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Monday 10 December 2018

Providing a helping hand this christmas: The People’s Kitchen An Ernest fundraiser

Grace Dean News Editor

The People’s Kitchen, a charity which has supported homeless populations in Newcastle for more than 30 years, will be providing hot three-courses meals for Newcastle’s homeless and vulnerable on Christmas Day. The charity, which was founded in 1985, provides shower facilities, sleeping bags, blankets, clothes and 40,000 hot meals each year for Newcastle’s homeless population. The services are accessed by roughly 800 people per week, which the charity refers to as “Friends”. The People’s Kitchen however receives no government funding, meaning that their campaigns are all carried out entirely by their team of 200 dedicated volunteers. The charity’s celebrity ambassador is Hairy Biker Si King. David Yellowley, a Trustee of The People’s Kitchen, said, “Basic needs such as hot meals are taken for granted by many of us and a small donation

of £5 will make such a difference to one of our “friends” by providing the cost of a three course dinner.”

Jodie Duddy News Editor

Ernest in Ouseburn was the setting for a charity fundraiser organised by the Newcastle University Helping Our Homeless Society on the 3rd of December.

“I was overwhelmed by the amount of support in terms of donations we received at the event” Matthew Rodrick, President of Helping Our Homeless Society

Image: Pixabay

By charging £3 on the door for a night of music from Kolokol Collective it was advertised to ‘ “Slip […] earnestly into the gaps between disco, techno,

and boogie”’, and managed to raise £114 alongside many donations in the form of food, clothing and other necessities for their ShoeBox appeal. The appeal is for students and other members of the public to fill a ShoeBox with basic items to make life easier for rough sleepers, such as, underwear, socks, wipes, roll on deodorant, gloves, thermals, torches, hats and scarves. The funds raised will go directly into making more of these boxes that will be given out to the homeless or needy in Newcastle. The event was organised by founder and president of the society Matthew Rodrick, and Charlie Cockburn and was deemed a great success. Rodrick commented; ‘“I was overwhelmed by the amount of support in terms of donations we received at the event, and am very grateful that so many people came. This was our first fundraising event of this type, a lot rested on it and it exceeded my expectations. Huge thanks to the team that organized it and everyone who came along!”’

‘The Big Sleep Out’ raises over £20,000 to help house Newcastle’s homeless Steven Ross News Editor

Joe Molander

Steven Ross contacted Joe Molander, a partipant of the Big Sleep out Event, to find out why he got involved in the project and what he gained from his experience.

The time George Orwell spent in poverty famously became the basis for Down and Out in Paris and London. On Saturday 1st December, students and members of the congregation of Jesmond Parish Church came together to emulate Orwell, by sleeping outside the church with the aim of raising enough money to take 12 homeless people off the streets of Newcastle for the month of December. While many of Newcastle’s homeless have been in such a condition for years, we were homeless for just a night. The other crucial difference is that we’re students, so we’re probably going to tell more people about what we did than Orwell ever would. The night – dubbed the Big Sleep Out – began on the considerably warmer inside of Jesmond Parish church. The event was originally planned to take place in the Civic Centre gardens but because the ground was totally saturated, the location was changed and instead participants slept outside on the grounds of the Jesmond church. though it was still cold and wet. Ramzi Adcock, the organiser, spoke briefly and cheerfully about the logistics of the event, before handing over to Michael, a man who had experienced homelessness for several months. Considerably more solemn than Adcock, Michael opened with a prayer, and explained that no-one here tonight would experience real homelessness. Real homelessness, he elucidated, lies in isolation: on the streets, he made clear that the cold and rain were the least of one’s concerns.

What was it that motivated you to get involved with the event? I’d always wanted to get a better sense of what it was like to be homeless. A lot of people tend to lack empathy for the people who have to live through it, and I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be one of those people. Has the event changed your perception or appreciation of homelessness in Newcastle? Not particularly: George Orwell talked about how the worst part of poverty was sheer boredom, and I now definitely see how that can apply to homelessness. I couldn’t get to sleep at all, which left me with eight hours lying in a sleeping bad staring up at a tree, with nothing to do. Were the people doing the event mostly students like yourself, or was it a mix of people? It was mostly students, but there was also a sizeable minority who were connected to Jesmond Parish Church, which organised it. How did you prepare for the event and how did the reality compare with your expectations? I didn’t do very much to be honest: I just wrapped up warm (the advice I found most helpful was “bring more layers than you think you’ll need”). In terms of reality and expectations, I found the cold and the rain easier to deal with than I thought – though the rain kept hitting my face, which kept me awake. What was the most challenging aspect of the event? Like I said earlier, definitely the boredom. A close second would be the puddle that developed underneath me (from rain, I swear: I was nervous, but not that nervous). To get involved in the Big Sleep Out next year go to www.bigsleepoutnewcastle.co.uk If you want to help out Newcastle’s homeless population in general you can contact NU’s Helping Our Homeless Society on their Facebook page.

which generated over £20,000. This constituted a significant success, as the cost of housing 12 rough sleepers for the month would have cost a little over £7,000. The remainder of the money raised will therefore go towards further supporting the homeless people into the new year and helping them find work. Once the morning arrived, participants were chirpy and full of energy, content with the knowledge that what they had done would make a difference, certainly in the short term and, hopefully, the long term as well. Michael Sutherland, the man who organised the event, spoke to BBC Newcastle to discuss the event in further detail. He said, “A year ago I was made homeless and found Jesus which changed my life.” Discussing what it was like during the Beast from the East in Winter of 2017, he said that it was through reading the Bible in the bitter cold that gave him hope. He also stated that the idea for the Big Sleep out was just a crazy idea that grew and grew. “I had no doubt that people would get involved with the event, I had faith.” He also stated that the mental side of homelessness, the loneliness, is far worse than the physical

Participants were chirpy and full of energy, content with the knowledge that what they had done would make a difference

Once we got outside to embark on the Big Sleep Out, Michael’s prophecy came true. With so many people being out together doing the same thing, mostly with their friends or fellow church-goers, it was hard for a certain community spirit to not make the sleep out a little easier. That said, the Big Sleep Out was far from unhelpful: participants were asked to fund-raise, an effort

Following the event’s success, there are hopes to organise another sleep out next year Image: Andrew Shaw

side. Therefore, thankfully those who were involved in the sleep out would not have experienced the true trauma that homelessness brings. He claimed that the physical things like the cold

The mental side of homelessness, the loneliness, is far worse than the physical side. It is the feeling of complete hopelessness that drives homeless people to take their own lives

are uncomfortable but survivable. It is the feeling of complete hopelessness and that believing that nobody cares that drives homeless people to take their own lives. Sutherland was very happy with the amount raised by the event and hopes to organise another sleep out next year.

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lifestyle christmas

Monday 10 December 2018

Show us your baubles! Your Editors go head to head in Lifestyles ‘make your own bauble’ competition...

E l l a’s Brucie sprout

As an unseasoned toenail-painter, I started my bauble boy by diving into my flatmate’s kindly donated nail polish collection. However, this proved time consuming work. Completing the top fifth resulted in an empty pot of expensive-looking red varnish and an inpatient Ella. Time to crack out the glitter glues! Yes, he is patchy and things got sticky, but the festive sparkle salvaged this crafting session. Things are going well… I’m really sorry, Brucie. I didn’t realise we owned googley eyes, but I should have stopped at an insentient glittery blob. Now he is peering at me with an I-don’t-know-what expression: the polished red top has become a strange, spiky beret and my dotty embellishments look more like sparkly alienpimples. This took a troubling turn. Merry Christmas from me and Brucie?

Isabel’s eco ornament

The Couriermas bauble I’m not one for the glitter and bling when it comes to Christmas decorations, I prefer classy and understated over gold and garish. The inspiration for this bauble was therefore to do something a bit different than your usual sparkly knick-knack, even if it didn’t exactly turn out as planned. I’m also about reducing waste over Christmas wherever you can, and using recycled materials for wrapping paper and decorations could be an innovative way to be kinder to the planet this festive season – in theory. The plan was to smoothly wrap the bauble in this stellar student newspaper (what ‘s more stylish than the Courier?) and then something like clear nail varnish could be brushed over the top to create a shiny effect. This, evidently, did not pan out. Despite the newspaper being harder to wrap around a spherical shape than I anticipated, and the effect turning out more scrunchy mess than upcycled chic, I stand by the idea of using recycled materials. Recycling and reusing will always be a must in my house, though it doesn’t usually result in questionable arts and crafts attempts, and I would encourage others to be mindful of waste over the holiday period.

