach itself, which we to where we are now’. The all avidly hope will not hapwider world of season two pen, and that the fantastic was in fact hinted at when blend of science and story we glimpsed Samurai anline will continue. In the coldroids during that last ourful words of cast member episode sitting within the Thandie Newton (Maeve Mildepths of the Westworld lay): ‘It’s all fucked’... but hopelaboratories. fully in a good way.

Images: @hbowestworld (Instagram)

Everything Sucks!

Netflix

Netflix

You Magnificent Beast Netflix

Image: YouTube

Image: YouTube

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A Return to the Westworld Phoebe Fielder shares her expectations on the second series W

Jessica Jones: Season Two

Image: YouTube

hen in Rome… do as the Romans do.

From orgies to the arena, this has always been a central motto in ITV’s award-winning comedy Plebs. This apparently now includes dropping huge blocks of marble onto one its unsuspecting main characters, as protagonist Stylax (Joel Fry) briefly discovered in the series premiere.

Whilst Fry has not officially announced his reasons for leaving the show, it is thought that he wishes to pursue more serious acting roles, such as his recent stint on Game of Thrones.

He is replaced by Jason (Jonathon Pointing, who you probably won’t recognise from his role as Charlie in the BBC YouTube comedy Pls Like), bizarrely the very same dashing but mentally incompetent builder who dropped the block on Stylax in the first place.

@CourierTV thecourieronline.co.uk/tv

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he first season of Jessica Jones was everything Marvel fans wanted with the introduction of a new sarcastic hero (despite how much she hates to be called it) and the creepily amazing villain brought to us by David Tennant. With high expectations to live up to, season two, although not as good, brought new themes, new plotlines and a whole load of new sarcasm.

Exploring more into Jessica’s past story and how she acquired her super strong powers and the truth behind the car crash that killed her entire family, season two delves deeper into the comics on which the show is based, bringing out complicated but suspenseful plot twists.

For me, despite this different take, this new season did have its faults. With the previous season’s finale being nothing but phenomenal, I expected the new season to kick off exactly as it ended; full of action and drama. Yet, it didn’t. It was the opposite; slow and dare I say it…boring. Season two had a challenge set ahead of it, and sadly the start just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Despite this, the season dealt with some serious issues relating to addiction, health and morality and it definitely brought to light problems that are everyday, that we are living with outside of our Netflix screens. For that especially, this new season is worth watching.

In terms of the characters, Krysten Ritter, as always did a phenomenal job playing Jessica, particularly in this new season, bringing more of a compassionate and even perhaps caring light to our favourite heroes’ personality. We got to see Jessica give a shit for once, see her (perhaps) fall in love and finally care for the people around her.

Overall, season two, although different from the first and perhaps not what people were expecting, is still worth the watch and I will be eagerly hoping for a third renewal.

verything Sucks! is an American web series that is based in the 1990’s in a small town called Boring.

The series revolves around a group of friends who are just starting high school and are already outcasts. The three friends decide to join the AV club at the school but tensions begin to rise between them and students in the drama club. It is a true representation of what it can be like being a teenager and being at high school. Although the series is a short one, as it is made up of only ten episodes all just around half an hour long, it managed to deal with first kisses, the fear of not fitting in, learning about sexuality and bullying.

I think the series is seriously good, it made me laugh, it made me sad and it was just a real feel good programme.

Lucy Lillystone

Danielle Brier

The series also had a pretty decent soundtrack to go with it.

After finishing on a cliffhanger, it appears there will be a second series, and I hope there is because I cannot wait, I need answers! Watching the show managed to take me back to my childhood, with slow dial up connections, cassette tapes, videotapes, portable Walkmans, and a paper fortune teller. For those too young to know what this was, you’re missing out, it was so popular back in the day, pick colours and numbers and get a hidden fortune! I know, I know, the 90’s were so cool.

Not only was the series storyline good, but also they had a pretty decent soundtrack to go with it.

They had music from Oasis, Deep Blue Something, Tori Amos, Duran Duran, Weezer and Alanis Morissette amongst others. On IMDb the series gets 7.7 out of 10 and I agree with the high scoring, it’s brilliant.

Image: YouTube

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aving been lucky enough to attend The actual live recording of this Netflix special at the Hammersmith Apollo last year, I thought I would take it upon myself to see if the Taskmaster’s stand up is as good on a streaming service. It definitely is.

I’ve been a massive fan of Greg Davies since his first stand up, Throwing Cheese Balls at a Dog and have followed his work ever since, from the PG humour of Cuckoo, the absurdity of Taskmaster to the insanity of Man Down, Greg Davies has proven to be one of my favourite comedians of recent years. His comic timing is flawless, as is his ability to not take himself seriously. He isn’t telling a joke and waiting for an audience reaction, he joins in, often laughing along with us at the absurdity of the situations he gets himself into. Such as his mother calling a detergent company because his ill father could no longer fit his penis into the opening to urinate inside. Or, when he went for years thinking he had made his father proud by learning a traditional Welsh song, when really the song his father had taught him actually translated to lude sexual acts on farm animals.

Most of the humour comes from the incredibly strange actions of his family. However, this time, Greg had to mostly focus on his mother’s actions because as he tells us at the beginning of the show his father “very rudely died” a few ago. This death provides a backdrop of relatability in Davies’ stand-up as he talks about what an inspiration his father was to him. Even on his death bed his father was laughing at the ridiculously absurd situation his doctor was struggling with: His six-year-old son weighed ten stone and would cook a whole chicken for himself every night It’s this kind of insane scenario that makes Greg Davies laugh out loud funny, his ability to recognise that his life is a series of ridiculous events but that he’d have it no other way. And this stand up is no different, the Netflix special is just as funny as when it was live.

Jacob Clarke

24

culture film

Golden Oldies

Monday 30 April 2018

Our guide to cinematic procrastination

Joe Holloran discusses 5 films coming out over the summer term. From sci-fi blockbusters to indie flicks, there’s plenty of reasons to spend your days in the cinema, rather than the library

Image: YouTube

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the courier

c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Dan Haygarth & Christopher Wilkinson

GoldenEye (1995)

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fter the unfairly lukewarm critical and commercial response to Timothy Dalton’s second and final James Bond film Licence to Kill, the series’ relevance in a post-Cold War context was questioned. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union collapsed two years later, people were unsure that there was any use for the world’s most famous spy.

Six years after LtK’s release, Pierce Brosnan and new director Martin Campbell proved the doubters wrong with GoldenEye. A typically thrilling and slick, yet fresh outing for 007, GoldenEye is for my money the best Bond film to date.

The film owes much of its success to its casting.

The charismatic Brosnan was tailor made for Bond. Having made his name on US television as the suave con-man Remington Steele, the Irishman captured both the hard edge of Connery and Roger Moore’s ludicrous lechery while making the role his own. Although his further three Bond films didn’t quite reach this peak, Brosnan was excellent throughout his tenure.

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ummer is almost here (I said almost), and with it the promise of blazing hot days on the lawn; revision books in hand, sharing good conversation and a laugh with friends.

Great. If, however, you find the heat threatening, the grass staining and procrastination the order of the day, then why not escape the heat and spend some days in the cooling embrace of a cinema.

Let’s start off with one that has already come out. Avengers: Infinity War, the third instalment in the Avengers series, and amazingly the nineteenth from the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). If the last two in the series are any indication then fans should expect a high-octane, flashy and humours outing from Iron Man and Co. One no Marvel fan will dare miss.

If you love superhero movies, but wish they were a bit more X-rated, then Deadpool II is the one for you. It tells the story of anti-hero Wade Wilson as he begrudgingly teams up with certain X-Men to protect a young mutant from a time-traveller named Cable. The first movie split critics, but was a fan favourite and I expect the second to be very similar. If it produces as many laughs as the first, then it too will be worth a watch.

For sci-fi fans the next month or so will bring two mammoth offerings in the form of Solo: A Star Wars Story on May 24th and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on June 6th.

Solo has fans worried, with many questioning Alden Ehrenreich’s portrayal of a young Han Solo and others concerned about production issues. But with the experienced hand of Ron Howard steering

The charismatic Brosnan was tailor made for the role of James Bond In another series debut, Judi Dench is excellent as M. Her first scene, during which she calls Bond “a sexist, misogynist dinosaur” and “a relic of the Cold War” is the series’ most effective attempt to examine and challenge Bond as a character. Dench is the perfect actress for such a scene and she takes no prisoners in her dressing down of the smug spy.

A Bond film is only as good as its villain and Sean Bean is also on top form as Alec Trevelyan, a former MI6 agent gone rogue who plans a cyber terrorist attack (how modern) on London.

Trevelyan’s motives are presented sympathetically, and he is a realistic foil for our hero. The two are opposite sides of the same coin. You can probably guess if he makes it out of the film alive though.

The film’s action is also one of its greatest aspects.

It opens with a spectacular bungee jump into a Russian facility and the brutal concluding fight between Bond and Trevelyan is the series’ best since the train fight in From Russia With Love. Its finest moment, however, is the tank chase through St. Petersburg. This preposterous scene is hugely entertaining cinema and embraces the brazen nature of Bond without letting realism get in its way.

The combination of a talented cast, brilliant action and a fresh approach made GoldenEye a great Bond film and a superb action film in its own right. More importantly, it proved that Bond didn’t need the Cold War. In fact, it was helped by no longer having to abide by such a Manichean structure.

Dan Haygarth

Image: YouTube

Image: YouTube

the ship and a tried and trussed heist plot lifted from countless Westerns, the film should at least be a fun ride, regardless of any other issues.

The other is the sequel to the disappointing Jurassic World, named Fallen Kingdom. Stars Pratt and Howard return alongside a Jeff Goldblum cameo.

Amazingly, the nineteenth instalment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe Goldblum impressed in Thor: Ragnarok, which utilised his eccentricities perfectly. While the new Jurassic World does not look as promising, seeing Golblum return to this world is immensely exciting.

If indie flicks are more your thing then why not try the new biopic of Mary Shelley, conveniently titled Mary Shelley. Imaginative. The film stars the talented young Elle Fanning in the titular role, alongside Maisie Williams and Ben Howard.

The film is the western directorial debut by Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour and hits selected cinemas on May 25th.

Finally, Oscar-winning Juno writer Diablo Cody returns with a new dramedy, Tully, staring Charlize Theron. The film follows Theron as a single mother of three and her relationship with her babysitter. It received a good reception at Sundance and is out on May 4th.

Unless you suffer from some sort of terrible cinophobia (In that case, you’re in my thoughts), then there is no excuse. If none of the above, take your fancy then a simple look at your local cinemas listings should reveal something to peak your interest. Have a great summer people, and fill it fun movies, and... outside things too. Balance. Is. Important.

Ed Sheeran: Beatles for sale

Danny Aspinall looks into the news of Ed Sheeran’s new film, but analyses the comparison

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o one has ever had a greater impact on the shaping of mainstream pop-culture than The Beatles. This makes the premise of Danny Boyle and Richard Cutis’ upcoming musical comedy one of great promise.

Rumoured to be titled All You Need Is Love, The Mail on Sunday reports that the plot will revolve around “a man who wakes up one day to find he is the only person who can remember the songs

It’s obvious, Sheeran isn’t Britain’s answer to Will Smith of The Beatles”. But with heavy reports of both cameo appearances and a full original soundtrack from musical giant Ed Sheeran, the authenticity of Boyle and Curtis’ reconstruction of contemporary pop-culture must be questioned.

There’s little doubt in the incomprehensible heights of Sheeran’s current popularity. The success of his latest album, Divide, has asserted his status as one of the biggest musical acts on the planet.

But it is this dazzling popularity that strikes major concern for his presence on the silver screen.

Assigning a celebrity A-lister such a prominent role is blatantly problematic in its clear financial motive.

Considering that Boyle’s legendary back catalogue features Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting,, this

objectively market-driven strategy must bring into question the dependency of celebrity placement and its subsequent distraction from artistic quality.

Whilst Harry Styles’ recent appearance in U.K. smash hit Dunkirk drew great critical praise, Sheeran’s more prominent feature and weaker acting ability makes the two incomparable.

You only need to look as far as Sheeran’s recent cameo in Game of Thrones, and the backlash that subsequently followed, to see that the man isn’t Britain’s answer to Will Smith.

Yet the major concern comes in the fundamental plot holes Sheeran’s role creates.

A source close to the film told The Mail on Sunday, “everything Ed touches turns to gold. He is the biggest hitmaker on the planet.

If

anyone can make a film about The Beatles’ songs even better musically, it’s him”.

Whilst Sheeran’s lazy development into a manufactured radio pop singer hardly asserts him as the holy grail of musical greatness, the very structures of these pop-driven hits would simply not exist without the revolutionary influence of The Beatles.

Sheeran’s presence in this film, especially in the soundtrack, creates a ludicrous parallel between the ‘Shape of You’ singer and the ‘Hey Jude’ craftsmen.

To suggest that Sheeran would be the same singersongwriter and that music would exist in the same form it does without widespread adoration for The Beatles is hugely misguided.

Images: Wikimedia

the courier

@Courier_Film thecourieronline.co.uk/film

Monday 30 April 2018

Funny Cow (15) Review Beth Chrisp reviews this comedy drama starring Maxine Peake, which tells the tale of a female comedian in 1970s Northern England

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axine Peake leaps off the screen as the eponymous Funny Cow. This is a film which will divide, a marmite sandwich in a world of avocado on rye. Funny Cow is one of the most complete characters I’ve witnessed in a while, she is fallible and human. We don’t always like her, or understand her choices but she’s incredibly real and the joy she finds in a life that doesn’t always go her way is infectious.

