Issuu

exeposé

The South West’s Best Student Publication

ISSUE 725 23 NOV 2021 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

Three Exeter students diagnosed with meningitis Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe Editors THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS CONTENT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING

HREE students at the University of Exeter have been diagnosed with meningitis since mid-October. These students had no contact with each other and there is no evidence of a connection linking the cases. Ian Blenkharn, Director of Education and Student Image: Geograph Experience distributed an email to all students stating the following: “I am writing to remind you of the need to remain alert to the signs and symptoms of meningitis. This term we have seen three cases of meningitis, caused by the meningococcal bacteria, amongst students. In each case we have offered full support to the affected student. All are doing well and we hope they will make a full recovery. “There are no direct links between the cases, and we have been working very closely with local public health agencies to ensure that all necessary public health management steps have been taken. The other two affected students have recovered. “97 out of every 100 cases of meningococcal infections are isolated, with no link to any other cases, and the risk of transmission to others remains very low. “The UK Health Security Agency has taken action to reduce the risk of further cases and there is no reason to change your University routine or for students to stay away from University. “Please be reassured that the risk to other students is very small, however, it is important that everyone is aware of the signs of symptoms of both meningitis and septicaemia at all times, particularly on

our return to University and with winter approaching, as this is when cases are most likely to occur. Get medical help immediately if you or your friends experience these symptoms - call NHS 111 for urgent advice, or 999 in a medical emergency. “Some strains of meningitis and septicaemia can be prevented with vaccinations. Protect yourself against meningitis by making sure you are up to date with your vaccinations. Speak to your GP practice to check.” He also signposted students to www. nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis and www. meningitis.org, as well as suggesting that any students affected call Meningitis Now on 0808 800 3344. He added, “If you need further support then please do not hesitate to contact our Wellbeing Service.” University students are one of the highest-risk groups for contracting meningitis. Additionally, the cold winter period usually triggers a rise in cases of meningitis in the UK as germs are spread more easily. This did not occur in 2020 due to social distancing restrictions, but the spread of meningitis this winter is hard to predict. According to Meningitis Now, “each year there are about 2,000 cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK, although incidence has fallen over the last 18 months during lockdown and social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. What happens to case incidence in the future as restrictions ease remains unknown, but we do know that around ten per cent of those who contract bacterial meningitis will die from the disease and a third of those who survive will have lifelong after-effects, such as brain damage, loss of hearing and sight and, where septicamia has occurred, loss of limbs and scarring.” If untreated, it’s a disease which can be fatal, so immediate action is essential. Dr Tom Nutt, Chief Executive of

Meningitis Now, said: “the disease can affect anyone, of any age, at any time. Even those who consider themselves ‘fit and healthy’ may be left fighting for their life in a matter of hours.” He advised to “get urgent medical help if concerned. Doing this could save yours or a loved one’s life.” Meningitis is a difficult illness to identify as symptoms can vary significantly, and many of its early symptoms can be mistaken for the flu, a hangover, or even COVID-19. According to the NHS, meningitis usually needs to be treated in hospital. The website states that treatments include: “antibiotics given directly into a vein”, “fluids given directly into a vein” and “oxygen through a face mask.” Alexa Gainsbury, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health England South West, said: “We understand that there may be concern among students, staff and parents following this second confirmed case. “The risk of transmission remains low and the best advice remains for students, their family and friends to be aware of and alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease, such as vomiting, severe headache, unexplained temperature rise, dislike of bright lights, neck stiffness, a non-blanching rash, drowsiness, and altered levels of consciousness. “If anyone is feeling unwell, and displaying the symptoms they should contact their GP immediately or call 111, or 999 in a medical emergency. “It’s also an important reminder for young people up to the age of 25 to make sure they have been vaccinated against meningitis. The MenACWY vaccine gives protection against four strains of meningococcal disease: MenA, MenC, MenW, and MenY [...] Continued on page 4

“Your mum cleans Lafrowda”: EURFC ‘Hymn Sheet’ controversy Image: anonymous

Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe Editors The Exeter University Rugby and Football Club has found themselves in controversy following a self-described ‘Hymn Sheet’ containing parody-style songs which students have described as “sexist” and “classist”. Excerpts Exeposé obtained from an anonymous source include a reference to “dirty skets”, as well as a song entitled ‘Polytechnic Idiots’. This song features lyrics mocking working class students, including “1+1 2+2 / These are sums that you can’t do [...] We pay off your student loan [...] One day you will work for me” and “We’ve all made your mothers moan”.

The ‘Hymn Sheet’ also also included a chant proclaiming “Your mum cleans Lafrowda” several times over. The front page of the leaflet has both a picture of the EURFC logo and a picture of club members chanting/singing whilst wearing shirts and the club tie alongside the title, “EURFC Hymn Sheet”. One second year student told Exeposé that “it is disappointing that students at such a prolific Exeter society feel the need to mock students who might not have experienced the same advantages as them or come from the same background. “The comments are disgusting and appear to reflect a culture of discrimination and bullying which shouldn’t be a part of any society.” Exeposé reached out to the EURFC, Athletics’ Union and University Press Office for comment.

NEW TECH AND SATIRE SECTIONS Pages 12, 24 & 25 Images: The Noun Project

EXEPOSÉ Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ Editors Print: Bridie Adams & Oliver Leader de Saxe Online: Millie Betts & Anna Wilmot Deputies: Lucy Aylmer, Cassia Grace & Chloe Pumares editors@exepose.com Social Media Executive Emily Im News Editors Print: Megan Ballantyne & Livvy Mason-Myhill Online: Meg Allan & Orla Mackinnon news@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Joshua Hughes & Steffi Haselden Online: Issac Bettridge & Lucy Evans Foreign Correspondents Co-ordinator:s: Ryan Gerrett & Elen Johnston features@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Evan Thomas & Kate Hall Online: Rachael Powell & Eirwen Abberley Watton comment@exepose.com Satire Editor Print: Cleo Gravett Lifestyle Editors Print: Danni Darrah & Zoe Sperry Online: Katie Edgar & Sophie Porteous lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Ella Minty & Ana Anajuba Online: Clemence Smith & Georgia Balmer artsandlit@exepose.com

Editorial

Online: Tom Bosher & George Ward music@exepose.com

Online: Adam Simcox screen@exepose.com Tech Editor Print: Alaïa LaFleur Science Editors Print: Ellen Rogers & Nancy Stitt Online: Daisy Scott & Imogen Poyntz-Wright sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Oscar Young & Rob Worthington Online: Floris de Bruin & Henry Hood sport@exepose.com Copy Editors Danni Darrah, Sophy Cullington & Clemence Smith Proofers Oliver Lamb, Ana Anajuba, Danni Darrah, Alaïa LaFleur, Evan Thomas

@exepose @exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exeposeexeter Advertising

editors@exepose.com The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.

In Tech, we have fascinating content on the future of student life in the metaverse (page 25). Our Science section discusses the success of the HPV vaccine and the links between mental and gut health (page 28 and page 29). Finally, Sport includes articles on Mo-Varsity (back page) and Fight Night (page 30) - so best of luck to all contestants fighting on 27 November! Of course, this month it is incredibly important to acknowledge Movember; the University has raised £78,628 for the Movember Foundation so far this year, supporting men's mental health, testicular cancer and prostate cancer. If you are fundraising yourself, we applaud you for raising awareness and money for a very worthy cause. We encourage everyone to support Movember by donating, engaging with and sharing campaigns on social media or by educating yourself on men's health. Ollie & Bridie

NEWS

University outlines responsible investment strategy PAGE 3

FEATURES

Afghanistan: the world's worst humanitarian crisis PAGE 9

ARTS + LIT

Is city architecture sexist? PAGE 16

SCIENCE HPV vaccine success PAGE 28

Images (top to bottom): Atif Arshad, Openclipart, Pixabay, Innovative Genomics

University news home and abroad

Print: Harry Hawkins & Loti Bend

Print: Archie Lockyer & Francesca Sylph

2020 Best Publication 2021 Best Publication in the South West

ELLO everyone and welcome to our sixth issue of Exeposé this year. At this point in deadline season, we think it's clear that most of us need a few laughs - this is exactly why we have introduced our brand new Satire section, featuring pieces focused on Cardiac Hill, the Safer Sex Ball and more (page 12). Our Comment section features a discussion of student landlords (page 10) and alcohol dependency in students (page 11) and Features discusses the crisis in Afghanistan (page 9). As you will have already seen from our front page, our News stories this issue include the recent outbreaks of meningitis and the controversial 'EURFC Hymn Sheet'. Moving onto Exhibit, we've got a Lifestyle piece on the Government's anti-obesity strategy (page 15) and an Arts + Lit article discussing whether city architecture is sexist (page 16). Our Music section includes an interview with the band Pale Waves (page 21), and Screen writers break down their favourite Wes Anderson films (page 22).

Music Editors

Screen Editors

SPA AWARDS

Phillipines University accused of 21 Brazilian scientists reject Cambridge is first university to "sanctioning book purging" accolades from Bolsonaro return a Benin Bronze artefact

HE three Fillipino institutions Kalinga State University, Isabela State University and Aklan State University turned over books deemed ‘subversive’ literature from libraries in September under pressure from the police and National Intelligence. The books reportedly covered government peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front (a coalition of rights groups) and were removed after the Anti-Terrorism Council declared the NDF a terrorist organisation, as part of the Government’s recent crackdown on perceived Communist threats. The Chair of Philippines Commission on Higher Education defended the right of state universities to remove reading materials in a statement on 2 November. This has been denounced by the UP Diliman University Council, which states that removal of books on ideological criteria sets a "dangerous precedent". The action has been strongly challenged by organisations including the Philippines Library Council and the National Union of Students of the Philippines.

GROUP of 21 scientists who were awarded one of Brazil’s highest honours, the National Order of Scientific Merit, rejected their medals on Saturday 6 November. This was after President Jair Bolsonaro withdrew two colleagues from the order because their work unsettled the Government. The far-right leader named 25 people to receive the accolade, which rewards outstanding contribution to science and technology. However, he later withdrew the names of Dr Marcus Lacerda, who found that the drug chloroquine is ineffective against COVID-19, and Dr Adele Benzaken, who was fired as director of Brazil’s Health Ministry Department in 2019 (the year Bolsonaro took office) when she wrote a pamphlet aimed at transgender men.

AKEN from the Palace of the Oba of Benin, during a violent military attack in 1897, a Benin Bronze artefact located in the University of Cambridge’s Jesus College has now been returned. The bronze cockerel, which is known as Okukor, was one of many artefacts stolen by British soldiers in the sacking of the Palace over a century ago. Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College, was instrumental in the handover ceremony, which was also attended by Prince Aghatise Erediawu, the younger brother of the Oba of Benin. This decision follows recent calls by many for universities and museums to return colonial artefacts to their country of origin. Images (L to R): WikimediaCommons , WikimediaCommons

Lecturers at 58 UK universities have voted to go on strike

OLLOWING pension scheme disputes, 58 UK universities have achieved a majority needed to go on strike this winter. After voting, the University and College Union (UCU) concluded that 76 per cent of institutions were in favour of striking to “urgently revoke the pension cuts and return to the negotiating table”. In order to initiate the strike, legal requirements state that amongst 68 universities, a 50 per cent minimum threshold must be met. The overwhelming number who agreed to ‘industrial action’ is according to UCU general secretary Jo Grady the result of "A clear vote of no confidence in the so-called leaders of our universities". Over the two votes (one on pensions and another on pay) results showed 33 planned to strike for both, 21 for pay and another four over pensions. The UCU is demanding a £2.5k pay rise for all staff as well as focusing more on pay gap inequalities.

By Catherine Stone, Megan Ballantyne, Ana Anajuba & Anabel Costa-Ferreira

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

3 NEWS

University of Exeter raises money for Movember Chloe Pumares Deputy Editor

OVEMBER is an annual event which aims to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s suicide. The foundation aims to “change the face of men’s health.” The last few years the University of Exeter have raised a lot of money for Movember. In 2020 a staggering £200,000, was raised, the first University to ever raise that amount. This lead to Movember Country Director for UK & Europe, Anne-Cecile Berthier to write a letter of congratulations to Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lisa Roberts. This year there is a target of £250,000 and a total so far of £78,628 has been raised. When looking at the leader board, Exeter University Association football Club 2020+1/2022 are currently in the lead with an impressive £10,636.72. Exeposé spoke to a few societies who are raising money for Movember. Speaking to University of Exeter Pole Society, President Niamh Hutnell, she said “We think as a society it’s important to represent everyone — we have the motto of all bodies welcome. We have a lot of men in our society this year and we wanted to create a safe space for even

more men to feel welcome! By all men we — these classes directly go towards Momean all men! Whether you’re cis, trans, vember and we’re really glad to be supnon-binary or gender fluid. We hold these porting the cause.” classes once a week and all the money We also spoke to Welfare Officer for raised is going towards the Movember Exeter University Climbing Club, Kate Foundation!” Belson who commented; “I wanted The society are running pole classes EUCC to become involved in Movemfor men and non-binary people in AR3 ber because of the outstanding work the on Wednesdays at 11AM. They are run by charity do for men’s mental and physiGeorge Seymour and Mark Evans who cal health. Mental health issues affect so said this about taking part in Movember; many people, especially students, and it’s “Movember is one of the biggest charita- so important to help those who are in ble events at Exeter and we really wanted need. Movember is an excellent way to to make sure we did our bit. As a society, do this, and fundraising brings people one of the most important values together as well. The climbing we have is welcoming club have already been everybody (everyso amazing in body). With so terms of funmany male draising! members M a n y t h i s of our year, memw e bers wanth a ve ed to been make growit a safe i n g space mousfor cis, taches trans and to raise non-binary money, and members to come our bake sale last Image: Pixabay to all our men’s classes week was very suc-

cessful. We’ve had climbers do their own fundraising such as running 5K each day, dying armpit hair pink, and temporary tattoos, which has led us to a total of £2,000 this week, so close to our £2,500 target! Events we have coming up include a pub quiz and a raffle, and on Wednesday 24 November we are aiming to collectively climb the 8,849m height of Mount Everest in our four-hour club session. Everyone has been amazing so far and I can’t wait to see us smash our target.” A spokesperson for the Guild said; “On Thursday night (18 November) the Guild Officers and AU President worked with Exeter’s student representatives for Movember to host a raffle and quiz in the Ram, raising over £200 for Movember. Thank you so much to everyone who came, I had a lot of fun! “Loads of societies are also getting involved with Movember including Acting Society who are hosting a two hour ‘non- stop improv’ event to raise money. I think it’s great to see Guild societies and AU clubs raising money in lots of different ways. “We’re so proud of our incredible student community for coming together to support this cause, make sure you donate so we can try to beat the amount raised last year!”

University hosting Festival of Compassion Cassia Grace Deputy Editor

HE University has been hosting a Festival of Compassion, running from 18 November to 28 November. The Festival falls in an important month for mental health; November is Men’s Mental Health Month, the week of 22

November is Estranged Student Solidarity Week, 25 November - 10 December is Action Against Domestic Violence, and 28 November is World Compassion Day. It will coincide with this year’s World Compassion Day. The Festival of Compassion has been set up to promote “the value of compassion to our lives, institutions, and communities”. The Festival

Image: Pixabay

seeks to bring “together academics, practitioners, campaigners, and activists, working in a number of fields” and “offers practical suggestions about how to actively implement compassion for wellbeing both in university and in life beyond it”. On Thursday 18 November, the week started with a free online ‘Bringing Mindfulness to Education’ talk with Liz Lord. Lord, from Mindfulness in School Project (MiSP) discussed the meaning of mindfulness, the research evidence around it and how it can be implemented in schools. The project aims to encourage the “flourishing of young minds”. The talk began with an analysis of what mindfulness is and what it isn’t. Lord noted that there is a common “misconception” of mindfulness as people who are “passive and away with the fairies”, stating that in reality it is the opposite. She added that there is a “responsibility in the mindfulness community to get the imagery right”. Mindfulness was then defined by Lord as “paying attention on purpose”. An exercise was used to demonstrate this; participants were asked to clap their hands three times and put palms facing towards their screens and imagine their attention spreading to their fingertips “like their attention is a torch beam”. Attendants described the feeling as a “tingling”, “warmth”

and “coolness”. Lord went on to add that the aim of this exercise is to place our “senses in the present moment” and that mindfulness hopes to cultivate qualities of curiosity and kindness as a “radical act of acceptance”. Lord also discussed why mindfulness training is needed in schools, giving the statistic that 50 per cent of mental illnesses begin in children under 15 and that such training could alleviate stress for teachers as well as students. Amongst other studies, she cited O Ergas in 2019, who described “mindfulness as a fundamental skill of learning”. She further examined the need for a “whole school approach” in order to achieve a community of compassion and unity, which is recommended by the Strategy for Mindfulness and Education. She ended by stating that the Festival’s theme of compassion “permeates throughout life” and recommending a mindfulness technique which is taught at schools. You should imagine you are at a busy bus stop; rather than getting on any of the buses, you should instead sit and let them pass you by. Lord’s courses can be found on the MiSP website. There is an eight-week course available called .Begin and for teachers, a day course called Teach.Breathe, both of which aim to foster greater mindfulness and reduce stress in education.

University outlines responsible investment Lucy Aylmer Deputy Editor

N 17 November, the University of Exeter hosted a talk on how the University invests responsibly. In attendance was the Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Connolly who provided a summary on the University’s current investments, and representatives from Rathbone Greenbank. Since 2020, the University of Exeter have been working with ethical investment manager, Rathbone Greenbank because of their ‘screening methods to identify ethical performers’ in investment practices. Connolly stated that the University intends to respond to the climate emergency by setting net zero carbon emission targets by 2050, providing carbon literacy training and establishing a green rewards programme. This is to be manifested and facilitated through ‘greener’ financial instruments, improved transparency by publishing the University’s investment policy and ensuring that the companies that Exeter invests in, make a “positive impact” such as Beyond Meat and Orsted, a green energy company. The University explained that spending power is also attained through endowment funds that come from alumni and philanthropists interested in the University. Currently, these funds stand at £50 million, with £21 million of these proceeds directed towards the Arabic and Islamic Studies Institute. In conclusion, the University stated that their investments and endowment funds are engaged in strict ESG (environment, social and governance) protocol to ensure that companies are held to account and that investments are ethical.