Scarlett’s trash

Here is my bauble filled with trash. More explicitly, it’s full of the plastic that I have use in the last 5 days. And that’s not even all of it, I couldn’t fit it all in. As someone who appreciates the idea of ethical consumption, I’ve always been interested in living in a way that made me more thoughtful about the waste I produce. So when I decided to create one of these baubles, I gave myself a challenge to keep myself accountable – I would put all the unrecyclable plastic inside and see how I did. I wasn’t going to try and make less waste, I wanted to see exactly how much plastic I was using on average. To put it into perspective, plastic makes up approximately 10 percent of the total waste we generate, it can take between 500 to 1000 years for plastic to degrade, and the ocean breaks down plastic in such a way that just from one plastic bottle could end up on every miles of every beach on the planet. So this is my shame. Whilst it’s not particularly happy and Christmassy, thinking about using less plastic can only be beneficial when you think of all the waste that sounds the holiday season.

Molly’s christmas star is born

After agonising about who deserved to decorate my tree this year, I landed on a true star: fashion icon, philanthropist and talented artist, Lady Gaga. Queen of not having a fuck to give, Gaga has been daring in all of her creative endevours, from changing the face of pop music with The Fame Monster, to giving us goosebumps in A Star is Born. Not to mention the fact that she has been an ally and an activist through her entire career; as a bisexual woman, she has continually advocated for LGBT+ rights and spoken out against Trump’s transgender military ban earlier this year. To me, she’s an example of a celebrity who is genuinely using their platform for good. So, behold: The Ga-Star. To me, Gaga exemplifies the true meaning of Christmas: good music, caring and fantastic fashion. Or something...

Jodie’s broken tragedy

Christmas bauble: I’ve let my mum down, I’ve let the Courier down but worst of all I’ve let myself down. A lot of love and attention was taken to keep in the lines as I scribbled the bauble with felt tip pens and I improvised using sparkly nail varnish for the base. Then a clear nail varnish with green festival glitter sprinkled on top was used to evoke images of The Grinch everyone’s favourite yuletide character. However, tragedy struck when it came to take selfies with my bauble I got a bit carried away with my angles and it ended up in a pile on the floor. First Banksy’s balloon girl was shredded at auction, now Duddy’s bauble ends up in a heap. I can only ask as an editor of News, is Brexit really to blame?

Amanda’s Chinese snowflake

Being an international student means not being able to go back for Christmas on some years, so I thought I would bring some of my Chinese traditions onto my bauble. My bauble depicts what would typically be stained on Chinese porcelain plates and vases. Most Chinese art is based on symbolic values. the snowflake shaped bauble was chosen to represent the stars, where in china would symbolise as the “heart of the Emperor” – the inexhaustible source of pardon and love. Right in the middle of the star there is a flower, which is supposed to look like a pomegranate, symbolising posterity. I thought that by bringing some traditional Chinese influences into my Christmas bauble, it would carry a sense of home and joy during this wonderful time of year.

Louise’s star of pompoms

So here it is: the product of about 10 minutes frantic work with nothing but selotape and a love of craft to work with. Using some poundland bought pom pom’s shoved into a plastic casing, this creation was born. In creating this bauble I wanted to convey a sense of fun and modern Christmas spirit. I like to think my bauble makes a bold statement, something a tad different to your traditional design and idea of a Christmas decoration. I love Christmas trees that don’t have a theme, and are rather a mish mash of lots of different decorations, and I feel like this vibrant little number would fit into that Christmas tree theme perfectly. While it may look like something a pre-school child could make on an afternoon in arts class, I don’t think you can get any jazzier than my bauble, and I’d happily hang it on my Christmas tree any day.

WINNER: Amanda Goh

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christmas comment SOAPBOX PLASTIC NOT FANTASTIC

Aimee Seddon

ecember has finally arrived and that means it’s time to cheer up our depressing student houses with Christmas decorations galore. We all know that the star of the show is the Christmas tree, so I was horrified when my housemates declared their decision to get a fake one. I get it, we no longer have our parents to clean up the mouldy prigs in January, but does that mean we have to resort to artificial trees? They are plastic and they are cold, void of the heart and warmth of Christmas. We claim to be environmentally conscious yet we reach for less sustainable options, discarding what Mother Nature gave us. Christmas is all about tradition and indulgence. I want the traditional look, the traditional smell, and I’m willing to pay for a new tree each year to get that. Hanging a Christmas tree air freshener on our plastic monstrosity just doesn’t have the same effect. And don’t get me started on those pink trees…

ROAST OF THE WEEK

POINTLESS POLICIES

Jack Coles

’m sure setting policy on taxes is a thankless task. I understand why many taxes are levied, but I take issue with those brought in for ideological reasons that simply do not work. Take sugar tax. Has this worked? No, of course not. Raising a tax on a desirable good does not result in lower demand of that good; rather, the consumer spends less elsewhere to keep up their purchases. Similarly, Scotland hasn’t seen much reduction in alcohol consumption since the minimum unit pricing, but pubs all across Britain are suffering due to unfair tax regimes that favour supermarkets. Raising a tax to reduce consumption doesn’t work, yet policymakers persist in using this idea. It doesn’t help people who consume too much; quite the opposite, it makes them worse off. What are they going to make needlessly expensive next? Cured meats?

Best Donald Trump Tweet Seshadhri Subramanian

n 28th August 2018, US President Donald Trump realised that he wasn’t exactly commanding the approval ratings, and decided to see for himself how popular he actually was by Googling himself. The result of that literature review was this tweet from Donald Trump: ‘Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of results on “Trump News” are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!’ First of all, why was the President of the United States googling himself at 11 AM on a Tuesday morning? Does he not have more important things to do like, I don’t know, being the President of the United States? Secondly, he expects Google to act according to his image of himself. Someone should tell President Trump that Google generally shows what’s actually in the news about you when you Google yourself, not what you want to be in the news. The situation actually became so serious that Google had to release a statement saying that their goal was to ensure their users got the most relevant answers to their questions within seconds without any agenda. However, Trump, seems to believe otherwise, thinking that Google, Facebook and Twitter are not operated by algorithms but instead by scheming Democrats whose only job all day is to redirect users searching for news on Trump to ‘National Left-Wing Media’ and ‘Fake CNN’. Personally, I just found it funny that Trump sounds like more like a person with too much time on their hands than a President who has better things to worry about. What makes this worse is that on the exact same day about half a century before, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. Little did he know that on the same day in 2018, the US President would tweet about how unfair Google is. America has truly come a long way.

Monday 10 December 2018

Weirdest Post-Politics Job

Edward Ingram

fter retiring from politics, most politicians are concerned with their legacy, and how they enhance, improve, or build upon their record in government. It is therefore fitting that the award for the weirdest post-political job goes to the politician who seemingly doesn’t care about this obvious fact. The award goes to the former Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, who accepted a position at Facebook as their head of global affairs. I have to say that when I learnt that Mr Clegg had agreed to help Facebook essentially frustrate the attempts of democratic governments and impartial regulators to regulate and scrutinise Facebook properly, I couldn’t help but laugh. Aside from the seven-figure salary that Facebook are paying him, it is truly a sad end to a dismal political career. To his credit, Clegg ran an impressive campaign in 2010. Anyone remember Cleggmania? However, Clegg’s legacy was in tatters from the moment he signed the Coalition agreement which bound him to raising tuition fees, that he arrogantly calculated wouldn’t cost him any electoral capital, and fundamentally failing to secure electoral reform. This, in conjunction with supporting the highly illiberal policy of cuts to government services, doomed his party to an electoral wipe out in 2015. As it stands I fail to see how his party will recover. Clegg could try and utilise his political expertise and influential voice to advance the liberal cause, such as campaigning against Brexit. The optimist, or indeed his spin doctor, would argue that Clegg will try and help Facebook rebuild public trust by ensuring that its practices are above board, and thus maintain cordial relations with governments. However, any politico will tell you that companies don’t just twiddle their thumbs when governments propose legislation that will directly affect their business. Clegg will therefore almost certainly be deployed to protect Facebook’s shady interests, which recent revelations have revealed are undermining our democracies and our privacy. So neither a Liberal nor a Democratic legacy f o r this man.

Worst Environmental Disaster

Gerry Hart

f you keep an eye on progressive politics in the UK, chances are you’ll have heard of Harry Leslie Smith, the 95-year-old WWII veteran and activist who recently passed away. Styling himself as ‘the world’s oldest rebel’, Harry was born into a working class family in Barnsley on 25th February 1923. Much of his activism was shaped by the poverty he grew up in. In 1926 his sister Marion died of tuberculosis, and during the Great Depression his father was laid off from his job in the coal mines. Despite all his hardships, and for all the anger he held towards austerity and the rise of austerity, Harry remained indomitable. His podcast, Harry’s Last Stand, has a warmth to it, hard hitting though it may be. He was tireless in his activism, speaking at the Labour Party Conference in 2014 and visiting the Calais refugee camp last year. Even in his old age, Harry fought for a better world, a world that is all the worse for his passing.

