Issue 741 - 8 Feb 2023

THE Vice-Chancellor Lisa Roberts has responded to the coroner’s ‘Report to Prevent Future Death’ issued following the death of Exeter student Harry Armstrong Evans. The report was issued after the inquest into Harry’s death found serious failings in the University’s suicide prevention strategy and welfare services.

At the conclusion of the inquest, the coroner, Guy Davies, declared his central finding to be “that the welfare service did not proactively respond to... concerns and did not

provide the necessary support for Harry.”

The coroner’s report following the inquest identified specific areas of concern for the University to address in its response, in order to prevent future deaths. Harry’s parents Alice and Rupert, however, told Exeposé they found the Vice-Chancellor’s response and suggested changes to the welfare services insufficient, with Alice Armstrong Evans telling Exeposé she thought the University of Exeter “can do better than this.”

The University’s response to the coroner’s report states that it “fully respects the Inquest process” and goes on to address each individual area of concern identified by the coroner.

In response to the coroner’s invitation to review training for academic staff, the University stated they had “undertaken a detailed review” of the mental health awareness training courses for staff in student

facing roles. As an immediate response, they have introduced a phased roll out of training for staff at different levels depending on individual expertise and institutional role. An introductory online video on mental health awareness will be mandatory for all staff, and all student-facing staff will be required to participate in a half day of training, a course which the report states has already “been run for a number of years.” Selected staff in wellbeing based roles will also have to complete a two day “Mental Health First Aid” course, and staff in key student facing welfare roles will be required to complete a “Suicide awareness and risk screening” course. While Rupert Armstrong Evans suggested that these measures were overdue, as issues with staff training were previously raised at the inquest into the death of Exeter student Joel Rees in June 2017, he also told Exeposé that these particular improvements

were “welcomed, and evidenced by an internal email from the University registrar dated 16th November 2022 to all staff entitled — Support for Wellbeing and Mental Health.”

The Vice-Chancellor added that existing processes would be reviewed for assessment periods to ensure communications sent out provide signposting for support available. On these changes to the mental health support around exam periods, Alice said it is “young people who have had a bad experience.. [or] a bad exam — either before or after the result,” who need the most help, saying that student suicides are often “exam-related” so this was a key area for the University to focus on when improving its hands-on pastoral support.

do a better job”:

new

Image: Pollyanna Roberts

Editors

Print: Megan Ballantyne & Joshua Hughes

Online: Ana Anajuba & Clemence Smith

Print Deputies: Oliver Lamb, Livvy Mason-Myhill, Pollyanna Roberts

Online Deputies: Isabella Ankerson, Daisy Scott editors@exepose.com

Executives

Events: Georgia Balmer

Admin: Lauren Walsh

Chief Photographers Rachel Cunningham Kieran Moore

News Editors Print: Charlie Gershinson & Amy Rushton

Online: Megan Haynes & Amelie Thompson news@exepose.com

Features Editors

Print: Austin Taylor & Benedict Thompson

Online: Catherine Stone & Maggie John features@exepose.com

International Editors

Print: Agata Koralewska

Online: Maeve Fitzpatrick & Ryan Gerrett

Comment Editors

Print: Anabel Costa-Ferreira & Connor Goddard

Online: Jamie Speka & Kristen Taylor comment@exepose.com

Satire Editor

Print: Cleo Gravett

Online: Archie Lockyer & Joseph Vinton

Lifestyle Editors

Print: Pippa Bourne & Gracie Moore

Online: Ruth Hetherington & Charlie Nadin lifestyle@exepose.com

Arts + Lit Editors

Print: Ella Minty & Joshua Smith

Online: Manon Martini & Gwenllian Page-Gibby artsandlit@exepose.com

Music Editors

Print: Harry Craig & Jake Avery

Online: Mahnoor Imam & Lauren Jones music@exepose.com

Screen Editors

Print: Anabelle Law & Madison Sohngen

Online Matthew Bowden & Harvey Isitt screen@exepose.com

Tech Editor Print: Ewan Edwards

Online: Charlie Oldroyd

Science Editors

Print: Daniel Pain & Hayley Power

Online: Esther Humphries & Imogen Poyntz-Wright sciandtech@exepose.com

Sport Editors

Print: Toby Brisley & Rob Worthington

Online: Oliver Rickwood & Archie Rucker sport@exepose.com

ANOTHER few weeks, another issue of Exeposé ! We hope everyone is now settled back into the new term and aren’t too stressed out (yet). Things are already starting to pick up even if the dreadful deadlines seem like a distant worry and we’ve got a great selection of articles to give you all of the latest goings-on in Exeter and on campus. Also, as the build-up to Valentine’s Day begins, be sure to look out for our Campus Crushes which are spread out across the paper.

In News , our main focus this week has been on the first few days of the UCU’s ’18 days of action,’ gathering staff and student comments which are all included in a wide-ranging spread on pages 4-5. Other than that, News also covers the University’s response to the Prevention of Future Death Report issued by Coroner Guy Davies to ViceChancellor Lisa Roberts in November (page 1). Alongside this, Exeposé cover the Holocaust Memorial event at Exeter Cathedral (page 3) and the start of LGBTQ+ History Month (page 3).

Elsewhere, in Features , our writers look at the outlook for overseas students (page 8 ) and also provide a summary of Davos 2023 (page 9 ). International gives an insight on the Lunar New Year festivities and also looks at the tradition of Valentine’s Day (page 10 ). In Comment , writers

discuss the worrying spread of antisemitism and give their opinions on different instances of antisemitic hate speech ( page 13 ). Satire covers Exeter Council’s new black ice pedestrian lane and also looks at the politics of space claiming in the library ( page 14). Lifestyle looks at self-love and self-pleasure and writers also talk about their worst date experiences (page 16). Arts + Lit looks at historical fiction and contemporary art (page 19 ) while Music provide a tribute to Freddie Mercury ( page 20 ). Screen looks at snowscapes in film (page 22 ) and also ponders the possible relevance of the dystopian series, Black Mirror ( page 23 ). Tech writers talk about online dating and the use of ChatGPT in making Valentine’s Day plans ( page 24 ). Science writers look at the transition from dinosaur to bird and the new exoplanets discovered by the James Webb Telescope ( page 28 ). Finally, Sport looks at the Premier League (page 30 ), previews the Six Nations ( page 31 ) and discusses the Exe-odus (see what we did there?) from Exeter Chiefs ( page 32 ). We hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as we enjoyed putting it together. From everyone at Exeposé happy 8th Feburary.

Josh and Megan

Images (top to bottom): Charles Deluvio, Wikipedia Commons, kentarotakizawa Flickr, Wikimedia Commons Hans Hillewaert

Mr. Bad Guy: a tribute to Freddie Mercury

PAGE 20

University news home and abroad

The Royal Agriculture University launches £100 million site

THE Royal Agricultural University has launched plans for a carbon-neutral campus which will be home to innovative developments in sustainable land management, food production, and climate change research.

It will sit on 29-acres within the University of Cirencester’s campus, consisting of several hubs to accommodate researchers, policy-makers and entrepreneurs. The RAU’s Vice-Chancellor

Peter McCaffery has affirmed that this will positively impact not only those directly involved, but also surrounding areas, noting, “We plan to engage with the local community and local businesses throughout the whole process.”

South Australian universities to allow use of artificial intelligence

STUDENTS at South Australia’s three main universities — Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia — will be allowed to use artificial intelligence if they disclose it. Universities fear that students could use ChatGPT software, released in November, to write essays. However, there is a growing recognition that the only option is to embrace the technology’s potential rather than resist it.

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This will be economically beneficial, as they aim to double their current contribution to the local economy, as well as environmental, with the planned project protecting and promoting the immediate surrounding landscape.

The project has gained the support of parties such GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership and the Department for International Trade and will apply for planning permission from the Cotswold District council in the proceeding months.

Image, Rexness, Wikimedia Commons

The Group of Eight — Australia’s eight leading universities — said they would make “greater use of pen and paper exams and tests” this year, before redesigning assessments to integrate AI.

Vitomir Kovanovic, the senior lecturer in education futures at the University of SA, said universities “should be teaching them how to use it [AI] — they’re going to use it in the workplace anyway. It’s like having a driving school but teaching people how to ride horses.”

PAGE 16 SCIENCE

Inquiry finds antisemitic bullying within NUS

AN independent investigation has found that the National Union of Students (NUS) failed to protect Jewish members from antisemitic bullying. Multiple instances were found of the NUS ignoring or failing to respond appropriately to the harassment of Jewish students because of their faith or views on Israel. Examples of antisemitism in the report included stereotypes such as blood libel, and holding Jewish students responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

In May 2022, the UK government cut all ties with the NUS due to allegations of institutional antisemitism, while in November Shaima Dallali was dismissed from her role as NUS President due to gross misconduct after an investigation over allegations of antisemitism.

The new absurd PAGE 19

Nature vs. nurture PAGE 29

Texas

universities block access to Tiktok on campus networks

I

Jeff Neyland, a technology advisor at UT-Austin, wrote in the email: “The university is taking these important steps to eliminate risks to information contained in the university’s network and to our critical infrastructure. As outlined in the governor’s directive, TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices — including when, where and how they conduct internet activity — and offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.”Numerous Texas universities, including those at the University of Texas at Dallas and Texas A&M University System, have said they are blocking the use of the app on their campus networks after UT-Austin’s declaration.

ARTS + LIT

Exeter commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day

Harry Craig and Charlie Gershinson

Music Editor and News Editor

EXETER commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday 27th January with a service at Exeter Cathedral that included several guest speakers and representatives from across the city’s secular and religious communities.

The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr. Yolonda Henson, was joined by special guest Robert Rinder, a TV personality, barrister and descendant of a Holocaust survivor. Leaders of Exeter’s Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Humanist and Romani communities were also represented, making a powerful statement of solidarity across religious and ethnic groups.

Each year, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chooses a theme, around which commemorations are centred. This year’s theme

was ‘ordinary people’ and their role in the Holocaust, whether as collaborators, bystanders or victims. This was a key part of Exeter’s service, raising poignant questions relevant to us today about what ordinary people can do to challenge the prejudice and ignorance that led to the Holocaust eighty years ago.

The service opened with reflections by the Dean of Exeter, the Very Reverend Jonathan Greener, as well as a performance of an original song by St. Thomas Primary School about accepting those in need of refuge. The first part of the service concluded with dignitaries and special guests lighting candles in remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.

The second section focused on the stories of two of the special guests, Mr. Rinder and psychologist Bernie Graham, who both participated in the 2020 BBC documentary series ‘My Family, The Holocaust and Me’.

After showing a short clip from the documentary, Mr. Graham spoke about how he discovered the story of his mother as a child refugee on the Kindertransport, and the impact this had on him. This was followed by a speech by Charlotte Lane, a committed Holocaust educator, who spoke about the schools project she is a part of. This served as a reminder of the importance of education and young people in Holocaust memory, as well

Man killed in Sidwell Street stabbing

Oliver Lamb Deputy Editor

STEPHEN Cook, 45, has been named as the man who died after an altercation on Sidwell Street on 28th January. 19-year-old Brian Jewell, of no fixed abode, has been charged with his murder and appeared in Exeter Crown Court on 2nd February.

as the value of the stories of ordinary people, which can “humanise” an otherwise complex narrative.

The final part of the service was a speech by Mr. Rinder, who spoke movingly about what the day meant to him. Like many of the morning’s speakers, he warned against complacency to avoid a repeat of the Holocaust, and emphasised how, “in an age of fake news […] and hate, these stories have a power to make change.”

LGBTQ+ History Month celebrations commence

Amy Rushton News Editor

THE Guild have announced their plans to mark LGBTQ+ History Month 2023 with a range of events, campaigns and resources in collaboration with societies and students.

Established in 1994 and first observed in the UK in 2005, LGBTQ+ History Month occurs every February and is aimed at the

remembrance and celebration of LGBTQ+ history and its related civil rights movements. The theme for 2023 is “Behind the Lens”, centred on the work and representation of LGBTQ+ people in film and TV. It will also touch on the marginalisation of queer histories in mainstream film, their contribution to cinema, and the gap between LGBTQ+ experience in reality and their portrayal on film.

The events for the month are aimed at celebrating this history and highlighting experiences of LGBT+ students, in collaboration with the Queer and BAME+ Collective, LGBT+ society, LGBTQ+ Staff Network and other organisations across Exeter and the UK. They will include an LGBTQ+ students community café event, a reading night orchestrated by the LGBTQ+ society, a public lecture and Q&A discussing the experience of transgender students, an online talk on black feminism

in music, a workshop on LGBTQ+ terminology and an LGBTQ+ society discussion event, focusing on “What does Queer mean to you?”

In accordance with the “Behind the Lens” theme, several events will focus on the telling of LGBTQ+ stories in the media. This will include medical school film screenings on films relating to the health experiences of LGBTQ+ people, such ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post’ and ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’, and a screening by the Queer and BAME+ collective and LGBTQ+ societies of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.

The University has provided resources with further information on LGBTQ+ History Month and support for LGBTQ+ students. This included recommended reading lists and film and book recommendations from the LGBTQ+ Staff Network.

Other events going on in Exeter include a Book launch at Book Bag discussing the forgotten 19th century novel ‘Chase of the Wild Goose’ and its impact on queer historical fiction, a new exhibition by the RAMM

Sandy Park to become music venue

Ewan Edwards Tech Editor

ASTAPLE of Exeter’s sporting scene from varsity matches to the home of the Chiefs, Sandy Park may be about to get a new lease of life in a move to open the stadium as a live music venue. This is all in a bid to generate extra income as the Exeter Chiefs,

chaired by Tony Rowe MBE, face financial trouble: Their current borrowings amount to a sum of £28.1 million. Over the last 12 months, The Wasps and Worcester Warriors have fallen into administration, for the Chiefs to face the same would remove them from the Premiership The application, which was debated on Monday the 30th of January by Exeter City Council, sought

to add “plays, boxing and wrestling, films, live music and recorded music” to the existing Sandy Park licensing. It outlined a strict capacity of 19,999 people, which includes members of the public, staff, crew and artists. This could make Exeter become a bigger hub for culture and music. There have been 14 representations from local residents in objection to the proposed plans,

focusing on queer history and ‘Wild Onion’, a cabaret at Exeter Phoenix.

The Vice-Chancellor commented on the month, stating that it is “an opportunity for us all to celebrate the diversity of our Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer or Questioning community and reflect on how we can create a more inclusive and safe community for everyone to be their true selves. I am very proud to share that since we celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month last year, we received a Gold Award, given by LGBTQ+ equality charity, Stonewall, for our commitment and efforts to become an LGBTQ+ inclusive employer, as part of the Workplace Equality Index (WEI), which highlights the importance of inclusive work environments. We also achieved our highest-ever position in the Stonewall WEI, ranking 148 out of the 403 organisations that participated in WEI 2022.”

Full details of the events and resources for LGBTQ+ History Month are available on the Guild and University websites.

these are predominantly on grounds of public nuisance and environmental health. Exeter Rugby Club have included provisions to combat such nuisance by monitoring noise levels and keeping a clear record of such noise as well as having “all public areas of the licensed premises” kept under CCTV. The plans await the response of the council.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene at about 8:10pm. Cook, from Exeter, was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital with a stab wound to the chest. Three other prior suspects will face no further police action after initially being arrested. A 19-year-old man from Christchurch, Dorset, had been arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 29-year-old woman from Exeter and a 32-year-old man from Exmouth were arrested on suspicion of affray.

Tributes have been laid outside Betfred on Sidwell Street, where Cook was found.

DI Stephanie Blundell, the investigation leader, said: “Enquiries are ongoing and residents should expect to see continuing police activity in Exeter connected to this investigation over the coming week. In the light of the ongoing investigation we would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances of this case on social media.”

Cook found himself homeless following drug and alcohol addictions and time in prison. However, he was known for playing guitar and making gifts out of painted stones. In 2017 he saved a man from drowning in the River Exe.

Commenting on night safety in Exeter, the Students’ Guild stated: “We want our students to have a good time when they are out experiencing all the nightlife Exeter has to offer. We also want to make sure our students know how to stay safe, and get home safely too. The Safe Zone app is a free system to enhance your personal safety by connecting you to Estate Patrol.It has four main functions — First Aid, Emergency, Security and Wellbeing Assistance.

Exeter Safe Space is a new initiative, supported by the Guild, which provides a warm safe welcome to anyone needing support during a night out in the city centre. The Safe Space can be found at St Stephens Church and operates on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 23:00 – 03.30.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information or dashcam footage that could help officers is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police.

Image: Harry Craig

Image: Rachel Cunningham

Image: Exeter Guild

A guide to UCU strikes in Exeter

“Undervalued” staff speak out

20 years our salary has decreased.”

UCU strike action is currently taking place in Exeter and across the country, with the first day of strike action having taken place on Wednesday 1st February. The final of the 18 days of the strikes over pay, pensions and working conditions, will take place on March 22nd, unless negotiations reach a conclusion prior to this date. Staff on the picket lines have spoken to Exeposé about their experiences, calling their current working conditions "unsustainable."

Strikers at the February 1st picket line were from many different university faculties — it was estimated that roughly 150 UCU members were present on this first day of action, and that there were possibly twice that number who were on strike but not able to be present at the picket lines. One member of staff called this turnout “a hugely historical moment.”

According to UCU figures, the real terms pay of academic staff has dropped by 25 per cent since 2009. Staff testified to Exeposé about the adverse effect that the fall in their real terms pay has had on their lives, with staff even detailing how some of their colleagues are on universal credit or have had to go to food banks “in order to live.” They claim that University of Exeter hasn’t properly considered how the fall in real terms pay, especially against the background of the current cost-of-living crisis, has affected staff. “The University hasn’t put into consideration that the cost of living has increased, but over the past 10 to

Another striker highlighted how “our wages have been eroded compared to the [value of our] professions”

Pension cuts were also a key area of concern for staff, with the UCU estimating that the package of pensions cuts made last year amounts to a rough average decrease of 35 per cent for each member of staff. Striking staff claimed this could “then amount to hundreds and thousands of pounds” lost, although this differs depending on the length of service of the individual. Exeposé spoke to one member of staff who claimed they had seen their pension cut 43 per cent in the last few years.

Staff also criticised the current working conditions at the University, arguing that they were “exhausted” and “broken” by excessive workloads.

UCU figures from June 2022 estimate that university staff are, on average, doing two days extra unpaid work. Staff suggested to Exeposé that they couldn’t “get all the work done in the day that we would like to do to support students.” Many staff reported experiencing burnout or mental health problems as a result of the intensity of their workload.

Many staff reported experiencing burnout or mental health problems as a result of... their workload

Addressing students’ concerns around missing 18 days of valuable learning time, multiple staff emphasised that “our working conditions are students' learning

conditions,” and argued that “the price of not striking is going to be cumulatively worse because then conditions will continue to degrade.” Staff suggested that students supporting strikers was in their own interests, with one member of staff stating “ultimately the best thing students can do is support the strike and try to put pressure on the University to change things so that we hopefully won’t have to strike for long.” Staff also suggested that provoking student frustration was “part of the uni tactic to get the students to turn on the teachers.” They suggested students could even help affect change themselves by contacting the Vice-Chancellor.

Staff told Exeposé that they did not want to be on strike but felt compelled to, given the decline in their working conditions. One member of staff stated that they recognised that they “have very nice jobs, jobs that we all enjoy and we really appreciate, and we value our time with students. So, none of us here today want to be on strike and it causes a huge amount of tension and stress for us.” They also suggested that it would be a struggle for many to afford “a full 18 days of strikes” but were making a “sacrifice” in the hope of securing better pay, pensions and working conditions in future. Staff also wanted students to be reminded that they do not get paid on strike days. Strikers expressed concerns about staff casualisation and short term contracts, which leads to uncertainty and job insecurity for many members of university staff. One member of staff described how

The University’s stance:

ASPOKESPERSON for

the University told Exeposé: "We are one of over 140 higher education institutions which participate in the annual collective national pay negotiations. At the final meeting of the 2023/24 national pay negotiations last week, UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association), who represent higher education employers, presented an improved pay uplift offer. If the offer is agreed, most colleagues would receive an increase of between 5 per cent and 6 per cent between now and August. Colleagues on the lowest pay grades would continue to benefit from our improved local pay rates, introduced last November, as these are higher than the national rates. The trades unions are considering how they respond to this offer. If

the offer is agreed then an Exeter Lecturer who was receiving a salary of £37,474 in August 2022 would see a cumulative rise to at least £41,732 (an 11.4 per cent increase) by August 2023.