Images: Guild

Image: Kenueone, Wikicommons

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

Exeter Christmas market returns Megan Ballantyne News Editor

N Thursday 18 November 2021, Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market on Cathedral Green was reopened. The market will be open until 18 December, and sells food and gifts at around 90 stalls. On the same day, Exeter city’s Christmas lights were turned on. Lighting installations around the city include an oversized bauble and present, alongside the word ‘Exeter’ lit up. Elsewhere in the city, local businesses are also getting in the festive spirit. The Stoke Arms is continuing its tradition of decorating the entire pub with colourful Christmas lighting, a process which has taken two weeks. Princesshay already opened twelve chalets around the popular shopping area on 12 November, offering a mixture of gifts, food and drinks options for shoppers.

Cavern host gig in aid of Afghan refugees Lucy Aylmer Deputy Editor

N 28 October, Cavern hosted a charity fundraiser night for the Red Cross emergency appeal for Afghanistan refugees, and raised £383. Cavern invited four bands to play — 51st State, Gimic, The Issues and Horses in Disguise, and DJs Leah and Maisie, from the Masionettes. Both bands and DJs voluntarily offered to come and play for free. Pippa Wragg, a spokesperson for Cavern, stated that the inspiration to raise money for Afghanistan came from “the harrowing footage of people trying to leave the country in a panic when the Taliban regained control of the country”. She also told Exeposé that “everyone at Cavern wanted to do something to help. It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of problems of that magnitude but we thought — we can help by doing what we always do. Let’s put on a gig”. Wragg and the team at Cavern were extremely grateful to everyone who contributed and remarked that the gig was a great success.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

NEWS

Daubeny on Pride of Britain ceremony: “It felt surreal” Bridie Adams Editor

EREMY Daubeny’s nomination for a Pride of Britain award came after his ‘Tour de Full English’, in which he cycled all

Image: Jeremy Daubeny

over the United Kingdom in hunt of the country’s best full English Breakfast, all in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity and the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association. Despite having an initial target of £2,500, Daubeny managed to raise £37,500 for the Brain Tumour Charity and the MND Association. Earlier this year, he received a regional Pride of Britain award, and recently attended the national award c e r e m o n y. Exeposé spoke to him about his red carpet experi-

ence and the importance of charity work in raising both funds and awareness. É : What was the experience of going to the Pride of Britain awards like? JD: It felt surreal (you know, walking down the red carpet, brushing shoulders with celebrities and stuff) and incredibly intense. É : What was it like meeting the other nominees? JD: Everyone had an absolutely amazing story. The majority had been dealt really awful cards. We’re all still in touch over email, which is exciting. É: Were there any particular stories when talking to people that really resonated with you and were inspiring? JD: Yeah. I think George Kavanagh was my age, one year younger than me, and he’d lost his dad about ten years ago. He’s from Grimsby; not a lot happens up there music event-wise, it’s quite a boring entertainment scene really, so he saw a hole in that. He basically puts on comedy shows, tribute acts, music nights, and it’s all fundraising. When it comes to

these things, you can do anything. É: What was it like getting to share the experience of the Pride of Britain awards ceremony with your sister and to bring her along with you? JD: It was really brilliant to be able to experience it with her. I think we know each other better than anyone else. We knew the story and we knew where we came from and it was really lovely to see her again because I hadn’t seen her for eight weeks. We’re probably closer than your average siblings so it was really lovely getting to see her again in general. É: Are you planning anything else for charity at the moment to support both the MND Association and the Brain Tumour Charity? JD: I’m a young ambassador of the Brain Tumour Charity which is a two year thing. Now that I’ve got all the cycling kit, when COVID’s over, I’d love to go into Europe and cycle. I think I’ll do a bit of the UK and just take it into Europe.

“The risk of transmission remains low” Continued from front page... “Students going to university or college for the first time, including overseas and mature students are also eligible for the vaccine. “However, it does not vaccinate against meningococcal B which is why it is still so important to make sure you are aware of the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease.” On 12 November 2021, prior

to the third report of a meningitis case, Exeposé received the following statement from a spokesperson for the University of Exeter: “There has been a confirmed case of bacterial meningitis and the student concerned is receiving the appropriate medical attention. The affected student’s close friends and course mates have been identified and contacted and will also receive the appropriate medical advice and preventative treatment.

“The University has clear protocols for dealing with cases of meningitis and is working in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency in relation to this incident. While this is the second case confirmed this term, the two are not thought to be linked. While the risk of infection spreading is extremely low, it is crucial to be able to recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease and to get treatment as soon as possible should they appear. These symptoms can in-

clude fever, vomiting, severe headache or muscle pains and drowsiness. “Further advice on meningitis and an information leaflet can be obtained from the Meningitis Research Foundation 0808 800 3344 or at http://www.meningitis.org/ or the Meningitis Now 0808 80 10 388 or at https://www.meningitisnow.org.” The students affected by meningitis are in our thoughts, and Exeposé wishes them a swift recovery.

Diwali celebrations at University include dancing and fireworks Lucy Aylmer Deputy Editor

HE Asian and Hindu societies at Exeter University kickstarted their Diwali Celebrations at Streatham Campus on 14 November. The celebrations began with a Puja at 2.30PM led by a Hindu Chaplain followed by a schedule of activities and workshops, with catering provided by Namaste, a local South Indian restaurant. The event culminated with dance performances in the Great Hall, a musical parade and fireworks. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lisa Roberts, said: “The University’s Diwali celebrations are one of the highlights of the year for everyone in the University community and in the City of Exeter, and it is fantastic that this year we will once again be able to welcome people to the in-person events. Our students have really done an outstanding job organising the event, and I am really excited to be joining my very first Diwali celebrations at Exeter as Vice-Chancellor.”

Images: Conor Béhard Roberts

5 NEWS

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

In Conversation: Katy Dalglish, AU President Chloe Pumares and Oliver Leader de Saxe Deputy Editor and Editor

E spoke to AU President Katy Dalglish about what she does in her role, promises made in her manifesto and the miscomunication surrounding the email to sports clubs. É: Firstly, just give an overview of what it is that you do as AU President? KD: It varies hugely, which I really like about the role. So, I started off over the summer and it was very quiet as there weren’t many students on campus, and then as soon as Freshers’ Week hit it was like a switch flicked. Honestly it was so busy, which was great to see! I started with club captains’ training, which was my first big job; I got to meet all the committees, club captains, welfare, social secretaries, stuff like that. I’ve also had several AU Council Meetings with club captains and my executive team. I work closely with both the AU team and the club captains, so it is really that communication between the staff and students that I really like. I’m working towards all the goals in my manifesto and some of the club captains and management executives are helping me, but equally so is the AU team. We’re working on disability sport, intramural… stuff like that. É: Is there anything you’re working on at the moment that you’re particularly proud of ? KD: At the moment we’re working on more accessible sport opportunities. The football club have been really good at trying to push that as well, they ran their first taster session recently. For me, this is obviously a really massive project to do just within a year so I started by organising some online fitness classes for people in wheelchairs, but also to

University of Exeter Sport Athletic Union

open that up to anyone, specifically those that are injured, to try and make it a more inclusive environment. We had our first one a few weeks ago and this is only just the beginning, and it’s something I’m hoping to get more people attending. É: One of the big issues facing a lot of Sabbatical Officers this year is dealing with the impacts of the pandemic. How are you finding this? KD: In a way it has helped, because everyone is so keen to go out and do sports. Like the Tennis Club has over 1,000 members which is unheard of. I think everyone is just really keen to get involved with sports. We’ve got 51 clubs now, which is even more than what we had before the pandemic which is really encouraging. Intramural sport has also taken off as well, it’s full in a lot of the leagues which is really encouraging. And there’s also the ‘pitch up and play’ sessions, where people don’t have to buy membership and can just rock up with a ticket on Fixr and play a game of rounders, football, dodgeball and touch rugby. So we’ve increased the recreational opportunities. I just think the pandemic made people realise the importance of getting out and about with people. É: We know several clubs didn’t survive the pandemic, and many more are small clubs with limited members. What support is the AU giving to these clubs to ensure every sport can build back better? KD: There were a few clubs that we didn’t have any committee contact details for. Right at the beginning of my job I went around collecting new committee lists, and there were a few gaps like Table Tennis or Jiu Jitsu, they were the two main ones with no committee. I think they fell through because they’re indoor sports and their governing bodies didn’t let anything happen last year. So I reached out to anyone who was in the club last year, anyone I could get hold of through Face-

book, anyone I could find. See if anyone was interested in helping. Someone got back to me for Jiu Jitsu and ended up club captain having never been on committee, we had so many one to one meetings in preparation. The same happened for Table Tennis, it was someone who never intended to be a club captain and then the case of having one to one meetings. I’d like to think we have given them a lot of time and support, but can’t express enough how well they’ve done, from having no members or committee to be fully functioning. That’s two really good individuals there. É: Is there any work to include disabled sports in the University? What ground has been made on this recently? KD: In September I emailed out to the clubs, it was during Freshers’ week and term didn’t really start until the middle of that month. There is such a large spectrum of what you can do there. We tried to have at least one session a week in that month that was really inclusive and open to invisible disabilities. If there wasn’t much attendance we would talk to clubs about ways of working and how to move on from there. It’s definitely one of our focuses and as I said we are doing fitness classes for people in wheelchairs. Football Club are working closely with Exeter City Community Trust, when they had a taster session they planned to have para chairs come down from the community, but unfortunately they were on holiday. That’s a really strong link that I’m hoping to work with, make links with the community and work with them as well as sharing resources, letting them train here. It would be a great opportunity to use equipment for different clubs across the University. É: Something else you mention in your manifesto regards support and wellbeing, mainly workshops for women and the Beyond Equality Initiative formerly known as the Good Lad Initiative. Have these workshops been taking place? How successful have they been? KD: I just applied for annual funding for the workshops and will hear if I have been successful in a couple of weeks. Beyond Equality emailed me a couple of weeks ago about doing a free one for Movember. I’ve offered that out. I know from the past they have been successful so I’m hoping the funding will be finalised. É: Whilst on issues surrounding gender, we want to talk a little about intramural sport. How do you decide which sports are mixed and which aren’t, for example why is there mixed intramural netball, but not football? We know that there was a women’s league last year, but didn’t get enough uptake. When this happened, why was the sport not then mixed? KD: I think feedback is really helpful for us here, whether that is the case of me putting out more surveys or polls. I guess why it hasn’t been the case is uptake because leagues are so tight and competitive and you want as many people as possible to play. I guess it’s due to a lack of interest and uptake. It’s good to hear feedback because it is something we can look at doing. We have an Intramural Officer who is in charge of running the programme. É: Your manifesto mentioned supporting women and creating positive attitudes. Given recent allegations against female clubs such as Hockey, do you think these clubs really are providing support for women? Would you agree that one of biggest

barriers for self-confidence within these sports is the toxic attitudes within these clubs? How are you addressing that? KD: I think when I said I wanted to address women’s mindsets in sport, it is confidence in getting fit and getting active, such as in the gym. In the new year I’m hoping to run a This Girl campaign month and hopefully it gets the same energy as Movember which is such a hit at this University, it’s amazing. I would love to get the same energy for this campaign, do some more basics to barbells programs and self-defence classes. I would work with Izzy and Marion and get some Guild societies involved as well, I would love for it to be University wide. My goal is to get everyone as involved as possible. É: Talking of initiations, in the AU president election debate you mentioned that initiations are “so well embedded” in many societies, and that you would like to stop this in the future to prevent people being dissuaded from doing sport. Given the recent controversy surrounding initiations, do you think you’ve been successful in this? KD: I think it’s a tough question as we have worked very hard on our committee training. It’s difficult to tell whether it has been successful as a whole, there are 51 clubs and about 10,000 members so it’s difficult to comment on. É What specific policies are the AU going to put in place going forward to guarantee that initiations on this scale won’t happen again? KD: They are banned, this is explicitly clear, and they have been for years. That’s explicitly clear with training and so any club that does any form of initiation are definitely brought in about it. É: What’s the process for reporting? KD: It would go through a member of the AU and depending on confidentiality reasons I may not always hear about the incidences. É: This is not the first instance of initiations at the AU being discussed at Exeter despite being banned in 2007, with numerous incidents occurring since. Why has the AU been so ineffective in dealing with initiations? Do you think current AU policies drive initiations underground? And how is the AU planning on breaking the culture of silence if they have any plans at all? KD: Having been a member of a sport club for three years both intramural and competitively, I think within the ten years there has been a change. This year its our focus to make clubs be the change. Usually you have three year groups who have gone through socials, but this is the easiest year to make the change as you have had two years who haven’t experienced any socials. Traditions can be hard to break, but we are trying to change that this year. É: We also want to ask specifically about the communication breakdown occurred around socials being banned a few weeks ago. An email was sent round which seemed to suggest socials would be banned, yet the next email simply talks about re-engaging club committees in AU processes. Students seemed to think socials were going to be banned until further notice, could you just explain what happened? KD: The word banned was never mentioned. An email was put out saying socials would be paused temporarily, potentially it wasn’t the clearest of messages. Which is why the next day within 24 hours another email was released. I would like to think now everyone is clear about it.

LIFESTYLE

MUSIC

TECH

STUDY BREAK

ARTS + LIT

SCREEN

23 NOV 2021| EXEPOSÉ

Features

FEATURES EDITORS:

Joshua Hughes and Steffi Haselden

Worrying times in New Caledonia Joshua Hughes, Features Editor, reviews New Caledonia’s struggle for independence

EW Caledonia is a French territory locked in a struggle for independence. Located in the South Pacific, the archipelago has several important aspects; both being situated in a strategic location and also holding a rich supply of nickel. The main proponents of independence are the Kanaks and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS). In March 2021, for the first time in over two decades, the government swung to having a majority of pro-independence politicians – this came after the resignations of five pro-independence politicians amid economic issues and civil unrest over the ownership of nickel assets. Furthermore, Louis Mapou, the first pro-independence Kanak president, assumed office in July which has encouraged pro-independence groups. Others have also joined the calls for independence arguing that the nickel industry in the country has led to significant inequalities in income and that the revenue benefits more people outside the territory than within. The rich supply of nickel which the territory possesses has been the centre of controversy with riots breaking out in February 2021, over the sale process of Vale, a Brazilian mining company. Protestors argued that a locally led offer for the nickel business had been unfairly overlooked. Similarly in November 2020, widespread riots erupted in the wake of the sale of the Brazilian owned Goro-Nickel plant which threatened the jobs of 3,000 workers. In the wake of the protests, the government deployed riot squads which led to violent clashes between protestors and police. In the 2018 independence referendum, the majority voted against independence. However, protests outside the capital led to the main road being closed for two days, demonstrating the ability of the pro-independence movement to make itself heard. Under the terms of the 1988 Noumea Accord, one more referendum is to be held within two years of the previous vote (which occurred in 2018). The FLNKS have called for a boycott of the

Tuvalu’s climate change plea Richard Fairey reviews Simon Kofe’s remarkable speech

image: George Garrigues

vote because of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that it negatively affects their ability to campaign. However, the referendum will go ahead, and the French government have launched a significant security operation. The significance of the vote has been underlined by the deployment of 250 French police reinforcements which arrived in the territory last month. This will contribute to the overall number of 2,000 security personal – double which has been used during the two previous referendums. The importance to the French government of New Caledonia remaining a French territory is clear. France, who once possessed several territories has seen its power slip away in recent years – the signing of the AUKUS pact in September demonstrating this. The agreement, signed by the US, UK and Australia, significantly contains the repudiation of a €56 billion French submarine contract which stated that France would equip Australia with US nuclearpowered submarines. The pact between the UK, US and Australia, which was agreed without discussion with NATO member states, is clearly directed against China. Ultimately the pact outcasts the European powers and will increase US, UK and Australian military cooperation within the region at France’s expense. While France has seen its power wane in recent years, French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018 called for a new Indo-Pacific axis against China

demonstrating France’s awareness of the threat China poses. France also views China as a competitor in its former colonies in Africa, where it maintains a political and military presence. The interest of China in the archipelago is both economic and strategic. With the territory being placed extremely close to Australia it would allow China to bypass the military axis being formed by the US, UK and Australia. China is a supporter of the Kanak independence movements with the independence referendum on the 12 December being a key opportunity for Beijing to advance its plans. The existence of the Sino-Caledonian Friendship Association, directly financed by the Chinese Communist Party, is a public example of China’s intentions. A wider look at the Pacific highlights how crucial the referendum is with Chinese influence spreading throughout the small territories situated in the region, Vanuatu being a prominent example. Overall, the territory of New Caledonia presents an interesting picture for global politics. An independent New Caledonia would allow the territory freedom from its once colonial motherland. However, the threat posed by China, both in taking over its mining industry and in constructing military projects is not a positive alternative, which highlights yet another example of smaller states becoming mere pawns in global politics.

UVALU Foreign Minister Simon Kofe has addressed COP26 kneedeep in water to emphasise the danger of rising sea levels in Tuvalu. Mr Kofe’s bold decision has served to emphasise the true danger of rising sea levels. Pictures of the Foreign Minister standing at a lectern in the sea with his suit trousers rolled up have been posted extensively on social media, spreading his founded assertion of the impact of climate change. This in turn has led to an increase in public demand for world leaders to address these pressing issues. The statement juxtaposes the COP26 setting with the real-life situations faced in Tuvalu due to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. It also highlights the bold action Tuvalu is taking to address the very pressing issues of climate change. Kofe also stated in his video message that Tuvalu are at the forefront of combatting “human mobility under climate change”. The video was recorded near

Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu, and was shown to the climate summit on Tuesday 9 November. Before COP26, which began on 31 October this year, it was discovered that only two thirds of Pacific small island states would be able to send government figures to represent them in the Glasgow summit, due to on-going COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Pacific nations would be underrepresented This led to fears that Pacific nations would be underrepresented and that, despite being the most at-risk from climate change, their voices would not be appropriately championed and acknowledged at COP26. However, Mr Kofe’s actions have led to a greater public and global acknowledgement of the importance of climate action for all the low-lying Pacific islands in similar positions to Tuvalu.

Image: Unsplash, 30daysreplay Germany

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

9 FEATURES

Afghanistan: the world's worst humanitarian crisis

Steffi Haselden, Features Editor, discusses the catastrophic situation in Afghanistan

FGHANISTAN is in the midst of a multifaceted crisis of conflict, drought, economic collapse and COVID-19. The need for international support and intervention has arguably never been greater in the country. However, in the wake of the Taliban takeover in August, economic aid has been suspended, leaving nearly 23 million people susceptible to acute hunger this winter. The country is facing its worst predicted winter on record, with 95 per cent of the population, equating to nearly 23 million people, having inadequate food supplies and "marching towards starvation". The United Nations have labelled it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and is set to exceed the casualties of the famines in both Syria and Yemen, with nearly nine million Afghans now facing a food emergency.