Funny Cow follows the life of Peake’s unnamed protagonist as she strives to “make ‘em laugh”.

Cinematographer Tony Slater Ling keeps close to Peake charting her rises and falls intimately, particularly striking moments include Funny Cow as she’s struck with stage fright, Peake’s face

portraying every conceivable emotion and breaking the audience’s heart. It’s a moment that is as difficult to watch as the vicious and inevitable instances of domestic violence. Director Adrian Shergold manages to garner a sickly sense of foreboding throughout, for a film about comedians it’s really rather tragic.

Honourable mention here to Alun Armstrong’s tragic and sympathetic yet unlikeable aging comedian. He somehow manages to become something of a mentor to Funny Cow despite exclaiming that women just aren’t funny. What is most striking about this film is that it never shies away from the world it’s portraying, the North of the 1970s wasn’t the most progressive and that’s

reflected in the film. Funny Cow’s first success onstage is with a slew of off colour jokes that will make audiences today recoil and cringe yet it is perfectly handled demonstrating exactly what club humour of the 1970s consisted of. It’s a complicated moment, hard to watch yet strangely uplifting as Funny Cow combats with a sexist heckler proving her worth and her right to be on that stage.

While Maxine Peake is assuredly and deservedly the star of Funny Cow, she is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast, the aforementioned Alun Armstrong, Stephen Graham in a dual role as violent Father and henpecked Son as well as Lindsay Coulson’s acerbic and fragile portrayal as Funny Cow’s Mother. Paddy Considine entertains and endears as Angus, a terribly middle-class bookseller, occasionally over the top in his foppishness. Enjoyable cameos include Richard Hawley (who also provides the music), Vic Reeves, Diane Morgan and John Bishop.

Shergold structures the film beautifully, crisscrossing timelines as we watch the cheeky Funny Calf grow into the fearless Funny Cow. He also manages to portray the depressing realism of Funny Cow’s youth without ever falling into the trap of the kitchen sink drama, efficiently doling out details of Funny Cow’s childhood without dwelling on the bleakness.

Funny Cow frames the story with our heroine on stage speaking directly to her audience and in effect, directly to us. Peake’s character controls the narrative from the off and leads us on her journey never allowing us to feel sorry for her. She blazes her trail proudly and with glee, she “conquers them with love”. As Armstrong’s character divulges, “it’s not about being funny, love. It’s about surviving.”

And survive she does.

Image: YouTube

120 BPM (15)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (12A)

Image: YouTube

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20 BPM is a beautiful film. It hovers somewhere between documentation, celebration and an honest depiction of the frustration and tragedy of AIDS. The film is set in the nineties with beautiful dated aspects, but these only help bring to light how recently information about the epidemic and prevention became “important” to the state and heteronormative society.

Though the film is steeped in anger the tone is not traumatic. The construction and continuation of community through tragedy honestly depicts the reality (for some) who live with terminal illness. As riots turn into raves which turn to dust which turn to microbes, AIDS is always present, but not always conquering.

This film tackled the stigma surrounding AIDS and homosexuality, then and now. The activist group ACT UP, who the film is centred around, are a non-violent group doing all they can to raise awareness, including storming a pharmaceutical company and attempting to deliver safe sex lessons at a high school. This was an inspirational look at direct action and how affective we can be. That said, the bravery of the activists and the anger at the powers against them is tangible.

Nowadays AIDS seems distant. We all know someone who had cancer, we don’t all know someone who had AIDS. It is now found most often in sub-Saharan Africa, but this distance seems to have meant that consciousness has walked out of our past as well as our present. Once again AIDS is found within society’s less privileged communities. Perhaps the reason why we don’t seem to talk about AIDS enough is not that it is no longer prevalent, or relevant, but that we wish it was. Homophobia, both direct and structural or inadvertent, is rife. We cannot forget our history, no matter how awkward or frustrating or sad. We cannot pretend that oppression happened nor that it continues to this day.

Helena Buchanan

Kodachrome (15)

Image: YouTube

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am not going to lie. The main reason I decided to watch this film is my love for Lily James. And honestly, if I had decided to watch it for any other reason I believe I would have been disappointed.

Or at least this is what I thought I would think before the film actually started. Instead I was met with a terribly sad but hopeful film about an empty house, the occupation, and a medal.

The film revolves around Juliette played by Lily James, a writer who feels like she is trapped ‘in a carnival after a dark tunnel’ in post war London, dating an American man who makes her feel uncomfortable in her desire for a less busy way of life.

Mid way through the film when she reads from her Anne Bronye book, which sold a mere 28 copies globally - Juliette really comments on the key theme of the film: women’s agency and equality.

Throughout Marcus does not let her finish her thoughts, pressures her with a public engagement and leaves her alone at parties where she is clearly uncomfortable. And whilst her publisher does support her he does still maintain an effort to control what she does, and what she writes about.

By going to Guernsey in the first place Juliette is making her own decision on what she really wants to do. In the final scenes of the film is when this key theme shines through, with Juliette truly making a decision for herself.

I was met with a terribly sad but hopeful film I was prepared to be thoroughly disappointed by this film, and as I left the screen of 10 people teary eyed - I was happy that I had given it a chance. It is ultimately a film about the unknown and the pain caused by the war, and how the strangest things can bring people together - even a disgusting pie made entirely of potatoes.

Scarlett Rowland

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film culture

International Film

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Mustang (2015)

lthough Mustang first came out in 2015, it remains intensely moving and captivating and just as relevant. Directed

by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, the film tells the story of five adolescent sisters, Sonay, Selma, Ece, Nur, and Lale, who live in a traditional Turkish village with their inculcated grandmother and misogynistic uncle.

The girls are playful, funny and beguiling, a dangerous threat to the conservatism upheld by their carers and neighbours.

The film begins with them dancing around in the sea after school, their long damp hair plastered to their uniforms, as they go on the boy’s shoulders and splash around in the sun-speckled water.

Returning home soaked and laughing they are reprimanded by their grandmother who has heard rumours of their “obscene behaviour.” So begins an oppressive regime to keep the girls imprisoned in the house and protect their chastity, eventually turning them into desirable wives.

The relationship between the girls is very uplifting

Image: YouTube

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n recent months, the growing production of Netflix original dramas has been met with some claims that the streaming giant has been lacking the quality of their previous work.

On the surface, director Mark Raso’s indie dramedy Kodachrome goes some way to continuing this epidemic of tolerable cinema. This is in part fulfilled by its plot, which tells of a road trip between estranged a father and son duo, Ben (Ed Harris) and Matt (Jason Sudeikis), to develop some vintage ‘Kodachrome’ film. Ben, a renowned photographer, has clearly prioritised his profession over his family life, leading to a distant and altogether dysfunctional relationship with his son.

Likely to satisfy a wide audience This all too familiar portrayal of a broken family bond is innovated by the presence of Ben’s nurse and assistant, Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen). Olsen is a convincing muse to the two bitter male characters of the film, at times invoking peace and tranquillity from the nasty dialogue shared between the Ben and Matt. Unfortunately, such serenity does not translate into her chemistry between the two characters, which is often skewed by their vulgar dialogue, or apathetic acting. Of the latter, Sudeikis is particularly off-putting in portraying his growing romantic interest with the character of Zoe, a feature which is tentatively amended by some conversations relating to the film’s sub-themes themes of music and adolescence. Nonetheless, these misfires are made up by the chemistry shared between Sudeikis and Ed Harris, whose slowburning friendship is touchingly wound into the film’s emotional conclusion.

While the experience is resoundingly average in the narrative it is telling and often the acting in which this is orchestrated, the end product remains a generally enjoyable experience and is likely to satisfy a wide audience.

Jack Gill

Their freedom ripped from them, they are taught to cook, clean and sew, after being taken to the doctor’s to ensure that they are still virgins. Told from the spirited perspective of the youngest sister, this is a story about the sexual repression of young girls at the brink of adolescence, eager and excited to experience the world. Instead, they are manufactured into wife material, to be deposited at the feet of men they do not love.

Image: YouTube

However, the girls resist, each in their own way, aware of their sexuality and the potential to turn it into a weapon against those who silence it. The awfulness of the situation is at odds with the beauty in the film: the mesmerising light, the Mediterranean heat, and the stylishly authentic shots of the girls drifting around their prison.

The relationship between the girls is also uplifting.

Their powerful bond is made stronger by their mutual repression and they become each other’s entertainment, finding subtle ways to insult their captors. This is a sisterhood founded on nostalgia and a shared desire for freedom.

The unapologetic laughter continues throughout, despite significant efforts to quiet it. What is so enchanting about this film is its ability to transcend cultural differences whilst resonating with its viewers. Mustang depicts a culture where beauty mingles with oppression in an uncomfortable yet alluring way, and it is this contradiction that makes it so powerful.

Rosie McCrum

Image: YouTube

the courier

Monday 30 April 2018

c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas

An unusually slimy installationin London

James Sproston tells all about an interesting installation by french vegetarian activist artists Elizabeth St-Jalmes and Cyril Leclerc, which was recently put on at King’s Place in London

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arlier this month, 400 people shelled out just £4.50 to watch 176 illuminated snails take centre-stage at Kings Place as a part of a festival of sound art in King’s Cross.

Though this might sound like a Britain’s Got Talent act, this performance has a far different vibe.

Creators Élizabeth Saint-Jalmes and Cyril Leclerc are “French vegetarian art anarchists”, and are as anti-establishment as it comes.

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illuminated snails were displayed as an art piece at King’s Place as a part of a festival of sound art

Saint-Jalmes has been on the art scene since 2000, embracing chaos in her work to illustrate the uncertainty of the process of transformation, whilst Leclerc is an artist that not only embraces light, but harnesses it in all aspect of his work. This collaboration is a marriage of their ideas, and both have been incorporating snails into their art for years.

Their snails on this occasion are from the gros-gris family, the species considered a culinary delicacy, but Saint-Jalmes and Leclerc are keen to demonstrate that these ‘fat greys’ have more to offer than being the centre-piece of a gourmet dish at a Michelin-star restaurant.

Since the creators insist on the use of phones being prohibited for the duration of

What’s On: Windrush: Movement Of People @ Northern Stage, 9-10 May, 7:30pm

A dance piece celebrating the anniversary of SS Empire’s Windrush.

the performance, the best taste of the ‘Slow Pixel’ we can get is from Leclerc’s Vimeo page.

You’d be excused for thinking that the link was a still image, but only the occasional camera-angle change reveal that it’s a four-minute video.

It’s this pace that the artists want to convey, with a snail’s tarrying nature presenting a stark contrast to the hectic human lifestyle. SaintJalmes claims that the performance harks back to the childhood pastime of watching insects for hours, something that Leclerc claims invokes a ‘Proustian rush’, an involuntary revisiting of a past memory.

These ‘fat greys’ have more to offer than being the centre-piece of a gourmet dish Though ‘Slow Pixel’ may touch on the spiritual, the motivation is predominantly political. This support for animal rights comes at a time when food movements are being scutinised in France. Last year, the European Court of Justice ruled that dairy terms could not be used to describe plant-based

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arts culture

@CourierArts thecourieronline.co.uk/arts

foods, and only last week the French Parliament passed a regulation that meant that more meat-related terms (including sausage, steak and fillet) could not be used to describe products that aren’t fully or partly made up of meat.

While some non-meat eaters have welcomed the change, the regulation was proposed

by Jean Baptiste Moreau, a farmer MP who seems personally affronted that vegetable-based products dare refer to themselves using meaty names, tweeting: “It is important to combat false claims. Our products must be designated correctly: the terms of #cheese or #steak will be reserved for products of animal origin!”

Although the food movement debate will continue, this immersive sensorial experiment is for a limited time only. Regardless of what some may say about modern art, ‘Slow Pixel’ is a truly unique performance. It has layers that stretch far beyond the space that it takes place, but within it the panoramic display of beauty and tranquillity is more than enough to overcome the novelty of dancing snails.

Colloquium@Jesmond Dene Banquetting Hall Rosie Minney reviews an exhibition held in the ruins of the

Sweet Column Cyberpunk GERRY HART

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f all the sci-fi sub-genres of the 20th century, few have proven as gripping as Cyberpunk. Though it found its purest expression in the works of William Gibson (e.g. Neuromancer or the Burning Chrome collection), cyberpunk is a truly multi-medium genre, its influence noticeably present in film, video games and music.

The aesthetic trappings of cyberpunk are unmistakable. Colossal corporate skyscrapers set against a black night sky, towering over crowded, rain-soaked slums adorned with Japanese Kanji, lit only by the glowing neon signs of makeshift shops and bars. Mercenaries sporting cybernetic enhancements making them seem more machine than human. It’s the dystopic, visually striking antithesis of the Star Trek optimism that defined the sci-fi of the mid-20th century.