Stanley Gilyead

here’ve been lies aplenty in 2018, a year perhaps best defined by the phrase ‘alternative facts’. Trump has made over 6,000 false or misleading statements during his presidency whilst Theresa May’s premiership has involved almost constant back peddling and U-turns. But for the bare faced, audacious dishonesty, my lie of the year comes from Prisons Minister Rory Stewart. Stewart claimed that 80% of the country supported May’s Brexit deal, despite it being impossible for him to know this as no polling had been conducted in the few hours since the deal had been announced. Whilst Trump spews his lies over Twitter, where rebuttals are drowned out by the incessant noise of the platform, Stewart lied live on Radio 5 Live, to a presenter experienced in the realm of on-air debates. He predictably faced immediate opposition. Stewart didn’t follow his party leader’s example of

telling a lie that will only later be revealed to be untrue, when it can be blamed on ‘unforeseen circumstances’. He apologised and backtracked on his statement just over a minute after he’d introduced it, ironically with the phrase ‘to be honest’. He didn’t try to hide his partisan motivation for creating the statistic, saying he invented it purely to ‘illustrate what [he] believes’, in an astonishing display of misplaced honesty beautifully juxtaposed with his earlier bare faced dishonesty. Stewart’s appearance on 5 Live sums up our political era. Rather than bending the truth or slipping a lie in where it won’t be noticed, the Prisons Minister told a lie that wasn’t just unlikely but impossible for it to be true, in an environment in which he was sure to be exposed, live for the whole country to hear. One almost admires the courage of Stewart in going through with a plan that even Baldrick would judge to be severely lacking in cunning and subtlety.

Best Exposé

TOAST OF THE WEEK

REBEL WITH A CAUSE

Best Lie By A Politician

Jamie Cameron

really didn’t want to write a Trump article. Complaining about Trump all the time is an unbearable cliché at this point, and plays into the liberal delusion that politics was civil and good before he came along. Still, the man and the rest of his wealth-worshipping ilk are taking part in the wholesale murder of our planet, and yes, all of us miserable sods living on it. The Paris Climate Agreement didn’t go nearly far enough, and of course the United Nations can’t force countries to actually keep to their promises, so it was never the radical change needed to save the planet. Still, it’s the best the international community has got. I can’t understate how irresponsible and violent the actions of the Republicans are in seeking to remove themselves from the agreement and denying America’s major responsibility in the breakdown of the world’s climate. Human-made climate change kills people. I can’t understate this. It wipes out numerous entire species of plant and animals annually. It’s a car-crash playing out in slow motion, but we’re all the victims. Ecocidal maniacs like Trump and the Republicans should have no legitimacy to remain in power, just as the UN holds that leaders committing atrocities have no legitimacy. It’s really getting to the point of do or die. Ecocide is real, and its proponents by neglect, these tyrants, have no place near power.

Biggest Political Mistake

Aastha Malik

ooking back at 2018, it’s clear that this year could go down as possibly one of the most turbulent, meme-worthy political years of all time, thanks to Donald Trump. Where do we even begin with addressing the administration’s biggest flaws? Would it be his most recent tweets after the California fires blaming the forest management, or his decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement earlier this year? Whilst all of these, and other Trump actions, have been met with public disapproval, none compare to the backlash against the family separation policy undertaken by the administration for six long, traumatising weeks. The Trump administration launched a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on the southwest border in April which resulted in more than 2,300 children being separated from their parents and kept in ‘cages’. Research showed how this separation had catastrophic implications on the children’s health, indicating flooding of stress hormones and long-term damage. Following public outrage and protests, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 20th June to stop the separations. This period of time is a grim reflection of the kind of hate and intolerance that has defined the past year. Whilst the separation of families is now considered ‘old news’, it’s important to look back and consider the repercussions that such dehumanising policy making could have in the future. One can only be optimistic and hope that there is nowhere lower to fall from ripping apart families and locking children up in cages.

Joe Holloran

olitical scandals and subsequent exposés emerge every year or so, with varying degrees of publicity. Many people know of the ‘Watergate Scandal’ or ‘The Iran-Contra deals’. Other more recent and closer to home journalistic exposés are less well known but deserve to be brought back into public consciousness. These are often about the actions of a small group of individuals seeking personal gain. However, the exposé I wish to discuss is something that was made public nineyears ago but has had little done about it; The ‘Cash for Influence’ scandal. MPs, Lords and ministers of all parties offered to lobby the government for private interest firms. These varied from working for foreign governments to secure trade deals despite their human-rights records, to large military, pharmaceutical and energy suppliers seeking to secure the ear (and votes) of these politicians, for as much as £120,000 a year in some cases. These stories basically exposed the surface level corruption at the heart of Westminster, yet they were quickly pushed off the media agenda. For some reason, the public cares less about their MP’s ties to corporate bungs, than who they sleep with or what their sexual preferences are. The constant public shock at these revelations speaks more to our unrealistic expectations of their morality. Personally, I don’t care about the personal activities of these people, so long as they are consensual. I do care, however, about the fact that those who set the laws of the land do not follow them, that the rich and well connected are able to bypass these laws. Most importantly, I care that the media downplays the role of bribes and private contracts that our MPs are taking. Maybe the time has come for the news media to focus less on exposing where these MPs put their penises, and more time concerned with what is being placed in their back pockets. Because ultimately, a democracy where the debate is set by the whims of corporate lobbyists, is no democracy at all.

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comment christmas

Monday 10 December 2018

Best News Moment

Jack Coles

s you most of you readers live in the North East of England, you stand about a 75% chance of hating Margaret Thatcher. Some of you may even consider hating her a matter of pride, but just how far are you willing to go to simply hate the Ironing Lady? (That was wrong on purpose.) Enter Tosh McDonald, a union leader so left-wing that you could use him as a prosthetic for an albatross. According to a news story from the Mirror this September, he used to set his alarm clock an hour earlier than he needed ‘just so that he could hate her [Thatcher] some more’, back when she was still Prime Minister. He also said that he doesn’t do that any longer given she’s dead, so he knows where to draw the line. Tosh didn’t say anything about staying up later to hate Theresa May for an extra hour, so there’s something she can put on her CV when she pops down to the Jobcentre if she carries on with the utter shambles that is literally everything she’s doing. Come to think of it, this story really reminded me of Corbyn’s request for a ‘kinder, gentler politics’ that neither side seems to have taken to heart. The left has an irresponsibly large number of angry voices that clamour for unspeakable things to happen to the opposition, whilst the right is perfectly happy to sit back and allow the UK to be listed as a ‘humanitarian crisis’ by the United Nations. Personally, I think we should export both groups to a deserted island where they can duke it out in person and leave the rest of us in peace. Happy Christmas.

Best Interview

Harry Parsons

he Prime Minister, Theresa May, received a letter in October this year from all major broadcasters claiming that she hadn’t been available for interviews enough, especially those from smaller broadcasters like Channel 4 and 5 News. Instead the Prime Minister has looked to new, softer environments for political interviews. Twice in 2018 she has sat down on the This Morning (ITV) sofa, first with a focus on mental health awareness and a further education review and last week to talk about her Brexit deal she is putting forward to parliament. The light political interview or setting is not a stranger to ITV. Donald Trump has sat down with his friend Piers Morgan for prime-time specials twice this year. A rare appearance for him with an international journalist. It is understandable for a politician to want to come off as more human, in an environment less suited to political shouting matches. Last week Philip Scofield and Rochelle Humes quizzed the PM on her Brexit deal and while likely expecting a slightly easier ride, May wasn’t allowed to blurt without answering the questions. Scofield asked the question ‘will we be better off?’ and refused to let non-answers slide, at one point not allowing her to finish the question; ‘I know what you’re going to say’, he exclaimed. Humes asked about the person side of the job, essentially concluding with asking ‘what about the strain on you?’ The pair managed to strike the right tone, exposing the PM for flaws and showing that despite all their flaws, they are people too. Who’d have thought ITV daytime was a better home for the tough political interview than some better-known politically dedicated programs?

Best Politician Trying To Be Normal

Gerry Hart

hen it comes to politicians attempting normality, I really don’t think anything can top Theresa May dancing at the Conservative Party Conference in October. Yeah it’s the obvious answer but it really was textbook. After a tour of Africa where a visibly uncomfortable Prime Minister showed off her dancing skills to a bemused nation, May (or her staffers) decided it would be best to run with the joke. And so, May strode out to give her speech to the tune of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, doing this weird, almost robotic kind of strut on her way to the podium. I know I’m lifting this observation from Twitter, but you know that bit in The Simpsons where Moe’s on a dating show for bachelors, strutting across a stage into a section labelled ‘rejects’ with a pained grin on his face? That’s more or less what it looked like. I guess I can understand why May thought this would not be an utterly ridiculous thing to do. The Prime Minister has something of an image problem, coming across as austere, matronly and unfeeling. Might as well show that she can poke fun at herself. Thing is, it becomes decidedly less cute when you consider the calculated cruelty and contempt May’s government treats its most vulnerable citizens. If May actually wished to humanise herself in the eyes of the public, she’d be better off redressing the injustices of her party and government (or y’know, resign). Still, who knows what crazy high jinks will go down at next year’s conference. Maybe they’ll try to appeal to the youth by choosing May’s replacement via Fortnite, or with dank new slogans like ‘#Dab4Austerity’ and ‘Pokémon Go to the Job Centre or we’ll cancel your Universal Credit’.