The University is committed to working in partnership with UCU to effect positive changes for the working conditions of staff and the leadership of the University and the University of Exeter branch of the University and College Union (UCU) have agreed principles and a framework to progress further University-level discussions and actions on issues relating to pay, the next valuation of the USS pension scheme, equality, workload, Fair Employment for All and governance, building on the progress which has already been made, during 2022/23 and 2023/24. The University and

these contracts can “finish abruptly and leave people unemployed."

Exeposé also heard from a member of staff who was not striking, who said they fully supported the strikes, but said that they “just cannot afford to not be paid — even for a day.” They agreed with strikers that “casualisation in academia is rife,” and that many staff are on “fixed term contracts with no job security.”

“Many… have to hope and guess that there’ll be more work for them next year or

next term. They have no agency and are undervalued. We are losing some of the brightest minds and best teachers because of this.” Strikers also called out the “huge gender, race and disability

UCU will use these principles and aims to seek to continually improve the working environment at the University of Exeter and at national level, through local consultations informing national negotiations."

In response to Exeter UCU's comments to Exepose that they were "disappointed" in Vice Chancellor Lisa Roberts for not meeting with them or taking a public position on these strikes, a University spokesperson said: "The University of Exeter’s Vice-Chancellor is engaged on these issues at sector level as we seek to find a resolution. Our Vice-Chancellor has held regular allstaff talks with colleagues at which these issues have been discussed. There is an all-student talk planned to take place in February and we encourage our students to attend.”

The Guild’s stance:

AGUILD spokesperson told Exeposé : "We recognise that this strike action is set to have a significant impact on a considerable number of Exeter students, and we are fully committed to representing and advocating for our students during this time. This will include representing student concerns or complaints to the University and lobbying for mitigating the implications and effects on your educational experience. We encourage both the University senior management and UCU to hold constructive meetings with the aim of

reaching a resolution which will alleviate the impacts on students.

The Guild will support all students in having their voices heard. If students support the strikes, we support them in doing so and showing their solidarity. Equally, if students are not supportive of the strikes, we will amplify this view to the University.

The Guild will continue to operate as usual during the strikes, by providing our regular activities and events which we encourage students to attend. Our Advice team will also be open as normal both online and in-person."

Senior Editorial Team

Students voice concerns over “frustrating” UCU strike action

STUDENTS have expressed conflicted feelings on the current wave of UCU strike action, expressing support for the UCU’s goals to improve overall staff working conditions, while also expressing concerns about the potential damage to their education as a result of the loss of valuable contact hours.

The majority of respondents to an survey expressed support for the UCU engaging strike action in general, with 79 per cent in

favour of action. When specifically asked whether they supported the ongoing 18 days of action, students had a more mixed response, with 49 per cent stating they did not support this extended period of action, and 51 per cent stating that they did. Those students in support of all strike action argued that student support for UCU demands was essential to improving conditions not only for staff but for students too. One respondent told Exeposé “The more students supporting the strikes, the more people using their voice to challenge a twisted and harmful system, [and] the more we can force through real, systematic change.”

One student simply stated that the UCU's previous demands were “not met" and "therefore I appreciate the need to introduce further strikes.”

this feeling, another student who was instead in favour of the current action stated: “While I completely agree with lecturers striking on principle, I don’t see how the University as an institution suffers. We’ve all paid fees already, [and] the University has made its money.”

There were many students who likewise expressed support for the strikes, but felt frustration at the lack of response the UCU's measures seemed to be provoking from the University. One student stated: “It is frustrating that the significant amount of money I have given the University over this time, especially this year, is not channelled directly to the literal world-renowned experts that make my degree possible.”

Respondents appeared keen for student concerns to be prioritised alongside staff concerns, with one student saying they still supported the current wave of strikes, but this time they had a “strengthened desire for more attention to be paid to student wellbeing, as the large number of days missed this term will have a big impact on students.”

them without the professional support scheduled is daunting.” Some students also felt there were high expectations on them to show their support for the strikes. One told Exeposé : “I support the strikes as a whole, but it feels unfair for lecturers to put the guilt on us as students for being frustrated about a situation that we are also the victims of. Some lecturers have apologised for the actions they need to take, but others have made it clear that they expect solidarity and have instructed us to hold planned student-led seminars off campus as we shouldn't cross the picket line to meet on campus… I feel that I will be actively judged if I'm seen crossing the picket line." They went on to state that "as students, we've been put in an incredibly difficult position, at the end of too many years of education that hasn't lived up to what we were promised.”

Labour Society:

Many respondents who stated they weren’t in support of this second wave of strike action clarified that this did not necessarily mean that they did not support the demands of the UCU, but rather that they were frustrated at losing valuable teaching time. They expressed annoyance at the feeling that students were suffering instead of the University itself, as the body responsible for negotiating staff pay, pensions and working conditions. One respondent stated they felt instead that “the strikes only effect students.” Elaborating on

A Masters student who is in support of strike action expressed to Exeposé particular concern for their academic performance as a result of strike action, stating that “the materials I study now are so challenging that undertaking assessments on

Students speaking to Exeposé also said they felt they deserved to receive financial compensation from the University for their lost teaching time, a measure which Guild President Lily Margaroli has publicly stated the Students’ Guild is lobbying for. “I would like to request the University to compensate/refund for the educational loss due to the strikes,” one student told Exeposé. Another stated they “feel like the university doesn’t seem to care about coming to a solution to end the strikes, which begs the question as to why we are not getting a rebate for our missed education.” One student also stated that: “They should strike, and I should be compensated. If the money isn't going to them, I want it back.”

Political societies voice support for UCU strikes

Liberal Democrat Society:

Be the Change, are in full support of the strikes. Staff need to be fully supported and appreciated within the University. The current working conditions and pay do not reflect the time, effort and energy they give us as students. We need to acknowledge and appreciate them as they are the backbone of the University.

Our own university is sitting on huge reserves of money, whilst overseeing gender and racial pay gaps of almost 20 per cent, cutting workers pay, pensions and keeping staff on insecure contracts. The Vice Chancellor and UCEA have the opportunity to resolve this dispute and prevent our learning from being disrupted for a further seventeen days in February and March. It’s not staff standing up for proper employment rights that impacts our education it’s inaction from management to properly care about adequate learning conditions. We value the expertise and dedication of our teaching staff, but it’s clear this does not extend. to the top. Students and staff deserve better, which is why we support the strikes.

Exeter University Liberal Democrats stand in solidarity with the unions and their members who are striking up and down the country, including UCU members at the University of Exeter. We are pleased to hear positive remarks that negotiations have had some progress, and that a framework has been established to create a long term solution. We call on the University of Exeter’s Vice-Chancellor, Lisa Roberts, to increase the pressure on the UCEA to provide a satisfactory offer. We also call on both sides of the dispute to work together to create a lasting solution to end the cycle of strikes that have been regularly disrupting students’ education. There has been promising progress in agreeing the framework, and we hope both sides will be able to continue to work

together to ensure a lasting solution. The crisis that’s facing workers up and down the country is a creation of this Conservative government which has repeatedly failed our country, mismanaged our economy, and undermined our institutions. Their diagnosis is that laws are needed to prevent strikes. This is an assault on workers right, and will not solve the endemic cost of living crisis, which they played a substantial part in causing. The Conservatives cannot be trusted with with our country or our economy, and the Liberal Democrats will hold them to account in Westminster, and in local government across the country. Our by-election wins, including the record breaking Tiverton and Honiton victory show that people up and down the country are seeing the Conservatives failings, and are turning to the Liberal Democrats who understand people’s concerns and challenges and will work tirelessly to address them.

[I have] strengthened desire for more attention to be paid to student wellbeing

The more students supporting the strikes... the more we can force through real, systematic change

Images: VP Liberation + Equality Instagram, Kieran Moore

Senior Editorial Team

Area of Forum Library blocked off after leaks

Megan Ballantyne Editor

THE basement floor of the Forum Library has been partially blocked off following a leak from one set of toilet facilities. Students are still able to access the majority of the floor, with diversions in place. Signs around the area read “Closed until further notice.” A University spokesperson said:

“The University library experienced a leak from one set of toilet facilities, which resulted in some minor disruptions while repairs are carried out. A small number of seats have been temporarily removed from use while repairs are made and some new flooring is laid, but they should all be returned to use shortly. The library remains open for use, with diversions to routes in place and signposted while works are finished.”

Exeter Council defends move to plant-based food

EXETER City Council will only serve plant-based goods at internal council meetings from May. The council made the decision in December 2022.

The response addresses the recommended review of the thresholds for staff sharing information with the families of students suffering from mental health, claiming “the University has been operating using the guidelines of a ‘trusted contact’ framework since 2020, taking a risk-based approach to determine when this is invoked, and allowing us to contact students’ families or guardians or trusted contacts in times of crisis.”

The University stated this process will be formalised over the current academic year updating terminology to include the term ‘trusted contact’ and updating risk policy. Rupert Armstrong Evans suggested that by acknowledging they needed to “update” their risk policy the University was admitting that their previous risk policy “was not consistent and robust” and that the University had not effectively adhered to the ‘trusted contact’ framework policy.

The report advised reviewing proactive responses to welfare concerns as a whole, specifically an over-reliance on emails. In response, the University states: “Students with acute mental health crises that indicate harm or self-harm are referred to statutory services for ongoing support. However, public services continue to be stretched and many students will not reach the threshold for ongoing support via the NHS […] we are seeking to further optimise our approach with all external partners to provide the best possible support to our

students.” In response to this Alice Armstrong Evans called the University’s new welfare proposals “passive” and said that the University still needs to be much “more proactive” in how it supports students, criticising the lack of specific “hands-on” measures brought in by the University.

be implemented, including through the introduction of a welfare tracker, a procedure through which voicemail messages can be stored, reminders to welfare staff to take caution responding to enquires, and a review of procedures in online training guides.

Charlie Gershinson News Editor

RESEARCHERS from the University of Exeter have contributed to a parliamentary briefing concerning the challenges which face those with invisible disabilities in education and work, such as a mental health condition or cognitive impairment.

University researchers Dr Daniel Derbyshire and Kirsten Whiting from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health — a unit of the University’s

Other concerns raised by coroner Guy Davies include the need to review whether pastoral tutors should exchange mobile phone numbers with students when there are concerns for their wellbeing, with the University stating they would not do this, and claiming this has “potential safeguarding implications, and severe impacts on colleagues wellbeing.” Rupert Armstrong Evans suggested these impacts could be mitigated by the University potentially providing personal tutors with a dedicated work phone which could take voicemail messages. Instead the University said it was expanding its out-of-hours provision to ensure emergency support was available, and that it was to review whether the current welfare case management system, which previously mishandled calls from Harry’s family, was fit for purpose. The response claims steps have been taken to minimise the issues associated with the current Case Management System before a new one can

A spokesperson for the University of Exeter said: “We are deeply saddened by Harry’s death and his family’s loss. We are grateful for the Coroner’s careful consideration of the circumstances of, and issues arising from, this tragedy. We addressed in detail the concerns that were raised in the Coroner’s letter, setting out the ways in which we are responding to each of these.

We are acutely aware of the current mental health challenges for young people. We have invested significantly in student welfare and wellbeing support in recent years and will continue to do so. Following the Coroner’s Inquest, we have undertaken a detailed review of the many ways in which we support student mental health and wellbeing, and we have introduced further enhancements across our University community.

These include developing additional structured training provision for staff, and investing in further out-of-hours support to ensure there is additional capacity within our trained team, who can proactively support students at their time of need. The team can be accessed directly by students, or by others who may be concerned for a student’s wellbeing.

We are also working with key exter-

nal partners in order to ensure the best possible support to our students. Further work is taking place to agree data sharing policies with relevant key statutory organisations including GPs, NHS mental health care teams and the police. We are updating our policies, ensuring that the considered use of the ‘trusted contact’ is part of our support provision. We have undertaken a robust review of our Case Management System, which has seen additional mitigation measures installed, including a ‘welfare tracker’ to track case progress. We are also investing in an enhanced system this year. We have welcomed and support the recent Universities UK guidance on suicide prevention and we had already introduced a significant number of the recommendations prior to the outcome of the Inquest into Harry’s death. We will continue to engage with best practice in student mental health and wellbeing, which will remain our highest priority, and we will work with sector bodies and external partners to ensure our support is continually enhanced.”

Farmers and conservative MP for West Dorset Chris Loder oppose the decision. Conservative MP Chris Loder told the BBC that the decision was an “assault” on farmers throughout the Southwest. The British Farmers Union (BFU) said “We, the BFU, see this motion, in part, as being detrimental to the rights of an individual to choose a wholesome, balanced diet.” “We also see this motion as being detrimental to the livestock industry.”

The motion was put forward by Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Climate Change. In response to the climate crisis, Cllr Duncan Wood stated: “There are (a) number of small changes we can all make — one is what we eat. What we eat makes a difference.” Cllr Josie Parkhouse, Lead councillor for Leisure and Physical Activity, stated: “The science is clear, and we know that we need to start eating less meat as people, as a society and as a planet to help (the) future generation. This motion is not saying we should all go vegan overnight. It is saying that we should all cut down on our meat consumption for the sake of the planet.” The council also plans to ensure food at council facilities such as leisure centres, restaurants, and cafes have visible plant-based options.

Exeter researchers contribute to Parliamentary report

Medical School — were among the external investigators involved in the investigation. The parliamentary report into Invisible Disabilities in Education and Employment has since been published by the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology.

According to a university press release, the report has found that those with invisible disabilities rarely disclose this information to their place of work or education for fear of being stigmatised. They are then rarely able to gain access to services to help support them with these disabilities.

The report suggests the best

way to counter this is to remove societal barriers to allow people with invisible disabilities to engage more fully in work or academia. This includes creating training and mentoring schemes and adding online and physical spaces which consider societal barriers. Other suggestions include the adoption of “adjustment passports” to ensure that those with invisible disabilities need only disclose them once.

Dr Daniel Derbyshire and Kirsten Whiting highlighted the work of the Inclusivity Project, with whom the European Centre for Environment

and Human Health work very closely. The Inclusivity Project is a project dedicated to inclusion and support in the workplace throughout Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

In response to the publication of the report, Dr Derbyshire said: “We are proud to have contributed to this important report, which we hope will help increase awareness, inclusion and support of people living with invisible disabilities in education and the workplace.”

The Inclusivity Project is a partnership between the University of Exeter Medical School, which leads

the research element of the project, and other organisations such as disAbility Cornwall, Age UK Cornwall and the LEP. They are also funded by the South West Academic Health Science Network and the European Regional Development Fund.

The Inclusivity Project has also given other recommendations on how to create more inclusive work environments, most notably on unconscious bias in the workplace against those with disabilities. They have since suggested more structured and effective unconscious bias training to combat this.

Elen Johnston

Continued from front page...

“Mental health [...] will remain our highest priority”

Image: Elen Johnston

Image: Marco Verch, Flickr

Alice Armstrong Evans called the University’s new welfare proposals “passive”

If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with:

Exeter Student Nightline (Number on back of student card)

I barely spoke to him, but he was such a cute guy with mid length brown hair who asked to charge his computer by the window in Reed Hall cafe last term :) - SD

BT, really cute blonde girl in 1st year psych. An older fresher, but definitely knows how to have a good time. Blue eyes and smells like a dream. - TG

AM - PHD student, cute and adorable, wears spectacles, looks good in his blue jacket, nice guy who lives near Laf, would like to talk a bit more and hangout (yes! A date, yes!)

- Anonymous

Lucy Henman please come to Cornwall with me!

- Jack Matthews

SP - really cute guy I've seen in the library and TP I think he does medicine and we both definitely love football cause I stalked his IG - DC

A - Tall, book reading, musical King. Notice me please, I'm right under your nose. Take me out again :) - G

The boy with the short mullet and blue gilet working late in the library

- E GD I'd wish you'd throw me around like you do to that korfball ball

- AE

Absolute stunner and incredible moves on the floor, RL - GC

Features

The outlook for overseas students

Cat Stone, Online Features Editor, analyses the current politics surrounding international students

INTERNATIONAL student numbers have been steadily increasing over the last decade — the total has grown 8.71 per cent between the academic years of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, increasing at the same rate as total student numbers. Meanwhile, the rate of granted tier four sponsored student visas was, in 2019, at its highest since 2011, with the government’s target of 600,000 international students having been met a decade ahead of schedule. As a result, ministers are concerned about foreign students’ contribution to net migration to the UK and are considering measures such as capping visa grants, despite international student fees making up a significant proportion of university income.

In response, experts are launching an outline for a more sustainable international education strategy with the independent, cross-party In ternational Higher Education Commission (IHEC), led by former Universities, Science, Research, and Innovation minister, Chris Skidmore. The initiative plans to dispel “false narratives” and move beyond debate on economic value to include quality of education sector and student experience.

The tar gets of achieving 600,000 students by 2030 and £35 billion in education exports were key features of Skid more’s international educa tion strategy. The changing in ternational situation has also affected international student education. The UK has remained ahead of competitor countries like Australia and New Zealand, which closed their borders in the pandemic. Yet Brexit has led to a marked fall in the numbers of EU students — from 31,000 newly enrolled in 2021 to 13,000 in 2022 — as the student loans and reduced tuition fees under European Union rules fell away. Instead of being charged the home student price of £9,250 in instalments,

European students now have to pay £15,000 or more per year upfront, making studying in the UK prohibitively expensive for many, especially from poorer South and Eastern Europe — down 80 per cent from countries such as Poland. Towering international student fees make UK study a luxury commodity likely to be dominated by wealthy students from countries like China and the United States.

Lord Johnson, a former universities minister and supporter of the IHEC, said in a statement that international students are “hugely supportive of the Con -

that May’s rhetoric surrounding immigration and her Hostile Environment policy have contributed to the swaying of public opinion against the benefits of international students, and have given them weaker political support.

Johnson also blamed worries about international students [...] on Theresa May

FEATURES EDITORS: Benedict Thompson and Austin Taylor

Going back to Cali

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Comment Editor, looks at the influence of foreign criminal gangs in the UK

servative government’s two big policy ideas — Global Britain and Levelling-Up”, with universities continuing the historic role of forming a bridge to the world through global leaders who have studied in the UK. Johnson also blamed worries about international students overstaying their visas and competing with UK students for jobs and housing on Theresa May. He suggested

The most overlooked part of the current international strategy is, perhaps, the student experience: graduate outcomes, transnational education (TNE) partnerships, satisfaction with studies, and course completion rates. TNE partnerships can be delivered online regardless of geographical location, contributing to building higher education capacity in host countries and potentially playing a critical role in the UK’s knowledge diplomacy and global engagement. With the development of the Second Higher Education strategy, the IHEC hopes to bring recognition of the significant social, cultural, and economic capital of international students and establish a “human bridge that fosters global dialogues and overseas investment”. It aims to address questions of international education pathways and UK policy and economic objectives like student number targets. Limiting international student numbers, meanwhile, could have significant consequences to the higher education sector and wider UK economy, damaging the competitiveness of the UK knowledge economy on the global stage. A process of consultation focusing on sustainable growth that prioritises student experience is important to continue offering world-class higher education.

ADAY of closure after the death of a mother and daughter suddenly became a day of fear and trauma after a drive-by shooting incident in Euston. Around 1.30 pm on the 14 of January 2023, a shotgun was heard outside Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in London, approaching the end of a memorial service for Fresia Calderon and Sara Sanchez. The attack saw four women and two children injured, with some of the injuries reported to be potentially life-changing. A single mother of two, Fresia, is remembered by her aunt as a woman of faith and a wonderful mother who “always said her children were her life”. Reports on the shooting suggest it may be linked to the criminal activity of Fresia’s ex-husband, Carlos Arturo Sanchez-Coronado, who died last year and was associated with the Colombian Cali drug cartel. In 2009, SanchezCoronado was jailed for drug offences and money laundering, and was described by The Times as a “delivery man” who “helped to flood the UK with cocaine”.

