InQuire 18.4

InQuire The University of Kent’s student publication

www.inquiremedia.org

Monday 23 January 2023 | 18.4

Why men should rethink the next time they refer to women as ‘females’

Not Thinkin Thinking g Straight: Straight: Alternati Alt ernative ve Margate Margate

Opinion: Page 8

Culture: Pages 22-23

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effect within the NHS, according to Mike Padgham, who is affiliated with the Independent Care Group. The reality is that these are not the only issues the UK is facing in terms of the health of its population.

The UK’s ageing population is putting an undeniable strain on the NHS, as it attempts to adjust its system in order to meet current needs.

Despite an increase of 34,100 doctors and 44,800 nurses since 2010, an increasingly older population puts a disproportionate burden on the healthcare system. As per the BBC’s research, half of over-65s have two or more health conditions, and this group is responsible for two-thirds of all hospital admissions. If the NHS is to tackle its inability to resolve the backlog it is experiencing post-Covid-19 while also struggling with being understaffed, experts say it must change the ethos of its system entirely. In the weeks up until Christmas, 7% of the 100,000 general and acute beds in England were taken up by individuals in treatment for either Covid-19 or flu. During what has been labelled a ‘twindemic’, a lack of funding for the NHS has become painfully obvious. In their report on health and social care funding projections, The Health Foundation presents a scenario where the NHS resolves its backlog as a result of Covid-19, meets its four-hour A&E waiting time goals, and improves social care. This scenario would require a minimum funding increase of 3.2% annually, and an increase of up to £70 billion by 2030/31. While many on the

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ollowing a prolonged period of issues with the functioning of the NHS, ambulance workers and nurses will go on strike for several days in January, citing a need for pay rises.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has demanded a 19% pay rise, whereas the ambulance workers’ strike comes after 14 health unions backed out of the NHS Pay Review Body which was set up to determine pay for next year.

At the same time, the British Medical Association, which represents doctors, demanded full pay restoration in line with inflation for its junior members.

Since 2008, salaries for junior doctors are estimated to have fallen by 26.1% when adjusted for inflation.

Figures from the General Medical Council show that in 2022, nearly 10,000 doctors left the UK medical workforce. However, the issue is not limited to doctors, as the NHS reported a job vacancy rate of 11.8% (132,139 jobs) as recently as September. The Welsh Labour government sought to end the NHS strikes by offering a one-off payment of around £1000 to all health service staff. The political reaction in England has been somewhat different, with Business Secretary Grant Shapps bringing an ‘anti-strike bill’ which would enforce minimum service levels for key services during strike action.

Firefighters, ambulance staff and rail workers would be among the groups affected by the bill, which stipulates that

a ‘work notice’ could be issued, making it mandatory for certain employees to work on strike days. Ignoring this notice could lead to workers being sacked, with little to no protection for unfair dismissal. Paul Nowak, head of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called the bill ‘undemocratic, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal’ and Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary argued the bill is ‘an attack on human rights and civil liberties’.

While the current planned strike action is mainly focused on improving working conditions, the NHS has been struggling to meet its demand since before Covid-19, pointing to a more endemic crisis. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s New Year’s speech was mainly focused on increasing hospital bed capacity and the amount of people cared for at home, while also improving social care. Sunak’s plan is to increase bed capacity by 7,000 in 2023. In comparison to other European countries, the UK is severely underequipped, with only Sweden having fewer hospital beds per head. In line with Sunak’s reasoning, Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), has also cited a lack of social care as a major reason for the misfunctioning of the NHS. At present, 12,000 to 13,000 (10-12% of all beds) of NHS beds are taken by patients that no longer need care but cannot leave the hospital because they have nowhere to go afterwards. Simultaneously, there are reportedly 165,000 vacancies in the social care sector, which has a knock-on

Image

By Ben van Broeckhuijsen News Writer

ciation

NHS in freefall

left of politics in the UK argue for closer ties to the EU, this situation could leave even the staunchest Brexiteers wondering where the weekly £350 million saved as a result of Brexit, supposedly intended for the NHS, has gone.

A once internationally revered healthcare system has seemingly collapsed under the stress of the pandemic, after having been underfunded for years.

The average response time for a ‘category one’ 999-call (life-threatening emergencies) in December of last year was 10 minutes and 57 seconds, making it the worst month since recordings begun. In that same month, one in three ambulances had to wait for over an hour outside of hospitals to hand over patients. Expressed in clearer numbers: the RCEM estimates that as of January this year, 300 to 500 people are dying every week because of severe delays in

emergency care response times. While the government will be freeing up bed space for those who need critical care and ensuring service levels stay at operational levels, it is evident that the NHS requires more substantial upheaval.

As such, Labour leader Keir Starmer is arguing for a system in which patients can ‘self-refer’ themselves to specialised services within the NHS, such as a physio for backpain. Anita Charlesworth, director of research at the Health Foundation, argues for a bigger overlap between hospital care and care at home, citing the Danish or Dutch healthcare model as a more effective way of dealing with an archaic system. This year has potential to be a turning point for the NHS as a whole, and whatever happens, Sunak’s Tory government’s choices in terms of pay, capacity and system changes will be decisive.

18 further strike days between February and March announced

By Rashida Hassan and Sam Webb Editor-in-Chief and Newspaper Editor

T

he University and College Union (UCU) have announced that over 70,000 staff at 150 universities will undergo further industrial action in disputes over pay, conditions, and attacks on pensions. Kent Union has

indicated that this action is inevitable to be present at the University of Kent.

This strike action will likely include a marking and assessment boycott beginning in April, unless the disputes are settled. This would cover all marking and assessment processes including coursework and examination marking, assessment of fieldwork, exhibits,

practical work, scientific experiments, presentations, posters etc. It also covers assessment-related work such as exam invigilation, processing of marks, distributing scripts, and papers to be marked.

The first of these dates will be Wednesday 1st February, and will coincide with the Trades Union Congress’

(TUC) ‘protect the right to strike day’, where five other workers’ unions have also confirmed they will be joining the day of action against the Conservative government’s plans to introduce strict anti-strike measures. This will include train workers, schoolteachers, and civil servants.

The UCU general secretary Jo Grady

said ‘the clock is now ticking for the sector to produce a deal or be hit with widespread disruption.

Continued on page 3...

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Sam Webb Newspaper Editor newspaper@inquiremedia.org

Gharam Al-Zubi Website Editor website@inquiremedia.org

Ainy Shiyam Head of Marketing & Media media.events@inquiremedia.org

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Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor

By Nathan Collins-Cope News Editor

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iven the political consensus between Labour and the Tories that we must now make the most of Brexit, the debate has moved onto the level of retention of EU laws.

This discourse has been effected by the newly Retained EU Law (Revoke and Reform) Bill 2022-23 currently going through Parliament, which proposes that we the UK should do away with all EU laws (along with the UK law which supports it) by the end of 2023. The bill, sponsored by the hard right and arch-Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg, has been criticised by some as moving at a ‘brutal’ speed in addressing the sheer number of laws, such as those on worker’s rights, environmental regulations on clean air, food standards and aviation safety. It is worried by some that this will bring about greater uncertainty to an economy that is still reeling from a Covid and Brexit aftershock, along with the damage the Ukrainian war continues to do.

The bill would place a ‘sunset’ clause on any remaining EU law, meaning that all EU law would expire by the end of 2023. The acceleration in aims to revoke and reform such laws, seems to come from the Jacob Rees-Mogg and the European Research Group (a hardline Brexiteer group within the Conservative party), who wish to set the post-Brexit norm before the next general election – one which the polls show the Conservatives would lose. ‘We need to settle this by the 2023 deadline otherwise Labour will use this at the next general election and create all sort of stories about how we intend to scrap workplace rights and environmental regulations’ Rees-Mogg told the Financial Times at the close of last year.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told the House of Commons Liaison committee last month that he wanted a review of EU the around 4000 pieces of legislation ‘as quickly as possible’– an

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Rhona Longergan Entertainment Editor

acceleration which the Guardian has reportedly cost Whitehall tens of millions of pounds.

Catherine Barnard, who is a professor of EU law and Employment Law at Cambridge, told the committee reviewing the bill in parliament that the lack of clarity from the government is causing problems. She proposes that the government should release which laws were subject to sunset clauses so those affected in various industries can prepare for what is to come. ‘These laws cover things as fundamental such as gas safety equipment, food safety, what goes in food. The idea that (these laws) are simply turned off (and) manufacturers will simply keep respecting the law, even if no longer required to, is (…) for the birds. Because of course all businesses need to cut costs, and they will not necessarily comply with high standards in the absence of legislation telling them to do so.’

The Trade Union, lawyers and environmentalists are calling for Sunak to scrap the bill. The Trade Union Congress, the RSPB, the Civil Society Alliance and the Wildlife Trusts talked in a joint statement of their concern that

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usin

Rashida Hassan Editor-in-Chief

Conservatives attempt to remove thousands of UK laws

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Meet the team

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‘if passed into law, it could cause significant confusion and disruption for businesses, working people and those seeking to protect the natural environment.

They said the bill would 'automatically sweep away thousands of pieces of legislation, upend decades’ worth of case law, and risk putting the UK in breach of the trade and co-operation agreement with the EU ‘Ministers have yet to explain which laws they intend to retain, to amend or allow to expire. Nor have they explained how government and parliament will cope with the vast amounts of legislation this will involve being rushed through before the end of the year’ Former government lawyer Elenor Duhs, who helped design the initial concept of retention of EU law, said that the plans were completely at odds with the vision of removing EU law with ‘full scrutiny and proper debate.’

Another aim of the bill is to give ministers the power to repeal and replace pre-existing EU law as they ‘consider appropriate’. The argument for this made by those in the Conservative party is based on the idea that the usual method of leaving the between 3000 to 4000 laws for parliament to scrutinise in the established channels (including debates and committee reviews, voting on amendments as well as the bill overall) is relentlessly arduous. The sheer volume of the laws that were passed in the 47 years the UK was part of the EU is portrayed as impractical. Detractors from this view have made the point that this approach is undemocratic and allows the ministers to make arbitrary judgements on the vast swathes of laws.

Image courtesy of UK Parliament

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InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

News

Further industrial action to be taken in February and March Continued from front page...

‘University staff dedicate their lives to education and they want to get back to work, but that will only happen if university vice-chancellors use the vast wealth of the sector to address over a decade of falling pay, rampant insecure employment practices and devastating pension cuts. The choice is theirs.’

Most recently, lecturers at Kent walked out on the 24th, 25th, and 30th November 2022 for the same reasons.

Strikes at the university have become regular occurrences since 2018, and little progress appears to have been made.

This includes a marking and assessment boycott in 2022, which began on March 3rd, and lasted until April 5th.

During this time, lecturers refused to mark or share the results of any assessments were scheduled during this time.

Kent Union Parliament voted not to support this form of industrial action.

With a further 18 days of strikes announced to be held imminently, concern is evident among the student population. InQuire spoke to a second year Law student, who asked to remain anonymous. ‘We as students are not

being adequately compensated for the strain this is having on our education– last year my friends and I were given ‘complimentary good-will hot drinks’ even though we had 5+ lectures can-

celled. It’s a slap in the face really.’

When there was the previous marking and assessment boycott, the University used ‘Senate reserve powers’ to minimise the impact students felt by this

action. This meant that students could still advance with their studies and graduate with a high-quality degree.

Schoolteachers have also announced intentions to strike on March 15th and

16th in what will be the largest shutdown of schools since 2016, affecting 23,400 schools. In England, a majority of 90% of those voting in the ballot for the National Education Union was met.

Image courtesy of Kent Union

Prince Harry promotes the use of psychodelic drugs in mental health exploration

By Sophie Ware News Writer

I

n his new memoir, Prince Harry revealed using mushrooms and ayahuasca to combat his ongoing trauma.

Released on the 10th January of this year, ‘Spare’ has revealed many of the Prince’s affairs, such as the interesting story of him losing his virginity in a field behind a pub to an older woman, and his previous use of psychedelics.

The 30-year-old Duke said the book was penned in an attempt to take control of the narrative around his departure from the Royal family, with the book discussing the difficulties he found existing within an institution, his time in the army, his marriage, and the effect these had on his familial relations. He claimed that psychedelic experiences aided him in processing his trauma that he has faced over the past decades.

After a diagnosis of PTSD, Harry began to periodically use psychedelics such as Psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca for medicinal purposes.

Recent studies show that a compound found in mushrooms may help overcome fears, subsequently breaking the cycle of trauma. Ayahuasca has also been showed to have profound effects on people with clinical depression and

chronic anxiety, under the appropriate supervision. Despite this research, psychedelic therapy is still illegal in the UK. Co-Presidents Nicolette Wilson and Sam Healey and members of the University of Kent Psychedelic Society commented on how Prince Harry speaking about these issues ‘opens up an interesting discussion’. They told InQuire that they ‘hope that Prince Harry being vocal about his experiences will continue to promote serious discussion about the therapeutic use of psychedelics and break the stigma by bringing this into the public eye’. They were clear to mention that they do not advocate the use of drugs, but rather ‘promote discussion’ on psychedelic trauma therapy that is based on data and research.

The Psychedelic Society praised Harry's openness and hope it will ‘break the stigma’ by bringing psychedelic therapy to the public eye.

However, not everyone has reacted positively to Harry's admission of using psychedelics. Retired physician and researcher specialising in the study of alternative drugs, Edzard Ernst told the Daily Mail that this kind of therapy was 'wishful thinking' on the part of the prince. He further argues that Harry is 'trying to justify' his use of drugs.

Studies in recent years have shed light on the link between socioeconomic sta-

tus and drug use. The days of sticking the stigma of drug abuse on the lower classes seem to be coming to a close, with a study from the United States finding that upper-middle-class young adults were two to three times more prone to being diagnosed with an addiction to drugs. From a sample of young adults in the US, 38.5% from the top income percentile had admitted to taking drugs compared to only 20.2% from the bottom quartile. Harry has been maligned as an over-privileged individual with a drug problem by some in the right-wing press. The candid memoir brings to light Harry's battles with mental illness, expressing openly the trauma from the sudden death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry expressed that during his late 20s, he was ‘willing to drink, willing to take drugs’ in an attempt to drown-out the trauma of his mother's death.

Ayahuasca, a plant-based psychedelic has been used as a traditional medicine in many of South American regions. However, the drug is now stirring debates across the rest of the world regarding its health benefits. Observational studies have recorded that the DMT found within ayahuasca may have anxiety reducing properties. Unlike many psychedelics, ayahuasca does

not impair neuropsychological function. A clinical trial found that participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) felt calming benefits. The drug is able to activate areas of the brain which access episodic memory.

A 2015 study showed that prolonged use of the drug could lead to changes in certain areas of the brain. In recent years, more research has been done into the research of ‘magic mushrooms’.

The molecular structure of psilocybin, a compound found within many psychedelics is able to access the central nervous system, which may work as a useful therapeutic treatment for mental illnesses. The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is currently leading the research. Backed by $17 million of funding, they hope to develop new treatments for mental disorders as well as expand the knowledge of psychedelics on healthy individuals.

Image courtesy of Lev Radin

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

4

News Image courtesy of Kent Online

By James Bonthron Climate Correspondent

T

he council’s new plan to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion by 2045 has been lambasted by some.

The council’s plan, which would see Canterbury divided into five different ‘neighbourhoods’ has been touted

by Canterbury City Council to divert traffic from the city centre, improving the lives of residents and visitors. The suggested system will lead to no vehi-

Canterbury Council's controversial plan to reduce city traffic

cle access between zones next to each other except for buses and essential vehicles. The outer ring road will provide the only possible travel between most zones. Each zone under this plan will have a main approach road which will allow access in and out of a zone.

It claims that plans are based on circulation planning principles that have been successful in other authority areas and other European cities.

The plan is designed to improve the quality of life for visitors and residents in the neighbourhoods and urban cen-

tres. It has been designed to reduce unnecessary journeys by car which, it is hoped, will reduce air pollution as well as carbon dioxide levels.

It also plans to improve accessibility for cyclists, pedestrians, and buses, as well as those who require vehicular access to a centre and neighbourhood destination. It is expected that the outer ring road will allow motor vehicles to use it and the existing current ring road to be downgraded, creating the space for buses and bicycles. It is predicted that this will improve journey times and congestion in local neighbourhoods as well as improving local air quality.

Despite this, the plan has received considerable backlash from residents, with Kent Online reporting that residents have deemed it ‘an absolute joke’. he plan has also courted national attention in the form of a Spectator opinion piece from Ron Liddle who branded the plan as ‘a kind of fascistic restriction’ on Canterbury residents. The piece was defended by Ben-Fitter Harding, leader of Canterbury City Council, despite fierce backlash from Canterbury residents. Kent Online reported that he said: ‘I think we can safely say that not only is Mr Liddle's article inaccurate and irrelevant but that it also offers

nothing to the people of Canterbury district or the wider debate of how we plan for the future of our cities, towns and villages across the country.’

This comes at a time when the UK government has announced that England will meet the World Health Organization’s 2005 particle pollution targets by 2040. This comes after a new health study found that those living in an area worse than the 2040 target has a 20% increase in having multiple long-term illnesses.

An estimated 4.2 million people a year die globally from air pollution, and i t reduces life expectancy, as well as increasing the global burden of diseases. Research carried out in Canterbury used monitors placed near level crossings in St Dunstans and St Stephens in order to measure background levels of air pollution and levels of air noise. It was found that air pollution exceeded the national and

EU recommended limits on most monitored days, which represented a significant risk to people. Between 20 and 30% of the time, it was found that noise levels were above comfort levels.