Worst Student Politics

Charlotte Paige Boulton

h, the strikes debacle. Remember that cold long February last academic year? We had the Beast from the East and the UCU lecturer strikes, leaving students out in the cold (literally and academically). As if it couldn’t get any worse, Council happened… Ronnie Reid, SU President for 2017/18, submitted a motion arguing that the reason for the strikes – frustrations over pension contributions for staff – was not in keeping with student value for money. This was basically just a way for Ronnie to propose that NUSU publicly opposed the university raising its contributions to provide staff with a fair pension. Understandably, this made a lot of strike supporters angry, and Emily Sherwood (Marginalised Genders Officer 2017/18) submitted an emergency motion calling for NUSU to support the strike. Council went about as well as you’d expect. It was packed full of strike supporters – and a few opposers too – and both sides went at it to fight for their cause. Loud cheers from the crowd suggested that the motion to support the strike would pass, by the sheer numbers of supporters who had got Casual Voting Places for this motion. Naturally, as often happens in council, things did not go the way the debate suggested. Both motions failed, leaving NUSU in the ridiculous position of remaining neutral over this hugely important issue. The cherry on top was Emily resigning after the result. Seeing them defiantly placing their Part-Time Officer badge on the table in front of Chair of Council was such a poignant moment. It was a whole mess – but you have to respect Emily for standing by their beliefs and refusing to engage in the forced neutrality created by this council motion deadlock. Student politics CAN work…but I hope there aren’t any more strikes, I don’t think my heart can take that stress again.

Best Brexit Moment

Best Theresa May Moment Lewis Ormston

018 has been a year of ups and downs for the current occupant of 10 Downing Street. With ongoing rebellion against her Brexit deal and the continuous questioning of her tenure as Prime Minister, you could say that Theresa May has had a tough year. Her recent trip to Africa, aimed at promoting UK investment in the continent post-Brexit, saw the Prime Minister immersing herself in the African culture and showing off a few moves. Being dubbed the ‘May-bot’, her cringeworthy dancing was quickly talked about and given the top spot on several news bulletins, as well as trending on social media. Soon after her return came the Conservative Party Conference and, after last year’s notable closing speech which featured falling letters from the backdrop, receiving a P45 from a prankster, and an awful cough, many were speculating at what failures this year’s speech may entail. As delegates took their seats in the conference hall, no one expected to hear the ABBA classic, ‘Dancing Queen’, being played. Seconds later, on walked the Prime Minister showing off her dancing moves once again and, as the audience clapped, she laughed along and continued to indulge in her iconic trademark dance. One could say that Theresa May is a woman who lacks personality and fails to channel this in the public do-

main. However, after her opening to the conference speech, we received a rare insight into the personality of our Prime Minister, and also got something to laugh at during this politically dull point in the year. This has to be the best Theresa May moment of 2018. Given that many politicians struggle to show their human side, May has managed to unconventionally show everyone that, underneath negotiations and political backlashes, there’s a human living in Downing Street, and she’s called Theresa May.

Controversy on Campus

Jimmy Athey

erhaps not a singular moment but spreading across the whole semester, the new Anthony Gormley sculpture on King’s Walk has caused major controversy, as many people have disagreed with its placement and overall aesthetic. Entitled Clasp, the new Gormley statue is located on the King’s Walk between the Students Union and the Northern Stage, and stands at 4.5 meters tall. Anthony Gormley is a loved artist of some of the UK’s most treasured and iconic pieces; including Another Place in Liverpool, and of course the Angel of the North in Gateshead. So why is this new statue causing major controversy? Perhaps the main complaint people have is the location of the huge sculpture, with many considering it to bean ‘eyesore’. Located in front of the arches it can obstruct the picturesque view of the famous buildings that many students enjoy posting on an Instagram story at dusk. The size of the sculpture too causes it to be an unnecessary obstruction when walking down the King’s Walk. The idea of the sculpture being made from iron means that it will inevitably change colour over-time due to rust, but it just looks worn and old. To fight the powers that be and to protest against the statue, students organised for a gnome to be placed onto Clasp. I chose this to be the most controversial moment for irony, as I was present at the protest and it was not what I expected. It was more of an organised, accepted addition to Clasp than a protest, and I stood there with confusion as to why the gnome was even placed in the first place.

Edward Ingram

018 will be looked upon as a critical year in Britain’s exit of the European Union. Whilst the entire Brexit saga appears to be frustratingly tedious, the rapid pace of these extraordinary negotiations has produced some highly memorable moments. Before I crown the winner, some worthy contenders: Dominic Raab forgetting that we are an island nation and therefore rely on ports; Theresa May’s weird 24 hour tour across Britain to celebrate 1 year until Brexit day; the government actually trying to argue that there will be a Brexit dividend; when Jacob Rees-Mogg publicly revealed that he couldn’t count to 48; when Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland Secretary, revealed that she knew nothing about Northern Ireland; Donald Tusk bizarrely orchestrating a photo with the PM at Salzburg so he could troll her on Instagram; and finally, Labour still not agreeing on a Brexit position (seriously). Close runner up goes to the extraordinary Salzburg summit in September, where the Prime Minister was savagely ambushed by the EU, but this ended up backfiring spectacularly as the EU’s duplicity emboldened Eurosceptics everywhere. However, the best Brexit moment of the year has got to be the most definitive moment since May’s Lancaster House Speech in 2017: the landmark Chequers agreement in July. This was when every news channel was camped outside a country estate and attempted to make wild predictions about what was happening. This minibreak essentially spelt out in black and white what the future relationship between the UK and EU would look like, and is impressively similar to the final draft agreement and declaration, despite the plan getting brutally savaged by the EU at Salzburg. Heightening the excitement of this extraordinary weekend was the avalanche of resignations which followed, most notably those of David Davis and Boris Johnson. As a result, Chequers marked the end of Tory Leavers uniting under one banner, and the beginning of the Party’s latest civil war over Europe.

Oddest Celebrity Encounter

Caitlin Disken

ver the last year, Gemma Collins, or the GC, has become a national phenomenon and one of my favourite celebrities. Of my saved videos on Facebook, seven of them are related to the mighty GC. As a well-known maths genius, I worked this out to be just over 20%. Impressive or sad, interpret it how you will, but it will come as no shock that I have crowned her winner of ‘Oddest Celebrity Encounter.’ But who did she meet? Well, if you were a true GC fangirl like me, you’d know that she encountered the one and only Jeremy Corbyn. At the Pride of Britain awards earlier this year, the dynamic duo surprisingly crossed paths. They were seen having a quick conversation before a star-struck Gemma made her way over to the waiting cameras. In a surprising moment of insight, Gemma was transformed from reality-TV royalty to political pundit. ‘Do you know why I love Jeremy?’ she told the Mirror, because clearly the pair are on first-name terms already. ‘He wants to end hospital car parking charges. I’m not being funny, but someone’s died - a member of your family - and you’ve gotta put three quid in the meter?’ Gemma, you’ve said it better than any of us could. ‘It was like When Harry Met Sally,’ she continued. This random pop-culture reference is only something that could come out of the GC’s mouth. But, at the heart of all this, was a shared wish for change: ‘I’m not finished with Corbyn - he’s inspired me... let’s make a change.’

Images: Alexandra Sadler, Caitlin Disken, Rory Cameron, Jamie Cameron, Flickr, Pixabay, Wikipedia, Public Domain Pictures, Wikimedia Commons, Max Pixel, Slim Pickens on YouTube

christmas fashion&beauty

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Monday 10 December 2018

WALKING IN A WINT

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Monday 10 December 2018

fashion&beauty christmas

TER WOODLAND

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christmas travel

Monday 10 December 2018

What is your perfect christmas getaway?

. . . y l F , t e S , y Read

Fave X-mas song?

All I want for christmas is you Mariah Carey

Last Christmas Wham!

Where would you buy your X-mas dinner

Who's your bae in 'The Holiday'? Amanda

Graham

Miles

Alcoholic hot chocolate Mulled wine

Unplash @s_sagano

IKEA

Fav reality TV Show? MSA

House of Smith

The Cut

Sainsburys

Boots

ALPS

MALDIVES

Unplash @imagefactory

Geordie Shore

Digital Fav meal deal?

Fav Christmas advert?

TOKYO

ASDA

Fav Newcastle nightclub?

Red wine

John Lewis

Tesco

Waitrose

Iris

Fave drink?

Champagne

Feliz Navidad Jose Feliciano

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas Michael Buble

Unsplash @asoggetti

Eat 4 Less

Are you sure? Hell yeah!