That said, it is commonly argued that cyberpunk is fundamentally dated, reflecting a quintessentially ‘80s vision of the future. However, I disagree. For me, cyberpunk essentially boils down to three core themes. The increasing prevalence of technology in our daily lives, growing inequality between rich and poor and the global rise of corporate power at the expense of the nation state. Doesn’t sound too different from our own world does it? Sure, we might not be jacking into the matrix but we all own smartphones, and we’re increasingly beholdent to tech giants like Google and Facebook. And this is why I think Cyberpunk is still relevant today. Yes its captivating, but more than that it offers a scathing critique of the modern world

banquetimng hall, curated by a Newcastle University student

Image: Wikimedia

This Machine Buids Nations @ The Baltic, 9 Feb - 28 May

Photobox

Jasmine Cibis has developed a site-specific installation that showcases the three films of her latest ‘Nada’ Trilogy.

Prague Last Summer ROSIE MCCRUM

My Romantic History @ Live Theatre, 25 Apr - 12 May

Tom’s got a new job and zero love life. But after getting together on a Friday night drink with Amy from the office they start a whirlwind romance more like a category 5 hurricane.

Missing Time @ The Baltic, 9 Feb - 28 May

Serena Korda works across performance, sound and sculpture reconsidering aspects of communion and tradition in our lives.

@TheCourierArts @thecourierarts

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other Nature was looking down on final year Newcastle University fine artists Beatrice Galletley, Rosie HamiltonBriscoe and Megan Prudden, as their en plein air collective exhibition preview fell on the hottest day of the year.

Upon entering the once decadent ruins of Jesmond Dene Banqueting Hall, we are led downstairs into a small cove, illuminated with Prudden’s film installation. Self-confessed fanatic of the intangibility of light as a medium and its interaction with space, her work brings a 21st century engagement with the aging stone ruins through the projection of her ephemeral yet ethereal film.

This interaction between then and now is integral to Colloquium, the collective’s name coined from a 16th century term denoting conversation.

Funded by the Bartlett Award, the artists hoped to arouse conversation at the exhibition, not just on the contemporary art but on the ruins itself. Once Lord and Lady Armstrong’s Banqueting Hall, it is set within the idyllic Dene, and was a venue intended for the unification of multitude artistic and scientific discussions.

As the stunning building falls victim to nature, Hamilton-Briscoe details how her artwork – a table of soil – provokes anthropomorphic associa-

tions, as upon closer examination, the artwork is alive and throbbing to deep bass tones supposedly transmitted through the soil. The invitation of the piece to bring us closer and engage is a reflection of Hamilton-Briscoe’s exploration of the ‘conflict between man and nature’, mirrored in the artists’ choice of dilapidated venue and their attempts at regeneration through art.

Further engagement between the natural and the man-made is derived in Galletley’s organic ceramic sculptures, the bud-like objects laced upon the metal mesh framework holding the ruin’s vast window frames intact. Again drawing on the fusing of past and present, Galletley uses the age-old medium of clay but in the attempt at forsaking its connotations with craft in favour of abstract aesthetics borne out of shapes in nature.

These delicate forms, Prudden’s celestial film and Hamilton-Briscoe’s kinetic, interactive sculpture all separately interpret a common goal; with the Banqueting Hall listed as a controlled ruin over forty years ago, these artists prove its heritage, like the plants that threaten to consume it, is still very much in bloom.

To find out more about the exhibition visit www.colloquiumjdbh.com or @colloquiumjdbh on instagram.

Image: Rosie McCrum

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took this photo in Prague last summer. It was a warm day, almost stifling, and the buskers were playing frantic jazz whilst swathes of tourists ambled along frustratingly slowly.

I like the divide in the photo between the musicians busking and the oblivious tourists taking selfies, despite them being united with each other and the architecture by the terracotta colour of their skin and clothes, a quirk resulting from how the photo was developed.

Looking at this image reminds me how important it is to experience a moment, without having to document it. It also makes me think about how different two people’s experiences of the exact same thing can be.

the courier

28

feature arts

Courier Curators: Monday 30 April 2018

Scarlett Rowland and Carys Rose Thomas have curated the new printed Courier Gallery that showcases the finest of the talent

McCartney has recently been exploring the fragmentation of human experience caused by new technologies and communication. She feels this is a very timely matter, impacting how we establish a relationship to the world. Through painting imagery of the body, she has tried to communicate this possible destruction by overlaying, distorting and breaking it apart. In this piece McCartney projected images of the body with an unnatural blueish light, from either side of the wooden structure, painting in the ways that they fell on the sides and edges.

This created a piece to move around to view, manipulating the way the images are seen and confusing perception.

Amy McCartney

d streets encrusteLondon m u g it h n s Pigeon never smiles oere The sky as happened hound Much h tained backgr breaking, riots Blood-s -making, ruleHistory , into But also k of kindness ed paper cup. n h li c tc tre The ers here ty, outs An emp s brush shouldd heat d n All kin g undergrou , presses on In stifliny presses down ering The cit us es whisp Above crawled in nam Walls s ere’ ‘I am h usand voices ce in an imper o n e th n a a In ain perm Spray-p ge. a t tinen ussell cGee-R y -Julia M julia.kay.poetr @ ta ins

PASTA There is somethin g unutterably intoxicating in the heady, drench Not so much a scen ing scent.

Going up your nose,t as a sensation. into your hair, spreading between eddying around yo each strand, wrists damp with cour neck, ndensation.

Gently lyrical nam of peasants and m es look to a history amas and long suppers. A ghost of the warmth of Ita somewhere betwee lian fields n the hob and the fan light.

- Helena Buchanan

Intrinsic

The Moment World (or Th that Shocked the templation of ae Incidental ConYoung Girl) In her work, Branford likes to explore identity and ways to visualise thoughts and emotions through poetry and writing alongside illustration. Branford continually plays with the notion of hiding messages whilst being candid and obvious about them. Her work is successfully chaotic whilst being very playful at the same time.

Emilie Branford

See hear my lit tle red nails!

Their clipped sh ort rat-ataptat.

Like the distre ssed petals of K nedy enWhich settled on Jackie O’s la p.

Hannah Hughe s

dency codepen With the er, of a moththe universe holding her skin, beneath it yourself love you perm it permit and with . me mine hin you, Held wit passe of im in the mb . your wo help but drown t o n lf e n s a r u Ic it me yo So perm , and with it m o freed e mine. permit m rittle - Alicia B

ce nnot See Her Fa And Still You Ca your finger pressure cuff on Borrowed blood ges, in your crumpled vein A blue tinge twintime And it pulses in and old wine With new lights, quite make out her face But you just can’t her lashes w dropped veil on There’s a pale de sses cool lips with grace Coy sunshine, kiblossoming Black bluebirds and ring On her shoulder cannot see her face And yet still you kles and spills The twilight twinipping quills Seeds like ink drwer, blooms into place Night a dead flo ers “I will” Warm wind whisp ds you to chill Blue breath blee d if you look for her face. ne m da be ll You’ n e edge of salvatio But peer over th ssession but age po Be blind! To all , quiet dark of your eyelids And in some calm There you might Catch a glimpse Of her face - Lucie Wareham

We at the arts section would like to thank all of these artists for sharing their work with us, and all others who have creatively contributed to the Arts section this year.

the courier

29

arts feature

Ncl Uni Showcase Monday 30 April 2018

that Newcastle University students have to offer. From photos to poems, collages to sculptures, we’ve proven that you can do it all

My recent practice is primarily concerned with the curation of public space within major cities. Newcastle is particularly interesting in this respect as it has both numerous monuments/memorials and also a lively street art culture. The work may raise questions about what is permitted to occupy these spaces, who has the power to make such decisions and whether they could arguably stifle certain communities. I sculpted the metal form using mile steel and then invited the public to ‘vandalise’ it without repercussions or judgement. This combination of artist labour and viewer participation seems to explore the juxtaposition between a celebrated modernist art object and the criminalised sub-culture of graffiti.

Merlyn Bradshaw

To Byrne, photography and especially portraits, show how a person is feeling exactly; there’s no hiding. This allows him explore the emotions within everybody, laid out bare. Especially with these photos you can see the joy and pride everyone is experiencing.

Byrne’s favourites are of the two couples both young and old, both radiating a great sense of youthfulness.

Fergal Byrne

I have always been interested in the relationship between humans and the natural world and the ways in which both can affect each other. Recently I have been looking at the use of rocks both in history and modern day in society, ritual and decoration. Rock object s found across the world give us a direct link to our history and create mysteries that we are still unable to unravel. These are come collages I have began in preparation for sculptures specifically focusing on texture and pattern.

Heather Carr

30

culture gaming

courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett & Richard Liddle

Fortnite hints at meteor strike for Season Four

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n keeping with the space theme for Fortnite’s third season, many players have begun to theorise that Tilted Towers will soon suffer a dramatic meteor strike to pave the way for a new map update leading into Season 4. The rumours began withthe appearance of a comet in the sky during matches, and fans have been unocvering more hints ever since.

As well as the sudden appearance of the meteor itself, telescopes aimed towards it have now also sprung up across the map. On top of this, players began to notice that certain locations caused their controllers to rumble in specific patterns. While the Fortnite Twitter team dismissed these as a bug, unconviced fans translated the patterns into Morse Code to uncover the cryptic message “SOS D5 418”.

This seems to prove that something big is on its way From this it was theorised that D5 referred to Tilted Towers (D5 being its grid reference on the map) and that 418 meant the meteor event would take place on the 18th of April. While this never transpired, the meteor sightings have continued, meaning there’s every chance that 418 refers to April 2018 instead.

The culmination of all these hints is the teaser for Season 4. Accompanied by the appearance of televisions broadcasting a “state of emergency” message, the promotional image for the new season features an orange streak resembling a flying meteor and a mysterious character in the background, along with the tagline “Brace for Impact”. This seems to fairly conclusively prove that something big is on its way. Whether this entails the destruction of Tilted Towers as expected or is merely a big buildup to the next season’s theme remains to be seen, however.

Richard Liddle

Overwatch gets new retribution mode

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ast year, Overwatch launched Uprising, a new game mode that allowed fans to play through an Overwatch mission. This year, developers are back with a new event: Overwatch Retribution. Similar to Uprising, Retribution is a player versus environment mode, meaning players assemble a team of four to fight through waves of enemies.

However, more so than Uprising, Retribution gives fans a deeper glimpse into Overwatch lore, taking us back eight years to a Blackwatch mission gone wrong. In this mode players can choose between Moira, Genji, McCree or Reaper, as they fight their way through an army of Talon soldiers.

The team composition works surprisingly well, although having Moira as the only support means communication between your team is essential.

Anyone who strays too far from the group is likely to be overwhelmed.

As well as a new story, Retribution comes with a new map, and over 60 new items and skins. New special characters make the fight a little more challenging, featuring a Sniper, an Assassin, and a Heavy Assault omnic that plays slightly like an evil Reinhardt. These characters feel much more intelligent than previous boss fights in Uprising, and make for more dynamic and unique fights.

Retribution is now part of the Archives collection, alongside Uprising. Hopefully, this means fans can expect new additions to Overwatch lore, even if we have to wait another year for it.

Amy Gildert

the courier Monday 30 April 2018

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Michael Hicks tries out the latest instalment in Sega’s crime series, but is it music to his ears?

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’m not going to lie, Yakuza 6 was a game I’ve been both sleeplessly looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. I’m a recent convert to the series. I’d heard endless recommendations from friends to give the series a try for years, and I finally got that chance with last year’s phenomenal Yakuza 0. Within an hour of taking my first steps on the mean streets of Kamurocho I, aloud, asked myself where this series had been all my life. What I had thought for years was a Grand Theft Auto clone was more the crossover between The Sopranos and grandiose anime cheese I never knew I wanted.

Over the hundreds of hours of catch-up I’ve been playing ever since, I’ve completely fallen in love with the wacky world of Yakuza, and that’s why playing this newest entry feels bittersweet. Yakuza 6 marks not just the first truly “next-gen” game in the series with its new Dragon engine, but also the end of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu (having been the star of every game since 2005) as he bows out of the limelight.

The neon lights of the city shine like never before and the character models are some of the most realistic I’ve ever seen As of writing I’m still making my way through the lengthy main quest on offer, but first impressions are the rodeo this time round is going to have a bit more gravitas as a now near 50-year-old Kiryu not only tries to uncover the attacker behind an attempt on his adopted daughter’s life, but also who the mysterious father of his new grandson is.

If you’re new to the series, please play them.

Every single game in the series is completely weird and wonderful and all of them hold a special place in my heart. Yakuza 6 is not the game to dive in (but I will happily point you in the direction of 0 instead). As for this game, I must talk about the new engine. Yakuza 6 looks amazing. The neon lights of the city shine like never before and the character models are some of the most realistic I’ve ever seen. Most load times are completely gone and animations have been significantly improved.

Yakuza 6 has left a lot of Yakuza’s PS2 roots by the wayside in favour of a more streamlined style I’m not sure the same can be said of the new combat system. Gone are the multiple attack styles of 0 and Kiwami in favour of just one. Kiryu’s attacks feel heavier and more deliberate, with a greater emphasis on crowd control. The quick combos, snappy dodges and ludicrous finishers are still here, just slower than before. This game running at 30 frames-a-second (versus the 60 of previous games) doesn’t help matters either.

Of course, many play Yakuza games for the huge number of side-

quests, minigames and distractions on offer. 6 is no exception. The experience system has been revamped, granting more when you sample some of what the many local restaurants and bars have on offer or play Batman and assist a distressed local. You can also create and manage your own gang, make friends with the strays to help save a floundering cat café, play darts or go bowling, sing along to karaoke tunes, or even dive into the meticulously detailed and sprawling baseball management game. This is only scratching the surface, and the staggering detail placed into every facet of it all always leaves me speechless.