Medway's 'green lung' threatened

By James Bonthron Climate Correspondent

A

n important greenspace in the Medway area is yet again being threatened by development pro-

posals.

Capstone Farm Country Park is over 114 hectares of former farmland. It is situated on the North Downs and is home to a variety of important habitats such as ancient woodland and old orchards. Its loss, therefore, would impact Medway greatly. The site is also important for recreational activities such as cycling and walking. Despite this, the last five years has seen repeated attempts to build on what is dubbed Medway’s ‘green lung’.

The newest developers looking to build on the important land is Taylor Wimpey. As one of the UK’s largest building companies, it is no surprise that it is interested in such an undeveloped area. With the current housing crisis leading to both major English political parties in to build more houses, it is likely that the area will continue to have plans for development proposed by many house-building companies. In an increasingly urbanised population,

less than 15% of the UK is classified as urban. Some would suggest, therefore, that there are fewer houses than there is space for them.

This is not the first attempt at infraction upon the area. In 2017, FD Attwood and partners contacted the council to see if an environmental impact assessment was needed before applying to build on Darland Farm (in Gillingham).

It planned to build 500 homes, but by August 2017 the council had received 18 objection letters. Nearby, plans have already been approved for 450 houses to be built on the area A petition to prevent the development on Darland Farm gained 3000 signatures and the appeal by the Attwood family for plans to go ahead was upheld in October 2016 by a planning inquiry. Again, in 2021, the Attwood farming family proposed plans to build 450 homes. This was rejected by Medway council planning committee; despite being approved by both Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council. One of the reasons was that it would impact ancient woodland as well as impact bats living near Lordswood, as the connecting area would need to be always lit for safety reasons. The development received

over 1700 letters over the initial approvals and included objections from MPs Rehman Chisthi and Tracey Crouch.

This comes at a time when the national government has had to backtrack from prescriptive local housing targets, with the Prime Minister and his government facing tense backlash from Conservative backbenchers.

As well as being the newest company to propose plans, Taylor Wimpey has seen objections to its proposals in other areas. In Scotland there has been considerable uproar over plans to build on some of the last farmland on the northern side of the A71 (Brotherton Farm).

As it stands, the company has lodged an appeal to its initial rejection and is currently waiting to hear back.

Nearer to Kent, Taylor Wimpey has had difficulty in getting approval over plans to build over 1700 homes in Wisley. This is partly due to the Government’s recent announcement that it would be dropping its top-down housing targets.

This time, the protest has celebrity backing. Ingrid Tarrant has joined in with the Wisley Action Group to campaign against the planning proposal. So far, it has gathered over 1200 objections

from a variety of groups such as Gatwick Airport and Surrey Wildlife Trust.

This development could destroy over 150 acres of prime agricultural land and could endanger rare bird species and other protected species. The development plans have been made possible by the fact that the former Wisely Airfield site had its Greenbelt status removed in an emergency council meeting in 2019 (which would have prevented development and would have meant it was recognised as being important to preserve), just a week before the Conservatives lost power in the local elections.

Previously, a Cayman Islandbased developer had plans to build on the site rejected after the planning inspector found it failed on 14 grounds and wouldn’t provide adequate infrastructure.

Campaigners claim that the new proposals still fail on 13 of those grounds, including the damage to local wildlife and heathland.

Image courtesy of Kent Online

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InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

News

What will become of the Congo?

By Shaghayegh Ghezelayagh News Writer

E

ver since 1998 and the beginning of the second Congo war, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has seen increasing violence and conflict. Ongoing battles between rebel forces and the government have led to fights over territory, especially in the resource rich eastern region.

The main group of concern at this time is the M23, named after the

peace agreement, which met on the 23rd March 2009. The founders, mainly ex-members of the National Congress for the Defence of the People- a fractured political militia; believed the government would not fully implement the peace agreement, believing the poor conditions they faced were an indicator of this.

The United Nations Organization Mission in Democratic Republic of the

Congo (MONUC) into the Democratic Republic of the Congo was founded in 1999 to monitor the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement that was signed at the end of the Second Congo War. At the time, this was the largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission in the world. In July 2010, MONUC was upgraded to MONUSCO, with the authority to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate: ensure the pro-

Image courtesy of Dai Kurokawa/dpa

tection of civilians and support the DRC government in stabilization and peace consolidation.

U n d e r MONUSCO the Intervention Brigade was formed, a United Nations force created for the neutralization and disarmament of the various armed groups fighting in the DRC. Calls for the United Nations peacekeeping forces to withdraw have been increasing in recent years, with criticisms about how ineffective the mission has been, as well as the latest spikes in violence causing protests across the country, but particularly in the regions of north and south Kivu.

With the latest massacre in Kishishein December 2022 allegedly being carried out by the M23 and the overall rates of violence between rebel forces and the government increasing, a United Nations withdrawal could potentially be a very poor choice for the region. The DRC’s military is much too weak on its own to suppress the violent rebel uprising, and there is a planned implementation of a multiregional peacekeeping force to be formed to fill the void left by

the withdrawal, created by the East African Community (EAC).

However, the EAC’s peacekeeping force has been criticised for not recognising the differences between the member states (policies of social, economic and security standing), but also for the fact that they are a freshly generated fighting force that are not yet strong or experienced enough to assist in ending the violence within the DRC, to which there does not seem to be an imminent in sight to the violence. Some researchers have also suggested that the east African force could even elevate the risk of human rights violations in the area, as it is unclear as to the extent that it will prioritise civilian-harm mitigation in its planning and operations.

Rare Elizabethan ship remains discovered

By Sophie Ware News Writer

L

ast year, a baffling discovery was made by CEMEX quarry workers when they stumbled across an Elizabethan-era ship 300 metres inland, at Denge quarry. 100 long-hidden timbers were uncovered that would have made up part of the ship’s hull (the watertight body of the ship). Blundering upon the buried wood, the workers were able to identify the remains as something of potential histori-

Image courtesy of Wessex Archaeology

cal interest, and called in the help of experts from Wessex Archaeology to investigate the find further.

The centuries-old ship caught the eye of the BBC programme 'Digging for Britain'. Presenter and Archaeologist Andrea Hamel states, 'disassembling a centuries-old ship in this condition is a rare opportunity'. Very few English-built boats survive, making this an indispensable discovery, allowing an

insight into the fascinating Elizabethan shipbuilding and trade businesses. The boat has shed insight into the new techniques of the period. The boat was constructed using a ‘carvel’ design, which is where the timbers are fixed together on a pre-constructed frame.

The ship may be found 300 metres away from the sea today, however experts believe that the now quarry would have once formed part of the coastline. It is unknown how the boat came about its current location. It may have been wrecked during its travels or abandoned once the ship has outlived its purpose. Despite this unknown, the ship further helps to enlighten our understanding of the natural changes occurring in Kent over the last few centuries.

Casper Johnson, a senior archaeologist, from the Kent Council Heritage Conservation team identified the remains by construction method to be of a boat dating to the 16th or 17th Century. Dendrochronology, the technique of dating objects using tree ring patterns, seems to support this claim. It revealed that the timber, made from Kent English Oak, dates between 1558 and 1580.

The ship, when it was complete, is estimated by the Wessex Archaeological team to be more than 25 metres long and weighing over 150 tonnes.

Archaeologists found interesting techniques as they meticulously took apart the hull remains. By dismantling the structure, archaeologists could begin to understand the interesting and unique craft techniques to ensure its integrity. Wooden nails were found, securing the timber slats together as well as traces of pine tar between the timber. However, archaeologists are yet to understand what this may have been used for.

The team have used 3D Laser scanning and digital photography, digitally recording the remains to keep the best-preserved record.

Laser scanning will

capture minute details, such as tool marks created by the craftsman during the 16th Century, bringing to life the creation of this once magnificent ship. It is unknown how the ship may have looked like in its full glory, but the remains of the famous Mary Rose, also a Tudor boat shed some light onto the construction. Once the digital reconstruction has been completed, the ship will be returned to the quarry and reburied so that the remains will continue to be preserved as they have been for centuries prior.

Image courtesy of Royal Museums Greenwich

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

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Editorial

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A

Rashida Hassan Editor-in-Chief

nd with that the 2022 season comes to an end, and what a season it was. Time really does fly when you are having fun. InQuire made some astonishing progress in 2022, with an incredible team of dedicated committee members, section editors and writers I believe our first three editions last year have had some of the best spreads InQuire has ever seen. Let’s have a little recap, shall we? In 2022 we decided to ramp up our social media presence in order to engage our UKC audience more than we have previously. We inaugurated a new Media and Marketing (M&M) team, including a Head of M&M, a Director of Photography and a Direc-

D Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

oesn’t time go by so quickly?! Now that we are in 2023- and in a few months I will be graduating and will (hopefully) have a proper job. After spending the previous four years at Kent studying for a degree studying Politics and International Relations, before undertaking a Year in Journalism, I am here wondering where all the time has gone. My time here has been heavily disrupted in a number of different ways due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the strikes, and a marking boycott last year. There are indications that further strikes will happen in February and March, and that a second marking boycott in two years will occur later in

C Gharam Al-Zubi Website Editor

oming back to university after -nearly- a threeweek break feels very different to many of us.

Some of us are excited to be back on campus, some are excited to be done with a year of education, and some are completely indifferent. I fall into the second category, being back to university is the start of a load of readings and assignments. I am already expecting a deadline in the next 2 weeks, and I am not necessarily looking for-

tor of Design. We gave 3+ societies free advertisement and allowed them to increase their membership and engagement. Some more projects we worked on last year included amplifying the voices of the UKC community by publicising groups/campaigns that were of importance to our community, including the Plant Based Society, the People of Colour Arts Society and who can forget Scrutiny Panels? With 2023 on the horizon there’s a lot more in store for your favourite newspaper provider. A shiny brand new website launching soon and an exciting end of year project that hopes to further amplify the voices of the UKC community. It’s been just over a year since

I moved to the UK for university, leaving my family, my friends and a country that I am ever proud to call home.

Moving away from home is a painful, heart-wrenching task; it’s hard leaving the people and places you love the most into unchartered waters, not knowing how you will come out on the other side and not knowing if there will be a place for you. Whenever I flip through the pages of each edition, I now know that I have a home within these pages. I wish I could tell myself a year ago that I had nothing to worry about because as long as I’m doing what I love, with the people I love, I will always find my way home.

the year. Unfortunately, this is the reality of a modern university experience, but as students, we should ensure that we support our lecturers. No employee in any sector should feel as though their work is undervalued, but unfortunately, due to the current economic climate and the unwillingness of the Conservative government to engage with unions to provide satisfactory pay scales and working conditions, these workers feel as though there is no option but to undertake industrial action. Rather than participating in positive negotiations, the response of the government has instead been to threaten trade union’s rights to strike. The biggest disruption will occur

on February 1st as several trade unions across the country will go on strike on the same to demonstrate anger over government plans to bring in minimum service levels across key public sectors. Despite this, it’s not all doom and gloom. In fact, I would argue that the fact that these strikes are even happening and causing anger from all people in society will hopefully mean that the impact of several crises at once will ensure people do not allow their labour to be exploited, and refuse to be forced to work under poor conditions.

ward to the stress it carries with it. I am hoping for this semester that I am able to meet all of my deadlines and responsibilities, and be up to date with my readings.

If you are reading this, I am writing this to encourage you to write a detailed plan and follow it as much as you can, because this is what I will be doing especially since I am juggling a lot of things at the same time. Determination and time-management is honestly the two main

things you need to finish this year efficiently and with the best possible outcomes. If you are in student societies as well – good for you - I encourage you to always keep up to date with everything they’re doing, because at the end of the day your degree fills a gap in your resume, but your experiences get you hired!

Puzzles Puzzles compiled by Matthew Sapsed Across 1 4 8 10 11 12 13 15 17 18 20 22 23 25 26

Cold season (6) Soil (6) Type of wildflower (9) Snooker stick (3) Et cetera (3,2,2) Requirements (5) Large motor vehicle (3) Robbery (5) Fishing pole (3) Ceasefire (5) Zeppelin (7) Nocturnal bird (3) Doctor (9) Leisurely walk (6) Consequence (6)

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Spider's trap (3) Famous (5) Become equal (4,3) Come to maturity (5) Not obvious (7) Wearing smart clothes (7,2) 100-year anniversary (9) Bold (9) Dirtiness (7) White ant (7) Evict (5) Form of Japanese poem (5) Meshwork (3)

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Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

8

Opinion

Sunak’s ‘maths to 18’ plan doesn’t add up: calculate the real problems

By Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

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ishi Sunak, former hedge fund manager, investment banker, and the richest Prime Minister in British history, recently announced his plans for all pupils in England to study maths until the age of 18. Emerging from reclusion for his first speech of 2023, he said he wanted young people to have the skills ‘to feel confident’ with finances, but gave little indication as to how this aspiration will come to fruition.

The government does not envisage making maths A-levels compulsory, and there are currently no plans for any new qualifications to be created around this topic. The government has also acknowledged that any such aspiration will not be possible during the current parliament, and so any ‘maths to 18’ plan would not happen until 2024 at the earliest. A 2017 Department for Education (DfE) review estimated that it would take 10 years to enable compulsory maths for 16-18 year olds.

In a speech which the Prime Minister opened by vowing ‘no ambiguity’ to his policies in order to give the British people ‘peace of mind’,

he failed to set out clear timeframes, or details of how these plans will be achieved; yet another example of his failure to remain in touch with the concerns of ordinary people.

In a period of numerous crises: ongoing strikes across multiple sectors; a cost-of-living crisis and a failing economy, Sunak fell back on something he could always rely on, and that couldn’t let him down.

Maths doesn’t cross the English Channel in dinghies, nor does it die because it didn’t get an ambulance, send bullying texts, or go on strike. It doesn’t even appear on I’m a Celebrity during a Parliamentary sitting!

Seeking to divert attention away from an imploding Tory government, Sunak instead promoted the future, and the betterment of children’s education (after all, how could you argue with that?). Well, as it turns out, he has just opened yet another can of worms in the form of a shortageof-maths-teachers crisis. Official statistics show that the government has missed its targets for teacher recruitment in seven of the past eight years. Because of this, a recent study found that almost half of secondary schools are using non-specialist teachers for maths lessons.

What are the reasons for these

"Maths doesn’t cross the English Channel in dinghies, nor does it die because it didn’t get an ambulance, send bullying texts, or go on strike."

numbers? Unsurprisingly, poor pay when called on to make important and working conditions. Along with decisions and engage in real issues, the majority of public sector work- his response has been to hide from ers, real income has been falling the spotlight. He has not played year on year, with its impacts exac- a role in any of the meetings with erbated by the cost-of-living crisis. unions, or the Government’s emerInevitably, this has led to industrial gency planning relating to strikes, action, where workers demand bet- despite the leader of Unite offering ter pay, and better working con- to meet Mr Sunak on Christmas Day ditions. Teachers across the UK if necessary, in a bid to resolve disin several unions have recently putes. On the eve of the first nationballoted on whether to strike, with wide ambulance strike, the Prime members of some unions in Scot- Minister and his Cabinet discussed land already walking out on January plans for the King’s Coronation in 10th and 11th. The largest education May. union in the UK, the National EduForcing maths on the population cation Union (NEU) recently voted has been described by some as being to strike in February and March, ‘straight out of China’s playbook’, which will mean the largest shut- with these lessons being more likely down of schools since 2016. to humiliate and discourage chilThe government has leaned hard on the Thatcherite playbook of blaming union barons and greedy workers for the disruption, and has failed to engage in productive negotiations with union leaders.

However, despite the efforts of right-wing newspapers, the state of Britain is very much the Tories’ own doing, and the public know this.

Public support for striking workers has therefore not fallen as much as the government would have liked.

Rail workers are still supported by almost half of the country, whereas nurses and ambulance staff have the backing of around two thirds of the UK. Alongside this, Sunak’s silence has been unbearable. Like his Tory predecessors in Johnson and Truss, Photos by Wikimedia

dren from using maths in their later life. I for one hated studying A level Maths, and I fail to understand how using binomial distribution or those dreaded logarithms are likely to help me in the future.

Sunak may try and portray himself as a man that aims to focus on the ‘people’s priorities’, but the entire country is now seeing the Conservative government as they really are: a washed-up group of out-of-touch elites who have run out of ideas, who hide from the serious issues affecting the United Kingdom, and instead keep trying to push their own agenda without any clear comprehension of how they will meet their targets.

Why men should rethink the next time they refer to women as ‘females’

By Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor

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was in 10th grade when I first felt the ick of someone using the word ‘female’. We were walking down the stairs, and an older student referred to his ‘female’ friends. I can’t recall the exact context of the conversation, but I do remember the slight tone of contempt when he spoke and the displeasure I felt. With debates circulating our TikTok algorithm, I think back to my own encounters and ask myself, is it really a big deal? Why do some agree and why do others disagree? What are the historical narratives behind its pejorative meaning?

A few months back, my flatmates and I were in a dispute about

this very topic. I couldn’t fully explain why the word just didn’t feel right. I knew it sounded dehumanising, but what does one say when they return with ‘you are a female though’?

Biologically, yes sure, one can be defined as such. But here’s the catch.

Female refers to the biological sex of an organism- any organism- while women and girls are both distinguished words made available for us to use respectfully when describing a female human.

Otherwise, at times, albeit given context and tone, it can feel dehumanizing to refer to one as such. It’s also important to note that not all women are biologically female. Continuing to use the word ‘female’ to refer to women can contribute to the exclusion of gender-nonconforming people and members of the trans community.