The country is on the verge of economic collapse A recent World Food Programme report stated that famine worldwide has risen from 42 million earlier this year, to 45 million, with Afghanistan alone accounting for an almost additional three million people.

Alongside the devastation brought by the worst drought Afghanistan has witnessed in 35 years, and subsequent food shortages, the country is also on the verge of economic collapse, a scenario that has been significantly worsened by the withdrawal of international aid in retaliation to the Taliban’s sudden accumulation of power. Together, the situation has escalated to create a reality in which millions of Afghans will be forced to choose between migration or starvation, in what Mr Beasley, the executive director of WFP, has labelled a "countdown to catastrophe". Prior to the American withdrawal and subsequent Taliban takeover in Summer, the economy was already seen to be in an incredibly fragile state, heavily dependent on foreign aid. A nation is deemed aid dependent when ten per cent or more of its gross domestic product comes from foreign aid. World Bank reports estimate that in Afghanistan’s case, international aid makes up approximately 40 per cent of the country’s GDP. This demonstrates how large the state’s dependency culture on foreign aid and capital has become. Despite such an overt reliance on foreign investment and aid in the wake of political conflict, western powers have suspended aid, whilst the world bank and international monetary fund

have halted payments. This withholding of economic aid and foreign direct investment from the World Bank is gravely impacting Afghanistan in its most desperate state. Cash shortages, bank closures and the suspension of money transfers have all taken place in the past four months, with the new regime now resorting to hyperinflation of the Afghan currency. Furthermore, with public spending under the previous government being 75 per cent financed by foreign donors, government officials, school teachers, healthcare workers and many others have not received salaries for several months following the last government’s dissolution.

A matter of weeks before the Afghan economy sprials into complete collapse

The healthcare sector in particular has also experienced continuous strains due to supply shortages which have been exacerbated by new border controls and regulations in the face of political strife, funding cuts and new cases of COVID-19. The economy can be seen to be in fully blown meltdown, with reports

speculating that it is "a matter of probably weeks" before the Afghan economy spirals into complete collapse. Simultaneously, in response to the Taliban upheaval, not only have billions of dollars in foreign aid payments ceased, but nearly ten billion dollars of Afghan central bank assets have been frozen by the US. The unfreezing of such foreign exchange reserves will not occur till the Taliban have met certain conditions and proven itself ‘worthy’ on the international stage — which appears highly unlikely in the midst of such political animosity which encapsulates fundamental differences. Afghanistan has not been completely abandoned by the international community in response to the Taliban takeover however. UN agencies have already reached five million Afghans with humanitarian assistance in September and the WFP have provided 3.8 million with food assistance. The EU have also increased their aid budget fourfold, but much more money is still needed. Whilst the UN appealed for nearly $606 million for the rest of 2021, they have only received a little over a third of that amount. To deal with such an ordeal though, the UN Humanitarian Assistance Programme has stated that it requires $220 million per month for the current budget for the entire year. They have called

the current financial commitments "a drop in the ocean" in the face of the funds that actually need to be acquired. What is evident is that if Afghanistan is to have any hope of dealing with such a humanitarian emergency, there needs to be increased involvement and contributions made by the wider international community. Currently there is visible hesitancy from countries and donors in responding to such requests, with there being a dilemma between how to support the millions of people who will affected by the harsh realities of famine this winter, whilst not openly supporting or aiding a regime that so many have open disdain and condemnation for. Such feelings of discomfort will have to be put aside however, in order address a catastrophic situation that is expected to result in over a million children dying by the end of the year.

Humanity and morality must trump the political landscape

As stipulated by members of the WFP, in the context of this perpetuating crisis, humanity and morality must trump the political landscape, with the director saying "if we let any child die from hunger, shame on us. I don’t care where that child is". It is time to "stop playing politics with people’s lives". Images (left to right): Flcikr and CPL, Sam Shepard

Comment

23 NOV 2021| EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT EDITORS:

Kate Hall and Evan Thomas

Landlords: what are they good for?

Jess Steward

FTER a year in a house where the landlord was completely AWOL, this year brought better luck with a landlord from heaven. Although this may be a rarity, the blessing of having a good landlord really does change your perception of house renting. It is easy to suggest that there is a systemic issue with renting, especially for students, where landlords know they can take advantage. However, as time has gone on, students have become more renter savvy and no longer allow themselves to be treated so badly. There are bad landlords who push the boundaries of what is truly acceptable but, as with anything in life, there are always people who test the waters of how far they can go. I used to firmly believe

that all landlords were evil, and that to be one you had to sell your soul to the devil. I thought landlords were just people willing to exploit renters, particularly students, for their own financial gain. This year, that all changed.

I know this is a rare diamond in an abundance of coal Before we even moved into our house the landlord already seemed to care. Not only did he keep the rent low because of COVID-19, but he also called to introduce himself and gave us all the information he possibly could to help us with moving in. It was the first experience any of us had had with a landlord who did not just seem to be in it for the money;

he seemed to actually care about the house, and about us as students. I know this is a rare diamond in an abundance of coal, but to have a landlord who seems to be caring, and just generally human, was extremely refreshing. I believe, under the right circumstances, renting gives young people the ability to move with jobs and interests even if, in the long run, it isn’t the most financially beneficial thing to do. Renting allows young people to move with the modern world of work and gives far more flexibility than buying and having a mortgage. However, I do strongly believe this depends on circumstance. If you had asked me to discuss

positive aspects of landlords after last years’ experience, I would not have been able to do it. Luckily, this year I have been blessed with a landlord who, for all the above reasons, has restored my faith in humanity, or at least student landlords.

I used to firmly believe all landlords were evil

Image: OpenClipart

e: Imag

Imag

e: Pio

tr Sie

dleck

Rebecca Tinley

U Image: OpenClipart

NIVERSITY houses are commonly known to be falling apart, rife with mould and often lack basic facilities. It is also well known that student landlords can get away with renting out inadequate housing, but this needs to be questioned. My student house was mouldy from the start. Our curtains were blackened, and spores were growing up the wall in the downstairs bedroom. We did complain and get

We had been living in rooms with evidence of damp all around us Additionally, we lack basic and fundamental furniture. With no table, we are forced to eat on our laps, despite there being space for a small table and chairs. Our mop, provided by the landlord, is a vile shade of brown and clearly had not been cleaned for a very long time. To make matters worse, the exorbitance of Exeter’s rent prices is not being addressed. Even though

ay m

oham

ed_h

assa

for the next academic year by £15 a week. I doubt the landlords will use this extra money to buy the next students a table and chairs, or a new mop.

Image: mohammed_hassan Pixabay

new curtains from our agency, but they took nearly six weeks to arrive. In the meantime, we had been living in rooms with evidence of damp all around us.

pixab

Exeter is already known for its high rent, they are increasing year on year whilst the quality of houses often remains the same. Perhaps this is due to rising demand for private housing in the city, close to Exeter’s Streatham Campus, as a result of the admittance of more students. According to Exeter’s student census, in the academic year 2016 to 2017, Exeter admitted 22,085 students but in the year 2020 to 2021, this rose to 27,296. On-campus accommodation has somewhat negated the impact of this on first year housing, with the addition of over 1,000 rooms in Exeter’s new East Park accommodation and new student flats in town. However, those who want to find housing in the city will struggle. Our house has increased in rent

Student landlords think they can get away with increasing rent This will undoubtedly affect those relying on the government student loan to fund their tuition and living costs the most, ultimately exacerbating the economic disparities between students. The question that needs to be asked is why student landlords think they can get away with increasing rent whilst neglecting to supply student houses with basic amenities. How is it acceptable that they take advantage of the growing demand for student houses whilst at the same time taking advantage of the students themselves?

23 NOV 2021| EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT

Corruption in the Commons Evan Thomas Comment Editor

T’S very inconvenient to those in government when we’re allowed to peek behind the curtain that is the myth of British democracy. Where unaccountable power lies, it’s a given that dirty deals will take place. Sleaze is as British as crumpets. Even cynics can agree that an MP’s job is hard. Getting elected is a gruelling and highly expensive process. And once you get to Parliament, it isn’t necessarily much better. Living outside London can be draining with long commutes, unsociable hours and significant time away from your family. They’re certainly well-compensated for this, earning roughly £81,932 per annum with generous expense allowances. If

they do believe there is a shortfall that needs to be made up, then it would be useful to remember that they’re in the top five per cent of earners. How do they think the rest of the population is coping?

Sleaze is as British as crumpets A prevailing method for filling this shortfall is taking a job on the side. The Government has once again been embroiled in a sleaze scandal. It’s become a feature of the Johnson premiership that, no matter the controversy, he and his cronies are able to sweep it under the carpet and recover their polling lead. Using Owen Paterson as the sacrificial lamb to draw attention away from the bigger picture hasn’t quite worked; several MPs’ dodgy dealings are now under the microscope. It seems that Teflon Boris might need

to add some more elbow grease to this dog’s dinner, because it’s sticking. The opposition certainly needed a win and this could be a big one. Unfortunately for Starmer, he is in hiding after his own past dabbling with side jobs has come to light. I can’t say that I’m surprised that his ideological vacuousness wouldn’t be prohibitive of such bad behaviour. In a characteristically Starmer stumble, he once again proceeded to crash and burn, live on camera when pressed during a Sky News interview about almost accepting a second job at law firm Mischon de Reya in 2017. That being while he was Shadow Brexit Secretary. He defended himself by saying he wasn’t “in talks” to take the job, he was just “in discussion” to take the job. Sure thing Keir, it must just be my nonQC brain that can’t handle the intricate differences between those two terms. But it’s not only the two-party duopoly who’ve been whoring out their elected privileges. This rot exists across the

political spectrum. Take the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, who’s also been a bit cheeky, almost doubling his salary working ten hours a month for a law firm and an energy firm.

What’s truly disturbing is how this translates to policy positions He claims that all the extra money goes towards caring for his disabled son. That would be noble if it weren’t for the fact that he was a coalition Government Minister when austerity cuts hit disabled people particularly hard. It’s bad enough that our elected officials are spending a significant proportion of both their mental energy and limited time not serving their constituents. What’s truly disturbing is how this translates to policy positions. In 2018, Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox, spoke out against a

proposal to increase transparency in tax havens. Coincidentally, he has previously advised governments of the Cayman and British Virgin Islands, both of which are tax havens. These examples are plentiful and clearly demonstrate that an MP’s voting record should be interpreted within the context of who’s paying them. There’s certainly a discussion to be had as to which jobs should and shouldn’t be allowed. Sitting on the board of an investment bank while being paid 124 times the national average hourly wage? Not great. Working one day per week as a GP? Seems okay. Everyone else can point out the conflict of interest, besides the MPs themselves. So, now is the time to enforce consequences. Compromised politicians implement poor policy, which costs lives. For the preservation of any semblance of democracy, the punishment for corrupt behaviour can’t be a few months on the naughty step, but serious time behind bars.

Alcohol dependency and students: let’s talk about Kate Hall Comment Editor

HEN we hear the term ‘alcoholic’, most probably imagine the stereotypical bottle-waving, beardgreying middle-aged man stumbling through a daylit town centre yelling incoherently at passers-by. The reality is, issues of alcoholism and alcohol dependency have many, many faces. It may, in fact, look like a boy at the pub sinking a pint in seconds to the chants and encouragement of his equally intoxicated mates, or a stumbling girl insisting to everyone she has to have one more shot when the bar is very clearly closing. It may look like that one person who always turns up to the seminar proclaiming “I’m so hungover”, or even the empty chair of the person who didn’t manage to show up at all.

Our overindulgence is too often overlooked Alcohol can be really fun. It can help us to relax in social situations, make things funnier, our feelings more intense and our dancing better — actually forget that last one. Seriously though, I’ve had some of the best nights ever, facilitated by that familiar buzz, that hazy interdimensional stumble from kitchen, to pub, to club, to kebab shop. I’ve also crumbled into reckless, debilitating

self-destruction chasing that same feeling. Alcohol doesn’t create a mood; it simply accentuates it. A good night can become a great night, and more importantly, a bad night can quickly become a terrible one. It possesses a strange dichotomous quality in both enabling us to be more open with our problems, but also run away from them at the same time. In its most beautiful moments, it’s a vessel for genuine truth and connection. In its ugliest moments, alcohol is a personal nightmare disguised as a social crutch. We normalise emotional outbursts after drinking such as anger and tearfulness, and the next day apologise for them, saying we have no idea where they came from. But deep down, when we dare to self-reflect, we often do. Alcohol is regularly referred to as a ‘depressant’. This does not literally mean that it conjures sadness; it contains certain chemicals which slow the normal functions of the central nervous system. The effects of this listed by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation are those I’m sure we all recognise after the consumption of alcohol: enhanced mood, slowed reaction time, impaired judgement and coordination, or on a particularly heavy night, blackouts, memory loss, vomiting and unconsciousness. The first on this list, enhanced mood, is that which can make or break a person’s relationship with alcohol, whether for just one night or longer-term. In 2018, a study was conducted by the University of Exeter’s School

of Psychology, looking at “negative mood-induced alcohol-seeking” behavioural patterns in a group of 128 16 to 25-year-olds. Participants undertook questionnaires based on depression symptoms and alcohol uptake and a two-alternative forced choice test centred by negative-mood induction. It was found that “sensitivity to negative mood induced alcoholseeking was greater in young adults who reported depression symptoms, drinking to cope, and subjective reactivity to mood induction.” Essentially, the study suggested that alcohol was more attractive to those with a lowered mood.

So, if you do catch your friend, or yourself, going a little bit too far a little bit too often, check in This result is perhaps unsurprising given the culture of drinking at university. We’ll often hear statements like “come out, it’ll make you feel better’”or “I need to get drunk” in response to general or event-caused stress, anxiety and sadness. In fact, on a national scale, alcohol has been coined as the UK’s “favourite coping mechanism”, with large numbers of adults admitting they drink to relax or overcome depressive feelings. It’s no secret that the UK has a drinking problem, and the heightened drinking culture within UK universities only exaggerates the existing nationwide

Image: Wikimedia Commons

behavioural patterns of the broader pint-guzzling population. The difference is, our overindulgence is too often overlooked under the guise of youthful socialising and a bit of harmless fun. Issues of dependency can be extremely easy to miss within our student bubble among all the fun and glorification of regular excessive drinking, especially given the stereotypical face that we have come to assign to alcohol issues. It’s Alcohol Awareness Week in the UK as I write this (15 to 21 November), so there is perhaps no time more pertinent to open a conversation within the community about this topic. When mental health related issues within the national university student community are reaching boiling point, it’s time we opened a more public conversation about alcoholism and alcohol dependency in young people and students. According to a WHO report, “every fifth suicide would not occur if alcohol were not consumed”. This seems like a morbid topical jump, but it is a fact that cannot

be ignored when both mental health struggles and excessive drinking are rife within the student community. So many of us can consume alcohol without gaining dependency or becoming self-destructive. As such, it can be difficult to contemplate and understand how the same substance that makes life lighter and provides enriching experiences for some, can accentuate its darkness for others. The more aware we are of the interplay between alcohol usage and mental health, the more easily we can recognise when someone is becoming unhealthily dependent on it. So, if you do catch your friend, or yourself, going a little bit too far a little bit too often, check in. Are you really okay? Is it time for a break from alcohol to address these issues in a healthy and meaningful way? If you think you or someone you know may be experiencing issues of alcohol dependency, please do check out the NHS website for more information on how to deal with the issue and who to speak to about it.

23 NOV 2021| EXEPOSÉ

Satire ‘Exetah’ @ COP26 Exeter student joins delegation to combat climate change due to impact on Chamonix plans

IVE Exeter students joined the COP26 delegation to advocate for governments to take urgent action against climate change. Exeposé reached out to students who have been inspired to become eco-warriors by their deeply distressing family skiing holidays in Chamonix. According to the Posh People Institute of Climate Change, increased CO2 emissions are causing the snowy mountains of the Alps to melt, causing disastrous skiing conditions for the wealthy. Arabella Montacute-Ponsby, a thirdyear Engineering student stated that “my post-university gap yah plans to do a ski season in Verbs have been put on hold by the projected impacts of climate change.” Lucy Aylmer, Deputy Editor

SSB: lit or shit? Student who can’t be bothered to nip to the shop for toilet paper reaches for SSB ticket instead

FTER realising that he had not, in fact, become inexplicably ripped in a fortnight, reports have come in of local Exeter student Sid Fillis making the devastating decision to sell his Safer Sex Ball ticket and forego attendance at the event. This decision was made only more crushing when Fillis was confronted with the resell price (or lack thereof) on Facebook, where some sellers were even offering to pay people in order to be rid of their tickets. Such news caused Fillis digestive upset, and after running to the toilet to find that no-one in his house had been bothered to replace the toilet roll, he decided to wipe two birds with one stone, repurposing his ticket as a scrap suited for the bog. Cleo Gravett, Satire Editor Image: Flickr - Levan Ramishvili

SATIRE EDITORS:

Bridie Adams and Cleo Gravett

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics considering Cardiac Hill for ski venue

Bridie Adams Editor

HE Olympic Committee has announced that Exeter’s Cardiac Hill is a potential ski venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. As opposed to the small, man-made ski fields in northern China, Cardiac Hill would attract significant attention to the Games due to its status; it is a “His-

torical Landmark” according to Google. Although Cardiac Hill is a very strong candidate for selection, some Olympic Committee members worry that its steepness may pose an excessively extreme challenge for skiers, with levels of danger and risk that have never been seen before in the Winter Games. Cardiac Hill’s incline would be the most intimidating test possible for many of the Olympians, as the sheer drop is enough to make even the most confident skiers buckle at the knees. Experts predict that the intense challenge of

Cardiac Hill would cause the majority of athletes to withdraw from the Games. If given the go-ahead, the Exeter ‘dissertation rocks’ are set to be used as podiums, with the University’s logo being replaced by the Olympic Rings (much to the horror of final year students, who are already panicking and searching for an alternative spot to take their all-important dissertation Instagram pictures at the end of the year.) The University’s grounds team, along with a team of student volunteers, are also on standby to begin coat-

ing the hill in truckloads of synthetic snow that will be provided by China. The good news for students is that the slope is set to remain open for public use following the Games, meaning that they will be able to ski right here on Streatham Campus rather than forking out their student loan (or daddy’s money) on a trip to the Alps. A post-ski dip in Cornwall House’s outdoor pool might not quite live up to the luxury hot tubs at European ski resorts, but it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of being right on our doorstep.