I’m honestly worried about Yakuza’s future. Sega have committed to future games, but I’m worried with how Kiryu’s departure will be handled, and just how much of this series I love he’ll take with him. 6 has left of lot of Yakuza’s PS2 roots by the wayside in favour of a more streamlined style. Sega have decided that, for the series to grow past 2005, it has to leave one of gaming’s greatest characters there as well.

Image: IGDB.com

The future of video game retail

Can physical retail outlets keep up with increasing digital competition? Errol Kerr investigates the staggered release of Sonic Mania: Originally released as an online-only purchase, Sonic Mania Plus is to be released as a physical disc with more content. I know for a fact that a game like Mania, with its design based on a game from the Sega Genesis era, will sell so many hard copies. Thing is, collectors editions are moving away from hard copies now, too. Looking at recent sales of Destiny 2 and Halo 5: Guardians, their top-end “collector” box sets didn’t have discs whatsoever, only a download code. It makes me wonder whether it’s not just the purchase of hard copies of games that’s at risk, but the existence of hard copies themselves.

I forsee an attitude similar to how we look at music today: Digital Games are good, but owning a physical copy is better Image: Gerry Hart

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rainger Games, the poster-child of used game sales and the place where I bought probably over 2/3 of my games before 2016, is gone. With it goes the memories of many a gamer in their youth who spent hours upon hours looking at various game boxes, merchandise and used consoles wondering which one to grab next.

In its place stand many things, but in the slow decline of the physical games market, one silver bullet is responsible for the damage that’s killed Grainger: online games markets. That’s right: Steam, G2A, even the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The fact that we as gamers can just log in, grab a videogame that we’ve seen online and play it there and then without a disc is the primary reason we’re seeing a decline in the physical game marketplace.

Thing is, this won’t be the only games store that’s declining. GAME, Gamestop, Insert-Game-Store-

Name-Here, they’ll all be suffering. The fact that not only can you buy a game’s merch online but the game itself and have it installed faster than it might take to get to and from a shop? It’s going to be hitting their wallets. Hard.

One Silver bullet is responsible for the damage that’s killed Grainger: online game markets I foresee an attitude similar to how we look at music today: Digital games are good, but owning a physical copy is better. You can see this with

Are we moving into a future that’s entirely based upon what you can download onto your hard drive? Companies would find it so much easier and much more cost-effective just selling you data rather than data encoded on a disc – but is that what we want?

Not necessarily. Looking at the Xbox that I own and the Switch I can only dream of owning, downloading a game onto your hard drive takes up so much space, the likes of which practically needs you to purchase external hard drives or other save cards. Much like the memory cards of old, you still need a larger storage space – and these things cost as well.

In the case of the Switch, a healthy future for games coming out on the cartridge that they’re released on. Since a lot is stored in that physical cartridge to allow for the Switch’s processing to be competitive, it allows the Switch to perform somewhere near as well as other consoles.

the courier

@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming/

Monday 30 April 2018

The rise of Fortnite Battle Royale

Amy Gildert explains how the sandbox shooter has won its Victory Royale over the genre

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pic Games seems to have hit the jackpot with the sudden popularity of Fortnite, a sandbox shooter that everyone and their mother seems to be talking about. Fortnite was originally a co-op zombie game; however, the mode that’s got everyone buzzing lately is Fortnite Battle Royale.

In this mode, 100 players are dropped into an arena, and battle it out until only one player is left standing. Now, this concept isn’t entirely new (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is undeniably the OG when it comes to the battle royale mode), but Fortnite’s success definitely isn’t simply a copycat hit. Fortnite combines the battle royale element of PUBG with sandbox gameplay, meaning that players can create structures in the game from materials they source in the arena. The game has exploded in popularity over the last six months, but my question is, why?

have an audience that is already watching, it’s easy to get them to play, especially when the game is free to try. Curiosity lures them in, and the addictive nature of the game gets them to stay.

No matter your gameplay style, Fortnite encourages creativity and versatility But the real reason that the game is so entertaining to watch and play is because there is such a large amount of emphasis placed on creativity. In a battle royale, no game is ever going to be the same, and the building element really allows the player to

shape the world around them to make a unique match.

When you’ve got ninety-nine other players, weekly updates, and an assortment of crazy weapons and strategies, each game manages to feel fresh, which is why they’ve managed to keep so many players hooked. Players might become builders and make enormous forts, or perhaps take a slightly more Ramsay Bolton approach and hunt down as many other players as they can. No matter your gameplay style, Fortnite encourages creativity and versatility, which has definitely contributed to its popularity.

Ultimately, Fortnite’s success is surprising but not illogical. Any game that delivers a fresh take on multiple genres, as well as appealing to accessibility and creativity deserves to have its moment in the spotlight.

One of the major factors in Fortnite’s popularity is its “streamability” Well to start off with, Fortnite is completely free to play. Of course, it features in game purchases, but the basic content is 100% free, which means it is an inherently accessible game to play. This is particularly relevant to players who might not have the cash to drop on more expensive shooters, especially if they’re new players. By making the game free, they’ve widened their potential market to literally anyone with a PC, console or smartphone.

However, I think that one of the major factors in Fortnite’s popularity is its ‘Streamability’. Fortnite is a genuinely entertaining game to watch, and knowing this, Epic Games placed a lot of focus on YouTube sponsorships and streaming. When you

Image: Flickr.com

31

gaming culture

Monster Hunter World introduces new Elder Dragon and Seige Quests

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he latest update for Monster Hunter World is now live, and along with a few quality of life tweaks, a brand new Elder Dragon has been added. Kulve Taroth is a huge, golden beast covered in treasure, hunted in a brand new type of quest known as Seiges.

Seiges are unique in that all 16 players in your gathering hub are involved at the same time. You’re still limited to groups of four hunters - so sadly no huge 16 man hunts for the time being - but up to four groups can join up to the same Seige quest and contribute to its overall progress. This means the damage inflicted by one group carries over to others as well - which is important, as Kulve Taroth has a huge amount of health and takes multiple attempts to actually kill.

The rewards here also work differently to usual.

While there’s still the standard monster parts to carve off and forge the new Kulve Taroth armour sets with, the quest also introduces semirandomised Relic Weapons. These are rewarded on the basis of the whole hunting party’s contribution to the quest, with more awarded the more damage is collectively done. Similarly to MH4U’s Relics, these can come with a variety of elements and stats, although thankfully their quality has been reduced to a few tiers as opposed to the overwhelming number of possibilities in 4U, reducing the need to grind to get the most effective ones.

The effort Capcom has put in to develop this new quest type implies that new Seige monsters could be introduced in future.

For now, however, Kulve is available to hunt for two weeks and will then rotate like other event quests, giving hunters plenty of opportunities to get their hands on some gold dragon bling.

Image: Monster Hunter official website Richard Liddle

What I’m Playing: The Mass Effect Trilogy Jack Coles steps into the shoes of Commander Shepard and tackles BioWare’s space-faring epic from start to its infamous end

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came into some money a few weeks ago. A two DLC characters – but they’re all interesting few guilt-ridden minutes later, I gave it a and flawed in some way that lends more weight to good wipe and gave it to EA in exchange for proceedings. The combat is much improved and Mass Effect 3 and its DLC, and then ran a single the Vanguard class turns this cover-based shooter save game all the way through the trilogy. into more of a run-and-gun affair (in case you get As the first instalment in this venerable series, Mass bored of living).

Effect I has aged rather poorly when compared to its successors. The inventory system is as intuitive That’s not to say ME3 and simple-to-use as a Rubix cube submerged in treacle, and both companions and enemies wander doesn’t have its merits around the battlefield paying no attention to - the series’ gameplay cover, so combat basically devolves into Brownian motion. Commander Bumwipe Shepard stares at is at its slickest here everyone as if they’re all topless and he’s desperate to maintain eye contact, and the film grain effect gave me a headache until I turned it off.

The story is much less black-and-white than Where ME1 shines is with its storytelling. Even before, where you start off working for what the most passing reference to anything comes with was previously labelled a terrorist organisation a few paragraphs on the subject at hand, which that seem to be the only ones willing to face works well as an in-game glossary (but not so up to impending galactic doom. Easily my much if you try to read the lot). The favourite game developed by Bioware. The story is basic “evil dude wants to only real issue I have with ME2 is that they destroy the galaxy”, but this is small ditched the open-world vehicle sections for potatoes compared to all the political material scanning (which brings all the stuff going on around you. excitement of wandering a beach with There’s also some open-world a metal detector), and that you can sections in a somewhat floaty permanently gimp your damage with vehicle, the “Marmite” section many weapons if you accidentally of ME1.. I personally really progress in a level before fully like these, as they make the exploring the area. universe feel larger than the few Then finally, Mass Effect 3 brings hundred prefabricated rooms up the rear (Andromeda doesn’t interspersed with space vistas count). Unfortunately, this game that permeate the rest of the came out when EA started making game. a conscientious effort to win the Then you have Mass Effect “worst company in America award” 2. It has a nice variety of – twice. The infamous ending missions, from recovering the has since been patched to be a bit logs from a crashed spaceship, better, apparently. I wouldn’t know, to sabotaging mercenary I’ve only played the post-patch bases, to finding evidence to version. And on its own, even the exonerate a friend. The companion patched ending seems nonsensical, but roster verges on being slightly too is a bit better explained in DLC, because Image: Flickr.com large – especially when you get the of course it is. And they got rid of most of

Image: Flickr.com

the scanning – woo – but they also got rid of most of the side-missions and exploration – boo.

The companion roster verges on being too large, but they’re all interested and flawed in some way That’s not to say that ME3 doesn’t have its merits. The gameplay is at its slickest, allowing customisable loadouts with their own strengths and weaknesses, giving you more tactical agency.

Returning characters give a greater sense of danger, especially since some of them straight-up die (fuckin’ spoiler warning).

Its DLC is great, but this comes across as a bit of a double-edged sword, because it’s so well written it ends up overshadowing most of the baseline content. The Citadel pack in particular throws a wooden shoe into the works, what with its hilarious vaguely self-referential dialogue and occasional touching moments that form the absolute zenith of the franchise’s writing.

In all, this three-game odyssey has felt very much worth its investment. While the consistency between the three games is best equated to that of a chicken and gravel curry, on their own they are good, and strung together they form something greater than the sum of their parts.

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science & technology

Are you Tech-ing the piss?

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Facebook Privacy

ark “the ZUCC bot 2000” Zuckerberg has been feeling the pressure of the Joint Commerce and Judiciary Committee. At a hearing entitled “Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the Use and Abuse of Data”, he tried and failed to convince the world that he is, in-fact, a fellow human. But why is there a hearing at all?

The saga begins with University of Cambridge Professor, Aleksandr Kogan, developing an app called “This is Your Digital Life’ way back in 2013.

It included a personality quiz and was installed by 300,000 Facebook users. Users of the app granted access to the data making up their user profile, the app could also crawl through their social network, feeding on the data of the user’s Facebook friends.

The result was a data base of roughly 50 million captured personality profiles, of which Zuckerberg’s was one.

Under Facebook policy of the time this was allowed. However, Kogan then sold the data to the political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica (CA), a move that broke Facebook policy. CA used the data to train algorithms to find patterns within the data set. With patterns established the algorithm was able to predict responses for other users, allowing CA the ability to predict then manipulate voter behaviour through the delivery of aggressive, highly targeted political advertisement campaigns.

The plot thickened when CA’s potential political connections to the Trump candidacy were revealed with Trumps former chief strategist; Steve Bannon, CA founder and former vice president.

Bannon denies knowledge of the Facebook mining despite sitting on the board at the time. Christopher Wylie oversaw research at CA when acquiring the data from Facebook and has now blown the whistle on Bannon, claiming that the data was the “core of what CA became”. Wylie gave evidence that Bannon had at least some notion of the company’s activities in the Trump Campaign, making it hard to believe Bannon’s claimed ignorance.

It is unclear how CA acted on the data. Videos of secret meetings with senior employees at CA show them boasting of online ads with the tag line ‘Defeat Crooked Hilary’ being viewed over 30 million times. Make America Number One, an organisation independent from CA and funded by billionaire Trump supporter Robert Mercer, is the prime suspect for delivering CA’s agenda. If Make America Number One worked in coordination with the Trump campaign, the implications for them and CA are significant. Coordination between a candidate’s campaign and Super PAC’s are illegal according to US election law; if collusion is found there could be serious implications of the Trump Presidency.

50m

The “This is Your Digital Life” app captured 50 million personality profiles

Facebook’s negligence with user information and involvement in the CA scandal was a primary trigger for the hearing. This is not the first time Zuckerberg has had to put up his hands. After a decade of apologies centring on the issue of privacy violations, policy-makers are getting restless and pushing for the self-regulation of social media sites to be restricted. Zuckerberg seems open to change announcing before the committee the need for a “broader philosophical shift” at Facebook stating that “it’s not enough to build tools, we have to make sure they are used for good” in an attempt to control future interference of elections over social media by third parties such as CA. He feels some regulation is in order and shares a keenness to work with legislators with suggestions of policy proposals to “get it right”.

