G-You Goes Green - November Edition 2015

YOUR SECURITY MATTERS What would you do if you lost your laptop or phone?

Accidental damage accounts

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43% of students admitted to being

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Source: Endsleigh claims data July 2014-2015

43

%

Source: Endsleigh Student Lifestyle Survey 2015

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Contents

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CO N TE N TS Hello readers,

Welcome to our November edition of G-You, where we’re focusing on the Green Revolution, as a reflection of the Paris Climate Change Conference and EU Week for Waste Reduction, as well as many other events happening throughout Glasgow, the UK and Europe.

Our cover is by Glasgow Uni student, David Stevens, and is a bit of an advert for our upcoming event with G.U.E.S.T. on 26th November - check out the back of the magazine for more details.

If you’re keen to get involved in writing, artwork, photography or design, swing by our weekly open meetings on Mondays at 5.30pm in the GUU. I promise we’re a friendly bunch!

Lucy Keown Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Team: Culture Editor - Anna Ireland News Editor - Hannah Burgess Column Editor - Amy McShane Lifestyle Editor - Kate Whitaker Cover and Graphics Editor - Rachel Bean Website Editor - Terence Aqachmar Photography Editor - Lottie van Grieken

4&5 From the board

6&7 News - Uncharted territory 8&9 lifestyle - vegan dining & eco fashion 10&11 societies spotlight - student volunteers abroad 12&13 culture - best of the bunch: eco films 14&15 review - review: suffragette & Back Catalogue: Leona Lewis 16&17 Column - 10 Day Challenge - carnivore to vegan 18 Pic of the month CONTRIBUTORS: Lottie van Grieken, Anna Ireland, Kate Whitaker, Hannah Burgess, Terence Aqachmar, Amy McShane, Lucy Keown, Bella Borgstein, Simon Tierney, Rachel Bean, David Stevens, Matthew Botez, Natalia Gasiorek, Niamh O’Connor, Imogen Hardman, Cammy Harper If you’d like to contribute in any way, or get in touch, please email: libraries@guu.co.uk, or check us out below; Facebook - /GYoumagazine Twitter - @g_youmagazine Instagram - @gyoumagazine Website - www.gyou.co.uk G - Yo u | N o v e m b e r E d i t i o n 2 0 1 5

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Fr om the Boar d

Hello G-You readers!

It has been one of the busiest months ever here at the GUU, but it is only going to get better from here on in... The opening of the HIVE nightclub has been a renowned success, and as it once again becomes integrated as part of University life we look towards the festive season which can only mean one thing – D*** F***** (or Daft Friday as it’s more commonly known).

Personally, this is my favourite time of year, and having been part of the ‘DF’ preparations for the last three years I can honestly say there is no other spectacle or Christmas send-off quite like it!

Daft Friday is now in its 107th year, and as Glasgow University Union’s longest running event it dates back to before GUU’s old castle-like building even existed.

It began in 1909 when James Bridie, the Honorary Secretary of the time and later a distinguished author and playwright, found himself rather bored and restless. He demanded entertainment in the form of a concert. The President of the Union dragged a piano into the basement level committee room and they started to sing.

By 5pm that day the party was in full swing as more students

joined them and the concert went on uninterrupted into the wee hours of Saturday morning.

Daft Friday has continued to grow year after year and now

“Daft Friday... There is no other spectacle or Christmas send-off quite like it” sees incredible live acts grace the Debates Chamber stage – past acts including CHVRCHES, Bombay Bicycle Club, Frightened Rabbit, Newton Faulkner and Arcade Fire – a swing band, a ceilidh band, a casino, a cappella singing from our good pals ‘Choral Stimulation’ and even a laser tag arena! All this fantastic entertainment is packed in throughout the entirety of the GUU building which is constructed and painted to a top secret theme.

Since September a committee of insanely talented students have been building and painting artwork and scenery, so that Daft Friday is special and unlike any event you have ever seen before.

It is this and much, much more that makes Daft Friday live long in the memory - but with the extension opening it means there

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is more room for entertainment than ever before. Tickets are on sale NOW so don’t miss out and be part of the biggest and best Daft Friday EVER! There’s also the opportunity, every September in our committee fair, to become a member of the Daft Friday Committee.