“Massage me please”: deep-tissue tips Eric A.B. Rown Entrepreneur

T’S stressful being a student — believe me, I know! When I was slaving away at my diploma course at Sidwell College of Advanced Massage, all I wanted to do was go out clubbing and let my hair down to relax. Here are some of my top tips for a relaxing massage you and your friends can give

each other on a night-in, if your nightout plans mysteriously fall through. First you want to set the mood: dim lighting, relaxing music and essential oils. Begin with the effleurage (stroking) and stroke up and down the body, starting with the neck, shoulders, arms and legs, paying particular attention to the pockets and what’s inside them. Then move onto the petrissage (kneading), making sure you work the knots out of the muscles. This can be a slightly painful sensation for the massage receiver, so here I would ad-

vise making small talk, such as their mother’s maiden name and the three numbers on the back of their card, to distract them from their discomfort. Follow this with friction (some recipients don’t respond well to this step and may try and back out of the massage at this point, but don’t be discouraged). Good communication and rapport is key in a successful massage experience — I like all of my customers to treat me like their friends and family; I feel that it increases trust (and decreases Paypal fees.).

If they have any requests for particular massage types such as Thai or deep-tissue, volunteer your skills and make it up as you go along, they’re all basically the same (no, you can’t see my diploma — it’s actually in the framing shop right now), and if they complain, remember that you’re the one in control. If you run into any problems, the solution is simple: just change your name, disappear and never talk to them again. Happy misleading — I mean, massaging! Cleo Gravett, Satire Editor

EUCA invites reanimated corpse of Margaret Thatcher to speaker event Richard G. Host Supernatural correspondent

HE Exeter University Conservative Association has sparked controversy after resurrecting the still-rotting corpse of a former Conservative Prime Minister for their latest speaker event. The shrunken figure of the Iron Lady was first seen dragging her skeletal body towards the Peter Chalk Building, much to the astonishment of onlookers. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” recalled Tiffany Wraxford-de-Fleur, one of several EUCA members sent to greet the undead mummified corpse. “It was like she was in her prime again.” Proceedings got off to an awkward start according to August Alexander-Wandersnout, a first year PPE student from

Lancashire and dedicated member of the Party: “At first, we were dissuaded by the pungent stench and agonised screams of torment. But once you got past all, she was a remarkably eloquent and friendly person. She only gagged once at my Northern accent. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

I’ve never seen anything like it... it was like she was in her prime again Once inside, the evening began with a rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ and a traditional blood sacrifice to satiate the former Prime Minister’s hunger before she gave her speech on the British Empire. “It was very emotional,” one audience member told Exeposé. “It takes a lot of courage to be so misinformed about your own history. It makes me so proud to be British.”

However, not all the members of the audience were happy: “I’ve never seen a more entitled, offended, woke lefty liberal in all my life” claimed tweed enthusiast Humphrey Gammon. “All she went on about was poll taxes and trade unions. What about the real issues that impact real people, eh? What about the price of a three-piece suit, or why it’s becoming harder to find good port? She even muttered something about gay people at one point. It’s political correctness gone mad.” Despite the criticism, the Iron Lady was apparently overwhelmed by the amount of support she received. “Her jaw was on the floor at points” stated one society member. “I mean, literally, her jaw kept falling off. We had to glue it back on again. It was actually quite traumatic.” Oliver Leader de Saxe, Editor

LIFESTYLE

MUSIC

TECH

ARTS + LIT

STUDY BREAK

SCREEN

Image: Piqsels Image: Pixabay

AUTUMN RECIPES

Image: Steve Rhodes

IS CITY ARCHITECTURE SEXIST?

Image: Wikimedia Commons

THE BEST OF WES ANDERSON

Image: Mohamed Hassan Image: Marco Verch Flickr

INTERVIEW: PALE WAVES

STUDENT LIFE IN THE METAVERSE

14-15 LIFESTYLE EDITOR Danni Darrah Zoe Sperry

STUDY BREAK

Image: The Blue Diamond Gallery

16-17

20-21

22 - 23

24 - 25

ARTS + LIT EDITOR Ella Minty Ana Anajuba

MUSIC EDITORS Charlotte Bend Harry Hawkins

SCREEN EDITORS Archie Lockyer Francesca Sylph

TECH EDITOR Alaïa LaFleur

STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Matthew and George

lifestyle Hustle culture: more harm than good? Jess Steward explores the toxic elements of hustle culture

S Elon Musk once said — "nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.” As inspirational as that might sound, the impracticality of it is immense. To work over 40 hours a week would not only destroy any social life you have, but it would reduce you to someone who is merely living to work. I strongly be-

lieve, as human beings, we should work to live. Although working hard does often get you ahead, it does not mean that you will automatically become a billionaire like Elon Musk. Therefore, it is arguable that maybe spending every waking hour working is not worth it. I believe this is where the concept of hustle culture falls flat, as people slowly begin to realise that work is not always the key to happiness. In university culture, there seems to be a competitiveness surrounding who has done the most all-nighters, who spent the most time on an assignImage: Wikicommons senivpetro ment, or even

who is the busiest in general. However, this perception of university life is contradicted by the view of people outside of university that it is just one big booze up. Admittedly, there are moments where social lives are given a chance to flourish over work, but in the back of all students' minds are deadlines, assignments, lectures, readings and so on. So, it does become challenging to switch off and not feel guilty about what you should be doing. Hustle culture makes people believe that if you are not constantly 'grinding' then you will never be successful. That is just not the case. In fact, 'down time' is proven to increase productivity and in all honesty, without it you end up having to make time for illness instead, as you wear yourself into the ground. It is debatable that actual 'down time' and relaxation are more essential to a fulfilled life than a successful job. As a society, we often measure success by how much money someone makes or their status in their job. However, success is about fulfilment, happiness, and how content you are within your life. There is no point being a millionaire and be-

ing miserable because you have lost all of your friends, family and freedom. The same goes for university. It would be amazing to get a high class first and come out the top of your course, but if it means sacrificing your happiness, social life and friendship, I would argue it is not really worth it.

SUCCESS IS ABOUT FULFILMENT, HAPPINESS, AND HOW CONTENT YOU ARE WITHIN YOUR LIFE Overall, although productivity is a positive way to climb the ladder, there is a fine line between success and happiness. It can be agreed by most people that as soon as happiness is removed from the equation, success becomes meaningless. Hustle culture is detrimental to an already over anxious society, who constantly believe they could be doing more. Therefore, I believe hustle culture does more harm than it does good. As the saying goes "work hard, play hard". it is essential to not forget the latter.

Autumn recipes Lifestyle writers share their favourite easy and comforting autumnal dishes

OING into autumn, all I ever crave is a warm, simple one pot pasta. The best thing about this recipe is that there isn’t really a recipe at all. You simply pick your chosen carbohydrate (fusilli is my personal favourite but spaghetti, tagliatelle or even rice, couscous and quinoa work well) and throw it into a pot, preparing it to your taste. I prefer to leave my pasta or carb a little undercooked and al dente as it will be cooked further with the sauce. Then, gather up all the available vegetables you have hiding in the back of your fridge (bonus points if they are nearing their best before date) and chuck them into the pot af-

ter draining most – not all – of the water out. At this point I like to add some coconut milk, yoghurt, or another thickener but that is completely optional. I also like to add some seasonings. My favourites include – but are not limited to – onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and curry powder. If you want to leave it vegan or vegetarian, you can stop at this point or you can add some precooked meats (chicken works particularly well with it). Leave it to simmer for a few minutes until cooked to your desired taste. Ana Anajuba, Arts + Lit Editor

Image: Wikicommons Demonreeper

T might be too early for Christmas baking (or not!), but you can still incorporate winter spices and heartwarming ingredients into your bakes. If the Great British Bake Off has got you inspired, then the following recipes will be perfect for you to try out over the next few weeks in the run up to the festive season. There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked cakes and pastries. So with the weather getting colder, it’s the perfect time of year to get baking! It’s also a great way of incorporating hygge into your life. The following recipes encapsulate autumnal flavours, taking advantage of apples and traditional winter spices like cinnamon — so are ideal for those cosy Sundays in and perfect to pair with a hot drink. Jamie Oliver’s Apple Crumble, whilst a classic, always hits the spot. Whether you prefer custard or ice cream as a pairing, it’s the perfect pudding to warm you up on those cold autumn days and so easy to make. Jamie’s classic apple crumble is an easy way to get that cosy winter feeling during those drab November days. If you fancy being creative, it can easily be adapted too by adding a little cinnamon. BBC Good Food’s Dorset Apple Cake is is a delicious bake to use up those apples that you haven’t eaten. This scrumptious cake is sure to impress and

will definitely not last long. It’s really easy to make and doesn’t require loads of ingredients so is the perfect autumnal bake for students with limited supplies. Olive Magazine’s Spiced Tarte Tatin sounds and looks impressive but is unexpectedly easy to bake. Using ready made pastry negates the faff of making your own and the use of a variety of spices encapsulates the flavours of the winter months. Guaranteed to be gone in a flash, your housemates will thank you for baking them these delicious treats over the next few weeks. Just stock up your food cupboard with a jar of cinnamon and handful of apples and let the aromas of winter take over. Rebecca Tinley

Image: Pixabay

exhibit | lifestyle

EDITORS: Danni Darrah and Zoe Sperry

23 nov 2021 |

Anti-obesity pilot: lift off or crash landing? Danni Darrah, Lifestyle Editor, discusses the Government's proposed anti-obesity scheme Trigger warning: mention of weight, calories and eating disorders

NEW scheme announced by the Government will be launching in January of next year that aims to tackle obesity within the British population and encourage particular healthy habits in the nation. The pilot programme, chosen to be led by HeadUp, experts in the field of wearable, AI and data technology, will involve individuals wearing smart tracking watches and other devices. These will monitor their fitness lifestyles, rewarding those with a lower calorie intake, as well as those exercising more

regularly. Individuals will collect points which will convert into rewards such as discounts for shops, cinemas and theme park tickets as well as gym passes and other memberships to continue healthy behaviours. Already, the department of Health and Social Care have pumped three million pounds into the programme to fund the rewards and technological development needed for HeadUp’s success. On the face of it, this scheme is a hearty, if not naive, attempt to tackle the obesity of the population. But it begs the question as to whether or not monitoring people’s eating, exercising and general lifestyle habits will raise an entire host of other issues with it. It is no secret that the UK are one of the slightly heavier nations, with 64 per cent of us being classified overweight or obese; this is undoubtedly overlooked. However, it is no secret that so much of society struggles with body image and comparisons to unrealistic expectations, be it from the body types that make it to the top of the algorithms designed by your Instagram account, to the glorified porn industry.

INDIVIDUALS WILL COLLECT POINTS WHICH WILL CONVERT INTO REWARDS Recently, movements have been made towards a more body positive outlook in huge fields such as the modelling industry and magazine journalism. With the likes of Tess Holliday making it onto the cover of Cosmopolitan and petitions calling for Photoshopping labels (which already exists in France). How feasible is it to then monitor lifestyle habits with literal positive reinforcement of discounts and rewards? Does it fit with the progressive narrative that tries to deconstruct the “ideal” body type? Obesity in society is extremely apparent and must be tackled, however there are so many factors to consider

within this debate that it is difficult to fathom how a blanket scheme will work for everyone. Genetic health conditions are trickier to fix than with some simple cardio. Eating disorders must be handled with sensitivity and will only be exacerbated by the thought of being rewarded for lower calorie intakes or excessive amounts of exercise. Fast food is often cheaper than healthier alternatives and makes it harder for everyone to lead the desirable lifestyle. All of these are just a few examples of why this mass produced programme is not the ideal solution to the issue of obesity — it should be dealt with through a more case by case basis to understand what will work for the individual. Any attempt made by the Government to reinforce healthy habits (even if it is by introducing new shopping addictions) should be applauded to some extent. As an everyday FitBit wearer myself, I personally enjoy the idea of knowing how much I burn, sleep and step daily as it keeps me motivated and accountable (and means I can enjoy my doughnuts guilt-free). Will technology save us all? Or will the Government's pilot crash and burn? We'll find out next year, I'm sure. Images: Piqsels

Too stressed to be blessed Clémence Smith, Online Lifestyle Editor, shares productivity tips for balancing deadlines and Christmas

HE unfortunate truth is that there are no shortcuts for productivity. Christmas at university can be a doubleedged sword. As the city is covered in twinkling fairy lights and Christmas market stalls beckon, deadlines are easily forgetten. After numerous lockdowns and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, students are eager to make the most of university socials while they can. Staying on top of your workload, then, is essential for enjoying the festivities stressfree. Many of us will have stumbled across productivity tips that claim to “change your life”. A frequently recurring feature on these lists is the Pomodoro technique, which entails working in short bursts and taking regular, albeit brief, breaks. Some argue that this routine staves off burnout by replenishing your energy before it starts to drop off. Although this looks good on paper, the Pomodoro technique, in practice, is not as productive as it seems. Constantly interrupting your

workflow prohibits you from reaching deeper levels of concentration needed for more timeconsuming tasks (such as writing an essay draft, for example). Besides, it would take superhuman amounts of self-control to avoid falling down various internet holes in between study ses-

sions. Instead of fitting your to-do list around a rigid time frame, I would suggest studying intuitively: immerse yourself in the task at hand for as long as possible and listen to your body. A rumbling stomach or straining eyes are usually a sign that it’s time for a well-deserved break.

Effective studying goes hand in hand with cutting out distractions. A good workspace should enable you to concentrate without being interrupted by your housemates or social media notifications. This term, I have been making the most of our campuses’ many study zones. Going to the library in the morning, for example, never fails to put me in a productive mood. Although the snooze button is tempting, I find that sticking to a consistent routine helps me stay on track, even on chilly mornings when I lack motivation. Seeing other people doing their work helps me focus and getting to the library early means that you’ll be able to get the best seats! So next time you’re looking to shake up your study habits, don’t fall prey to the clickbait titles pushed by productivity gurus. Remember that establishing a routine takes trial-and-error. Studying shouldn’t be performative: producing good quality work will always be more important than the number of hours you spend hunched over your desk. Image: Pixabay, wokandapix

arts

+ lit

Is city architecture sexist?

Joshua Smith talks about whether cities perpetuate ideals of racism and sexism

INCE before the days of Athens when a giant phallus was paraded through the city to officially begin the festivities of the Dionysus, civilizations have been influenced by gendered and racialised attitudes. In this hyper-capitalist society, where much of the architecture in the world’s biggest cities centres around the possibility of profitability, how can we construct the idea of intersectionality and equality into the concrete and paving designed by and in the image of one race and gender? This is the question feministgeographer Leslie Kern addresses in her ground-breaking study, Feminist City.

CITIES CONTAIN THE MOST VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS OF HUMAN EMOTION I think back to when my friend Louis told me he once lived in Paris and I reacted in awe: “To live in Paris” I said, “it must be like living in a dream!” He responded, in a ‘Kafkaesque’ manner: “Cities are the loneliest places in the world… people can live for years without talking to one another and gradually they slide into melancholy, and

often bitterness, for cities are also where you find the most happiness, a happiness that strikes the eye of this lonely soul as spiteful and thus we find the most sadness too”. Why do I mention this? Because cities are not always everything you make them out to be, and since they contain the most people, they contain the most violent demonstrations of the whole spectrum of human emotion. They are places of alienation and segregation, for many, but especially, as Kern says, for women and the marginalised. From the distinctly male notion of flâneuserie (those with the money and time to amble around cities), to the statues of slavers towering above our heads, our modern cities are made in the image of our segregated history and capitalist present, causing social rifts and inequality round every corner. Architect John Cary states in his TED talk that the impressions of the stark, vessel-like and cold appearance of the hospital room where his wife was giving birth to their daughter, a miraculous moment for both, were ones of “You’re in a foreign place”, “You’re not in control of

anything” and “Your comfort is secondary”. This example, and the almost always longer queues for the women’s bathroom, let alone the shelves in supermarkets only calculated to the average height of men, demonstrates how sexism exists ergonomically in the most simple systems of city life. It emphasises feministgeographer Jane Dark’s point that “our cities are patriarchy written in stone, brick, glass, and concrete”. With 82 per cent of registered architects being white and 72 per cent male, it is obviously not only women, but any person of a marginalised sector of society, who are institutionally oppressed by the bricks and boundaries of cities. Buildings, suburbs and townships are constitutive of how individuals become positioned in a vast system of racial segregation. From entire US cities deliberately segregated under postcivil war Jim Crow laws to apartheid South Africa,

we have examples of the foundations of what are today the most underdeveloped, shunned areas of our modern cities, which are still inhabited mostly by ethnic minorities in what is now institutionalised racism. The science fiction writer Samuel R. Delany, cited by Kern, notes how Times Square, as part of Rudy Giuliani’s ‘notolerance’ clean up in the 80s, went from a place of queer contact, “licentious and loud”, to a Disney-fed consumption space, illustrating how architecture and capitalism can destructively alter territory and alienate minority communities. Kern, at the end of her book, makes an important point, stating that once we “see how the city is set up to sustain a particular way of organising society — across gender, race, sexuality, and more — we can start to look for new possibilities”. The contemporary world has been almost entirely designed by those who have rarely taken the time to consider how people unlike them experience their designs. By including women, disabled people, people of colour, gender and sexual minorities, immigrants as well as indigenous communities in decision and policy-making processes, as Kern proposes, and diversifying architectural practices, as John Cary suggests, we can re-imagine living in an urban world where things are equal and just, for all.

Image: Flickr, Marius Watz

Arts and recs

Arts and Lit writers discuss their favourite recent reads Emily Henry You and Me on Vacation

OR anyone looking for a little bit of sun to brighten up the dreary, long, cold and wintery days, look no further than Emily Henry’s You and Me on Vacation. Set over the span of 12 years, the reader follows Poppy and Alex’s relationship through the series of summer holidays they take. I swiftly fell in love with these two very different characters who manage to compleImage: Penguin ment each other so well. I was so invested in their journey by the end of the book; it felt so much more than any other rom-com I have read, and I have read many. It had such a moving message about finding out where or with whom you belong.

Ocean Vuong On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous

CEAN Vuong’s On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous is undeniably the most eloquent and heart-wrenching book I have ever read. Written in the form of a letter from Little Dog, a man in his late twenties, to his illiterate mother, he navigates his unspoken thoughts that he knows he will never be able to tell her. He reminisces about early childhood, the complexity of his relationship with his mother when shaded by the absence of his father. Vuong portrays a grown, educated man, recollecting his life with the raw emotions of his adolescence as he actively relives and conceptualizes his traumas and experiences. This book is an intimate retelling of boyhood, family, the social underpinnings of 20th century American ideals and above all, secrecy: it is the political and agonizingly personal.