The era of self-regulation seems to be coming to an end for social media sites, but concerns of government involvement in the internet fit uncomfortably closely with visions of an Orwellian, dystopic future.

Theo Turvill

the courier

courier.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little & Ciara Ritson-Courtney

Monday 30 April 2018

A high-ly debatable diet

Alex Moore weighs up the benefits of marijuana and asks if a ganja a day keeps the doctor away

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o. Let’s be honest. Whilst it certainly may keep you from ever making it out of the door to get to your GP, smoking a large amount of anything is not a great idea. Smoking gives you cancer. Cancer makes you dead.

Lungs are sadly not designed for inhaling the fumes of cremated plant matter. Luckily, we all have a much hardier pit of bubbling acid inside our bellies, and with the legalisation of marijuana becoming more widespread the market for cannabis-infused ‘edibles’ seems more popular than ever. When your granny told you to eat your greens, this was probably not what she had in mind.

Remember, despite being highly illegal, at the end of the day cannabis is just a vegetable. A highly nutritious one too, second only to the soy plant if the internet is to be believed. As with any plant, different parts provide different benefits.

Containing many essential fatty acids, the seeds seem to rank as the healthiest, yet other parts of the plant are rich in other anti-oxidants and proteins needed to support the immune system. It is also the only source of cannabinoid acid.

Despite being a highly controversial topic, cannabis also has some highly medicinal properties – it may or may not cure cancer, but it certainly has useful sedative and analgesic effects. Hemp itself is one of the most versatile natural products in the world, able to be made into anything from a rope to a burger.

Despite being highly illegal, at the end of the day cannabis is just a vegetable If the passing of 4/20 has left you eager to begin your own gastronomic ganja extravaganza,

remember that the healthiest way to ingest marijuana is by juicing it. However, before you run off to create your very own cup o’ cannabis, be warned that the only high you’ll get out of this is knowing that you’ve just ticked off one of your five-aday (and you’d better savour that taste of victory as apparently the juice tastes awful and bitter). This is because the THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), the most abundant cannabinoid found in the marijuana plant, has not yet been decarboxylated,

meaning your healthy glass of hippie-nectar is completely THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) free – this is the psychoactive stuff which gets you stoned.

Juicing cannabis is not the most practical approach either, as it is the moist raw buds that are

needed as opposed to the usual dried product, and the sheer amount needed is likely to seriously damage your bank account. Add in the risk of a £90 on the spot fine (or a five-year prison sentence) for possession of a class-B drug and you are probably safer sticking with a nice ‘Innocent’ smoothie.

Parts of the plant are rich in the antioxidants and proteins needed to support the immune system If you want to get high from your edibles, a further health issue arises, as the traditional ways of ingesting cannabis tend to be high in sugars and fats (think brownies or ‘space-cakes’), potentially undermining any nutritional benefits the plant provides.

Whilst on the topic of munching, let’s talk about ‘the munchies’. Even the most dedicated of dieters and hipsters are at risk, as what seems at first like an innocent ‘Quinoa and Kale Salad with Cannabis Lemon Vinaigrette’ (amazingly a real recipe) could easily end up as a midnight recreation of that scene from Matilda.

From the lungs, smoke can easily travel through to areas responsible for controlling appetite which contain cannabinoid receptors for the THC to target, heightening your sense of smell and stopping you from feeling full. Cannabis has also been proven to stimulate the brain to increase circulating levels of dopamine and endorphins, meaning the food seems to be even more enjoyable.

In short, if you’re thinking of using edibles as a way to spend an afternoon sinking deeper into a sofa than you ever knew was possible, just don’t trick yourself into thinking you’ll come out with a six-pack and a ‘get out of cancer free’ card.

Are we the first Earthlings?

Scientific paper asks if there were advanced civilisations on Earth before ours, says Gerry Hart

O

n 16th April NASA scientist Gavin Schidt alongside Adam Frank published a speculative paper questioning whether an advanced industrial civilization could’ve existed on Earth before mankind, likely to the delight of clickbait websites and tinfoil hat enthusiasts everywhere.

Entintled “The Silurian Hypothesis” after the reptilian race that inhabited the Earth during the Silurian Epoch (443-419 mya) in Doctor Who, Schmidt and Frank ask whether evidence industrial civilizations (i.e. civilisations with “the ability to harness external energy sources at global scales”) could be detectable in the geological record.

Did they actually find evidence of such a civilization?

Naturally, such a question is bound to raise a few eyebrows, so did they actually find evidence of such a civilization?

Of course they didn’t! Schmidt and Frank themselves state that it is highly unlikely that an advanced, industrial civilization akin to our own existed before us, and even if it did the fossil record is notoriously incomplete. And despite the paper’s title, there was almost certainly no civilization during the Silurian epoch (a claim Schmidt and Frank themselves explicitly disavowed).

Though fossil records indicate the Silurian oceans were teeming with life, nothing more advanced than the first jawed fish has been discovered, whilst terrestrial life was confined to primitive plants,

fungi and maybe a few small arthropods. Hardly ideal conditions for a thriving industrial civilization to take root.

But in many ways that wasn’t entirely the point.

In writing this paper, Schmidt and Frank never sought to prove the existence of past civilisations so much as they sought to establish potential parameters by which we might hypothetically find evidence of their presence, such as carbon dioxide and methane levels in the geological record, as well as mass extinction patterns.

Additionally, by using the current Anthropocene era as a point of comparison, Schmidt and Frank raise important questions about the long-term impact of our species on the planet, an impact which might still be evident millions of years after our passing.

Nevertheless, it’s easy to see why the Silurian Hypothesis has garnered attention. Though the question it poses might be scientifically unorthodox, the idea of precursor civilisations is a pretty well established fictional trope.

H.P. Lovecraft in particular predicates many of his eldritch tales on ancient civilizations lost to time. This is most evident in At the Mountains of Madness, which centres on one such civilization that lived for millions of years in Antarctica before being overthrown by their monstrous slaves, the Shoggoths. Leaving Lovecraft’s characteristic racist subtext aside, I think the reason why his work and the Silurian hypothesis are so fascinating is that they remind us of just what a small space we occupy within the vastness of time.

24.6m

The Silurian geological period lasted 24.6 million years, between 443.8 and 419.2 million years ago.

So next time you’re putting the bins out, think about the legacy you’re leaving. After all, your household waste might become a scientific curiosity for the Earwig people who will inevitably inherit the Earth after the collapse of our decadent species.

the courier

@CourierScience thecourieronline.co.uk/science

Monday 30 April 2018

science & technology

How to choose your poison

Brian Collige writes himself onto a government watchlist by bringing toxicology to the masses

L

ast semester I had a series of lectures for my module in Toxicology. It’s one of my favourite modules I’ve taken here. Since then, however, I’ve been asked on a few occasions what the worst poison on Earth is, and that’s a pretty difficult question.

The deadliest poison I’m aware of is botulinum toxin, otherwise referred to BTx or Botox. The BTx we use for cosmetic procedures is lethal if you inhale around 1.2 micrograms. For reference, a single drop of water weighs around 50,000 micrograms. There’s also “Type H” BTx, which is 600 times more potent. Just 4 milligrams of this stuff could kill every single human being, assuming you share it out perfectly.

The world’s worst poison is water BTx is hard to use though. It needs to be made by the right species and strain of bacteria, purified, refrigerated in an appropriate buffer, and it doesn’t spread in the air well.

In terms of worst poison for easily killing people, then look no further than organophosphates. These work by effectively blocking up the cleanup processes in the brain, causing your nerve cells to overload. The recent Salisbury poisoning (which may lead to World War III) was caused by an organophosphate called A234 that can cause poisoning on contact. There’s also organophosphates in your mattress, but they’re not deadly. At least, not with short-term exposure.

But what about long-term exposure?

Things get a bit more nebulous there, where the lines between toxin and therapeutic agent begin to blur. Alcohol killed over 7,000 people in the UK in 2016, but drinking in moderation has been linked to reduced chances of heart disease. However, there is a long-term poison that has killed lots of people with no therapeutic benefits whatsoever – asbestos. Responsible for multiple different cancers (and that weirdly recurring copypasta about “if you or a family member have been diagnosed with mesothelioma”), asbestos kills cells that try to engulf it, causing them to release chemicals that stimulate inflammation and cell growth. Over time, this leads to cancer formation and lung fibrosis, both of which highly unpleasant. Asbestos is responsible for the deaths over 150,000 people in the USA alone.

Then again, the worst poison could just be the one with the nastiest effects (reader discretion is advised for the following paragraph).

Tetanus toxin or tetanospasmin is a strong contender, causing you to clench your muscles repeatedly, which can result in permanent muscle damage, broken bones, and even a severed spinal cord. Alternatively you could go for ergotamine, which also causes muscle clenching but to a much lesser extent; unless of course you are pregnant, where the uterus will contract with devastating effects upon the

Plenty of pucka primates

Laura Staniforth gives the latest update on our distant cousins

T

he results of a gigantic study in Western Africa found that numbers of primates were significantly more healthy than previously estimated.

A decade’s worth of research, a shared total of 61,000 days collecting data (that’s 167 personyears!) and walking over 5400 miles to survey nesting sites are just some of what went into this megacollaboration between institutions like the WWF, Jane Goodall Institute, CITES and the protected area authorities of five countries.

Across the combined ranges of subspecies, the report estimates abundance of gorillas to be over 360,000, while chimpanzee numbers are nearly at 130,000. The previous approximations were a third and a tenth less, respectively. These newer figures are due to refinement of the methodology of the surveys, and new predictions from areas between existing survey sites.

While all of this is fantastic news, it doesn’t mean all is rosy for the primate population. 80% of the above stated great apes live outside of protected areas, and global numbers of gorillas are declining annually by 2.7%.

Lead author Samantha Strindberg noted that “Primates are…vulnerable to poachers, disease, and habitation degradation.” Evidencing this, the 80% of great apes that lived outside protected areas were still concentrated around large forested areas or on the bordered of national reserves. It is clear here that locations away from human populations, with patrolling wildlife guards and intact forests are where these primates can thrive.

The name of the study touches on the big three of the threats that face the continued livelihood of these animals; guns, germs and trees.

The WWF’s David Greer said: “All great apes, whether in Africa or Asia, are threatened by poaching, especially for the bushmeat trade.” The

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classify gorillas as ‘critically endangered’ on their Red List, and theorise that poaching is increasing as access routes are expanded into existing forests. Adding to this is the threat of livetrading. Infants are targeted the most here, which often leads to the massacre of nearby adults. The ratio of dead chimps and gorillas to captured ones is around 5 to 1.

SAMANTHA STRINDBERG Specialist in techniques used to monitor endangered species and to investigate the ecological and human factors relevant to conservation management

The Ebola virus has been a great source of worry for the human population, but it can also be devastating to primates. Priorities obviously lie in creating a vaccine and the means to deliver it, but it isn’t like these great apes can walk into the nearest clinic if they need some help. It is important then to improve educational efforts on how to avoid the transmission of the virus between populations, by not consuming meat or going near corpses of affected creatures.

One of the most inevitable threats these primates face is the destruction of their habitat. Demand for the resources provided by the natural world they inhabit ranges from a local to global scale, and as the majority of the population is outside protected areas then they are firmly at risk. While it is ludicrous to stop all of this advancement completely, it certainly is possible to plan new ventures into agriculture and road construction in a responsible way.

It is hoped that this report can inform protection and policy in the region, and help create a network of well managed parks and corridors in the region.

unborn fœtus. Sulphur mustard or “mustard gas” creates blisters on exposed skin that are extremely painful if even lightly touched, then follows up with various forms of skin cancer later in life.

TETANOSPASMIN This bad boy is the neurotoxin behind tetanus.

You probably don’t mind having the jab as much with the knowledge that its protecting you from the second deadliest toxin in the world.

Finally (and on a much lighter note), the “worst” poison might be the one that requires the largest necessary amount to kill you – a poison that is really bad at its job of being a poison. In which case, I’m happy to report that the world’s worst poison is water. You “only” need around 7l (about 12.5 pints) to kill you. And even that can be counteracted by adding some salts and sugars to it, which is why sports drinks are often encouraged when exercising. Drink up!

Poison

Lethal Dose

Type H BTx

0.000,000,002g

Tetanospasmin

0.000,000,3g

Soman (nerve agent)

0.000,5g

Polonium

0.002g

Cyanide ions (CN-)

0.3g

Arsenic trioxide

1g

Vitamin A

1.5g

Paraquat (pesticide)

3g

Nicotine (tobacco)

4g

Paracetamol

15g

Tyramine (cheese flavour)

30g

Table salt (NaCl)

200g

Alcohol

650g

Sugar (sucrose)

2,500g

Water

7,000g

Word of the Week: Hypochondriac

D

o you have a mate who is constantly worrying about having some sort of illness?

Do they come out with statements such as, “I’ve been experiencing cluster headaches for the past few months. I think I might have brain cancer.” If yes, that mate of yours might be a hypochondriac!

The word ‘hypochondriac’ refers to someone who is suffering from health anxiety or illness anxiety disorder. Hypochondriacs live their lives excessively concerning over their own health. Sadly, nothing seems to be able to put a hypochondriac’s mind at peace.

Despite multiple doctor visits and negative test results (sometimes on a same day!), a hypochondriac is still worried that the tests are falsely negative, or the doctors have overlooked something.