A little later, post-argument, I came across a TikTok where the user reads out a passage from the book ‘Females’ by Andrea Long Chu: ‘In the United States, the man known as the father of gynecology, J. Marion Sims, built the field in the Antebellum South, operating on enslaved women in his backyard often without

anesthesia- or of course consent. As C. Riley Snorton has recently documented, the distinction between biological females and women as a social category, far from a neutral scientific observation, developed precisely in order for the captive black woman to be recognized as female, making Sims’ research applicable to his women patients in polite white society without being granted the status of social and legal personhood. Sex was produced, in other words, precisely at the juncture where gender was denied. In the sense, a female has always been less than a person.’

At first, I couldn’t wrap my head around what it actually meant. So, I had a friend help me understand it better. Now, let's break it down together: 1. J. Marion Sims, aka ‘father of Gynecology’ operated on enslaved women without anaesthesia or consent.

2. He used ‘female’ to label enslaved black women and reserved ‘women’ for their white counterparts, segregating the two.

3. ‘In the sense, a female has always been less than a person.’

Sometimes, when men use ‘female’, their tone or even purpose, implies inferiority. Of course, there are some men that don’t have malicious intent and give them the benefit of the doubt, it’s probably an outcome of hearing

other men in their circles also use ‘female’. However, there are instances where gender is irrelevant to the context and when ‘female’ is used as an adjective, it can suggest subtle sexism.

A female doctor is just a doctor, and a female police officer is just a police officer. Other times, the use of female can be grammatically incorrect. ‘I need a female to drive me back’, a female what?

After my research for this article, I want to highlight again that context matters.

I’ve read articles written by women, where ‘female’ is used generously throughout their work. Take for example, a Rappler article by Eliza Tagle on sexist language in gaming, she- like the senior boy I previously mentioned, also referred to her girl friends as her ‘female friends’, though this didn’t stick out to me the way it did before. In speech, tone is very telling, whereas in the written word, your indicators are limited, so in the end, it’s up to

your judgment.

Some women don’t find this an issue.

Some do. Some of this can be seen as petty or too little of an issue, but when there comes a time that a woman does express their discomfort with the term, do you a: Listen to her reason and respect her request or b: Dismiss and invalidate what she has to say?

Photo depicts J Marion Sims, who operated on enslaved black women during the 19th century. Simms has been since described as 'a prime example of progress in the medical profession made at the expense of a vulnerable population.'

Photos by Wikimedia

9

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Opinion

De-extinction: the exciting new pariah of conservation

By James Bonthron Climate Correspondent

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orgotten and dusty, the remains of the last known Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) gathered dust in a drawer for 85 years.

Tucked away in an Australian museum lay an important body until December 2022. The rediscovery of the marsupial prompted a flurry of questions from the scientific community about conservation, ethics, and genetic modification. Why did the Tasmanian tiger die?

Could it come back? Should it? Should any species? Just how could an extinct species come back?

The death of the Thylacinus has been lamented since being declared extinct in 1936. Its eventual demise came about after a concerted government effort to eradicate them. Between 1888 and 1909, the Tasmanian government offered bounties of £1 for adult tigers, and ten shillings for the heads of each pup. They were seen as dangerous to farming livestock, and so were a thorn in the side of sheep farmers. It is estimated that at least 3,500 thylacines were killed through human hunting

between 1830 and the 1920s. Between 1888 and 1909, 2184 Tasmanian tigers bounties were claimed by relentless hunters and pastoral farmers. In the intervening decades however, there have been numerous sightings of Thylacinus in the wilder parts of Tasmania.

In fact, 1200 sightings and evidence were reported from 1910 until 2019.

Aside from popular lurid descriptions of bringing back the once-dead (thank you Jurassic Park), de-extinction is a frighteningly boring method of doing something potentially revolutionary.

Rather than recreating species, it tends to be manipulating genes until the DNA of the creature looks similar to the dead species, instead of being an exact copy.

Globally, biodiversity is declining and while responses (such as creating and updating National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans) have improved, the anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity are only increasing. Newly revived species have the chance to restore the natural world and biodiversity. Arguably, this is the main ethical reason suggested for de-extinction. There are three main ways to bring something back- clone it, use genetic engineering (which involves DNA editing) or by selective breeding.

Ultimately, de-extinction is about resurrecting extinct species using genetic methods.

Genetic engineering is the main method.

Some species which have been long dead do not have complete

Images courtesy of KylaBorg; Kadumago/Wikimedia

By Hestia Linford-Allen Opinion Editor

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fter a tense few years under the leadership of former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, the arts sector seems to be gaining ground in the fight against Tory austerity and pandemic-induced financial floundering. Rishi Sunak’s pick, MP Michelle Donelan has formally ditched the plan to privatise Channel 4 in yet another conservative U-turn to start off 2023.

Privatisation of the channel has been on the policy radar for the Tory party since the late 90s, but Dorries jumped on the bandwagon and stole the reins with it when appointed Culture Secretary under Boris Johnson. In May, she seemed steadfast in her position: ‘It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee: Channel 4 is being sold, subject to a vote. I did spend my entire Easter recess reassuring myself that we are in a position where this will happen. And it is very much a case that it is being sold.’

During her year-long tenure as culture secretary she made some amazingly bad headlines. For a woman that seems to know little of online safety, what rugby union is, or that sharing your Netflix password is actually against the terms of the streaming service, the post of Secretary of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was an interesting choice, but when it comes to Boris Johnson, any expectation of good leadership is liter-

strands of DNA which can be used for cloning. Fragments of DNA can be used in their place. The cell of the living creature is cut and the DNA from the extinct species is joined with the DNA of the living species. This leads to an animal with traits from the extinct species.

There are a series of questions that need to be answered before bringing a species back. One, for example, is why did the species become extinct in the first place. Another question is whether there is a large enough area of suitable habitat available, now and in the future. Success can be dependent on the reaction to and support by the human communities near the release site (eco-tourism could explode if a species was brought back, helping local economies). The greater prairie chicken is one example. The greater prairie chicken is endangered and would benefit from the de-extinction of the heath hen (a sub-species of prairie chicken) because the heath hen existed in smaller numbers than the prairie chicken is able to.

This currently causes major problems, and populations need to be constantly managed to avoid extinction. The ‘resurrected’ heath hen may have a genetic disposition which allowed it to survive in Martha’s Vineyard and the sequence could be used to save the prairie chicken.

Furthermore, the de-extinction of the heath hen may provide more game for sport and subsistence, improving the livelihood of the local population.

However, the resurrected species may have lost cultural ties with communities, due to the length of time passed since extinction and so communities may not have any experience with resurrected species. That’s partly why grey wolves won’t be reintroduced into the

UK, despite the fact that they would help control superabundant deer populations. De-extinction may be necessary for extinct subspecies of living species.

Moreover, species which have become long extinct have a smaller chance of detailed research on their natural habitats and their ecological role is less likely to be known.

At the moment, it’s mainly private companies (as well as, bizarrely, the CIA) investing in de-extinction. One company of note is Revive and Restore.

On its board of directors is Beth Shapiro, author of 2015’s ‘How To Clone A Mammoth’, which describes the processes and issues of de-extinction. The company has a plethora of projects that it’s working on- including passenger pigeons. It has the extremely ambitious goal of releasing the first test flocks between 2030 and 2040. It then hopes to eventually reach a self-sustaining population of 10,000 birds. Revive and Restore then estimates that it could take less than 20 years for the population to be self-sustaining after establishing a wild population. They also have projects on Heath Hens and Woolly Mammoths. Colossal Biosciences, however, is working on Tasmanian tigers.

We are a long way off from de-extinction being scientific fact. Though, the research which goes into de-extinction is benefitting conservation efforts.

What won’t be possible, however, is the complete resurrection of the species, because cloned animals will have their genes edited into the DNA of living animals. It’s also probable that the behaviour of extinct species will not be able to be fully replicated as the natural behaviour wasn’t recorded. For example, how did mammoths behave? We simply

don’t know, even if we know how they looked.

In the quest to clone the Tasmanian tiger, much has been learnt about living marsupials. A far-flung d r e a m has brought tangible benefits to Australian conservation efforts and that is why de-extinction is a worthy cause, even if it fails. Cloning might be a dream for now, but with increasing pressure on failing ecosystems, restoration of nature may well rest on the cloning of extinct ecosystem engineers.

The days of the Tyrannosaurus rex may be long gone, but the days of the Thylacinus may come again, and other species may yet make a comeback via cloning.

TV channel is safe 4 now... ally non-existent. caster, rather than a content producer Coel over the Christmas break, and was In her role, Dorries demonstrated litbroadcasting channel. As a result of reminded of bingeing Chewing Gum tle understanding of how Channel 4 was this direct interaction with independwith my sister on All4 in lockdown. financed and organised, claiming that ent production companies, Channel 4 Since Chewing Gum- which premiered it was a state broadcaster, with debts has played a vital role in the growth and on Channel 4 in 2015, Coel has earned that ‘stand against the government’s innovation of the British film and teleherself six BAFTAs, an EMMY award balance sheet’. In actuality, Channel 4 vision industry over the last 40 years. and recently admitted to rejecting a milhas been funded by advertising since its Programmes like Black Mirror, It’s a lion-dollar deal from Netflix in a public inception in 1982. It is a public service Sin, Shameless, Skins, Gogglebox, Feel blow to the mega-streaming service. channel, independently operated by Good, Ackley Bridge, have all grown to From a small spot on Channel 4, one of the state-owned Channel 4 Television be popular, risk-taking, and culturally the finest contemporary screenwriters Corporation (C4C), which is sponsored important shows that have made us has flourished. Channel 4 has raised the by the Department of Digital, Culture, laugh, brought us together and given profile of so many unknowns, which are Media and Sport. This basically means underrepresented stories and voices now household names, in not just actthat Channel 4 is publicly owned, like a space to explore the complexities of ing, but videography, creative direction, the BBC, but instead of gaining revenue everyday living through television. I sound design and all the other vital jobs through TV licence fees and governwatched I May Destroy You by Michaela that take place behind the camera (and ment grants, the channel uses on-air all without a fee to the taxpayer!). advertising, programme sponsorship Most of all, they’ve created some and the sale of TV and meramazing TV! I treasure memchandising rights. ories of watching Friday Channel 4 differs from conNight Dinner and The ventional TV channels in Inbetweeners with my famanother major way. Instead ily, cringing at the of producing its own conteen boy grosstent, Channel 4 comness of it all. But missions, or outright it’s now quite cute purchases televito see kids walksion and film coning home from tent, which then school shouting allows the channel ‘bus wanker’ at to own the rights to their friends as their output. This they stare out the makes Channel 4 back windows. a publisher/broadPhotos by UK Government; Channel 4 Co/Wikimedia Ah, some things

never change!

Good TV is something we need right now. Something to watch under three blankets, curtains closed, and distract us from the fact that the heating’s off and the black mould is spreading across our bathroom wall. This winter season can be so bleak, and some of my happiest moments this year have come from cuddling in front of the TV with my housemates.

It's certainly reassuring to hear that the privatisation of Channel 4 has been scrapped, and it’s funny to watch Dorries go off on Twitter that all her plans have been foiled by that pesky Donelan, but I don’t trust Donelan, or Sunak, or the Tories, to safeguard our cultural sector. This is the same Sunak that told people working in the arts to find a ‘new and fresh opportunity’ in a different job. Plus, the renewed safe status of Channel 4 is not set in stone. Donelan has proposed a relaxing of the Channel’s publisher/broadcaster status, that will allow Channel 4 to make programmes in-house, rather than scouting cutting-edge, original content from exterior production companies. While Channel 4 will still broadcast independent programmes, this relaxation of status threatens the future of many of our artists who so desperately need opportunities that Channel 4 has historically provided.

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

10

Opinion

The peculiar relationship between Japan and South Korea

By Henry Ryu Opinion Writer

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earch up Japan-South Korea relations and you’ll immediately get the picture that the two countries are on frosty terms, and by all means, they are. There’s an ongoing trade war; the Japanese government’s nationalism has led to disputes over Japanese denial of war crimes; and the Korean government’s confusing approach to both mending and straining ties means the two can never truly be on the best of terms. Despite this, both countries thoroughly enjoy each other’s cultures and tourism is high between the two. People from both nations enjoy each other’s food, music, media, and culture. This has made it difficult to interpret how the two countries genuinely feel about each other, whether on the level of the state or the people.

The history of Japan-South Korea relations has always been a difficult one, even before Japan colonised the peninsula. Military conflicts between the two have been regular throughout historys (see the Korean navy combatting Japanese pirates, Japanese residents rioting in Busan, or the cruel invasions by Japan between 15921598). Ultimately, the colonisation of Korea by Japan between 1910-1945 would be the main reason behind lasting Korean discontent towards the Japanese. Koreans who opposed the rule would be captured and tortured, and Koreans were regularly discriminated against in society. The nation was plundered of artefacts, and its culture was dismantled in Japanese efforts for assimilation. DurImage courtesy of Wikimedia ing WW2, K o r e a n

women were also forced into sexual slavery to serve as ‘comfort women’, and this would soon become the main sticking point regarding the diplomacy and perceptions between the two nations.

In the modern era, relations are still negative. Seemingly, anything that can be remotely disputed between the two becomes the subject of intense disagreement. There are many ongoing disputes: is itthe East Sea or the Sea of Japan? To whom do the Liancourt Rocks belong? And how should the repercussions of forced labour during the colonial era, and, as aforementioned, the forced sexual slavery of Korean women be solved? Historical disputes are regular but they have intensified due to how each country’s government has dealt with said issues. Japan has apologised on both official and unofficial levels, in different decades, from different Prime Ministers, while Korea has received reparations, and certain presidents have made attempts to mend ties through official visits.

Conversely, the education Koreans receive on colonial atrocities is rightfully raw, and the Japanese government is heavily influenced by nationalist sentiments, meaning the acknowledgement and education of Japan’s role in atrocities is a touchy subject (at the least). A lot of Koreans and Japanese have nationalist fervour simply over their hatred of each other. Even if it’s a vocal minority, nationalists on both sides have used racial slurs, taken discontent to extreme levels, and unreasonably spread hatred.

Determining who is right and wrong is difficult to determine empirically and the rabbit hole of infinite debate is one that can turn troublesome with no resolution. However, the international perception of the two countries’ disputes has made it seem as if the relations are mainly in conflict. As true as this is in many ways, relations are likewise as harmonious as much as they are acrimonious. The average Korean or Japanese person is not subscribed to intense nationalist fervour, nor are they interested in espousing racial hatred regardless of how negatively they might perceive the other. Both enjoy each other’s cuisines, cultures, and tourism. It’s safe to say most Koreans aren’t eager to smash a Japanese car, and most Japanese people don’t care about Hallyu ‘colonising’ their culture.

Graph from phoenix7777/Wikimedia

There is great benefit to be gained from economic and cultural exchange between the two countries. It is never a good thing when neighbours are hostile, and when there is a common enemy with China on economic, cultural, and strategic grounds, it’s even more important that the two countries cooperate. Reconciliation is what’s important and ignoring the irrational sides of both nations is necessary. The Japanese must not deny their heinous past, it will not mean they cannot be proud of their nation. Korea must also be more measured when confronting diplomatic issues- even if it’s a minority of Koreans who fanatically react, there must be a more active initiative to reduce tensions appropriately, and combat racist sentiment.

Relations between Korea and Japan, and their people are both full of rage and calm, seemingly like the sea that divides the two nations. Both sides have represented these two sentiments, and the deep-rooted history of hostility and acrimony has meant that such feelings are impossible to be completely rid of. Nonetheless, people have shown as much love as they do hostility, meaning there is still room for moving on into a better era for this peculiar relationship.

Moments, memes & mishaps of 2022 Tiered by Nina Nathan, Samuel Thorpe, Anna Bruce & Hestia Linford-Allen UKC students In God tier, we have: • Bing chilling • Zoolander red carpet • The lettuce outliving Liz Truss as PM • The Paul Breach map • The 2nd Zoolander 'i'm not your brah' In Slay tier, we have: • Euphoria s2 memes • Julia Fox (not her white girl feminism tho) • Everyone wearing suits to watch Minions 2 • 'We all have the same 24 hours' • Have you done the wordle?

• Co-op raising the price of a meal deal In LOL tier, we have: • Bottom G/dancing Andrew T*te • Emotional damage • The strike reimbursement package • North West and Kim on TikTok • Liz Truss opening pork markets • All the anti-Cox memes In Eh tier: • Better Call Saul theme memes • Kanye (pls seek help) • The Tinder swindler • The Chris Rock slap And finally, the Trash memes of 2022: • Rizz (everything about it is bad) • 'Shes a ten but...'

This template is available online, let us know what you think on Instagram @inquirekent or Twitter @inquiremedia_

Images courtesy of Twitter/Wikimedia/kentuni_memes The views expressed in each article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of InQuire Media. To publish a response, contact opinion@inquiremedia.org

11

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Science and Technology

Scientific breakthroughs hit historic lows

By Lumière O’Keefe Science and Tech Writer

T

he number of ‘breakthrough’ scientific and technological papers has dropped in the last six decades, despite the number of papers being published skyrocketing.

A study published in Nature by Michael Park, Erin Leahey and Russell Funk compiled data from 45 million papers and 3.9 million patents dating from between 1945 and 2010 and found that as time went on, the number of papers which rendered previous papers obsolete, or ‘disruptive’ papers, steadily declined. This trend persists even as the number of papers published yearly has increased by almost a million in the same timeframe. This decline is consistent across multiple different fields of science, including social sciences, physical sciences, technology, and medical research.