Image: Vintage Digital

Chloe Pumares, Deputy Editor

Isabel Langguth

Karl Ove Knausgaard A Death in the Family

ARL Ove Knausgaard’s A Death in the Family is the first of six autobiographical memoirs. The book is a narrative account of the author’s life, written in as honest a fashion as he can tell it. He is married, has children, and his father has passed away. He is a writer, who at times, feels he is a failed one, but perseveres, nonetheless: eventually writing this series. The book is about identity, discoverImage: Penguin ing your identity in other people, acknowledging theirs, and how they shaped yours. If you need a book, both funny and deeply thought-provoking, that touches on struggles we all face, great and small, then Knausgaard is for you. From the efforts of starting a rock band to high-school love, marriage to raising children of your own, this book is a beautifully eloquent yet utterly raw meditation on life and all it has to offer. Harvey Isitt

exhibit | arts + lit

23 NOV 2021 | 17

EDITORS: Ana Anajuba & Ella Minty

Modernisation of myth

Eleanor Bartlett discusses the emergence of rewriting Greek and Roman mythology

HE Song of Achilles. Percy Jackson. Frankenstein. All of these are famous, popular titles in their own right,  each  attracting hoardes of readers. But they also have one integral thing in common: they  are based on myths. Specifically, Greek mythology, and the vast array of omnipotent deities that hail from classical civilization. Throughout history,  writers have revisited these ancient  Gods continously in their storytelling, as we see in the case of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which was subtitled ‘The Modern Prometheus’, Prometheus being a master craftsman of mortals.

from the Greek oral tradition, where each speaker adapted the tale before it passed onto the next storyteller and the wider community.  It is because of this that mythology is perhaps so fascinating, timeless and appealing: predating the modern idea of copyright, they belong to nobody and are therefore everyone’s to reimagine.

MYTHOLOGY IS FASCINATING, TIMELESS AND APPEALING

What is particularly exciting  about recent reconfigurations of myth, such as the incredibly popular Madelaine Miller books Circe and The Song Of Achilles is that many modern-day retellings are written by women, and are  often  romances and coming of age stories which  empower, rather than degrade, their leading female characters. This finally feels like redemption for the widely misunderstood and mistreated

Recently, there has been a resurgence in fiction expanding on mythology, which is particularly appropriate considering that these mythical tales originally emerged

women of Greek mythology, whose stories, once steeped in and shaped by the male gaze, are being stripped of their misogyny and  retold in a way which is exciting

THEY BELONG TO NOBODY AND IS THERFORE ANYONE’S TO REIMAGINE

Image WikiCommons Penelope by Franklin Simmons, on display at the De Young Museum

and reformative for today’s society.   Particularly popular  in recent mythical retellings are love stories between mortals and Gods.  There is something enduring in these stories that we as readers and storytellers return to, time and time again. Perhaps it is our innate fascination with that which is otherworldly and beyond our full comprehension, and further fascinating still  is  the notion that  the Gods, who we so admire,  may  find a  divinity in our human  qualities, and return our feelings. But myths are not limited to the telling of love stories; often,  these archetypal, timeless characters can be used as the basis for stories with a political message, such as in the case of The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood’s postmodernist retelling of the Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective. In this sense, through their enduring and endless reach, myths have become the moulds for  characters, messages, and stories  which are collective to the whole of humanity, enabling modern writers to draw on this rich store of material and tell powerful stories for a new age of readers.

Found in translation

Samuel Pearson explores the literary value of translating works

F a play where “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful!” sounds like your sort of thing, look no further than Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. These words are indeed Beckett’s own, spoken by the character Estragon in a remark that encapsulates the lack of plot, character development, and meaningful dialogue in an ‘anti-play’ which disregards all theatrical conventions. Ready to watch it yet? Beyond the slightly haunting existential and absurdist philosophies that underlie the text, it also poses an interesting case study in translated art. Despite being an Irishman, Beckett made a conscious decision not only to write this play in a language that was not his

native tongue, but to subsequently translate his own work back into English five-years later.

THE USE OF TRANSLATION AS A TOOL HIGHLIGHTS THAT IT’S AN ARTISTIC DISCIPLINE Written originally in French, En Attendant Godot, was later voted the “most significant English language play of the 20th century” in a 1999 poll conducted by the British Royal National Theatre. So although ultimately successful, this is not a strategy I would

Reading N Corner Mahnoor Imam reviews her favourite recent read

ADIA Hashimi’s The Pearl That Broke Its Shell delves into a story of two women living in two different time periods of Afghanistan, one under the terrorist rule of the Taliban and post-Soviet Afghanistan. Set in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2001, the storyline focuses on Rahima and her sisters who struggle with familial and financial problems in their family run by their opium-addicted patriarch. With limited funds, Rahima and her sisters engage in ‘bacha posh’. This practice included young girls disguising themselves to appear as a boy which grants them enough freedom to have an education, wear trousers and play in the street.

recommend to students struggling to meet their essay deadlines, unless you can somehow swing a five-year mitigation. Martin Esslin, the British dramatist who coined the term “theatre of the absurd”, describes Beckett’s decision to write in French as an effort “to divert the ingenuity that might be expended on mere embellishments of style in his own idiom to the utmost clarity and economy of expression.” Although he could perhaps adopt a bit of that simplicity in his own style, Esslin’s comment shows that writing in a foreign language constituted a stylistic choice for Beckett. This barebones linguistic aesthetic serving to reflect the inherent lack of meaning in a universe where The story intertwines with Shekiba, her great-great-grandmother as Rahima uncovers the long-lost familial history of her ancestor. A multi-genre book, Hashimi interweaves themes such as historical fiction, post-colonial critical theory and inter-generational trauma. As an international bestseller, the structure is dynamic and potent as it interactively weaves back and forth between Shekiba’s storyline set in the 1890s-1900s. The story progresses to Rahima and her sisters being forcefully married off by their father to strangers. As the plotline develops, Hashimi offers an emotive insight into the lives of Rahima and her sisters as they struggle at the

we constantly await the arrival of some ‘Godot’ to give us a sense of purpose. Spoiler alert: Godot never arrives.

A CERTAIN CROSS_CULTURAL LOSS OF MEANING IS INEVITABLE Moving on from that sombre thought, Beckett’s use of translation as literary tool highlights that it is an artistic discipline in itself. A certain cross-cultural loss of meaning is inevitable, yes, but what can’t be overlooked is that the act of a good translation gives birth to a new artistic creation. hands of their abusive husbands. Overall, the story intermingles with taboo topics such as female agency, cultural oppression, abuse, and fate. Both time periods displayed in the story are equally mesmerising and impossible to put down. They offer a true insight into the postcolonial lives of women in the Middle East and the effects of dangerous cultural customs that restrict female agency. Hashimi effectively portrays Afghanistan’s political upheaval during a time of cultural and social repression to an audience with enough realism to leave the reader as if they are experiencing it firsthand.

LIFESTYLE

MUSIC

TECH

STUDY BREAK

ARTS + LIT

SCREEN

MUSIC

Chameleons of music Aran Grover considers artists who have consistently taken U-turns in their musical careers

OME artists, and for me these are outliers in their field, constantly keep fans on their toes with new releases, never conforming to a single sound, theme, or ideology. In recent history, Ye (formerly Kanye West), Damon Albarn (Blur and Gorillaz), Radiohead, and Charli XCX are some examples of artists who have defied expectations of their art and produced new and exciting music that pushes boundaries. While some of these listed have been around for far longer than others, each have had an establishing moment where they have come into themselves, and each have subverted this moment with music that seems entirely contradictory. They have each celebrated success from these transitions, whilst also alienating older fans in the process, which is always going to be a by-product of change. Ye is perhaps one of the most notable for this. The album 808s and Heartbreak , while a significant departure from his previous three albums, proved to singlehandedly inform the biggest sounds in hip-hop of the 2010s. Pitchfork describes it as Ye’s “great pivot” into the realm of pop music.

MAYBE DRAKE WOULD STILL BE CALLED AUBREY, OR YE WOULD STILL BE KANYE WEST Ye stated that “Hip hop is over for me now” as he became concerned with pushing his sound forwards and outside of the restrictive canon of hip-hop at the time. This bold move went on to essentially create artists like Young Thug, Future, Soulja Boy, Chief Keef, The Weeknd, and of course, Drake. The Weeknd, talking

about his song ‘ I Can’t Feel My Face ’, cited 808s as his primary influence. He said it was “one of the most important bodies of work of my generation”. Drake took a page from Ye's new approach to beats by rapping over 808s and Heartbreak ’s own ‘Say You Will’ on his debut mixtape, and states it “was so impactful to hear [Ye] spilling his heart over that kind of production”. Drake pretty much hasn’t changed since. Ye’s influence therefore is undeniable, essentially birthing the sounds of some of the biggest artists in the world, and this all arose due to his significant musical change. Who knows where Ye would be if he had chosen to continue down a typical hip-hop path? Maybe Drake would still be called Aubrey, Ye would still be Kanye West, or maybe we wouldn’t even care.

CHARLI IS A MORE INTERESTINGARTISTTHAN SHE WAS IN THE EARLY 2010s A different example of this would be Damon Albarn with Gorillaz. From achieving fame with Blur in the 90s, after the Britpop craze had died, Albarn went on to form Gorillaz with Jamie Hewlett with the highly original idea of a band that didn’t really exist. With dwindling popularity in Blur’s music, likely due to an ageing audience, Gorillaz sparked a new frontier for Albarn in the new millennium. The cartoon band struck a chord with younger audiences all over, and especially now, with the latest album Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez , featuring 6LACK, slowthai, Schoolboy Q, JPEGMAFIA, St Vincent, and so many more, Albarn has demonstrated a distinct ability to stay relevant

by incorporating a huge variety of artists from different genres, backgrounds, and ages, as well as finding a sound with popular, youth appeal.

GORILLAZ WAS A HIGHLY ORIGINAL IDEA OF A BAND THAT DIDN'T REALLY EXIST This again leads us to the question, had Albarn continued to make the same Britpop-turned-alt-rock music Blur were making in the latter stages of their career, would Albarn have seen the same success and youth appeal that Gorillaz had? However, The Strokes’ latest album, The New Abnormal was hardly a departure from their previous music, save a couple of tracks, and it was still a hit with fans, as well as a decent critical reception. It demonstrates that The Strokes’ old music still has an audience, perhaps indicative of their experience and refinement in creating an album that reflects their career accurately to a high standard. But how long this model of creating albums is sustainable for? Regardless of quality, how many more albums can The Strokes create that sound like this before they stop gaining new fans or influencing other artists? Another would be Charli XCX. Breaking out of her categorisation as a pop star with hits like ‘Fancy’, ‘I Love It’, and ‘Boom Clap', she has gone on to redefine herself as an experimental pop pioneer, working with artists like the late SOPHIE and AG Cook. In the early 2010s, the mainstream press were convinced of a Charli XCX mainstream crossover, however, with the release of Vroom Vroom, Charli entirely shelled off these expectations, and she grew to create music more freely. Some would say her

music has become infinitely more esoteric and inaccessible, as it hasn’t given her the chart-topping fame the press all thought she would achieve. It has also become more abrasive and rebellious. Though it may sound as if Charli XCX has fallen off entirely, this is not the case at all. In my view, Charli herself is a far more interesting artist now than she was in the early 2010s. Her music is interesting, boundary-pushing, and uniquely hers. Receiving a Mercury Prize nomination in 2020 for her lockdown produced and recorded album, How I’m Feeling Now cements her as a serious critical force, as well as an exciting voice in modern pop. Though this may be the case, it doesn’t change the fact that Charli XCX is not raking in the same success as she was before and is not as popular. But with that said, does popularity correlate with relevance? I can’t really answer that question in the few words left for this article, however it can be said that artists who take the risk of undergoing a drastic change in sound, and then come out on top, are the more influential, relevant artists. Someone like Ye is a rare find, a continually evolving artist with a consistently influential career, now spanning close to twenty years. As well as Ye, artists I’ve mentioned already all demonstrate their ability to stay relevant and influential, whilst either maintaining a similar sound, or by a drastic upheaval. This doesn’t really answer the question of whether an artist is required to change and in fact, this question doesn’t really seem to be answerable. I think artists should change and continue to evolve and produce new and interesting music, simply because I think diversity is important in music, but it’s not really up to me alone, it’s up to you, the listeners.

Images (L-R): Gina Weltzer, Pete Hutchin, WFUV Radio

EDITORS: Harry Hawkins and Charlotte Bend

exhibit | music

23 NOV 2021 | 21

In conversation with Pale Waves Mahnoor Imam talks with frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie

T'S been an exciting year for Pale Waves, from releasing their second record Who Am I? and planning their 2022 tour to currently planning their third record. Although riding the turbulent wave of the pandemic along with other musicians, the band has still managed to evolve their musical quality and instil a sense of magic in their discography. Heather alludes to the creative writing process behind the track as the third album is underway: "Sometimes it starts with a lyric, or a lyric idea or a guitar riff". It's a collaborative process where all band members have ample space to offer their own additions whether it's a drum beat or a song idea. Heather adds that "each song evolves by itself in its own, unique way" as the process behind building a track is never an identical process set in stone. In terms of their upcoming tour, Heather states her slightly nervous attitude about returning to the stage after such an isolated time: "it'll come back to me!"; she jokes about abandoning the stage in the middle of set out of nerves.

DON'T LET ANYONE MORPH YOU INTO SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT Ultimately it's the excitement of playing new music for the first time to the fans that Heather is most looking forward to. Heather herself boasts an expansive music taste, recently listening to anything on Spotify from sad, acoustic emo songs or songs from Rent. Praising its theatrical and dramatic music, the music often contradicts Pale Waves' signature musical tone, something that is humorously noticeable to Heather. The third, upcoming record is "heavier and

more hard-hitting". Although the band has an evolutionary sound, they keep their 'key sound', a certain "magical" quality that fans draw out. Most often, bands have the potential to change the key quality that fans are drawn to. An authentic quality seeps out of their music, something that Heather is completely in control of through every step of the song production. Self-described control freak, she is involved in every part of the songwriting process. Explaining the process of "needing to have my hands on everything and approve everything" is an illustration of how carefully curated the song production is.

ALTHOUGH THE BAND HAS AN EVOLUTIONARY SOUND, THEY KEEP THEIR KEY SOUND, A CERTAIN MAGICAL Who Am I is a poignant title for the band's second record. At the time of writing, Heather was "embracing who she is" and exploring her identity: Who Am I is all about self-discovery and trying to find that path for myself". It sums up the personal experience she felt at the time, so much so that it "felt suitable to be the name of the record". Music is largely about expression, as Heather asserts and the emotive, light relief felt after fully expressing yourself. It plays as a reminder for Heather to continue on the journey it takes for self-growth and an opportunity to heal ignored traumas through a musical outlet. Heather holds collaborative projects in high regard, a chance to have a "gauge of what's good and what's bad". In terms of the isolation that artists found themselves bubbled in over the course of the pandemic,

Heather describes herself finding comfort in music collaborations. Plans for the band's future collaborations are still underway as Heather arranges potential artists who can fit in the sound for the third album. The album is hinted at as being "less soft", heavier in tonal quality and "a lot more on your face". Heather cites her favourite musical inspirations from Hey Monday to Paramore and Avril Lavigne, who is their dream collaborative artist. Stemming from the pop punk phase nostalgic to early adolescence, Pale Waves' signature sound is familiar to fans of this genre. It's notable that Pale Waves b r i n g s back a nostalgic 2000s punk sound that fans are drawn to. "People will either like it or not", Heather states as she encourages the transparent need for full authenticity. "Staying authentic is the best approach", Heather advises as fans see through inauthenticity due to the lack of a connection with the music. "Don't let anyone morph

you into something you're not." Pale Waves' objective is for fans to find a place of comfort and a safe space to search for identity built on mutual understanding and acknowledgement Recently, Pale Waves have released their music video for the latest single 'You Don't Own Me', a track marking the pop punk revival of the new century. With an appropriate amount of emo eyeliner and outrageously bright red hair, Heather has come to mark her place in the music industry as a homage to the pop punk music fans listen to. T h i s second album directs the band to an active year of touring and releasing new music. In the last two years of increased distance between loved ones, the band strives for a bigger connection with their fanbase, from live-streaming their gigs to interacting with fans on social media platforms. Image: Justin Higuchi

Astroworld: the aftermath

Ana Anajuba, Arts + Lit Editor, highlights responses to the Houston festival tragedy

HE Astroworld Festival, founded and created by Grammy-nominated American rapper Travis Scott (real name Jacques Bermon Webster II) turned deadly due to a crowd crush that has left ten people dead and more than 300 people injured. Speculation has since arisen about who exactly is to blame for the tragedy. Travis Scott, Drake, and Live Nation (the organiser and management company) are all now facing various lawsuits. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is one of several suing on behalf of families and victims. He and his associates alone are representing over 200 people in approximately 93 lawsuits against parties involved in the festival. Travis Scott himself has faced immense scrutiny due to previous performances that have included him allegedly inciting fans to participate in dangerous incidents. In April 2017, Scott was sued by a fan who left partially paralysed after a show at Terminal five in New York City, claiming that fellow concertgoers pushed him from an upper deck balcony. At the same concert, Scott encouraged another fan to jump from the same balcony, stating that the other would catch him, recorded in a viral video. In 2019, Scott wrote “EVERYONE HAVE FUN. RAGERS SET TONE WHEN I COME OUT TONIGHT. BE SAFE RAGE HARD. AHHHHHHHHHHH” referring to an Instagram video of fans storming barricades at

a previous show of his. At the 2019 Astroworld Festival there was a crowd stampede over security barriers and three people were hospitalised. Although a direct link has been drawn by some from Scott’s encouragement of his fans’ — who he calls ‘Ragers’ — antics, the blame cannot be solely placed on him. There is a comparison to be made to similar concerts where fans are allowed to let loose and ‘mosh’. Widely seen tweets compare Scott’s (and his team’s) reaction to that of other artists. Mosh culture should — and does — generally involve being aware of other people and stopping the show if there seems to be an indication of harm. Stars have stopped shows after witnessing violence and other people have been seen to help when people pass out or fall to avoid someone being trampled. However, despite the heart-breaking pleas of some to stop the show, it still carried on. Clearly, poor crowd management and security played a huge role in this. It could and should have been avoided. In the aftermath, Scott has been widely criticised for his response. Apart from the conspiracy theories linking the tragic event to demonic sacrifices, there has also been valid criticisms. Scott partnered with online therapy company Better Help, offering a month of free online therapy, in a move that confused many. Although an unpaid partnership, people raised questions as to the legal implications as