To ease a hypochondriac’s mind, one can try several self-help measures such as practicing mindfulness meditation, avoiding stimulants (coffee, alcohol and tobacco) and keeping yourself busy with activities. However, if the condition is keeping you from leading a normal life, by all means, go and talk to your doctor!

Yi Min Ng

33

Mythbusters: Can you shoot the moon?

O

ne can’t help but gaze upon the wonders of the night sky and ask, like, really deep questions. How did it all begin? Where does space end? Is there intelligent life somewhere out there in the cosmos? But no proverbial question has quite plagued the pondering mind as much as that which is posed in this week’s Mythbusters. Yes, dear Courier readers, we are asking: Can you shoot the moon?

Now, we’re not talking in a metaphorical sense, not as in, can you ‘shoot’ the moon with a camera.

That would just be silly, of course you can take images of the moon. It’s got it’s own bloody hashtag and over 21 million posts to boot (I particularly like the ones where people pretend to hold it like a little tasty grape lol). Oh no, we’re talking about firing an actual projectile at our celestial neighbour.

“Why would anyone want to do such a thing?”

I hear you ask. Well, the Man in the Moon isn’t as benevolent and pure as you think. Being a sudden social media influencer has gone to his head. He’s forgetting to do his chores, like sorting the tides out. Someone needs to bring him back down to Earth. Well, not literally because that would just be catastrophic.

The idea of shooting the moon might seem ludicrous, but the Science Editors aren’t the first great thinkers to postulate this audacious plan. Isaac Newton himself was so fanatical about the idea that he proposed pushing a cannon all the way to the top of a mountain to get a good shot at it. But with this being 1687, and cannons being really heavy, no one was that keen to give it a try. Fortunately, Newton’s Cannonball thought experiment saved them the all the effort.

It showed there was no way a cannonball could achieve the velocity needed to escape the Earth’s gravity and break orbit – even if it was given the slight advantage of being fired from the top of Mt. Everest.

Fast forward a few hundred years and we’re all a bit more clued up about the immense power required to achieve an escape velocity.

The old Space Shuttles needed millions of pounds of propellent just to get them into low orbit, so it doesn’t take a scientists to realise that firing conventional guns into the sky ain’t gonna do it. But don’t worry folks, we just need a BIGGER gun.

Jules Verne devised a ‘space cannon’ to fire people into space in his 1865 science fiction novel From Earth to the Moon. And as crazy as it sounds, the U.S. Military and a host of private companies have researched the idea as an alternative, and cheaper method, to launch objects into space. The problem with ballistic projectiles, however, is that they only accelerate until they exit the barrel. This means you would need a barrel 60km long, with the projectile accelerating at 1000 m/s2 to break orbit. Unfortunately, these speeds would cause most objects to break into smouldering shrapnel long before they broke orbit.

Ballistic projectiles only accelerate until they exit the barrel An option that could help overcome this comes from Newton’s Cannonball thought experiment. If the exit point for the space cannon was at a higher altitude then it could possibly work. A mountain might not do it, but perhaps somewhere at the top of the Earth’s troposphere would. At this height, which could be up to around 20km above sea level, the thin atmosphere means aerodynamic heating and drag would be less of an issue.

So, while it is theoretically possible to shoot the moon, it would take an insane amount of investment to make it achievable. What we need is a fanatical billionaire to invest. I’ve emailed Elon Musk to run the idea by him. For the time being, please don’t like any more moon photos on social media.

Chris Little

puzzles

35

the courier

Monday 30 April 2018

Puzzles Dictator Joey Barton Assistant Puzzles Dictator Clint Hill Puzzles Editor Alex Hendley Puzzles Myrmidon James Sproston

Difficulty: WHO KNOWS

SUDOKU

The future is Barton

As the great comedy duo once sang, ‘always look on the bright side of life’. The whole mantra really speaks to me, and fits into the kaizen way of thinking that I’ve shamelessly jumped on board with. Good old Eric Morecambe, eh? The name, the town, the statue. Unrivalled.

That’s why I’ve moved to Fleetwood.

I hope I can show the people of this town the same dedication, drive and ambition as I’ve given to the Courier puzzles section over the past few months. I have to say, I’m looking forward to actually having a proper backroom staff, rather than relying on the clowns up in Newcastle to get this shit-show out every week.

I’d like to assure fans that I remain loyal to running this section. The future is bright.

The future is Barton.

9

9

7 4 3

MARTIN CLU(N)ES

You use a knife to slice my head and weep beside me when I’m dead...

What am I?

2

1

6

When you need me, you throw me away. When you’re done with me, you bring me back...

Many have heard me, but no one has seen me. I will not speak until spoken to.

What am I?

What am I?

5

3

Illustrated phrases: Working overtime, Do without, Teddy bear, Shot in the dark, Eiffel Tower, Long Island 5

6

9

7

8

10

11 12 13

Down

1 Composed of two things (6) 2 German for ‘east’ (3) 3 Notoriously difficult north face (5) 4 Founded Rome with his bro, big fan of wolves (7) 5 A ping-pong bat to the posterior (4,6) 7 Belonging to, say, Legolas; famed for being light (5) 10 Shakespearean tragedy (7) 12 Current Chelsea manager (5) 13 Your videos probably take too long to do this (6) 14 Shaken, not stirred (4) 18 ___ Campbell, founding member of UB40 (3) 19 Give affirmation or approval (3)

Issue 1367 solutions...

4

Across

1 He’s not heavy, he’s my ___ (7) 6 Musical segment; useful for remembering things (4) 8 Hard like ___ (Mick Jagger & will.i.am, 2011) (8) 9 Mason Ramsey is a master; heard throughout the Alps (5) 11 ___ from Amsterdam (6) 14 7th century North-East monk (4) 15 The dog that got away, we assume (6) 16 A gentle touch (6) 17 Long spiky joust; first name of a fallen sporting hero (5) 20 Chewy chocy yum (4) 21 ___ of March; death of a salad (4) 22 Don’t waste it! (5)

15 16 17

18

19

20 21

What has a head, a tail, is brown, but has no legs?

5

CROSSWORD 1

What room do ghosts avoid?

What am I?

The more you take, the more you leave behind...

8 2 1 3 8

1 7 6 4 7 1 8 2

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLES

22

14

P R A L E P H B R U X I I S M A

O M O R I P E A T H S N A I L D

B H A N T I S T N E R

8 9 4 6 1 3 5 7 2

1 6 5 7 4 2 3 8 9

I S E

I N

A G O Z O T N Y E C L A T O O T O I I C K S C I I M O

L I P A O V A L I L S I H A W O R A G

2 7 3 5 8 9 1 6 4

7 3 2 4 5 1 6 9 8

3 2 9 1 6 8 7 4 5

5 4 8 9 3 6 2 1 7

9 1 6 8 2 7 4 5 3

4 8 1 2 7 5 9 3 6

6 5 7 3 9 4 8 2 1

C N E A S A R

For Issue 1368 solutions, wait for Issue 1369 or contact your local Hendley. Do not contact Joey Barton under any circumstances.

36

the courier

sport

Monday 30 April 2018

Local legends: sport in the North East

Newcastle is famous for its footballing heritage, but this is just one part of a wider picture of sporting success across the region

NEWCASTLE VIKINGS HANDBALL

Sitting somewhere between basketball and football, handball is immensely popular in continental Europe but has only recently attracted much attention in the UK.

Their competitive spirit reveals itself through a string of impressive results Newcastle has been at the forefront of this expansion thanks to the determination and the sporting success of the Vikings.

Newcastle students, often from coun-

WHITLEY WARRIORS ICE HOCKEY

Ice hockey is an incredible sport to watch, combining the aggression of rugby with the speed of basketball, and the atmosphere of the ice rink, with spectators much closer to the action than in many sports, is breathtaking.

The Whitley Warriors are the closest local side to Newcastle, since the Newcastle Vipers folded in 2011 after several years playing in the top division.

Whitley Warriors have won exactly half of all their league matches this season The Warriors play one division lower, in the Northern division of the National Ice Hockey League.

SUNDERLAND FOOTBALL

After a decade in the top flight of English football the wheels have well and truly fallen off for the Mackems.

Chris Coleman may well continue as manager into League One, but he’ll have a hard job rebuilding a team that’s now chronically short of stars. Relegation last year was the culmination of several years of stagnation; to repeat the achievement this time round is astonishing. Sunderland have chomped their way through seven managers in the last five years, with none managing to reach even the 18-month mark since the heady days of Steve Bruce.

7

The half a dozen or so managers of Sunderland in the last 5 years are emblematic of the club’s instability

To fall from the Premier League to the third tier is by no means a death knell – Man City took the plunge in the late 90s and I hear they’re doing alright these days. But the Black Cats’ plummeting league performance has seen attendances follow suit, prompting the closure of the Stadium of Light’s upper

tries with a strong handball tradition such as Norway or Germany, make up a sizeable portion of the Vikings’ teams, but the sport has been growing in popularity across the UK in recent years. The Vikings were established six years ago when the nation basked in the golden presence of a British handball team at the London Olympics.

The women’s team claim to play mostly for fun, but their competitive spirit reveals itself through a string of impressive results.

An 18-13 defeat of Liverpool followed an 11-0 drubbing of Leeds University to guarantee the Vikings the Regional League North division title, their highest ever final placing in the English Handball League.

A win in the promotion playoffs against teams from Loughborough University, Reading and Brighton would see them spend next season in the Each team in the league plays each other twice at home, twice away in a season, and the Whitley Warriors have won exactly half of all their league matches this season, putting them in a mid-table finishing position.

They missed out on a run in the playoffs due to the bad weather earlier this year, but their progress in recent seasons is very encouraging and they’re definitely a local team to keep an eye on.

Nick Smith

tier. The club’s finances could certainly look healthier, and as much as Newcastle fans might delight in seeing their rivals humbled it’s always a shame to see a club with such a long and strong heritage fall so far.

Not a great season for Sunderland, then, but at least now they can look forward to playing a side managed by Joey Barton.

National division, level with the Vikings’ men’s team.

Mark Sleightholm

NEWCASTLE EAGLES BASKETBALL

There is no doubt that the Newcastle Eagles have been the definition of “injury-plagued” this season.

Despite this they have maintained an impressive never-say-die attitude and currently have a claim of second place in the BBL Championship standings.

During the final leg of the season, though, the Eagles’ bad luck has continued.

With playoffs starting soon the North East powerhouse will have to play without one of their key reserves, Jamal Williams, who is suspected to have a broken arm.

He had surgery this week to repair the damage, but it looks as though the strong center will have to miss the rest of the season.

While Williams is out for the count, a few Eagles Maxime Mermoz moved from have Toulon to Newcastle in 2017 reImage: Wikimedia Commons

7

The Eagles are the most successful club in the league’s history winning the league 7 times and a total of 3 ‘clean sweeps’

Jaysean Paige, the BBL’s leading scorer, was also down with a bum ankle and is slowly making strides back to full form.

Darius Defoe, who is instrumental for the Eagles’ rebounding efforts, has also made his way back to the starting lineup recently.

Though the Eagles have lost Williams, it looks as though they will have what it takes to make a final push in the postseason (as long as they stay healthy).

Jaysean Paige, the BBL’s leading scorer, was also down with a bum ankle and is slowly making strides back to full form Having played their final BBL Championship game yesterday (29 April), the Eagles should have taken care of the fifth-place Surrey Scorchers.

Looking ahead the Eagles will play their first playoff game 4 May at Sport Central here in Newcastle.

Courtney Strait

NEWCASTLE FALCONS RUGBY UNION

Chris Coleman was previously Wales manager for 5 years Image: Flickr/ joncandy

paired their broken wings and have returned to the court.

Fabulous Flournoy, the Eagles’ veteran player-coach, has recently started playing again after a nagging ankle injury.

Challenging for a place the top 4, plus the berth in the European Rugby Champions Cup and chance to take the Premiership title that comes with it, has been an unexpected but fantastic position for Newcastle Falcons to find themselves in this season.

After being relegated in the 20112012 seas o n , D e a n Richards (followi n g his

Mark Sleightholm Fabulous Flournoy has been the playercoach for the Eagles for over a decade Image: Wikimedia Commons

3-year ban the Bloodgate incident) was appointed as Director of Rugby, bringing the Falcons back up on the first attempt, then securing the team’s place in the Premiership for several years before finishing eighth last season- their best finish in 11 years.

The return of England fly-half Toby Flood has bolstered an already strong side However, the side are still on the rise and look to go one better this season.

The return of former England fly-half Toby Flood has bolstered an already strong side, featuring the likes of classy French international centre Maxime Mermoz, the rapid, match-winning wingers of Vereneki Goneva and Sinoti Sinoti and a strong pack including the likes of line-out master Calum Green and Will Welch.

Altogether their dominance in defence and set pieces sprinkled in with some moments of brilliance has led their great showing the Premiership.

Newcastle have also have had a couple of good cup runs this season, before being sadly knocked out in the semi-finals of the Anglo-Welsh Cup and Challenge Cup by Exeter and Gloucester respectively.

Nevertheless, in all it has been an excellent season for Richards’ long-running project, with a big jump in Newcastle Falcons’ fortunes and standard of rugby, following years of steady progress.