Umm... no

EDINBURGH

Unsplash @joerga

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arts christmas

Monday 10 December 2018

A curated creepy christmas

Julia McGee-Russell, Jimmy Athey, and Toby Bryant contribute to our uncanny gallery of questionable Christmas decorations Toby Bryant

Julia McGee-Russell

Musical Ornament, 1988 Santa, Boy, and Ghosts During my childhood, the cheery rocking Santa was far from strange or creepy. At the press of a button Mr. Claus would be sent rocking cheerily to the background of varying Christmas songs, the fire glowing and box of presents opening. Frankly, it was mesmerising. It’s arrival at the fireplace marked the start of Christmas and nonstop rocking for the figurine until the 25th December began. That was a long, long time ago. For years, our little Santa here as seen better days. Not one part of the ornament works now, not even the music. By no means were me and my sister going to let our parents throw it away, far too many happy memories were connected to rocking Santa. Confining him to a comfy life tucked away in the loft, rather than the bin, would have been fit. However, my dad insists that he returns to the fireplace every year. Increasingly bashed, increasingly broken and increasingly haunting, rocking Santa is constantly confusing first time visitors over the seasonal period. He’s very much a ghost of Christmas past who claims his seat at the fire every Christmas. However, maybe it’s time for rocking Santa to take his retirement…

Sleazy Sloth, 2018 Porcelain and Confusion

This sloth is potentially the most terrifying thing I've ever seen, its sly grin makes it seem like it's wondering what human flesh tastes like. To anyone who thinks sloths cute are and cuddly, I dare you to look this one in the face for a while.

Julia McGee-Russell

Questionable Twister Game, 2018 Santa, Rudolph, and Moaning Something which probably started out as an innocent suggestion for a decoration including a well-loved family game, has led to an abominable bauble that seems rather sexual in positioning. The loving gazes, the position of the deer, all just slightly dodgy suspect if you ask me.

Jimmy Athey

Julia McGee-Russell

The picture does not do it justice, but this penguin could give a small child nightmare’s at Christmas. When my Dad first bought this decoration, he was obsessed with it. Dad sat him on the window sill for when he drives home in the evening from work, so he can wave at him for when he gets home… sad I know.

Why on earth would you put a triceratops on a Christmas tree? This decoration looks about as surprised as you would be to discover it hidden amongst your tree branches.

Demon Penguin, eternal Cuteness, LEDs, and Sheer Terror

But many years later and the penguin has become much more sinister. When working properly, the penguin should have a sparkly, multi-colour chest with a happy vibe about him, and when his batteries starts to get low he gives a warning sign, by his lights turning red. After years of owning him, his inner workings have started to turn and now we are all greeted by the penguin and his flashing red stomach, with his sinister blank face and yet black eyes staring in to your soul.

Startled Triceratops, c. 86 mya Glitter, Bone, and Acrylic Paint

Julia McGee-Russell

Eerie Elves 2018 Felt, Candy, and Sadness These elves should have stayed on the shelf in the storage room and never seen the light of day. The stitched up smile seems fine, until you see the creepy little friend poking out behind.

Demonic maybe, as now when we try and replace his batteries, his lights turn back to red almost instantly, so I’m pretty sure he is possessed. My dad refuses to get rid of him, and so we wait for the inevitable carnage and destruction that’s currently lying dormant which he is planning on bring upon us.

Julia McGee-Russell

Menacing Mannequins, 2018 Wool, Caution, and Autons This gingerbread man looks as uncertain that it belongs on a tree as I am. Even though it's lopsiding and slightly odd, it's still quite lovable. Not too high on the creepy scale, a decoration with character.

Julia McGee-Russell

Wonky Gingerbread Man, 2018 Felt, Candy, and Sadness This gingerbread man looks as uncertain that it belongs on a tree as I am. Even though it's lopsiding and slightly odd, it's still quite lovable. Not too high on the creepy scale, a decoration with character.

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christmas music

Monday 10 December 2018

Take a bite out of our musical selection box ‘One More Sleep’ Leona Lewis

‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ Band Aid

‘Last Christmas’ Wham

es, it’s cheesy. Yes, it’s Glee. But who cares, it’s Christmas!? This duet of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ is perfectly suited for Chris Colfer’s higher range and Darren Criss’s velvety tones. I love anything that puts a gay twist on a heteronormative classic, and this is no exception. Even with this songs roots in the struggles of women expressing their desires to have sex and worrying what people will think if they stay for some more ‘cuddles by the fire’ (wink wink), the gender switch still works. As a self-confessed Christmas take-it-or-leave-it kinda gal, this song makes even my cold heart warm up - much like a gorgeously gooey Dairy Milk Caramel, in fact! Go on, treat your tastebuds AND ear drums by munching on that Caramel selection box treat whilst humming along to this version of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’. Charlotte Boulton

uch like a Crunchie, Leona Lewis’ ‘One More Sleep’ is a tasty Christmas treat that is here to stay. Forget ‘Bleeding Love’: ‘One More Sleep’ is a bell-jingling festive frolick for a Christmas countdown. It may not have the prestige of a Mariah Carey ‘All I Want for Christmas’ or a Band Aid ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’, but the purepop chorus is sure to get stuck in your head. The 2013 track comes from Lewis’ Christmas album, Christmas, with Love, and hit Number 3 in the charts back in the day. Wikipedia says it has been voted the 9th best Christmas single released to date, so there ya go, it’s up there. One thing is for sure. Play it once, and you’ll be singing “one more sleep until it’s Christmas” all day long, no matter the date. Toby Bryant

ou heard it at every childhood school disco. And – somewhat shockingly – you still hear it when you’re doing your Christmas shopping today. It’s Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. When it comes to a song’s longevity, this one hasn’t aged well. At all. It was a song for our parents’ generation and, let’s face it, it should have stopped there. Not only is its rhythm annoying – with the constant repetition – the message of the song is also horrendously outdated. Not only it is patronising, it also takes us back to views that should have been left in the past. With lines like “and the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom” and “well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you”, I think it would be more than fair to say it’s incredibly insensitive and, like the Chomp, it’s better left in history books. Susanne Norris

ho doesn’t want George Michael carefully whispering “Merry Christmas” into your ears throughout the duration of the Christmas period?! A fool. If that little earring in the video isn’t enough to get your pulse raising, the near perfect melody will. ‘Last Christmas’ is the ultimate breakup tune, acknowledging heart ache and growing from it. The original ‘Thank u, next’ if you like. Perhaps George’s someone special is his festive self, as mine shall be this year as I tuck into enough roast potatoes to warrant a national shortage. ‘Last Christmas’ is iconic, with the perfect concoction of festive cheer, cheese and 80s ad-libs to keep hitting play over and over again.

‘The Christmas Song’ Nat King Cole

‘Santa Baby’ Wolf Alice

‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ The Supremes

‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Mariah Carey

o stay warm this winter, put on the fire, get a hot chocolate, and listen to the velvety vocals of Nat King Cole. His classic, ‘The Christmas Song’, creates a cosy and warm atmosphere filled with nostalgia for Christmases that have past. The soft sound of the recording, jazz-style piano and string instruments fluctuating to a sweet crescendo, creates a romantically infused spirit amongst the other, more modern, pop stylings of the late 20th century. There’s something about this song which makes it seem more authentic. The imagery in the lyrics reminds the listener of all the good things about Christmas, particularly the famous line, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” - taking us back to when it was first written in 1945. Overall, ‘The Christmas Song’ is the perfect antidote to the cold winter nights ahead, settle down and forget about university work and listen as your worries melt away.

h the Fudge! Truly the overlooked delight of the Christmas selection box, not unlike Wolf Alice’s Spotify Singles cover of ‘Santa Baby’ (originally by Kylie Minogue) which is often forgotten about due to the popularity of both the original and the Ariana Grande version. This may be due to the fact that the cover was only released in November of last year, just 2 months after their Mercury Prize winning second album Visions of a Life. Ellie Rowsell’s vocals shine in this interpretation, with her hushed tones layered a solitary guitar. This cover is all things Christmas, it’s as warm as a hot cup of cocoa by the fireside and is sure to gather all the family round in awe. Though overshadowed in terms of popularity, Wolf Alice’s version is much softer on the ears which captures more of a relaxed holiday spirit.

he Supremes really did it with this one – ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ is a classic that dates all the way back to the 1930s, but the Supremes’ fab rendition gives it an elevated sense of festive joy.