Image: Summer Breeze

such agreements may preclude victims from suing and receiving further compensation. Additionally, Scott released a widely derided and mocked video which has been made into a meme due to his team’s apparent focus on erasing evidence of him previously encouraging people to jump security barricades via social media. Other performers like Roddy Rich have been praised for pledging to donate their net compensation for the event to victims and their families. Scott has had some immediate

financial consequences including the indefinite postponement of a Nike collaboration, but it remains to be seen the extent that this event will affect him and the general music industry. What remains most important is those that have been most impacted. The victims, the youngest of whom was only ten years old, did not have to suffer in the way they did. One can only hope that events like this will be prevented in the future and no one will have to go through what they and their families have.

screen The best of Wes Anderson

Exeposé Screen Writers share their top picks from the Wes Anderson cinematic universe

HE Royal Tenenbaums has it all: forbidden love, birds of prey, Owen Wilson in a cowboy hat… Its sheer ridiculousness makes it my favourite Wes. The Royal Tenenbaums documents a few months in the lives of the Tenenbaums, a set of child prodigies now grown up, and their separated parents, as well as a motley crew of friends and lovers. It has an incredible cast featuring Anderson mainstays such as Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Seymour Cassell, Kumar Pallana and Bill Murray, alongside fresh faces like Gwyneth Paltrow (pre-Goop, so we have to stan), Ben Stiller and Danny Glover. The film is packed with great humour and hijinks (there is a particularly brilliant one-shot take with a very memorable priest in it… make of that what you will) as well as some genuinely emotional scenes. My fight or flight response is triggered when I hear the opening bars to Elliot Smith’s ‘Needle in the Hay’ as a result of one particularly brutal moment. The soundtrack is one of Anderson’s best, heavily featuring The Rolling Stones alongside Nick Drake, Nico, Van Morrison, Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan. All in all, it’s an absolute classic, and in my opinion, the best Wes Anderson film currently in the cineverse. Caitlin Barr

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS

ANTASTIC Mr. Fox is both my favourite Wes Anderson film and my favourite animated film ever. It’s a movie I can put on whenever I’m feeling a bit down and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on my face. I love its style and autumnal aesthetic; the way it’s shot in rich, warm tones, the art direction, the delicate framing of every shot, the “roughness” of the animation... visually, it’s one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Despite coming across as a kid’s movie about anthropomorphic animals, this film explores some very mature and critical themes. Anderson delves into what it means to be a father and husband and the relationships of this family. Through the hardships of the film, Foxy Fox gets to know his son and they find more love for one another than they would have otherwise. Furthermore, the movie also explores issues of class struggle; Foxy feels poor and decides to take on the wealthy and greedy farmers. In retaliation the farmers destroy almost everything, nearly killing every animal in town. In the end, it is the lower class, the downtrodden and weaker animals, who are the heroes and who are able to best the malicious Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a ‘kids’ movie for everyone. Kids will be able to enjoy it, but adults may get a lot more out of it. It’s a tale of family and struggle that is beautifully portrayed with the charm and wit of Dahl and Anderson. Without a doubt, the film has something that everyone can love and is genuinely heart-warming! Niamh Walsh

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

SLE of Dogs is Wes Anderson’s second stop-motion film, released in 2018. The film is set in a futuristic nonetheless realistic Japan; there is an outbreak of dog flu and worries arise on potential contagiousness towards humans. The (corrupt and despotic) mayor decides on the ban and deportation of all dogs to ‘Trash Island’, the town’s landfill, and the city becomes increasingly divided between the ‘pro-dog’ and ‘anti-dog’ political sides. The movie follows Atari, a young boy dedicated to finding his dog and Tracy Walker, a foreign exchange student and very prominent ‘pro-dog’ activist, as well as many talking dogs, including Chief and Spots. The skillset required to create a stop-motion film of this sort is immense, but the result is brilliant and made me enjoy the movie even more. Wes Anderson managed to showcase his very particular style – the symmetry, saturated colours, eccentric characters and sets – through animated figures, all while creating particularly endearing characters. This movie exhibits adorable friendships and reminds us of why dogs really are ‘man’s best friend’; the Chief-Atari duo and their love-hate relationship particularly grew on me. However sweet, Isle of Dogs also brings up themes of activism, corruption and polarization, which I found particularly relevant. Sarah Decory

ISLE OF DOGS

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU

HETHER for its utterly unique soundtrack or its pure chaotic absurdity, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, though critically not his best work, might just be my favourite Wes Anderson film. It is so Wes Anderson, there really is no other way of putting it. The audience is invited into the strange world of documentary filmmaker and oceanographer Steve Zissou (inspired by Jacques Cousteau) and his crew on their quest to avenge a former crew-mate and Zissou’s best friend who was eaten by the mysterious ‘jaguar shark’. The crew’s uniform is a spectacle in and of itself, with their signature ill-fitting blue wetsuits, specially engineered underwater music-piping helmets and of course, the iconic red beanie hats. The score is a surprisingly perfect blend of instrumental pieces by Mark Mothersbaugh and acoustic versions of Bowie classics in Portuguese by Seu Jorge. As Zissou battles with a dwindling career and the loss of his ‘spark’, as well as the unannounced arrival of his estranged son, the film evolves into something far more special than incompetent characters and comical encounters with pirates. This wonderfully awkward and messy film does what the best of fantasy does: bridges into something extremely real and raw. Image: Fantastic Mr. Fox, 20th Century Fox Animation, IMDb.

Kate Hall, Print Comment Editor

Deadline decompression Exeposé Screen Writers recommend their favourite comfort watches to help you unwind this deadline season

PATERSON

FTER your hundredth marathon library session followed by that cold, dark walk home, it can often be hard to even allow yourself to relax at the end of it all. Up until that final submission, it can sometimes feel like you’re wired in — your mind consumed by that unresolved problem, that paragraph that you just can’t get right. Deadline season is a tense time at its easiest. At its worst, it can be suffocating. So, there’s something immediately comforting about being sat down and told that it’ll pass — there’ll always be something that’ll come along and knock you off balance, but you will bring it back around with a little patience. Paterson, a gentle film structured around a week in the life of a poetry-writing bus driver (Adam Driver), does just that. For Paterson — the bus driver’s name but also, ironically, his town’s too (it’s a Jim Jarmusch film) — daily life is built on routine. It’s not a depressive existence by any means; it’s a rhythmic one, with room enough for some improvisation. There’s a beauty in the minimalism; Paterson is content. When things inevitably derail then, it feels like a bomb has dropped. But what’s so special about this film is that even when it does, life moves on. Paterson starts again. It’ll all be okay. It’ll pass. Adam Simcox, Online Screen Editor

FRIENDS

S long as I can remember, Friends has always been my go-to, make-myselffeel-better, distract-from-all-my-problems TV show. A show that my parents watched when they were in their 20s, I had their videos tapes (yes, that’s how long I have loved this show) in my wardrobe for as long as I can remember. Although very much a product of its time — the jokes can be outdated, and Ross often gets on my nerves — I think for me it is the memories attached to Friends that make me love it. Watching it for the first time with my parents, the show always takes me back to being a carefree child. Every time I was stressed or upset when I was a teenager, my dad would put on Friends and give me a hug. Now watching the episodes through from the start with my boyfriend, I have again been reminded of how much of a comfort show Friends is for me. At only 20 minutes long and near guaranteed to make you laugh, if you are feeling stressed this deadline season I would definitely recommend sticking on an episode of Friends. Sophie Porteous

Image: Friends, NBC Universal, gettyimages, IMDb.

exhibit

screen

EDITORS: Archie Lockyer and Francesca Sylph

23 NOV 2021

Score spotlight: Phantom Thread P

Archie Lockyer, Screen Editor, talks about Jonny Greenwood’s masterful music

HANTOM Thread is the tale of Reynold Woodcock (a perfectionist artist and a dressmaker, controlling to the point of obsession) and his romantic connection to his bold, daring, conniving muse Alma. It is beautifully woven with Jonny Greenwood’s lavish, often haunting score. Greenwood is able to express the melancholic intensity that is felt throughout the film. Strings are used to embody the character of Reynold Woodcock, strongly identifying the character with a high-strung formality. He uses piano to show this deep passion, romance and surreal synergy between Woodcock and Alma, bringing to life a fascinating, beautiful juxtaposition for the listener. Yet Greenwood does not stop with this intoxicating combination of the formal with the romantic. adding an impatient dread into the mix. Sudden stops and starts in ‘Boletus Felleus’ and ‘Never Cursed’ add to this hurtling train of tension on the fate of their romance when it comes into conflict with the domineering, exacting artist within Woodcock. To me, Greenwood captures insane, but often bewildering to the outsider, connection that the two have by incorporating all facets, even the darker elements, of Phantom Thread perfectly. This is further shown through the evolution of the main theme of the film, embodying the change of Woodcock from the singular violin reflecting his own self-interest, to an entire orchestra showing his newfound devotion and care for Alma. Greenwood does not merely

use music to reflect a mood or environment, but rather to bring about a catharsis in characters and how they change on screen. Yet Greenwood does not do so in an overt or definite way. Greenwood treats the characters in a very human way purely through the perspective of music, as identified through ‘Phantom Thread IV’, the final version of the main theme which still incorporates the singular violin, suggesting that Woodcock, whilst being stern and orderly, contends with a symphony of romance in his life. Greenwood does not solely use this for the development of Woodcock.

Image:IMDBshows the com‘Alma’ fantastically plex nature of the muse as much as the artist, depicting her not as just as a one dimensional being to be “brought to life” by our problematic protagonist. Rather than merely piano, Greenwood brings in a plethora of different instruments, giving the piece this mysterious sense of complexity. Perhaps this is to suggest a secret that Woodcock sees in Alma, but, rather, I believe Greenwood is suggesting that Alma is not merely a muse through the lens of Woodcock, but rather as a character with her own agenda, desires and flaws. Whilst Greenwood captures the characters, their development and

their journey purely through music. He gives us gorgeous pieces, such as ‘House of Woodcock’ that exemplify the fashion house’s systematic yet entrancing precision in designing dresses, allowing us to ingratiate ourselves within Woodcock’s sterile world. Within the conflict that Paul Thomas Anderson creates, between the desire for perfection in a vocation and how this can hinder any relation to other things important in life, most prominently, love. Both romantic and familiar, it’s a battle that I find permanently enchanting. When we as people watch, write, or design, particularly with

a great deal of knowledge on the subject, we tend to forget about other things that are important in our lives. We do not solely revolve around vocations, but people. Reynold Woodcock represents obsession taken to its natural extreme; someone who believes their vocation should be the centre of everything, and that everyone should merely bend to its (or his) whim. Greenwood successfully captures the essence of this conflict with such grace, such subtlety whilst still managing to convey the setting of 1950s London with such vigour that merely listening to the score brings back the visual bliss of Fitzrovia.

Image Source: IMDB

British indie spotlight W

HILE many of us have flocked to see the next new blockbusters in the cinema, sadly not everyone will have heard of the Welsh gem Hed Wynn. The chronically underrated Hedd Wyn is a masterpiece, criminally overlooked in popular culture, despite being one of the most highly regarded films written in a Celtic language. Be prepared for heartbreak as you embark upon this emotional journey about Welsh-medium poet Elis Humphrey Evans and his struggle to remain a conscientious objector during World War One. The name of the biopic, Hedd Wyn means ‘blessed peace’ and was the nom de plume of the pacifist farming poet from North Wales. The young writer was killed on the first day of the battle of Passchendaele in Ypres, putting an end to a bard’s life who had so much potential. Hedd Wynn posthumously won the 1917 National Eisteddfod’s grand poetry prize The Chair with his poem Yr Arwr.

Screen writers discusses their favourite British indie hits The Chair of the National Eisteddfod is one of Wales’ most prestigious prizes, awarded to the most talented metred poet. In my opinion, this biopic is the perfect way to dip your toes into Welsh culture and the tantalising depths of Welsh language cinema. Despite the language barrier, the audience truly resonates with the story of this young man, struck down in his prime. Despite its lack of notoriety, the picture won the Royal Television Society’s Award for Best Single Drama, Celtic Film Festival’s Spirit of the Festival Award, First Prize at the Belgium Film Festival and many more. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993, making it the first UK film in history to do so. If it’s good enough for the Oscars, then it’s good enough for us! Gwenillian Page-Gibby

HEN we think of British television we may jump to classics like Doctor Who or Peaky Blinders, yet none hold a flame to Dennis Kelly’s Utopia. Running between 2013 and 2014 before being unjustifably cancelled by Channel 4, it follows a group who uncover a secret organisation known as The Network that has been working outside the bounds of government for decades run by the mysterious Mr Rabbit. Kelly started Utopia with the vision of making a TV show that neither takes influence from Europe or from across the pond. With the gorgeously fluorescent visuals juxtaposed with the sheer brutality of the violence shown by The Network and our protoganists makes for outstandingly surreal viewing. The narrative is one that draws in the viewer, giving us the perfect blend of exploring contemnporary issues such as the

climate crisis as well as forcing us to question our own moral or ethical values including whether the ends justify the means. Linking with the visually draw dropping scenes is the fantastic music by Cristobal Tapia De Veer who has also worked on Humans and HBO’s Aloha which continue his fascinating yet uncomfortable use of sounds such as heavy breathing to create a symphony of tension within the show. In my opinion, there is a TV industry before and after Utopia with Kelly’s inspired narrative and direction walking so that other shows like Sam Esmail’s Mr Robot could run, with both striking directly at capitalism and the effects that it can have both physically on the planet as well as the psyches of those living on it. Archie Lockyer, Screen Editor

TECH

Green tech giants of the future? Katie Jones, Online Lifestyle Editor, discusses what policies companies are implementing in an effort to go green

ICROSOFT outlined its sustainability plans at the COP26 stating its plans to be carbon negative by 2030. The company claims it will remove more carbon than it emits by shifting to clean energy and utilizing carbon removal methods using prototype technology like direct air capture. But while tech giants like Google and Microsoft keep expanding their green ambitions for their own companies, their own close relationships with Big Oil complicates the matter. Can tech companies call themselves carbon neutral (let alone negative) when their cloud technology is used to better find and extract more oil to create more profit for the likes of Chevron? How can tech companies go further with their climate ambitions? What of Bill Gates’ belief that oil companies could transition fairly easily from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources? Bill Gates is one of several leaders in the world of tech who descended on Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit — all the way there to argue that technology companies can lead the way into a greener future. Microsoft outlined their progress towards being carbon negative by 2030, Apple announced they have more than doubled their number of clean energy suppliers and Google is working to assist major cities map their emissions and

air pollution. Jeff Bezos even made a pledge of its, accelerating the time from exploration to $2 billion to restore natural habitats after beoil production. Transportation is being aided ing inspired by his July trip to space. Are tech by Amazon and Microsoft tools which optigiants proof of how the private sector could mise pipelines and provide predictive maintelead the way forward or are their words holnance. Some of this technology may help imlow? prove leak detection which is sorely needed, Tech giants produce a lot of carbon. as it is often less a matter of if a From the energy to make and dispipeline will experience an tribute their hardware, to the oil spill than how long vast data banks sending and until it happens. Howstoring the world’s inforever, spills still hapmation; their impact on pen even with the environment could the technology be immense. Greenbeing used peace analysis shows correctly — that their net zero consider ing targets may be unobthe multiple tainable through use incidents with of renewables and the Keystone carbon capture techpipeline. Benology if it weren’t for cause of their their partnerships with oil partnerships with and gas companies. oil companies (speThere are three major stages cifically ExxonMobil), Image: Steve Jurvetson, Wikicommons in oil and gas production, and tech Greenpeace say that Migiants have their cloud technology ‘fincrosoft will never reach their gers’ in every pie. Machine learning tools proaim to be carbon negative. Their contact with vided by Microsoft and Google are being used ExxonMobil could lead to an increase in emisby all the major oil and gas companies to imsions equivalent to 20 per cent of Microsoft’s prove their efficiency in finding new oil deposannual carbon budget.

When this claim was put to the President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, he replied that Microsoft are looking to find ways to help make oil and gas companies more climate friendly. They want to assist them so that “even when they’re producing a barrel of oil, it is a more climate friendly barrel of oil.“ When pushed on whether they would stop working with the fossil fuel industry altogether, he answered that “judging what we think of you before we sell you technology … would not make for a better world”. Although Smith left the door open for Microsoft to end their cloud computing contracts. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates certainly thinks that smart money does not lie in the oil and gas industry. Despite stating that oil and gas companies could easily shift to greener energy sources, in his latest book How To Avoid A Climate Disaster, he shared that he divested his direct holdings in oil and gas. The IPCC has clearly stated that to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming, we must keep fossil fuels in the ground. Activists say tech giants prevent this by supplying the fossil fuel industry with the tools to expand further and faster. Whilst Silicon Valley itself may turn green without further policy change, they still have oil on their hands.

