InQuire Issue 13.7 (Varsity)

InQuire February 2 2018

Varsity Special Edition

2

News

2017/2018

Print and online editorial contacts: Editor-in-Chief Kiran Saggu

Kent to Strike as Union Rejects Pension Changes

By Bill Bowkett Website News Editor

editor @inquiremedia.co.uk

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Newspaper Editor

Jasper Gilardi newspaper.editor @inquiremedia.co.uk

Website Editor

Sunny Singh

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News

Grace Pocock

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Bill Bowkett

Website News Editor

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Opinion

Jesse Bedayn

Newspaper Opinion Editor

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Maisie Lee

Website Opinion Editor

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Lifestyle

Isabelle Dray-Sharma

Newspaper Lifestyle Editor

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Victoria Rees

Website Lifestyle Editor

oncerns over pay rises awarded to retiring vicechancellors has heightened this week after figures released by the University of Kent revealed that its former Vice-Chancellor was awarded a final pay packet of £324,000, up by 16.1% from £279,000 in 2015-16.

A spokesperson for the University said: “On 1 October 2016 Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow’s annual salary increased from £246,750 per annum to £265,000 per annum in line with the sector average.

She also received an additional payment in lieu of employer pension contribution of £37,258 per year – increased from £34,692 – totalling £302,258.

“The financial statements for 2016/17 show the total remuneration for Dame Julia Goodfellow for the period from 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2017, reflecting two months of payments at the

website.lifestyle@inquiremedia.co.uk

Entertainment

earlier rate and 10 months at the later rate (Oct 16-July 17). The total remuneration during this time was £298,789, including the payment in lieu of employer pension contribution.”

The spokesman also said that the increase in pay was made up of an annual salary increase ‘in line with the [university] sector average’ of just under £20,000, and a one-off bonus of £25,000 to reward her ‘remarkable leadership attributes’: “In July 2017 she received a one-off bonus of £25k. The rationale for this was sustained high performance and a last year in office ‘remarkable for the leadership attributes that had assisted the organisation and its staff to respond with optimism and vigour to the challenges the organisation confronted’.”

News of the final-year increase is likely to revive criticism of the generous arrangements for outgoing vice-chancellors and members of staff across UK Universities.

Back in December 2017, Dame Glynis

Connie Enzler

Newspaper Entertainment Editor

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Georgia Dack

Breakwell, vice chancellor of Bath University, was forced to step down following an outcry over her £468,000 pay package, and in January, students at Southampton University conducted a referendum over the pay of its vice-chancellor, Sir Christopher Snowden.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) has called for “far greater scrutiny” on the pay of University chancellors and staff: “These latest revelations look like further evidence of one rule for the few at the top and another for everyone else.

Picking up massive pay hikes or bonuses as they retire tell the tale of people massively out of touch with reality on campus and in the wider world.”

The Committee of University Chairs, the representative body for the Chairs of UK Universities, last week published new guidance on the pay of vicechancellors. The Committee warned that final year salaries “should not be inflated to boost pension benefits.”

Goodfellow has also been criticised in the past, after it was reported by the UCU in 2016 that she had racked up bills of more than £26,000 on business and first-class travel, which included being given

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Culture

Molly Hope

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Sara Kilian

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Sport

Photo by University of Kent

Gyimah Appointed as University Minister

By Gemma Faithful Writer

James Bayliss

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Caitlin Casey

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university accommodation, valued at £1.15 million.

Alongside her work as ViceChancellor of Kent, Goodfellow previously worked as the President of Universities UK. She currently sits as Chair of the British Science Association.

A spokesperson for the univeristy said: “The University regrets the outcome of the recent University and College Union (UCU) ballot. We have worked hard to bring influence to bear on both Universities UK and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) Trustee to explore options for a better outcome for employees, but we have reluctantly had to accept that the Joint Negotiating Committee have decided that the financial risks involved in the current scheme arrangements are such that radical change is required.

“Whilst we have still to be formally informed of the dates of strike action by the UCU, it is understood that it will comprise 14 days of escalating strikes likely to begin on or around 22 February. This action is designed to cause maximum disruption to our students and harm to their educational experience. The University will take whatever reasonable steps it can to safeguard the interests of our students and hopes that those staff who voted in favour of industrial action will consider very carefully the potential damage before committing to action of any kind.”

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am Gyimah MP has replaced Jo Johnson as the government’s new Universities and Science Minister.

The 41-year-old Conservative MP was part of Theresa May’s January reshuffle, which saw Gyimah replace Jo Johnson, who has since been moved to the Department for Transport as the new Minister of State.

In a Twitter video Gyimah shared his excitement and eagerness of taking on the new role. Gyimah said: “I look forward to listening, reaching out and engaging with all of

you who care so passionately about our world class education system.”.

Gyimah read politics, philosophy and economics at the University of Oxford, and in his spare time worked as the president of the student’s union.

Since 2010, Gymiah has been the MP for East Surrey, and has now promised in an article for ‘The Times Redbox’ that he wants “students to have a voice and be heard in the corridors of power”.

Gyimah has also begun to tour the country’s universities, with the aim of starting conversations with students, lecturers, and vice-chancellors. Among other

topics, the Minister will discuss tuition fees, safe spaces, access to higher education, and the potential effect of Brexit on universities.

He has also highlighted the importance of being able to work with groups like the National Union of Students (NUS), recently tweeting about his plan to meet up with them in the not too distant future.

Gyimah has also been very vocal over the issues surrounding university tuition fees. The newly appointed minister has promised review of English tuition fees and has spoken out against the government’s opposition, calling out at

Jeremy Corbyn and Labour’s plans to scrap tuition fees, in order to win younger voters, is “unrealistic.”

Photo by Wikimedia

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

3

News

Fraser Inglis Union VP Dismissed from Position and Banned from Campus for Gross Misconduct

By Bill Bowkett Website News Editor

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raser Inglis has been dismissed from his role as Kent Union’s Vice-President (Sport), and banned from University campus for gross misconduct.

On Friday 26 January, Inglis was removed after Kent Union’s disciplinary panel found he had engaged in gross misconduct.

He has also been banned from the University of Kent Campuses.

In an email sent to Sport Club Committee members, President Ruth Wilkinson wrote: “Following a comprehensive and thorough investigation conducted over a 6-week period, a Kent Union Disciplinary Panel met last week and concluded that Fraser Inglis should be dismissed for gross misconduct.

The decision to dismiss was not, of course, taken lightly and reflects the extremely serious nature of the matter under investigation. Fraser has been banned from University of Kent

campuses and, as of Friday 26 January 2018, is no longer a Vice-President nor trustee of Kent Union.”

She continues: “We will continue to support you [Sport clubs] to run your sports clubs, so the Vice-President (Sports’) responsibilities have been reallocated between myself as President and Aaron Thompson, Vice-President (Activities). We absolutely want to make sure that the work we do to support sports clubs does not suffer as a result of Fraser’s departure.

On the off-chance that the press get in touch with you about this matter, please avoid comment and refer them onto Kent Union. We recognise this could be a shock and might worry you, please always feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns about this.”

Fraser’s Vice-President profile has been removed from the Kent Union website, and as of now, the Union has said that they will not comment further on the issue.

www.facebook.com/InQuireMedia Photo by Kent Union

@InQuireLive

Wilmott Dixon to Construct New £13.4m Economics Building

By Sunny Singh Website Editor

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illmott Dixon has won a £13.4 million contract to build the University of Kent’s new School of Economics.

The building will replace the Kent Research and Development Centre, which is expected to be demolished by the end of this month.

The construction company previously built the Sibson building, home to Kent Business School and the School of Mathematics.

Plans released by the University show that the

three floor building will span 4,000m2 of land. The ground floor will house an IT suite and several seminar rooms, with the first and second floors containing further teaching and study space, academic offices and meeting rooms.

The company aims to finish the building before the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

The move to open a physical space for the School of Economics is in line with the University’s fifty-year plan for several departments to have their own academic buildings.

The managing director of Willmott Dixon in Kent, has

stated that the company is “delighted to be working once again with the University of Kent, we’ll be bringing our experience of higher education and working in live environments on major hub projects to ensure we create a centrepiece that will provide an excellent learning environment for many generations to come.”

Denise Everitt, the University of Kent’s Chief Operating Officer, has said: “The construction of a new School of Economics building forms part of the ongoing work at the university to continue to provide world-class teaching

and research facilities for staff and students alike.”

Photo by Bill Bowkett

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News

Kent Women Earn 17.5% Less Than Men

By Alejandro Javierre Writer

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ssues surrounding equal pay have been put into question this month, after the University of Kent’s annual Gender Pay Gap Report for 2017 showed a clear difference between the pay of male and female staff, despite the gap decreasing in recent years.

The 2017 report has seen a decrease in the pay gap between men and women by around 2.5%, but women at the University of Kent still earn, on average, 17.5% less than men.

The report was published following Kent’s participation in the 2015 National Equal Pay Audit Initiative, and aimed to set out the university’s gender pay figures, alongside information contextualising the results and outlining what Kent is doing to address the problem.

As of 2017, it has been a requirement for organisations

Photo by Pixabay

with 250 or more employees to publish figures showing their gender pay breakdowns before April 4, with 517 UK businesses making their gender pay gaps public.

The Equal Pay Audit was undertaken during the 2014/15 academic year by the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity team within Human Resources and follows a previous audit agreed in 2008.

The audit was not a legal requirement, but reflects a genuine desire by Kent to discover any pay inequalities, primarily relating to gender. The audit will help the university to understand the cause of unequal pay and to confirm whether any of those inequalities are justifiable, as well as planning any necessary remedial actions.

One of the largest issues brought up regarding the pay gap was its prevalence among senior staff at the university.

Overall, there are now around 500 more general female staff

working at the university, but the pay gap at the most senior levels of the university is still significant. The report claims that this is due to the time taken to complete necessary training and career progression for female staff.

There are growing calls for universities to close the gender pay gap further, however recent studies have warned that it could take up to 40 years for universities across the UK to abolish the gender pay differences by current trend estimates.

Campaigners for women’s rights believe that there is still significant progress needed to ensure equitable pay between men and women across the spectrum of roles in the workplaces, particularly for the most senior positions.

The University of Kent states in their report that, while they acknowledge their gender pay gap disparity is unacceptable, they are working on a range

of initiatives such as revising promotion processes, and encouraging women to apply for professorial vacancies, in order to address the problem.

Alison Ross-Green, Kent’s Director of HR & Organisational Development, comments: “The results reflect the important role of our Salary Review and Promotions Committees, which have focused both on increasing the numbers of female senior staff and ensuring that pay decisions are effectively managed in line with an objective review of performance and individual credentials.

“Although the results of the audit are generally pleasing, we will not be complacent but will work to ensure that the experience and judgement of committee members are more explicitlyreflected in our senior pay structures and policy and that the gender pay gap continues to beaddressed, with a range of initiatives such as the Athena SWAN Charter.”

Former Vice-Chancellor Received £45K Payout

By Bill Bowkett Website News Editor

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oncerns over pay rises awarded to retiring vicechancellors has heightened this week after figures released by the University of Kent revealed that its former Vice-Chancellor was awarded a final pay packet of £324,000, up by 16.1% from £279,000 in 2015-16.

A spokesperson for the University said: “On 1 October 2016 Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow’s annual salary increased from £246,750 per annum to £265,000 per annum in line with the sector average.

She also received an additional payment in lieu of employer pension contribution of £37,258 per year – increased from £34,692 – totalling £302,258.

“The financial statements for 2016/17 show the total

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hakeaway, the selfproclaimed ‘World’s Largest Milkshake Bar Company’, is set to open a store in Canterbury.

The popular milkshake brand closed their Rochester branch on January 28, announcing

remuneration for Dame Julia Goodfellow for the period from 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2017, reflecting two months of payments at the earlier rate and 10 months at the later rate (Oct 16-July 17). The total remuneration during this time was £298,789, including the payment in lieu of employer p e n s i o n contribution.”

T h e spokesman also said that the increase in pay was made up of an annual salary increase ‘in line with the [university] sector average’ of just under £20,000, and a one-

off bonus of £25,000 to reward her ‘remarkable leadership attributes’:

the leadership attributes that had assisted the organisation and its staff to respond with optimism and vigour to the challenges the organisation confronted’.”

News of the final-year increase is likely to revive criticism of the generous arrangements for outgoing v i c e chancellors and members of staff across UK Photo by University of Kent Universities.