Sian Dickie

Dominic Lee

‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ Glee Cast

200

The number of artists who have released their own versions of the song, including The Jackson 5

Each member is able to succinctly harmonise with oneanother, whilst bells and shakers ramp up the jolly-factor to eleven. The production is also impressively dense and lush for the time. It was a hit at the time and is still universally revered. There are many Christmas songs to choose from these days, but here’s one that everyone can agree on. Max Hobbs

Emily Rose Jackson

nce you hear those ringing bells, you already know what it is. You simply give your friends and family a look of excitement and breathe in all the air you can and begin singing. It’s the song that makes your insides out alive, sway to its infectious rhythm. It’s the one and only ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey. Alike to a Twirl, Mariah Carey releases the sweet festive hormones with its retro soul arrangements and solid-gold melody. Its energy boosting chorus leaves us stomping, clapping and singing our hearts out to every single line of the song. Once in our lives, we must have wondered about the chocolate wizardry involved into making Twirl. Carey leaves us completely amazed into how this song is still irresistible despite its original release 24 years ago. Surely, there is something secretly magical about this outstanding hit, that other popular songs cannot seem to capture! Carl Smith Valdez

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TV christmas Top ten television shows of 2018, as voted for by you Monday 10 December 2018

Killing Eve

Without a doubt, Killing Eve is the best show of 2018. Created by the hilarious Phoebe Waller-Bridge, every scene tingles with a refreshing electricity that sets the crime drama apart from other efforts in the overcrowded genre. Stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer elevate the writing to another level, with Oh’s Eve bringing an irreverent charm to the role that is only matched by Comer’s complexly evil, yet vulnerable, Villanelle. Killing Eve took me by surprise: funny, devastating, thrilling and utterly addictive, it brings everything you could want from the small screen. And with a second season on the way, we can expect to experience it a l l over again next year. Tom Cooney

Image: YouTube

3 Haunting of Hill House

I’m no horror expert, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know a good scare when I see one. And much like the best in the genre, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House treats horror as more of a tool than the sole goal of the series. Centring on two home renovators, their children and the encounter they have with the titular Hill House, the series dismantles and reassembles the family’s dynamics as though it’s an architectural study of the very building they are occupying. Though it is more suited for Halloween, … Hill House can instead be Netflix’s very own (much spookier) Nightmare Before Christmas if you’re needing to catch up during this festive time of year. George Boatfield

5 The Good Place Whether you’re a fan of Big Mouth or not, there’s no denying it’s a weird one. The art style is plenty unique as it is but add to that the delicate and scarcely-tackled topic of puberty, and you have a show that is truly unique. The story, primarily focused on a group of kids in an American middle school, definitely won’t be for everyone; the humour is often over-the-top and some of the plot-lines are plain nonsensical. Ultimately though, if you’re looking for a show that challenges your expectations, give Big Mouth a watch. Caitlin Disken

8 The Chilling Adventures When I heard that they were doing a darker adaptation of Sabrina, I was excited and curious to see how it would shape up but I never thought it could live up to the original. I was wrong. Although the new adaptation will never replace the original in our hearts, it is just as good in its own right. The first episode was a bit slow, although once you get past this and the fact that Salem does not speak in his feline form, the rest of the season really is enthralling and you will be on the edge of your seat eager to know what happens next. Chloe Mullins Images: Pixabay, Youtube, Karen Arnold, Bulba1, OpenClipart-Vectors,Vector, SGVSillh

2 Brooklyn Nine-Nine This show is definitely worthy of its place in this list. This comedy surrounding a police precinct is hilarious without trying too hard and easy to binge watch. It has the perfect cast, including Andy Samberg and Terry Crews. And over the five seasons so far, it has never faltered. With a diverse set of characters and the focus on important issues and lessons, it is a well-rounded show and I can’t fault it even one bit. Season six is coming in January so if you need a laugh, give this show a try and catch up in time for brand new episodes. Amy Brown

6 Queer Eye This makeover show delivers on an interesting premise, surpassing the viewer’s expectation of what TV can do. Without an ounce of cynicism, each episode is a guaranteed tearjerker. Queer Eye brings together people of completely different ideologies through heartfelt dialogue to consistently convey the importance of love and acceptance. While never appearing fake, the show speaks to timely social issues: police brutality, homophobia and toxic masculinity being only a few examples. In this politically charged climate, Queer Eye never fails to inspire the viewer whilst delivering an incredibly fun and genuine show. Elisabetta Pulcini

10 Doctor Who

Just making it into our top ten this year is the new season of Doctor Who. Everyone had been waiting for Jodie Whittaker’s debut as the first female doctor for a long time and we were not disappointed. She brings a quick thinking, empathetic, northern charm to our favourite time traveller that I cannot wait to see more of which was reflected in the first episode which had the highest viewership of any new Doctor since 2005. With a new writer and a large cast of companions, including a surprisingly versatile Bradley Walsh, this new season of Doctor Who has been one of the best fans have seen for a while. Jacob Clarke

4 Bodyguard This year BBC drama Bodyguard left millions wondering who the bad guy was, who killed Julia Montague, who were we meant to side with. Every episode had its own cliff-hangers that probed our psyches and left us wanting to pull our hair out. Starring Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes, this show is full of sexual tension between the bodyguard and his charge: the foreign secretary. It takes on elements of our contemporary political issues: immigration and terrorism and how best to deal with violent threats to the stability of the country. Ultimately, from start to finish, Bodyguard had me and other viewers on the edge of our seats and made my Sundays this year. Lucy Lillystone

7 Big Mouth

Whether you’re a fan of Big Mouth or not, there’s no denying it’s a weird one. The art style is plenty unique as it is but add to that the delicate and scarcely-tackled topic of puberty, and you have a show that is truly unique. The story, primarily focused on a group of kids in an American middle school, definitely won’t be for everyone; the humour is often over-the-top and some of the plot-lines are plain nonsensical. Ultimately though, if you’re looking for a show that challenges your expectations, give Big Mouth a watch.

9 Bojack Horseman

Max Hobbs

Bojack season five is no exception to the fantastic writing of the previous seasons, revolving around Bojack working on a new detective show called Philbert, whilst other characters are facing life-changing situations. Season five perfectly conveys what is so great about the show; every character has a troubled past, none are two-dimensional despite its cartoon style of animation. Bojack Horseman focuses on many real issues such as depression, addiction and loss whilst still being comical and witty with exceptional writing. Despite its very raw subjects, Bojack Horseman still gives the viewer faith that everything will eventually be better for the protagonists. Sophie Hicks

christmas film

the courier

Monday 10 December 2018

THE SNOWBALLS

See what was utter bollocks in film in 2018 in our Snowball Awards by the Film Editors themselves!

Worst Film Fifty Shades F reed

This years w Joe Holloran egory as well. Fiorst-film winner could have fty ea sil Sh y ad w es on Freed is the th instalment in in every othe James. Unfortuthe glorified fan-erotica serieird (Yes. Third) and thankful r cats na ly final of te fil ly, m unlike Anastas s based on the end this one-ho ia, th ‘boo commercial an ur forty-minute masochist e audience didn’t have a sa ks’ by E.L. from Captain Hd featuring about as much geic session. Directed like a bafe word to names include: ook, the movie teams up Ananuine sexual tension as a pr d perfume and chains playSikh Purgatory among othe stasia Steel and Christian G ostate exam rey (rejected vious two film -time. Yet despite repeatingrs) for one last painfully awkw s, Freed someh th e sa m e ab us category for wor ow manages to ive dynamic ofard whips down. Not on st on-screen couple, then Jo be worse than those. If ther the prehn ly That’s about th are there no sparks flying, son and Dornan would wine was a the whole fire e only thing th hands pl erotic cinema. Perhaps in the at is. Audiences deserve so may is soaking wet. future we will lo for inspiration, uch better from ok an rather than terr d maybe the end result will to our continental cousins ible. be something titillating

Worst A ctor Owen W ilson

What h edy gemsas happened to O ers and M including Zoo wen Wilson? Jimmy A they we do he eet the Parents. lander, the remakHe used to appea in the cri ar him in the o But in recent tim e of Starsky and r in some great c many m tically acclaimedver-stretched Ca es we barely see OHutch, Wedding omFather Figainstream films, w Grant Budapest rs franchise). Asi wen Wilson (altCrashHelms, y ures was an inc ith his status as leHotel, Owen Wilde from his app hough ous actinou expect for theredibly poor film gendary comic a son has not appeearance m . g of everyth. We got that fro to be an onslau With the likes octor turning into ared in m f le g in g is questio he was once Ed Helms, but ht of laugh out loOwen Wilson a gend. n u and hardnable, and his ac able to do. His onfortunately Owud moments and d Ed ting very e n to n -s W w c re a il tc e so n chemis h. Perhap wooden, n falls shjoycolleague tr or s m s see Vinceare part of a grouOwen Wilson a aking his chara y with Ed Helms t cter un-r nd many p of actors Vaughn ela or oth previous, w early nau Ben Stiller in any ho have had the er of his Frat Ptable ac ir th ghties cla ssics any ing as ground-b day, as you don’t k more. reaking a s their

Worst Soundtra ck 15:17 To Paris

Clint Eastwood’s Jack Gill in the crown of theThe 15:17 to Paris has been, for many rious and ultimate director’s filmography. The director critics, the soiled jewel the amazing story ly unrewarding experience, which ’s latest feature was a laboWhere the film’s fatof how three young men thwartedfailed to accurately portray soundtrack was an al flaw was its dull flashback narra a potential terrorist attack. like the deviating equally cataclysmic component to thtive style, the accompanying ences across an exthemes of the story, the genre-spannis broken mechanism. Much cruciating journey your hip uncle at th of EDM, pop and ing soundtrack drags audior, more generally, e Christmas party, music director Chmusical theatre. Much like ‘contemporary mus ris hot’ Spotify playlist. ic’ appears recycled Jacob’s idea of ‘trendy’ Bromance to evoke Whether it’s using Tim Berg’s 2010 straight out of a ‘what’s a clubland banger Se on’s Believer to createsense of whimsical nostalgia or insert ek ing Imagine Dragan in au th en tic sen are thematically vo se of ag gr ess ion , Jac id cused, often cringe-wthroughout. The resulting soundt obs’ selections ra heroism of the actuorthy, and almost always distracting ck is unfofrom the al events