Indie game developer spotlight: Dennaton Games Oliver Leader de Saxe, Editor, spotlights one of his favourite game developers

ICTURE the scene. A car pulls up outside a suburban low-rise. Inside skinheads in white suits buzz through garish 80s living rooms and hallways, hounds nipping their heels. The air throbs with electronica and unintelligible psychedelia. You scrunch your knuckles and kick down the door. Thwack. A body crumples to the floor, clutching his ribs in agony. You turn around, pure adrenaline and reaction. Bang. The bullet ricochets past you just in time to launch your baseball bat across the room, bringing the assailant to his knees. You breath, take a second… too late. You impulsively reach for the restart button as you explode into a cascade of viscera, ready to start the bloodshed again. This is Hotline Miami, the pet project that the small Swedish development team at Dennaton Games brought to fledging publisher Devolver Digital’s door in 2012. By 2013 the game had sold over a million copies and it’s not hard to see why. The colour, the chaos, the tightness of the controls. Even now in a marketplace filled with pixel

gorefests and retro aesthetics, the smash’n’slash indie hit still does it better than anything else. Down to the very core of the experience, from gun play to gameplay to primary loops, Hotline Miami is as timeless as it’s ’80 influences and aesthetics. It is both a high-octane top-down points scorer with drop dead gorgeous pixel art, and a deeply beautiful and haunting mediation on how we consume violence, on what we do when the music cuts and we’re left to walk back through a wake of our destruction at the end of each level. And yet the thing that still blows my mind is that all of this was achieved by just two people. The story of Dennaton Games begins in Sweden with Jonatan Söderström, a young man who had been making games since he was 18. By the time the game launched he was a muchlauded figure within the indie game making community, releasing over forty freeware games before even thinking about Hotline Miami. But with bills to pay and bank accounts draining,

Söderström teamed up with his friend and artist Dennis Wedin to finally release a commercial product which would help put food on the table. The rest is a very bloody, intense history. For me personally, Wedin and Söderström’s position as indie royalty was finally cemented with their even more divisive 2016 sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. It is, in many respects, an inferior experience. Weapons are more limited, the crushing difficulty is ramped up even higher, the expansive maps bleed frustration. Yet what I love about Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is that it feels like Dennaton Games giving a commentary on the culture that they created. The story feels like the emotional response to two young broke men being thrown into the spotlight practically overnight and being forced to confront the stress and expectations of that. It’s a game where fans of the original’s protagonist replicate even gorier acts of horrific violence simply out of adoration for something they don’t understand. It’s a game about a writer

Image: IMDB

so obsessed with the lore that he loses track of the big picture. It’s a game that takes what players loved about the first, the speed and mobility and brutality and uses that against them, forcing them to crawl through military encampments like soldiers would on suicide missions. It is a lamentation of a modern gaming culture they were vital in kickstarting and a love letter to challenging preconceptions. It is, above all, a flawed masterpiece. And yet, even with their clear mastery of the art form, with all of the critical praise and vocal criticism and lofty ambition, the thing that stands out about Dennaton Games is passion. Whether it be engaging gameplay loops, creating morally murky stories or just meticulous skull cracking animations, there’s such love in every moment. According to Söderström, the next game they’re making is a “passion project” that will either “horrify” or “delight” you. If it’s half as good as their las two games, we may be looking at another masterpiece.

exhibit | TECH

23 NOV 2021 | 25

EDITORS: Alaïa Lafleur and Chloe Pumares

Metroid Dread review Alaïa Lafleur, Tech Editor, reviews new game Metroid Dread

T'S a delightful discovery that Metroid, a series that originated in the 1980s, still holds its own after so many years. It’s the mother of the metroidvania subgenre, which is the basis of some of the greatest games of the past few years, including Hollow Knight and Dead Cells. After nearly a 20-year hiatus, the series has returned with Metroid Dread, a 2D platformer which stands out as one of the best games of the year, despite the amount of metroidvanias that have modernized the genre since 2002. The game follows Samus Aran’s latest adventure into the elusive Planet ZDR where XParasites, deadly creatures deemed a threat to the galaxy and thought to have been extinct, were reported to have been spotted. The EMMY robots that were sent to the planet by the Galactic Federation for research have all mysteriously shut down and it’s up to Samus to investigate. Robots, dangerous parasites, an intergalactic bounty hunter with an awesome power suit and a morally dubious federation. How can you not like it? It has all the hallmarks of a promising and just plain fun sci-fi epic. As a Metroid game, it follows the same basic metroidvania collecting-progressing formula that we know and love, but greatly

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

improves upon past games in the series. Samus is more mobile, has more abilities, and controls better than she ever has before, making combat and exploration much more fluid. The rate at which you acquire abilities is also paced nicely, so you are constantly adding to Samus’ arsenal. Abilities and collectibles are essential to help you solve numerous puzzles to traverse the landscape and pull off tight platforming that is extremely satisfying afterwards. The variation and difficulty in boss fights is also welcome, from the traditional big-scary-monster types to the smaller, more agile bosses that leave you exhilarated after beating them. The introduction of the EMMY bots adding a nice change to the game-

play by forcing you to maneuver around them whenever possible using stealth elements.

SAMUS IS MORE MOBILE, HAS MORE ABILITIES AND CONTROL BETTER THAN EVER It should be said that Dread doesn’t hold your hand or give you a clear objective so you might be left wondering where to go next. It might not be ideal for beginners. Still, during my entire playthrough I only got lost once, finding the progression intuitive and free-

ing. Another point of concern is the relatively short runtime , taking me ten hours on my first run and and an extra three for 100 per cent completion. But, the game encourages replayability through hard mode and potential sequence breaking. So, the runtime actually makes these features more accessible. In terms of audio and score, it was rather unmemorable and did not fully capture the excitement of the rest of the game, though it gets the job done. Comparatively, the graphics fully capture the sci-fi aesthetic with gorgeous and intricate backgrounds that give vibrance to Planet ZDR and make it feel alive. Every region you explore is diverse with no areas feeling repetitive and the wide array of colours and environments will definitely pop on the new Nintendo Switch OLED system. Metroid Dread doesn’t do anything to revolutionize the formula, but it also didn’t need to. It skillfully reminds us what we love about the series while greatly improving upon the overall gameplay, story, visuals, and controls to create a memorable video game with a satisfying finale that should be experienced by everyone with a love for 2D platformers. It’s easily a nine out of ten.

Student life inside the metaverse

Bridie Adams, Senior Editor, explores the metaverse and its role in education

CCORDING to the Times Higher Education, approximately 1.6 billion students from 192 countries, or 91 per cent of the world’s student population, have experienced academic disturbance over the pandemic. It seems that the time has come to reconstruct curriculums to make online learning a space where students can experience life to the fullest, without even leaving their rooms. In general, the metaverse refers to virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and video in a cyber universe. It’s the advancement of connectivity where all things begin to assemble in a smooth carbon copy of the world, so your virtual life is identical to your physical life. While existing virtual worlds are restricted in magnitude, the metaverse will contain the entire internet.

GIVEN THE PLANNED DEVELOPMENTS OF SILICONE VALLEY, THE POSSIBILITIES WILL BE ENDLESS In a statement on 28 October at Connect 2021, a live-streamed VR and AR conference, Mark Zuckerberg clued us in about his plan of action to switch Facebook’s name to Meta — an umbrella firm that will supervise and unite apps under one name. Meta is set to conjure a virtual sphere where digital avatars can link hands free through jobs, travel or entertainment. Facebook, the app and system, will continue with its existing name.

Meta could replace the World Wide Web (WWW) as we know it, but as stated by Andrew Bosworth, keeping an eye on how users talk and conduct themselves “at any meaningful scale is practically impossible”. According to the Financial Times, “experts warned that monitoring billions of interactions in real time will require significant effort and may not even be possible.” John Egan, chief executive of forecasting group L’Atelier BNP Paribas, said, “Facebook can’t moderate their existing platform. How can they moderate one that is enormously more complex and dynamic?”

VIRTUAL REALITY IS USED AT UNIVERSITIES TO BENEFIT DESIGN AND MEDICAL STUDENTS Facebook’s response to these concerns is a plan to provide people with tools to report bad behaviour or block users they don’t wish to interact with. It will also store recordings locally on users’ headsets, which can be exported and reviewed by human assessors following reports of misconduct. Amid Facebook’s plans to expand into the metaverse, Microsoft also has its own agenda, developing Microsoft Teams to include Avatars. This will hopefully increase collaboration when it comes to online working and learning. The company has said much better experiences will also be accessible on smartphones and laptop computers. Unity Software Inc. is a further business that possesses apparatus to assemble the

metaverse, and Snapchat owner Snap Inc has established avatars and AR filters to layer virtual features onto the real world. As far as student life is concerned, many aspects of the metaverse have already moved into universities, for example, Phys.org says that educational institutions have been systematically integrating worlds such as that of the block building game Minecraft, and it is being used to teach science, town planning, and languages. According to Sawyer, video games can elevate processing speed, flexibility, retentiveness, interactional adeptness and analytical expertise within academic work. Thus, it is completely feasible to develop logic, increase cooperation and learn while having fun and enter taining yourself on Minecraft. In addition, virtual reality simulations are used at universities to benefit students on design-based or medical science courses, making it possible to practice skills without any potential real-life risk or waste of resources.

In an advanced virtual reality system, an avatar would go between places like an online store and a lecture auditorium. It could interact, participate in leisure activities and acquire knowledge. By simply putting on VR glasses or a headset, students could beam into any setting or time. How far universities want to plunge into the metaverse is still yet to be seen, but given the planned developments of Facebook, Microsoft and other key players of Silicone Valley, the possibilities within education are endless.

Image credit: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, PublicDomainPictures.org

study break

23 NOV 2021

exhibit

STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

Across

Down

1 4 8 9 10 11 12

2 3 4 5 6

14 16 19 20 21 22 23

Dope - sedate (4) Puzzling - big menus (anagram) (8) Look up to (6) Strength of character (6) Caledonian (4) Favour - benevolence (8) Dough constitutent nut leg (anagram (6) Oration - address (6) Modern (2-2-4) Cargo (4) Fleshy mouth organ (6) Tooth - of a dog (6) Abstinent - on the wagon (8) Retain (4)

7 13 14 15 17 18 19

Extreme - revolutionary (7) Blame (5) House robbery (5-2) Stoneworker (5) Trained skill - chemistry, for example (7) Pins - slain (anagram) (5) Idea (7) Design pattern - clients (anagram) (7) Bed of a river (7) Ring - call (5) Spy (5) Midday meal (5)

Trivia corner

1. What is the population of Guinea? 2. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world? 3. What is the longest novel in the English language? 4. What are the names of Mars’ moons?

ANSWERS

5.What was Brad Pitt’s first film role? 6. How many major musical scales are there?

Down: 2 Radical, 3 Guilt, 4 Break-in, 5 Mason, 6 Science, 7 Nails, 13 Thought, 14 Stencil, 15 Channel, 17 Phone, 18 Agent, 19 Lunch. Across: 1 Drug, 4 Bemusing, 8 Admire, 9 Spirit, 10 Scot, 11 Kindness, 12 Gluten, 14 Speech, 16 Up-to-date, 19 Load, 20 Tongue, 21 Canine, 22 Teetotal, 23 Hold. Trivia: 1. 13 million 2. Mt. Everest, it just wasn’t discovered yet 3. A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight by Henry Williamson 4. Phobos and Deimos 5. Guy at beach with drink 6. 12

Science

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

SCIENCE EDITORS: Ellen Rogers Nancy Stitt

Coral IVF to save the world’s reefs M. Shelton discusses a new technique being used to save coral reefs

T’S no secret that the world’s coral reefs are under threat. Climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise, and as a result, corals can expel the microscopic algae that they require to produce food. This is known as coral bleaching and is often fatal. Other threats to coral include ocean acidification, pollution, microplastics and damaging fishing methods. As a result of human activities, it is estimated that around half of the planet’s coral cover has been lost since the 1950s. Without immediate intervention, scientists predict that

95 per cent of remaining coral reefs could disappear in the next 30 years. Coral reefs are home to some of Earth’s most diverse ecosystems, providing shelter, food and breeding grounds for marine species. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, around 25 per cent of all fish in the ocean are dependent on healthy reefs. These reefs benefit humans too, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature states that more than 500 million people worldwide rely on coral reefs for food, income and protection from storms and coastal erosion.

In Thailand, the total reef area experiencing coral damage has reportedly increased from 30 to 77 per cent in one decade. Marine biologists at Chulalongkorn University are responding to these alarming figures with a project aiming to increase the resilience of coral to higher water temperatures. In a technique that has been dubbed ‘Coral IVF’, coral sperm and eggs are collected from reefs for reproduction within the lab. This collection is no easy task, with scientists and Thai Navy SEALs diving every night for up to three months to collect the gametes released by coral pol-

yps during the spawning season.

This technique has produced corals that survive at temperatures up to 34°C The coral is then fertilised in the lab and grown in a hatchery for two years, during which time the coral is manipulated to help it adapt to higher temperatures. This technique has produced corals that survive at temperatures up to 34°C — an impressive feat, given that temperatures of 32°C

can be fatal to wild coral. The young corals are then planted in the ocean, eventually growing and spreading to form new and more resilient reefs. Coral transplantation onto artificial reefs is not a new strategy. However, the ability to increase temperature resilience could give coral reefs a much better chance of survival in the face of climate change. With the undeniable importance of coral for marine life and humankind, innovations such as this provide a glimmer of hope for saving these unique and ecologically vital organisms before it becomes too late.

The first ‘thinking’ robot Thalia Sampayo talks about recent advancements in AI

ESEARCHERS in Japan have recently taught a robot to ‘think’ using a technique called ‘physical reservoir computing’, in which the machine is linked to a culture of neurons that should mimic a human brain. This was done successfully enough to allow the small AI vehicle to navigate a maze. If the machine veered in the wrong direction or faced the wrong way, “neurons in the cell culture were disturbed by an electrical impulse. In a series of trials, it was continually fed the signals until it accomplished the task”. Although

this will no doubt trigger panic that we are on the brink of a robo-apocalypse (and that soon enough The Matrix will be the stuff of documentary), it is essential to emphasise that the word ‘think’ is used here in the broadest sense. One of the computer engineers involved in the project, Professor Takahashi of the University of Tokyo, has said that the findings suggest “goal directed behaviour can be generated without any additional learning by sending signals to an embodied system”. The crucial point here is the

fact that the robot exhibits ‘goal directed behaviour’ — it can complete goals, but it cannot think the same way humans do. No one is contesting that AI robots can solve problems — MIT researcher Herbert L. Roitblat admits that “they can diagnose disease, drive cars, understand speech, and beat us at chess”, but he also recognises a key gap between human and robot intelligence. Although machines can solve algorithmic problems, they cannot solve what Roitblat terms ‘insight problems’. Solving insight problems

requires human intelligence, often involves a moment of realisation and requires the adoption of a more productive thought process over the default approach that would be taken by a robot.

The word ‘think’ is used in the broadest sense Previous studies have yet to work out how humans light that ‘spark’ that helps us solve insight problems. However, we all know that humans do

not always go through the most systematic and logical steps of thinking when faced by a problem. As stated by Roitblat, “these deviations are not glitches or bugs in human thought but essential features that enable human intelligence”. Based on this, one could easily disagree with the view that this Japanese study has enabled robots to think like humans, as robots will never be able to match the curious quirks of human intelligence — or, at least, not without major progress in the understanding of the human brain and its thought processes.

HPV vaccine success Bridie Adams, Editor, discusses the declining incidence of cervical cancer in the UK

OST cases of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) naturally resolve themselves within one to two years of infection, with 70 per cent to 90 per cent of infections being cleared by the body’s immune system (according to menopause.org.) It usually does not bring about any health difficulties and the virus simply ‘disappears’. However, in the most severe cases of persistent HPV, the virus can lay dormant for many years and cause health problems such as cervical cancer, mouth and throat cancers and some cancers of the anal and reproductive

areas. Nearly all cervical cancers are the result of HPV — a connection that was made more than 20 years ago by Cancer Research scientists.

There were...17,200 fewer patients with cervical carcinomas than expected After decades of experimentation, the UK put a vaccination scheme into effect in 2008 using the vaccine Cervarix, which was given to young people on the NHS. A different HPV

vaccine, Gardasil, is now the vaccine used for the NHS programme — it is routinely given to all children when they’re in Year Eight. The first investigation of its kind has shown that the vaccine programme is working and is saving lives, according to Cancer Research UK. The findings of the study, published in The Lancet medical journal, supply the first direct proof that vaccinating individuals against two types of HPV helps prevent them developing cervical cancer later in life. The recent study utilised models and figures to calculate that, by June 2019,

there were approximately 450 fewer patients with cervical cancer (down to 374 patients) and 17,200 fewer patients with cervical carcinomas than expected.

Nearly all cervical cancers are the result of HPV Professor Peter Sasieni, the academic leading the study, said: “It’s been incredible to see the impact of HPV vaccination, and now we can prove it prevented hundreds of women from developing cancer in Eng-

land. We’ve known for many years that HPV vaccination is very effective in preventing particular strains of the virus, but to see the real-life impact of the vaccine has been truly rewarding. Assuming most people continue to get the HPV vaccine and go for screening, cervical cancer will become a rare disease.” These extraordinary findings show that the HPV vaccine saves lives by dramatically reducing cervical cancer rates in women. If you didn’t have the jab in Year Eight, you can catch up on the NHS until your 25th birthday.

SCIENCE

EXEPOSÉ | 23 NOV 2021

‘Gut feeling’: the link between mental and gastrointestinal health

Cassia Grace, Deputy Editor, discusses the relationship between irritable bowel syndrome and our mental health

study, which included more than 50,000 people, has proven that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be caused by the same issues as anxiety. IBS impacts roughly one in ten people. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating and bowel dysfunction. The condition, like anxiety, is commonly genetic and as such,

intense research has taken place into which isolated genes are the cause. The University of Exeter joined an international team of 40 institutions participating in this study, which looked at genetic data from 40,548 people with IBS from the UK Biobank and 12,852 from the Bellygenes initiative (an ongoing project which examines the genetic causes of IBS). They

compared these to 433,201 people who showed no symptoms of IBS. Dr Nick Kennedy, from the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, said that “we developed a gastrointestinal symptom questionnaire that was answered by almost 200,000 participants in the UK BioBank. Using this data, alongside information on diagnoses of irritable bowel syndrome in the BioBank, we have conducted a large genetic study that helps us understand why some people are at greater risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS affects about 10 per cent of the population and this new genetics study helps give us more insights into what causes it”. Results showed that the importance of genes in developing IBS is in fact relatively low; other factors such as diet, stress and patterns of behaviour were of equal importance Image: Flickr- Marco Verch

and may be shared by family members.

IBS impacts roughly one in ten people Despite this, six genetic differences (namely the genes known as NCAM1, CADM2, PHF2/ FAM12OA, DOCK9, CKAP2/ TPTE2P3 and BAG6) were found to be present in those with IBS, but not in those with controls. These specific genes weren’t expressed in the bowel or gut but instead in the brain and nerves that supply the gut. Further research demonstrated that these same genes put people more at risk of developing common mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Although this does not mean that anxiety causes IBS symptoms, IBS is more common in those prone to anxiety. However, Professor Miles Parkes, from the University of Cambridge, stated that “we don’t believe that one causes the other — our study shows these conditions have shared genetic origins, with the affected genes possibly leading to physical changes in brain or nerve cells that in turn cause symptoms in the brain and symptoms in the gut”.

The study also suggests that frequent use of antibiotics during childhood may increase the risk of IBS as it can alter the ‘normal’ gut flora (healthy bacteria) and by extension change the nerve cell development and mood.

IBS is more common in those prone to anxiety Chris Eijsbouts, from the University of Oxford, stated that “even genetic changes that have only subtle effects on IBS can provide clues about pathways to target therapeutically. Unlike the individual genetic changes themselves, drugs targeting the pathways they tell us about may have a considerable impact on the condition, as we know from other disease areas”. This may improve the development of future treatments for IBS. Co-senior investigator Dr Luke Jostins, of the University of Oxford, added that “we anticipate that future research will build on our discoveries, both by investigating the target genes identified and exploring the shared genetic risk across conditions to improve understanding of the disordered brain-gut interactions which characterise IBS”.