This committee is responsible for the building and painting of all the artwork and decorations at DF, working from the start of term to make it the best and most unique event you will ever attend, and improving on this year after year. We’re always looking for new people, so if you fancy yourself the new da Vinci, or you’re handy with a hammer and nails (or even if you just want to get involved), have a look out for applications in September!

If you would like more details on the history of Daft Friday or even a look at some of the past artwork you can do so by visiting: https://daftfriday.wordpress. com/ Simon Tierney Honorary Secretary honsec@guu.co.uk

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F RO M T HE B OAR D

SIMON TIERNEY

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News

UN C HARTE D TE R R I TO RY

HANNAH BURGESS The refugee crisis burst onto our TV screens and filled all manner of journalistic publication over the summer but has received far less attention over the past few weeks.

This is not to say that because we don’t see these images daily that problem doesn’t still exist. This is an ever evolving issue. This week it has been revealed that 230 million children worldwide grow up in a warzone, a staggering 1 in 10 children. As I can honestly say that not once have I woken up fearing for my life, I can’t comprehend how this must feel. Memories of sleepless nights centre around birthdays and christmases, the crucial difference being my alert state was down to excitement and anticipation, not terror and fear.

It took the tragic image of a toddler washed like a piece of driftwood onto a Mediterranean beach, where many of us have enjoyed summer holidays, to truly shame the West into taking action and demanding that refugees are welcome. This city was no exception; perhaps after all, people do make Glasgow.

The responses of European states have varied massively none more

so than the reactions of the UK and Germany. This is, for everybody, uncharted territory, for those who step onto the flimsiest craft to cross open water to an unknown future and for those who work out how best to help them.

board a dangerous looking boat into the unknown, we must question what the most appropriate response is.

Britain has long been a migrant’s paradise with cradle to grave care and financial welfare payouts.

David Cameron has pledged to resettle 20,000 refugees from Syria and its borders within the United Kingdom in the next four years in order to ‘fulfil its moral responsibility to help.’ 20,000 people in context is double the population of Fort William. Impressive right?

Is it as impressive when you consider there are more students at this very university? One would have to conclude not.

Germany on the other hand was, until very recently, viewed as the cold-hearted economic giant of Europe thriving under its headmistress-like Chancellor, Angela Merkel. With the crisis worsening, Merkel threw open the doors of Germany to refugees. As scheduled trains of migrants arrived from the East, German citizens lined the streets, some with gifts and the vast majority cheering in their welcome of the bedraggled and weary travellers who stepped from the train’s carriages. Undoubtedly a better response than that of our own government, I’m sure you’ll agree.

When you do the arithmetic this equates to 12 people a day over the course of this parliament, seriously unimpressive. No big deal you may say. With Green MP Caroline Lucas condemning this as a ‘pitifully small’ gesture and Maurice Wren, CEO of the Refugee Council pointing out that this announcement will do little to help those who are now waiting to

Or is it? British broadsheets have this week brought our attention to the situation of natives of the village of Sumte in Lower Saxony.

This community of 102 has been ordered to help 750 migrants increasing its population by over 700 percent overnight. This figure of 750 had been reduced from initial demands to house 1000.

For a town which lines one main

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News street, with no shop, no school and importantly no police station it is little surprise that citizens are far from happy about the realities which continue to unfold around them.

By opening its doors without real restriction Germany is beginning to crack under the weight of only some of the 800,000 migrants expected by Merkel this year.

Neo-Nazis continue to engage in violent protest throughout the country. There are national shortages of teachers and police officers. Clashes between residents, arising from petty matters, are rife.

The German people are now suffering alongside the refugees they want to help.

Maybe the real crisis here is the failure of the EU to act together, enforcing a universal policy of integration relative to the population numbers of each member state.

If each member state pledged to take even take 1% of their own own population number in migrants, would we be facing such a crisis now?