“In July 2017 she received Back in December 2017, a one-off bonus of £25k. The Dame Glynis Breakwell, vice rationale for this was sustained chancellor of Bath University, high performance and a last was forced to step down year in office ‘remarkable for following an outcry over

soon after that they will be relocating to Canterbury.

However, it is not yet know where in Canterbury the new store will be.

In a statement posted on Facebook, a representative said: “We will update the Shakeaway Facebook page when the new Canterbury store opens.”

Since its inception in 1999 in Bournemouth, Shakeaway has since developed a devoted following among many fans, with stores open across the country, as well as in the Philippines, Mexico and the USA. The chain offers over 180 flavours and endless

combinations, including ferrero rocher and red velvet. There are also real fruit smoothies and 100% fat free frozen yogurts available.

Photo by Shakeaway

her £468,000 pay package, and in January, students at Southampton University conducted a referendum over the pay of its vice-chancellor, Sir Christopher Snowden.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) has called for “far greater scrutiny” on the pay of University chancellors and staff: “These latest revelations look like further evidence of one rule for the few at the top and another for everyone else.

Picking up massive pay hikes or bonuses as they retire tell the tale of people massively out of touch with reality on campus and in the wider world.”

The Committee of University Chairs, the representative body for the Chairs of UK Universities, last week published new guidance on the pay of vicechancellors. The Committee warned that final year salaries “should not be inflated to boost pension benefits.”

Goodfellow has also been criticised in the past, after it was reported by the UCU in 2016 that she had racked up bills of more than £26,000 on business and first-class travel, which included being given university accommodation, valued at £1.15 million.

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

Two Year Degrees Could Save Students £25k Debt

By Jordan Ifield Writer and Bill Bowkett Website News Editor

S

tudents across the UK will be offered “accelerated” two-year degree courses by 2019, under new plans set out by the UK government.

The degree would be taught in the same manner that it is taught normally, but taught over a shorter space of time.

Students would be expected attend university for 45 weeks across the academic year, rather than 30 weeks, which is currently being offered.

The change will also be taught at a slightly lower cost of £11,000 a year, saving the average student just over £5,000 in tuition fees.

The Department for Education has said that undergraduates opting for shorter courses would save a total of 20% on tuition fees, compared with their peers on traditional three-year degrees. The Office for Fair Access has also said that the plan could help to widen opportunities for future employment.

The government believe that the implementation of two year degrees across the UK would be the solution to counter current fears about the rising level of student debt and also the decline of mature candidates.

The proposal of fast track degrees was part of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, which was passed

by Parliament before the announcement of the snap general election back in April last year.

Former University Minister Jo Johnson said the new Act “has finally enabled us to break the mould of this one-size-fits-all system so students have much more choice over how they learn.”

At the time of writing, this proposal has not been legislated. MPs would need to agree on secondary legislation in order for fees to go up and the proposals to be put forward.

The consultation will run until February 2018 and new fee arrangements are set to be in place by September 2019.

Providers of accelerated degrees claim their students are more engaged in their academic studies and employer feedback suggests that the degrees attract a wider pool of applicants, including mature students

looking to retrain and return to the workplace far quicker than if they were studying for a degree that currently lasts three years.

The Government believe that the two-year degree model could be a much more practical option for mature students and that it will help to restore the declining levels of older students applying for degree programs.

Kent Union President, Ruth Wilkinson, told InQuire that in order to see whether this proposed system would work; “We need to know what this actually looks like and how it will affect all students. At first glance I think it could massively increase access for students with dependents, mature students and other groups who currently struggle to commit and fund a three year degree.”

Students at Kent have reacted to this new government proposal with mixed responses.

Some were encouraged by the idea of bolstering their financial situation, and others more concerned with the stressful environment of university merely being condensed into a shorter time frame.

One student’s view on this matter is Michael Webb, a first year Politics and International Relations undergraduate, who feels that the proposal is “an interesting idea,” but is equally concerned about what this may be for the student experience: “I think it’s an interesting idea.

The proposal could work for

opportunity to find work sooner.

Labour have responded in opposition to the proposal, claiming that it is simply “another plan to raise tuition fees”, and that there is no evidence that “squeezing three years of learning into two will stop the huge drop in parttime students, or lead to better outcomes.”

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said there was no evidence that “squeezing three years of learning into two will stop the huge drop in parttime students or lead to better outcomes.

It seems that every higher education policy from this government comes with another plan to raise tuition fees, with students on part time degrees now facing charges of over £11,000 a year.

With universities facing uncertainty over Brexit, ministers must address concerns like the impact on staff workload before imposing more major changes.”

Further concerns Photo by Pixabay have additionally a selection of students, but been raised about the impact I expect for the majority of shorter courses could have students, it will be too much on universities, such as staff pressure moving straight from contracts, research, and more.

A-level to degree level. Leaving Some universities in the UK home for the first time and currently offer two year degrees, working for 45 weeks is too long including the University of and you will have less time to Buckingham, where they have experience university life and been delivering fast track societies. If the Conservatives courses for over 40 years. want to win young voters, this In addition, some shorter is not a good policy to go with courses are already widely a reduction in tuition fees or available across the UK, return of the maintenance grant including degrees in Law, would be a better proposal.”

Accountancy, and English.

The government will most The government’s plan is to likely benefit from this proposal make degrees more available economically because funding across a range of subjects and university tuition fees would be disciplines. cheaper. However, universities There have been previous would lose out financially. attempts to promote two-year The government also argues degrees by certain groups, but that by reducing time to critics in the past have said that graduate by a yea, student’s will the number of people currently have to pay fewer living costs, taking short courses is “pitiful”, including the maintenance loan. with only 0.2% of students on It will also allow graduates the accelerated courses.

5

News

At a Glance Sir Julian Brazier announces he will not be contesting Canterbury seat at next election Sir Julian, who was first elected in 1987, suffered a narrow defeat to Labour’s Rosie Duffield in May 2017.

Making his announcement, Sir Julian said he wanted to allow the party time to choose a new candidate for the next election, saying “it would be right that baton should be passed on”.

Kent expert to advise House of Commons committee Professor Sarah Vickerstaff has been appointed as a Specialist Advisor by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee.

She will be working on an inquiry considering current policies aimed at helping people extend their working lives and work on issues that affect older people in the workplace, such as age discrimination.

Kent student raises over £15,000 for cleft lip and palate charity Nathan Abbott, a first year Business student, was himself born with a cleft palate and had to undergo almost 30 corrective operations since birth. This inspired him to set up ‘Freestyle 4 Smile’, a fundraising movement to boost awareness of this and raise money for Smile Train.

To date he has raised over £15,000 for the charity from a series of 15-mile openwater swimming events.

Most recently he created an annual open-water race and a high-profile charity gala. Nathan appeared on Sky News back in December to help raise the profile of Smile Train, a charity which provides free facial surgery and comprehensive care to children in developing nations with cleft lip and palate. Since then, Nathan now volunteers as the first UK youth ambassador for Smile Train.

6

Opinion

Government Failing to Govern F

By Matt Nuttal Writer

rom appearing on the Glastonbury main stage, to one of the most improbable election results in recent years, Jeremy Corbyn concluded a summer of political shocks by claiming that Labour was “on the threshold of power”.

This delighted thousands of delegates who flocked to Brighton for the Labour Party Conference in September.

While many supporters celebrated June’s remarkable turnaround for Labour, the tensions that have plagued the party since Jeremy Corbyn was first elected its leader, in 2015, continue to simmer under the surface.

Many MPs have been less vocal in their criticism of Corbyn since he defied expectations in June’s general election. The issue of the party’s position on Brexit continues to be a major grievance for many Labour politicians who campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union

(EU). On the eve of this year’s party conference, a group of Labour politicians and trade union leaders wrote an open letter urging the leadership to advocate staying in both the Single Market and the Customs Union to prevent what they see as the destructive effects of a so-called ‘hard’ Brexit.

Perhaps wary of a less than committed effort by Corbyn to keep the UK in the EU during “This the catastrophic weakness in the Conservative Party can only be exploited if Labour itself is confident in articulating what it sees as the solution to the many challenges posed

by Brexit.” referendum campaign, the growing frustration of his former detractors at a reluctance to commit to a clear vision of the UK’s future relationship with the EU threatens to derail the progress Labour has made.

Differences within the government, on issues such as the terms of any transitional arrangement between the UK and the EU, have highlighted the shortcomings of adopting a vague approach to Brexit.

Furthermore, they have seriously undermined the Prime Minister’s authority and credibility.

Jeremy Corbyn risks making the same mistake if he is unable to pacify those within his ranks who favour an approach that differs more clearly from that of the Conservative Party.

The challenge for Corbyn now is to sustain the momentum and enthusiasm that he believes has put him on the verge of entering 10 Downing Street.

But the prospects of an early election appear to have diminished since June. The embattled Conservative Party is surely not willing to risk running head first into a potentially disastrous leadership contest over the direction of the Brexit negotiations.

Half page advert

Photo by Marc Nozel | Flickr

This catastrophic weakness in the Conservative Party can only be exploited if Labour itself is confident in articulating what it sees as the solution to the many challenges posed by Brexit.

The approach adopted at the Labour Conference, attempting to force the issue off the agenda by failing to stage a debate on the party’s Brexit policy or

holding a vote on Single Market membership, is not the answer.

If Labour is to fulfil its aim of again being the leading party in Westminster and implementing its ambitious programme of reform, it must not shy away from confronting an issue that will undoubtedly leave its mark on the UK economy, politics, and society for years to come.

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

Opinion

Can the Crocodile be Democratic?

By Jesse Bedayn Opinion Editor

O

nly a year ago, western newspaper readers would have considered Emmerson Mnangagwa, The Crocodile, as a key instrument in the despotic regime of Robert Mugabe, but today his image has shifted drastically.

After being fired by Mugabe, the former president of Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa lead the Zanu-PF party in a military coup, stripping Mugabe of the presidency in a bid to stop Grace Mugabe, Robert’s wife, from succeeding her husband.

He is now seen by many as a liberator and has vowed in his first public address to re-invigorate the economy and continue the democratic transition.

Though celebrations have not yet ended over the resignation of Mugabe, many are questioning whether the Crocodile is the right catalyst for change.

Before 2017, Mnangagwa was Mugabe’s right-hand man,

having fought alongisde him in the 1960s Zimbabwean war for independence.

Once Mugabe was elected, Mnangagwa held various positions within his administration; most notable was his role as national security minister in the 1980s. During the 1980s Zimbabwean Civil War, between Mugabe and Zapu opposition leader, Joshua Nkomo, Mnangagwa’s cruel reputation was established.

The army killed thousands of unarmed civilian opposition supporters, then coerced the surviving villagers into dancing on the graves of their slain neighbors’ while chanting proMubage utterances.

Though the Crocodile has downplayed his role significantly, he was the link between Zimbabwe’s intelligence community and military and is said to be one of the founding architects of many of Mugabe’s atrocities.

These heinous acts attributed to Mnangagwa cannot be swept aside too long ago, either.

During the 2008 elections

opposition supporters were again set upon by the military, and a ruthless slaughter ensued.The attack was closely associated with the Crocodile.

His military coup itself did not seemed inspired from prodemocratic sentiment, but from the removal of Mnangagwa from the roster of Mugabe’s successors.

In his latest speech Mnangagwa claimed that his administration will work hard to stifle corruption, saying that they “must shed [the] misbehavours” of the previous administration.

Many of these assumed ‘misbehavours’ were instigated under the alleged authority of Mnagagwa himself, so if his optimistic promises are of chief concern, he should be stepping down.

He has pledged to move forward with the 2018 elections, offering a potential hope of serious change, but until the elections have come and past without meddling or military violence, we should be wary of continued celebration.

Photo by Jesse B. Awalt | Wikimedia

7

Photo by US State Department | Wikimedia

Why Boris wants a Bridge Between the UK and EU

By Jesse Bedayn Opinion Editor

M

ay’s appointment of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary was, as Labour MP Kevin Brennan said: “the most remarkable since the emperor Caligula appointed his horse as a senator.” The role necessitates a friendly, if not benign, relationship with the rest of the world; and Boris in that regard has a lot of ground to cover.

Boris’s unyielding support for Brexit has already antagonized the rest of Europe. His Eurosceptic rhetoric usually includes some ignoble insults, including comparing a unified European Union to Hitler’s and Napoleon’s desire for a new Roman Empire. He seems less qualified than Caligula’s horse.

Because of his poor, personal relation to the EU, it is no surprise that he suggested the construction of a bridge connecting the UK and mainland Europe.