In order to quantify the ‘disruptiveness’ levels of submitted papers over time, scientists utilised a ‘CD index’. Scientists reason that if a study is highly disruptive, subsequent research is less likely to cite the studies’ references and more likely to cite the study itself. By comparing how much a study is cited versus how much its references are cited, that study can then be given a number ranging from 1 to -1, with 1 being most disruptive and -1 being least disruptive. By using this method and adjusting for factors such as changes in citation practices over the years, the scientists at Nature discovered

The study also analysed the use of language in the papers and patents.

Studies that are disruptive are more likely to introduce new words or combinations of words, as it becomes necessary to describe new findings or give names to previously unknown things.

Scientists found a drop of approximately 75% to 85% in the number of unique words and word combinations in research papers between 1945 and

The reasons why disruptiveness is declining are still highly debated. Tyler Cowen, economist and columnist at

This correlates with Wang’s study showing that smaller teams produce more disruptive research, as they require less funding and are more willing to take risks.

However, the scientists at Nature also discovered that research that uses a narrower body of work to be produced is also

“This raises questions about the efficiency of the modern model of research, where a “publish or perish” mentality has led to researchers sacrificing time and broadness in favour of quick funding in order to make sure their team stays afloat.”

Even as arguments over the causes for the decline in disruption continue to rage on, disruption itself is declining less rapidly. When looking at disruption after the year 2000, the CD index remains more consistent year on year. There are even less theories as to why this has occurred. Walsh states that ‘whatever explanation you have for disruptiveness dropping off, you need to also make sense of it levelGraph A, indiciating the drop in CD index over time in scientific papers, alongside Graph B, indicating a similar decreasing ling off’. This issue is further CD Index pattern in regards to patent production , image courtesy of Nature compounded by a lack of data after 2010, as a minimum number of years 2010. This, coupled with further data George Mason University, argues a less likely to be disruptive. This means is needed after a paper is published to demonstrating papers ‘low-hanging fruit’ theory in which all that rather than disruptiveness being ensure there is enough citation data to have less unique titles the scientific and technological breaklimited by large teams building on create an accurate CD index. and are less likely to throughs that were easy to achieve previous work, they focus on too small use a unique combihave been accomplished, and that only a slice of the previous work to pubThis study has shown something nation of citations, more difficult and time-consuming lish research more rapidly and secure which has been in the realm of anecdofurther reinforces the breakthroughs are left. However, the funding. This raises questions about tal evidence for decades; science is gettheory that papers are writers of the Nature paper argue that the efficiency of the modern model of ting less revolutionary. Whether this is becoming less disruptheir data disproves this theory, as if research, where a ‘publish or perish’ a natural progression or a failure of tive. this were true, newer fields, such as mentality has led to researchers sacour own making has to be thoroughly computing, would not be experiencing rificing time and broadness in favour examined if we wish to keep progressDashun Wang, a such a similar rate of decline to older of quick funding in order to make sure ing as a species. social scientist at fields, such as physics. their team stays afloat.

Northwestern UniIf what is reported by the study is versity in Illinois, Another theory points to the accurate, measures must be taken to said ‘it’s great to see increasing pressure to secure encourage forays into novel scientific this [phenomenon] funding as the reason for the environments, while also continuing documented in such decline in disruptiveness. As to follow promising leads in existing a meticulous manner’. the number of researchers research subjects. In addition, it is of Wang utilised the has increased and teams have upmost importance to address issues CD index in 2019 to grown larger, lead scientists with the environment that force scidetermine that larger research teams are focusing on building off entists to “publish or perish”, and are less likely to produce disruptive previous works to secure instead find methods to enable them papers than smaller teams. However, funding, rather than takto pursue groundbreaking discoveries Wang also stated that disruptiveness ing a risk working towards a with adequate financial funding. is not inherently good, and was echoed breakthrough discovery and

by John Walsh, a science and technolbankrupting the entire team.

“Scientists at Nature discovered that the average CD index for research papers fell by more than 90% between 1945 and 2010, and the CD index for patents fell by more than 78% between 1980 and 2010, with overall less disruptive papers.” that the average CD index for research papers fell by more than 90% between 1945 and 2010, and the CD index for patents fell by more than 78% between 1980 and 2010, with overall less disruptive papers.

ogy policy specialist at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Replication and reproduction are key to ensuring the validity of disruptive findings, Walsh stated, and a healthy mix of incremental and disruptive research is needed to further humanity’s knowledge.

“A ‘low-hanging fruit’ theory in which all the scientific and technological breakthroughs that were easy to achieve have been accomplished”

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Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Science and Technology

Kent scientists develop protein-based armour that withstands supersonic impacts

By Elma Maka Science and Tech Editor

A

before the structural integrity of the fibre-reinforced composite becomes irreversibly compromised.

While current bulletproof body armour can prevent bullets and shrapnel from piercing the body of the person wearing it, they often cannot prevent the wearer from being injured by the impact of the projectiles as it doesn’t absorb their kinetic energy. As well as this, most modern body armour is heavy and can only be used once, with the ability to take just one hit

However, researchers have developed a novel gel material using a resilient protein found in human cells called ‘talin’, which can absorb the impact of projectiles, including those travelling faster than the speed of sound. This novel family of protein-based materials, named TSAM (Talin Shock Absorbing Materials) represent the first example of a synthetic biological material capable of absorbing impacts from supersonic projectiles. Researchers hope it can pave the way for the applications of biosynthesis in a broader environment, such

Kent team of scientists, headed by Professors Ben Goult and Jen Hiscock have created a protein armour material that can stop bullets travelling at the speed of sound, which will have huge implications in the space equipment and protective body armour industries.

“TSAM (Talin Shock Absorbing Materials) represent the first example of a synthetic biological material capable of

we found the shock absorbing properties of talin monomers imparted the material with incredible properties.’

Through their testing, it was found that TSAM is not only capable of absorbing the impacts and protecting against projectiles, but it could even preserve materials such as shrapnel post-im- Image of a supersonic bullet breaking the sound barrier, courtesy of pact, unlike more tradiNASA tional body armour. This material preservation may not this can facilitate the collection the projectile’s kinetic energy seem relevant or applicable in of space debris for further sciinto heat. However, this often most areas of defence, but in entific study through its ability melts the aerogel itself, renregards the aerospace sector, to preserve supersonic travdering it useless for the next elling particles, or impact or re-use. can be impactful in improving the lonAs TSAM does not experience gevity of aerospace heating to this level, a talinequipment and in based outer layer on spacecraft astronaut safety. instead of an aerogel, could Here TSAMs could potentially remain intact even provide an alterafter multiple strikes from native to industry space debris or meteorite parstandard aerogels, ticles, providing more secure which function, in spacecraft structural integrity part, by converting for astronauts.

absorbing impacts from supersonic projectiles.” as the investigation of hypervelocity impacts in space using TSAM as projectile capture materials.

Professor Benjamin Goult, a Biochemist and Professor at the University of Kent, explained that within the body, talin acts as a ‘natural shock absorber… with a series of switch domains which open under tension and refold once tension drops… protecting our cells from the effects of large force changes.

A police officer wearing traditional bulletproof body armour, image courtesy When we polymerof the City of London Police ised talin into TSAM,

“It can even be impactful in improving the longevity of aerospace equipment and in astronaut safety.”

Are you passionate about Science and Technology?

We’d love to hear all about it!

The Science and Tech section is looking for more passionate writers to join our team!

Interested? Just get in touch at: science@inquiremedia.org

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InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Science and Technology

Scientists create first ever nuclear fusion reaction that generates more energy than it consumes

By Lumière O’Keefe Science and Tech Writer

S

cientists at the US Nuclear Ignition Facility (NIF) have created the first ever nuclear fusion reaction that reaches ‘ignition’, creating more energy than it consumes.

By using 192 lasers that focus over 2 million joules of energy, scientists were able to get a pea-sized capsule of gold containing hydrogen isotopes to release 3 million joules of energy, more than double the previous record of 1.3 million joules.

The experiment has been multiple decades in the making. Fusion research itself began in the 1950s, and the NIF promised ignition within three years after its opening in 2009. After being criticised for delays and overrunning costs, the NIF announced that they had achieved ignition in 2021. Despite this, they were unable to replicate their results, and thus had to rethink their entire experiment.

Finally, after over 11 years of struggles, the NIF were able to create a reaction that generated over 50% more energy than was put into it.

had to make multiple adjustments to their original experiments so that they could recreate their initial success of nuclear fusion with energy gain that they achieved the year prior. To create a fusion reaction, the lasers had to fire enough energy to cause the hydrogen isotopes within the pencil-eraser sized gold capsule to fuse. To reach this energy level, the scientists removed imperfections from the gold, increased the lasers’ power by 8%, and ensured the lasers were more evenly distributed across the golden capsule. Alongside this, laser efficiency was maximised by continually “pulsing” the laser, turning it on and off again to conserve energy.

“ITER hopes to achieve commercial nuclear fusion by 2035, a target less than 15 years away.”

There are two main methods to achieving nuclear fusion: either energy is released over a long period of time in low-density plasma, or a tremendous burst of energy is created in high density plasma. The NIF experiment utilised the second method to accomplish their long-awaited results.

As well as this, the NIF scientists

These pulses hit the gold capsule at intervals within a fraction of a millionth of a second, heating the capsules to over 100 million degrees centigrade, hotter than the surface of the Sun. To present perspective, the temperature of the Sun’s surface reaches approximately 6 million degrees centigrade, meaning that the temperature’s achieved by the NIF’s experiment were roughly 17 times hotter than this.

Mark Herrmann, deputy programme director for the facility which houses the NIF, stated that ‘little changes can

Diagram indicating the nuclear fusion laser function, Image courtesy of NIF

NIF Laser, image courtesy of Flickr make a big difference’, and hailed the accomplishment as ‘incredible’.

Nuclear fusion energy has multiple benefits over conventional fossil-fuel based or even nuclear fission-based methods of energy generation. Scientists at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) have calculated that an equal mass of atoms used in nuclear fusion could generate four million times the amount of energy that a mass of coal, oil, or gas could generate. Not only this, but fusion reactions generate zero greenhouse gas emissions, which would aid in the fight against global warming. Fusion reactions also do not generate long-lived nuclear waste as nuclear fission does, with waste produced by nuclear fusion being recyclable within 100 years.

However, nuclear fusion energy is still far from commercial availability.

To create the 2 million joules necessary for ignition, over 300 million joules had to be pumped into the lasers. Not only this, but the experiment was never designed to be efficient, with Herrmann stating ‘it was designed to be the biggest laser we could possibly build’. In addition, Riccardo Betti, a physicist from the University of Rochester, predicts that 10 gold capsules a second would have

to be burned if the NIF were to be able to cover their own energy costs. This is not currently possible both due to the price of creating a capsule and the fact the capsules contain Tritium, a shortlived isotope of hydrogen that would have to be made on-site due to its fast rate of decay. However, this fact has not stopped other research institutions aimed at creating commercial nuclear fusion energy from taking note of the NIF’s experiments. Scientists at ITER also use Deuterium and Tritium, the same hydrogen isotopes that the NIF use, and the success of the NIF has spurred similar efforts. ITER hopes to achieve commercial nuclear fusion by 2035, a target less than 15 years away.

While this experiment has broken a long-standing benchmark to achieving commercial nuclear fusion energy, it is important to note that the NIF facility is a longstanding supporter of nuclear weapon maintenance and is centred around understanding the thermodynamic reactions of nuclear weapons.

Although this may have promising impacts commercially, Herrmann has admitted that such experiments could help scientists to improve the accuracy of computer model simulations which make predicting weapon detonation more accurate, which may have larger implications in the current political climate.

As well as this, Herrman expresses hopes that further research in the department will help develop more efficient methods of nuclear fusion, and in turn, more efficient nuclear weapon production. Despite the fact this research is marketed towards commercial energy progress, it is irrevocably politically entangled with the US’s Department of Defence.

“Scientists at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) have calculated that an equal mass of atoms used in nuclear fusion could generate four million times the amount of energy that a mass of coal, oil, or gas could generate”

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InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Puzzle Solutions Across: 1 Winter, 4 Ground, 8 Buttercup, 10 Cue, 11 And so on, 12 Needs, 13 Bus, 15 Theft, 17 Rod, 18 Truce, 20 Airship, 22 Owl, 23 Physician, 25 Stroll, 26 Result.

Down: 1 Web, 2 Noted, 3 Even out, 5 Ripen, 6 Unclear, 7 Dressed up, 9 Centenary, 11 Ambitious, 14 Squalor, 16 Termite, 19 Expel, 21 Haiku, 24 Net.

4 9 2 6 5 3 1 7 8

5 7 3 8 2 1 9 6 4

1 8 6 4 7 9 2 3 5

3 4 9 5 8 6 7 1 2

8 6 7 1 3 2 5 4 9

2 1 5 7 9 4 6 8 3

9 3 1 2 6 8 4 5 7

6 5 8 9 4 7 3 2 1

7 2 4 3 1 5 8 9 6

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

15

Feature

The environmental ouroboros: has green progress been a lie since 1866?

By James Bonthron Climate Correspondent

In an age of ecological crisis, opinions differ on how we, as a society, need to help the issue. Looking back at the past, and what different solutions have been offered may help us to choose the right path. Doing this, though, reveals a stark truth- while the issue at the forefront may have changed, the ideas have stayed cyclical. From the beginnings of ecological awareness to the present day, much thought has been devoted to saving the environment and political movements have abounded. However, the roots of environmentalism are, once again, beginning to gain prominence. Green-minded institutions and movements may have to reckon with a re-emerging set of problematic, buried ideas. On the dawn of the new ‘environmentally-aware’ age, the spectre of extremism becomes ever bolder. To examine the spectrum of environmental ideas, it may be pertinent to look through three different, but equally interesting, lenses; those of ecofascism, eco-Marxism (and, by extension, eco-socialism), and green capitalism.

Image courtesy of Mike Newbury/Unsplash

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Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Feature Ecofascism: national needs before global

a recruitment opportunity. Climate change is simply a tool to further nationalistic projects, to cofascism is not an ideo- heighten jingoistic fervour. Clilogical movement. There mate change, they think, supports is some theory behind it, the idea of a natural hierarchy. but there has been little scholarly After all, it’s not the Global North research due to its violent nature that is affected the most. To an associations with terroristic activ- ecofascist, climate change is good. ity. Ecofascist tendency spans the The issue is that exclusionary entirety of nature conservation, policies can go hand-in-hand with and it was (in effect) the pre- environmental policy. It could dominant thought in the early be argued, for example, that enviperiod. The pressures of climate ronmental concerns are imporchange have led to a resurgence tant because ecofascists think that in nationalism and, to an extent, there is an ideological connection between themselves and other ecofascism. groups of white people. WorryEcology, as a definition, was ingly, while democratic systems coined by Ernest Haeckel in 1866. on a local scale are better at reducThe original definition’s descrip- ing carbon dioxide emissions, tion of nature (such as who and communist countries like China what belongs where, and for demonstrate the fact that authoriwhom it should be protected) was tarianism can also develop alonga significant point of focus for fas- side environmental concerns. cist thinkers in the 20th Century, and this has remained the same A further constraint on the into the 21st. Even the ‘heroes’ planet– the explosion of the human popof environmental ulation in the yesteryear have last 200 yearsa complicated has led to legacy. Madison issues with the Grant, an early environment proponent of as resources Californian redwood and American buffalo con- have become ever scarcer. The servation, also put a kidnapped argument that overpopulation member of the Congolese Mbuti must be reduced in order to stop tribe (Ota Benga) in a display with climate change can be viewed as apes in 1906 at the Bronx Zoo. ecofascist, as it places a disproThe same ‘conservationist’ wrote portionate amount of the blame ‘The Racial Basis of European on the Global South. The solution History’ in 1916, which warned to overpopulation, therefore, can that the ‘Nordic’ was declining. quickly become ethnically probTheodore Roosevelt- the same lematic.

American president who created the first modern national park The political right is struggling to in 1872, a man that championed generate effective policies around the natural world in a time where the climate. Unlike past environsuch thought was ahead of its mental issues, climate change time- praised the book and wrote issues can’t be solved with the Grant a letter to that end, which type of focused and tangible polwas used in later editions of the icy that the right-wing politicians have used in the past. Recently, book. there has been an increase in popSo, what is an ecofascist? Over ularity over anti-immigration polthe last five years, ecofascism icies. Such policies are favoured has evolved to come to describe by ecofascists. This is because clipeople who use the physical and mate change will inevitably cause symbolic qualities of the envi- more refugees (due to issues such ronment to further nationalist as sea levels rising), and will mean and authoritarian objectives. An that certain populations will have ecofascist sees climate change as to live in increasingly unsuitable

E

So what is an ecofascist?

places, despite it being a consequence of migratorily Western policy. In response to increased climate migrants, European politics has shown to further exclude people through anti-immigration laws.

thought is unfinished and is challenged and developed to meet the needs of a globalising capitalism and future social changes. This type of new Marxism is open to include radical feminism, ecology, and indigenous thought.