Another distinction must be drawn between refugees and economic migrants. Those trying night after night to make it through the Channel Tunnel are already in a country free from persecution and civil war. They are safe from harm but their desire to get to Britain, a place they view as the land of milk and honey, blinds them from this.

That said who am I to judge these

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people? I haven’t even the vaguest comprehension of their position.

Somewhere between the responses of Britain and Germany lies a happy medium; a frontloaded controlled migration of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. A way in which communities can truly welcome and, importantly support those whose lives have been in danger as they arrive in what is, after all, an alien and foreign land.

All of us in their shoes would do everything we could to secure our children’s future. It falls on us to help them in a manner which does not threaten the culture which these refugees have risked so much to be part of.

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Lifestyle

V EGAN DI N I NG : G LAS G OW

RACHEL BEAN In 2013 Glasgow was named the most vegan-friendly city in the UK

by PeTA. There are over twenty restaurants, bars and cafes in Glasgow that serve delicious vegan food that’s affordable and enjoyable for everybody. Here are a few of my favourites, serving unpretentious, honest food, that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. A vegan diet is accessible to everyone. Even if you’re not vegan, reducing the meat and dairy in your diet can be beneficial from an environmental and health perspective. With so many great options in Glasgow, why not give it a try?

and wraps are just a few of the staples of this cool, atmospheric restaurant. The 78 serves a totally vegetarian/vegan menu of the best quality. Better still, it’s only a short walk from the university. I’d recommend going on a Sunday evening, where you can sit by the fire and enjoy live jazz from 9pm. (https://www.facebook.com/ jazzatthe78)

Il Cappuccino - Il Cappuccino is a small cafe on Great Western Road that makes some o f the best sandwiches in Glasgow.

The Vegan Special is simple, filling, and perfect if you’re in a hurry. Moreover, you can find a Our best vegan snacks: selection of organic and affordable ingredients such as vegan pesto Haribo Funny Mix, Jelly Beans, and plenty of peanut butter!

Giant Strawbs and Rainbow Twists Rajous - Not just your ordinary Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate corner shop, Rajous sells a variety (actually most dark chocolate) of delicious homemade vegan curries and a wide selection of Pringles (not all, but original, BBQ, Jordan’s vegan rolls, pies and dips!

Paprika and even the Smokey I could (and did) live off Rajous’ Bacon flavour!) homemade curries, and soon they’ll be back. Extremely good value for Oreo Cookies money, and far better than many Jammy Dodgers Indian restaurants I’ve been to, (Guinness is even vegan too!) these curries are perfect if you’re feeling lazy.

The 78 - A full breakfast, burgers Plus, if you’re thinking about making G - Yo u | N o v e m b e r E d i t i o n 2 0 1 5

the change to a vegan diet, here are some vegan snacks that you will likely find in every food shop in Glasgow. Easy peasy!

Europe’s biggest vegan festival is coming to Glasgow at the start of December. VegFest will take place in the SECC on 5th and 6th of December, hosting over 140 vegan stalls, cookery demos and talks!

There is also: The Flying Duck which does great ‘pub grub.’ They have veganised everything from mac ’n’ cheese to bangers and mash Stereo does cheap, delicious vegan tapas.

Mono. We particularly recommended their vegan pizzas!

Saramago Café in the CCA is great for fancier vegan dining.

Hug and Pint, a new Asianinspired vegan restaurant on Great Western Road!

Roots and Fruits has daily vegan mains, soups and cakes.

Lifestyle

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ECO - FAS H IO N NATALIA GASIOREK The term ‘eco-fashion’ is a bold, blanket statement that covers many important characteristics of sustainable manufacturing. In general, it is to do with the production of fashion in regard to the environment, ethics and sustainability.

How much do you really know about eco-fashion? Not much? Before committing myself to this article, my knowledge of any brands related to green clothing was slim to none.

I don’t usually find myself paying too much attention to how sustainable or environmentally friendly my clothes are. Isn’t it routine to just go to town with your friends, walk around the shops for a couple of hours, buy a few things and go home? You don’t really think about the whole process of what it took to assemble that one piece of clothing, prior to stepping past those big sliding doors that just seem to be calling your name. Interestingly enough, I’ve found eco-fashion to be a vital and progressive part of the fashion world that has slowly been growing in popularity.