The attack saw four women and two children injured

Whilst suggestions of cartel activity have been rejected by several family members, the media attention on this incident has inevitably raised fears of increased cartel and gun violence. In response to the North London attacks, the Metropolitan Police have stated that South American drug lords are not involved with “turf wars in Britain”, and suggest the incident was linked to local gangs. Nonetheless, this incident has alerted officers to a potential rise in gun violence within the capital.

The now defunct Cali Cartel, fictionalised in Netflix’s Narcos series, once had a vast influence over the UK illegal drug trade. The Cartel, based out of the Colombian city for which it was named,

controlled such a large share of the UK drug supply that when it was dismantled in the mid-1990s the price of cocaine rose by 50 per cent, and at one time was said to have controlled more than 90 per cent of the global cocaine supply. Whilst this was once the case, the current drug trade in Britain is reported to now have greater connections to Albanian criminal gangs.

The current drug trade in Britain is reported [to have] connections to Albanian criminal gangs

Even so, previous incidents have demonstrated that there still exist Colombian cartel links to the UK. In 2008 a contract killer was hired to kill a drug baron from Liverpool, who was said to have built a £200m fortune through his links with the Colombian cartels. Martin Verrier, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, has suggested that “several individuals who were involved in the Cali Cartel in the UK are still operating in the UK but are self-employed”.

News sources report that the increased risk of organised crime incidents could come as a result of the government’s freeport policy. Experts told the i that it is likely that organised crime gangs are preparing to exploit the eight freeports that are being opened across England, with the Conservative government having recently approved two freeports in Liverpool and Felixstowe. According to Dr. Anna Sergi, professor of criminology at the University of Essex, freeports do not require the same due diligence for those sending cargo and leave the ports more open to criminal exploitation.

Amid concerns over Albanian criminal gang activity, this incident will raise further questions about violent crime in the UK, and about wider national security in regard to criminal gangs.

Image: Soudbanksteve, Wikimedia Commons

Trinity College, Cambridge

Image: Andrew Dunn, Wikimedia Commons

International student fees make UK study a luxury commodity

In conversation with Dan Carden

DAN Carden is the Labour MP for Liverpool, Walton, and has been an MP since 2017. This year, Dan Carden spoke out in support for the ‘Relatives and Residents Association and John’s Campaign’ which aims to end the current restrictions that prevent relatives from visiting their loved ones in care homes. A successful campaign would give anyone who needs care and support access to a ‘Care Supporter’. Neglect was one of the biggest killers in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Benedict Thompson, Features Editor, spoke to Carden about the campaign as well as the state of care homes in the UK during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

É: Why was the government so underprepared to protect residents in care homes during the pandemic?

DC: Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the resilience of our public services had been eroded by a decade of brutal, short-sighted austerity, leaving us woefully underprepared to deal with such an emergency. Despite the best efforts of care workers, NHS

staff and unpaid carers — who go above and beyond to care for older, disabled and vulnerable people — the pandemic ruthlessly exposed the underlying problems with our social care system. Following a decade of cuts to local government, since 2010 more than £8 billion has been lost from adult social care budgets and too many people have been left to cope without essential support. We urgently need a plan to fix the social care crisis and that plan must deliver a new deal for frontline care workers to transform pay, training and working conditions and support unpaid carers.

it time to nationalise care homes?

DC: Ultimately, we want to see these services brought into public hands. At the last General Election, I was proud to stand on a manifesto that pledged to move towards a fully integrated National Care Service.

loved ones in care homes, hospitals and other care settings are heartbreaking. That’s why I have worked closely with campaigners to call for the right to maintain contact to be put in law. Family visits are vital to care home residents’ wellbeing.

The provision of social care is a public good that should be delivered in the public sector, based on need and not profit. It is vital that social care is a universally available public service which provides dignity, security and compassionate care for everyone who needs it.

É: In 2018 an investigation by The Guardian found that some of the country’s worst care homes were owned by companies who raked in profits totaling £113m. Is

É: What has the government’s response been to the Relatives and Residents Association’s campaign to ensure visiting rights in law, and more specifically, “a new legal right to a care supporter”?

DC: The stories I’ve been told by families separated from their

Davos 2023 concludes

The Government’s failure to enforce guidance has resulted in a postcode lottery which continues to cause heartache for families separated from their loved ones and for those living in isolation. I am pleased that, at long last, the Government has committed to taking steps to end care homes and hospitals being told to stop shutting out visitors, but we are yet to see plans brought forward. I will scrutinise any proposals closely and continue working with campaigners until the rights of people in care settings and their families are secured.

Harry Craig, Music Editor, analyses Davos 2023 and its implications for Britain

EVERY January, the tranquility of the quaint alpine ski resort of Davos, high in the Swiss Alps, is shattered by the arrival of 3,000 members of the global elite, in town for the World Economic Forum (WEF). Attendees from every sector of the global economy — politicians, business leaders, academics, journalists and many more — take over the town for five days of business.

Although in the post-Covid era we have become accustomed to business being done virtually, Davos remains the world’s greatest networking event, providing a place for deals to be done, relationships strengthened, and the global economy reshaped.

From a British perspective, Davos was highly revealing, both of the domestic political situation and Britain’s standing in the world. Neither Prime Minister Rishi Sunak nor Chancellor Jeremy Hunt attended, despite the summit’s centrality to global business, instead staying at home to focus on issues of strikes, cost-of-living, and Tory sleaze.

This was contrasted by Labour leader Keir Starmer’s appearance at Davos, in an apparent charm offensive that proved Labour as the party of business to fill the void left by the Tories. This appears to have been a success — Starmer and his Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves were a major draw for business leaders, anticipating a likely Labour victory at the next general election. Their embrace of green technology was particularly popular.

However, Britain’s representatives at Davos could not escape the fundamental issue that, post-Brexit, Britain’s role in the world has been relegated to that of minnows. Businesses are reluctant to invest in an economy with the slowest growth in the G7, although they may take some comfort from Starmer’s promise of a closer EU-UK relationship if Labour comes to power. Nonetheless, politicians were not the major draw at Davos that they used to be — the only G7 leader present was Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and Russia’s Putin

and China’s Xi were also absent. Davos is now a forum not just for businesses, but also for activists, including Greta Thunberg, utilising the summit’s focus on the climate emergency. For those who believe in the role of a capitalist global economy in combatting climate change, Davos is the ideal place to forge deals on green technologies, led by the US pledge of a US$369bn green subsidy scheme for electric cars, batteries, and renewable energy. The strong presence of Brazil, with climate change denier President Bolsonaro now out of office, was also welcomed, albeit blunted by the relative absence of China and Russia, two of the biggest carbon emitters. To activists like Thunberg and the wider masses, the summit’s climate optimism seems completely nonsensical. Just a few weeks ago, the same Swiss Alps in which the WEF is held recorded temperatures as high as 20°C. A tenth of the WEF’s delegates arrived on private jet, making their environmentalist claims seem hollow, and reiterating arguments that Davos is merely empty gestures that businesses fail to act on. Beyond climate, other global issues made an appearance at Davos. China’s re-emergence on the global stage after ending its zero-Covid policy has

been cause for cautious optimism, and Vice-Premier Liu He pledged to “abandon the Cold War mentality” and that China would “open up wider”, although they had a distinctly low profile at the summit. Russia’s global isolation also continued, creating a gap that Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and the UAE willingly filled.

As the elites mingled, however,

outside perceptions of the summit as out of touch with reality have been reinforced. The Guardian ’s economics editor deemed the summit “long on rhetoric, and short on action”, and to many, Davos epitomises the structures that reinforce global inequality and the climate crisis. Whether the thousands of delegates at the WEF can effect substantial change remains to be seen.

Benedict Thompson, Features Editor, talks to Dan Carden, MP for Liverpool, Walton, about the social care crisis and the right to maintain contact in care homes

The pandemic ruthlessly exposed the underlying problems with our social care system

We want to see these services brought into public hands

Image: Richard Townshend, Wikimedia Commons

International

The Lunar New Year festivities

Orianna Xu writes about ways of celebrating the Lunar New Year in Korea, Vietnam, and China

ON Sunday 22nd January, the year of the Water Tiger in the lunisolar calendar made way for the year of the Water Rabbit, or the Year of the Cat in Vietnamese culture. The fourth animal of the 12 Chinese Signs, the rabbit represents peace and prosperity, while the cat represents power and aggression. This lunar year will run until 9th February 2024, the eve of the Year of the Dragon. Although Lunar New Year is commonly associated with China due to the influence of the Chinese New Year, the holiday is celebrated across East and Southeast Asia and diasporic communities worldwide. It is a chance for family gatherings, eating and upholding traditions. Festivities vary across and within cul-

tures, but they usually entail eating auspicious foods at a reunion dinner, wearing traditional clothing, and exchanging greetings. In Korean culture the main dish of the Lunar New Year, called Seollae, is tteokguk, a savoury soup with sliced rice cakes. The white rice cakes symbolise a clean start to the new year, while their round shape recalls Korea’s old coin currency, signifying prosperity. Koreans also practice sebae, bowing deeply to their elders with a wish for their good fortune. Meanwhile, Vietnamese communities celebrate Tet, Vietnamese New Year, enjoying traditional cake and decorating homes with apricot and peach blossoms and kumquat trees. Tet shares many similarities with Chinese New Year, known as Chunjie or spring festival, such

as cleaning homes of bad luck before the new year, watching lion or dragon dances and wearing red for good luck, and setting off fireworks to scare away bad luck.

As a Chinese American, I’m most familiar with Chinese customs. My favourite is hongbao, red envelopes with cash tucked inside, starting with the envelope that my parents would tuck under my pillow. Auspicious foods include fish, since a homonym for fish is abundance

in Chinese, and oranges, for their vivid colour and round shape, which represents family togetherness, but there are regional variations. Northern regions often enjoy hot pot and dumplings, for example. Since red symbolises good fortune and prosperity, red decorations, such as red lanterns, door couplets, and paper cuttings, abound. The Chinese character for luck, fu, is inverted over or on top of doors, because the word for invert, dao, also means to arrive, inviting luck to arrive.

Lunar New Year, even if celebrated differently depending on where you go, unites families and friends over the upcoming fortunes of the next 12 months. It is a chance to enjoy traditional cuisine and participate in cultural festivities.

The tradition of Valentine’s Day

Georgie Whitehouse examines the national differences in celebrating the day of love

VALENTINE ’ S Day is fast approaching, and with it we might already be noticing more romcoms on our Netflix home page or heart shaped balloons, assorted chocolates, and cheesy cards starting to appear in shops. Yet, through our distinctly British and commodified version of Valentine’s, we may forget its origin, as well as the countless other variations of the celebration across the world.

We celebrate this day of love in the name of Saint Valentine, a priest, who in third century Rome, famously opposed emperor Claudius II. Emperor Claudius believed that the best and most obedient soldiers were those that didn’t have wives or families to care for, and

THE days may be shorter, and the weather cooler, but the winter holidays can still be the perfect time to travel. Indeed, many parts of Europe right on our doorstep can be even prettier and more enjoyable in the depths of winter, as I was lucky enough to discover on my post-New Year trip to Switzerland.

Many parts of Europe right on our doorstep can be even prettier and more enjoyable in the depths of winter

Switzerland’s renowned rail network, among the most efficient in the world,

consequently made it illegal for young soldiers to marry. Saint Valentine saw this as an injustice to young men and defied Claudius’ laws by continuing to perform marriages in secret. He was later discovered and executed for his betrayal, but continues to be celebrated each year by lovers across the world.

Tet shares many similarities with Chinese New Year the best and most obedient soldiers were those that didn’t have wives or families

Whether you spend the day with your partner, friends, family or by yourself,

we each aspire to fill the 14th February with love. In Britain, this typically takes the form of flower bouquets, romantic gestures, sweet treats, or fancy meals. However, Valentine’s Day manifests in many ways across the world, with different cultures celebrating each in their own unique way.

For example, in Argentina, the celebration spans an entire week. This week, taking place in July, is cutely named ‘Sweetness Week’, and Argentinians exchange kisses for sweet treats. Similarly, in South Korea love is not only celebrated on one day. South Koreans celebrate love on the 14th of every month — with days such as May’s Rose Day, June’s Kiss Day, and December’s Hug Day! In the

Winter holidays travelling

Harry Craig, Music Editor, describes his holidays in Switzerland

makes it an ideal place to explore — the trains, albeit expensive, enable visitors to access the whole country. I based myself in Lausanne on the shores of Lake Geneva, perhaps most famous as the Olympic Capital, from which I could explore much of Frenchspeaking Switzerland. My first day took me into the depths of the Swiss countryside, for a day of chocolate, cheese and castles in the quaint medieval village of Gruyères. Although shrouded in fog, the old town was beautiful, and

just a stone’s throw from the cheese and chocolate factories. This was an opportunity to sample Switzerland’s most famous exports, even if the tour of the Maison Cailler chocolate factory did leave me feeling slightly sick from all the free samples! Indeed, Swiss cuisine has to be one of the stand-out parts of my trip. The culinary highlight was definitely rösti, which is made of fried grated potato, that can also include bacon, onion, or cheese; es-

sentially, a bigger, nicer hash brown!

On the second day, I headed up into the mountains, eager to see the iconic peaks of the Swiss Alps. However, as the funicular train snaked up to the ski resort of Leysin, there was one inescapable fact: the complete lack of snow. Midwinter Switzerland should be covered in metres of white powder, but even at over 1500m above sea level, there was none. A stark reminder of the growing threat climate change poses to the winter sports industry that is the lifeblood of communities across alpine Europe. In places, the weather was mild enough to be wearing just one layer, and during our visit the news broke that places in the Swiss Alps had recorded temperatures exceeding 20°C — in January.

Philippines, Valentine’s Day is not just an intimate, private celebration, but rather a communal one with hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of citizens gathering to marry at huge public events sponsored by the government. Some cultures don’t even celebrate romance, such as in Estonia, where on the 14th February, the celebration of ‘Sobrapaev’ (directly translating as ‘Friendship Day’) sees groups gather to honour friendship rather than romantic love. Whatever way you celebrate Valentine’s Day, know that you are not alone. Millions across the world will momentarily unite in the recognition of love for each other, so take this as an opportunity to express and receive love.

Midwinter Switzerland should be covered in metres of white powder — there was none

Lausanne itself basked in this warm weather, particularly on the lakeside at Ouchy. This part of town is also home to the Olympic Museum, which ranks as one of the best museums I’ve ever visited, featuring thousands of items of sports memorabilia, including Jesse Owens’ shoes and Usain Bolt’s vest. Although it was infamously expensive, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in Switzerland, particularly on its train network!

Image: Rod Raglin, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Steve Evans, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Giles Laurent, Wikimedia Commons

Smallest girl on neuroscience

Any mulletted & moustachioed boy is my crush

I saw him in the library with a questionable purple quarter zip on but it suited him so well. His hair had a shine to it and his eyes glistened when he walked down into the library. I purposefully sat nearby and the way he worked so hard in the library typing away made me fancy him even more. I hope one day to see him on a TP wednesday and hopefully he'll approach me- MC

Max - in philosophy seminar, usually wearing black and always has rings on, brown hair, average height, likes to talk in the seminars but I always find what he says interesting ;) - AC

See him in sports centre a lot plays tennis. Just over 6ft. Seen on his tennis bag his initials are MH - AC

M - we did an econ group project together last year. Probably not into women but your beauty really struck me - A

I always see this man at Timepiece with curtains, and sometimes in the law library walking around. I am pretty sure he has a twin look-alike. Help me find him! - IL

SS - the most beautiful girl I've ever come across. Not sure if you notice me but you make my heart flutter.

- Naman Kalyan

Skin fade, blue eyes, first name begins with an A and end in an X second name begins with M end in L third year boy who does economics

- A

Comment

Valentine’s or Galentine’s?

COMMENT EDITORS

Emily Rizzo discusses whether it’s more fun to spend Valentine’s Day with your friends!

FEBRUARY 14th, the dreaded doomsday haunting the post-Christmas period, is on the horizon, and the squirming sensation filling everyone’s chest as the day creeps closer is palpable in the air. As both singles and couples struggle against what this day could mean to them and their love life, maybe a wiser way of tackling the fast-approaching deadline is to rethink its value entirely.

To take the cynic’s path, why

should we buy into this capitalistic money-grabbing scheme? The sea of pink and red, the heartshaped paraphernalia and all the rosy-cheeked cherubs feed on our insecurities, leaving a feeling of urgency which can only remind us of the savage mating impulses our animal counterparts are subject to. We may like to think that our mating rituals are a little more sophisticated, but at least the beast kingdom isn’t fooled into

sentimental desperation by plastic trickery and sugary treats. Regardless of the traditions targeting your wallet, Valentine’s Day can also put pressure on people to find, maintain or terminate relationships. If your new-found love has the misfortune to blossom in the months leading up to V-day, you may have to face the make-or-break moment at the mid-February mark, and the consequences can determine if you spend the rest of the month in the arms of a lover, or under the slightly more persuasive influence of a certain frozen dairy product.

Why should we buy into this capitalist moneygrabbing scheme?

Of course, for a while after this polarising event, the world will be split in two: rose-tinged skies await the world’s fresh new couples, while the rest of us are offered up to the sharks of the dating realm who circle at the smell of heart-sickness.

Varsity — a

must-have

But maybe the outlook isn’t as bleak as all that, and maybe St. Valentine doesn’t deserve such monumental importance. After all, if the idea is to dedicate a day to the celebration of love, then who says this should be confined to couples? Love comes in more than just one form, and surely there can be no hierarchy that qualifies some types of love as superior to others — friendship is arguably just as strong a bond, and often outlives many a romance.

Love comes in more than one form, and surely there can be no hierarchy

Excusing the cliché, every day should be a celebration of your friends, but having an excuse to treat them to a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates can’t be a bad thing. Galentine’s can seem like a sad alternative to traditional Valentine’s ideas, but setting aside a day to acknowledge those who

uni experience?

constantly support you and to just have that little bit of extra fun that may even make the lovebirds jealous. So, whether you want to shun the shackles of monogamy or simply remind your friends how much they mean to you, take advantage of the designated day of love, gather your pals around you and unleash your affection in every which way. Flying the flag for platonic matches.

Carissa Batasar gives her take on how important attending these big sports events really is

AGOAL is scored and the crowd roars. There are only a few minutes left on the clock that will make or break the result. Everyone has different expectations for their university experience... Some want a quieter, more wholesome time while some opt for a rowdier time. Both may well be exciting, but are very different. So when the question of whether or not big sports events make or break the uni experience is asked, the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

If you were to ask me and many of my peers this question, I think we would collectively answer with a resounding yes. Big sporting events can be a significant part of the university experience for some students, as they can bring a sense of school spirit and community. They can also provide opportunities for students to attend or participate in the events, which can be memorable experiences. However, they are not essential to the university experience and can also be a distraction or inconvenience

for some students. Sporting events bring an overwhelming sense of camaraderie and community, and if not for community, what is university about? The feeling of making your way down to Sandy Park to watch rugby varsity or walking up to the pitch to see your favourite hockey players go head to head with a rival university is unmatched. The shared love for a game and the collective

want for a good result can be so powerful and there is something so unique and special about that.

Sporting events can bring an overwhelming sense of camaraderie and community

While these big sporting

events do not “make or break” the university experience, they heavily contribute to the memory making that makes looking back on your uni days enjoyable. Another reason why many would tend to agree that these large sporting events make or break the uni experience is because sport is such a huge part of many peoples’ lives. Whether you play a sport yourself or simply enjoy

watching others play, sport is part of many people’s day to day lives. With this said, when big sporting events are organised, many are eager to purchase a ticket, grab a pint and cheer their team on. This is clearly evident with Autumn 2022’s rugby varsity selling out within the first few weeks of ticket release. At the end of the day, one thing remains true... People love being a part of something. Deep down, everyone wants to be included and as many would say, “get involved”, and big sporting events provide an opportunity for just that. Lastly, big sporting events like football’s ‘Spotlight’ tournament are simply just fun social events to attend. So, with all of this said, your university experience will not be vastly different if you don’t attend a sporting event in comparison to if you do, but, if you do find that you have the opportunity to attend a varsity game at some point in your three-odd years at uni, then definitely give it a go... chances are you won’t regret it.