Tom Shrimplin

37

the courier

sport

Monday 30 April 2018

Get springy this spring Sports Editor Sydney Isaacs gives you the low down on local trampoline parks and explains why trampolining is the perfect combination of great exercise and great fun You may have noticed that in recent years a certain type of fitness/leisure facility seem to be springing up here there and everywhere, this being trampoline parks.

If you are still somewhat unsure as to how the popularity of these parks has soared so rapidly since their introduction then you probably haven’t visited one. Thankfully, here at the courier (with help from the Waterpolo girls) we have done all the hard work researching and visiting every trampoline park in the local area gathering all the relevant information in order to make this an easily rectifiable situation for yourself.

We have found that these parks generally take the format of a main floor that is made up of adjacent square trampolines, with a number of slightly longer or wider trampolines and padded blocks slotted into the matrix. This floor is usually surrounded on three sides with diagonally angled trampolines designed to allow for for literally ‘bouncing off the walls’.

Aside from the main floor, the parks often have a number of other trampoline based facilities such as trampolines and tumble tracks leading into foam pits or air bags for practicing tricks. High padded walls for running up or bouncing on to, dodgeball arenas, slacklines are also features often featured.

Whether you are a basic bouncer or parkour pro, it seems that these venues will always offer something to suit your level.

Open bounce sessions are usually an hour long. Whilst the sheer thrill of catching air and challenging yourself is powerfully addictive, trampolining is a full body workout that will leave you satisfyingly exhausted by the end of your slot. If its your first bouncing session then your muscles are very likely to remind you of their hard work the following day.

It is fair to expect that an open session at one of these parks will be proportionally dominated by the funnest demographic of people – children – but do not let this deter you as they are often keen to give advice and kind feedback on your moves. Their presence also helps you to re-unite your own inner carefree child, a great way to combat stress.

If you are really feeling put off by the prospect of bouncing with little’ns then there are other options available to you.

Trampoline parks - North East

Better Extreme, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE4 9LG

Jump 360, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Ne12 9SW

Available sessions

Price

Facilities

Accessibility

Peak open bounce

£11.00

Off-peak open bounce (Monday to Friday 4pm-5pm)

£7.95 £9.95

Dodgeball court Fidget Ladder Foam Pits Slackline Performance Walls 2 Tumble Tracks Balance Beam Basketball lanes

17 minute bike ride from NUSU

Two hour bounce

• • • • • • • •

General admission

£10

Adult sessions - Saturdays after 7pm featuring charts music and “a lighting system to rival any club”.

£10

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Dodgeball Court Basketball Lanes Foam Pits Airbag Rope Ladder Hang Tough Slackline Battle Beam 2 Tumble Tracks Ninja Assualt Course Battle Beams Penalty shootout Traverse Climbing Walls Aeroball Net Crawl Stepping Stones

13 minute walk from Benton Metro

• • • • • • • • •

Dodgeball court Basketball Lanes Airbag Dual Assualt Course Gladiator Beam stepping stones Hit-the-lights game Tumble track Slackline

24 minute bike ride from NUSU or 5 minute walk from Metrocenter train station

• • • •

Dodgeball court 2 Tumble Tracks Foam Pits Performance walls

32 minute drive from NUSU

• • •

Dodgeball court Airbag with 3m podium Wall-run with performance trampolines Freerun area Basketball Lanes

33 minute drive from NUSU

Fitness classes - Wednesday night

Jump Arena, Gateshead Ne11 9DJ

Gravity Force, Sunderland SR5 3RX

Open Jump

£10

Student Jump

£6

Fit Jump

£6

Gravity Jump

£10

Gravity Fit

Individually priced classes £15

Gravity Sundown - Friday 8pm-10pm “the music goes up and the fun begins.”

Infinite Air Durham DH1 1GG

£6

Open Jump weekday

£7.95

Open jump weekend

£11.95

Inflatable air - Assault Courses, Climbing Challenges, Slides, Castles, Gladiator, Boxing, Sumo’s, Demolition Zone, Total Wipeout and more.

£10

• •

Gymnastics center - North East

Benfield Sports Centre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE6 4NU

Available sessions

Price

Facilities

Accessibility

Casual Trampolining (wednesday 5pm-7pm)

£3.70

17 minute bike ride from NUSU

Adult Gymnasticas

£5.50

• • • • • • • • •

Most parks offer trampoline based fitness classes which are usually cheaper than open jump sessions and include a full hour’s instruction with music.

Performance trampolines Sprung floors Tumble tracks Crash mats Foam pit Inflatable tumble track Trampets Springboards Gymnastics beams

For those of you who would prefer to pursue trampolining as a technical discipline, the Benfield Sports Centre, the primary training facility of both City

10 minute walk from Walkergate Metro

of Newcastle and Newcastle University gymnastics clubs, offers both coached and free-for-all adult sessions. The Benfield Centre features fewer trampolines than the recreational trampoline parks but they differ in that they are performance trampolines which offer significantly more bounce than their trampoline-park brothers and sisters and therefore allow for more advanced tricks to be performed.

Intra Mural round-up Mark Sleightholm Sports Editor

11s Football The six leagues are drawing to their conclusion, with Hardly Athletic even notching up their first win of the season on 16 April in the third division.

The semi-finals of the Wednesday Cup, which Hardly Athletic crashed out of in the first round, will take place this Wednesday.

5

May, the date of the Saturday Cup final in the Intra Mural Football 11s

The third division still has representation in the Cup, however, in the form of Jesmond Tutu FC, who’ll take on Pique Blinders from Division Two. The winner of this match will play either Dyslexic Untied or Agrics FC in the final on 9 May, wrapping up the Intra Mural season. The Saturday Cup final takes place on 5 May. 7s Football Jesmond Tutu’s 7-a-side team are also in action, having won their league to book themselves a place in the playoffs.

The finals of this eight-team contest will take place this Wednesday.

5s Football The 16 5-a-side teams range in performance from Fifty Shades of O’Shea, who have lost all five games this term and have a goal difference of -64, to the unbeaten Daves Wok 5s with their goal difference of 40.

Once the league was out of the way attention turned to the playoffs, with Anonymous, who came a very close second in the Tuesday league, claiming the victory.

Netball It was a clean sweep for the Medics in the mid-week netball, with their various teams winning all three leagues and the end-of-season playoffs.

It was a more mixed bag in the Saturday leagues although all three divisions had a Medics side with at least six points to their name.

15

points for History’s Saturday team, who were unbeaten in the Saturday 11am netball league

Charlie’s Angles were unbeaten in the 10am division and claimed first place, while History’s Saturday team scored some massive victories over the course of the season to take the 11am title.

Law claimed the 12pm title in a closelyfought campaign, but in the playoffs across all three divisions it was the Medics who came out victorious.

Rugby A goal difference of 165 wasn’t enough to clinch the title for Agrics 1, who lost a match, and the league title, to the Cheeky Ladies just before Easter.

Their attention now turns to the playoffs, which come to a conclusion this Wednesday.

Rugby Union

Book in advance to ensure you avoid disappointment as sessions have a maximum capacity Image: Jump Arena Ltd

A waterpolo player completes the assault course at Jump Arena Image: Sydney Isaacs

Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1 Cheeky Ladies

5

5

0

0

89

24

2 Agrics 1

5

4

0

1

165 21

3 Agrics 2

4

2

0

2

2

10

4 Law Blacks

5

2

0

3

-39

9

5 Engines

4

1

0

3

-38

5

6 Titan Medics RFC

5

0

0

5

-179

0

38

the courier

sport

Monday 30 April 2018

Basketball hosts alumni game BASKETBALL Courtney Strait at the Sports Centre Last weekend the Newcastle Basketball Club dusted off their boots after finishing their season in mid-March.

For one more day of play during the 2017-2018 season, Team Newcastle suited up against the Newcastle Basketball Club alumni, as ex-Knights (both men and women), returned to the Toon for a weekend full of basketball (and possibly some booze).

Both games featured spirited efforts, as players came from all over the UK to relive their sporting glory days in an old school vs. new school faceoff. Taking place on 21 April, the afternoon featured a rollercoaster of emotions as the

current Newcastle team came away with a victory, and the current men’s team were defeated in dramatic fashion.

Newcastle University Women’s Basketball Club handled the alumni squad, called the Old Girls, by a final score of 60-50. Despite being out of university competition for a few years, the Old Girls put up a strong effort against the Club’s current players.

As the game progressed, it was evident that the game would feature runs from both sides. During each quarter, Team Newcastle would take a commanding lead against the Old Girls, but they never gave up.

The Old Girls came firing back with stingy defence and a quick moving offence to tighten the score many times in the game. Standouts from the Old Girls squad included Ashley Todd, Al-

ice Holloway Corinne Vaughan and Jackie Fisher. Sophie Short, Cassidy Sanders-Curry and Courtney Strait led the charge for the current players’ team, who’s offensive attack was too much for the Old Girls to handle when the final buzzer sounded.

On the other side of the Newcastle Sport Centre, the Old Boys completed an amazing upset against the current Newcastle Knights men’s team.

With the game tied at 62, the Old Boys took the ball up the court for a desperation heave. The ball clanged off the rim, and it seemed that the game was headed into overtime. One player on the Old Boys’ team had other ideas, though, and scampered to the loose ball, grabbed the rebound and put up a skying, fade-away hook shot that danced around every part of the rim before dropping in for

the winning basket. Bedlam ensued, as the red-kitted Old Boys swarmed the shooter and celebrated accordingly.

For the victorious Old Boys squad, performances from George Beard and Jack Beresford (who performed a questionable kit change to join the Old Boys lineup) proved to push the squad to victory. The hosts in blue were led by Zach Leal, George Papaleontiou, and Dan Casado.

Despite differing finishes to the games, the mood following the event was a very happy one. Overall, Alumni Weekend 2018 was a great success, and just goes to show how well sport can bring people together, create new friendships and foster old ones.

Basketball player gets surprise during alumni match: page 4

Newcastle basketball players young and old come together for a scrimmage.

Image: Rosie Wowk

Fighters come back for more Women’s r BOXING James Sproston at Venue Hundreds of boxing fans descended on Venue for the second 2018 edition of Fight Night, and they were treated to yet another sporting spectacle.

After a turbulent event back in November, two fighters returned to the billing as spectators were treated to twelve thrilling bouts in Venue, ten of which going the full distance and decided by the judges.

Kicking off half an hour later than anticipated, an expectant crowd met the arrival of Madeline Matheson with rowdy but jubilant cheers, as she faced off with Vickie Hellings in what, on paper, presented an even bout.

In reality it was anything but balanced. Hellings’ defence consistently let her down, as Matheson’s left-hand cross repeatedly landed blows on her opponent’s chin. Though it went the full three rounds, Matheson was the clear winner on the night, with the southpaw never looking troubled by Hellings.

Next up, returning fighter Olly Gilby fought rookie Lewis Hogg. Gilby went into this one having been at the epicentre of the raucous that called the event to a halt back in November. As a result, no winner was announced that night, so he went into his fight with a point to prove.

Although Hogg had a clear advantage in his build, Gilby used his experience to take a clear lead after the second round. Despite Hogg’s superior fitness in the third, his efforts were not enough to overcome the earlier deficit in points.

Before the first interval, two further even fights entertained the crowd. Jordan Cook was victorious against Euan Ford in the former of the two, despite hitting the canvas after losing his footing in the first round. The subsequent bout pitted crowd favourite Rosie Stewart come to blows with Steph Strange.

Following a fantastic effort from both boxers, Stewart pipped her opponent having dealt several powerful, blooddrawing blows.

The crowd’s thirst for conviction was quenched by the bout featuring twins Hugo and Tom Hawkins The final female fight of the evening came after the first interval, with Rachel Cheng tiring against Laura Chaney in the final round. ‘Whips and Chaney’ sealed the win with a consistent performance and a number of decisive hits in the third.

In indubitably the most disappointing

fight of the night, Jack Wallace convincingly beat an unprepared Henry MacAllister, but was not able to finish the fight before the final bell. Both fighters started fast without throwing any punches, but were blowing before the end of the first, leaving the crowd craving more conviction.

12

fights entertained the crowd of a packed Venue during the second Fight Night of 2018

Their thirst was satisfactorily quenched with the next bout, potentially the best of the night. It featured twins Hugo and Tom Hawkins, representing Newcastle and Durham universities respectively. Though Tom had superior technique, Hugo hit with greater power, dealing his twin a cut above his right eye that brought the bout to a close in the second round. Afterwards they embraced and posed for photos, proving that the family feud would not ruin Christmas this year.

In the biggest mismatch of the evening, 5ft6 George Hall took on 6ft fresher Nicky Bird. The contest was surprisingly even, and Hall took the fight against all odds, with Bird failing to capitalise on opportunities to uppercut when it mattered.

The second and final interval was succeeded by a win by TKO for Toby Law-

rence against the unknown quantity Dan Ford, whilst professional-looking Sam Silson conquered the big unit of Jack Stevenson after three tightly contested rounds.

Penultimately, Koffi Kouadio fought ‘Big Dave’ Ellam in the heaviest bout of the night. Walking out to Oasis’ ‘Morning Glory’, Ellam won the crowd over, and despite his looser physique, snatched victory from Kouadio with a valiant effort in the final round. Stories of his efforts in training had circulated through the media and crowd, becoming a true people’s champion in the process.