Eco-fashion has established itself a large platform, especially with getting its’ message across online.

Social media has also done a lot to expose unethical brands that do not follow the eco friendly ideals. A major example was last year, when cries for help regarding exhausting working conditions were found in the tags of Primark apparel.

Most importantly, I’d like to highlight

some key eco-fashion supporters that are paving the way for all you environmentally conscious shoppers out there. During my infatuated all-night binge, I found some brands and designers from all around the world that are worth paying attention to:

Info: Kowtow simply describe their brand as “Certified fair trade organic clothing that is ethically and sustainably made from seed to garment.” They seek to emphasize the consequences of consumer habits affecting an imbalance in standards of living; these are mainly fuelled by short-changing and the exploitation of labour markets in the third world countries.

More: www.kowtowclothing.com

Info: The goal is to support the local apparel industry in Ghana.

All text i l e s and garments a r e m a d e there, incorporating traditional techniques such and hand dyeing and weaving. Molly Keogh and Maryanna Mathias also provide fair employment for their skilled tailors and artisans in Ghana.

More: www.oseiduro.com

H&M CONCIOUS COLLECTION Origin: Sweden

STELLA MCCARTNEY Origin: England

Info: H&M have adapted sustainable and local fabrics, ethical production and climate awareness.

Who knew a mass produced brand that supplies all around the world could make an effort? It’s refreshing to see a popular fashion label incorporating a more eco-friendly consciousness into their clothing high street, take notice!

More: www.hm.com

Info: Being in the high fashion industry, Stella McCartney has had a large impact on the forefront of embracing eco-friendly fashion. As an animal rights activist, she never uses leather or fur in any of her products and designs. McCartney is also known for her environmentally friendly bag, ‘Falabella’ thanks to many celebrities endorsing her design and ideals.

More: www.stellamccartney.com

KOWTOW Origin: New Zealand

OSEI-DURO Origin: Los Angeles and Ghana

It seems like this ‘eco-fashion’ is the way to go.

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Societies Spotlight

ST U DE N T VO L UN TE E R S AB ROAD ( S VA )

NIAMH O’CONNOR & IMOGEN HARDMAN

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Societies Spotlight Life as SVA: Niamh O’Connor First year is a year most people describe as not really doing an awful lot. Low and behold I wasn’t much different, probably missing more 9am lectures than I would care to admit. I told myself 2nd year would be different, and after a few Facebook creeps a few chats with friends and wee bit of research I found Student Volunteers Abroad.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any reservations to begin with. I’d read articles on the detriments of ‘Volun-tourism’ and ‘GAP YAH’ photos had clogged my instagram for ages. I really wanted to make sure I knew that SVA worked to be sustainable and ethical in practice.

It turned out that SVA was the kind of organisation that I would be happy to volunteer for after learning that their three aims were clear, direct and in line with what I thought volunteering should be about: ‘To work with local organisations on sustainable projects for the relief of poverty.

To promote awareness and education, among students, of the social and environmental issues that affect the developing world.

To promote cultural links and encourage cultural exchange.’

Not only was SVA significantly cheaper in the absence of administration fees, but I also got to meet and work alongside my 10 fellow project volunteers every week before going abroad. I was immersed into a community in Malawi for 10 weeks during the summer and it was one of the most enriching and affirmative life changing experiences I’ve had.

Three years ago if you had told me I would be on the board of a Scottish

Registered Charity, I would have thought you may have had one too many pints. I was project coordinator for the Indonesia project last year and this year I was elected to be the secretary of the charity. SVA grows, develops and learns every year and in the last few years the charity has been making particular leaps and bounds. Finding sustainable projects is always in the forefront of our minds and decisions and this summer we are offering four projects to students, in Kenya, Indonesia, Malawi and Uganda.

We may still make it on to the ‘humanitarians of tinder’ page every now and again, but SVA is an international volunteering charity with a difference. Volunteer your time with us, and be part of the sustainable change SVA has been making since 1998.