Image: Exeter University RFC

Image: Macro Mama, StockSnap

Image: Hippopx

We need to talk about antisemitism

Comment writers discuss the problematic stance of Kanye West and the proliferation of antisemitic hate speech in society

Kanye’s Dark Twisted Fantasy

DESPITE being one of Kanye’s most popular songs, ‘Dark Fantasy’ acts as a fairly accurate description of the current situation the rapper finds himself in. I toyed between this and ‘All Falls Down’ as the title of this article but I think that this (minus the beautiful) is more appropriate.

It’s disheartening when someone you think so much of states in a tweet that he’s “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”. The post appeared on the platform in early October and since then, the star has continued to rapidly fall from grace. Some of West’s most recent comments have been unacceptable and outrageous — his rant on Alex Jones’ show being the most prominent example. And when the man who was recently ordered to pay almost $1.5bn for falsely claiming a 2012 school shooting was a hoax thinks you’ve gone too far, it’s clear that the road you are walking down is towards the greatest of extremes.

I could go on for a while about Kanye’s music; I remember well when his album ‘The Life of Pablo’ came out. It was early February 2016 and me and my mates listened to the songs for literally weeks trying to narrow down our favourite tracks. ‘Waves’, ‘Famous’ and ‘Wolves’ were the outcome and remained in my playlist up until he decided to threaten me as a result of my religion.

With Kanye, I feel that it’s possible to continually discover gems in his albums which you might not have heard of but for me, a Jewish fan of Kanye, the rap per’s actions and words in recent months have been frightening. I don’t think I can in good conscience continue listening to his music. I don’t want to force others to stop listening (music of all things is a personal choice) but the idea of promoting his words, image and brand just doesn’t sit well with me.

Truly, he is one of the greatest mu sicians of the 21st century but I think his recent actions have unfortunately tainted him and his work forever. Some have drawn comparisons between West and Wagner, who also harboured anti semitic views — although I find there is a distinct difference between the two. The platform Kanye holds is incompara ble to Wagner’s and because of modernday technology, his views and words are able to reach so many. West’s actions will inspire others to follow his lead and the ac tions that people could take after listening

to the dangerous rhetoric that he is promoting, further fill me with deep concern.

Kanye now is banned from Twitter, for tweeting an image of a swastika (controversial to most). Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted that he’d “tried his best” to stop Kanye from posting the content, and finally banned West. It is frankly heartbreaking listening to what Kanye is saying about Jews. The more and more I read about him and his actions, the more I am reminded of a quote from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “Jews cannot fight antisemitism alone. The victim cannot cure the crime. The hated cannot cure the hate. It would be the greatest mistake for Jews to believe that they can fight it alone. The only people who can successfully combat antisemitism are those active in the cultures that harbour it.”

With Kanye now apparently cancelled it fills me with hope that the world has woken up and realised that, in his words, “we’ve been putting up with your [his] shit just way too long”.

Jews Don’t Count

FUCK the Jews. That was the message blaring out of a public sound system from a car in St John’s Wood, a heavily populated Jewish area, on one day in 2021. A message many would hope to be a singular event.

What may be less well known is that this behaviour and this language, though perhaps not as explicit, is in fact relatively commonplace. While I personally have been lucky enough to have not yet experienced any antisemitic abuse, almost all Jews older than me with whom I’ve spoken, have.

To the contrary, many of them would never dream of throwing around

Those throwing around antisemitic abuse do not intend to be racist. To the contrary, many of them would never dream of throwing around racial epithets, slurs or stereotypes about other racial minorities. Equally, if they were aware they were speaking to a Jew, they would almost certainly never articulate it. Why, then, do they believe that these utterances are excusable, or even accepted in the civilised world?

As masterfully argued in David Baddiel’s book and documentary with the same name as this article, some people of middle-class stock and oftentimes liberal or progressive views do not see Jews as a minority. Instead, we are seen as some odd, quirky group of White people whose religion seems to be based on a culture of grievance and self-imposed suffering. Simultaneously, while we may not be the omnipotent people imagined by that universally recognised monster Adolf Hitler, if so many people say that we control the media, we control the economy, and

so on and so forth — well, after a while, there must be some truth to it, right?

This is not the average person’s thought process when considering the world Jewry. I hope to believe that many of those reading this are smarter, more logical and more reasonable than that. But many in this world are sadly more ignorant than that and believe there is some degree of truth to seeing Jews as a privileged class who have far more power than we should ever be due.

Kanye is perhaps the most extreme example of how this long fiction of so-called Jewish supremacy has been granted yet another chapter, but he is by no means the first to attack and undermine Jewish culture in recent times.

To borrow again from Baddiel’s Jews Don’t Count, so-called actor and activist John Cusack retweeted an image of a fat hand added with a Star of David crushing those below it with the quote: “to learn who rules over you, simply find out what you are not allowed to say”. Former MP and Baroness Jenny Tonge similarly tweeted: “Why have the Jewish people been persecuted over and over again throughout history? Why? I never get an answer. If we discussed this we would be accused of antisemitism.”

Those who live in civilised society, particularly liberals and progressives, love to imagine that racism against Jews is something consigned to the past. Unfortunately, it has merely turned into something far more insidious. Morphed into a collection of myths and slander just about possible to believe but at the peril of the Jewish community. That is unless something happens to stamp it out. Something to finally proclaim that Jews DO count. What this could be remains to be seen.

Charlie Gershinson, News Editor

Joshua Hughes, Editor

It is frankly heartbreaking listening to what Kanye is saying

This behaviour and this language, though perhaps not as explicit, is in fact relatively commonplace

Image: Raph_PH, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Tim Pierce, Flickr

Image: Peter Hutchins Flickr

Dartmoor landowners overturn right for students to leave their laptops to mark their space in the Forum Library

Jake Avery Music Editor

FOLLOWING a controversial challenge to wild camping in Dartmoor National Park spearheaded by its landowners, the rollout of a similar ban has taken hold of Exeter University’s library spaces. The Forum Library, once a haven for poached library spots with owners nowhere to be seen, has now been transformed into a miserable essay sweatshop teeming with working students.

No water bottle or bag is safe; every jumper and coat once used as

a flag of ownership over the library desk spaces is now merely a sitting duck, waiting to be snatched by the newly employed security workers of the DPES (Desk Poaching Eradication Service), which has been sponsored by the successful Dartmoor landowners.

Naturally, the student body has decided to take action and rally against the ban. Neil Barlow, a third-year Engineering student, expressed his and many other students’ distraught reactions: “It’s simply not fair that I can’t reserve my library space anymore. Where am I supposed to continue studying once I’ve returned from my gym workout, shower, dinner, Netflix binge and online shopping session? It’s a travesty.”

Despite the mass outcry against the regulation, there are a number of students who champion it as a return to form for academic study spaces. New recruit of the DPES and second-year Geography student Lily Dunkeld makes a case for regulation: “We simply can’t have students thinking that they can block library spaces. As well as disrupting others learning, it promotes laziness and desecrates the idea of a library being a place for development and research.”

The issue has prompted a large debate on the state of study spaces across campus; whether the new regulation will prove effective is only a matter of time. It has, however, been observed

by critics of the regulation that as a member of the DPES, Miss Dunkeld in fact gets to keep any possessions seized from the library whilst on patrol. When questioned about this new revelation, Dunkeld assured Exeposé that this had nothing to do with her stance on the matter, or her motivation to join the Service. It must be noted that as she hurriedly left, two university-branded scarves and North Face beanie fell out of her overflowing handbag.

Dartwar...thismeanswar...

Exeter Council installs new superfast pedestrian lane made of black ice

Harry Craig Music Editor

EXETER City Council has responded to criticism over its failure to adequately grit the paths around the city with the announcement of a new, ecofriendly anti-traffic scheme, involving superfast pedestrian lines made of black ice. The recent cold snap that brought ice and even snow to the University of Exeter campus proved that the next Torvill and Dean will not be coming from the Streatham campus, as dozens of students fell victim to the icy surfaces.

This led to outcry, with suggestions that the council was unprepared for the cold weather and allowed pavements to become dangerous.

The next Torvill and Dean will not be coming from the Streatham campus

Nonetheless, the council disregarded claims that this was a budget-saving exercise, instead claiming it as a win for the city’s green credentials. Far from hazardous, they insisted that black ice instead provides a rapid transit system to allow pedestrians to move around the city quicker.

Final-year students given complementary stiff drink with National Student Survey form

FOR most third and fourth years, reflecting on their university experience over the past couple of years seems to induce either a pulsing headache and/or something bordering on the traumatic. As such, alongside requesting feedback this year, the National Student Survey form provided respondents with a free shot of tequila to ease the pain of recollecting on their academic time at university. For many, this succeeded in evoking the nostalgic drunken haze endured for most of their time at Exeter; an experience that, rather than being the most fulfilling years of their life, turned into a blur of strike disruption, quarantines, lockdowns, and now more strike disruption. These blubbering third and fourth years have been left with little of their education intact, and hardly any prospect of real financial compensation, but the National Student Survey’s consolation effort of a free bottle of Jack Daniels will be as good a sticking plaster as any. According to a poll conducted by the Exeposé investigative team, many first and second years don’t dare complain of the disruption that the strikes will cause to their studies, fearing that their seniors will wave their walking sticks and yell “Kids these days should be more grateful!” before initiating their rambling memoirs about a life in Covid isolation. However, some were optimistic that the cost of living crisis, as one we are all facing together, may inspire students to unite and make their university experience the best it can be. The response from a final-year spokesperson? “Of course not, now leave me and my bottle of JD alone.”

Annabelle Law, Screen Editor

The council hopes this network of paths will encourage people to walk, or rather slide, instead of taking the car, reducing both air pollution and traffic. Of course, these superfast pedestrian lanes are quicker and more reliable than Exeter’s buses, with their average delay of two working days.

However, residents have raised concerns about the safety of these paths. One secondyear university student said that ice skating lessons should be provided in order to avoid people falling over and overwhelming the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital A&E department with their injuries. Meanwhile, a frustrated Birks Grange resident compared the installation of one of the black ice lanes on Cardiac Hill to an Olympic

bobsled track, suggesting that it would “make the sport of skeleton far more literal, as it’s only a matter of time before people start breaking theirs”.

One second-year university student said that ice skating lessons should be provided

When presented with these student comments, a University spokesperson was delighted, expressing their hope that it would lead Exeter students to success at the next Winter Olympics, which will be held in Italy in 2026.

Cuffing season partners prepare for last tearful shag before 15th February break-up

THE common perception of New Year is that it is all about making changes, getting rid of old baggage and moving on. Over the next few weeks, partners all over the nation will be turning to the people beside them, those who they went on cute winter walks with and watched cheesy movies under blankets with, and will be realising as the days get longer that they don’t want to spend these extra hours of sunlight together. Perhaps this is due to the panic of spending the holidays with their family, perhaps they only looked cute in a knitted jumper, or perhaps they can now actually afford to pay their heating bill. Whatever the reason, the winter fog of desperation and despair is lifting, and many are thinking of beaches, booze and bad ideas. While many cuffing season partners will gladly admit that it’s been a fun few months, in this new light (as we all realise with excitement it now gets dark at five instead of four!), all those cute little flaws in said partners seem like they might actually be giant red flags. Many have already started brainstorming their Hot Girl Summer Instagram posts, and now know what they have to do. When all of the Valentine’s gifts have been opened and all of the pictures have been posted, it’s time to turn to that special someone, look deep into their eyes and say those few little words they’ve been dying to hear: “I think we should see other people”.

Freda Worrell

Image credits: Public Domain Vectors

lifestyle

Self-love and self-pleasure during V-Day

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor, offers her advice on reclaiming Valentine's Day

VALENTINE'S Day can be tricky for single people. The mixture of feeling happy for our friends in healthy, loving relationships mixed with the envy we can sometimes experience from this is enough to be frustrating. However, arguably, this is the time for us to reclaim our sexuality and self-compassion to treat ourselves like someone we love.

Undoubtedly, the one benefit to being single during the most loving time of the year is that spending more time alone means you get to explore your own wants, desires and boundaries on your own. Whether that be emotional or even sexual preferences, this can be a great time to become at peace with yourself. There is no constant worry of needing to show up for someone else, especially as it can sometimes be dif ficult to show up for ourselves.

Personally, my recommenda -

tion during this time is to do what makes you happy, no matter who else you feel like you have to please. For me (if I wasn’t in a student house!) this would include a relaxing bath with candles and my favourite jazz music play ing — like a scene straight out of a movie. Also, there would ideally be no body around to disturb me, so I have time with my own thoughts. Perhaps you could even con vert Valentine’s Day into showing love to your friends instead (similar to pop culture’s coinage of the term 'Galentine’s'), choosing to have a lovely homemade meal with them, doing some baking or watching a classic film on Netflix. In addition to this, it is important we

encourage self-love and self-pleasure to avoid the idea of being reliant on someone else to fulfill these needs. Realistically, we don’t need anyone else to fill the gaps when we take the time to really discover what makes us happy. Self-pleasure, despite still being relatively taboo, truly is a wonderful way to connect to yourself, relieve stress and be calm. There is much less shame surrounding solo sex and it is a very easy method to practise selflove. Also, there is nothing better than being able to pleasure yourself how you’d like to be pleasured without the added awkwardness or occasional embarrassment that can come from sex with another person. More than anything, it is essential that you take care of yourself exactly how you deserve. Everyone has different love languages and exploring yours can help you become more secure in your state of being

single. There is a lot of freedom associated with being single and it opens up different opportunities that wouldn’t exist in a relationship. If you struggle to practise selflove, live your life by this phrase: If it makes you feel happy, safe and sexy, just do it.

As Miley Cyrus has declared in her most recent song, you can buy yourself flowers — trust me, you really don't need anyone else to do it for you.

The 'ick': Worst date stories

Lifestyle writers share their icky date experiences

I’VE been on a few dodgy dates in the past but one of them takes the biscuit. It happened to be my first date with a woman as I’d only dated men up until this point. The date itself was lovely: we went driving around my local area, looking at the lights and eating ice cream. We had great sexual chemistry and were definitely emotionally compatible too — or so I thought, until it began to get weird! Even on the first date, she told me within an hour that she could see us marrying and having children together. I like planning ahead but considering this was our first date (as we hadn’t even been friends for that long either) I was startled. Also, the worst part was that this ick I received during the date was sustained (perhaps even worsened) on our second, third and fourth dates. You may be

wondering why I even accommodated the thought of second, third and fourth dates but I really liked her. It’s true what they say that when you really like someone, it’s easy to look past their icks. Unfortunately, she became slightly too obsessed with me and began making TikToks about me too, cementing the end of our short relationship. This has not discouraged me from dating women, it was an incredible experience and she helped me discover parts of myself that I realised I’d been hiding from the world. I’ll just make sure next time I clarify that the idea of marriage should not be brought up on the first date!

Anonymous, second year (female)

MY most awkward date has to be during this year of university where I went on a date with a slightly older woman outside of university — it put me off dating people older than me for life!

We met in a pretty standard way (through Hinge) as I thought this would attract fewer people who were just online for the hook-up culture.

Anyway, we met after a few weeks of chatting on Hinge and she was just as beautiful as she looked in the pictures, which I was very pleased about. There was only one small problem: she was with her child! She had decided that breaking the news to me lightly wasn’t the best way to do it and that she wanted to plunge me right in the deep end.

Her son in question was only five but

me being 21 and a university student, decided that taking on this extra responsibility was never going to work with my studies and personal endeavours in life. We still had a lovely time and her kid was sweet but this wasn’t going to be enough to make me stay unfortunately. It did teach me a valuable lesson however: that if you are talking to someone on a dating app whom you’ve never met before, make sure you ask of their current family set up as well as future family plans to avoid being on different pages.

Anonymous, third year (male)

Grapefruit: Charles Deluvio Candles: Hippopx Flowers: Pxhere

Image: Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

Image: Kgbo, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Hippopx

Image: Luke Slab

Valentine's Day: Another marketing ploy?

Livvy Mason-Myhill, Deputy Editor, tells us her thoughts on the true meaning of Valentine's Day

ONCE again, we find ourselves circling back to 14th February, or Valentine’s Day as most people more commonly recognise it. This is a day of celebration, particularly for those in romantic relationships who get to prove their love to their partner by showering them with heart-shaped gifts, chocolates or teddy bears. However, it is also a day that is dreaded by all singletons, having to watch adorable couples float past them, then realising that they have a crippling fear of possibly being alone forever. These singletons will then depressingly decide to spend the entire day devouring chocolates from a heartshaped chocolate box they bought for themselves, whilst crying to emotional rom-coms.

THESE SINGLETONS WILL THEN DEPRESSINGLY DECIDE TO SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY DEVOURING CHOCOLATES FROM A HEART-SHAPED CHOCOLATE BOX

The history of Valentine’s Day hasn’t always been clear. We do know that Valentine's Day has its roots in both Christian and ancient Roman culture, and that February has long been regarded as the month of love. Through later folk traditions, it evolved from its origins as a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs by the name of Saint Valentine to become a promi-

nent cultural, religious, and commercial festival of romance and love in many parts of the world. Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion for companies to market their products to couples to gain their own profits. They make their products more appealing by strategi cally making every thing pink, red, or covering everything in hearts. These products are mostly rather tacky and only the truly enamoured cou ples would buy them.

The classic gift for the most cringey of couples is, of course, a present from Pandora. Getting Pandora jewellery from your boyfriend, girlfriend or partner either means they haven't got the best taste, or they completely forgot it was Valentine’s Day, so they rushed into the queue with all the other stressed partners.

Despite my view of companies using Valentine’s as a marketing ploy, I find certain gifts to be rather adorable. For example, a simple bouquet of flowers, a small Lego set or an adorable jellycat teddy bear are gifts that I think are so sweet. Yet, despite it being known as a day to celebrate love, do we really need to have one single day to show love to someone special? Surely, we should show our love for someone every day even if it's not quite as extravagant as some people do during Valentine's Day. I have always had the view that Valentine’s Day should be a day for people to reveal how they romantically feel about someone. It may come across as corny, but I always envisioned Valentine's with people giving each other notes that are from their secret admirer.

The best date spots in Exeter

Having said all this, this is only my opinion, which is a rather cynical view of Valentine’s considering romance in my life is currently non-existent. Valentine’s Day can be quite wholesome, depending on how couples approach it. Sometimes, the best gifts are those that are the most meaningful, rather than gifts that are majorly expensive.

So, to all those lucky people who are in a romantic relationship, enjoy Valentine's Day by celebrating love. To all those singletons, enjoy the day with friends instead, treat yourself to those cheesy gifts and try not to worry about not finding 'the one'. Fingers crossed that you may even have a secret admirer!

Emily Roughton talks you through the best date spots in Exeter, for all interests and budgets!

EXETER is filled with a plethora of date spots, so whether you are looking for a first date idea, or you have been with your partner so long that you have run out of date suggestions, this list will hopefully provide you with some inspiration!

Exeter Quay — The Riverside Café

My top spot has to be the underrated Riverside Café! It is situated inside the same building as the Antique Centre on Exeter Quay, so it's the perfect refreshment pitstop during a sunny afternoon of browsing the Quay’s historic cellar shops or walking along the River Exe. I strongly recommend finding a table outside to watch the swans and ducks swimming by. With a reasonably priced menu, my personal favourite is the banana milkshake with a deliciously fluffy scone.

Boom Battle Bar

Looking for something a little bit more adventurous? Boom Battle Bar is for you. A bar packed with a host of wild games, such as axe throwing, augmented reality darts and crazier golf, this venue is ideal for those competitive couples who enjoy a game where they can win! You can even book a ‘Date Night’ session through their website, allowing you to play three different games for 90 minutes. With a bar to keep your glasses filled, this would also be a great double date location!

The Glorious Art House

The Glorious Art House is a vibrant yet hidden gem which has become a firm favourite of independent café lovers. Situated on Fore Street, it is a thriving and friendly sanctuary with impressive art displays on all of its three floors. It caters to rainy and sunny days, with sunshine yellow walls inside to brighten your day and a secluded courtyard garden for when warmer weather arrives. I love its eclectic vibe, especially the mix and match crockery and gloriously over-the-top hot chocolates (they are a must!). I definitely recommend this hideaway for a quirky, chilled date.