The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, told Europe Radio 1: “His back is against the wall to stand up for the interest of his country, but also to make the relationship with Europe clear.”

Boris started against the wall. It is now his prerogative as Foreign Secretary to pull himself out of the small corner occupied by a peripheral ultraconservative constituency, and attempt to rectify England’s relationship to Europe.

Many have criticized the practicality of a bridge across the channel, aware that it remains one of the most used shipping lanes in the world.

To Boris, the logistics or possibility of the project are of no concern, only the appearance that he is extending a hand to Europe.

The bridge that once connected the UK and EU was burned by the fire Boris lit, he now proposes a physical connection to rectify the role he played in striking the match.

8

‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’

What’s on...

MOLLY’S GAME (15) Sat 3rd - Thurs 8th Feb 2018 HOSTILES (15) Sat 3rd feb 2018 PITCH PERFECT 3 (12A) Tues 6th Feb 2018 A HACKER’S STORY (PG) Thurs 8th Feb 2018 DARKEST HOUR (PG) Fri 9th - Thurs 15th Feb 2018 DUNKIRK & FILMTALK (12A) Sat 10th Feb 2018 BRAD’S STATUS (15) Sun 11th Feb 2018 PADDINGTON 2 (PG) Sun 11th Feb 2018 GET OUT & FILMTALK (15) Tues 13th Feb 2018 THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (15) Fri 16th Feb 2018 ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD (15) Fri 16th - Wed 21st Feb 2018 JANE (PG) Sat 17th Feb 2018 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST SING A LONG (PG) Sun 18th Feb 2018 DOWNSIZING (15) Fri 23rd - Sun 25th Feb 2018 THE POST (12A) Fri 23rd Feb - Thurs 1st March 2018

Prices Full - £8.50 GulbCard Member - £6.50 Senior - £7.50 Registered Disabled - £7.50 Student - £5.30 Student GulbCard Member - £4.30 Unemployed - £7.50

By Dammy Opara Writer ultimately change himself too.

Photo by the Gulbenkian With the least ethical of methods, and the threat he Black Eyed Theatre, in of his research and theory being association with South Hill Park prematurely disclosed, Dr Jekyll presents ‘The Strange Case of Dr opts to experiment on himself. He Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, a timeless tale becomes the brutish and barbaric of humanity struggling to quash and Mr Edward Hyde – a notable polar repress their violent and barbaric opposite from Dr Jekyll. Could this be tendencies. Inspired by Robert Louis the breakthrough that Dr Jekyll was Stevenson’s classic novel, director Nick looking for?

Lane creates the ultimate and original Set in the 19th century, Nick Lane’s physiological thriller, bringing together ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr the known and the unknown to create Hyde’ is the perfect thriller fantasy something fantastical. Our protagonist, with enough tension, twists, turns, well-respected and renowned, Dr and theatrics to have you on the edge Henry Jekyll; a brilliant mind on the of your seat. The production takes you cusp of a huge scientific neurological back to the post-Enlightenment era, discovery that would not only change and plants you in the middle of one and further validate his research, but man’s journey to change his world.

T

‘The Claim’ A

play worth talking about that is currently touring around the UK is The Claim, written by Tim Cowbury and directed by Mark Maughan. On the surface, The Claim is simple. Two refugee admissions officers interview an asylum seeker from the Congo, who lied on his way into the country.

In its presentation, it is very much minimalist. Three actors, one scene, negligible props.

The simplicity of the viewing experience combined with the shortness of the play were effective in keeping everything very much focused.

The crux of the plot centres around the breakdown of communication between ‘Serge’, the refugee, and the officers, credited as ‘A’ and ‘B’. At times, it was a lack of clarity between Serge and A, who acted as translator. At other times, it came as a clash of experience.

It is in this breakdown that the play attempts to convey its questions, and, in part, succeeds in doing so. There is a conscious awkward,

The Broadsheet Boutique called it “a masterful re-telling of the classic gothic novel”, and awarded it a full five out of five stars. The North-West End dubbed it “an excellent production with a fantastically talented and versatile cast”, also awarding a full five stars. While the Independent simply stated, “Lane explores the scientific ideas of the day and the development of neuroscience without it feeling like a foundation lecture in A level psychology.”.

They love it, we love it, you’ll love it.

The production runs for approximately 2 hours and is recommended for audiences of over 11 years old, for further information, please visit www. blackeyedtheatre.co.uk.

By Jack Hsuan Writer uncomfortableness throughout the play, lying in the shadow of the ignorance and mistakes made by A and B. At moments it was funny and, at other times, unsettling, even sinister.

Serge’s comments that he is ‘sorry’ that he does not have a fairy tale story, or A saying that one cannot ‘speak and listen at the same time’, are small reflections of the play as a whole, as Serge’s truth is silenced by the chatty babbling of A or the authoritarian questioning of B. It is clear what the play attempts to do, yet the way it does this is anything but clear. The characters are trapped in a bubble of time, independent from the outside world. Whilst the surrealist technique of making an entire production without any sense of time is, artistically, a triumph – one which deals with such overt themes of racism, displacement, and belongingness could benefit from having a foot in the wider world: a setting beyond that of the confines of the prison cell Serge is kept

Photo by the Gulbenkian

in.

Whilst the play promotes intensity through the minimalist setting, and limited number of characters, it does not consider the scope of the refugee crisis, neither does it showcase the impact of cultural factors on a day-today, prolonged, basis - since there are no days. The play remains an exercise in wordplay, succeeding in being a successful experiment in extremities whilst failing to be the concrete whole the issue demands.

Culture

Friday 29 September 2017

Arts

What’s On West End 2018

By Meg Warwick Writer

By Issey Spurway Writer

1. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie An all brand-new show about a homosexual high school boy who dreams of being a drag queen. There are relatable school sequences, an exploration of teenage issues and innuendoes to keep you laughing for days. The song ‘everybody’s talking bout Jamie’, will be in your head for weeks.

S

omething many women struggle with is lack of confidence. We live in a society that has a seemingly rigid idea of beauty, and if you don’t have the typical features assigned to the word, it can be hard to accept. What is so inspiring about strippers is that they ooze confidence, they choose to reveal themselves despite their

2. The Play That Goes Wrong The title practically speaks for itself – if your one of those audience members who always nit pick the parts of theatre that don’t make sense, then look no further because this play does it for you.

3. Book of Mormon Although its been running for a while, there’s no reason not to indulge in this risky comedy while its still running. With humour that crosses the line, this musical is not for the light hearted or easily offended.

Although, the catchy songs almost make up for the offence…

4. Hamilton This musical needs no introduction and no persuasion. Anyone not living under a rock has heard of this one.

5. 42nd Street Come and see, these dancing feet. Welcome to 42nd street, a musical within a musical about the tough time of post-depression.

Includes glamorous showgirls, quick paced dances and over the top performances. It’s a classic musical that’s worth the watch.

6. Chicago As brilliant as the film is, the musical brings the songs alive due to the incredible chorography. The suggestion that ‘crime gets you in the spotlight’ is questionable, the show exploring the idea of glamorising prison life.

8. The Comedy About a Bank Robbery Bet you’re thinking, I wonder what this is about? Maybe it’s a comedy? Could be about a bank robbery? This play is new and uses physical theatre enhance its humour.

Photo by istock

7. Oscar Wilde Season With classics such as ‘An Ideal Husband’ and ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ showing, Wilde is known for his tongue in cheek, juxtaposing phrases. This is a good one for those who aren’t a fan of songs, but like light-hearted sly humour.

imperfections, something that can be very empowering. Yes, many women strip because they are in a difficult situation and need a way to earn quick money, but what about those that do it because they genuinely love it?

Many strippers work out 3 or 4 times a week so that they are in the best shape they can be. They strive to be the best versions of themselves by eating well and exercising, not just so they will look good in front of their audience, but because they can feel good as a result. They take pride in this aspect of their profession, despite people assuming that all they really do is take off their clothes. Many strippers are intelligent, kind, hardworking people who have chosen an unlikely career path. They ignore society’s stigma and dance because they want to. Despite this, there is dark and dangerous side of stripping, and this is something women should stay away from.

I am in no way promoting the idea that becoming a stripper will solve all your financial problems.

If people are thinking of going into stripping primarily for the money, then maybe they should consider the dark path this could lead them down. Although some

9

Stripping Uncovered people go into it because they feel they have no choice, it is only these that we hear about, and not the ones who do it because they love it. The ‘stereotypical’ stripper is promiscuous, takes drugs and drinks too much alcohol, but like any profession, there will always be a few people who struggle to stay on track.

If you think about what stripping entails, it can be seen as very similar to modelling, which doesn’t have the same stigma attached to it.

Models use their bodies to make money, often posing naked or in underwear.

We often see these images as empowering, on the front of health magazines and on big advertisements. So why is that deemed acceptable, and stripping isn’t? Perhaps some would argue that strippers are mainly used to please men, which can be seen as degrading, especially in a modern world filled with feminist ideals.

But images of models aren’t restricted to women-only viewing, and in a society which is so much more open to strong, healthy women, shouldn’t we building these girls up instead of putting them down?

Although I do believe stripping can be seen in a more positive light, we have to be careful to not completely ignore the negatives associated to it. There is a hidden ‘dark side’ to the profession, which sees bullying amongst girls, inappropriate sexual advances by male clients who believe they have a right to the bodies they are seeing and high levels of drug and alcohol use. For the girls who have become strippers because they have no other choice, relying on substances like drugs and alcohol is the only way to get through the day. Girls are encouraged to come up with an escape plan prior to joining a strip club so that they are always in control, but not everyone

does this, hence why some people spiral and struggle getting out.

I’m not saying that stripping should be seen as a positive thing, but maybe we should learn to ignore the harsh judgements that float around the concept, and try to understand that some people strip because they actually want to. And if people strip because they have no other choice it is unfortunate, but not as common as we think. Ultimately, we shouldn’t be so quick to pass judgement on something just for how it seems on first glance.

Stripping Statistics: • Nearly a third of women working in strip clubs are students - 4% working to fund undergraduate study; 6% were on postgraduate courses and 4% in further education •

The main reasons for entry into stripping by students were...

- the high cost of higher education - the lack of availability of loans and support for vocational courses - the ability to combine stripping work with the demands of educational courses

•

Academics at Leeds University interviewed nearly 200 dancers working in the UK and 29 per cent of them were in some form of education

•

About one in ten strippers are married and 13.5% have kids

•

89% of strippers come from religious homes and 91% are still close with their parents

•

The average earning per night for a stripper is £232

10

Culture

Books

Bon: The Last Highway

by Jesse Fink

By David Houston Writer

Book Releases in 2018

By Rachel Claxton Writer

W

hen the stress of assignments is getting you down, it is important to leave time to relax. A great method of de-stressing is sitting down with a good book, and for that reason I have rounded up the five most exciting literary releases hitting the shelves in 2018…

Photo by Pintrest

Date: 01/11/2017 Title: Bon: The Last Highway Author: Jesse Fink

‘

Bon: The Last Highway’ uncovers the truth behind one of rock n’ rolls most revered frontmen: AC/DC’s Bon Scott. The last years of Bon Scott’s life have remained shrouded in mystery, which has only fuelled the legend of a man who found himself struggling with alcohol, drugs, and a life on the road.

The book tells the uncensored story of a key period in Bon’s life from 1977 until his tragic death on a cold night in London February 19 1980. As the story unfolds we hear details of his from former lovers, close friends, and an array of people who spent time with Bon during the final three years of his life.

The book examines the suspicions many held about his involvement in writing a number of tracks on Back in Black, which the second highest selling album of all time, and one which Bon received no writing credits for.

Jesse Fink is no stranger to researching into the taciturn world of AC/DC. His first book, ‘The Young’s: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC’ tells the uncensored

“Fink triumphs where so many other writers have failed...”

story of the often cold, selfish but determined attitudes of the three brothers who turned AC/DC into the biggest rock band in the world.

In ‘Bon: The Last Highway’, Fink triumphs where so many other writers have failed: managing to separate the legend from the reality, and shedding light on the often uncomfortable truths of a man with very human flaws. If anything is to be marvelled it is the extensive research that it took to illustrate Bon Scott’s life. Fink travelled around the world, meeting up with Bon’s former lovers and close acquaintances, each of whom give first-hand insights into the singer’s life, which helps build a comprehensive and reliable account of how Bon’s final years unfolded. The book pays particular attention to the Bon’s time in the United States, where the band toured extensively in in the late seventies.