Life after SVA: Imogen Hardman I thought volunteering in Malawi with SVA would give me a chance to experience a different culture and meet some new people. I figured it would be a fun way to spend three months before I had to find a ‘proper’ job. In fact it turns out that volunteering in Malawi meant I was able to get the ‘proper’ job that I wanted.

I always knew I wanted to work in the charity sector, but my experiences in Malawi proved invaluable when I left university. I now work for WaterAid, an international development charity who work with some of the world’s poorest communities to provide long lasting clean, safe water and sanitation.

Not only could I draw on the experiences I had in Malawi to answer the interview questions when I went for the job but I also had loads of practical examples of how I had developed new skills whilst I

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volunteered for SVA. My current job is supporter facing and I spend a lot of my day speaking with people from all sorts of backgrounds, having had the experience of meeting and working alongside people from completely different cultures to me in Malawi means this is an easy and enjoyable part of the job. Not only this, but I talk a lot about the projects that WaterAid runs and having seen first-hand the issues that people living in poverty face every day means I am able to bring my personal perspective to these stories.

My time in Malawi was priceless when it came to securing a job in international development. It has opened doors to other amazing opportunities such as travel, other volunteer opportunities and leadership experience that I am certain I wouldn’t have been offered otherwise. Even if I didn’t want to pursue a career in development, living and volunteering in Malawi gave me a whole host of transferable skills that were different from the ones I gained at university and means that now when I fill out a job application, I worry about writing too much rather than not having enough knowledge and skills to fill the page!

Applications for summer 2016 projects are open and you can APPLY online via: www.studentvolunteersabroad.org - deadline 30th November Email: info@studentvolunteersabroad.org with any questions Facebook: www.facebook.com/ studentvolunteersabroad (We are currently in the process of getting Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) placed on our volunteer ’s’ University transcripts)

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Culture

B E ST O F T H E B UN C H : ECO FILMS

ANNA IRELAND We’re feeling particularly environmentally conscious this month and this, combined with the increasingly colder weather and the desire to stay indoors and under at least three layers at all times, feels like the perfect opportunity to examine how exactly the film industry has harnessed eco-power to fuel some of it’s offerings.

There are a host of mildly terrifying films that promise world implosion on the basis of a seemingly innocuous gusts of wind, whilst others offer a softer warning as to the dangers of impacting our climate.

Additionally, there are those delivering a strong social message, using the medium as a wake-up call to ‘innocent’ viewers as to serious environmental problems. Notably, last year’s Blackfish spearheaded an anti-Seaworld campaign to aid the plight of suffering sea creatures, and since there has been a wave (pardon the pun) of documentaries being made available to the mass-market platforms such as Netflix and YouTube. There can be real momentum as a result of these releases, as Blackfish came to show.

Here, we have detailed a selection of fear-inducing, touching and educational to cherry pick your favourites from. Just don’t blame us for a phobia of storms. Or rain. Or snow.

Or any slight environmental shift.

Feature Films The Day After Tomorrow

paleoclimatologist (nope, me neither) Jack Hall, this features a clear lesson on the effects of global warming. As polar ice caps begin to melt rapidly in Antarctica, this causes a huge global shift in climate. We see shots of the State of Liberty submerged, whilst freezing temperatures make anything other than shivering impossible.

Snow, rainfall and huge storms depict a terrifying account of extreme weather; scarily, this one doesn’t feel too far from reality, as people are forced to run from their lives.

Wall.E

Featuring Jake Gyllenhaal as

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In the distant animated future, a small robot roams a waste-covered Earth; his name is Wall.E, and he is designed to clear up this litter covered planet. Heartfelt and touching, a love story emerges between Wall.E and another robot, EVE, as the robots display a whole range of human emotions (wink wink). The vast representation of the destroyed planet they are trying to fix suggests the scale of human destruction, covered by heaps of garbage over centuries.