COVID-19 drug development

Oliver Leader de Saxe, Editor, discusses the development of new drugs to treat COVID-19

HE fight against COVID-19 has been a long, bitter one, fraught with stress and setbacks. Like the many coronaviruses that came before it, COVID-19’s ability to transmit and mutate quickly has made it difficult to combat effectively. And whilst the race against time for the most effective vaccine has been well documented, there is an equally important race for less preventative anti-viral measures occurring largely outside of the public eye.

enough and close enough to the building blocks of the virus to latch on to their genetic sequence. The end result is that it has the potential to introduce errors into the replication process, stopping the virus from spreading or multiplying.

Molnupiravir had reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 by 50%

And whilst the WHO cautioned against its use in treating COVID-19 in November 2020, claiming that “there is currently no evidence that Remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients”, there is mounting evidence that nucleoside analogues could be an effective treatment for the deadly virus. One paper from the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that “Remdesivir was superior to placebo in shortening the time to recovery in adults who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and had evidence of lower respiratory tract infection”. Meanwhile drug manufacturer Merck went as far as saying that their nucleoside analogue, Molnupiravir, had reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 by 50 per cent. Despite this, it is always worth err-

One of most notable of these antiviral drugs to have emerged is Remdesivir, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in America in October 2020. Unlike a vaccine which uses RNA material from the COVID-19 virus to create antibodies which can keep you protected, Remdesivir is designed to stop the virus replicating once inside the body. This is because Remdesivir finds itself located within a group of compounds called nucleoside analogues, which are molecules small

Image: Public Domain Pictures- Circe Denyer

Nucleoside analogues could be key to putting the pandemic to rest.

ing on the side of caution and tempering expectations, particularly with clinical trials on the horizon for many of the anti-viral drugs, which could prevent their approval by regulators. Yet it is worth noting the cautious optimism several countries have in regards to these drugs. It was not long ago in October when New Zealand secured a deal with Merck for 60,000 courses of the aforemen-

tioned oral anti-viral Molpuniravir, and they’re not the only early adopters; the week before, Australia had purchased 300,000 courses for this year. There is evidently some hope in governments globally that nucleoside analogues could be key to putting the pandemic to rest. Although there is still a long way to go before anti-viral treatment becomes standardised, the impacts that

these drugs could have is staggering. Being able to anti-virally treat those infected with COVID-19 has the potential to ease the stress on healthcare services and protect those who cannot be vaccinated. So, whilst our fight against COVID-19 is nearing its end, these antiviral drugs prove that the fight against coronaviruses in the future has only just begun.

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

SPORT

Fight Night Exe returns Rob Worthington interviews Imogen Scarles ahead of Fight Night

HE highly anticipated Fight Night is back in Exeter. On Saturday 27 November, 30 amateur fighters will become sport stars for the night. Taking place at Exeter Castle with roughly 1,000 spectators in attendance, it’s bound to be a night to remember. Ahead of the event, I caught up with one of those fighting on the night, Imogen Scarles, a third-year student here at Exeter. Imogen and her fellow participants are close to completing an eight-week training programme which has prepped them for their fights. Imogen reflects on the gruelling training process so far.

THEY THROW YOU IN AT THE DEEP END... NONE OF US HAVE EVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE “They throw you in the deep end to start with”, Imogen told me. Those in training didn’t begin sparring until they had a few weeks of practice under their belt with boxing bags, with an eye on developing correct technique, but the requirement to improve fitness quickly made the early sessions particularly difficult. Imogen reflected on a continuous one mile run she had to do in one of the initial sessions, which as she asserted, “sounded alright,” until she found out it was going to be uphill for the duration. However, Imogen thinks things like this really helped her improve her fitness, which left her prepared to start sparring. She described this transition as “intense.”

Nonetheless, the intensity of these sessions was pivotal for the 30 fighters who are set to partake in the climactic event next Saturday. For the coaches, Imogen tells me it’s important for them that those involved are “as safe as possible”, making the vigorous training sessions taking place twice a week an absolute necessity. Fight Night itself is ran by 4Play who have sponsored the complimentary 8-week training programme offered to the boxers. Imogen is appreciative of the efforts of the event organisers, stating “this isn’t an opportunity I’m going to have again.” As for why Imogen is fighting herself, she reflects on her own prior experience of Fight Night Exe. She attended the event herself pre-COVID-19 as a first-year student and was inspired by the “incredible atmosphere” thinking it’d be “amazing to be in the ring as one of the boxers.” And here she is, two years on, with the night itself very much on the horizon. Imogen can’t wait for the “satisfaction” she’ll feel as she steps into the ring off the back of the training process, proud of the effort she’s put into her preparation. For Imogen though, it really has been a step into the unknown. The same can be said for her housemate, Flora, who is also fighting on the night. Imogen describes herself as a “ball and racquet sport

Image: Rowan Greenwood

Image: Niklas Rahmel

type of person,” eliciting the alien nature of this process for her and many of her fellow fighters.

MOST PEOPLE HAVE GONE FOR CLASSIC RING WALK SONGS FROM SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS BUT I'VE GONE FOR A BIT OF A DIFFERENT ONE! But it appears to Imogen that everyone fighting has in fact “got really good” despite their initial innocence in the boxing realm. It would seem the feeling of “satisfaction” Imogen anticipates will be tangible on the night, with each fighter eager to show off their progress. Not only will this progress be portrayed to the hundreds of students in attendance, but also to the friends and family of the fighters, with each participant handed 20 tickets to hand out to those closest to them. Imogen’s got “a few friends from home coming down” who’ll be in the crowd alongside her “psyched” housemates. She can’t wait to have “everyone there at the castle.” Regarding the night itself, it’s said to be one which sticks long in student memory. With this Fight Night being the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, it’ll be the first time most students in attendance go to the esteemed event. Imogen knows “it’ll be obvious how great Fight Night is” as students flock to the castle on 27 November. As I began to conclude the interview, I believed it was time to ask the really important questions. First, is Imogen backing herself to win her fight? The coaches are electing the pairings based off a mixture

of weight and perceived quality, but as a “competitive person”, Imogen is backing herself to win her bout. Imogen’s been described as an “aggressive boxer, maybe sometimes too aggressive,” but she seems certain she has what it takes to make what is inevitably going to be a memorable night even better. She knows she’s put “everything into training,”and is already proud of herself regardless of the result, but a victory would be representative of the icing on top of a delicious cake for Imogen. Second, the most important question an interviewer can ever ask a boxer, what have they picked as their ring walk song? I was delighted to hear Imogen has picked her song, yet disappointed she’ll be keeping her cards close to her chest regarding the tune for now, telling me I’ll have “wait till the night to hear exactly what it is!” Nonetheless, Imogen did give me a few hints, revealing she’s gone against the grain and gone for “a bit of a childhood throwback.” As for her fellow competitors, she believes most have “gone for classic ring walk songs from Spotify playlists.” I have a lot of time for Imogen’s individuality in this regard and look forward to hearing her choice of song. 30 amateur fighters. 15 bouts. Hundreds of spectators. What’s not to love? Who knows, maybe our next Fight Night preview will be about you. Imogen insists you “absolutely have to be dedicated”, and she is indeed “completely terrified”, but knows this Fight Night, as well as those which succeed it, will be “amazing.” If this is something you might be interested in doing in the future, Imogen would “definitely” encourage you to throw yourself into it. Thank you to Imogen Scarles for giving up her time to answer my questions. Best of luck to her in her fight in a few days’ time!

NCAI Requests Retirment of all Exeter Chiefs "Native 'Themed' Imagery"

HE Exeter Chiefs’ use of Native American branding has come under fire previously, but now has been condemned by a US-based organisation, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Exeter adopted the Chiefs branding when the team developed to be semi-professional in 1999, and this branding has been used ever since. In mid-October, after Wasps appealed to Premiership Rugby and the RFU to think about imposing a ban on the wearing of Native American headdresses by fans at games, Exeter chairman Tony Rowe said to The Guardian: “Are all these people really getting upset in North America? I don’t quite believe that.” In an open letter addressed to Rowe, NCAI CEO Dante Desiderio discussed “Native ‘themed’ mascots, imagery and branding” in sport. Desiderio said: “We are writing to inform you that our objections extend to the branding employed by the Exeter ‘Chiefs’, specifically the logo, the venue names (e.g. the ‘Mohawk Bar’), the headdresses, and other uses of Native “themed” collateral. The NCAI requests your support to retire all of the Native ‘themed’ imagery associated with the mascot branding of the Exeter ‘Chiefs’ Rugby Club.” The message also referenced the club’s upcoming 24 November meeting, when it’s likely that the issues will be up for discussion: “Ahead of the club member vote later this month, we wish to share with you resources documenting the ways this imagery and branding harms [...] people through the [...] Exeter Chiefs ‘fans’ misappropriation of culturally sacred headdresses [...] and the degrading ‘tomahawk chop’ rituals they perform during matches.” The letter went on to say, “Native ‘themed’ mascot imagery and the dehumanising stereotypes [...] must go. Out of respect for tribal sovereignty, we ask that you heed the voices of tribal leaders [...] and the organisations that serve their citizens - not the voices of a select few individuals - when working to understand where Indian Country broadly stands on this issue. “Please know the NCAI is committed to working with the Exeter Rugby Club to aid in its mascot branding transition.” By Bridie Adams

SPORT

23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

Top-tier footballer comes out as gay Oliver Leader de Saxe looks at Josh Cavallo, who has become the first top-flight male footballer to come out

ROWING up in an accepting household surrounded by friends and family who would love and care for me no matter what, it is hard to appreciate how truly hostile the world can be (and very much still is) for those of us in the LGBTQA+ community. And nowhere is that truer than the world of men’s professional football. This a world where national newspapers like The Sun make derogatory comments about “nancy boys” during World Cups and the News of the World would ridicule star players with false allegations of “perverted” gay orgies. It is the same world which saw Justin Fashanu, the first openly gay professional football player in the 1990s, being shunned by his brother and not being offered new club contracts after coming out. Even as recently as last year we saw an unnamed Premier League footballer stating that they could not come out in the current landscape, believing that the Professional Footballers Association is not doing enough to make gay players feel supported. Given all of this, it is impossible to under-

state how important a moment it was when Josh Cavallo came out in October. It is a sea change moment in the footballing world. The Adelaide United midfielder’s decision has not only opened discussion on an important issue once taboo within the sport, but has now made him the world’s only top-flight professional male footballer to be openly gay. The fact he did this with the club’s unwavering support (Adelaide United even helped him film and produce his coming out video) is also something that shouldn’t be ignored. This isn’t to say Cavallo isn’t the only LGBTQA+ figure in men’s football today. It would be remiss to ignore figures like Ryan Atkin, who became the first openly gay match official in 2017, or even the bravery of someone like the former West Ham and Aston Villa defender Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out after his career had ended with much support from his former teammates. Nor is this a problem that spans the entire footballing landscape either. Many high-profile players in England women’s team have come out as lesbian, including record goal scorer Kelly

Smith and the 100 capped Casey Stone, which has been attributed to a less toxic atmosphere in women’s football. But what makes Cavallo notable is that, by making himself the only active, open top-flight gay player, he has paved the way for other men to follow in his footsteps. The warmth with which he has been received by other top-tier players like Marcus Rashford, Gerard Piqué and Antoine Griezmann will open the door for a more diverse, inclusive game free of the toxicity of the past. Even as early as a week after Cavallo’s coming out, a Spanish player anonymously confirmed his bisexuality to a Radio Murcia Cadena Ser and I’m hopeful we’ll see many more follow suit in the future. This isn’t to say making the beautiful game beautiful for everyone isn’t going to be challenging. The culture is so engrained, the prejudice is so systemic, that things won’t change overnight. Countries like Qatar and Russia that have won FIFA world cups are places where LGBTQA+ live in fear for their lives, and closer to home,

homophobic discrimination still exists in fan mentality. But with a player as brave and dedicated to the sport as Josh Cavallo leading the charge, there is certainly hope for a brighter, homophobia free future in football.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

T20 World Cup recap

Senthur Shanmugarasa recaps an eventful tournament that saw Australia emerge victorious

FTER a five-year wait, the Men’s T20 World Cup kicked off in Oman and the UAE. As often is the case with men’s (and women’s for that matter) ICC tournaments, 22 men take to a field and Australia win. This year was no different as the Baggy Greens swept past New Zealand in Sunday’s final. The tournament commenced with a preliminary stage where the lower ranked teams competed to qualify for the main stage of the competition. In Group 1, Sri Lanka, a shadow of its former self, qualified comfortably alongside Namibia. The qualification of the African side, spearheaded by former South African, David Wiese, was arguably the story of the tournament, given the country has only five cricket pitches and was able to push aside established international sides such as Ireland and the Netherlands. Group 2 saw the shock of the first tournament as Scotland pipped Bangladesh to top the group. Group 1 of the main stage was dubbed the Group of Death featuring tournament favourites South Africa and Australia. Despite not having their star players in Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes, England strolled through the group stage, playing aggressive cricket, typifying their in-game approach since Eoin Morgan took the helm of the white ball side in 2015. Given the state of their injury list, it was remarkable that England were able to field an impressive side, with Dawid Malen and Moeen Ali starring. Australia arrived at the tournament in horrid form, with many key players out of touch with crickets T20 format. After a humiliating drubbing by England, something clicked for the fivetime ODI World Champions as they won their next three games to qualify in second place.

South Africa weren’t expected to challenge without crucial batsman AB De Villiers, but a put on a strong showing with solid performances from Anriche Nortje and Aidan Markham as shown by the close win against already qualified England.

Group 1 of the main stage was dubbed the Group of Death

Sri Lanka has been far less competent since the retirements of stalwarts Sangakkara and Jayawardene in 2015. However, thanks to a promising crop of players coming through, the 2014 winners have a strong core heading into the next World Cup. A West Indies squad including veterans Christopher Gayle and Dwayne Bravo couldn’t recreate the glory years of the early 2010s. Bangladesh would have been disappointed not to come away with a win having beaten one of this year’s finalists before the tournament. Group 2 kicked off with cricket’s favourite and most popular game, as India hosted archrivals Pakistan. Unlike previous World Cup encounters between the two, Pakistan won convincingly chasing down 152 without losing a wicket. Pakistan led by solid openers and a fearsome bowling attack including Shaheen Shah Afridi continued their form into the rest of their games and ended the group unbeaten. New Zealand joined them in the Semi- finals, making their third ICC final in as many years. India also seen as a favourite heading into

the tournament. Despite this, India failed to make the qualifying stage after losing their first two games. The contentious decision to end the IPL just a week before the World Cup started is thought to have contributed to the Indian failings. The semi-finals were nearly carbon copies of each other. The favourites (England & Pakistan) lost the toss and unsurprisingly were put into bat. For most of the game the chasing side were well behind the eight ball until the final few overs. In the first semi-final, New Zealand delivered an improbable 57 off 24 balls to book their place in their first T20 final partly thanks to James Neesham taking 23 runs from a demoralising Chris Jordan over. In the second semi-final, Pakistan after making an electric start, were rueing their poor fielding as Matthew Wade (dropped on the ball before) smashed three sixes to take Australia to victory. As has been the case in this tournament, the toss was important and Australian captain Aaron Finch unsurprisingly chose to field first in the final. After a sluggish start, Blacks Caps captain Kane Williamson led the way with a

sublime 85 off 48 balls. While 172 was a decent total, the New Zealand skipper did not have support from the other end (no other batter reaching 30) and probably felt they were 20 short. In reply, left-arm speedbowler Trent Boult trapped the Aussie skipper early. That was as good as it got for New Zealand with David Warner and Mitchell Marsh both scoring excellent half centuries and accelerating at the right time. Glenn Maxwell finished off the superb chase in trademark fashion with a reverse sweep which went to the boundary. After four weeks and 45 matches of entertaining cricket, despite a period of Pakistani and English dominance, it was Australia who came out on top in spite of their poor form heading into the tournament. Perhaps given the volatility of the shortest format of the game this isn’t that surprising.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

23 NOV 2021| EXEPOSÉ

Sport

SPORTS EDITORS:

Oscar Young Rob Worthington

Mo Varsity recap: Exeter win derby

Image: Chloe Pumares

Chloe Pumares Deputy Editor

OVEMBER. A month in the year when everyone decides to try, and the key word is try, to grow facial hair. It’s a month when the awkward phase between clean shaven and full blown tash is subject to slightly less ridicule than usual. And that is because it is all in the name of charity. The Movember Foundation started in 2004, with the aim of raising awareness for prostate cancer and depression in men. In the 17 years since its inception it has raised $837 million worldwide. At the University of Exeter Movember is important to students and many raise money for this cause. This year one of the many events was a varsity basketball match be-

tween Exeter University Basketball Club and their close rivals Plymouth. The game was held in Exeter College Sports Park with tip off at 6:15PM. Exeter got off to a flying start with number 7 scoring the first basket of the game. This was to be a running theme throughout the rest of the match. The first quarter was the most prolific for Exeter, scoring a total of 27 points to Plymouth’s 9.

The first quarter was the most prolific for Exeter, scoring a total of 27 points to Plymouth’s 9 The second quarter continued much the same, with the score ending up as 48 - 19. This was likely helped by the raucous atmosphere provided by

the advantage of Exeter playing at home surrounded by support. This was led by a hype man on the mic, who occasionally went a little too far when digging out the other team. Then it was time for the half time show, this was provided by the University of Exeters very own Exeter Emeralds. The cheer squad provided an upbeat routine to keep the crowd entertained while the basketball teams had a little bit of a time to rest before coming out ready to continue the fight. Plymouth clearly had to do a little more thinking during the break. During half time the amount the charity match had raised for the Movember Foundation was announced, as was the winner of the raffle, which was an extra £2 on top of the £7 entry ticket. An impressive £2,048 was raised. Next came the third quarter, a rather exciting ten minutes in all hon-

esty. Plymouth came out playing better then they had for the whole of the first half. A fair few fouls had taken place throughout the whole game so far, but it was only in this quarter that it became a problem. Plymouth’s player number 4 was given a technical foul. A technical foul is an infraction of the rules which does not involve any physical contact, such as talking back to the referee. This led to another technical foul ejecting him from the game. From there on out he watched from the window above the gym. Going into the final 10 minutes, Exeter were obviously the clear winners, leading 66 to their 40. But Plymouth still continued to play like troopers and at the end it was announced that they had actually won the second half by a point. But by that time Exeter’s amazing first half had won them the game and it would have

been near impossible for Plymouth to have made up that much ground. The final score ended up 84 to 56.

Going into the final 10 minutes, Exeter were obviously the clear winners... The final score ended up 84 to 56 In the end, despite the competition, it was clear that they were all there for one reason. Raising money for a truly good cause. After all, once the final buzzer goes, isn’t bringing people together to raise awareness and funds, at a competitive sporting match or otherwise, the true meaning of Movember.

For more coverage of Exeter sport, head to @Exeposésport @exeposesport