Fink unravels one of rock’s oldest and blurriest mysteries.

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas Dystopian fiction has been the genre of the moment since the adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale hit our screens last year, and the trend looks set to continue into 2018 with the release of Red Clocks in March. A frighteningly realistic novel given the current political climate in the US, it envisions an America in which abortion and IVF are illegal, inviting discussion on various feminist topics including the reproductive rights of women.

Still Me by Jojo Moyes.

A slightly lighter read comes in the form of Still Me by acclaimed writer Jojo Moyes, the follow-up to her previous bestsellers Me Before You and After You. The book once again features popular protagonist Lou Clark, who is struggling following her move to New York. Released this month, Still Me is an uplifting, humorous choice for those who loved the earlier books in the trilogy.

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff.

The most anticipated new release this year has to be Fire and Fury, a non-fiction book giving a supposedly accurate glimpse into Trump’s behaviour since the 2016 US election. The book has been flying off the shelves since it was released earlier this month, and is undoubtedly a must read for anyone interested in international politics.

The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman.

Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage was named Waterstones Book of the Year in 2017 and it looks as though its follow-up, The Secret Commonwealth, will be equally popular when it is released in autumn.

Returning to the fantastical world introduced to us in His Dark Materials, it follows the adventures of heroine Lyra, who is now twenty years old.

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse.

Mosse’s historical novel, released in May, promises to be filled with intrigue, war and divided loyalties. Set at the height of the French Wars of Religion, it tells the story of a Catholic girl and a Huguenot convert on a dangerous mission for survival.

Photo by Flickr

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire 11

Science

Culture

3D Printing Paleontology F or anyone who has a keen interest in dinosaurs and has a 3D printer to hand – admittedly, likely a small subset of people – January has provided an opportunity to recreate a little bit of the Early Jurassic period.

Kimberley E.J. Chappelle, a PhD student at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg has made it possible, using computed tomography (CT) methods, to print a little bit of palaeontology in your own home. Her paper: ‘A revised cranial description of Massospondylus carinatus Owen (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) based on computed tomographic scans and a review of cranial characters for basal Sauropodomorpha’ not only goes into much greater detail on the cranial anatomy of the extinct species, but also makes the detais needed to 3D print a model skull of your own freely available to all.

It’s not quite Jurassic Park, Massospondylus is going to stay very much extinct for the time being, but the

findings from the study do allow researchers to understand more about these dinosaurs. Despite Massospondylus being one of the better represented species in the fossil record – including egg clutches, and the oldest fossilised embryos found to date – little is known about them.

What is known is that they lived in what is now South Africa, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe, in the early Jurassic period. They have been discovered frequently in the upper Elliot to lower Clarens Formations. It was not a behemoth of a dinosaur: measuring between 4-6m in length and being not much taller than a human, with a long neck and tail, and a small head in relation to body size. It is likely that it was herbivorous, however there

By Emma Leach Science Correspondant

are currently arguments that the species may have been an omnivore.

CT scans of Massospondylus allow researchers to understand a lot more about this species, including the anatomy of the internal cranium, which had not yet been described despite the

relative abundance of fossil

Photo by Pixabay

specimens available. Understanding the internal structure of the skull can increase understanding of the growth patterns of the species – the specimen used was found to be not fully grown, as the bones of the brain case had not yet fused. Equally, looking at the arrangement and relationship between the bones of the inner ear allow for a further understanding of how the dinosaur may have moved, current theories postulate it was probably bipedal. Further CT scans will likely be carried out in the future on other specimens to help answer these questions. We are certainly a long way from walking with dinosaurs, but with research techniques like this, it is much easier to model what they would have been like, and let our imaginations do the rest.

12

Culture

The

I

t was 1985 and he was eleven years old. “I’ve never taken anyone here.”

That was true, it might seem like a clichéd line to tell someone in order to make them feel special but he didn’t think of it like that. For him it was the truth. He walked towards the tree at a slower pace than usual. That’s because she walked at a slower pace than most other people. They were passing the grave but he didn’t want to talk about that to her. That was just for him.

“It’s really quite far from the house isn’t it?” She wasn’t complaining, she just made an observation. She had half a smile on her face. She spoke at a slightly slower pace than everybody else too.

He wished he could have offered her an arm to help her walk but seeing as she was using both of her hands to keep herself propped up on crutches it was probably best that he kept his useless arms to himself.

“Yes, we don’t actually own the land all the way out this far. Just the house out by the main road but dad says that all this open land might as well be ours because it’s so far to the next person who lives in this area that almost nobody ever comes out here.”

“Ah,” She spoke slowly, but softly, “I see.” Was she interested? She wasn’t interested. It was just a stupid tree. Why would she care that much? And yet, she was out here with him. That’s got to count for something, right?

They carried on without speaking. He loved that they could be silent in each other’s presence without it being awkward.

It took them half an hour to reach the tree from the engraved stone. When they got there she looked around at the field surrounding the tree. Clearly a bit surprised that the tree stood alone in the field in this way. She was standing very close to the tree and looked right up at it. Then, with difficulty, she turned around and walked back. Turning to face the tree again she got a better look at the whole thing.

“It’s a very weird tree.” She remarked.

“Yes, it’s a Japanese Cherry. My dad says that they’re not native to this country. He says that they only grow in bota… botani… these special science gardens at they don’t usually grow in the wild in this country.”

“Huh,” She wanted to ask a question but she didn’t want to seem stupid. He knew she couldn’t sound stupid. “Does that make this tree the only one in this

Friend

country that’s in the wild?” He nodded, that did make sense.

She noticed the swing that was tied to the tree. “Who did that?”

“I did with my dad about three years ago!” He was very proud of the swing.

“It’s a very nice swing. It looks very well made.” He smiled and his face flushed red with pride. He really liked her. She had a lot of friends back at school so the fact that she chooses to hang out with him so much made him very happy.

“I’ve never actually been on a swing.”

“You’ve never been on a swing?” The surprise in his voice was more viscous than honey.

“No,” She seemed to be oddly embarrassed by this admission.

“Why’s that?”

“My parents think that I will hurt myself if I try to go on one. Besides, I can’t swing by myself. I don’t have that much strength in my legs.”

“Why don’t you get on the swings; I can push you?” The thought had just occurred to him and he believed that it was a great idea.

“I’m not really…” She was smiling.

She clearly liked the idea but she was hesitant to it.

her on the swing. How hard should he push? He pushed her softly. Very softly. She barely moved. It was rather pathetic.

“Um, you can push harder than that.”

Yes, he could have. He pushes a lot harder and she goes up into the air. She screams. He immediately catches the swing as it returns and stops it before falling to the ground himself from the force.

“Why did you stop it?”

“I thought you weren’t enjoying it.”

“It was great! Carry on doing that.” He picked himself up from the floor and he pushed her again. She went up and she was both laughing and screaming at the same time. The sound made him happy.

He was happy when he was with her.

He kept pushing her higher and higher just to make her laugh more and more.

But then she slipped. Her arms weren’t as strong as most children’s. She fell to the floor on the way up instead of whilst the swing was in the air. He ran over with a gasp. He fell to his knees to check on her. She sat up and he saw that there was a small cut on her forehead. He got back up. “I’m going to go get my dad!”

“There’s no need,” She smiled softly, “It’s only a small cut.” He walked over to the tree and began to climb it. He went up high enough to pluck a flower from the tree. He went back down and put it in her hair. She went red and mumbled thanks. He felt himself going red too.

He helped her up and they both sat next to each other in silence, watching the clouds roll by. The seat was barely big enough for the two of them and their sides, legs and arms were pressed into the others. He kept his hands on his knees. He really did like her. He could feel himself getting hot. Maybe he shouldn’t have done that thing with the flower. It was a little forwards. He felt awkward and embarrassed. He kept his hands on his knees. And then he felt her fingers brush against his. She put her hand on top of his. His face was so hot by this point he was certain that if he were to put it into a bucket of water it would begin evaporate. But he didn’t move his hand. He liked it there. He didn’t know that she was feeling just as hot and that she liked it there too. The two of them sat there feeling uncomfortable, awkward and a little happy at the same time.

“Why don’t you get on the swings; I can push you?”

By Faiaz Alam Faiaz Alam, an Engineering Student at the University of Kent, is also on the committee for the Creaive Writing Society.

Alongside writing he’s an amateur photographer and takes a keen interest in politics.

“It’s alright; I’ll make sure you don’t hurt yourself.

All you’ve got to do is make sure that you hold on tight and I’ll push the swing.”

She went over to the tree and rested her crutches on the trunk of the tree. She held out her hands towards him whilst leaning on the tree itself. “Can you help me over to the swing?” He hurried over and grabbed both her hands and began guiding her towards the little wooden plank that was suspended off the sturdiest branch on the tree with two thick lengths of rope. Her hands were very soft.

She sat down on the on the swing and gripped on the rope as hard as she could. He positioned herself behind

Do you write fiction or poetry?

Send it to newspaper.culture@ inquiremedia.co.uk to have it published in the next issue!

14

SWIM

Varsity

TEAM

Interview with Robyn Grant, Alex Beynon and Chad Anderson-Grout By James Bayliss, Newspaper Sport Editor

MEET t h e

TEAM Jennie RobertWa t t s - P r e s i d e n t CHAD ANDERSONGROUT MENS C A P TA I N M AG G I E TAY L O R F E M A L E C A P TA I N Rebecca Johnson TREASURER E m i ly McNeilis Secretary Bronte Jenkins Publicity Officer RO BY N GRANT SOCIAL SEC How excited are you about the big event?

Robyn: We are very excited! We look forward to it every year as it gives our swimmers another opportunity to compete on a smaller scale than big scary competitions like BUCS! It’s a great for team morale and a confidence boost before BUCS as we normally win!

How does the preparation for varsity differ to preparation for other events and competitions?

Chad: The preparation is very much the same for our squad as for other competitions such as BUCS, the training is just

more team orientated as varsity is very much a team event!

Are you confident of success going into the competition?

How much do you feel the ‘home advantage’ will help in a competition like this?

Robyn: Yes we are! We haven’t lost swimming at varsity for many years (we’ve won at least the last three), so we feel pretty confident in victory next week! We’ve also seen many new swimmers join us this year, with many smashing PB’s at BUCS, so this is a good confidence boost before Varsity!

Alex: Our event happens on neither UKC nor CCCU campus, as we both swim at pools in town so we start the event on completely level ground!

What does the rivalry with CCCU mean to you?

Chad: We have a fairly friendly rivalry with CCCU swim squad, so it’s a nice event! But we do still want to beat them for the university as this is the only competition in the year that allows the sports teams to show CCCU what we’re made of!

You’re not only performing on the opening day, you’re opening the whole of Varsity; how does this feel?

Alex:: We are really excited to be opening the competition! But would really love more support this year, CCCU supporters often out number Kent and we would love to have more people come down and watch us

(hopefully) win the first event!

After several superb performances at BUCS, expectations of retaining your Canterbury crown must be quite high?

Chad: They are fairly high especially since we are opening Varsity! But we are pretty confident in our squad to deliver a win for Team Kent!

With BUCS just a few weeks away, does varsity come as a distraction or as welcome practise?

Chad: It’s good prep for BUCS and really helps team morale in the lead up to BUCS, so not a distraction at all! It’s also provides extra training for the team in a competition environment.

Come a n d support t he Team at KI NGS M E AD SW I M MIN G P OOL TO op en VAR S IT Y O N Th u rs day 8 FEB RUARY FROM 1 0AM !

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

15

MEET THE DANCE TEAM E m i ly K e a s t - Deanna Raeeza -

President Vice President

S e r a L o o k H o n g - Claudia Hill -

Treasurer Competition Co-ordinator

E m i ly M c N e i l i s - Bronte Jenkins -

Secretary

Publicity Officer

C h l o e M o u l d e n -

Social Sec

T a s h a O ’ D o n n e l l -

Social Sec

Come and support the Team at ELLIOT DANCE HALL from 7pm ON Thursday 8 FEBRUARY How excited are you for the big event?

We are very excited for the big event.

Our competition teams have been training tirelessly in preparation for this battle and we will be out in full force with all our teams competing for the Varsity title.

How does preparation for Varsity differ to preparation for other events and competitions?

The main aspect for our teams for the Varsity competition is stamina. We have a lot of dancers dancing in many different categories with very little time to rest. We have introduced a stretch and tone class that the dancers have been attending alongside their many rehearsals to ensure that their stamina is at the highest level in order to give high energy performances throughout the competition.

about expressing yourself, do you think competing in front of a home crowd at Varsity will help you do this even more?