Images: Ron Howard-Wikicommons; Owen Wilson, Amy Schumer, Dakota Johnson, Tom Hardy - YouTube; Hat-pixabay

enplay e r c S t s r o W Joe Holloran Venom

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ss e r t c A t s r o W umer Amy Sch

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r o t c e r i D t s r Wo ard Ron How

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the courier

Monday 10 December 2018

gaming christmas

Second annual 'GOTY in Paint' We're at that time of year again where our Courier Gaming writers swap typewriters for easels in the name of their GOTY

'Trump's America' , Marvel's Spider-Man - James Troughton

'Workplace Crunch', Red Dead Redemption II - Errol Kerr

"Oh heck", Monster Hunter World - Richard Liddle

'Prince Wants Paws', Ni No Kuni II - Matthew Neville

'Fallout Seventy-shits', Fallout 76 - Jacob Clarke

'Courier-Rune', Deltaune - Scarlett Rowland

'Post-Brexit Britain', Frostpunk - Gerry Hart

'The Godblet of Boy', God of War - George Boatfield

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feature christmas

ince pies are THE signal that it is Christmas time. There is no other snack or food that can surpass the mince pie in truly encompassing Christmas. That’s right, not even pigs in blankets can convince me otherwise. I know this is a controversial pick, sometimes mince pies are even as conflicting as marmite in the love/ hate relationship people have with them. But, people that hate them are simply wrong. I’m not talking about deviations of mince pies either, with icing or some other kind of sub-

Monday 10 December 2018

Feature Editor Ally Wilson

stitute filling, I’m talking about the real, traditional mince pie. They rival even pringles on how morish they are. Even Santa Claus is on my side on this one thus they must be delicious, and they must embody Christmas. I want to reiterate to everyone about a misconception with mince pies, they do not contain any kind of minced meat! They contain and mixture of dried fruits and so probably count as one of your five a day as well as tasting incredible. Mince pies are for certain the best Christmas snack. Jacob Clarke

hat encompasses everything Christmas has to offer better than the humble mince pie? Sweet, spicy, warming and cosy, they are the best of Christmas in every mouthful. Every year I play a game of willpower with myself, how long can I resist before I inevitably buy one? Usually no longer than halfway through November. The concept of a spicy meat pie dates to the 12th century when the Crusaders first bought spices back to England. At Christmas and Easter, they were shaped into an oval or rectangle to represent the manger Christ was laid in and this was how

they first became connected to religious celebration, notably the festive season. It developed the sweet taste we know today in the 18th century and it was during the 19th century that they became the phenomenon we know and love today. This just goes to show how engrained mince pies are in the history of Christmas. I respect Mr Kipling’s attempt, but it’ll never beat one baked by hand. A good mince pie, meltin-the-mouth pastry with an abundance of spicy mincemeat, is the reason we have 5 senses; bite into it and tell me it doesn’t sing a song of Christmas! Rhiannon Walls

A Christma Our writers tell us about their favourite foods, special snacks and invaluable indulgences

Images: Plate- pxhere & Instagram

igs in blankets normally get all the fanfare around Christmas, but it’s really the overlooked cousin, baconwrapped cheese, that is the ultimate accoutrement to festive meals. By no means am I knocking the quality of pigs in blankets here - they’re top notch for sure - so much as I’m saying that bacon-wrapped cheese is a step above. Usually made with smoked streaky bacon and wrapped around mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, these are simple enough to make at home all year round. That said, there’s something uplifting about

seeing them in the shops during the winter months, and buying a pack to shamelessly wolf down in an evening. And while having them as bitesize appetizer is one option, bacon-wrapped cheese is a versatile component in the toolbox of the designated Christmas dinner chef. So if the responsibilities of cooking land on you this year, just remember that these tasty morsels will always have your back. George Boatfield

Image: Instagram

ithout a doubt the very best Christmas food that exists is one that is eaten way before the Christmas dinner itself. This food is something you cannot experience at any other point in the entire calendar year. Forget your sprouts, your mashed potatoes and your yule log, the unsung hero of Christmas food is the bacon that you eat from the top of the turkey half way through its stint in the oven. It has become a tradition in the humble Hall household to fight over the precious strips of streaky bacon that give the turkey its

flavourful essence. What’s better than waking up first thing on Christmas morning than a mouth-watering appetiser of bacon with a side of mimosa? The best thing about turkey bacon is that it leaves you wanting more, so valuable in its small quantity that it’s more precious than the gold frankincense and myrrh bestowed upon the baby Jesus on his birth. So, whack some bacon on that precooked turkey and get ready for the culinary ride of your life this Christmas morning. Louise Hall

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christmas feature

Monday 10 December 2018

Image: deviantart

t’s high time that we all stop hating on sprouts. Just like your elderly relative who pitches up to the family party absolutely trollied and passes out at 2 o’clock, sprouts will be there for your Christmas dinner year upon year whether you like it or not, and you might as well embrace it. I, for one, love sprouts. They are firmly entrenched in my Christmas Day ritual; I peel hundreds of the little green bois to help my Mum prepare for dinner, scoring them with crosses (does that even do anything!?), and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When sprouts are cooked right they melt in your mouth, and they can even be jazzed up with some bacon bits if that’s your thing. They go perfectly with gravy and are lovely nestled between your roasties and stuffing. These delicious teeny weeny cabbages are a much-needed nutritious addition to your festive munch, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without them. Isabel Sykes

Images: Wikimedia Commons, pixabay & Flickr

e’re about to go a bit rogue here, folks. But I am going to make the sweeping statement that I prefer boxing day dinner to actual Christmas dinner. Now, now, put your accusatory shouting and pitchforks away- I have a legitimate reason. Because it has all the elements of Christmas dinner, but with added extras. So you get the cold turkey, any leftover veg (clove-infused red cabbage, carrots soaked in butter, parsnips slow roasted and of course the humble yet essential sprout), pigs in blankets, bacon, sausage meat, gravy- the lot. Ex-

as Banquet

cept you have the added glory of baked potatoes, beans, tuna, chilli, some form of pie, a cheese board and basically anything else you have lying around in the fridge because you inevitably overbought for the festive period. Boxing Day tea is the epitome of gluttony and unnecessary indigestion. And I LOVE it. Ally Wilson

that can only be enjoyed with a side serving of Yule-tide joy and festive cosiness

Image: publicdomainpictures

s far as I’m aware, my favourite Christmas food is a Johnson household exclusive. No one else to my knowledge knows or eats this special addition to their Christmas dinner. Passed down from my grandad to my dad is the infamous sausage-meat stuffing, which is only ever made and eaten at Christmas. What makes it so different from other stuffing you ask? Well the sausage-meat stuffing is comprised of four key ingredients. Sausage-meat, red onion, garlic and an egg. These four components merge together to create one of the boldest

and tastiest stuffings imaginable. Every Christmas Eve my dad cobbles together this creation quietly in the kitchen. The stuffing is then left to brood in the garage overnight, awaiting its turn on the big stage the next day. It compliments everything: the turkey, the pigs and blankets, the roasties. Sausage-meat stuffing is well and truly a staple part of the Johnson Christmas dinner. As it only emerges at Christmas, its rarity makes it my favourite Christmas food. Rebecca Johnson

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Images: Wikimedia Commons & Flickr

e’re a bit of an indecisive family at home, but my mum does her best by trying to keep everyone happy. This is why, some years and these are certainly the best years, we get roast potatoes AND buttery creamy smooth mash. Nothing brings me more joy than the idea of a two different types of potato, a duo, a delight. They balance each other so well; the crisp outer edge of the roastie juxtaposing the softness of the humble mash. And they

also both marry so well with the rest of the meal, mash and gravy is of course the best combo – but who doesn’t also love a mouthful of roast potato couples with scoop of stuffing. Perhaps this is just me being an absolute glutton, but isn’t that kind of a part of what Christmas is about. Scarlett Rowland

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christmas sport

Monday 10 December 2018

Still to come: What’s happening

As 2018 draws to a close our sports writers take a look at some of the biggest and best sporting e 1. The ICC World Cup: England and Wales 2. The Rugby World Cup: Japan 3. Women’s FIFA Footb Sesha Subramanian

Cricket’s biggest tournament returns to its home next summer as England and Wales get set to host the ICC Cricket World Cup from 30th of May 2019. England take on South Africa in the opening game at The Oval with both sides entering the tournament as contenders. The tournament is going to be operating under a new format of a league followed by semi-finals and finals. Ten teams will contest the World Cup in which each team will play the other nine with the top four advancing to the semi-finals. The final will be played at Lord’s in London between the winners of the two semi-finals. Apart from England and South Africa, In-

still pose the occasional problem for bigger teams and may be able to pull off some surprise wins. Afghanistan, for example, was very impressive in the Asia Cup this year. Between Australia and New Zealand, it is hard to say which of the two would be the better team and have a better shot at qualifying for the semi-finals. However as of this moment, New Zealand seem like a better bet compared to the defending champions. Some key matches to watch out for would be anything involving England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India but also some high-powered clashes like India against Pakistan. All in all, the new format ensures that a true World Champion is crowned at the end of the month-and-a-half long extravaganza.