Democracy is king to this new Unlike main political positions, type of Marxism. This new Green ecofascism can be a deadly ide- Marxism criticises productivist ology which tangibly caused Marxism as it sees such a system the deaths of 76 people in 2019 as too focused on socialist modalone. It cannot be, therefore, ernisation and industrialisation. simply discussed by academics The climate crisis, according to as a valid political alternative. Marxists, is a global, social and The Christchurch mass shooter ecological crisis which requires in March 2019, who murdered systemic change to global political 51 people, claimed himself to be and economic systems. an ecofascist. In July of the same year, three other people were One prominent Marxist theorist murdered by a self-proclaimed in the 1980s was James O’Connor. fundamental environmentalist, at His theory of Marxism attempted California’s Gilroy Garlic Festival. to marry ecology and Marxism In August in 2019, 22 people were by centring ecology at the heart murdered by a gunman in El Paso, of capitalist social relations. He Texas. In his manifesto, environ- suggested that capitalism had mental concerns are mentioned. several contradictions within its To treat ecofascism as simply own logic. O’Connor posits that another form of political doctrine the external physical conditions would be incorrect, and it must be needed to produce capital are challenged at every turn. invisible to the market as they are given freely by nature. Therefore, Eco-Marxism: nothing nature’s devastation is outside of capitalistic production because it less than revolution had no market value.

will do

Eco-Marxism has been heavily criticised, partly because the environmental reforms of the 1970s (when eco-Marxist zeal was high) only served to increase inequality and further entrench the wealthy. Overhauling production and creating a decentralised, more democratic society is needed in a post-capitalistic era.

A cultural revolution will also need to occur, creating an economy based on a ‘moral’ system and not relying on currency.

Additionally, the commons need to be repaired and extended, with exploitation of nature being minThe Marxist-Lenist approach imised by ensuring that work and used in the 20th century, with production ceases when producits focus on industrialisation and tion quotas/needs are met. This growth, was disastrous to the will allow citizens to have more environment. With this in mind, time to participate in democracy. a new kind of Marxism is being Karl Polanyi coined the concept touted; one which is characterised of ‘countermovement’. This refers by grassroot parties and radical to the phenomenon when society intellectuals. One which suggests responds to a severe crisis. Inevthat Marxism as a body of social itable, according to Robert Wade, The ideas of Karl Marx have been revolutionary and popular ever since they were recorded. A 19th century thinker, Marx’s ideas have been interpreted and re-interpreted by a horde of scholars and revolutionaries in the last three centuries. More contemporary thought has put the environment forthright in visions for a post-capitalist society. Moreover, it would be incorrect to suggest that Marxism is anything but an umbrella term, with different thinkers having different angles.

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InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

the elites fight back with a counter-countermovement, which he terms ‘the art of paradigm maintenance’. Elites will steer the conversation by co-opting prominent intellectuals and activists; they then will draw groups into meaningless ‘participatory democracy’ exercises and concede minor reforms in order to retain economic control overall.

The fact that most scholarly articles, and much of environmental justice movements, venerate eco-Marxist ideas are a testament to its validity. While traditional Marxist thinkers (perhaps including Karl Marx himself) were short-sighted on environmental issues, contemporary Marxists have embraced environmental thought into the doctrine. Movements which embrace freedom and further democratic openness are positive movements by nature, and while Marxism may fall short in practice, the theory behind it (such as community management of assets) has certainly furthered the environmental cause in a way which no other cohesive ideology has.

Feature thermore, green capitalism champions market-based mechanisms such as carbon credits and pollution permits, which have been used in recent decades. Indeed, a green capitalist solution to this could be improved packaging, source materials and communication strategies.

There are advantages to promoting green capitalism. It is true, for example, that the marketing of natural resources could establish more sustainable societies and should be used to do so.

This suggestion by Prothero and Fitchett has now been adopted into the environmental playbook via the popularity of ecosystem services (such as fresh water or recreational

tural thought. Moreover, the role of capitalism sociologically and culturally is a huge blind spot in Marxist theory. In fact, capitalism is socially dynamic, it was even used in Soviet-style communism. Green capitalism, as the green face of neoliberalism, has been part of the dominant political system in Europe, having been championed since the 1980s.

It could be argued that revolutionary movements are destined to incorporate sections of capitalist thinking. If the notion that commodification is bad is rejected, then it may be sensible to create a theoretical justification t h a t u t i lises capital-

Green capitalism: change by rounding the edges Green capitalism needs little introduction because is the norm in the 21st century.

Its core tenets are the climate change can be helped via constant technological innovation. lash Unsp iske/ p S s Elon Musk, for example, is a rku of Ma rtesy u o c prime example of a green capi- Image fishing). talist. In the lieu of real philanConsumerism, it can be thropy, investment in greener argued, now dominates. To deny technology is championed by the this is futile. Instead, capitalism mega-rich. can be used to exploit commodity Green capitalism can be defined culture to create a society more in as a set of responses to environ- harmony with nature. This would mental issues (in particular, cli- mean that the ideas around ‘commate change) which are reliant modity’ would need to be chalon utilising capital investment, lenged. innovation, and individualism. A sustainable future, it is suggested A green capitalist would argue by green capitalist, can be created that capitalism is, in fact, not just using private investment and an economic system as it influtechnological innovation. Fur- ences ethical, societal, and cul-

change. It posits that investment will lead to entrepreneurs divesting from damaging technologies and into more sustainable methods. Greed and exclusive property rights are championed in this system. The promotion of biofuels is an example of technological solutions championed by green capitalists. While offering a solution, it invites entrepreneurs to, once again, exploit the resource and profit. Aside from the inequality such a technology could increase, there are issues of land-use and biodiversity which are unaccounted for by this green capitalist solution to fossil fuels.

Green capitalism is the dominant ideology in most countries.

This may be because it appears to be the most effective, and its use has been bolstered by the fall of the Soviet Union. As a way to promote green investment, it is the most effective as it does not mean that anything particularly radical needs to occur. In the 21st century, most global institutions and the top 1% of wealth owners choose to donate considerably to green capitalist causes. It is a testament to green capitalism’s effectiveness that many companies have committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Green capitalism provides an incentive to ‘go green’- namely the increasing return on capital investment.

Conclusion

istic social relations to help the environment. This would, therefore, incorporate and utilise revolutionary forces within the already existing society. The fact that communist countries, along with the Soviet Union have since accepted free-market capitalism could be a sign that ideological revolutions (supposedly communist or green) may in reality offer little actual change.

However, green capitalism is not a perfect system. For example, it relies on private investment and the free market to solve climate

While political ideologies wax and wane in popularity, there is a clear through-line between the beginning of environmental protection and the 21st century. What started as exclusionary, racist policies gradually became more liberal. Now, with climate change, history seems to be repeating itself. With policies such as protecting 30% of the world by 2030 being supported by many Global North countries, with ‘Fortress Europe’, and an increasing amount of people murdered by self-proclaimed ecofascists, are we returning to an age of rightwing environmentalism? Has any meaningful progress actually been made since 1872?

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2022

Lifestyle

By Sabah Quraishi Lifestyle Writer

A

Fashion Trends Wrapped

crazy and awesome rollercoaster of a year. We’ve had the whole Will Smith slap debacle, Elon Musk buying Twitter, Depp vs Heard, Wordle, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez getting married (finally), Davide and Ekin-Su winning Love Island, we went through three PM’s and Kanye was… well, Kanye. Despite all the crazy, fashion continues to prevail. Self expression through style has continued to flourish, with hundreds of microtrends under the umbrella of the mainstream ones. The influence

Streetwear

A trend that’s been around since the 90s. Today it’s influenced primarily by hip-hop and the skate scene.

It’s arguably one of the most common and popular trends that surrounds a variety of aspects in pop culture. Worldwide and in the UK, the interest in streetwear has remained the most consistent of all the trends throughout this year. The ‘#streetwear’ even has 16.3 billion views on TikTok, just proving how wearable and stylish this trend really is. From hip-hop to K-pop, you’ll find a variety of pop culture followers rocking this style.

Oversized Outfits

A baggy top with baggy joggers, cargos, trousers, jeans and a pair of sneakers. There’s no way to go wrong with this one. Although this trend has existed for a while, it was repopularised in 2019 with Billie Eilish, being her staple look at the time. This year, the trend has continued and broken away from her influence, feeding into elements of streetwear and gothic trends. Not only that, but we’ve seen how oversized doesn’t have to be casual. Oversized formal wear has also come into fashion with Kendrick Lamar and Robert Pattinson being two of many to wear this look.

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

of social media has especially contributed to this. Not only with influencers showcasing the trends, but also the increase in promotions and the creation of shopping platforms on both Instagram and TikTok. There’s something for everyone, along with accessible and affordable ways to achieve your desired style.

We’ve had multiple trends make a comeback this year, along with some new ones! So let’s walk you through the trends that were most influential.

Goth

The gothic trend has been around so long, not only is it just a trend, but a part of history, with the fashion style dating back to the 70s. 42 years later, it’s still one of the most relevant trends and continues to break down the constrictions of gender norms in fashion. With dark outfits, plaid skirts, leather jackets, platforms and so much more, it’s truly iconic.

The way this trend has grown through the year and will probably continue into 23 just proves that. Not to mention the influence of one of the most popular Netflix shows, Wednesday, giving the style’s popularity an end of year resurgence. We even saw Jenna Ortega show up to the premiere in an elegant Versace gothic dress.

Mesh/Sheer Tops

Interestingly, despite it emerging in the summer, this trend seemed to peak as we headed into the chilly autumn season. The sheer clothing trend saw women owning their bodies. Mesh and net pieces can serve either as a statement piece or a means of layering to create a cute look. In Maire Claire it was stated how the sheer trend was one of the ‘most dominant of the season’. We saw these looks by Maryam Nassir Zadeh, which really showcased this trend.

Y2K

Let's be real. Low rise pants, baby tees, velour, mini skirts, the list goes on. The noughties made a comeback this year, just proving the cyclical nature of fashion. Harper's Bazaar described the trend as ‘playful’ and named the original influences such as Britney and Tom Ford. Even Kim Kardashian jumped in on the comeback when she dropped the Skims Velour Tracksuit which she modelled with Paris Hilton. The look today is slightly more modern than what we saw in the 2000s with pastels and black-and-white showcasing more prominently in the comeback of this style.

Corsets

Everyone knows the hype with corsets. They’ve taken the stage and been added to the list of the most versatile tops a girl can wear. Pair it with a skirt, jeans, trousers, cargos or leather pants, or you can put one over a dress or shirt. Vogue even reported how we’ve reclaimed corsets and made them an expression of modern feminism. They can be worn by anyone regardless of femininity. They’re great for a night out, a date, a day out with friends. We saw Billie Eilish and Lenny Kravitz showcase these iconic corset looks at the 2022 Met Gala.

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InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Lifestyle

Manifestations, Aims, and Excitement The

InQuire

team

looks

forward

to

2023

By Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

2

022 is now over and a new year brings opportunities, excitement, and challenges for all of us. At InQuire we are no different, and as a group of proactive and ambitious individuals, we have collected manifestations and aims for the year from a handful of our team. Some are career-focused, and some touch on furthering personal growth, but all of them look to 2023 with the potential for another great year.

Rashida Hassan Editor-in-Chief

Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

Looking back on the year now, although I was never cognizant of this at the time, I would say 2022 was probably one of the best years of my life. I’ve had the opportunity to grow in my career and to continue fostering relationships in my community: with family, friends, and even my UKC community as a whole. What a weird, crazy journey it was. I find it particularly hard to share my plans for the future as I’ve always believed in the power of evil eyes; I think it’s easier to manifest in private.

Without divulging too much, what then do I want my 2023 to look like? I want to keep doing what I love, with the people I love, in places near and dear to my heart. I hope to keep going down this magical journey of self-progression, growth, and discovery. But most importantly, I just want to have the best time humanely possible, whether this means my nose is buried in a book, at a club dancing with my friends, or laying on a beautiful beach somewhere without a care in the world.

Now in my final term of my final, fourth year of my undergraduate course, life is now becoming very real. Being set to graduate in the summer, I now need to task myself with finding a job in the real world. I know I am in a privileged position. I already know what classification I will graduate with after finishing my degree in Politics and IR last year, before going on to take a Year in Journalism. I, therefore, don’t have to stress about finishing a dissertation, or calculate the percentage I will need to achieve the grade I want in a particular module: I have already gone through all of that. Instead, I want to focus more on enjoying life, spending time with those whose company I enjoy, and give time for myself to rest and recuperate when needed- working hard to achieve the best I can take its toll. Those that know me closely know that I have extremely high standards for myself, and must keep busy so I don’t fall into a rut, so achieving this while searching for graduate employment may be difficult to accomplish, but is certainly doable.

Barbiecore

Pink was IN this year- as it should be. Not just the pastels, but bright, vibrant, hot pink, along with some sparkle. In all honesty, we’re predicting this trend is unlikely to fade away, and especially with Margot Robbie starring in the upcoming Barbie movie, pink will bleed into 2023 for sure! As noted in Glamour, society is obsessed with nostalgia right now. Inspo from the 90s and 2000s are prominent in Y2K styles, streetwear, upcycling and more. So what more to be nostalgic about than the classic Barbie doll.

Emyr BenYoussef Head of Photography I think for many of us, 2022 was a strange year, full of ups and downs. At times I found myself running around in circles, aimlessly drifting with the current. For me, 2023 is a fresh start, a new beginning where I aim to self-improve and achieve milestones that are fulfilling. My new year’s resolution is to consistently challenge myself and venture into new avenues in life, mainly in the creative field, such as writing an article and creating TikTok content for InQuire. Being my final term at UKC I want to graduate with a first-class, win varsity with my Swim team, and write and produce my first article for InQuire. Lastly, regarding my photography, I want to be booked and busy, doing more studio photo shoots and exploring new creative styles. After graduation in the summer, contrary to the norm, I intend to take a year out, spending six months working on building my portfolio and the other half of the year travelling around the world and experiencing different cultures.

Hopefully, after building my portfolio, I aim to be a part of a creative team in the fashion industry, preferably a fashion house.

Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor Kieran Webb Satire Editor What I am most looking forward to in 2023 is one day in particular- July 23.

Why is this? You might instantly recognise that as the birthday of Ernest Hemingway, but in actuality, July 23 2023 will change cinematic history as we know it. That’s right - both Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer films will debut on the same day. The two highly anticipated releases will force me and audiences everywhere to make a choice: do we watch a film about one of history’s most important figures, or do we watch a Christopher Nolan movie? I’ll definitely be making the most of this monumental day by watching them both, but that raises the question of which one to watch first? It's a tough choice, but it makes sense to sit through Oppenheimer first before Barbie, so you start with a darker subject before living it up in Barbieland. I haven’t felt the duality of man as clearly as this since the release of both Doom: Eternal and Animal Crossing.

Tech Wear

With inspiration from cyberpunk and science fiction, we’ve seen techwear rising this year. Although it’s still upcoming, it had an influence nonetheless. We mainly see technical clothing, GORE-TEX jackets, cargos, work boots, which all maintain a sleek black/ grey colour aesthetic. The main uprise has been seen with mainstream brands coming out with high quality, durable lines, such as Nike ACG and Adidas Terrex. Not to mention the brands already in the game, such as North Face, Arc’teryx and Patagonia.

It’s safe to say, we have a lot to look forward to in 2023. Where will these trends go? Will we continue down the nostalgic route or make something new from those inspirations?

Maybe we’ll indulge ourselves further into the gothic subgenres or streetwear will begin to draw from even more sources. Stay tuned this year, since we’re all about to find out.

After a painful heartbreak mid-2022, your girl cried and she journaled and cried a bit more but, in the end, it was so worth it. I had to learn how to be alone, to truly enjoy my own company, and have her be enough. I’m forever thankful for the self-confidence and trust I built during this time. So, for this year, I’m speaking it into the universe that I’m going to continue to take care of myself first, focus on my well-being and unlearn the not-so-healthy grind mentality. I’m going to keep looking at life lovingly, with more compassion for myself, my family, and my friends.

I also want to learn more outside my degree and know more about the world, I’ll be welcoming new experiences and expanding the media I consume. Creatively, I don’t want to be afraid of vulnerability. I want to share more parts of myself in the words I write, no matter how uncomfortable it gets. I will push and dare to be more me.

Crochet & Upcycling

The era of sustainability is growing and we can see this translating into fashion. The rise in upcycling and more people taking on crochet, brings a uniqueness to this trend, with people truly creating a style that is their own. You can crochet pretty much anything, from cardigans to hats, bags or even little toys.

Same goes for upcycling. A trend that is a major contributor to sustainability and the increase in thrifting.

Whether it be your own old clothes or thrifted, you can turn an old pair of jeans into a hat, skirt or cute cropped jacket.

20

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Lifestyle

Study Snacks That Will Help Your Brain Stay Focused Try These Four Easy and Delicious Recipes!

3. Sweet Potato Salad

By Shumaya Begum Lifestyle Writer

N

ow that the winter holidays are over and the second term has already begun, it’s time for us to put our leftover Christmas energy into studying! Energy is essential in supporting students through long hours of staring at screens and retaining difficult information. The best way to gain this energy is through, of course, food! The trick to effective study snacks is ensuring that there is a balance between having healthy ingredients– nutrients to support productivity and continuous brain activity– and sugar– enough to get you through long hours of revision, but not too much that you’ll crash drastically like a speeding train in a thriller movie. These recipes take no more than 10 minutes to make, so you don’t have to worry about precious study time being stolen away!

1. Chocolate Fruit Bowl

1 Sweet Potato (boil for 20 to 25 minutes), 2 Large Carrots (chopped), Leafy vegetable (e.g., kale, cabbage, lettuce), Beetroot, Sweetcorn, Seeds (e.g., chia, flax, sunflower), French dressing (1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 6 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper) This recipe is perfect for those who are trying to be more health conscious when snacking, especially for the New Year. Not only are sweet potatoes low in calories, but they are also high in fibre, vitamins, and minerals– all great things for your mind and body! You can eat your sweet potatoes with any of your favourite vegetables. A great rule for a great salad is to include purple vegetables and seeds because of their high levels of nutrition.