Culture Meanwhile, humans sit in floating chairs, too fat to be functional. With two sweet and vulnerable characters left to fix their harmful ways,

business, we are informed: ’if you knew the truth, you might not want to eat it.’ The illegality of the industry is juxtaposed with the message conveyed to consumers, with a blind disregard to consumer health and rights in the quest for greed. It is pro-active, too, in its discussion of national policy and the ability for the industry to become health, rather than greed, driven. An eyeopening account, we can question why we in Britain consume the food we do, especially in light of recent big-brand scandals (horsemeat, we’re looking at you).

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Bikes vs. Cars

The Age of Stupid

we are faced with the eye-opening consequences of our wasteful actions.

Documentaries Food Inc. America’s food industry is peeled back here to reveal rotting and greed-driven layers. Examining the industrial food operations of big

Pete Postlewaite is a man living alone in 2055, occupying a world destroyed by enormous climate change. Sydney is burning, London is submerged, and Las Vegas is sheer desert, to name but a few. As an archivist, his task is to keep secure mankind’s surviving art and knowledge, and in looking at archive footage, he questions where it all went wrong. With a focus on global stories from 2008, we follow six people via. documentary footage and news reports, creating a lens with which to witness the foundations of eventual disaster. Switching between fact and fiction, it is cleverly interspersed with animation, interviews and Postlewaite speaking to the camera; it is not an easy watch, but a moving wake up call.

Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten focuses on an socio-political environmental issue in a automobile obsessed generation; the bicycle.

He questions the way that we live and why we live the way that we do; Sao Paolo is a city mostly built to house cars, not people, and he seeks to understand why.

Investigating the global drama of traffic around the world, most of our surfaces enable cars to travel and we become restricted. If this was to change, could we make more use of our space and feel less trapped? He emphasises the fragility of this system: it is not natural, but manmade. As with all these films, it encourages mankind’s sense of responsibility for their actions and makes us question what we take as a reality.

If you have any of your own suggestions or any films that you’d like to review, we’d love to hear from you - email libraries@guu.co.uk!

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Review

R EVI E W : SU F F RAG E T TE MATTHEW BOTEZ Among today’s intense ongoing debates about human rights, there comes a film which captures just how far society has come in the last century, as well as reminding us the reasons we keep fighting for our rights. That film is Suffragette, an engaging, well-made and compelling historical drama, which rises above the limitations of the genre in order to deliver a truly memorable cinematic experience.

The plot is based on a well-known political event in Britain’s history: the women’s suffrage movement, which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. The story, focusing on the efforts of the group of suffragettes to obtain the right to vote, is told through the eyes of Maud Watts, an ordinary middle-class housewife and mother, working as a laundry-woman. At the beginning she does not consider herself a suffragette, but gradually gets drawn to the movement, believing in a better future for women. However, brutal reality seems to contradict her wishes, as the main political figures of the country completely oppose the electoral reform and resort to any form of oppression in order to stop the ‘revolutionary’ ideas from spreading; women are then forced

to go underground and to fight until the very end for their rights, with bravery and determination.

Most of the merit of the movie goes to director Sarah Gavron, who transforms what could have been a rather dry historical documentary, into a work of artistic value, by infusing it with real human drama and thus creating a complex, moving story. The film is quite violent in its depiction of women’s struggles against the system, often being beaten up and imprisoned for resisting the law. The viewer quickly realizes that women not only fight for the right to vote, but also for their personal integrity and familial rights such as protection from abuse by men, and equal shared custody of their children.

Of course a character-driven piece is only as good as the actors playing the characters, and from this point of view the film more than rises to the challenge. Carey Mulligan delivers one of the best performances of her career in the role of Maud, guiding the viewer through all the tragic events and the conflicting emotions of the woman, from confusion in the beginning, to the despair of losing her son, to

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anger against the state and its representatives. Almost as commanding is Helena Boham Carter in the role of pharmacist Edith Ellyn who will not stop at anything – even appealing to extreme measuresto achieve her dream, and Meryl Streep in a short but convincing cameo as the leader of the suffragettes, Emmeline Pankhurst.

The absolutely stunning cinematography and the realistic costumes of the era faithfully recreate the elegant, but also dark and unstable atmosphere in London at the beginning of the 1910s.