There is a HUGE advantage with performing in front of your home crowd. This is the year for Kent Dance to make its first mark on Varsity week and being able to prove our worth to our own supporters will give us the encouragement to give everything we’ve got to our performances and leave our hearts on that stage.

What does the rivalry with CCCU mean to you?

The rivalry with CCCU means a lot to us. We have always been aware of each other at other university competitions, feeling the tense Canterbury rivalry and constantly sizing each other up in our attempt to judge who is the better team.

This Varsity opportunity has allowed us to bring this covert rivalry to the surface and finally prove who is the best university dance team in Canterbury.

No distractions, no excuses.

Are you confident of success going into the competition?

All our teams have raised the bar in terms of technique and performance to new heights. Although CCCU have always produced strong competition, the strength of our choreographers in each discipline has been staggering this year and it gives us great confidence in our teams to lead us to victory.

Not only will you be performing for the first time ever at Varsity but you’re performing on the opening day! How exciting is all this and does it bring any extra pressures?

Being new to the competition and performing on the opening day of Varsity is such an honour for us.

Competitions always hold their own pressures; however, we aim to start Varsity with real passion and let our exhilaration resonate through the events to come. We plan to start Varsity as the University of Kent means to go on, with serious fire and a hunger to win.

Dance relies on your own performance rather than adapting to your rivals as in many other sports, how does this affect your mind-set going into a head-to-head competition?

Although dance relies on our own performance to a large extent, we do find ourselves adapting to our rival’s performances. Through watching their performances, we can assess their strengths and weaknesses and ensure that our teams pick up on their downfalls. The nerves, adrenaline and home audience support can all affect our performances and we are confident that our dancers can react to these factors to strengthen their mind-sets and give it the 110% that the University of Kent is known for. Although our routines are set and practised to perfection, it’s all to play for on the day.

Kent DANCE

How much do you feel the ‘home advantage’ will help in a competition like this - Dance is all

Interview with Claudia Hill

By Molly Hope, Newspaper Culture Editor

16

Varsity

THE FIXTURES

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY

Women’s and Men’s Badminton CCCU Sports Centre

9AM 10AM

SATURDAY 10

SUNday 11 FEBRUARY

monday 12 FEBRUARY

tuesday 13 FEBRUARY

Men’s Tennis 2s UKC Tennis Centre Netball 4s CCCU Sports Centre Women’s Volleyball CCCU Sports Centre

11:30aM 12pM

Equestrian Trenley Women’s Football 2s UKC 3GX & Men’s Hockey 2s UKC ASTRO

Women’s Lacrosse UKC 3G

12:30pM

Women’s Cricket 1s St Lawrence

1pM

Men’s Rugby 3s UKC Grass Pitch 1

Netball 3s CCCU Sports Centre

1:45pM

Men’s Cricket 2s St Lawrence

2pM

Men’s Lacrosse UKC 3G

Men’s Volleyball CCCU Sports Centre

2:30pM 3pM

Men’s Hockey 1s UKC ASTRO & Women’s Tennis UKC Tennis

Snow Sports Brentwood

Men’s Football 4s UKC 3GX

Men’sRugby 2s UKC Grass Pitch 2

Netball 3s CCCU Sports Centre

4pM

Men’s Cricket 1s St Lawrence

Women’s Hockey 2s UKC ASTRO

5pM

Women’s Football 1s UKC 3GX

Women’s Basketball CCCU Sports Centre

6pM 6:30pM

7:30pM

FEBRUARY

Jiu-Jitsu CCCU Sports Centre

Swimming Kingsmead

11AM

7pM

wednesday 14

Netball 1s CCCU Sports Centre & American Football UKC 3GX

Women’s Rugby 1s Canterbury Rugby Club

Men’s Football 3s UKC 3GX Women’s Hockey 1s UKC ASTRO & Men’s Tennis UKC Tennis Centre

Cheerleading UKC 3GX

Trampolining UKC Sport Centre

Men’s Basketball CCCU Sports Centre

Dance Eliot Hall Men’s Football 1s UKC 3GX

Men’s Football 2s UKC 3GX

Men’s Rugby 1s Canterbury Rugby Club

tHE VENUES The Pavilion Home of football, tennis, lacrosse and many other sports with a cafe and great views of all pitches including the recently built 3GX.

CCCU Sport Centre A variety of sports such as Jiu-Jitsu, Basketball and Netball will all take part at the away team’s sport centre, head down be part of the noisey neighbours away crowd!

Kingsmead Kent Swim boast a proud Varsity record, and they’ll be looking to add to their success after reaching finals and earning medals at BUCS in November!

Eliot Dance Hall Dance will perform for their first ever appearance at Varsity in Elliot Hall with a series of different routines.

Come and witness history with Dance’s Varsity Debut!

Brentwood Dry Slope Come and support one of the biggest societies on campus as Kent Snow put aside their party mentality to compete in serious competition. Free bus supplied to take our fans!

St Lawrence Both men and women’s cricket will fight it out at St Lawrence indoor cricket club, in one of the county’s favourite sports!

Canterbury Rugby Club It always brings on of the biggest crowds at Varsity, the rugby fixture is always a huge game and crowds are encouraged to come down and support!

Parkwood Park Run Our Athletics team will take part in a run through our very own Parkwood on campus.

BIG Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

VA R S I T Y

M O M E N T S

By Caitlin Casey, Website Sport Editor

Women’s Lacrosse won 31-1 in 2017 Kent Lacrosse dominated Varsity 2017, their teams smashing Christ Church. The Women’s team won with a whopping score of 31-1 to UKC, Christ Church being left behind with only one goal. The Men’s team followed with a tense win with 12-11. Could the lacrosse teams bring it back again this year? Watch them at the Pavilion ground at 12 on Friday the 9th.

Varsity 2018 welcomes Kent Dance for the first time Kent Dance have officially joined the Varsity team. After being unofficially involved with an independent performance last year, the team have officially been entered in Varsity 2018. Catch them on the first night: 8th February at 7pm in UKC Eliot Hall.

Men’s Basketball won for the fourth year in a row During a close match, Men’s Basketball almost lost their streak to CCCU, but managed to grasp back the title with a 63-62 win to Team Kent. Come support basketball in their hopeful fifth year success at 7pm on Saturday the 10th, at CCCU Sports Centre, following the Women’s match at 5pm.

Kent Cheer joined the Varsity team 2017 The game day team for Kent Cheer put on their demonstration against CCCU jets last year. As well as cheering at the side-lines for sports such as Lacrosse, American Football and Rugby, the Cheer team choreographed their own competitive show. Who will win the title this year?

Support the Falconettes and game-day team at the Pavilion on Friday the 9th at 6.30pm.

17

Varsity RUTHERFORD

18

Interview with Tom Seaman, by Harvey McKenzie-Richford

Their

STORY Rutherford Raiders remain the only team to qualify for Varsity 2018, having successfully reached the competition in both 2016 and 2017 as well, winning both fixtures against the CCCU 4th team.

Raiders fought off stiff competition from other Inter College football teams, ultimately finishing top of the ICFL table with 7 wins out of 9, one draw and only one defeat to their name.

Qualifying three times in a row for Varsity is a tremendous achievement, though this years side is much changed from last year. Led by Captain Tom Seaman and his star players, Raiders will be confident of completing a Varsity hattrick against their city rivals.

You can watch the game at the Pavilion, 3GX pitch, at 3:00pm on Monday 12th February.

RAIDERS

How excited are you for thee big event?

Oh, you don’t understand! We worked so hard just before Christmas to finish at the top of the league. AJ (Star player) will back me up, we played the best game we possibly could. It’s so much fun to play against rival teams.

What preparation goes into varsity that perhaps isn’t in others?

I don’t know really. I’ll tell the boys to just play as they normally would. It’s no other game, if we try to change it because it’s a special game or it’s a team we wouldn’t normally play, there’s no point. Preparation will be exactly the same.

How much do you feel the ‘home’ advantage helps you?

How does a hostile away fixture affect performance?

Hopefully it will give us a small advantage! Last year not many people came down so they had the advantage but this year we want to get people down to watch us and support us and hopefully see us get the result for the uni.

What does the rivalry mean to you?

I think most people who go to this uni will know that we just want to beat Christ Church, simple as that. Nobody wants to lose to your rivals. When we play in the league against Rutherford

Tigers or Keynes, we want to beat them because they’re our closest competitors. So for us to play a rival like Christ Church, we just want to absolutely smash them to be honest

You boast a proud varsity record, does that ease the pressure going into the event or does it add to it?

I think so, yeah. But we’re a bit less experienced in terms of our team and for many of them, it’s their first time playing in varsity.

As the more experienced members of the squad we’ll try and ease the pressure on them a little bit.

Does form go out the window going into varsity? Is it simply about who turns up on the day and handles the pressure?

Yeah, I’d say so. At the end of the day it’s not like professional football where we can analyse each other’s teams or anything, so I think it comes down to who turns up on the day and plays better. We lost yesterday but we’re not going to worry about that going into varsity, we’ll just turn up and play our game.

Are you confident of success going into the competition?

Yes, absolutely. We have a good team so we’re definitely confident.

Is there extra pride for you & your team knowing you had to qualify to play varsity?

Yeah, definitely. We’ve proven now that we are the best team three years in a row on this campus. We’ve won the league the past two seasons and finished on top at Christmas so to play varsity for the third successive year, we’ve proved that we’re the best team with the best players.

AJ was top scorer last season and again so far this season. We’ve proven that we’ve got the squad and we’re the best team here.

Does this very much feel like the third trophy in your inter college season?

Yeah. For me, winning this is better than winning the cup.

League is obviously the best one because it’s over a full season of eighteen games. This is better than a cup because you’re playing against a rival university, so it’s a close second.

Raiders have flown the flag for Kent a lot at varsity over the years; does it still mean as much now to represent the uni?

Yeah, definitely. The first year we qualified I didn’t expect it to be as big a game as it was. When I played in the second year I just realised how big and how important the game was and how much bigger it was than any league or cup game on campus.

To ‘fly the flag’ as you say, it actually means quite a lot to us all. There’s no pressure on us but to be able to play in a varsity game, it’s something not many people get to do.

women’s

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

19

VOLLEYBALL Interview with Kate Glendon, Harriett Donovan and Chisanga Taylor,

By Connie Enzler, Newspaper Entertainment Editor

MEET THE VOLLEYBaLL COMMITTEE! Kate glendon - President Rafaela Scharrer - Womens captain CASSANDRA PNG - development captain aina abrahamsen - social sec harriett donovan - secretary beatrice mioccio - treasurer

How excited are you to compete at Varsity?

Kate: I’m really excited, I was unfortunately not able to play last year so I was really upset when I saw all the photos but I’m really excited to experience it for the first time as I know it’s such a big event for the University! Everyone get’s involved, it’s all the sports teams. This year CCCU are in our division for the season so it adds an extra element of rivalry as we’re competing against them for the Championship as well.

Chisanga: Since I got to play Varsity last year I feel really excited, I know it’s going to be a lot of fun with everyone and I just can’t wait to play again.

The beauty of Volleyball is, no matter what the score, there’s always a way back due to the unique scoring system similar to tennis, does that give you control and a calmness before such an important fixture?

Chisanga: To be honest I never think about time when it comes to playing volleyball. I’m just focussed on the score. Game’s can be 50 minutes or three hours, so no time has never been something we think about.

Harriett: Also it does give you the chance to build team comradery if we’re ever losing.

Kate: I prefer having the points system the way it is, because no matter how down you are or how far behind you are you’re never out, and there’s always a way to fight back. I think that we have quite a bit of experience with coming from behind to earn our victories.

Volleyball succeeds highly for both men and women, how much inspiration do you think that both teams take from each other?

Chisanga: I think it helps that we’re not a separate men or women’s society, we’re a whole

so we really try to work together to be the best that we can be as a society.

you, or how would a hostile away crowd affect performance?

Harriett: Also sometimes we have boys and girls practices together which allows us to get to know one another.

Harriett: Whenever we have home games we have familiar faces that come and cheer us on, and we’re used to playing on these courts so we know what we’re doing and it’s familiar to us.

When you win, does it feel like you’ve done your job or do the results of the other teams mean just as much?

Chisanga: Every win counts and every win is bigger as important as the other, that’s how it should be.

Harriett: And we’re always really excited whenever we win, it really brings the spirit up.