Ingredients

Mixed Berries, Chocolate Bar or Spread (Melted) There is nothing nicer than eating a bowl of fresh, juicy fruit while your brain is struggling to remember what you have learnt in the past few months.

Add some melted chocolate and you’ve got yourself a sweet and refreshing study snack to cool down the battling gears in your head.

Images Courtesy of Shumaya Begum

Ingredients

4. Peanut Butter and Banana Crumpet Ingredients

Peanut Butter (as much as you like), 1 Banana (chopped), 2 Crumpets (toasted), Honey (optional)

2. Salmon Deluxe Bagel

For those who like soft foods and don’t mind a bit of mess, this recipe is for you! The nutty flavours of peanut butter mixed with the creaminess of banana is the perfect combination to put on a fluffy crumpet. All you need to do is spread peanut butter onto the crumpet, add the chopped banana pieces on top and you’re done! For a little extra sweetener you can drizzle honey on as well.

Ingredients

Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Half an Avocado (chopped), 1 Tomato (chopped), A Pinch of Salt and Pepper, Lemon Juice (optional) This study snack is ideal for students who get hungry easily and prefer to eat savoury foods over something sweet. Students often find it difficult to decide what they should eat, more so if they don’t know how to cook. The Salmon Deluxe Bagel can be considered either a heavy snack or even a light lunch, ultimately a flawless recipe for students on a small timeframe and tight budget. All you need to do to make this scrumptious snack is slightly toast the bagel, spread on the cream cheese (the more, the better), add the avocado, chopped tomato and some salt and pepper to bring the flavours out. A squeeze of lemon juice also adds a tangy kick to wake up our sleepy brains.

T

he love you instantly feel when you wake up: your pet is cuddled up next to you and happy to see you awake, the weight off your shoulders knowing there’s always going to be something in the fridge to eat, home cooked meals you didn’t have to YouTube search for because your family’s been making this dish since you were little. The security in knowing you’ll see your siblings in the living room whenever you’re bored, meeting up with friends that knew you at your lowest but will always support you, and your hometown becomes the shore you land on after swimming through the ocean.

With most of us spending our time back home with family and friends, you might find yourself dreading going back to uni and feeling homesick. You’re not alone. I’ve been feeling the same way for the past few weeks and it's somewhat foreign to me, mainly because I’ve already done the back and forth before, so why am I experiencing this now?

Homesickness feels like a long hangover and I’m drunk on the past. As we grow up, most of us realize how everything starts changing, it's scary and it's bittersweet. Adulting is hard. Growing up is hard. Sure, independence is liberating and great for character building, but I think we can allow ourselves to miss the comfort of familiarity.

Ultimately, every one of these amazing snacks are perfect for a busy university student. Not to mention, there is little to clean up after making these recipes as you only need a chopping board and knife to cut up all your required ingredients. You can easily pack them in Tupperware or tin foil (in the case of the Salmon Deluxe Bagel) and bring them to eat on campus or to a library study session. The best part is that there are no strong smells coming from these snacks, so don’t worry about getting any questionable stares towards your direction!

back in 2016. We vacationed in the Philippines for about a month and I remember crying in bed when we got back. I had so much fun spending time with my cousins. It was the closest I felt to them at the time. Feeling homesick I’ve discovered, is just proof that you have a place to call home.

Some of us are fortunate coming home where we up following the Sometimes, we get future; studying for dictates the course up with the costs prioritize our relayou’re an introhumans are social

enough to go back to a welcan destress and loosen stress of deadline season. so caught up with the a degree that apparently of our life, working to keep of living, it gets hard to tionships. Whether vert or an extrovert, creatures by

Being a daughter of overseas workers and being one of the first in our family to study abroad, there’s a tinge of guilt that comes with the package too. Part of me hesitates because wanting to go back home might suggest ungratefulness. Or would worry family about my well being. And I wasn’t close to family growing up and we don’t always see eye to eye but having experienced what it’s like being alone in a new environment, you start to appreciate stability and the knowing they’ll be there for you any time you choose to reach out.

So, let yourself feel it. It’s okay to miss the past now. Don’t be mad at yourself for missing home and dealing with it the way you do.

Slump or not, as long as you’re not hurting yourself in the process by coping unhealthily, then allow yourself to cry, to be in bed and rot on TikTok. When you’re ready, remember to pick yourself up. Don’t be afraid to tell your family and friends that you miss them, even if you haven’t talked in a while or left their last text unread.

At times, I felt shy and awkward because we’re in different situations, it felt like they wouldn’t get it, that I was making a big deal out of something that’s become habitual. I realized that it’s normal if they can’t entirely relate to how you’re feeling and they might not show it, but rest assured that your presence is missed.

On Being Homesick

I grew up in one place my whole life. Moving from the Philippines to the UAE at age 4, I’ve only moved neighborhoods a couple of times. Even then, the apartments we moved from weren’t so far apart from each other. It was odd in the beginning, to not miss the only place I’ve ever been in. The last time I felt deeply homesick was

nature, we thrive on meaningful connectionws. I can literally go from an existential crisis to hanging out with my besties the next day and suddenly, life feels worth living again. But maybe that’s the extroversion talking. Either way, I hope that one way or another, we all have the shared experience of a fulfilling connection, albeit looking different for everyone.

Once you’ve found your people wherever you may be, things definitely get easier. This feeling will pass with time, soon you’ll look back and smile at the thought that you can love and be loved no matter where you are in the world.

By Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor

21

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Culture

Pride, and Brides, and Prejudice, and Zombies

By Natasha Mather Culture Correspondent

T

he ultimate enemies-to-lovers, slowburn romance or a misogynistic, problematic product of its time? Whether you swoon over Mr Darcy or despise him, you can’t deny Pride and Prejudice’s popularity, or the hold it has had on audiences for over two centuries. For those who just can’t get enough of Austen’s iconic romance, we’ve rounded up a few of its many, many on-screen adaptations (some of which are more faithful to the original than others!) to let you know which are most worth your while.

Pride and Prejudice (1995 BBC Series): Regarded by many as the definitive on-screen version of the novel, the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice miniseries perfectly encapsulates the charm, wit and romance of Austen’s original.

It’s no secret that Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr Darcy stole audience’s hearts from the moment he stepped on to the screen, but Jennifer Ehle’s quiet smiles, knowing eyerolls, and dignified confidence make her the perfect Elizabeth Bennett, too. As their mutual hatred dissolves into reluctant acquaintance and an inevitable happy-ever-after, the chemistry between the two has us giggling along and shouting at the screen as much as any modern rom-com would. We can’t recommend it enough as the perfect place to start for those unfamiliar with the story, or a cosy and familiar retelling for lovers of the novel.

Pride and Prejudice (2005 Film Adaptation): Or, ‘the one with Kiera Knightley in it’. This

Bride and Prejudice (2004): The Bollywood musical retelling of the novel, Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha reinvents Austen’s classic story, setting it in Amritsar, India. Mrs Bennet’s character fits surprisingly well into the stereotype of the overbearing mother from a traditional Indian family, and the Bollywood jams and colourful choreo make this film a whole lot of fun. Not to mention the stellar cast; fans of Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries and more will all see a familiar face or two while dancing and singing along.

Working Title film is absolutely stunning, from the moment the crisp morning sun rises on the opening titles to the movie’s tear-jerking, heartwarming finish. While I’d argue the on-screen chemistry between the characters isn’t quite as compelling as other adaptations, what this version lacks in romantic intrigue it more than makes up for in visual delight and aesthetic. Special mention to Brenda Blethyn and Tom Hollander, who’s hilarious portrayals of their respective characters Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins still never fail to make me laugh, and are, I’m sure, exactly what Austen would have wanted.

Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001 Film): Because we loved Colin Firth as Mr Darcy too much to let him only play it once. Not that he’s the main event in this particular rom-com classic, loosely based on Austen’s original novel (but mainly based on the 1996 novel of the same name)– Renée Zellweger is everything we want in a romantic heroine, in all her embarrassing, cringeworthy, unapologetically awkward glory. We’ve all been Bridget weeping into a tub of Ben and Jerry’s alone on a Friday night, and it’s that universal experience that makes this film so validating, and so well-loved. While it loses points for lack of faith to the original plot, narrations from Bridget’s diary obsessing over interactions with Mark Darcy or, (retch), Daniel Cleaver, are the perfect modern-day and accessible equivalent to Lizzie Bennet’s endearingly anxious inner monologue running throughout Pride and Prejudice.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016): ‘It is a truth universally recognized that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.’ It’s not subtle, understated, or elegant by any means, but Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a good time nonetheless. Somehow more faithful to the text than many other adaptations on this list, 17 Again director Burr Steers manages to situate this film within the genres of thriller, romance, comedy, and Image Courtesy of Everett

horror all at once. While at times this leads to the film feeling a little messy, with too much going on all at once, we recommend watching with a not-too-critical eye, sitting back and letting the whole thing wash over you.

While we of course recommend the original book above all else, those who want to enjoy Austen’s classic story have no shortage of options with which to do so. Fans of action and romance, TV show lovers and film buffs alike can all experience the joys and sorrows of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy’s iconic romance, and (in my completely unbiased opinion) absolutely should.

Image Courtesy of Jay Maidment/ Lionsgate

Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures

New Books For a New Year, New You

By Molly Field Culture Editor

A

s the last days of the year flicker, fatigued, against the dark December skies, and the new year descends, I will drink more water. I will renew my subscription to that website I tried last year, and the year before that, to improve my French, peut être, and I will stop cancelling on people at the last minute. I’ll learn to shuffle cards well, because I think it makes one look mysterious, and I shall try to stop caring about how people perceive me. My cooking will be more exciting, as will my love life, and I’ll join the yoga society with the new mat I got for Christmas. I will try harder at university, visit the cinema regularly, try to save money, and read more. I will consume lots of books that all, kind of, resemble Normal People or Fleabag, and will recommend the best ones to my friends (who didn’t ask). New books for a new year, and a new me- and here’s some for you.

Dry Heart and The Road to the City by prolific Italian author Natalia Ginzburg are both quick, engaging reads to begin the year with- especially if you have found yourself in a reading slump come the end of a very long December.

Both coming in at around 100 pages, the novels intricately explore issues of gender, love, and sensuality, against beautifully-described Italian

settings, both natural and metropolitan. Ginzburg handles the simple aspects of life with love and care, conveying them as pleasures, a technique that- on both reads- has led to a greater appreciation on my end for the everyday occurrences of my life, a mindset I will try to cling onto going into the new year. Materialistically, the two paperbacks look beautiful as a pair, and fit easily in a little bag to take on your travels (because one of your resolutions is to travel more, right?).

I found Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados to be a book inclined to push the reader towards hedonism. Involving two young women, Isa and Gala as they move to New York for the summer (with no money to their name), the novel follows the misadventures of the pair in the bustling city, soaking up the delight to be found in the exciting people, places and culture. Grasping onto any social capital they can acquire, the girls live beyond their means, and have fun with it. Reading this novel at the turn of a new year will, arguably, result in an ambitious wistfulness for a life of pleasure-seeking, something I know I will be inclined to act upon: yes let’s book those concert tickets, yes let’s scour the city for the best happy hour, yes let’s treat ourselves to

a whole carrot cake and bottle of wine after an hour of studying… A book for a fun kickstart to your year of reading.

One of my dearest friends, Sophia, is similar to me in the sense that she likes to give unprompted book recommendations, but dissimilar in the sense that as an English Literature student she can better articulate why said books come so highly recommended. Speaking on her new year book recommendations, Sophia suggests The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: ‘it’s about a boy embarking on a spiritual journey through Egypt after a series of recurring dreams. The novel is all about finding one’s purpose in life, sourcing fulfilment, and recognising it when you have it- ideas we often all try to incorporate into our new year’. Furthermore, Sophia goes on to recommend Natasha Brown’s Assembly, a book I also read at around this time last year. Of the work, Sophia says ‘it's a short novella, meaning it's helpful in getting us back into the swing of reading’. The story follows a ‘black woman living in the UK preparing to join her boyfriend at his family’s lavish estate. Commenting on the British colonial legacy that still exists today, the protagonist considers the carefully assembled pieces of herself, making it a short but powerful

and very important read’.

Laurie Petrou’s Stargazer was one of my favourite books from the past year- a story exploring the intimate intensity of female friendship and the intricacies of class relations.

A perfect read for fans of dark academia, the novel follows two best friends who move to an elite college in the American wilderness to study art and literature. Classy and hedonistic, their ‘perfect’ university lives begin to quickly unravel into clashes of envy and obsession. An enthralling read, Stargazer is the perfect pageturner to begin the year with, as well as helping to ease the transition back into studying through its cosy romanticisation of academia (think: long nights in the library with fresh coffee, long walks to class through frosty fields…).

While also drinking my water, and cooking my meals, and reading my books, I will be striving to be a little more mindful in my everyday life, including in my literature consumption habits.

I recommend reaching for platforms like World of Books, a second-hand online book retailer, rather than putting your money into Bezos’ pockets. Furthermore, Canterbury has multiple second-hand bookstores such as the Oxfam or Catching Lives shops.

22

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Culture

Not Thinking Straight:

By Molly Field Culture Editor

I

t’s not quite Soho, and it’s not exactly Brighton, but unassumingly nestled upon the east coast, twinkling against the pebble-strewn beaches, is a budding queer community– an alternative Margate. With 2022’s pride celebrations attracting thousands of visitors, queer-friendly establishments opening at an increasing rate across the town, and community groups fostering community and creativity, the original holiday-destination town is morphing into the ‘Shoreditch of Kent’; trendy, modern, arty, and– crucially- inclusive. In a culture of rising hostility towards the LGBTQIA+ community across the country, alongside ongoing political debates involving issues like the conversion therapy ban, the queer folk of Mar-

Image Courtesy of CAMP Margate ling queer community space and bar CAMP, sitting pretty and pink on Northdown Road. Opening in 2022, the du Preez’s revealed how CAMP was born, partially out of a drunken night of musing, but mainly a want for a permanent space that was ‘silly, fun, queer-lead, and playing pop-music’– meaning, a place tending to play ‘Stars are Blind’ by Paris Hilton. In creating a disco ball-donned bar where the Margate community could ‘feel safe, be [them]selves, and hang out with queer friends,’ the group have hosted an impressive roster of events, including weekly pop-culture quizzes,

gate are banding together, uncovering hidden histories for themselves, and chiselling out their own places and spaces from the chalky white cliffs of Kent.

Queer spaces opening across the town act as beacons; both supporting a pre-existing LGBTQIA+ community, as well as encouraging others in their migration and participation. InQuire exclusively sat down with the charismatic team behind one of these recently-opened establishments: Jess du Preez, Derek du Preez, and Sophie Hall, three of the five founding members of the fledg-

semi-regular drag cabarets, queer maker’s markets, Drag Race screenings, and a book club.

Hall believes that Margate is, really, becoming the best place for these kinds of gatherings and groups, with Margate Pride having facilitated the town’s growing queer community. While still in its early days, she says that ‘with Margate Pride and the amazing work they have done, people feel safe to move here and say they are queer’. Currently raising a toddler with her partner, Hall reflects on how she can’t think of anywhere else where a queer family could exist so happily and comfortably: ‘we walked [at pride] this year with my son– it brings a tear to my eye to talk about it– because it’s amazing to know he’s growing up in a town where he can be so proud that we are his parents’.

The trio's sole wish for their place within the town’s emerging queer community involves an extension on their licence; a licence that currently only allows CAMP to stay open until 11pm. Granted only one late licence ever, CAMP hosted an incredible late-night event for Pride 2022; a night of old-school pop songs, roaring laughter, glitter, and community.

With Mr du Preez describing CAMP as a ‘community-led life-

line’, it is clear that it is more than just a barCAMP is a safe space for a community often at risk. As such, the team argues the queer safe spaces of Margate should be specially regarded when concerning licensing, especially when certain other establishments remain open later on the very same road, to support the emerging LGBTQIA+ community.

With wide open windows radiating queer joy , CAMP has become a safe and warm beacon on Northdown Road for the LGBTQIA+ community of Margate, and a regular hotspot for local queer historian and artist, Dan Chilcott.

Inviting InQuire into his beautiful home– all dried flowers, rows of vinyl, stacks of books, and a new cat– Inquire meets with Chilcott, who played an imperative role in the formation of the current iteration of Margate Pride.

Arguing for the existence of queer people in Margate since ‘the dawn of time’, Chilcott explains to us exactly how and why he began researching the queer history of the town, as well as the best tales he has uncovered through his

work. ‘I began my research, really, out of nosiness’, he admits. Having moved to a new town, Chilcott felt the need to ground himself in the history of his community, a community in an even more primitive form at the time of his relocation. ‘It’s an incredible town with an incredibly rich history of pop culture– living in a queer community, with queer friends, we would talk about these stories, sort of like gossip’. Collating this gossip, Chilcott conducted a lecture at the Tom Thumb Theatre titled ‘The Queer History of Margate and Thanet from the Dawn of Time to 1968’ where a favourite story of Chilcott’s included that of wartime poet Siegfried Sassoon and artist Gabriel Atkin. During a ‘heady weekend in a Margate hotel’, and after countless deferred meetings, Sassoon (aged thirty at the time) lost his virginity to Atkin. In a letter to a friend, Atkin wrote that he had been ‘in the North, South, East, and West with Siegfried Sassoon’ (meaning, essentially, he had been in every direction with him). Chilcott is drawn to the pair because of their ‘Margate moment’, admiring how this historical meeting happened in their little seaside town.