Added to this is the soundtrack

by Academy Award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, which draws the viewer into the movie and skillfully glides between calm, understated moments of intimacy and dramatic, tense moments of confrontation and sacrifice.

All in all, Suffragette is not to be missed by fans of period pieces and well-made dramas. With a balanced mix of historical facts and human emotion, it is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and offer you a different perspective on one of the defining political events in history.

Review

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BAC K CATALO GU E : LE O NA LE WI S ANNA IRELAND An artist/actor/comedian brings out new stuff, so we take a look at their older (sometimes better) stuff. Simple.

Leona Lewis, the golden child of the third X Factor series in 2006, rocketed to fame as arguably the show’s first real star. Nine years on, there have been ups, downs, Simon Cowell fall outs and much in between. To give you a wee reminder in anticipation of her new album, ‘I Am’, we take a look at the best and the worst.

Leona Louise Lewis attended the BRIT School of Performing Arts as a youngster, a sure fire route to success with past graduates including Adele and Amy Winehouse. Leaving aged 17 to pursue a career in the showbiz world, between writing songs she worked in a high end pizza restaurant of the Hut variety.

Whilst funding studio sessions, she recorded demo albums but to no avail, despite one of her songs ‘Private Party’ becoming a hit on the underground urban music scene (who’d have thought?). To get her name out there, Leona decided to audition for….

The third series of the X Factor

in 2006, which as yet had failed to produce a memorable winner (remember Steve Brookstein?

Probably not…), saw Leona sail through the early stages with audition song ‘Over the Rainbow’ fasttracking her to the live shows under Simon Cowell’s fearsome wing.

Leona became the show’s Diva; she was queen of the ballads and high notes, and could perform a Whitney classic that was comparable to the lady herself. It seemed her fate was sealed, which was only confirmed as she entered the final opposite quiff-sporting Ray Quinn. Performing with Take That, she wowed the public to receive 60% of the 8 million votes cast, and a £1 million recording contract with Cowell’s label, Syco.

Fast forward 2 years and a Christmas Number One, £5 million American record contract and a number one album later in both the UK and US (the first British artist to do so), and Leona’s star status was confirmed. Singles from the album included the mutually depressing yet extremely catchy ‘Bleeding Love,’ and ‘Footprints in the Sand.’ She performed with Jimmy Page at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing, and in the same year, she

was nominated for 3 Grammys, 4 BRIT awards and won 2 MOBO awards. All hail Queen Leona.

A tour, third album another tour, and then a Christmas album (interestingly ‘Motown-influenced’) proved that there were very few things that Leona couldn’t put her hand to.

She gained 8 top 5 singles, taking the top spot from none other than Olivia Newton John.

Sadly, 2014 saw her star in Walking on Sunshine, potentially the best/ worst film you will see (best on a hangover, worst when you’re in the mood for intelligent viewing).

In June, she announced her departure from Syco, later citing that she “could no longer compromise herself.” Uh oh.

However, signing to Island Records (joining Drake and Nicki Minaj, no biggie) has seen 2015 look like a promising year. In April she announced that ‘Fire Under My Feet’ (already racked up nearly 3 million views on YouTube) would be the lead single from 5th album, ‘I Am’ (released 11 September) and it appeared Leona has well and found her way. Will it live up to her previous offerings? We’ll leave you to be the judge of that.

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Column

1 0 DAY C HAL LE NG E : CAR N IVO R E TO V EGAN

BELLA BORGSTEIN convert, it is clearly becoming not only more acceptable, but much more accessible to everybody.

Veganism is something I once largely associated with animal rights activism and religion; a radical lifestyle step off the precipice of vegetarianism. But, as I discovered in my 10 days of temporary

Buddhists and Hindus do it. Bill Gates, Bryan Adams, my friend Matt, no problemo. Surely, I thought, how hard can it be? I was presently surprised and a little ashamed when I opened my fridge to find that there was absolutely nothing that was not animal product-based…I guessed I was going to start out hungry.

the unappetising-looking vegan date slice from the library café did not bode well for me for the coming days. As I cooked a slightly anxious supper of Lidl insta-roast potatoes, rice and a very unrehearsed curry of all the vegetables and spices I had within hand-reach (canned beans, chillies, tomato purée, green pepper, mustard seed, cumin and cayenne pepper) I sent out apologetic thoughts to whoever had to sit next to me in my lectures the next day.