Mirroring the event back in November, Patric Cochrane took to the ring in the final fight of the night, this time faced by Yannick Thompson. Cochrane had only opted to participate the evening before, with Thompson’s two previous proposed opponents dropping out.

Similar to his previous fight, Cochrane looked composed and light on his feet, but Thompson matched him for desire in the first two rounds. Despite what looked like match-clinching third round performance from Cochrane, having bloodied Thompson’s nose, the fight was sent into a fourth-round decider.

Thompson’s resurgence in the fourth could have snatched victory, but the judges opted to award Cochrane the honours yet again, retaining his title at Fight Night champion.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Newcastle 1sts agg 34 27 Manchester 1sts Newcastle win first leg 22-5 Manchester win second leg 22-12

Amie Walker at Heaton and Manchester After a not so successful season Newcastle’s women’s rugby first team saw themselves face off against Manchester University in the playoffs, fighting to retain their position in the premiership. Although not happy to be in their current position, they knew that they had the upper hand through their experience of playing against some of the toughest university teams in the country.

Newcastle played at home for the first of the two-leg fixture. The girls approached the game with excitement, knowing their hard work in training and during their Easter fitness programme would put them in good stead against the new opponents.

6

consecutive seasons Newcastle’s women have played in the premiership, reaching safety through playoffs in 2016 and 2018

The game began with Newcastle receiving, the ball caught by second rower Scholey allowing the attack to begin.

The attack sadly was stopped by a good

39

the courier

sport

Monday 30 April 2018

Uni on top in local leagues MEN’S FOOTBALL Mark Sleightholm Sports Editor

Manchester were unable to hold Newcastle back from their crucial victory in Heaton Image: NUWRFC

rugby saved by first win of season steal from Manchester which just allowed to show how strong Newcastle were in defence too.

A superb tackle from first year prop Mawar saw Newcastle force a knock on, giving Newcastle the first possessive scrum. The ball was hooked back perfectly by McGregor into the hands of crashing Robinson, the chemist carving past the Manchester flankers and forcing the 10 into action. After a few passage of plays outside centre Dancing Dewar found herself skipping around and past the defensive line. Just as she was about to score the referee blew for a misfortunate forward pass to Manchester’s relief.

Not deterred, Newcastle got right back into it. A double tackle by Hepburn and Acorn saw Newcastle regain possession with a tremendous jump by high flyer Strachan, the ball being passed down the back line. Now the forwards had the chance to smash into the line, Farrah and Pratt expressing their inner Miley Cyrus by wrecking the defensive line.

After a penalty placing Newcastle right near the Manchester try line the girls didn’t get white line fever; the ball was quickly and calmly tapped by scrum half Walker Dupère. The first year passed the ball to the 10 Hepburn who drew in the defence and passed it to second rower Walker who with a long, NBA style dunk placed the ball on the try line. The extra two points were received by a lovely kick from McGregor.

Pumped from their try but knowing the game wasn’t over yet Newcastle got right back to it, Strachan and Dewar breaking past the defence. With a quick pick and go, Walker Dupère placed Newcastle back into Manchester’s 22.

The second try was scored by Robinson crashing through three players after receiving an out-the-back pass from Walker.

Farah and Pratt expressed their inner Miley Cyrus by wrecking Manchester’s defensive line The second half began with a cracking tackle from Eardley, forcing a knock on from the onset. From the scrum the ball was handed to Green, the first year gliding through the gaps in the line. Newcastle got back to work, with the forwards smashing the ball in then shipping it out to their fast footed teammates, winger Scarr making important metres.

After a brilliant try for the line by fullback Eardley the girls got their score through Walker, the second rower doing what comes natural and hurtling through the line to earn her second try.

Manchester definitely weren’t ready

to lie down and take the loss, their no.8 stealing the ball and forcing Newcastle into defence after the kick off. Amazing tackles from Dewar and Green allowed winger Acorn to steal the ball, passing it to fresh legs Hotson who was ready to show Manchester why she was making her first team debut.

Scholey, Pratt and Robinson drew the defensive line with some big carries, providing space for Acorn to score her first ever first-team try. Still determined to put a score on the board in the final moments, Manchester deservingly crashed through the line after a succession of penalties against Newcastle.

The following week the victors travelled down to Manchester hoping to build on their success and cement their position in the premiership.

Despite a few early tries giving Newcastle a 12-5 lead at half time, Manchester fought back to win 22-12. Fortunately for Newcastle this was not enough to overcome their defeat in the first leg, and Manchester will be playing in the Northern 1A division once again next year.

Despite hail, a potential storm and a string of injuries, Newcastle women’s rugby were successful in their campaign to remain in the premiership. Their hard work and determination during the game ensured the ladies defeated Manchester University overall. full away leg report next week

How the teams lined up Newcastle 1sts

v

Manchester 1sts

18 April 2018 1 Amy Farrah 1 2 Gabi McGregor 2 3 Sophie Mawer 3 4 Beth Scholey 4 5 Amie Walker 5 6 Ella Strachan 6 7 Ellie Pratt 7 8 Bethany Robinson 8 9 Mattie Walker Dupère 9 10 Jess Hepburn 10 11 Danielle Scarr 11 12 Georgia Green 12 13 Fiona Dewar 13 14 Emily Acorn 14 15 Sally Eardley 15 Replacements: Seremma Hotson Teresa McGilivray Maddy Wood Stella Mills Yasmin Hutchings

Manchester 1sts

Replacements: Abena Asante-Sakyi Sophie Gough Tasha Barnes (vc) Libby Bristow Eleanor Hurley

BUCS RESULTS

FENCING

M1 v Nottingham 1sts

RUGBY SEVENS

M1 v Bath 1sts M1 v Bishop Burton 1sts M1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts

RUGBY UNION

W1 v Manchester 1sts

101-134 15-28 5-31 15-40 12-22

v Newcastle 1sts

25 April 2018 1 Amy Farrah 1 2 Gabi McGregor 2 3 Seremma Hotson 3 4 Amie Walker 4 5 Ella Strachan (vc) 5 6 Sophie Mawer 6 7 Bethan Davies 7 8 Bethany Robinson (c) 8 9 Mattie Walker Dupère 9 10 Georgia Green 10 11 Danielle Scarr 11 12 Maddy Wood 12 13 Fiona Dewar 13 14 Emily Acorn 14 15 Sally Eardley 15 Replacements: Stella Mills Imz Cullen Poppy Bell Esther Adeola

Claire Gordon Ailish Sinclair Amber Barnes-Yates Alex Calkin Ella Jones Leanne Nguyen-Phuoc Frankie Morgans-Slader Zoe Childs-Ford Helen Brown (c) Ellie Lamb Izi Robins Sannah Ifzal Bella Young Elin Davies Abbie Rule

After their fourth successive toptwo finish in the BUCS Northern 1A league, the men’s first football team have now turned their attention to the local Northern Football Alliance.

The University are consistently at the top of the Bay Plastics Premier Division, and on Monday travelled to Ashington to thrash the Colliers by five goals to nil.

They were unable to repeat this success two days later, however, away against the tougher competition of Wallington.

In a league dominated by high score lines the game was surprisingly turgid, but the hosts scored the solitary goal of the match and gave Newcastle only their third defeat of the season.

That this is a rare exception to their dominance this season is also reflected in their cup performance. Newcastle have waltzed into the final of the Reeves Independent George Dobbins League Cup on 15 May. This will pit them against Birtley Town, currently their closest challengers for the league title.

Before they can concentrate on their bid for the double, however, they face Whitley Bay A in Northumberland FA’s wonderfully-titled Scott’s Les Todd Senior Benevolent Bowl. A 5-1 drubbing of Killingworth Town back in February thrust Newcastle into the final, which takes place on 4 May at the home of the Northumberland FA’s home of Whitley Park, next door to the University’s own Longbenton ground.

In the Northern Football Alliance league Whitley Bay have proved challenging for Newcastle. Their initial meeting in September 2017 ended in a 3-3 draw, while Newcastle snuck a narrow victory when they travelled to Whitley in March, setting up Friday’s cup final to be a closely-fought affair.

Meanwhile the Newcastle seconds are also flying high, currently sitting in first place in the top division of the Newcastle Corinthians League. Unbeaten so far the University team are within touching distance of the title, but it could all come down to their final match of the season when the University take on current second-place holders New York FC on 5 May.

Claire Gordon May Coffey Amber Barnes-Yates Alex Calkin Ella Jones Leanne Nguyen-Phuoc Frankie Morgans-Slader Ailish Sinclair Helen Brown (c) Ellie Lamb Tasha Barnes Alisha Kasam-Sharples Bella Young Sannah Ifzal Abbie Rule

Replacements: Abena Asante-Sakyi Megan Grant-Harris Izi Robins Elin Davies Libby Bristow

OVERALL BUCS POSITION Pos

University

Pts

8

Birmingham ■

2570.5

9

Northumbria ■

2532.3

10

Newcastle ■

1834.5

11

Notts Trent ▲

1792

12

Cardiff ▼

1747

sport the courier

Monday 30 April 2018 Issue 1368 Free @Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Sport Editors Mark Sleightholm, Courtney Strait, Tom Shrimplin, Sydney Isaacs & Matt Proctor

Triathletes in action across the North

TRIATHLON

Tom Clements, Thom Gilbert and Florence Shekleton A triple whammy for Team Newcastle Triathlon saw club members take part in a cycling time trial, a duathlon and a full-on triathlon all in a single day.

While four members travelled to St Andrews for a triathlon with a view, one cycled round rural Northumberland and a few more slogged it out in the Stockton Duathlon.

St Andrews Triathlon After an early start to the day, Bonnie Murphy set off in the St Andrews pool at 9am as Newcastle’s first racer, in with some of the fastest in the competition even though it was her first triathlon.

A quick transition and she was off on the bike, looking excited and bouncy (as per).

Her teammate Xanthe Polaine was soon underway in the pool while Murphy started on a two-lap course round the beach.

Shortly after, Polaine arrived from her cycle, and after a brief helmet-hair tangle ending in a wrestle (with marshall assistance) she got away onto the run.

Murphy came over the line, beaming, after an amazing debut performance of 1:25:30, putting her top of the juniors.

Polaine then posted a speedy 1:22:33 after a lightning run.

Next: the boys.

Ed Hayden was first in the pool at 11:40, and after having to do two more lengths than expected, was determined to set it straight on the bike.

Hugo Marsh was next in at 12 with a solid swim. Despite catching his knee on the poolside on exit he stormed through transition and onto the bike.

Hayden came back from the bike, looking ready for the run, and getting off cleanly, after reporting on the savage wind on the bike course that had picked up through the day.

Marsh’s transition ended in a loud wahoo while Hayden’s finish was just a lot of heavy breathing. Hayden came in in 1:21:39, and Marsh followed later in 1:19:51.

Stockton Duathlon There was also an early start in Stockton for the three Newcastle athletes taking part in the sprint distance duathlon.

Ellie Russell lead the trio in a strong 5km run to start, with Tori Gilbert and Megan Inch following close behind. A puncture forced Inch to retire from the race, but Gilbert and Russell both had a

Thom Gilbert passing a rival on his way to ninth place in the time trial Image: Team Newcastle Triathlon strong 20km bike, with Gilbert just taking the lead. They finished with a short all-out effort in the grueling final 2.5km run in the now pouring rain, both managing to maintain smiles throughout!

The second race of the day was the standard distance duathlon: a 10km run followed by a 40km bike and a final 5km run. Miraculously the rain stopped and the clouds cleared leaving windy but sunny conditions for Newcastle’s racers.

Fergus Ingledew lead the way in the first run in a fast 38 minutes. On the bike Tom Jackson-Taylor took the lead with his new Canyon.

It all came down to mental willpower to run through the pain in the final 5km. Jackson-Taylor managed to maintain the lead taking 26th position, with

Riley Richardson then Ingledew coming in just behind. Andy Shaw decided to forget his aim of “taking it easy”, letting a competitive edge take over with a brutal overtake of Jamie Partridge in the final 100m. But it was Tom Elmer who crossed the finish line in the best style still sporting his cappo.

38

Fergus Ingledew completed his first run in just 38 minutes, helping him come 32nd overall

In the women’s race, Louise Mcleman pulled a 45-minute 10km run out the bag to take an early lead. Fiona McDon-

ald did her best to catch up on the bike in a rapid 1hr 10 min. Mcleman managed to maintain the lead on the final run, coming in a very impressive 15th position with McDonald just behind in 16th.

Wren Langford came in next. Despite a run-in with a traffic cone taking her off her bike she got back on and pushed though to the end with her final run six minutes faster than her time last year.

M27 Time Trial Meanwhile Thom Gilbert traveled up to Rothbury for a 27-mile ‘mountain’ time trial. Racing against riders from across Northumberland and Durham, Gilbert’s bike gave him a multitude of technical problems.

After struggling through the early

stages of the race he was forced to dismount ahead of the speedier sections.

Sacrificing 30 seconds, and a bit of blood (chainring teeth are sharp) he managed to return the chain to its rightful place to save what he figured could amount to a couple of minutes in the long run. To keep it coming off again on rough ground, however, he was forced to keep the chain tight, which occasionally meant simultaneously pedaling, braking and cornering in the wet… a bit scary, and certainly not ideal racing conditions.

Gilbert managed to avoid any further chain drops, however, and even sneaked into the top ten with a time of 1:15:33, just seven minutes behind of the winner.

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