Image Courtesy of Margate Pride

Image Courtesy of Stavrealina Gontzou/Unsplash

A (Non-Exhaustive) 2023 Kent Cultural Calendar: 23rd January: Chinese New Year

‘Queer Circus’ Party at the Margate stand-up comedy show at The Gul- stand-up comedy show at the Eleto

Gala at The Gulbenkian.

Arts Club.

benkian.

Cafe.

24th January - 29th January: ‘Bugsy 5th February: Canterbury Vintage

15th February: Dara Ó Briain’s ‘So,

18th February - 26th February:

Malone’ musical at The Marlowe.

Where Were We?’ comedy show at Faversham Literary Festival at loca-

Kilo Sale at Westgate Hall.

26th January: Life Drawing Evening 9th February: Life Drawing Evening The Marlowe.

tions across Faversham.

17th February: ‘Love is a Drag’ drag-

23rd

27th January: Happy Skate Roller 10th February: Canterbury Vintage

night and themed performance

Evening at Bramley’s Bar.

Jam at The Wedge, Folkestone.

evening at the Margate Arts Club.

2nd March: Sophie Duker’s ‘Hag’

at Bramley’s Bar.

at Bramley’s Bar. Kilo Sale at The University of Kent.

4th February: Cockles and Muscles 10th February:

‘Funny

Rabbit’ 18th February: ‘Comedy Mash’

February:

Life

Drawing

comedy show at The Marlowe.

23

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Culture

Alternative Margate Image Courtesy of Margate Pride These queer, alternative histories are not easy to uncover– Chilcott admits how while Google ‘is your friend’, it ultimately takes ‘a focus on a place to discover and tease out those stories’, purely because these stories often originate from people who lived in ways to deliberately hide their behaviour. Alongside an ongoing new initiative by Screen Archive East which aims to collate an archive of queer footage from the Kent area, Chilcott’s research can be viewed as the beginning of an emerging community’s desire to learn about itself and its roots, moving towards an active championing of some of the Margate stories that have been either hushed away or forgotten about. An uncovering of a rich, queer history in Margate can only further deepen the ties felt by the community to the town– ties having only been aided until now by the active creation of spaces like the Margate Arts Club.

We meet finally with the well dressed and gently spoken Luke Vandenberg of the Margate Arts Club, a ‘social space focusing and centring femmes, femme bodies, and the LGBTQIA+ community’, with a heavy focus on remaining ‘anti-racist, intersectional, safe, and welcoming’.

Events hosted at the club, also located on Northdown Road include dance nights, life drawing clubs, clothes swaps, and an annual queer prom. Vandenberg’s preoccupation with championing safety for the community in Margate comes from their experiences in the town upon first relocating there in 2014. ‘Margate wasn’t a safe space; I would have abuse walking down the street- not something you would expect from an idyllic seaside town’.

In this hostile environ-

ment, Vandenberg felt a need to mask, or change their physical appearance, stifling conditions not entirely foreign within the contemporary political climate.

However, Vandenberg acknowledges a drastic change of attitude within Margate, something achieved partially through the opening of spaces like CAMP and his own club, but also through the aforementioned Margate Pride, which they describe as ‘an amazing catalyst for change within the community’, stressing how the ‘power of pride in a smaller town’ should never be underestimated.

In fact, to underestimate Margate Pride’s power in this seaside town and its emerging queer community, would be a small feat. Last year’s celebrations involved thousands swarming the winding roads and seafront of the town; bathing the beach in a vivid, twinkling, rippling rainbow- and the organisation endeavours not to end their influence there. Throughout the year, the volunteer-lead group remains undeniably visible, hosting intimate events such as queer film screenings, exhibitions, and DIY workshops. CAMP’s Hall argues that Margate Pride’s celebrations (specifically their visibility throughout the year) is an intrinsically grassroot group, and through its artsled and community-driven

approach, avoids becoming overly-commercialised (and avoids ‘sticking Ariana Grande on stage so you are surrounded by eleven-year old girls’). As such, it remains accessible enough for a queer community still finding its feet on the rocky coast.

Evidently, the sea-salted, candy-coloured, beach town of Margate is a hopeful reminder for the wider community that queer joy can manifest anywhere. Even in Kent, an area often unregarded for its queerness, with active participation and collaboration, queer histories can be uncovered, and safe, welcoming communities can be forged. With trailblazers like Chilcott, as well as spaces like CAMP and Margate Arts Club, it’s easy to imagine alternative realities for small towns across the country outside of metropolitan areas; realities of alternative communities existing comfortably and happily. When one doesn’t Image Courtesy of CAMP Margate t h i n k straight, one can uncover hidden tales of ‘heady weekends’, expose the trysts of poets and artists, dance fiercely under disco balls, and forge a queer family wherever one finds themself, even on the chalky beaches of seaside towns like Margate.

Image Courtesy of Ollie Harrop/ Refinery29

4th March: ‘Total Taylor Swift’

Women (POW!) Culture and Arts

woman I know’ hip-hop dance the-

less Brunch at Tokyo Tearooms.

Bottomless Brunch at Tokyo Tea-

Festival at locations across Thanet.

atre production at The Gulbenkian.

22nd April: CluedUpp’s ‘Alice in

rooms.

17th March: ‘Funny Rabbit’

31st March - 2nd April: Medway

Wonderland’ immersive, outdoor

4th March: CluedUpp’s ‘The Smurfs

stand-up comedy show at The

Food and Drink Festival at Roches-

mystery game across Canterbury.

Great Escape’ immersive, outdoor

Gulbenkian.

ter Castle.

24th May - 3rd June: ‘Charlie and

mystery game across Canterbury.

18th March: ‘Comedy Mash’

7th April: Cliftonville Arts & Craft

the Chocolate Factory’ musical at

9th March: Life Drawing Evening at

stand-up comedy show at the Eleto

Night Market at The Oval Band-

The Marlowe.

Bramley’s Bar.

Cafe.

stand, Margate.

25th - 27th May: ‘Sap’ contempo-

9th March - 15th March: Power of

25th March: ‘BORN TO EXIST: the

15th April: ‘Mamma Mia!’ Bottom-

rary thriller play at The Marlowe.

24

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Entertainment

Disney+: Do stories really matter?

By James Lapping Entertainment Writer

ver Christmas, you may have watched classics such as Home Alone, Die Hard, and The Muppet Christmas Carol. All of which are currently accessible on Disney+. After you exhausted all these festive picks, maybe you watched other family films that are perfect for the winter holiday.

Well, this is what I did anyway, and the first was the animated Disney classic Peter Pan. I was instantly met with a warning sign that was so brief, I didn’t even get the chance to take it in. After refreshing a couple of times (it lasts for 12 seconds and can’t be skipped or paused) this is what I read:

using racist language, and producing highly inaccurate retellings of historical accounts, Disney+ has a long way to go with contemplating its more than uncomfortable past.

Despite the Stories Matter campaign stating they have the responsibility to ‘uplift and inspire’, they allow children over seven to witness the ‘Indians’ in Peter Pan to be mocked, depicted as savage child snatchers, oversexualised, and except from Chief, totally void of language. Characters repeatedly refer to the indigenous characters by a racist slur, a misogynistic slur, and John Darling, acting as an ‘anthropologist’, refers to them as ‘savages’.

Shockingly, Pocahontas doesn’t include a content warning, and though Disney claims to be ‘committed to doing

what really happened to Pocahontas, I suggest you read Vincent Schilling’s article titled ‘The True Story of Pocahontas: Historical Myths v Sad Reality’ on the Indian Country Today website.

Alongside maintaining racist sections of their back catalogue on Disney+, and making them accessible to children over seven, Disney also practices double standards with other streaming content. Their advisory warning states that they won’t remove harmful content, hoping to spark conversation through it. Yet, this is not the case for several Disney products, such as Songs of the South, the racist caricatures deleted from Fantasia, and even the episode of The Simpsons featuring Michael Jackson. All are nowhere to be seen on Disney+. This deliberate

It is commendable that Disney is becoming self-aware about its own content, and the impact this has on our culture on a whole. However, after further digging, this action can be likened to placing a small plaster on a gashing wound. With viewable content still depicting racist stereotypes,

the best we can to represent communities authentically,’ Pocahontas may be one of the most perverse retellings of ‘history’ in their entire back catalogue.

To keep it brief, the true story is a tragic tale of the kidnap, rape, and murder of a young girl at the hands of white settlers. If you want to know more about

exclusion contradicts everything they attempt to achieve with their newfound sense of social responsibility.

Songs of the South is a particularly interesting case. When it was released in 1946, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) announced that the film ‘helps

O

perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery’. Though re-released occasionally over the years, since the 1970s there have been limited to no releases, with Disney instead hiding their shame. In 2017, at the Disney exposition D23, Whoopi Goldberg received a Disney Legends Award. In a later interview, Goldberg discussed Disney’s erasure of Songs of the South by saying: ‘I’m trying to find a way to get people to start having conversations about bringing Songs of the South back, so we can talk about what it was and where it came from and why it came out’. Since this interview and the launch of Disney+, the corporation says that they have no intention of releasing Songs of the South to the public, even with the new advisory label on their content.

This is not to say that Disney isn’t trying to make things better. The Stories Matter campaign is a step towards addressing historic wrongdoings by the company. I even agree with their stance on not removing content from the streaming service. Covering up uncomfortable parts of history would be an act of denial, erasure; a continuation of the problems exacerbated by Disney’s racist historical content. However, they need to take further steps to address this appropriately. For one, they should listen to Whoopi Goldberg. Secondly, they need to have appropriate age ratings for their content. In the UK, any film with the n-word is rated by the BBFC as a 12, and with Peter Pan and other content on Disney+ using the r-word, these ratings need to be consistent. Most people won’t

refresh the page repeatedly to read the advisory, so make it more prominent and less redundant, it would be useful if it could be paused, or remain on the screen for a readable length of time.

In very recent history, Disney has also produced wonderful indigenous-led content, such as Moana, ReservationsDogs, and the most recent Predator film, Prey, being the first ever feature available with Comanche subtitles and dubbed audio. Disney will also be revising the Peter Pan franchise with the release of Peter Pan & Wendy, later in 2023. 70 years since the original animated production, I hope Disney will take this as an opportunity to respectfully portray indigenous culture and imagery.

This year, Disney turns 100 years old.

On an occasion perfect for reflection, it is evident that the company is already beginning to reconcile with the damages it has historically made. Minor progress can be seen so far via Stories Matter, but it is crucial that Disney takes further actions towards authentic and honest representations if they want to truly make a positive impact, as they continue to convey a strong influence on a culture that continues to be dominated

by Disney stories.

Images courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

InQuire’s big entertainment guide to 2023

By Rhona Lonergan Entertainment Editor

2

022 was a year jam packed with some amazing entertainment as several Covid-delayed projects were released on top of the regular slate, resulting in a constant barrage of new content. And yet somehow, 2023 is ramping up to be even bigger with a seemingly endless plethora of new material on its way in the coming months. But don’t be overwhelmed!

InQuire is here to be your entertainment guru and provide you with a simple chronological preview of the year of entertainment that we have in store.

Disclaimer: Due to the fact that I am a huge Marvel fan and there are a million Marvel movies and TV shows coming out in the next year (starting with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – 17th of February and Secret Invasion – date TBA), I am going to completely leave Marvel off the list in order to highlight some of the other interesting properties on our silver, and small, screens this year (but do not doubt that I wait with baited breath for each one).

Film: So, to start, whether they win big or crash and burn, here are the 10 movies I am most looking forward to seeing (mostly) in cinemas this year.

Knock at the Cabin – 3rd February I don’t know about you, but I was not expecting the first movie of interest this year (post printing of this paper) to be a horror movie, but here we are. I know what you’re thinking, but Knock at the Cabin is in no way related to Cabin in the Woods (sadly). Instead, it is M. Night Shyamalan’s newest contribution to film, starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff and Rupert Grint (I didn’t know he was still acting, but good to see him back!) It looks like a very interesting take on the ‘intruder(s) at the house’ trope where it seems like the bad guys are only trying to hurt this family to save the world? As usual for Shyamalan, expect plenty of self-doubt, moral grey areas and twists and turns in this potential thriller.

anticipation. Hopefully, it will be a fun, self-aware, self-deprecating romp that makes good use of its great voice cast of Jack Black, Anna Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key and Seth Rogen. Most importantly, hopefully Chris Pratt’s Mario won’t be as bad as everyone predicts.

more takes up the bullwhip in a movie no one asked for but which we can’t help but hope will be the glorious goodbye that Indie deserves. Will the insipidly named Dial of Destiny reclaim the glory of the original trilogy or the disappointment of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Release 7th of Oppenheimer – 21st of July April Perhaps the most abstract entry on I am tentatively optimistic for this this list, I have to admit I know very Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures first attempt at capturing some of the little about Christopher Nolan’s latelusive magic found in a good DnD sesElemental – 16th of June est movie. However, the combination sion. As a DnD nerd, I automatically Elemental will be the next Pixar of a fantastic cast (Cillian Murphy, feel a little protective about this one movie. Based in a city where people Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt and I feel like it will either be terrible made out of each of the four elements Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, or amazing and I’m excited to see which live side by side, it looks like a romance Kenneth Branagh) and the subject of way it goes. Another star-studded cast focussed plot may be in store. To be the movie (J. Robert Oppenheimer, the as Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, Michelle honest I hadn’t really heard about it ‘father of the atomic bomb’) creates a Rodriguez and Hugh Grant embark prior to writing this article, but after space where some painfully complex The Super Mario Bros. Movie – upon an adventure in the Forgotten watching the trailer I became immeemotions and moral questions could be 31st of March Realms. diately hyped to see it. The visuals explored, and some interesting quesLike everyone look stunning, and if the creative ways tions asked. else, I was not Spider-Man: Across the Spithat the elemental residents interact expecting der-Verse - 2nd of June and affect each other in the trailer are much when 2023 brings with it the sequel anything to go by, this has some great I first heard to one of my all-time favourite potential for fantasy fans who enjoy that this movies Spider-Man: Into the Spiinteresting worlds. movie was der-Verse. This instalment will coming, but feature the return of all of our Indiana Jones and the Dial of the recent favourite characters like Miles Destiny – 30th of June trailers have and Gwen, while introducing The fifth and final (although I thought left me with a nice some new voices along the way. they said that last time?) Indiana Jones Image courtesy of amount of hopeful movie is upon us. Harrison Ford once Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures Universal Picures

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

25

Entertainment

Independent artists to support in 2023

By Louie Goddard Music Correspondent

L

ast year, twenty-five albums reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Among them, 22 were released through either Sony Music, Universal Music Group, or Warner Music Group, with the other three being released under smaller labels. While I’d be lying if I denied my love for Taylor Swift’s Midnights, a number of unsigned musicians remain criminally underrated. InQuire has had the opportunity to chat with some of them about their plans for 2023.

tracks, ‘the good years’ and ‘by the lake’ within the last few weeks of December, setting the precedent for a steady stream of releases throughout the New Year.

'Being an independent artist is always very unpredictable. Of course there are things I would love to do but time will only tell if I can. I just hope to release more music, grow my audience, and get more content out there.'

Elena Sidiro is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Montreal, Canada.

She views her songs as letters; they vividly depict her experiences of fizzled friendships, toxic romances, and sometimes simply offer a window into her imagination. To Sidiro, music is everything. Music is her therapy, and Image courtesy of Cassia Walton her raw lyricism proves this.

Elena Sidiro’s TikTok profile, which boasts 150,000 Marianne Leigh is a singfollowers, is largely er-songwriter from Auckland, to thank for her New Zealand. The 19-year-old streaming suchas released nine tracks over cess. In June the course of three years, the 2022, Sidiro first being ‘Best of Me’ which released her she wrote at the age of just breakthrough 10 before self-producing it in single, ‘jokes on 2019. Her most recent is ‘crazy you’, which has gf’, which offers an exciting been streamed over movement from her indie dis300,000 times on cography to a newer pop-rock Spotify. This was followed vibe, which Leigh intends to by her debut EP, further explore in 2023. The wildflower, a month new track offers a Joni Mitchlater. Sidiro ended t h e Image courtesy of ell-like instrumental backing, year with the release of two Elena Sidiro accompanied with vocals comBarbie – 21st of July The Hunger Games: The Ballad What a contrast between movies of Songbirds & Snakes – 17th of coming out on the 21st of July. From November atomic bombs to atomic blondes, A franchise, once finished, lives stick with me on this one! again! The prequel to the HunBetween award winning ger Games trilogy is on its way. director Greta Gerwig Once again based on a book by and a cast of MarSuzanne Collins, the story will got Robbie, Emma follow the 10th iteration of the Mackey, Ryan Gostitular Hunger Games featurling, Helen Mirren and ing Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis many other big names. and Peter Dinklage. Will this I hope that movie beat the prequel curse this movie and manage to make us care is more than about the story and the characskin deep and ters, despite the fact that we’ve surprises us, seen the future? Only time will or it’ll be tertell. rible and we can Honourable menwatch it tions: Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures bomb Creed III - 3rd of in style.

March Dune: Part Two - 3rd of November The Exorcist – 13th of October Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Continuing his trend of rebooting 25th of December classic horror franchises into a trilogy starring the same actress as the original movie, David Gordon Green moves on from the Halloween franchise and takes on the OG horror classic, The Exorcist. There’s sure to be much head spinning and vomiting, but whether it’s on the screen or in the audience remains to be seen.

Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios

parable to the likes of Ethel Cain and Phoebe Bridgers.

'Behind the scenes I’ve been working away on a new EP. My latest single ‘crazy gf’ is a window into what my new project will sound like. This new musical venture will take me out of my indiepop comfort zone.'

on TikTok, where she posts fanciful covers of pop songs by an array of artists, from Billie Eilish to Tim Minchin.