Kate: When we’re playing we’re only focusing on our own game and what we can do as a team, we’re not really too worried about what the other teams in the division are doing, we just want to go into every game and give it our best, put all our effort in, and we’re going to win as a team and lose as a team.

How much do you feel that the ‘home advantage’ helps

Are you confident of success going into the competition?

Connie: Yes, I think we’ll succeed because we will play our best and enjoy it while we’re doing it. We’re improving as a team throughout our competitions.

Harriett: Our team is very close this year, we’re all good friends which gives us confidence going into it.

Kate: We’ve had a chance to play CCCU already this year and it was a really tight game but we did manage to come out on top, so we know we have an understanding of what we’re coming up against and how we can improve from our last game and take it forward to not only this game but when we play them in the regular season.

20

SNOW

Varsity

KENT

Interview with Felix Trash, Pierce Chalmers and Calvin Pearson By James Bayliss, Newspaper Sport Editor Varsity coming up in the next few weeks, how excited are you for it?

Calvin: I’m so excited. We’ve never lost to Christ Church in our history and we look forward to not losing again this year!

A lot of people won’t necessarily know about how Snow sports compete at Varsity, how does it all work?

Calvin: So essentially two identical slaloms are put up together, and there’s teams of 5 all starting at the same time, and as soon as the first competitor from each team crosses the finish line the second competitor of that team can go, and this continues till everyone gets through. It’s very interesting this way cos Skiing is normally an individual sport, and you can have one really good

racer who wins it for you, but the key here is to have a very good team as a whole.

aspect impact performance compared to just being individually timed?

Felix: If one person falls in your team, the whole team loses the race so there’s a lot at stake.

Calvin: If it were just timings it would probably take the pressure off, but skiing with someone constantly next to you does make it harder.

Pierce: You have your skis and your poles and you have to cross with three of them so if you drop a pole and you finish that still counts but it can’t be less than three.

Pierce: The slalom courses are very close together, so you can have incidences where you accidentally ski into the other path.

So this is very head-to-head.

Do you get a big crowd turn up?

Felix: It’s competitive relay, you’re racing with someone alongside you. So your competitors are in your peripheral vision and you need to try ignore them and focus on yourself.

Calvin: We do usually. A big bus will take both us and CCCU so we get plenty of spectators

How much does the head-to-head

How do you prepare for an event like Varsity?

Calvin: We tend to go training on dry slopes, doing race training at Tunbridge Wells. I’ll set up a course and essentially I’ll talk them through the quickest and safest way to get down.

Felix: You need consistency as well. Not just consistent times but consistently finishing the course as well.

Calvin: Teams are mixed as well, which makes it far more interesting and essentially the best compete no matter what.

Felix: In the past we’ve had majority girls teams, but we compete altogether because it’s simply a question of your skiing technique and nothing else. And we’re very lucky to have Calvin as he’s a qualified ski instructor so he has the

expertise to help everyone.

How much does the rivalry with CCCU mean to you?

Calvin: A lot. I don’t intend on losing at all. I don’t want to be the race captain and see us lose. I like them as people but I do want to win. I look forward to it though!

Pierce: It’s only really a sport rivalry because we go drinking with them afterwards, but when you’re there and about to compete it is different and there’s definitely a sense of rivalry. Because we’ve never lost there’s a lot of pressure on us to maintain that.

Felix: We have a reputation to keep up!

Varsity isn’t just a bit of fun is it?

This is a big deal for you?

Calvin: I could lose every single race this season, as long as I won Varsity I’d be happy. Varsity means that much more.

It’s one of the main points of the whole season that I look forward to! I prepare for it and I want to win it, losing isn’t a possibility.

Tell us about some of your upcoming events!

Felix: We just finished a hugely successful tour! We’ve got another tour coming up, smaller trip at Easter of 50 students! We leave on the evening of the last day of term so you pack your bag and head straight away. You can start buying tickets from Friday 1st February.

A Message From The President, Felix: “Your readers may have seen we just announced that we will be going to Val Thorens for our Easter Ski Trip! It’s the highest ski resort in Europe and it opens out onto the largest ski area in the world so the skiing is sure to be amazing! We are expecting a 24hr sellout so check out the Kent Snow Facebook page for information on how to book if you’r interested! It also has an amazing underground club so it’s sure to be a boozy one!”

22

Lifestyle

Life

New Years: Rethinking Resolutions

By Julio Santiago Writer

I

f you had ‘new year, new me’ as your Facebook status, odds are you were deleted from my friends list. It’s entirely probable that you had the same status last year. And the year before.

Did you change? Maybe a little. Did you achieve the kind of change you set out to achieve? Probably not. Here’s where you went wrong, and what you can do to live up to your resolutions.

The goals are too big

You want to be happier. You want to be healthier. You want to work better.

You want to achieve more. You want to make new friends. You want this year to just be better.

The goals we set ourselves are, more often than not, too big or too vague. They can’t be achieved, and we tell ourselves we’ve failed. We lose motivation, and end up giving up on our goals altogether.

Your entire life, you’ve been told to dream big. There are millions of YouTube videos dedicated to motivating you to reach for the stars - what they don’t tell you is that you have to ricochet off asteroids and comets to get there.

But these are the goals you should be aiming for.

Make a list of those big, vague, aspirations and dreams you have in life. From these, choose three. You’re going to work towards them as the year

progresses.

Now, break the big tasks down.

Want to be healthier? Great. Ask yourself: how do I achieve this? The answer lies in your diet, and your exercise routine, so base your sub-goals around these. Want to be lean? Maybe set a daily macro an exercise plan goal, and do a tally for every day you achieve it.

This idea of breaking down your big goals into smaller chunks is a proven method to keep motivated. When we achieve something, we’re more likely to stick to it. All these smaller chunks will allow you to measure your progress towards the bigger goal.

a six-pack? Six months is the average time to achieve it before you have to maintain it. If your aim is to become a homeowner a deposit might take a few years of saving, rather than just one.

Don’t feel like you’re restricted to a year when you make your resolutions, and don’t be disheartened if you don’t achieve them in that year – as long as you’re actively working towards your targets that’s all that matters.

“If you had ‘new year, new me’ as your Facebook status, odds are you were deleted from my friends.”

The deadline is unrealistic

What can you actually get done in the finite time of a year? Want to build a house? Great, you can probably finish that. Want to build a city? It takes a tad longer. Your deadline should reflect the magnitude of your goals and subgoals. Do some research. Want

You’re not prepared

Set a structure to achieve your goals and to limit distractions. Leave your trainers out by your bed in the evening, so that when you wake up the flow of your day takes you towards exercising.

Place healthy ingredients at the front of the fridge, rather than closer to the back. Mould your world to make it as easy as possible to achieve what you’d like to achieve.

You just don’t want to be that person

If you consistently find yourself not making any effort to achieve a goal, do you really want to achieve it? Initiate an existential crisis.

We all work towards what makes us happy, or what we think will make us happy. Doubt creeps its way into our everyday lives and manifests itself in demotivation.

Whilst a lot of advice you’ll get is to ignore that doubt, if you consistently find yourself acting against your perceived self-interest – invite it in. Talk to it. Think about what you Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash really want from life, and reassess your goals to suit that purpose.

Vegan for a Month

By Robyn Grant Writer

W

ithin the past few years, regular gym attendance and devotion to health fads have become a popular value of both society and social media. The younger generations have become obsessed with gains, protein and exotic ‘superfoods’. Like a lot of people I have jumped onto one of the most notorious diet and lifestyle choices of them all veganism. However, being vegan is relatively varied; in essence it means you eat only plant-based foods and therefore cut out any meat or dairy from your diet.

There’s often a stigma concerning vegans; that you’re a nature loving, self-righteous person who forces their beliefs (especially regarding Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash meat) on anyone who’s views

differ from their own. Along with most stereotypes, this perception has proved to be exaggerated and inaccurate.

‘Veganuary’ is a movement encouraging awareness of the meat industry and how it affects our world today. It encourages people like me, a meat eater, to try to be vegan for the month of January. The movement discusses how the most effective way to help the planet and lead a healthier and happy life is to live by a plant-based diet. The registered charity’s website states “veganism is one of the most effective choices a person can make to reduce the suffering of animals, help the planet and improve personal health”.

On the 31st December I made the decision to become vegan. Neither the health or environmental benefits were a catalyst for my decision - it was purely because I liked the idea of a challenge.

It’s coming to the end of January and I’ve yet to stray away from the plant-

based diet. Now I bet you’re thinking: I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t cut out cheese, I couldn’t cut out chicken - that’s the normal response when I tell people I’m taking part. If you want the honest truth, it isn’t nearly as hard as you expect. Despite the questionable vegan cheese, the majority of substitutes really do taste the same –some are even better than the original.

Being vegan has provided me with a deeper understanding of the food industry, and where the food in our supermarkets actually comes from.

The vegan community is consistently growing and inspiring more people to join for these reasons. Regardless of the constant public debate over whether you should eat plant-based foods alone, or just cut down on meat and dairy, being vegan is mainly just a personal choice reflecting each individual’s personal story. This year 50,000 people signed up to Veganuary, which is a record.

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

Lifestyle

Style

How to Create a Pinterest-Perfect Room

By Victoria Rees Website Lifestyle Editor

I

t’s a new year, and a new you. One way to embrace your new outlook is to shake up your environment. Why not spruce up your room at university?

What with first term being over, getting back into the swing of things can be difficult, but creating a space around you that is comfortable and serene will help your concentration. Using the latest interior design trends as inspiration, here is how you can implement the most fashionable styles into the comfort of your bedroom.

Scandinavian design has been around for a while, but putting a cool twist on it can update the look. A modern Scandi look can be created by using metallics like brass or rose gold in decorations around your room adding sophistication. Another trademark of Scandinavian design is having tech-free spaces. Obviously, laptops and lamps get in the way of this being practical, but hiding wires and chargers helps to make your space feel clean.

Another new popular interior design style is colour blocking. This look is easy to create, simply buy new bedsheets and posters in a bold colour which packs a punch.

Unfortunately nothing can be done about student accommodation curtains, but one way you can keep uniformity is to book flip: turn your books’ spines inward to prevent multicoloured bookshelves and create a cohesive look – although finding your books may prove difficult.

The inside/outside trend has experienced a renaissance recently.

As well as bringing a pop of colour, having plants in your room increases oxygen levels and generally boosts mood. However, if you can barely look after yourself at university, let alone another living organism, succulents make great house plants as they only require watering every few weeks. If even this is too much maintenance to keep up with, leaf patterns on cushions or ornaments can still bring the outdoors inside.

23

Photo by Shutterstock

Solidarity Wears

By Rachel Marsh Writer

O

n January 7 a host of actors, actresses, musicians and members of the film industry took to the Golden Globes red carpet wearing all black. It wasn’t a symbol of mourning; it was a mass political statement started by 300 women who work in film, television, and theatre to protest sexual harassment, and assault, by powerful people in the entertainment industry.

In the wake of many sexual assault allegations, namely those against Harvey Weinstein – a man who has yet to be charged – there has been a huge cultural awakening in regards to sexual harassment, gender inequality, and the power imbalances that allow such structures to exist.

The Time’s Up website declares that the movement is a “unified call for change from women in entertainment to women Photo by Apartment Therapy everywhere”, with desires to address “the systematic inequality and

Black

injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential.”. Actors and actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Viola Davies, Steve Carrel, and the young cast of Stranger Things all took to the carpet wearing black in protest of such inequalities.

Of course, there isn’t a profound newness to using fashion as a means of protest.

In the 1790s, after the Reign of Terror, a cluster of mainly male Parisian youths appeared, using fashion that enlarged, padded and stretched the body out of proportion. The French christened them ‘Incroyable’, or in English, ‘Incredible’.

This movement later served as the inspiration for the New Romantic style of the 1980s.

In recent years, namely during the 1960s and 1970s, the beret was used as a symbol of the Black Panther movement in a similar way to how a uniform demonstrates one’s affiliation. In 2012, Dame Vivienne Westwood closed the Paralympics with her Climate Revolution campaign in which she wore sheer tights over boxers and a t-shirt with the campaign’s title emblazoned across it. Pink pussy hats have also dominated most pictures of the women’s marches that have taken place internationally since Donald Trump’s inauguration

in 2016.

This isn’t the first time that fashion has been used to make a statement, specifically at awards shows. Actress and political activist Jane Fonda wore an Yves Saint Laurent suit to the Oscars in 1972 so as to bring the focus of her Best Actress award win to the war in Vietnam.