The Royal Albert Memorial Museum

A museum trip is a brilliant idea for a first date. Why? Because it means that there is no risk of an awkward silence when you are surrounded with so many artifacts that can create icebreakers and spark conversation. What’s more, entry to the RAMM is free and they are constantly revamping their exhibitions, meaning that this type of date is not limited to a onetime trip (looking at you, you serial Tinder daters!).

Derek Harper, Geograph

SOMETIMES, THE BEST GIFTS ARE THOSE THAT ARE THE MOST MEANINGFUL

Marco Verch Professional, Flickr

NHLK, Pixbay pyou93, Pixabay

Phil Roeder, Flickr

Suyash Dwivedi, Wikimedia Commons

arts + lit

Non-fiction reviews

Arts and Lit writers discuss some of the latest and greatest non-fiction they’ve read

Everything I Know About Love Dolly Alderton

THOUGH admittedly my reading preferences lean more towards fiction, Dolly Alderton’s 2018 memoir was one of the most enjoyable non-fiction books I have read. Its satirical writing style is balanced by her careful handling of complex topics like relationships, friendships and mental health. Alderton even mentions anecdotes from her time as a student at Exeter, and she depicts early-adulthood struggles without shying away from her flaws. The book attracted such recognition that it has since been adapted into a BBC drama series, and I think that this success is owed to Alderton’s distinctive voice that speaks to young people without feeling condescending when she recounts these life lessons.

Lucy Facer

Women Don’t Owe You Pretty Florence Given

FLORENCE Given revolutionised feminism when she wrote Women Don’t Owe You Pretty . Through colourful images and graphics, Given empowers women by providing her advice to us on the tricky themes of dating, self-love and self-pleasure. The book has been instrumental in giving women the confidence to acknowledge themselves outside the male gaze and reclaim their sexuality as something more than for men to pry on. I thoroughly enjoyed the sections on dating and not feeling chosen as Florence persistently reminds us that feeling chosen comes from within rather than any external validation we may receive. The only qualm I have with the book is that it often feels like a manifesto against men entirely. As a woman, I can see the benefit of having access to books like this as, after finishing the book, I felt a sense of certainty and security in where I was in life romantically and emotionally. However, it often confuses the problem of patriarchy with it being men’s problem — this can sometimes come off as aggressive. Overall, though, it is a fantastic way to remind ourselves of how far women have come and what we can do to continue to push past the patriarchy and forge our own paths.

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

A Byronic image

Amy Rushton, News Editor, explores the world of dark academia

of classic literature, art and learning, imbues scholarship and academia with imagery which combines extravagance and luxury with death and morbidity. However, the obsession with dark academia can have dangerous consequences, with its romanticisation of whiteness and wealth ultimately promoting an exclusionary image of academia to the detriment of those who don’t fit the dark academia ‘ideal’.

DARK academia first swept across social media during the Covid lockdown, littering TikTok and Instagram feeds with tweed jackets, gothic architecture and screenshots from Dead Poet’s Society

The aesthetic, borne of a romanticisation

Ella

THE UK’s entertainment industry, along with every other industry in the UK it seems, is going on strike. On Friday 20th January, Equity, the UK performing arts and entertainment trade union, launched their ‘Stand Up for 17%’ campaign. The call comes for West End bosses to raise the minimum weekly pay for performers and stage management by 17 per cent. A staggering 45 per cent of West End performers have a second job, with almost half of those with second jobs saying that this is needed to cover their basic living expenses. With these statistics, it is justifiable

Literature plays a key role in this emerging obsession; classical works from Homer to Shakespeare are touted as inspirations for the movement. Moreover, even more so than film, fashion and many other aspects of dark academia, literature provides an accessible medium

through which to embrace the aesthetic. Modern works which combine dark themes with elite academic settings such as The Starless Sea and If We Were Villains , have become intensely popular, and in dark academic circles it borders on sacrilegious to criticise Donna Tartt’s The Secret History

Dark academia provides a means for young people to engage in, and build a community around, literature. It responds to a very real need to build a community centred around learning and literature in an increasingly digital age. This is particularly important due to the shift to more digital forms of communication in response to the Covid lockdown. Considering the intense alienation this caused, it makes sense that young people would choose to turn to a romanticised ideal of the past, free from modern technology. This is even more true

Here we go again!

for LGBT+ people, with many young queer people gravitating towards dark academia. However, this romanticised ideal of past scholarship can be dangerous, promoting Eurocentricity and elitism. The aesthetic overwhelmingly centres around white people, with ethnic minorities rarely included due to the central focus on Western history and Eurocentric literature. Moreover, it embraces the aesthetics of the elite, celebrating ‘old money’, elite universities and private schools. It promotes the illusion that the only ‘acceptable’ academia is that which occurs within prestigious institutions such as Oxbridge and the Ivy League, demoralising those who cannot afford to attend university and ultimately reinforcing the connection between wealth, intelligence and scholarship which continues to be harmful in academic circles.

Minty, Arts and Lit Editor, discusses the West End actor strikes

that West End performers want a pay rise.

The UK’s West End is supposed to be the pinnacle of a performer’s career; after years of training and expenses at drama school, to end up at the West End is a performer’s dream, and for many, their goal. When reaching the most esteemed place a performer can get to in the UK, one would not expect performers to have to work a second job just to cover basic living expenses, yet that is the position of over half of the people working in the West End. Despite this, ticket prices in the West End have soared in the past four years, increasing 21.3 per cent percent since

2019. With this profit of capital going to theatres and producers, and not performers, many have taken to Twitter to express their outrage at the situation; one performer saying that they got £8 to go on as an understudy in the ‘featured ensemble’ in 2019 in one of the West End’s biggest shows. You’d get more per hour working at a supermarket, which disregards the specialist training that is needed to undertake these roles in the West End. With the cost of living going up, these wages aren’t sustainable for performers, who are forced to live in the UK’s most expensive city if they want to appear on the West End.

Another said that she earned more as Broadway ensemble than a principal in the West End. Although it seems farcical, many cannot afford to buy tickets for the shows they’re performing in. After the pandemic, which showed the importance of culture as many of us turned to recorded versions of theatre to keep us entertained in lockdown, our best performers should be treated better. The ‘Stand Up for 17%’ campaign is fully justified; I hope the performers and theatre staff get what they’re asking for. Live theatre is magical, and it should not be taken for granted.

His-story told through fiction

Lucy Pughe-Morgan writes about historical fiction and why it’s so popular

HISTORICAL fiction can be a powerful tool for exposing people or perspectives that have been kept quiet by the minimal coverage in nonfiction historical material. Stories distant enough from the modern day allow for narratives free from causing upheaval from the accuracy police, striving for emotional over historical accuracy. The stereotype around historical novels being quite literally stuck in the dark ages is put to bed by the rich narratives of royal scandals in the book series by Philippa Gregory. The saviour of my lockdown boredom was reading her six-part series exposing the scandalous lives of the original womaniser himself, Henry VIII, and his succession of wives, blending rumours and facts to create a somewhat historically accurate representation of life under Tudor

rule. The Other Boleyn Girl delves into the lives of the two Boleyn sisters involved with the King. The revival of this narrative through sex, scandals and secrets rippling through the court makes for a gripping and insightful read on the dynamics of the two women that brings the 1500s to life. The Plantagenet years have also been famously covered by Gregory writing a series based on the women integral to the period.

Queen who secretly marries the newly crowned King. She fights for her family to be central to the royal court, resulting in the infamous story of the two princes in the Tower of London — pushy mum alert. The Kingmaker’s Daughter, another Gregory masterpiece, brought the story of Anne Neville to the bookshelves of Waterstones. The relatively unknown powerhouse of a woman escapes her fate by marrying Richard III in a tale that makes you love and defend the man who is widely suspected to be the killer of the princes in the tower.

your history teacher would be proud of. Who knew a history degree would be so much easier if you spent the majority of your time with your head in a novel? This is your sign to head to the fiction section.

The deadly Wars of the Roses are brought to life by revealing the intimate story of Elizabeth Woodville in The White

Leo Tolstoy also famously sparks life into an often dry period of history with War and Peace . Famous for its doorstop size, once you conquer the daunting 1,400 plus pages you discover gripping narrative whilst also subconsciously absorbing a lot of historical facts about the Napoleonic wars that

The new absurd

Joshua Smith, Arts and Lit Editor, explores the reality-questioning nature of contemporary art

WHAT is reality?” screeches Kate Hudson in murder mystery film

Glass Onion (2022). That seems to be the question of the decade, what with a global pandemic and other catastrophes upending normality and ever-expanding digital worlds encroaching on reality. Whether it occurred to you while doom scrolling, Googling ‘NFT’, or consuming uncanny valley-inducing AI content, some degree of reality-questioning is part of what it means to be human in the 2020s. Overwhelmed, we often turn to art, and in turn, art responds to the present, poking fun at the new absurd.

While Don’t Look Up (2021) caricatures the media cycle and politics in its criticism of climate change deniers, the aforementioned Glass Onion shatters layers of privilege to mock the central idiocy of 2020. But no film encapsulates and exaggerates the absurdity of the present as poignantly and hilariously as the genre-defying Everything Everywhere

All At Once (2022). Reality ruptures for Chinese American immigrant mother Evelyn Quan when her husband tells her that she is the only one that can stop a great evil from destroying the multiverse. It gets weird fast. Think fanny pack fight choreography, black hole bagel, hot dog fingers, etc., absurdity that elicits shocked laughter and lightens up heavy themes like nihilism and generational trauma. The wacky hodgepodge works, because at the end of the day, Everything is about a woman engaging and even embracing absurdity, choosing compassion, her life and loved ones in the face of, well, everything. In its quintessential montage, successive match cuts flash through the various

versions of Evelyn, the opera singer, martial arts master, an animated Evelyn and even a meta green screen shot with the editors working over Zoom on the side. The breath-taking scene leaves you feeling infinitesimally small but still at the center of your own universe, like standing in one of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms. Whether or not you consider film to be immersive, the rise of immersive art experiences speaks to novelty-chasing a more allencompassing escapism. Most immersive artworks succeed in suspending reality, but few satirise it on the scale of OmegaMart, an interactive installation in Las Vegas’s Area 15 that opened in 2021.

Based on the premise of a supermarket

Editor’s pick

with interdimensional portals, OmegaMart puts consumer culture through a cosmic kaleidoscope. The installation boasts incredible detail, from witty products like Ego Echo glass cleaner and cans of Inspiration (May Also Contain Perspiration) to the soda fridge passageway leading to otherworldly installations. Beside the portal exit, a sign displays portal sickness symptoms, some nonsensical, like doppelgänger duals, and some strangely resonant, like a desire to experience déjà vu and timeline displacement. A vibrant Trojan Horse, this interactive, visual feast masks a darker undercurrent of capitalist horror that can be explored Choose Your Own Adventure style. In response to our existential questioning, art answers; yes, the endless influx of information can feel like everything from everywhere being thrown at us all at once, but if humour prefaces recentring and reconfiguring agency, let’s go down laughing.

Joshua Smith, Arts and Lit editor, writes about Émilie du Châtelet, heroine of the Enlightenment

UNFAIRLY known, if at all, as the lover of Voltaire, Émilie du Châtelet was one of the most vibrant and wittiest minds of the Enlightenment, with work spanning from ground-breaking scientific discoveries to a translation of Newton’s Principia into French. Always paired in history’s conscience with Voltaire and Newton, only recently, with modern waves of revisionist history, has she had her unique singularity recognised. Voltaire called her a “great and powerful genius”, while “she dictated and I wrote”, he tells a friend, as they

co-authored Elements of Newton’s Philosophy, a work which turned the tide of French scientific tradition away from the spectre of Descartes and towards Newton, but only Voltaire’s name appeared on the frontispiece. But let’s not go on for ages about how much of a man’s world she lived in, let’s talk about her work and how revolutionary she was. Her translation of Newton, and also Leibniz, was accompanied and supplemented by annotations, revisions, and her own theories, providing a guiding, educational hand to the crusty French nobility towards an

understanding of the new science of the era.

This was arguably as important to the shift in Enlightenment science as her own original theories. Yet, before her Newtonian adventures, she had been at the cross-sections

of Cartesian, Leibnizian, and Newtonian systems. This led to her preparing the manuscript for Foundations of Physics, the great culmination of her intellectual difference from Voltaire, who, despite celebrating her, differed on the premise that good science needed a metaphysical foundation. With this, du Châtelet helped to forge a new version of Newtonian physics that resolved the challenges of describing force and movement, and established herself as a heroine of not just the Enlightenment, but the development of human knowledge.

Image credit: Wikipedia Commons

SEX, SCANDALS AND SECRETS.... A GRIPPING AND INSIGHTFUL READ

Image credit: Flickr

LET’S TALK ABOUT HER WORK AND HOW REVOLUTIONARY SHE WAS

MUSIC

Mr. Bad Guy: a tribute to Freddie Mercury

Harry Craig, Music Editor, marks LGBTQ+ History Month by celebrating one of music's greatest icons

THERE has never been a band frontman as iconic as Freddie Mercury. His contribution to rock music is perhaps greater than any single artist in history, spanning ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Barcelona’, ‘Somebody to Love’, and dozens more. His live performances cemented this reputation — Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance is

still regarded as one of the best concerts of all time. A key part of this success was Freddie’s flamboyancy and campness, which came to life on stage, as someone who was never afraid to hide his sexuality. There seems no better figure to celebrate in LGBTQ+ History Month.

FREDDIE'S FLAMBOYANCY AND CAMPNESS... CAME TO LIFE ON STAGE

Although Mercury never officially came out, he never shied away from embracing his queerness. He had a close long-term relationship with the 'love of his life' Mary Austin, and from 1985 was in a relationship with Jim Hutton, whom he called his “husband”. Throughout Mercury’s life, he had both romantic and sexual relationships with many men and women. There were attempts by Queen’s management to conceal this, fearing public backlash — homosexuality had only been decriminalised in the UK in 1967, just seven years before the band’s first big hit ‘Killer Queen’.

Even today, over 30 years after Freddie’s death, many deny or ignore his homosexuality. Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 biopic of his life, was criticised for attempting to erase Mercury’s sexuality; taking the ‘bi’ out of ‘biopic’, as it were. Like so many queer figures through-

out history, his same-sex relationships are dismissed as 'friendships' and his bisexuality disregarded — the sort of erasure I, and many others, can relate to on a daily basis.

Indeed, an oft-neglected part of Mercury’s life story is the rampant homophobia he faced as a queer man in the public eye. The 1980s were not an easy time to be LGBTQ+, and even trickier for celebrities — this was the era of Section 28, which in 1988 prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” by British local authorities, including schools, and the moral panic surrounding HIV/AIDS as the 'gay disease'. Indeed, part of the reason for Queen’s fall in popularity in the US in the 1980s was attributed to homophobia.

In 1991, Mercury became the first major rockstar to die as a result of AIDS-related complications, tragically cutting short the life of one of the greatest performers to ever grace the stage. He had been diagnosed with AIDS in 1987, although this was not made public until the day before his death. Mercury grew gradually more ill towards the end of the decade, albeit remaining committed to making music, including ‘The Show Must Go On’, released just six weeks before he died.

Anti-Valentines Day

Mercury’s early death aged just 45 robbed the music world of one of its greatest performers, and he remains greatly celebrated to this day; I was lucky enough to visit his statue and museum in Montreux in Switzerland recently, and witness first-hand the outpouring of emotion he still elicits. Thankfully the taboo around HIV/ AIDS is now greatly reduced, as is the stigma around being queer, and if Freddie were still alive today, he would hopefully be able to live openly and face far less discrimination. Although Mercury’s story ends tragically, he is a true LGBTQ+ icon that deserves to be celebrated, rather than commiserated. After all, this was the man who suggested the band name ‘Queen’, at the time a derogatory term for gay men, helping to reclaim the term for the queer community. He was one of the first mainstream performers to push gender boundaries, including his outfits and behaviour. Freddie Mercury — a Queen in every sense of the word.

Music writers share the tunes Exeter's singles should be blasting on 14th February to drown their sorrows

FEBRUARY can be a difficult time if you're single, amidst all the couples celebrating Valentine's Day. However, there are plenty of tunes those of us not in relationships can be blasting too to make us forget about our loneliness!

'Send My Love' — Adele

"Send my love to your new lover, treat her better"

The anger that accompanies when someone you loved enters a new relationship

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

'New Romantics' — Taylor Swift

"Heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly"

Swift aligns herself with those who reject modern love as fast-moving and superficial

Amy Rushton, News Editor

'Lollipop' — Mika

"Live your life until love is found, or love's gonna get you down"

An important message not to obsess over chasing love, delivered with Mika's rainbow-infused energy!

Harry Craig, Music Editor

'I'm Every Woman' — Chaka Khan

"It's all in me, anything you want done baby, I'll do it naturally"

Remembering to love yourself and that

you have everything in you!

Scarlett Cracknell

'House On Fire' — Mimi Webb

"You liar. Now I'm going to set your house on fire"

Simply put: the intense anger that comes with being cheated on Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

'Nobody' — Mitski

"My god, I'm so lonely"

Perfectly encompasses feelings of loneliness, abandoning and yearning

Sara Silvester

'The Music or the Misery' — Fall Out Boy

"I got your love letters, corrected the grammar and sent them back"

Absolutely savage.

Carden Cappi

'The Man' — The Killers

"I know the score like the back of my hand, them other boys, I don't give a damn" An uber-macho burst of confidence for all the single men out there!

Harry Craig, Music Editor

'Don't Call Me Baby' — Madison Avenue

"Don't call me baby. You've got to know that baby that'll never do." Simple. A fierce girly realising she can do better.

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

'Rid of Me' — PJ Harvey "No, you're not rid of me"

The lyrics capture her pain while the music captures her anger.

Kerry Myers

'Young Hearts Run Free' — Candi Staton

"I'm gonna love me for the rest of my days (...) self-preservation is what's really going on today"

Preaches self-love; need I say more?

Scarlett Cracknell

'Woman' — Andreya Triana "I can rule like a Queen, be a superhero"

Girl power. Don't need no man. Period.

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

'No Children' — The Mountain Goats

"And I hope you die, I hope you both die" I'm not sure any description I can give would do it justice.

Charlie Gershinson, News Editor

'Bad Habit' — Steve Lacy

"I wish I knew you wanted me"

The frustration when two people miss an opportunity and the timing is no longer good — so for God's sake, tell your crush you like them! Life is too short!

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

'Somebody That I Used To Know' — Gotye, feat. Kimbra

"And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough"

The quintessential 2010s heartbreak anthem.

Joshua Hughes, Editor

'King' — Florence + The Machine

"I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King." Because single people really are the Kings for getting through Valentine's Day without a lover.

Harry Craig, Music Editor

Images: Laurie Harbord

Images: Laurie Harbord

Image: Clker Free Vector Images, Pixabray

Image: kentarotakizawa, Flickr

Image: kaboompics, Pixabay

Image: Harry Craig

Album retrospective: Screaming Trees — 'Uncle Anesthesia'

Jake Avery, Music Editor, reflects on the classic album from grunge's unsung heroes

THE recent passing of Screaming Trees’ bassist Van Conner, occurring less than a year after front man Mark Lanegan’s, solicits an appraisal of the Ellensburg band’s iconic hard rock and psychedel ic sound, and no other album encapsulates this more than the fifth addition to their discography, ‘Uncle Anesthesia’. Released in 1991, it didn’t receive much critical acclaim — the apex of this would arrive in the following year’s ‘Sweet Oblivion’ LP — but it did prove to be a timeless cult classic adored by grunge and clas sic rock fans alike. Mark Lanegan’s charred vocal delivery in conjunction with a genre-bending array of guitar work helped solidify ‘Uncle Anesthesia’ as an essential and distinctive part of the grunge catalogue.