Ten teams will play the World Cup in which each team will play the other nine with the top four advancing to the semi-finals

Spuzzles

dia enter the tournament with a major shot at winning the title, although English conditions and their over-reliance on Virat Kohli could prove to be problematic. The other nations from the sub-continent - Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – are not major threats these days but they could

Virat Kohli will be a key player Image: Wikimedia Commons

Our hidden figures were apparently all at the game this year where Jimmy Anderson became the most prolific fast bowler ever Image: YouTube

Rebecca Johnson Sports Editor

The Rugby World Cup kicks off in September next year with hosts Japan taking on Russia in Tokyo. For next year’s World Cup, there are four pools consisting of five teams, with the winners and runners up of the pools progressing to the quarter-finals, then semi-finals and then the final in Yokohama on 2nd November. The tournament will see not only the usual

The tournament will see not only the usual big dogs but also “smaller” teams taking their place on the world stage

big dogs (England, South Africa, and New Zealand- that class of team) but “smaller” teams take their place on the world stage. Having beaten Canada in qualifying in 2017, the USA are in a difficult Pool C alongside England, France, Argentina and Tonga. However, the US are ranked 12th in the world, so they’ll be ones to watch out for, especially now as rugby is on the rise in the US. Additionally another underdog is Namibia who are ranked 22nd in the world. Namibia qualified for the World Cup by beating Kenya in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup in August earlier this year. They are placed in Pool B

alongside New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and Canada. After their misery and shambles in the last World Cup on home turf, England’s prospects aren’t looking as bad as last time. Although the English had a poor performance in the Six Nations earlier in the year, winning only two of their games in the competition. Since then, England have had a bit more success in the Quilter Internationals, with three wins and an incredibly narrow loss to the All Blacks. Whilst this year’s World Cup promises to be a fantastic tournament of some brilliant teams in their prime battling it out, it is also important to see how “smaller” teams fare in this competition. The hosts Japan are just one example of a rugby team growing in stature making it a competition of mixed abilities, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

2019 will see France host the Women’s World Cup Image: Wikipedia

Sesha Subramanian

2018 was all about France winning the FIFA World Cup in Russia but the next year will see France host a FIFA World Cup – this time for women. The tournament will feature 24 qualified teams, including hosts France and defending champions United States. Home advantage means France will enter the tournament as one of the favourites, especially with most of their players coming from two top European teams – Olympique Lyonnais and Paris St. Germain. United States remains as strong as ever as most of their players play for clubs at home. They will be looking to key players like Carli Lloyd (who will be playing her last World Cup at age 36) to help them defend their title.

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sport christmas

Monday 10 December 2018

g in the sporting world in 2019?

events happening nationally, internationally and within Newcastle University in the coming year Football 5. What students should be looking ball World Cup: France 4. Team Newcastle: American January 27th when they welcome the GlasPhil Neville will be coaching the Lionesses as Sesha Subramanian gow Tigers in the return fixture in Newcastle. out for from Team Newcastle in 2019 they hope to go two better than their semifinal loss under Mark Sampson back in 2015. He has the luxury of having a good mix of experience and youth when he picks his team. Veterans like Stephanie Houghton and Lucy Bronze will almost surely be definite selections in the team and they will most likely be joined by talented players in their prime such as Toni Duggan and Alex Greenwood. Duggan’s Barcelona teammate Lieke Martens won the Golden Ball at the Women’s Euros in 2017 and will be looking to lead the Netherlands to a World Cup triumph to add to the success she enjoyed two years ago. Reigning women’s player of the year Marta, at the age of 32, will finally look to add that

Phil Neville has the luxury of choosing experience and youth when he picks his England team

one trophy that is missing from her cabinet. Having come close in 2007, losing to Germany in the final, she will look to take what is admittedly not the strongest Brazil team to the promised land, but will face a somewhat uphill task given the strength of the European sides. The World Cup will take place from 7th June, 2019 to 7th July 2019 across nine stadiums in France with the Parc Olympique Lyonnais playing host to the final while the Parc Des Princes in Paris hosts the opening game of the tournament.

As of the time of writing, the Newcastle University Raiders have only played one game in the regular season of BUCS American football but it was an important game against the Glasgow University Tigers on the road in Scotland to open the season. The Raiders earned their first win against Glasgow in six years after beating the Tigers by a narrow score of 22-21 having been down 7-2 at the halftime interval. Quarterback Henry Bulmer and wide receiver Charlie Spittal, a rookie who had two touchdowns on the night in his first ever start for the Raiders, earned MVP (Most Valuable Player) on offence while Matt Dyke and Joel Sandilands earned MVP honours for defence.

If the Raiders have a successful season with a winning record- they will qualify for playoffs a familiar stage for those on the team last year

Their second game against Edinburgh Napier was postponed due to the field in Scotland being waterlogged with the game as yet unscheduled since then. The Raiders play the Hull University Tigers on Sunday the 9th of December before the season takes a break for Christmas and New Year. The Raiders return to action next year on

They also play local rivals Northumbria University twice alongside Edinburgh Napier and Hull over the course of February to complete their regular season commitments in the BUCS North 1A Division. If they have a successful regular season with a winning record, they will qualify for the Playoffs – a stage very familiar to those on the team from last year where they lost in the final to Coventry. This year, they will be hoping to go one better and gain promotion to the top tier of University-level American football.

Maggie Elstob AU Officer

AU Officer Maggie Elstob runs through some of the key sporting fixtures involving Team Newcastle to keep an eye on in 2019. Boobball Tournament This sees our Dodgeball Club and Newcastle Uni Boob Team join up for a fundraiser with a difference! On Friday 15th February 2019 dodgeballs are replaced with boobba-

Last year Newcastle Women’s Waterpolo 1sts reached the final of BUCS Big Wednesday Image: James Bosworth What’s this small and mysterious section I hear you cry? We’re a rogue and breakaway section of sports puzzles- rebranded as Spuzzles.

lls and a member of each team must wear a boob suit to play in. All proceeds go to CoppaFeel and anyone can enter a team. Make sure you get signed up! BUCS Big Wednesday The culmination of the team sport league programme sees the top universities fight it out on one massive day of sport on the 27th March 2019 in Nottingham. In 2018, Newcastle University was represented by Women’s Water-Polo in BUCS Big Wednesday at Nottingham, meeting fellow northern rivals Durham in the final. I’m sure we’ll see Newcastle teams in the final again in 2019! The Big One For those disappointed in the lack of varsity action this year, ‘The Big One’ might fill the gap! The rugby match took place for the first time in St James’ Park in March 2018 and will hopefully be returning in 2019. Newcastle and Northumbria Universities put their best teams out as a curtain raiser for the Newcastle Falcons vs Northampton Saints Premiership fixture last year, and hopefully something similar is in store for 2019! The Boat Race in the North A reduced version of the race took place in on the River Wear in 2018 due to bad weather, so fingers crossed 2019 will see its return to the Tyne and Newcastle retaining the trophy! A Top 9 Finish This looks to be within Newcastle’s sights this year after sliding into 9th position ahead of Cardiff in December. We haven’t seen 9th since the 2015/16 season so our teams need the support to bring home those BUCS points and keep us in 9th!

(If you’ve got no idea who you’re looking out for, here’s some photos to help you out)

In the sports scene to the right there are ten figures hidden away, some are of higher standing than others. See if you can find them- because we can’t be arsed to. 1. Louise Hall- current Editor of the Courier 2. Rihanna- current Puzzles Matriarch 3. Maggie Elstob- current AU officer 4. Alastair Cook- England cricketing legend 5. Ada Hegerberg- footballer and 2018 Ballon’Dor winner 6. Luka Modric- footballer and 2018 Ballon’Dor winner 7. Steve Smith crying- disgraced cheating Australian cricketer 8. Joey Barton- former Puzzles Dictator and former footballer 9. Jordan Pickford- England goalkeeper and Washington legend 10. Lizzy Yarnold- most successful Olympic skeleton racer of all time

Image Creds 1. Louise Hall 2. Wikimedia Commons 3. Maggie Elstob 4. Wikimedia Commons 5. Wikipedia 6. Wikimedia Commons 7. Youtube 8. Wikimedia Commons 9. Wikimedia Commons 10. Wikipedia