Fonda later commented on her iconic fashion choice, saying “I wore something that made a statement. It was not a time for showy dresses. It was a time for seriousness.” At the 2003 Academy Awards, which fell during the Iraq war, many of those attending wore black, including Nicole Kidman who famously asked, “Why do you come to the Academy Awards when the world is in turmoil?

Because Art is important.”

At the Globes last year actor Lola Kirke, and the writer of ‘Transparent’, Jill Soloway, wore badges with “F%#k Paul Ryan” on them, Paul Ryan is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Fashion has always been used as a means of protest, and in a time when the fashion industry is often dismissed as a material, shallow, reflection of the world’s desire for consumption, the use of clothing as a means by which to infer serious political inclinations demonstrates both its power and its reach.

24

Lifestyle

Travel

A Weekend in: Liverpool

By Amber Bytheway Writer

A

re you in need of a city break away from university, but know it will break the bank to go abroad? Look no further than Liverpool. Never roamed further north than St Albans? The birthplace of The Beatles is more than a good place to start.

Go back to the swinging sixties and see where the Beatlemania began with a quick stop-off pint at The Cavern Club, the birthplace of The Beatles, Cilla Black, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Best bit: it’s free! Continue the tour with a hop-on and hop-off the open tour bus and see everything Liverpool has to offer for just £8 with a ticket that’s valid for 24 hours. And the Peaky Blinderssets you saw weren’t in Birmingham at all, but in Liverpool.

And when you’re on your last legs, it’s

still worth making one last stop to the top of the Radio City Tower to take in the breathtakingly glorious Northern skyline.

There is nothing quite like the stunning waterfront that awaits as you gaze over the River Mersey. Take time to meander around the magnificent Albert Dock which is home to the Tate Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum and The Beatles Story.

Even today, the 18th century historic dockyards continue to be a centrepiece of this vibrant city with many a bar and restaurant to keep you satisfied.

Don’t forget to bring your boarding pass for the Mersey Ferries so you can follow in the footsteps of legends as you sing along in your best Scouse accent to “Ferry ‘cross the Mersey”. With hotel prices as cheap as £33 there’s no doubt that every culture vulture can experience Liverpool.

My Year Abroad

By Georgie Hoffman Writer

T

he University of Kent is one of many universities that offer year-abroad options to students in their third year. Kent has connections with universities in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Many of you may wonder why anyone would ever want to leave our beloved Canterbury for a whole year, let alone one semester, but let me tell you, it’s one hundred percent worth it.

I spent my year at Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts women’s

college in western Massachusetts, less than a quarter of the size of UKC. Needless to say, it was nothing I’d ever experienced before. When I first arrived in South Hadley – or How Sadly as the students call it – I was worried that the year would not live up to my expectations. It turned out to be everything I wanted and more.

The grades from your year abroad do not count towards your degree; instead it’s a pass or fail system, which really takes the pressure off when you’re dealing with jet lag and culture shock. Now, I’m not telling you that this gives you the right to

Photo by Pixabay

slack off, but…it kind of does… just a little bit. But for the more studious among you, the pass or fail system allows you to throw yourself into new subject areas without worrying that your lack of experience. I opted for classes in Islamic Art, American Film, and the History of Journalism, which, in hindsight, might have been trying too many new fgthings at once. But no worries, I passed anyway. So there.

When you’re in a new place for a year you really want to take advantage of everything available to you. This can mean taking courses that aren’t offered at Kent, or it can be signing up to societies you never thought you’d be able to.

You could join an ice hockey team, a mountain climbing club, or learn to horseback ride. Or you could do what I did and learn to tap dance. I don’t know why, it just happened.

Hands down the best part of the year abroad is that it gives you the opportunity to travel. Depending on where you study you can plan trips to parts of the world you never thought you would go. On my

year we took weekend trips to Boston and New York. I spent thanksgiving in Philadelphia, and the winter holidays in Chicago.

And of course, you can’t forget spring break! Picture yourself drinking cocktails out of a coconut on a beach in Cancun. I actually spent spring break snowed in in Boston, but hey at least that was an experience.

During the year abroad I met people from Paris, Moscow, and Amman, all studying at Mount Holyoke. Even though I’m back at Kent now I still feel very connected with the friends I made in America and have plans to visit them soon.

I will admit that the year abroad will put a dent in your bank account, although if you do a full year then you only pay 15% of the tuition fees at Kent, which is a total bargain with fees in the States being up to and over $31,000. But all the money you spend on your year abroad is worth it to experience a completely new environment, and make friends with people from around the world.

“It turned out to be everything I wanted and more.”

Photo by Mount Holyoke College

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

25

Lifestyle

Food

Underrated Restaurants in

Canterbury

By Madeleine Warwick Writer

C

anterbury is a city filled with hidden gems; gift shops you stroll past, pubs you don’t notice, and restaurants you didn’t even know existed. I’ve happily stumbled upon three restaurants that are the definition of hidden gems.

Lanna

2 Dover Street, 01227 462876 When it comes to food quality, I don’t think I’ve ever had better Thai food – let it be noted I’ve yet to travel to Thailand. Having dined both in, and out, of the restaurant, I have had two very different, but wonderful, experiences of the restaurant. Eating in is brilliant because you are surrounded by beautiful decor and extremely friendly and helpful staff. Plus, as a student it’s lovely to eat out at an affordable independent restaurant. Having also ordered takeaway from this restaurant, I must confirm that the food quality does not decrease one iota; the food is as delicious in the comfort of your own home as it is within the restaurant, and you don’t need to dig too deep into your student loan to enjoy a lovely meal. Between 12pm and 3pm, Lanna serves eat-in main courses for the reduced price of £6.50 per meal, which is a deal definitely worth taking advantage of! 01227 462876

Poppies Restaurant

52 St. Peters Street, CT1 2BE

I have nothing but praise for Poppies; the food is excellent and well within the Photo by Pexels range of a student budget. It boasts a delicious breakfast and lunch menu, and having had both, both are absolutely lovely. It isn’t high end or fancy, but it’s perfect if you’re meeting someone for a casual catch-up. Having never had a hangover myself, I can’t be a judge, but I imagine that their food is also perfect for curing the troubles caused by a heavy night out. The decor is pretty and quirky, and certainly brightens up an otherwise grey day. On the whole, good, traditionally British cuisine, for an extremely affordable price. 01227 769301

Pinocchio’s 64 Castle Street, CT1 2PY What can I say about this restaurant that will do it justice? I have only been once, but I fully intend to go back when I can. This lovely Italian restaurant was stumbled upon by myself and my family when we were looking for somewhere for dinner back in September. The staff are incredibly friendly, and we even had the chef come out to check on us, which made for a wonderfully personal experience.

We had a main courses of a pizza, and I do remember it being a little beyond the usual stretch of a student’s wallet, but it is definitely a place worth treating yourself to. The food is wonderful, the service impeccable, and the atmosphere extremely friendly and inviting. I felt as though I had somehow stumbled into a restaurant in the middle of Rome. The decor is understated (but pretty) and only adds to the experience. Overall, a lovely place for a meal. 01227 457538 Photo by Pinocchio’s

26

Entertainment

GoldenGlobes

By Margot Aquaro Writer

Film

Star Wars:

2018 Recap The Last Jedi

T

he 75th Golden Globes Annual Awards was very memorable. So many great wins, inspirational speeches, and unforgettable moments. Here are some highlights from this important night for the world of film.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

It was a night of firsts. Aziz Ansari, as the lead in ‘Master of None’, is the first Indian-American actor to win an award for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series-Music or Comedy.

Sterling K. Brown won Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series-Drama, and is the first African American to win in this category. In his speech Brown said he is most grateful “for being seen for who I am, for being appreciated for who I am. And it makes it that much more difficult to dismiss me, or anybody who looks like me.”. This win shows the beginning of the path toward equality and open-mindedness.

Oprah Winfrey won the Cecil B. DeMille Award. It was first won in 1952 by director Cecil B. DeMille, and it recognises outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment (HFPA). Oprah is the first black woman to receive this award, and during her speech she reinforced the importance of one’s truth as the most powerful tool we all have.

Oprah spoke about how the story we are writing today transcends any culture, geography, race, religion politics or work place: “… a new day is on the horizon, [when our] leaders takes us to the time when nobody ever has to say #MeToo again!”

This year’s Golden Globes showed off women’s resilience and power. It was a night of solidarity for women around the world who are joining forces and making their voices heard. The majority of celebrities dressed in black in honour of the Time’s Up movement, which calls on the end for sexual harassment across all industries. Many have honoured this call during their speeches. Seth Meyers, who hosted the Golden Globes, put it this way: “It’s 2018, marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn’t. It’s gonna be a good year!”

Frances McDormand was the winner of Best Performance by an Actress in a Moving Picture-Drama, lead protagonist in ‘Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri’.

Elisabeth Moss, winner of Best Performance by an Actress in a TV series-Drama for her role in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, captivated the audience with her speech: “We no longer live in the blank white spaces on the edge of print or in the gaps between the stories. We are the story in print. We are writing the story ourselves!”

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

By Meg Warwick Writer

T

he franchise that has taken the world by storm has released yet another film, which packs a powerful punch.

The hype of ‘Star Wars’ often revolves around the dream of traveling to a galaxy far, far, away, to the tune of John Williams as you drive your own death star. ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, which came out on 14 December,is no different.

The film opens as usual with the classic score that gets everyone riffled up with excitement. As a sequal to ‘The Force Awakens’, ‘The Last Jedi’ depicts the battle between the Resistance, represented

by Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the First Order, represented by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Aside from the main storyline backstories and arcs

Photo by Pixabay

occur throughout; including Luke Skywalker’s struggle with the force, Rey and Kylo Ren’s relationship, and Finn’s casino adventure. Classic characters from previous ‘Star Wars’ films were featured yet again, such as Poe, Chewbacca, BB8, Finn, Luke Skywalker and Princess Layla. New characters were also introduced, like the snow-dog-like Vulptex, and the mistreated animal Fathiers, who is a combination of a horse, a cat, and a dog.

The film’s cinematography and sound effects worked effectively together. Close-up shots of the huge death star combined with intense sound effects as the camera zoomed away makes the audience feel insignificant compared to the magnitude of the ‘Star Wars’ universe. One scene parallels the contrasting personalities of the ship’s two leaders: Princess Leia, and General Hux. The light saber battle scenes are executed precisely, and contain a continuous circular motif, with members of the Resistance standing in the middle of a circle as the villains surround them, ready to pounce.

A tribute to actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia and passed away before the premier, is shownin the credits.

Overall, ‘The Last Jedi’ combined old characters and new in revisited storylines, and new adventures, to create a thrilling film.

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire 27

TV

Entertainment

New Year, New Binge

By Harriett Donovan Writer

A

ll this talk of new year’s resolutions is making me feel bad about myself.

Don’t try to better yourself for other people; open Netflix, switch on your TV, and simply binge your troubles away.

The world of TV has wonderful new treats to offer, and here are some of the tastiest: The Crown Released on Netflix in November of 2017, the second season of ‘The Crown’ just keeps getting better and better. I spent the holiday season loving every minute of it. The historical drama about

the reign of Queen Elizabeth ll is filled with love, lust, drama, and scandal. It is both entertaining and historically educational. Season three is set to come out towards the end of 2018, with an older cast to replace Claire Foy and Matt Smith as their story goes on.

Riverdale Riverdale is a small town haunted by the murder of a young man. As the plot unfurls, dark and dirty secrets are revealed. The cast includes good looking students and dodgy parents. It is a coming of age series filled with firsts, love, and experimentation. Season two is out on Netflix now.

Black Mirror This is a dystopian science-fiction series that looks into the terrifying future of humanity. Its premise is to predict the future effects of technology on life as we know it. Each episode has a different story with different characters.

It’s a mind-altering and complex series, that has brought eye-opening questions, that people must try to answer.

Blue Planet ‘Blue Planet’ is the BBC nature documentary series on marine life, narrated by the wonderful Sir David Attenborough. It is an incredible picturesque series, which has managed to capture life under the sea beautifully.

It allows people to escape to parts of the world we never knew existed. We are introduced to amazing species of animals that are crucial to our planet’s survival. It is a humbling, colourful series that is truly a must see.

End of the F***ing World This quirky coming of age story deals with mental health, growing up, and sexual harassment. James is a selfdiagnosed psychopath, and Alyssa is moody and charismatic. The two 17-year-olds embark on a crazy road trip to find Alyssa’s father, and instead find themselves in unimaginable danger and adventure.