Spurring the album forwards is Gary Lee Conner’s guitar tone, one that thrives as a blustering force of distortion and sporadic chaos throughout each leading riff. Tracks such as ‘Story of Her Fate’ and ‘Ocean of Confusion’ exhibit this and establish a simple yet extremely effective approach; sizzling leading lines soar above waves of frenzied and gritty attacks, thrusting the album forwards with

a keen sense of immediacy. The contrast of these layers provides a satisfying scorch whilst also retaining clarity — aspects no doubt embellished by the slick production style of metal maestro Terry Date and grunge titan Chris Cornell. Further balance is also established with Van Conner’s swooping basslines, all of which serve excellently in their own right. The second track ‘Bed of Roses’ exhibits this perfectly, with the guitar and vocals gliding alongside an incredibly contagious ascending and descending bass hook. What really di versifies the album from a tonality cen tred entirely on tumbling distortion, however, is the jovial and bright nature of the riffs incorporated into tracks such as ‘Lay Your Head Down’, whereby arpeggiated chords ring in a folkish manner and a recorder accompanies towards the end. The band’s ability to weave in flourishes from different genres remains intrinsic to the flow of ‘Uncle Anes thesia’, allowing for moody explorations of psychedelia to coalesce with chunky guitar hooks seamlessly. Slow burner ‘Before We Arise’

leaves space for Lanegan’s brooding vocals to lead the listener through the darkness before ‘Something About Today’ restores a vibrant tone, and later on, a horn section accompanies Lanegan’s despairing vocals throughout ‘Dissapearing’; Screaming Trees curate their mood and tone delicately whilst experimenting with a variety of different sounds.

SCREAMING TREES CURATE THEIR MOOD AND TONE DELICATELY

Lanegan’s vocals undeniably sew the lyrical threads of ‘Uncle Anesthesia’'s brooding gloom. Struggle and anguish form the backbone of the album’s ideas, both of which are bolstered by the gruff quality that Lanegan’s voice possesses, an attribute that is sonically enhanced by the rich delivery he brings to every line.

The embers of Lanegan’s words waver in opener

‘Beyond This Horizon’, as he warns that the ‘shadow of the sun has crossed the sky’; lyrical descriptions such as this establish a world full of a peculiar and destructive beauty with gothic imagery, as laughing ghosts and visions on walls project the way the world folds in when troubles arise in life. The artwork ties loosely into this notion of the world transforming because of your fears; it evokes ideas

of an unsettling fairy-tale, the four armed, green skinned smoking man on a toadstool at its centre connoting a warped visualisation of a world similar to that of Alice in Wonderland's. The album’s lyrics reverberate and echo with enigma, and are made all the more captivating by the inexhaustible sense of spirit and desperation that Lanegan brings in heaps.

‘Uncle Anesthesia’ was a major stylistic stride for a band that for many went unnoticed throughout their career span in the 1990s. It’s an engaging and revitalising delve into grunge that blows the genre open and ultimately transcends it, ensnaring listeners with a tenacious bite on melodic progression possessed by no other artists.

Hidden hearts: Secret Valentine's songs

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor, reveals the songs that don't wear their hearts on their sleeves...

A large proportion of songs over the decades have very overtly presented the themes of love, relationships and heartbreak, but there are some which appear slightly less obvious or even not obvious at all. This can make songs more interesting and up for interpretation; below are some of my firm favourites!

‘Anti-Hero’ by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s hit song in the charts, and on TikTok, more subtly tells of her insecurities in both her private and public life. This includes the theme of depression and her desire to remain antisocial. Also, she explains in the lyrics that she often feels like everyone around her is a “sexy baby” when she is just “the monster on the hill.” We can see from this that the song relates to Taylor’s lack of self-love and inability to see herself as worthy of love. It is quite a relatable feeling for many of us to not feel worthy of love, so ‘Anti-Hero’ becomes veiled with heartbreak.

‘Does Your Mother Know?’ by ABBA

Although still evidently about a relationship, this song is portrayed a little differently, mainly because of the frequent mentions of the girl’s mother in the lyrics and the title itself. Only when we move through the cool dance beat and inspect the lyrics can we really tell that this song tells the story of someone who experiences sexual or romantic desire for a girl much younger than them. It can be argued for this reason that the song conveys the theme of forbidden love and compatibility between couples transcending age barriers. It is less conventional, and the constant reference to the girl’s mum adds a slight comedic tone.

'Normal Girl’ by SZA

The second song on this list which deals with self-love or a lack thereof, ‘Normal Girl’ highlights a pining to be the ideal romantic candidate for someone and being frustrated about not being “normal” enough. It is heart-breaking to listen to as, again, it feels oddly relatable for most people, feeling like they are not enough. Therefore, despite being evidently about love and heartbreak, it is interesting when reading into the lyrics that this is about a lack of compassion for oneself rather than about someone who has upset SZA.

‘My Type’ by Saint Motel

Again, despite being more clearly about love, the true meaning of this song is masked pretty well. Throughout the lyrics, it is stated, “You’re just my type. You have a pulse and you are breathing” and sarcastically states “I’m a man who’s got very specific taste.” You have to read the lyrics to realise that this song is about hidden bisexuality, and that the singer refers to having no type with regard to gender. It’s covert enough so that it remains a question as to whether that is true, but is a nice representation of non-heterosexual love — without being too cliché.

This is a non-exhaustive list of songs which are less obviously about love and relationships. They are either more discreet with their portrayal of these themes, or simply tell a story of a different kind of love. It is refreshing to have music like this because it helps to avoid clichés and increases representation for different people and different types of love.

Images: Rik Goldman and Rosario López, Flickr

Images: Abby Gillardi, Eva Rinaldi, Wikimedia Commons. Unsplash

screen

Snowscapes

Pollyanna Roberts, Deputy Editor,

SNOW is an incredible natural phenomenon, it incites excitement and joy, as hordes of people flock to their windows at ungodly hours in the morning to capture the snow fall before the onslaught of rush hour destroys it. In cinema, this natural phenomenon is used as a tool by many directors to embellish the environment and circumstance of a scene or scenario. Snow impacts mood and feeling and can make or break a story; it has the potential to be a useful and interesting plot device.

When Exeter was hit by that bizarre snow storm a few weeks ago, my mind instantly drew back to a franchise that I often associate with snow and the feeling of comfort and joy. For me, snow is directly associated with Harry Potter, more specifically, the trip to Hogsmeade in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As a Potterhead, I have always wanted to go to Hogsmeade and visit all the shops and explore, but when it is covered in snow, it has a warm feel that only enriches the environment.

discusses snowscapes in film

more power through the use of music; The Philosopher’s Stone’s iconic Christmas scene is accompanied by John Williams’ beautiful music ‘Christmas at Hogwarts’, which perfectly encapsulates the childlike joy and innocence associated with the snowy season.

In The Prisoner of Azkaban Harry (under the cover of his invisibility cloak) en gages in a snowball fight with Draco and his band of ruffians. This scene, accompanied by the raucous laughter of Hermione and Ron, is another fun and joyful sequence that human ises our wizard ing heroes; they have ordinary fun like the rest of us muggles.

Snow has connotations of joy and festivity and when this sequence plays, I share these same feelings. This comforting feeling gains

However, as fans are aware, Harry Potter er turn after the tragic death of Cedric Diggory at the end of The Goblet of Fire. After this change in atmosphere and tone, and as the imposing threat of Voldemort sweeps through

Hogwarts, the use of snow is now manipulated to spark terror and suspense. The snow, rather than igniting the flame of joy and nostalgia in its viewers, spreads a coldness through us. Here, I am referring to the often-overlooked scene in The Deathly Hallows Part 1, where Hermione and Harry visit the grave of his late parents in Godric’s Hollow. The snow here doesn’t create a warm feeling, it is sharp and biting; we share in the sadness that engulfs Harry in this moment. The snowy woods which the trio inhabit for this film further accentuates this sadness and lifelessness. The snow kills the flowers, the nature around them, it freezes the lake — unlike the earlier films, this is a place not of life, but death. Snow is used as a tool of fear throughout cinema, such as in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining The Overlook Hotel is absolutely gigantic, but it

Food and film

Madi Wharmby explores cuisine in The Hundred-Foot Journey

FOOD has become the ultimate companion to fellowship. There’s the classic first date of ‘dinner and a movie,’ Christmas lunch planned months in advance, ice cream as the perfect end to a sunny day at the beach; gatherings based around food are here to stay. Memories are made around a dinner table. But when food meets film, what is our motivation? Is it to reminisce on those memories made, or is it just to make our mouths water?

We all need to eat to survive. But getting our fuel has become more than survival — it is an enjoyable experience. Food is one of the biggest industries that drives our world economy. Every restaurant competes to have the most tastebud-tingling food that delights their customers and keeps them coming again and again.

The Hundred-Foot Journey is a mouth-watering film that explores what happens when two restaurants with vastly different cuisines come into direct competition. Hassan Kadam, an aspiring Indian chef who has had a passion for food since his infancy, moves with his family from Mumbai to France. They come across a derelict building on their travels, and spontaneously decide to buy up. Unfortunately for them, it happens to be a mere hundred feet from Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin Star restaurant run by the clever and ruthless Madame Mallory, which prides itself on cooking for the president

of France and outstripping all contenders with complete perfection. However, the Kadams’ creative flavours, hearty food and joyful dining experience begins to conflict with the prestigious, award-winning restaurant, and a cooking war erupts in the little village of St. Antonin. This film is an incredible celebration of food. We are treated to close-up shots of whisks stirring rich, creamy sauces, colourful spices, perfectly crafted canapés and steaming hotpots, along with experiencing the buzz of a busy kitchen serving happy customers. Crisp, polished chef whites grace the grandiose Le

Saule Pleureur, contrasting the traditional cultural dance scenes of Maison Mumbai which brim with energy. A food revolution has come to town, and it’s one everyone is excited about.

has never been more claustrophobic than in this Stephen King adaptation. Like Jack Nicholson’s Johnny, we fall victim to this immersive cabin fever. However, as the film goes on, we grow fearful for Wendy and her son, who are not only exiled from civilisation in this hotel, but are trapped with a mentally unstable husband driven out of his mind. A scene that still chills me to this day, is the shot of Nicholson looking out a window of the hotel, observing the snow falling around him. The frost is visible on the window and seems to be closing in, tighter and tighter, mirroring how trapped Johnny and his family must have felt. The snow is an emblem of danger, if they leave the ‘safety’ of the hotel, they risk freezing to death. It is a testament to Wendy’s fear that she abandons the warmth of the hotel in an attempt to flee Johnny’s rage and wielding axe, resulting in an intense chase scene that takes place in the maze. Luckily, the snow was used as a plot device by Kubrick, where the son retraces his footprints in order to trick his murderous father and escape the maze unnoticed. Thus leaving Johnny confused, insane and completely lost (both spatially and mentally) as the snow engulfs another of its victims.

Snowscapes are effective tools that can be utilised to establish or embellish a mood or setting. It works in both childhood fantasies and classic horror. While snow isn’t inherently evil or joyful, its connotations and use in these examples above illustrate how it is, essentially, a blank canvas that a director can mould to suit their fancy.

omelette. Making the perfect omelette is the way that Madame Mallory interviews a chef to see if they can perform to the standard required to work in her restaurant. Hassan not only cooks it to perfection but adds new spices and flavours that make the omelette taste even better. Madame Mallory learns that it’s not all about winning Michelin stars but taking joy in creating a masterpiece.

In a particularly heart-warming scene, Hassan, who has suffered terrible burns to his hands, asks Mallory if he can cook her an

Hassan’s creativity and devotion to perfecting his skills earns him celebrity-status, a job at a top molecular cuisine restaurant in Paris and loving fans across the globe, but, ultimately, he realises that what he truly wants is what he had all along — to be surrounded by his loved ones around the dinner table.

The final message of the film is that food belongs with family, and it’s not about the destination of stardom and success, but enjoying the process of becoming the best you can be. Though this film shows us the beauty of a well-prepared meal with attention to detail, what seems to matter most is Hassan’s personal growth as not only a chef, but as a person; and the joy that he brings to others. Food in film is feel-good for a multitude of reasons that aren’t just edible. Perhaps the place of food in film mirrors its place in society; to bring moments of delight, uniting people together over a good meal.

A FOOD REVOLUTION HAS COME TO TOWN, AND IT’S ONE EVERYONE IS EXCITED ABOUT

...BUT WHEN IT IS COVERED IN SNOW, IT HAS A WARM FEEL THAT ONLY ENRICHES THE ENVIRONMENT

Image: Dave Catchpole, Flickr

Image: University of Exeter

EDITORS: ANNABELLE LAW AND MADISON SOHNGEN

Black Mirror: A window into the future?

Niamh Cherrett analyses the risks of technology’s interference with love

IN a world fuelled by developing technology, it seems inevitable that we use it to bypass the difficulties of modern life. Whether it’s delivering products to our doors at the touch of a button, or accessing any information within seconds, we have become accustomed to getting whatever we want as soon as we want it. This immediacy, however, has warped our understanding of time. We can immediately see the 10 best options of something, removing any risk of wasting time on the wrong item. Yet when it comes to love and dating, this is not as simple. We can’t demand the perfect pre-packaged soulmate to be delivered, instead we have to experience the terrible relationships in order to find the right one. But with the increasing reliance on algorithm-determined dating, this seems to be becoming an inevitable reality. The need to search for the love of our life in real social scenarios is gradually declining, as we can simply see the supposedly 95 per cent compatible person on any number of easily accessible dating apps.

Charlie Brooker’s ‘Hang the DJ’ displays this scenario perfectly. Two perfectly normal, awkward, and innately ‘human’ people, Frank and Amy, experience ‘the system’. They spend varying amounts of time with

different partners determined by ‘Coach’, their AI life guide, with the eventuality of being paired with their ultimate soulmate. This system could seem perfectly desirable. It eliminates the chance of human error we all fear in the dating pool, as there is no chance of spending worthless time with the wrong partner. Despite an increasing number of seemingly incompatible dating experiences, Coach continually drives the message, ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Yet as the episode progresses, Frank and Amy learn they only want one another, and ultimately strive to escape the system. We are then taken to the space they experience beyond the system, with hundreds of Amy and Frank doppelgängers who have each rebelled, bypassing their supposedly perfect match. We learn that of 1000 runs in this world, in 998 they have made this choice. The optimistic feeling we get from

learning that true love has come to surpass the system, however, is countered as we are taken to the real world. Frank and Amy are, in reality, meeting in a bar using a dating app which has given them 99.8 per cent compatibility. All we have learned about them is stripped away as a simulation, with this entire plotline simply one line of code in their dating app algorithm.

THIS ENTIRE PLOTLINE [IS] SIMPLY ONE LINE OF CODE IN THEIR DATING APP ALGORITHM

So, is this the future of dating apps? For those that see the current algorithm as too superficial, maybe this seems an ideal scenario. Importing copies of ourselves into this simulation would allow us to truly experience compatibility with someone, as Frank and Amy demonstrate. Without even knowing it this could be found out away from the real world, and the percentage Tinder gives you of liking someone could finally be accurate. But this does seem contradictory. All that we have learnt throughout the episode of ignoring technology and algorithms in the face of true human feeling is subverted, and we are told simply that this ‘new algorithm’ will be more effective.

The progress of technology and our increasing reliance upon it seems inevitable. We can now afford the luxury of choosing the best item in the least amount of time, and will continue to do so. But the debate

Valentine’s viewing

Screen writers discuss their favourite romance films

Bridget Jones’s Diary

AS far as opening lines go, “It all began on New Year’s Day and my 32nd year of being single” is definitely up there. This is the opening line to my favourite rom-com: Bridget Jones’s Diary, arguably my favourite Richard Curtis film despite Notting Hill coming in at a close second. Bridget Jones, played by the marvellous Renée Zellweger, works for a publishing company, and declares herself as a hopelessly single woman in her thirties. However, throughout the film Bridget enters a love triangle involving Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy (played by Hugh Grant and Colin Firth) who just so happen to be extremely successful and extremely good-looking men. If you look around the Forum you will see many haircuts reminiscent of Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones…

The film is a masterpiece. The opening of Bridget sat alone belting out Jamie O’Neal’s ‘All By Myself’ whilst listening to ‘Sad FM, easy listening for the over 30s’ is iconic to say the least. I’m sure many of us, though we dare not admit, have all sat alone in our rooms belting out a bit of ‘All By Myself’ — there is no shame in it and Bridget embraces this. What I love most is that it’s a realistic account of the ups and downs of trying to fall in love. It’s also hilarious and often Bridget uses humour to deflect the pressure placed upon men and women in their thirties when it comes to finding a relationship. I think everyone can relate to Bridget. It has it all: brilliantly pathetic fight scenes all the way to blue soup. You can’t help but love it. Therefore, I leave you with advice of Bridget’s. If you are looking to find someone this Valentine’s, ensure to avoid: “Alcoholics, workaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, emotional f**kwits or perverts”. You can’t go wrong…

Niall O’Mara

this episode of Black Mirror drives is to what extent we should still value subjective human choice. I believe that the ability to call someone your ‘soulmate’ based purely on your own experience should be protected. Why should we be looking for technology and algorithms to reaffirm our compatibility with someone? Why can’t we simply feel connected to another human being?

The positive impact this algorithm has on Frank and Amy is admirable, but the message I took from ‘Hang the DJ’ lies more with Coach’s ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Instead of their real-life counterparts, it is the simulated Frank and Amy that shows us true connection can only be determined by us. Instead of searching for the immediate ‘perfect’ algorithm created partner, perhaps we should trust our own instincts.

Letters to Juliet

WHEN I need an easy, heartwarming rom-com, Letters to Juliet never fails to deliver in comfort. The story follows Sophie, an aspiring US journalist who goes on holiday to Verona with her fiancée. Although love may be lacking between the two, she soon finds an old, hidden love letter from 1957, buried within a Veronese courtyard, seeking Juliet’s advice. She quickly replies to the letter’s author, Claire, which sets off a journey in which Sophie discovers what a love like Juliet’s really feels like. With the movie being centred around romance, one cannot ignore the much-loved ‘enemies to lovers’ trope which shapes the narrative, as Sophie comes to fall in love with ‘British Charlie’, the grandson of Claire. Yet, what makes this movie truly special to me is its focus on reuniting Claire with her childhood love Lorenzo. Although 50 years have passed, and she is not the same girl she used to be, the movie shows that grand love stories are not exclusive for the young, and that it is never too late to find someone to share your life with. This differs from typical rom-coms, which neglect to explore love found later

in life, securing this movie as a hidden gem. To top it off, it is set in Verona: the birthplace of Juliet Capulet. This beautiful and romantic scenery is the perfect backdrop for a story seeking to bring star-crossed lovers back together. It makes anyone believe in fate, even amidst some cheesy dialogue. Alongside providing an easy escape to the hot country of Italy, it is perfect for a Valentine’s winter watch. Although it has an arguably unrealistic plot, its references to Shakespeare’s play ensure that anytime I watch it, I walk away believing in true love.

Emma Kennedy

WE HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THE TERRIBLE RELATIONSHIPS IN ORDER TO FIND THE RIGHT ONE

Image: Don Hankins Flickr

Image: Sweet Ice Cream Photography

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Pixabay

Image: Wikimedia Commons,

IN an age where your mobile phone is your closest companion and technology is the ruling dictator of society, it would only be logical that we would find our future partner on our devices. Whether you’re swiping for the sheer hilarity or actually hoping to connect with someone, there is an abundance of discussion over the use of dating apps and whether they’re matchmakers or timewasters.

Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are some of the most popular dating apps available to us. They display hundreds of (supposedly) single people, and we are at liberty to discard or approve of whoever we want. A majority of this selection is, undoubtedly, based on first looks, with some refusing to delve deeper into a profile if the first picture doesn’t ‘scratch their itch’. This is just one of the toxic attributes of dating apps: the superficiality. And even if you do match with someone, there is the awkward moment of starting a conversation with someone you have never met before. Sure, it’s just like going to a bar and walking up to a stranger, but, with texting, there

TECH

Valentine’s d-AI

Megan Ballantyne, Editor, asks ChatGPT to make some Valentine’s Day plans

is this awkward liminal state between each message, the conversation is stagnant, people cannot read their reactions and tone. Perhaps making dating apps more of a time waster, as how can a vibe be created through message and message alone? There is nothing quite as special as connecting with someone in real life.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, and if you want to explore what Exeter has to offer in terms of suitable singles, remember to be transparent about what you want, whether that be a wholesome date or a one-night adventure. If you do meet someone you like online, go for it, and don’t let the stigma of online dating stop you from exploring a connection with someone. Not everyone is going to have a positive experience, but that doesn’t mean you won’t. No matter where you meet people, you have to troll through the time wasters and the insincere; that’s just a microcosm of real life. The people you meet at university or work can often fall short, so, at the end of the day, a connection is special however it came about.