So I fed my curiosity first by reading up on the different bases for vegan lifestyles and Skyping Matt for culinary inspiration. I was not amused when all he did was warn me about foredooming bowel movements. He found my ignorance on the subject increasingly hilarious and even went as far as to create a Bella Fart Appreciation page on Facebook. That along with

But the next day I rallied. For breakfast I made a delicious and decadent bowl of banana, mango, plum, apple, and orange fruit salad sprinkled with pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds. I realised that as good as my new diet was for blaming my hormonal mood swings on, it was also the perfect excuse for treating myself. Giving some thought and care to what

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Column I would eat, how and when. As soon as I thought this, inspiration popped out of every corner shop and supermarket. Vegan alternatives started to appear before my eyes on the shelves; soy-based sweets, dairy-free pesto, coconut milk, it all seemed exotic but bizarrely basic and cheap. I loaded my fridge up with Peter Rabbit’s dream of veggie patch selection and a fruit bowl that looked like it was from a tropical garden. Even milk-less, strong coffee gave me an especially excitable zang in the mornings.

Coconut oil and avocados became permanent fixtures in my meals. It might sound expensive but actually, at the grocery on Park road with two avocados for a pound, and not spending £4 on a block of cheese or packet of meat, I definitely ended up saving cash. I

entertaining it got to argue the different views on veganism, everybody seemed to have an opinion, it was great! I was never short of a topic of conversation.

By day 7 my GI tract was 100% all back to normal, I felt clearer and healthier than I had in a long time, and that obstinate spot that had inhabited my chin for two weeks?

Poof. Caput. Gone. I acquired a rosy tint to my cheeks, and the whole thing really started to get under my skin. In between refining my culinary expertise, I was exploring all the different motives for being vegan. How different people justify it. Whether it was for the health stamp, or environmental awareness, a protest against the atrocious way that animals are treated, or because it was a trend to follow? Speaking to different people who I knew were vegan I came across a whole spectrum of opinions.

The best thing is there is no right or wrong answer, you make the choice because it is what makes you a happier and more fulfilled individual and it doesn’t matter whether it’s that you are prone to heart disease or have something on factory farming, once as you start to think about one issue, you open your mind to the others.

began treating myself to veganeating out. Tchai Ovna tea den does a mean selection of hummus, babaganoush, falafel and veg curries; enhanced by a phenomenal selection of teas and the vegan oreo cheesecake at Mono is literally the best cheesecake I have ever had in my life. The more I spoke to people, the more

I will admit that chocolate and cheese did begin to gnaw at my resilience. I couldn’t help thinking that I could feel just as healthy if I simply cooked sensibly and thought carefully about what I was buying, maybe cutting down a bit on meats and sugars. What was making me happiest about my experience was the fun and pure satisfaction of cooking great meals and treating myself every now and then to top quality food, albeit just a tad more expensive.

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By my 10th day, I was enjoying the experience so much it naturally extended into a period of two weeks, as I went to more restaurants that I’d wanted to try and tested out a few more recipes. To celebrate my last day we had a wee meal at The 78, watched jazz and treated ourselves to a feast of pitta bread, veggie burgers, quesilladas and sticky toffee pudding and ice cream.

I have to say, I have always liked my meat. Fried egg and bacon in a roll, a good rare peppered steak, honey roast chicken, you name it, I have always been pretty carnivorous. I never would have thought I’d agree to be vegan for a fortnight, let alone consequently consider it as a lifestyle choice. I am not saying that you should be too.

Although I am now back to being averagely omnivorous, I am much more careful and conscientious about what I eat. All I would encourage you to do is think about what you are putting in your body, where it came from and how. Whether it could be a little bit more fun and satisfying to cook your own garlic and herb spiced chips rather than buying them soggy and covered in tasteless cheese from the chippy.

The world is your veggie patch.

Plant some seeds and eat the benefits.

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