Best of Black Mirror Season 4

By Annwen Adams Writer

R

eleased on 29 December on Netflix, Charlie Brooker’s ‘Black Mirror’ has returned with six new episodes to satisfy your morbid dystopic dreams.

Since Netflix acquired production and screening rights, all seasons were made available for your binging pleasure, and chances are you’ve already seen all of them. But if you’ve yet to tune-in, the series is a comment on our increasing reliance on technology through it’s exploration of the idea of ‘post-human’.

Controversial issues of sentient technology, hyper-surveillance, and immortality, encourage debate about the real-life implications of modern, and future technology. Despite offering an eclectic mix in each season, many of the episodes feature violence and scenes that are unsuitable for younger or more sensitive audiences. Season four is no exception. So, without further ado, here’s a rundown of my top three

episodes from this season, with no spoilers!

Episode one, ‘USSR Callister’, it is the strongest episode of the season. With a kitsch Star Trek aesthetic, Brooker satirises and pays homage to the TV sci-fi franchise. Borrowing cinematic styles from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘No Man’s Sky’ style video-game tech, it is a carefully crafted mix of science fiction and pop culture. Tapping into the future-fantasy of human and alien cohabitation through creation of seemingly endless virtual realities, Brooker fictionalises the very real creation of Hello Games’s ‘eighteen quintillion planets’ that make up the immersive universe of ‘No Man’s Sky’.

‘USSR Callister’ addresses the realities of online security and gaming addiction; one in ten children is addicted to video-games in South Korea alone.

Unlike many Black Mirror episodes, the technology is scientifically believable.

The episode features stand-out performances from Jimmi Simpson and

Cristin Milioti.

Equally impressive is Maxine Peak’s performance in episode five, ‘Metalhead’. The episode’s soundtrack evokes the same tense uneasiness as Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’, and the artistic monochrome cinematography creates the most stylistically sophisticated episode of the season.

Directed by David Slade, its beauty is matched only by its violence. It also offers an acute critique of the potential implications of hyper-militarisation in the modern robotics industry. It’s a fastpaced run-for-your-life human survival story pitting desire for technology against the basic need for humanity.

Episode four, ‘Hang the DJ’, takes on a lighter tone by celebrating British culture with its careful narrative framing through The Smiths’s indie-rock anthem ‘Panic’. Immersive performances from Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole, famous for his role in ‘Peaky Blinders’, will have you utterly invested in their pursuit to find their ultimate compatible

other as the pair entrust their lives to a self-contained community controlled by dating coach technology. Challenging our reliance on machines to facilitate human interactions, the episode still has some ‘Black Mirror’ cynicism and has been compared to season three’s uplifting ‘San Junipero’. It garnered mixed reviews online since it’s not the most politically engaging episode of the season, but what it lacks in commentary it makes up for in soul. Think ‘The Notebook’ meets ‘The Truman Show’.

With strong political and social undertones, season four maintains the status quo for Black Mirror fans, with many of the seasons offering some hits and some misses, this one is no different. The show appeals to a wide range of tastes from science-fiction, horror,dystopian, and even romance.

Every episode is worth a watch, even if it’s only to see what all the hype is about. Be prepared for fear, fun, and laughter, and you may end up going around saying “monkey needs a hug”.

Photo by Netflix Website

Entertainment Best New Club Songs

28

By Rafaela Scharrer Writer

T

o some, clubbing in Canterbury is tricky. If you are tired of listening to the same old club songs in Cuban, Chemistry, Loft, Venue, and Steinbeck & Shaw, then create your own playlist and throw a house party. Here are some suggestions of songs you can play to show your friends a good time.

‘Vai Malandra’ by Anitta, Mc Zaac, Maejor ft. Tropkillaz & DJ Yuri Martins Anitta is probably the most influential Brazilian singer of the moment. She has brought attention the Brazilian music and culture by partnering up with artists Major Lazer, Maluma, and Alesso. Currently number one in Brazil, ‘Vai Malandra’ has received a lot of attention for its music video portraying the reality of favelas, the Brazilian shantytowns, and the beauty that surrounds them.

‘17’ by MK With a pop electronic sound,

American DJ MK presents ‘17’ as his latest successful club hit. The lyrics are easy to sing along to, and the catchy beat that accompanies it is even better.

‘God’s Plan’ by Drake Drake, as always, brings another banger for the fans. After ‘One Dance’ and ‘Controlla’, the rapper introduces ‘God’s Plan’, a song that came as a surprise to his fans after he had taken some

time off. It broke the single day Spotify and Apple Music streaming records, and will most likely reach number one on the charts.

‘Stranger Things’ by Kygo, OneRepublic Great name to catch the attention of ‘Stranger Things’ fans. Our beloved tropical house artist, Kygo, partners with band OneRepublic, known for ‘Apologize’. The song is most exciting because of the lyrics that relate to the famous TV show, but the typical Kygo rhythm does not disappoint. If not for a party, then the song works great for a good chill session.

‘Corázon’ by Maluma & Nego do Borel Nego do Borel initially produced this song with artist Anitta before Maluma saw an opportunity to create a multi-cultural song. The mix between the two Latin languages, Portuguese and Spanish, reflects the vibrant and cheerful Latino culture.

Don’t worry if you can’t understand the lyrics, just feel the reggaetón and Brazilian

Music

The Hunna Performance Review

Photo by The Hunna website

By Caitlin Casey Website Sport Editor

T

he Hunna is a pop-rock foursome that lingers in the hit indie playlists on Spotify and plays at festivals like Reading & Leeds. They headlined their own tour around the UK in December and January to play their album ‘The 100’ alongside other singles.

I was lucky enough to catch the closing sold-out show at the O2 Brixton, a venue where lead singer Ryan Potter confessed that he and guitarist Dan were “watching our favourite band years ago right here.

We told each other in that moment that we’d be on this f**cking stage one day”.

If you haven’t heard the album, you’ve probably heard ‘She’s Casual’ Photo by pxhere or ‘Bonfire’, which helped them “blow vibes. up like a bonfire”.

‘Helium’ by Sia, David The band chose not to open with one of Guetta, Afrojack their more popular songs though, and instead Following the success of their started with a recent song ‘Summer’, leaving first partnership for ‘Titanium’, some less avid fans lost. Rather than raising Sia and David Guetta get the energy with a well-known hit, they together once again to create strolled on, blasting a long intro with guitar this hit remix of the original riffs and heavy drums and played something song for the movie ‘Fifty only half of the crowd knew.

Shades Darker’. With Afrojack The crowd harmonized when they began to DJ-ing as well, ‘Helium’ sing more popular songs, but it wasn’t until presents beautiful lyrics and a the stage effects hit on the third or fourth great beat that ‘lifts everyone song that the concert felt like it was building up like helium’. into full swing.

In fact, the set and stage lights carried the

show more than the band did; there were three rows of bright laser beams that crisscrossed over the stage, changing colour with the tones of the song. I was fascinated by the lights, they were a simple but effective way to change the mood.

The tour seems muddled, complicating their debut album with an array of new singles they’ve just released. The band dedicated time to ‘Flickin’ Your Hair’, taught us the lyrics to their newest ‘You Don’t Wanna’, and even dramatically walked on to introduce ‘Dare’ with white jackets with the name of the song spelled out in red letters on their backs.

It was hard to work out whether they were celebrating their old album, or making a very early promotion for a new album.

Even with a baffling set list, the atmosphere of the crowd pushed the concert up to the barriers, a rough battle with hundreds of fans trying to make their way to the front. One thing that caught my eye was the lead, Ryan, who laid himself out on the stage like a pack of cards.

Overpowering his bandmates, they stood in his shadow as he ripped out his emotions: swearing and running around the stage driven with adrenaline. He even walked off after the encore, wiping tears from his face. It was hard not to believe his performance.

If there’s one thing to note about this band, it’s the energy they put into their music. With multiple sold-out shows and a big social following, they are up-and-coming.

The music was good, the stage was better, their fans make this evident. They’re a band that believe in themselves, and they make that clear in their performances.

Games

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire 29

Entertainment

Best Boardgames for a Quiet Night game is all about decisions, and it’s different every time.

By Morgana Connor-Bennett Writer

E

very Christmas my parents buy my siblings and I each a board game which we play on boxing day at the table surrounded by drinks and junk food.

It’s my favourite part of Christmas break because I don’t have family time like that any other time of the year. With that, here are my top 5 board games that the entire family can play.

Game of life This game involves four players who make their way around the board while making life choices: whether to go to college or not, what kind of job they will have, and whether or not they will have kids. At the end of the game, the person with the most money is the winner. This

Cluedo This is a mystery game where the aim is to move around the house to find clues to solve the crime.

The winner of the game must solve the murder by placing the right suspect in the right location with the right murder weapon.

Photo by Pixabay

Trivial pursuit The game of random knowledge that you have no use for. The game includes

different categories, and the aim is to complete your circle with all the different pieces by answering questions while making your way to the centre of the board to win. There are questions for adults or kids so that everyone can play.

Timeline The quick and fun way to test your history knowledge. This game is a simple card game all about putting the cards in the right chronological order.

The winner is the person to put all their cards in the correct order first. This game can be played quickly or can take some time depending on how you want to play it.

Pandemic This game is all about teamwork rather than competing against one another. Everyone’s goal is to find vaccines for the four diseases that have been released into the world before the diseases take over completely. This game encourages communication and teamwork.

Across: 1. Arc, 3. Treat, 4. Snake, 5. Tree, 7.

Ripe, 9. Embrace, 12.

Young, 13. Event, 15.

Turkey, 17. Dither, 18.

Lea.

2 8 4 1

Crossword

7

6 4 7

Across 1. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop ___, 1987 Fannie Flagg novel (4) 3. An offer, especially of marriage (8) 9. Ghost in the ___, manga comic first published in 1989 (5) 10. A game played on a lawn with longhandled mallets (7) 11. A counting frame with movable beads (6) 12. Town in Surrey that Sandown Park racecourse was built in (5) 14. In ancient Rome, a body of three to six thousand soldiers (6) 16. The gain resulting from the use of capital (6) 19. Roxanne ___, English actress whose TV series include Hollyoaks (2005-08) (5)

2

6 5 7 6 9 4

3

6

8

21. Any means of curing a disease (6) 24. City in the county of Norfolk in England (7) 25. 2001 animated film featuring the voices of Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz (5) 26. A place where orange trees are cultivated (8) 27. Sir Christopher ___, 17th-18thC English architect (4) Down 1. A hollow round container for liquor (4) 2. 2013 Phoebe Waller-Bridge play first adapted for television in 2014 (7) 4. A niche or alcove (6) 5. An originator of a new enterprise etc.

(7) 6/20. Asian country, the host country of

4

5

6

7

8 7

the 2018 Winter Olympics (5,5) 7. Men and women of letters, the learned (8) 8. Smart __s_, a would-be clever person (4) 13. A large tropical wading bird of a pink colour (8) 15. The initial moves in a game etc. (7) 17. Roger ___, Swiss Grand Slamwinning tennis player (7) 18. Jeffrey ___, English novelist whose works include First Among Equals (1984) (6) 20. See 6 22. Elon ___, founder, CEO and lead designer of SpaceX (4) 23. The stage name of the American musician Aliaume Thiam (4)

Circuit conductor

Smoothtongued

Fun & games

Hauling Degrade machine

Rafter

16

21

Off course

17

Not drunk

Reflect sound

Surpass (someone)

Crude

Chinese pan

22

Citrus fruit

25

Knight's title

Bend down

Foul

Marry Choose

26

Stimulus

Humble

Apiece

23 24

Cat's call

Young swan

18 20

Arrowword Little devil

13

19

Going to all your lectures and seminars can really take its toll. So, take some time to relax, but keep your brain ticking over at the same time with these quick puzzles!

Mind

12

15

Puzzles by Matthew Sapsed

Party

1000 years

11

2

1 5 7 8 2

9

Go first

10

14

3 9 5

1

8 9

2 6 1

2 9 5 1 3 2

Down: 1 Arrange, 2 Cracker, 6 Roebuck, 8 Present, 10 Bag, 11 Ale, 12 You, 14 Tie, 16 Yule, 17 Dear.

1

9

1 2 5 4 7 8 2 3 8 1 9

Sudoku Hard

Last Issues’s Crossword Answers

Sudoku Easy

Entertainment

30

27

Bloodlike colour

Lob

Tree with elastic wood

Friday 2 February 2018 InQuire

31

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