Is

AI

SINCE ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, we wanted to see if the robot, which can apparently write university-level essays and explain quantum physics, can manage to plan a student-friendly Valentine’s Day itinerary.

When asked what the most romantic spots in Exeter were, ChatGPT suggested Exeter Cathedral Green, the Quayside and the RAMM museum — nice places to visit in themselves, but not necessarily par ticularly tailored to the Valentine’s Day crowd.

We went on to ask for budget Valentine’s Day ideas for students and the AI did suggest a picnic in a park or scenic spot, so where better to do this in Exeter than out on the Cathedral Green if the weather is in your favour. The AI also suggested cooking a romantic dinner at home, but when we asked for a recipe for a romantic dinner, it seemed to forget all notion of a student budget and suggested “Steak with Red Wine Sauce”. While the recipe looked nice, it was really just all steak, and

didn’t offer any side dishes, so just be warned.

Asked for gift ideas, ChatGPT suggested flowers or jewellery, which were fairly predictable. It did also suggest a few more creative experience gifts however, like a spa day, cooking class or romantic getaway. A lot of these did ultimately seem quite out of the student budget, so we asked particularly for budget gifts.

The AI suggested a lot of cosmetics and pamper products like candles, soap, bubble bath. The idea of a snack hamper was a nice homemade gift which would still be affordable for most students.

Overall, ChatGPT offered some good starting ideas, but, as is to be expected, it was difficult to get it to suggest the best options for students and their interests — the best Valentine’s Day celebrations are tailored to the friends and/or partner you’re celebrating with. ChatGPT, however all-knowing it may be, is unlikely to know what their favourite movies, favourite restaurants or favourite activities are — which means you best get thinking!

the answer to NHS strikes?

Ewan Edwards, Tech Editor, explores future uses of AI in the health service

THE benefits of AI technology are slowly being drip-fed to the masses. Though we are yet to have a fully artificially intelligent robot with which we can have a conversation, in recent months, there has been much hysteria surrounding ChatGPT and how it could be used as a quick, but questionable, fix to write essays, news reports or even dissertations. What this software could be used for, with little moral ambiguity, is to speed up admin processes which bog down many public services, particularly those of the NHS. A picture has been circulating on LinkedIn from Bertalan Meskó, Director of the Medical Futurist Institute, where the amount of paperwork to admit a patient to an NHS hospital is longer than a man lying down. A great deal of this paperwork is repetitive box ticking exercises which could be more efficiently completed by AI programmes similar to that of ChatGPT. This would then free up more NHS staff time, to undertake patient care.

should lower standards, but by investing in AI to carry out these jobs, Britain could have the best of both worlds: a more efficient health service with the highest of standards.

We are currently experiencing some of the biggest strike action this country has ever seen from nurses to ambulance drivers and now firefighters, who have not had a pay dispute on this level since 2003. Whilst AI cannot resolve what is perceived as inadequate pay in the face of soaring inflation, it is possible that it can relieve some of the pressures on these jobs. Nurses are currently experiencing the burden of staff shortages as they are needed in multiple places at once but still only getting the pay of a singular nurse. If they were able to carry out the core of their training focusing on patient care whilst AI performs an admin role, it is easy to see that pay disputes lower in volatility as the nurse workload decreases.

to an AI on an online forum to discuss your ailments. If you were then to need further medical attention, this diagnostic information performed by AI could be passed on to the GP which would cut down some of the role of practitioners.

The heaps of paperwork are part of the high medical standards that British healthcare uphold. No one is arguing that we

There is also a prevention, diagnostic and population health management role for AI in the NHS. Population health management is often the first priority dropped by a struggling health service as it would rather focus on ‘stick-plastering’ people who are currently ill or injured. If, then, AI was found to have no role in NHS admin and could not perform a form-filling role then perhaps it could perform this function whilst the NHS continues its normal functions. A greater emphasis on ‘virtual wards’ where rather than immediately phoning up your GP you could speak

There have already been steps to involve AI within the NHS. The NHS AI Lab has been established to “accelerate the safe adoption of artificial intelligence in health and care”. Health

Secretary, Stephen Barclay MP, has made his thoughts clear that the NHS should look to robots to patch the holes left by a crisis in staffing. Investment, he believes, should be aimed at innovative plans to incorporate AI and robots into the healthcare framework which will lower patient wait times, speed up diagnoses and safeguard the NHS for the long term. This is all very unconservative language but exciting, nonetheless. Scepticism does grow, however, as it is easy to see how Mr Barclay may in fact be trying to redirect headlines away from NHS strikes to NHS innovation especially as the government are repeatedly failing to solve the issue. Maybe AI can cure Britain of its striking labour force — that is, until AI gains the intelligence to go on strike itself.

Pollyanna Roberts, Deputy Editor, gives an insight into the world of online dating

Image:SanteriViinamäki, WikimediaCommons

Image: NHS, Wikimedia Commons

Image: mikemacmarketing, Flickr

Have people stopped listening?

Oliver Lamb, Deputy Editor, discusses the decline of Spotify

WHILE Spotify the social phenomenon goes from strength to strength, Spotify the business has hit a rough patch. On 23rd January the company’s co-founder and chief executive, Daniel Ek, announced the layoffs of about 600 employees, or six per cent of the workforce. Spotify lost €430 million on revenues of €11.7 billion in 2022, a year in which its operating expenditure grew twice as fast as its revenues. Its stocks have fallen by 70 per cent from their peak in February 2021.

SPOTIFY LOST €430 MILLION ON REVENUES OF €11.7 BILLION IN 2022, A YEAR IN WHICH ITS OPERATING EXPENDITURE GREW TWICE AS FAST AS ITS REVENUES

It may be some consolation that — as Ek noted — the entire tech industry has been struggling. Amazon, Meta and Twitter are just the biggest names to have made cuts. In part it is a hangover from the pandemic: as the world went online, tech firms went stratospheric, and they hired. Over-hired, as it turns out, and now they are shedding the excess. Ek admitted to making the same mistake. Alongside this, wider economic turmoil has led to a fall in the advertising revenues that are crucial for the tech sector. Ek said that Spotify was less

dependent than others on advertising, and it is true that 85 per cent of its revenue comes from its paid premium service. But the company has bet big on podcasts, a sector that relies heavily on advertising.

Which brings us to Spo tify’s own original prob lem — the billions it has spent on its own original podcasts. Chief content of ficer Dawn Os troff, who led the podcast strategy, left her role in January. She was responsible for shows featuring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Obamas, Kim Kardashian and Joe Rogan (sadly not all at once). She also acquired the podcast firms Gimlet and Parcast, although staff at both companies were laid off in October.

In theory, the move into podcasting was

a sound one for a company whose main business is surprisingly unprofitable. Although Spotify now has 489 million active monthly users, the rights-holders of the music on the platform get 70 per cent of the company’s revenues.

Speaking to analysts and investors about the podcasting strategy, Ek said that he would do it again. However, he admitted that he has overinvested given the uncertainty in the market. The podcast industry is slowing down: according to Listen Notes, the 729,495 new podcasts in 2021 were joined by 219,805 in 2022. Ek said that Spotify would aim to become more selective and thriftier in its investments. Aside from that and the layoffs, Ek has reorganised Spotify’s leadership with a view

to becoming more efficient. Meanwhile, subscription prices are likely to rise, as Ek, back in October, warned would happen. That could lose him customers, although a music industry executive who spoke to The Times expects it to make little difference.

ASIDE FROM THAT AND THE LAYOFFS, EK HAS REORGANISED SPOTIFY’S LEADERSHIP WITH A VIEW TO BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT

489 million users is not a statistic to be sniffed at. It is 20 per cent up on last year’s figure, exceeding Spotify’s expectations. Although that may not generate profit on its own, the core business is just that — the core, the foundation on which everything else is built. To that end, marketing campaigns in India and Indonesia have been a worthwhile investment. So too may be Spotify’s expansion into audiobooks. Gloom about Spotify’s difficulties, such as they are, should be tempered by the knowledge that they were, to some degree, expected. For years executives have openly placed investment above profit. That is now changing and the company expects profitability to improve this year. There is, then, plenty of cause for Spotify to be optimistic about its future, despite the present turbulence.

Joshua Hughes, Editor, looks at the expanding issue of 5G in the UK 5G in the UK

SINCE its introduction, 5G has been a contentious issue in the UK. Dogged by conspiracy claims across the world suggesting it could cause coronavirus infection, some have gone as far as to vandalise 5G masts with a 2020 article in The Guardian, suggesting that at least 20 UK phone masts had been damaged as a result of the false claims.

But what actually is 5G? Firstly, its core purpose is to speed up internet connection and improve download and upload speeds. However, 5G is not solely about internet speed, 5G also offers greater capacity, enabling thousands of devices in a densely populated area to be connected at the same time. 5G also ensures a reduction in latency (which is the time between telling a wireless device to carry out an action and that action being completed) — this therefore leads to fewer delays.

5G has continued to spread in the UK, albeit at an extremely slow pace. It is now in most major cities but is struggling to break into rural areas. The recent rejection of a 16m mast in Cheltenham is just the latest example of local residents blocking the expansion of 5G in the UK. It is certainly a difficult scenario for some — as modern day technology advances, it threatens the often picturesque setting of the countryside and smaller communities.

An interesting development in the pursuit of giving millions living in rural areas access to greater internet speeds is a new trial launched between BT (EE) and Stratospheric Platforms (SPL) which aims to utilise High-

Altitude Platform station (HAPS) aircraft in order to extend 5G coverage into rural areas. While the use of drones is nothing new, they are normally only used in the event of emergencies such as natural disasters or significant network outages. This could potentially be a way to circumvent the issue of ruining the image of the British countryside. However, another threat which is much more significant is the danger posed by foreign influence in UK communications systems. It was announced by the government in 2020 that all Huawei equipment would be banned in the UK, with the deadline for the removal of equipment set for the end of 2027. The purchase of new Huawei 5G equipment was also banned after 31st December 2020. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden stated that “By the time of the next election we will have implemented in law an irreversible path for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks”.

unable to be managed any longer as a result of US sanctions on its supply chain.

The future of 5G is at a crossroads at this point in time. On one hand, the technology is advancing; on the other, the new systems introduced are able to be manipulated by external actors, providing significant amounts of personal data to foreign threats. The possible ban on TikTok is another example of this, highlight-

ing that data and privacy should be at the very top of Western leaders’ priorities and should be placed ahead of entertainment and greater internet speeds. As the inevitable increase in 5G coverage continues to take shape across the UK, the need for maintaining security and privacy has never been greater and it looks like this will be a continuing trend for many years to come.

The total ban on Huawei 5G products in the UK came as a result of national security concerns and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) that the security of the company’s products was

ANOTHER THREAT WHICH IS MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT IS THE DANGER POSED BY FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN UK COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

Image: Florian Siebeck, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Muzikdagitimi.com, Wikimedia Commons

LF -in the poker society, cutest man ever, tall, white, perfect body, i love him - SM

SV, performative, loves to throw a peace sign in to any conversation in the most inappropriate of moments, says 'slay' far too much but still find myself with a real thing for her

Blonde haired business student from Surrey who went to private school. Initials are OH

SRJ - Short Blonde little number always walking around with a hockey stick or table tennis paddle

The all girls house that lives on our road (mowbray) ...think they're all from essex. We have a few single rizzards in our house let's set up a night out

CC - can't wait to bump " ;) " into you again on a night out

The little mens novice rower, I fell in love when I saw u in one's

The girl in my psychology lecture with the red longchamp bag, pretty sure initials are VF - JS

To F.B! He's kind, tender and a bit of a short king. I know we've got something going on. If you see this, make a move

- Anonymous

Brown hair, looks like Connell from normal people

- Gaby Cheetham

Boy I saw in Tesco's who looks like he stepped right out of a Fitzroy Garage Sesh. 6"5 + brunette and tanned - S

Tall. Handsome, Lacrosse Player. Initials = TSB - EW

STUDY BREAK

CROSSWORD study break | 8 F eb 2023 exhibit | 27

Across

1 Woody perennial plant (4)

3 More diluted — tear wire (anagram) (8)

9 Fun do (anagram) — ballet movement (5)

10 Earnest — sincere (7)

11 Paper handkerchief (6)

12 Long (for) (5)

14 Money-making enterprise (informal) (6)

16 Not witnessed (6)

19 Possessor (5)

21 Ban — bandit (6)

24 Stress — intones (anagram) (7)

25 Atmospheric gas (5)

26 Garment — pockets (8)

27 Camera part (4)

1 Petty argument (4)

2 Boredom — i.e. nun (anagram) (5)

4 Response (6)

5 Before time (5)

6 Set apart (7)

7 Deep — ringing (8)

8 Sharp struggle (6)

13 Balloonist — a toaster? (anagram) (8)

15 Meet suddenly (3,4)

17 Country (6)

18 Temporary car (6)

20 Racecourse barrier — liars!

(anagram) (5)

22 Unaccompanied (5)

23 Current affairs (4)

Across: 1 Tree, 3 Waterier, 9 Fondu, 10 Serious, 11 Tissue, 12 Yearn, 14 Earner, 16 Unseen, 19 Owner, 21 Outlaw, 24 Tension, 25 Ozone, 26 Trousers, 27 Lens. Down: 1 Tiff, 2 Ennui, 4 Answer, 5 Early, 6 Isolate, 7 Resonant, 8 Tussle, 13 Aerostat, 15 Run into, 17 Nation, 18 Loaner, 20 Rails, 22 Alone, 23 News.

Trivia: 1. Aquarius 2. 14th Century 3. Polska 4. Dogs 5. Saturn 6. A promise

TRIVIA CORNER

1. What star sign is represented by the water bearer?

2. In what century did Valentine’s Day become a holiday associated with love?

3. What is the name of Poland in Polish?

4. What is cynophobia the fear of?

5. What planet has the most moons?

6. What can be broken and never held?

Science

SCIENCE EDITORS: Daniel Pain and Hayley Power

Eloise Shewring explains recent research timelining the evolution of the dinosaurs

MORE ‘clues’ to unfold the timeline of dinosaurs’ theorised transition into the bird species can be found in the recent discovery of dove-sized Cratonavis zhui fossils. Researchers report, in the January edition of Nature Ecology & Evolution, that the 120–million–year–old fossil bird, which was discovered in China, comprises of a dinosaur–like head with a more bird–like body. In fact, CT scans show the near structural identicality of its skull to the Tyrannosaurus Rex and other therapod dinosaurs, as palaeontologist Li Zhiheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and colleagues reports. This illus-

T

trates its phylogenetic status in that Cratonavis had not evolved the mobile upper jaw that is present in modern birds, so is a significant discovery for evolutionary study.

A dinosaur-like head with a more bird-like body

The fossil came from the Jiufotang Formation in north–eastern China, which is known as a hotbed for preserved feathered dinosaurs and archaic birds and is part of a recently identified group of intermediate birds known as the jinguo-

fortisids (Luis Chiappe — paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County). Chiappe states that, whilst interesting, this discovery is “not unexpected”: The majority of birds discovered from the Age of Dinosaurs had more primitive heads than modern birds.

A hotbed for preserved feathered dinosaurs and archaic birds

Cratonavis has visible structures that are rarely seen in Cretaceous birds, such as

Binary stars could be the key to Earth-like planets

Carden Cappi explains how binary stars could hold the key for finding the next Earth

HE existence of binary star systems and even systems with three stars is nothing new to the world of astronomy. There have even been observations of systems with up to six stars. Their discovery goes back to Giovanni Battista Riccioli, who discovered a binary star system in the 1650s, and more have been discovered throughout the centuries since then. However, those star systems only rose to real prominence in the collective mind through Star Wars, and theiconic shot of Luke Skywalker staring at the sinking pair of suns, even though by that time planets had not been discovered in star systems like this.

E

By 2019, 143 planets have been discovered in almost 100 binary star systems. However, up until recently, none of those planets had been considered to

be habitable, mainly due to the gravitational interactions between planets and stars and the risk of planets being evicted from the system. But thanks to computer technology, scientists have been able to run simulations for the orbit of planets in those binary systems and concluded that most can keep their orbits stable for at least one billion years, meaning they could remain in the habitable zone with temperatures that allow the development of life. And even if fluctuations occurred and the planet ended

up outside the zone for some time, astrobiologists are certain that an atmosphere and oceans would balance those, allowing life to continue and develop.

While there has been no actual discovery of habitable planets in binary star systems, computer simulations have

helped expand the human imagination and can aid scientists to look for habitable planets due to their ability to create long-term predictions and run simulations instead of relying on observations and calculations. Through technology and the potential of a more directed and focused search for planets, the prospect of finding habitable planets has just increased massively. And who knows, maybe there is some alien life out there, staring at two suns.

The James Webb Space Telescope uncovers new exoplanets

Almudena Visser Velez blasts into the new world of exoplanets and what they really mean for humanity

First observed in the 1990s, over 5000 exoplanets have been found by astronomers to date. Given their abundance, it is not en- tirely far-fetched to

XOPLANETS, planets orbiting stars other than our own Sun, are experiencing a revolution in modern astronomy thanks to the recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). They come in a huge variety of types, from giant gas planets orbiting close to their star to small icy rocks orbiting from afar.there is another planet somewhere in the universe capable of sustaining life. The requirement for an Earth-like planet would be one that can sustain liquid water. The satisfaction of this condition is determined by a variety of factors, perhaps the most important of which is distance from the host star; too close and the planet would be so hot that any water would evaporate, too far and the cold temperatures would cause any water to freeze. The range of orbit distances in which this condition can be met is called the habitable zone, as sketched by the author below. Furthermore, the atmosphere would need to be sufficiently thin for some of the star’s light to enter without being blocked so that life can be sustained, but thick enough to shield the surface from excessive radiation that would obliterate any lifeforms. This is much like Earth’s ozone layer, which protects us from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. The planet’s size matters too, as it would need sufficiently strong

gravity to keep the atmosphere nearby without its constituent molecules drifting away.

Despite all these strict conditions, the sheer number of exoplanets being discovered means one such Earth twin could nevertheless be found. Indeed, astronomers in the NASA/ESA/CSA collaboration recently found a promising potential candidate using the JWST. The exoplanet LHS 475b, a modest 41 light years away, is of almost identical size to Earth, with a diameter 99 per cent of our own planet. The similarities continue; this exoplanet is also made of rock, and it could host an atmosphere (of carbon dioxide rather than nitrogen and oxygen) and further analysis with definite results is expected later this year. There are some differences as the planet is somewhat hotter than ours at a few hundred degrees Celsius, and orbits its star in a mere 48 hours, with its orbit smaller than that of Mercury around the Sun. However, the host star is around half the temperature of the Sun so the exoplanet can be much closer than it could in our solar system without being scorched.

A rather different exoplanet WASP39 b, of similar size and composition to a hotter version of Saturn (big, puffy, and gaseous), is the first exoplanet with a sulfur dioxide atmosphere to have been detected. While this is quite differ-

ent from Earth’s composition, it has excited astronomers as its atmosphere was likely made by chemical reactions similar to those responsible for Earth’s ozone layer. The JWST also observed sodium, potassium and, perhaps most excitingly, water vapor, in this planet’s atmosphere. With the plethora of data currently pouring in from the JWST, many more exoplanet discoveries seem inevitable, and the quest for an exo–Earth continues.

Observations of systems with up to six stars

Most can keep their orbits stable for at least one billion years

One such Earth twin could nevertheless be found

Image: Almudena Visser Velez

Image: Pixabay, WikiImages

Image: Pixbay, WikiImages

Nature vs. nurture

Rahul Anand explores the difference in impulsive behaviour between chimpanzees and humans

IAM sure that many of you can remember your teenage years: Jumping off of fences you weren’t supposed to, or trying to do a backflip on concrete, despite the fact you had never done one before. Well, that is an example of risk-taking and impulsive behaviour which, in adolescence, is very prevalent. It then should come as no surprise that teenage chimpanzees, one of our closest relatives, display similar impulsive behaviours to human teens. However, is there a difference in how impulsive adolescent chimpanzees are when compared to adolescent humans?

a gambling exercise where chimpanzees had to choose between two concealed containers, one container guaranteed a food they liked, and the other was either their favourite food or most hated food. In this test, adolescent chimpanzees seemed to choose the risky option more often than adult chimpanzees. The second test was a delayed gratification test, where the chimpanzees were given either one banana slice instantly or three after they waited for one minute. In this test, the adolescent chimpanzees showed similar behaviour

to the adult chimpanzees in choosing the delayed reward. This suggests that adolescent chimpanzees are less impulsive than their human counterparts.

haviour, however, human adolescents are more impulsive. This now gives rise to the question of why human teens are more impulsive.

The findings of these studies show that human and chimpanzee adolescents both show impulsive be-

Further tests, especially genetic analysis should be done to further investigate this matter.

A recently published study in the American Psychological Association aims to answer these questions. The study assessed this impulsive behaviour and was carried out on 40 wild-born chimpanzees in a sanctuary in the Republic of Congo. Two tests involved the chimpanzees participating in games with a food reward. The first test was

Can we stop ageing?

AGEING is an inevitable process, yet recent scientific studies are calling into question the tangible nature of this process. Recent discoveries have found a new mechanism that im-

pacts ageing, reopening the question as to whether ageing can be controlled or potentially even reversed.

After a study at Northwestern University, the process of ageing has been associated with gene length and defined to be a “subtle imbalance away from equilibrium”. A gene length refers to the number of nucleotides, with short and long genes forming small and large proteins, respectively. As we age, there is an increased amount of short-gene activity linked to a decreased life span, however, we are crucially reminded that the presence of short geneactivity is imperative to allow the body to ‘help fight off pathogens’.

in gene activity”. Results indicated an early onset change was noticeable in the mice, while in humans a notable change was seen from middle age. This pattern was identifiable not only in organs such as the brain, lungs, and heart but also in the blood, bone, and muscle. Defined as a “system level change,” Luis Amaral (Senior author of the study) uses the metaphor of a waiter, to help explain how, in the the same way a waiter “needs to put

in effort to fight the imbalance” of a tray, the gene changes subtly “[bear] down on you, requiring more effort”.

As a result of these findings, scientists are aptly calling into question whether the activity imbalanc -

es can be controlled or prevented, therefore not directly curing ageing but reducing symptoms to address the root of the cause. Research into this area is also key in understanding how our ability to fight off illness worsens with age. In the study’s conclusion, there is optimism for future progression, as findings invite “further work on the molecular and temporal onset of the lengthassociated transcriptome imbalance”.

The study utilised data from human tissue, rats, mice, and killifish, and it is interesting to note that results for humans are more significant, as other animals were genetically identical. A change in the median gene length was noticed across all groups, with ageing said to trigger this imbalance as we become unable to “counter perturbations that would lead to an imbalance

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Comment Editor, explains the previously unknown mechanism that drives ageing and what this new understanding may mean for life

However, is there a difference in how impulsive adolescent chimpanzees are ...?

This now gives rise to the question of why human teens are more impulsive

This suggests ... chimpanzees are less impulsive than their human counterparts

After a study at Northwestern University, the process of ageing has been associated with gene length...

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Hans Hillewaert

Image: Wikimedia Commons, P. S. Burton

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Rebelo-Marques et al.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, mstroeck

This pattern was identifiable... in the blood, bone and muscle

Premier League pandemonium

Mikhail Shklover runs down all things Premier League as we reach the season's mid-point

IT was almost six months ago when many of us were once again back in front of our televisions or even in stadiums preparing for a slightly early restart to the Premier League season. After an exciting and eventful transfer window was able to bring new names both into the managerial roles and into the squad lists, we were set for another intriguing campaign in Europe’s most competitive league.

Although interrupted by a controversial mid-season World Cup, the season certainly lived up to the expectations. The standards of football were kept high with club football returning promptly on Boxing Day with little time for pause after the World Cup. In the space of just a few months, fans witnessed the return of the sustainably developing Newcastle United into the elite of English football, under the management of Eddie Howe.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland’s frenzy of goal scoring has continued to break all sorts of records. Manchester United have enjoyed something of a rebirth under Erik ten Hag. The struggles of Chelsea and Liverpool have been clear for all to see. An exciting battle for survival is developing at the bottom of the table, and Arsenal continue to fly at the top.

As we reach the mid-point of the season, we are left with a lot to look forward to in the latter half. Despite an extensive desire to discuss the circumstances surrounding every club at this stage of the season, two major issues attract the most attention — the title race and the relegation brawl.

Although the excitement and uncertainty surrounding the relegation scrape is present, Arsenal’s spectacular form and momentum certainly draws our attention to the top half, and specifically the front runners of the Premier league.

Newcastle have made a step from the bottom to the top four thanks to good management and smart decisions on the transfer market; however, they are not yet ready to challenge Arsenal and City.

With Manchester United there is a similar story. Ten Hag’s men are improving and early defeats to Brentford and Brighton back in August seem rather anomalous in what has so far been a decent season for the Red Devils. With victory in both domestic knockout competitions (especially the Carabao Cup) looking very much possible, United will be striving to break the six-season trophyless drought, while also trying to keep up the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City.

Nevertheless, a 14-point deficit behind the Gunners leaves the fight for the top four as the more realistic aim for this season. The reigning champi-

ons City, under the management of a multiple Premier League winner, look to be the most serious challenge to Arsenal, mainly because of the spectacular form of Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian striker, whose arrival initially faced some level of scepticism, has proven all doubters wrong. With 25 goals in the league already, he is on track to beat Mo Salah’s single-season record.

Alternatively, there have been issues at Man City. The team is regularly dropping points and losing big games; such as the recent derby against United, in turn allowing the gap to Arsenal to increase. The constant rotation doesn’t seem to work as well as it used to, while the departure of João Cancelo after a conflict with Pep Guardiola highlights the potential issues within the dressing room as well.

Of course, Man City shouldn’t be written off too early, but they have so far been outshone by the league leaders.

It’s hard to escape the idea that Arsenal are truly back. In his third full season as Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta successfully managed to build a team which hasn’t lost in the league since September and is once again a force to be reckoned with. With Ramsdale putting in consistently good performances between the sticks, Saliba strengthening the back line, Thomas Partey asserting his dominance in the midfield and

Saka and Ødegaard providing the creative spark upfront, Arsenal appear to have found some balance on the pitch.

The summer arrivals of Zinchenko and Jesus have certainly helped the club to move forward, while the mid-season arrivals of Trossard and Jorginho certainly offer squad depth and experience.

The defeat in the FA Cup could also be considered a positive, with fewer games on the calendar for a side that is fighting for their first championship since 2004. This leaves Arsenal in a great position to walk away with the league. However, they still have to play City twice.

City have won their last 10 games against Arsenal in the league and although the five-point gap with a game in hand does give reason for Arsenal fans to be optimistic, losing both these games would put Arsenal under a lot of pressure which could be costly. Arteta’s men will be coming into these games with momentum and a potential eight-point buffer zone, but City should not be underestimated and Guardiola will do his absolute best to beat his former assistant manager.

The battle for the title is certainly heating up. On the opposite side of the table, a close battle for survival is taking place. With eight teams all directly involved in the relegation scrap and only the narrowest of margins between them, each side will be by no means

safe from the drop in the near future. However, in my opinion, three sides in this relegation fight seem least likely to avoid the drop — Everton, Bournemouth and Southampton (some of you may disagree). Everton is in a very difficult position. Sean Dyche, since replacing Lampard, has been forced into a baptism of fire, having to face Arsenal and Liverpool in the first two games, meaning Everton’s position in the league will mostly remain quite miserable in the next few weeks.

Southampton is struggling even more. With just one win after the restart, the team sits rock bottom and is not showing any signs of improvement under Nathan Jones.

Bournemouth, however, looks like the weakest of the three (although this is highly subjective). The promising start to the season has been almost cancelled with just four points in the last ten games. All three teams look very likely to go down, but as just mentioned, the bottom of the table is tight as ever, and the situation could change in a flash. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to in the coming months at both ends of the table. Can Arsenal lift the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2004? Will we be saying goodbye to a veteran Premier League club? The conclusion of the 2022/23 Premier League season is bound to be enthralling.

Djokovic glory Down Under

GAME. Set. Match. Djokovic. Four words that we are becoming increasingly accustomed to hearing in a Grand Slam final.

Victory in Melbourne was Novak Djokovic’s 10th Australian Open title, and 22nd Grand Slam overall, equalling Rafael Nadal’s record of the most men’s Grand Slam triumphs. Only Margaret Court (24) and Serena Williams (23) have more major titles. On the basis of his performances over the past weeks, it is only a matter of time until Djokovic surpasses these numbers.

The 35-year-old Serb secured an emphatic victory in the final, defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, 24, in straight sets 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).

The only time third seed Tsitsipas was able to put Djokovic under pressure was during the second set, when he had a set point at five games to four up. However, the Greek was unable to take the opportunity and a composed Djokovic produced a wonderful forehand winner down the line.

Tsitsipas’s wait for a first Grand Slam goes on. His only previous appearance in a major final came at the 2021 French Open, in which he also finished runner-up to Djokovic. While the result was the same, the match at Roland Garros was a completely different affair, with Tsitsipas throwing away a two-set lead.

Not only would Sunday’s final determine the 2023 Australian Open, but also the world number one ranking. Djokovic will extend his own record, spending an astonishing 374th week sat at number one when the rankings are released. Tsitsipas will climb to a career-high-equalling third spot, behind 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who missed the tournament through injury.

Having been unable to compete last year after being deported from the country for not complying with COVID-19 vaccination requirements, the Serb regained the Australian Open title in style. Djokovic only lost one set throughout the tournament — to Enzo Couacaud in the second round.

Coach Goran Ivanisevic believes that the 35-year-old has the ability to compete at the highest level for another couple of years. If he is correct, Djokovic could break more and more records, strengthening his case to be labelled the greatest tennis player of all time.

Ceri Vaughan-Jones

Photo: Steffen Prößdorf & Terry Kearney, Flickr

SA20: Hit for six or swing and a miss?

T20 cricket, the shortest format of the game and arguably the most popular in the modern day, has just started yet another league — this time in South Africa. Teams such the Paarl Royals or the Joburg Super Kings are currently battling it out in order to be crowned the inaugural champions of the SA20 league.

If by this stage you’re thinking that the names of these teams sound familiar, well, that’s because they are. The franchises of these teams have been rather overtly plucked from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the largest short format league in the world.

The IPL is the biggest and most lucrative league there is; with the South African version being unlikely to challenge this, the organisers have set their sights on this becoming the second biggest cricket league in the world. That’s no easy feat considering that leagues in England such as the Hundred or the BBL in Australia are already established and have big fan bases that have been growing for years.

The SA20 is also important for

Toby Brisley, Sport Editor, assesses South Africa's new cricket league

South African cricket as a whole. Interest in the sport has been on the decline for a while, with the Test team having underperformed in the last few years and a dismal performance in the last World Cup meaning viewership of cricket in the country has tumbled in recent years.

This really has added to the pressure placed on the league for it to be a success. Whilst there have been attempts in previous years to form a T20 league in South Africa, none of them have been fruitful so far, resulting in them being cancelled fairly quickly after they were started. However, this league feels different, with big money backing it and even bigger names playing. It has all the makings of being a success.

The formation of the new league in South Africa also poses the bigger question of how cricket has changed in recent years, with short format cricket surpassing Test cricket (viewed as the purest version of the sport by traditional fans) in popularity. This has made some people worried that the game has evolved too much and is

now almost unrecognisable from what the sport used to be. Leagues like the Hundred in England have completely changed the rules on things such as overs and changing ends. This may seem minor to some, but others question just how far changes to rules will go in order to bring in more money.

Some players have at times opted not to represent their country in Test cricket, due to the sheer amount of money you can make from playing a short stint in a T20 league. This is a real worry again, with this previously having been seen as something unimaginable for players to do.

However, despite all the criticisms that some people give the new short format leagues, my view is that this has saved the sport. Bigger crowds, bigger funding, bigger stadiums have all increased the popularity of the sport and helped to ensure that the standard of players is

now far higher across the entirety of it. Test matches also have seen a resurgence in attendance, with people who came for the short format falling in love with the sport and ending up staying for the long one. In other words, if T20 didn’t exist, then most likely, neither would Test cricket any more.

The SA20 league might be just another cricket league compared to others. However, South Africa’s cricketing pedigree and cricketing future arguably relies on its success, just like other countries' respective leagues. Without them, cricket as the sport we know today, would almost certainly not be here.

The Six Nations returns

Joseph Terry looks ahead to the upcoming Six Nations tournament

THE 2023 Six Nations, beginning on February 4th, will be a tournament of preparation for the World Cup in France this September. France come into the tournament as defending champions and as strong favourites to be crowned champions, previously claiming a Grand Slam, their first (and Six Nations title) for 12 years.

Les Bleus come into the Six Nations on a 13-game winning streak, having last lost in June 2021 — defeating world champions South Af-

rica and Australia in the Autumn Internationals. Fabien Galthié named eight uncapped players in his squad — with injuries forcing Galthié to make changes and promote younger players into the squad. However, Galthié retains the experienced spine of the backs within the squad, such as Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou and captain Antoine Dupont. France face difficult challenges with trips to Dublin and London — the Six Nations for France will define whether or not they are genuine contenders for the World

Cup and whether this summer could be a summer of rugby in France. Second favourites for the championship, Ireland, will look to improve upon a second place finish last year — Andy Farrell naming an expected squad with the exception of Joey Carbery’s exclusion. Johnny Sexton and Tadhg Furlong are included in the squad despite recent injury, the Ireland squad showing the strength in depth of Irish regional rugby within the URC. The Irish will look to continue building on a successful autumn which included wins over South Africa and Australia. A fifth round tie against England in Dublin poses a threat, as does an away trip to Murrayfield — but Ireland will have home advantage against France in Round 2.

The sacking of Eddie Jones as England head coach and the subsequent hiring of Premiership-winning Steve Borthwick and his coaching team at Leicester Tigers, places an emphasis on the Six Nations as the moment for the England squad to be shaped by Borth-

wick in the run-up to September, made more difficult by injuries. With Elliot Daly, Courtney Lawes, Jamie George, Luke Cowan Dickie all either doubts or ruled out, Borthwick’s first squad reflected an injury crisis. Furthermore, Borthwick still faces inevitable selection debates such as the never-ending question of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell playing at either 10 or 12. The tournament may be secondary to the World Cup as Borthwick aims to create team cohesion, but English fans want a strong response after a run of poor form.

Scotland enter possibly their last Six Nations with Gregor Townsend as head coach — and benefit from a draw that gives them three home games against Wales, Ireland and Italy. Exeter Chiefs' Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray are named in the squad alongside a strong contingent of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh players that have started the URC season in the top eight.

Wales are another side facing upheaval as Warren Gatland returns as head coach. He succeeds Wayne Pivac, whose tenure was marked by discontent as a poor 2022 Six Nations, including a loss to Italy, was followed by an embarrassing loss to Georgia. Amidst an environment of poor performance across the regional rugby system, Gatland will look restore stability — Gatland the architect of the

2019 Grand Slam, having won four Six Nations through his first tenure. Picking up one win in the 2022 Six Nations, Wales will be buoyed by optimism within the Welsh fanbase — Gatland calling back to his old faithful with a squad including Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar and new captain Ken Owens. However, Gatland has kept one eye on succession plans within an aging squad, adding Rhys Davies and Teddy Williams. Wales host England in Round 3, and travel to Italy in Round 4 hoping to avoid another loss to gli Azzurri.

Italy, despite finishing last in the Six Nations last year, come into the tournament with the opportunity to compete. An impassioned one-point victory against Australia in the autumn building upon the one-point victory against Wales that broke a 36-game drought of Six Nations victories, prove that Italy have the quality within their side to challenge, led by the talent of Ange Capuozzo and Paulo Garbisi as innovative backs. Supported by a successful under-20 setup that defeated England last year, Kieran Crowley’s team are in a good position to perform better than ever before.

A Six Nations in a World Cup year acts as an indicator of form, and with many teams chasing new opportunities, this Six Nations will be the most heavily scrutinised for the last few years.

Photo: Fanny Schertzer

Photo: Flickr

Sport

Exe-odus Chiefs

NOT long ago, Exeter Chiefs were signing off a remarkable season. A torrid affair at Twickenham saw Chiefs narrowly beat Wasps and complete their historic double (having lifted the Champions Cup a week prior). The words of Director of Rugby Rob Baxter were full of praise suggesting that this week was “just the beginning” for Exeter. In a period dogged by cancellations, lockdowns and uncertainty, one thing was for sure, Exeter were the Chiefs of England and Europe.

How times have changed. I write this article after Exeter’s home win against a resurgent Gloucester side brought them from sixth to third. More starkly, Wasps, who Exeter triumphed over in their most recent trophy win, have vanished from the table altogether as they go through a turbulent period of redemption after their collapse alongside Worcester. It is difficult not

to think of the lyrics of Bob Dylan as truly, the times they are a-changin’.

The most prominent sign of Chiefs’ decline has been the recent player exodus with seven senior players having announced that the 2022-23 season will be their last at Sandy Park. Most notably among the list of names of those departing is talismanic number eight, Sam Simmonds. Although it was clear Simmonds desire to play for England was strong when he spoke to Exeposé during the Autumn Nations Series, the star has set his sights on Montpellier and the challenge which the French Top14 poses. Joining his brother in France, Joe Simmonds will also be departing with the ex-Chiefs captain joining currently 12th placed Pau at the end of the season. Another Chief set to go to France is Luke Cowan-Dickie who, like the older Simmonds brother will be plying his trade at Montpellier as well. French media report that one of CowanDickie’s front row partners, Harry Williams, is also on the move — pos -

sibly heading to Montpellier as well. Adding to the drain of forwards, Dave Ewers has announced he will be joining Ulster at the end of the season and South-African born flanker Jannes Kirsten will be returning to his home country to link up with Jake White’s Bulls. Fellow South African Ruben Van Heerden has already departed mid-season, contributing to the growing concern from Chiefs fans that the rebuilding job that Baxter has on his hands could be too great even for the man who brought the Devon-based club from the RFU Championship to the dizzying heights of champions of Europe.

Although this concern is wellfounded, the strength of Chiefs’ academy and the talent pool which is the Southwest cannot be overlooked. Despite many of the home-grown talent leaving, this possibly could just be a part of the Chief’s journey and going through a fallow-period is something that all champions must endure.

Another area of concern is not

only from Chiefs fans but also supporters of the national side. While Sam Simmonds was at the receiving end of constant snubbing from now ex-England Head Coach, Eddie Jones, he had, in recent months, been able to shake this and was becoming a regular fixture in the matchday 23. With Simmonds, Cowan-Dickie and even potentially now Jack Nowell (which could go either way at this point) all being key parts of any England squad, there have been calls to relax the eligibility rules players face to pull on the red rose. Certainly, there is precedent for this, with players now playing overseas — as a result of Wasps’ and Worcester’s respective collapses — still being able to play for England. The most notable example of this is back-rower Jack Willis who currently plays at Toulouse. Another who has also been linked with a Top14 move is England and Northampton lock David Ribbans who is said to be looking at a move to French giants Toulon — a move which Saints have categorically denied.

It is difficult to not have sympathy for a club like Chiefs. Having put significant effort into developing and growing a squad of locally based players, as opposed to Bristol’s style of cash for talent, it seems that the constraints of the salary cap have finally done enough to squeeze the Exeter based club out of the majority of their talent. The salary cap is something that all clubs must contest with but when the Top14 cap is so much higher at around €10 million compared to the Gallagher Premiership’s £5 million (€5.7 million), it raises questions over the sustainability of the talent in the Premiership. While Chiefs may have to build again, the position they do it from is so significantly stronger than where they were 14 years ago. Although it may be tough to take for many Chiefs fans, the structures that exist at Sandy Park have worked outstandingly in the past and will likely do so again at some point in the future — the only question being when rather than if.

SPORT EDITORS: Toby Brisley Rob Worthington

Joshua Hughes Editor

Images: Keiran Moore, RFU Collection/ Getty images, Jack86mkII, Wikimedia Commons