It seems Rachel Burnett will only continue to expand her impressive portfolio in 2023: 'I’m currently in the studio working on a new single, and I’m perImage courtesy of Rachel Burnett

We should prepare for her international takeover, as Marianne Leigh will move to London this month.

'A dream of mine for years has been to explore the London music scene. The city is brimming with talent and opportunity, and in January 2023 I am finally travelling to the UK to involve myself in their music industry! I’m going to be studying at a music school in London, while songwriting and collaborating with artists and producers.'

Rachel Burnett is a classically trained singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Liverpool. She has been shortlisted for the BBC Young Composer twice and came third in the recent Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge after winning their 24-hour Songwriting Challenge in 2020. Burnett has performed solos at many notable locations, including the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

She released three tracks in 2022: the first two being original songs titled ‘Apocalips’ and ‘Lover’, and the latter being a cover of Mitski’s ‘A Pearl’. She transforms the indie track, adding a jazzy saxophone instrumental and her signature melodramatic vocal. Burnett has garnered a following of over 35,000

forming live in Liverpool on the 14th of January, as well as taking part in the University of Manchester’s opera, Mrs President, in February. You can keep up to date with any announcements by following my TikTok and Instagram profiles.'

Nau Leone is an artist, producer, composer, and DJ from Madrid.

When Leone started releasing music, he felt that there was no particular record label which would be suitable for him. He found that his music was too mainstream to interest underground labels, but too underground for the mainstream music scene. It was upon this realisation that Leone created his own independent label, Be Your Own Studio, producing self-proclaimed ‘emotional

electronic music’. His sound is reminiscent of Saturna, and Yarni, with whom he collaborated on the track ‘Let It Ride’. His work, along with that of other emotional electronic artists, has given a much-needed regeneration to the wider genre of electronic music, adding soul and narrative to tracks which may otherwise be somewhat mediocre. This movement, of which Leone is a leading force, will revolutionise electronic music as we know it.

In September, Nau Leone released ‘No1 Cambio’, the lead single of his upcoming album, CAMBIO. Leone describes the album as "a deep and thoughtful work … Life is constant change. I would like to talk about it, about time, about change. Change only comes when one is ready for it, even if you don’t know it yet."

Leone has big plans for 2023: 'I’m planning to start playing live more. I’m planning to visit Canada, the UK, Germany, and different cities in Spain.'

All of the featured artists' music can be found on Spotify, Apple music, YouTube and all major music streaming services Image courtesy of Mariam Cuesta

Games: Whether we play together or exploring new worlds alone on a cosy night in, here are some of the games coming out in 2023.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – 12th of May Resident Evil 4 remake – 24th of Image courtesy of HBO March Television: Star wars Jedi: Survivor – 17th of A brief overview of the spread of shows to March discuss around the watercooler or lose our- Marvel’s Spider-man 2 – Fall 2023 selves in this year.

Hollow Knight: Silksong – 12th of June Break Point – Drive to Survive but tennis Diablo IV – 6th of June – 13th of January Street Fighter 6 – 2nd of June The Last of Us – An adaptation of the Forspoken – 24th of January popular games starring Pedro Pascal - 16th Wild Hearts – 16th of February of January Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Poker Face – A detective show, created by League – 26th of May Rian Johnson – 26th of January Honourable mention: Wolf Pack – A Teen Wolf spin off, starring Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Sarah Michelle Gellar – 27th of January Looks fun and beautiful but may not Mandalorian season 3 – New adven- come out this year. tures from Din Djarin and Grogu - 1st of March American Born Chinese - All three stars of Everything Everywhere All at Once and creator Kelvin Yu (Bob’s Burgers) and directors Destin Daniel Cretton (ShangChi) and Lucy Liu – Spring 2023 The Marvelous Mrs Maisel season 5 – The final season of this witty comedy will be released in 2023 Never Have I Ever season 4 – More romantic teenage drama is on the horizon Gen V – A The Boys spin off centred on a school of super powered teens Futurama – All of the original voice cast Image courtesy of Tommaso Ottomano/ are back for more wacky space adventures Entertainment Weekly

Image courtesy of Nintendo

Image courtesy of Marvel Music: Here are some of the albums we can look forward to getting stuck in our heads in the coming months.

Maneskin - Rush!

Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Gabriels - Angels & Queens part two Paramore - This Is Why Sam Smith - Gloria Metallica - 72 Seasons Gorillaz - Cracker Island Lewis Capaldi - Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent Depeche Mode - Memento Mori The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World

26

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Entertainment

From hot tea to hospital sets: My experience being a film extra in Sam Mendes' new film, Empire of Light

By Gareth Griffiths Deputy Entertainment Editor

M

ay 4th is known to many as International Star Wars day ('May the 4th be with you'). I could never have imagined that I would be spending Star Wars day reading an article about The Empire Strikes Back in a 1980s-hospital ward. On May 4th 2022, I lay in a hospital bed with an intravenous drip taped to my arm reading an original magazine from the film's release year in 1980. Before you wonder whether I had stumbled into some sort of Tardis, I was in fact on a film set, which to me is quite possibly the next best thing to time-travel. Everything from the 1980s style Cadbury's Roses box on my bedside table, to the doctor and patient costumes worn by my fellow extras, the film-makers had considered every detail in setting of the scene.

The film was James Bond director Sam Mendes' Empire of Light, a romantic story drawing on the director’s childhood experiences of cinema and starring Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward. I was called in at the crack of dawn for the hospital scene, but cameras didn’t roll until around 2 pm. I kept myself occupied by reading books, catching up with uni work, and chatting to fellow extras. It was a rewarding way to meet people who share an interest in film, and make contacts for potential future projects. Hanging out with like-

minded people for long periods waiting a couple of other scenes I was called for, for a call to the set forges friendships that were filmed in Margate. The first surprisingly quickly. Sitting around in was in a cinema on the seafront built to 1980s attire with 21st century iPhones capture the 80s aesthetic. It was classic and overcoats provided a curious juxart deco, with impressive Grecian piltaposition of different eras. The large lars and marbled stairways, and the red team of extras were well looked after. I curtains that were typical of theatres of was pleasantly the day. Many surprised by of us extras the food served were paired up by the on-set as couples going catering team on a date night too. The menu to the cinema, differed each others were day, and progrouped into vided a variety friends, and of different there were some dishes along older extras with a plethora who sat alone. of beverages, The props team desserts and even handed cheese and bisus the classic cuits (on my popcorn buckfilming day I ets, which were went for spinrefilled with ach and feta Sainsbury's cheese quesapopcorn after dillas which every take. were delicious).

The scene we Image courtesy of Gareth Griffiths I also found watched was a myself drinking scene from the excessive amounts of tea; whether it 1980 comedy film Stir Crazy starring was to maintain the caffeine boost from Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. By the the early starts or simply pass the time time we wrapped, we all knew every - not even I could be sure. detail of that scene start to finish. NeedThe hospital scene was filmed on a set less to say, watching a film in a cinema built at Ramsgate airport, but there was as an extra for a film was probably one

of the most meta things I've ever done.

Olivia Colman stepped and picked out a The other scene was shot right in the prize for him herself. There was such a heart of Margate's Dreamland; a reopositive energy on set that day. The sun pened fairground with rides, arcades, was shining, the rides were rolling, and and a roller disco. This was the most I don't think I'll get through so much enjoyable scene I participated in. The candy floss in one day ever again. scene they were filming was a living, Being an extra on such a major movie breathing fairground. There were was a unique and exciting experience. If extras on rides, running fairground the opportunity arises, I would recomstalls, and real ice cream and candy mend it to anyone who is interested in floss stalls. It was a busy scene with a filmmaking or films in general. The job lot of extras present; from groups of requires a lot of patience, as you spend intimidating skinheads smoking to long days waiting around to be called, families and school children on a day or even wondering if you'll be called at out. (At my extra ‘interview’ I was asked all. Regardless of whether your scene if I would be willing to have my head is in the final cut, being able to observe shaved and smoke – I politely declined the film-making process first hand is a both!) Despite the large scale of the valuable and rewarding experience, and set, it was the closest I'd been to the one that has only expanded my passion main actors. One scene even involved for cinema. It has forever changed my Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward going perspective on the process of movie around a spinning ride, which made production, and I would certainly be me think acting must be one of the best up for getting paid for lying in a fake jobs ever. I was assigned to run a cocohospital bed again reading a Star Wars nut shy in the background of one scene; magazine in the future (and yes, you with an army of 80s school can spot me in the final cut!). kids ruthlessly smashing coconuts in between Watch takes. At one point Empire of one of the youngest Light in extras got upset cinemas now because he didn't win a prize on a stall as it wasn't real: the w o n d e r f u l Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Cosy games to keep you company through the long cold nights B

eing at university is a full-on and hectic experience and many of us try to find escapism through games. A lot of people in the game community see the phrase ‘cosy games’ and instantly lose interest as it may seem childish or boring. But honestly, sometimes what’s needed is a break from the fast pace of studies and a softer and lighthearted activity. This short list has some of the best cosy games out there, whether you like action, storytelling or music, hopefully this will help inspire your next night in.

Hades (Playstation, Xbox, Switch and PC) Hades was justifiably made game of the year in 2020. Based on Greek mythology, in this indie game, you try to escape the underworld as the son of

Image courtesy of Supergiant Games

Hades, fighting souls with the aid of other Greek gods. While this doesn’t sound typically cosy, Hades is way more than just a fighting game. Not only does it have a really interesting storyline, but there’s also fishing, romance and even a decorating system included. The world design, and super cool (and attractive) looking character designs, combined with the amazing soundtrack, make this a perfect game for escapism if you like a challenge.

Image courtesy of Half Asleep Games Melatonin (Switch, PC) Melatonin is a pastel rhythm game released in 2022 combining dreams and lofi beats. This is another indie game that’s great for killing time. Each night has different dreams about areas of life ranging from dating to food and a corresponding music game. Much like other rhythm games, each level has multiple difficulties to add even more gameplay and challenge. While the visuals are pretty and cutesy, this

game is surprisingly difficult unless you have a good sense of rhythm. It can take a while to get used to the controls but once you do, you can fully enjoy the amazing original soundtrack and fun levels.

Potion Permit (Playstation, Xbox, Switch, PC) Potion Permit is Stardew Valley with a potion-making twist. In this 2022 game, you play as an alchemist who has travelled from the big city to a small town to help the villagers with their illnesses and much more. As you play through the game you get to know the villagers and become a part of the community by curing illnesses, taking on part-time jobs and working on village projects. Much like other RPGs, you can design your character, house and start romances. If escapism is something you need, then Image courtesy of MassHive Media

By Isobel Logie Women’s Issues Correspondent

what’s better than starting a whole new life?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Playstation, Xbox, Switch, PC)

One night stand 2016 (PC, Switch, Playstation, Xbox)

The final game on the list is One Night Stand, released in 2016. In this charmThe Witcher 3: Wild ing indie game, you play as a man who Hunt is another wakes up after a one-night stand with game that absolutely memory loss, trying to piece together deserved to win Game what happened. Much like Life is of the Year (2015) and Strange and similar games, this if you’ve watched is mainly a point-and-click the Netflix series The with a choice of responses to Witcher, this game say to the woman you have may feel familiar. You woken up with. There are play as Geralt trying multiple endings that can to find the child be reached based on the of prophecy and decisions you make, and a fighting monsters photograph is taken after along the way. Image courtesy of CD Projekt RED each one is reached. Since Much like Hades, this game requires little this may not sound like a cosy game due action and has soft visuals it’s a peaceto the fighting (and gore) in the gameful play-through and a change of pace. play, but this open world is definitely suited to a relaxing night in.

As Witcher 3 has no time deadlines, you can go through the game at your own pace. Whether you want to spend time collecting plants for potions, complete mini-quests for villagers or simply exploring the beautiful landscapes, the game offers so much for a calming experience.

Image courtesy of Ratalaika Games

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

What's On...

Film: Avatar: The Way of Water Fri 20 - Tue 24 January 2023 Corsage Mon 23 - Wed 25 January 2023 NT Live: The Crucible Thu 26 January 2023 A Man Called Otto Fri 27 January - Wed 1 February 2023 Relaxed Screening: Strange World Sat 28 January 2023 I Wanna Dance with Somebody Sat 28 January - Thu 2 February 2023 2FT: Matilda The Musical Singalong Sat 28 January - Thu 2 February 2023 An evening of silent cinema with live piano by Stephen Horne Sat 4 February 2023 ROH: The Barber of Seville (Live) Wed 15 February 2023 NT Live: Othello Thu 23 February 2023

Live Events: Chinese New Year Gala Mon 23 January 2023 TICK, TICK... BOOM! Sun 29 - Mon 30 January 2023 Hamlet Wed 1 - Thu 2 February 2023

27

Gulbenkian Wild Yak & The Foreign Office

EGYPTIANS David Greig, after Aeschylus

In Argos, a city destroyed by war, the victorious Egyptians demand their prize, the pretext for their invasion: the hands of the fifty refugee daughters of Danaos who have once before escaped their grip. As the mass wedding draws near strange omens, a grieving widow and a mysterious priestess prove bleak portents for what is to come. Who will finally prevail?

Featuring a magnetic community chorus of young men and set to a haunting original score, this is an epic drama, performed for the first time in two and half thousand years…

The creative team behind the acclaimed production of Aeschylus’ The Suppliant Women reunite with sequel Egyptians, performing at Gulbenkian Arts Centre for its UK premiere.

The production is a vibrant and dramatic reconstruction of this lost tragedy, brought to life through painstaking archaeological research, academic expertise, and a unique creative process. The show has been developed through a series of workshops, exploring and developing the text, movement and music of the play, approximating the process of Aeschylus and his contemporaries in ancient Athens. In the UK, this archaeologically-engaged production has been provided a home by Gulbenkian Arts Centre, whilst research and development has been international in scope, including a development trip to Egypt last year which saw the creative team working with El Warsha Theatre Company in Cairo and the Centre for Stick Arts in Mallawi.

Russell Howard and Friends Fri 3 - Sat 4 February 2023 Rhymes LIVE! Sun 5 February 2023 Kenan Malik - The Story of Race: White Supremacy to Identity Politics Tue 7 February 2023 The Marian Consort: Singing in Secret Fri 10 February 2023 Funny Rabbit Comedy Club: Neil McFarlane & Dave Bailey Fri 10 February 2023 Fairport Convention Sat 11 February 2023

“A timeless, fantastical production of colour, song, and movement” The Independent on 'The Suppliant Woman'

Riopy + Adam Naas Sat 11 February 2023 The Mithras Trio Sun 19 February 2023 Egyptians Wed 22 - Sat 25 February 2023

Wednesday 22nd – Saturday 25th February thegulbenkian.co.uk

28

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Satire

The best ways to keep yourself warm and cosy this winter

By Harriet Scarfe Women's Issues Correspondent

Have you been freezing through December and forgot that winter continues and stays cold till February? Has the crippling despair of not being able to afford heating affected your mental state? This handy listicle should help!

Next time you feel the icy hand run down your spine why not pick one to try- you’ll feel 120% better <3

Open a heated oven and take turns huddling This is a sure way to stay toasty. Take turns with your housemates huddling round the oven like scouts. Why not bring snacks and share campfire stories?

Keep your laptop or console of choice on your pillow (BEWARE

Sit in the dryer and get someone to press start

Put a guinea pig on each hand for some organic hand warmers

A fun and practical way to keep yourself snug. You could even bring in a blanket Much like the third suggestion on the that needs drying and it will be a two- list, this will also require consent from in-one. all involved or there may be issues.

For a vegan option simply microwave your favourite lettuce and to make Make a blanket out of some cute green mittens dryer lint to reduce You can even use a mixture of lettucwaste and keep cosy es to add a patchwork effect!

FIRE RISK)

Do you ever feel bad for binning all that dryer lint? Well if you know how Just don’t be cold?

This one has been tried and tested with to crochet this will no longer be an a 100% success rate to keep your face issue. Simply gather a large amount of Be better. warm and give you a great night's sleep. lint and create an eco-friendly blanket.

Be careful not to spill anything on it *Disclaimer* InQuire does not condone stealing ;) however as it may disintegrate.

Use a cat as a scarf

Cat (or scarf?) via Shutterstock

Both parties will have to consent for this one but providing the cat likes you it should be

Steal from your neighbour In this economy, we can’t afford knitwear?!

Each time you visit your neighbour ‘borrow’ a few items of warm clothing and eventually you’ll have a whole outfit.

Nan courtesy of Haddenham

a win-win scenario.

A Resolution for the New Year

By Meryl Cheep Holding me hostage until published What I’m most excited about doing in 2023 is finally catching and destroying that bird that keeps following me on campus. Their species must remain anonymous - not that I fear the possibility of being sued, but simply because I don't know what it is.

You might think your dog at home is barking at nothing. You may think your cat runs into the sliding glass door

because he’s a little dumb. What you don’t know is that birds, the scourge of the skies, are taunting your pets. They’re taunting us all. They think they’re so cool with their wings and so called ‘gift’ of flight? No way, not on my watch. That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it.

Birds are evil creatures. I'm adamantly sure that if there existed human versions of them, they would be the kind that fill you with horror and dread.

I’ve been chasing this one bird near the Gulbenkian for a while now after it

flew down and landed upon my shoulder, then swiftly began carving its beak into my neck. Since then, I've had a vendetta against it to make sure I can give it a piece of my mind, but it always finds a way to escape me. Too convenient if you ask me. There’s always a secret and I’m getting to the bottom of it; no way is a bird going to ruin 2023.

University of Kent does not condone acts of vengeance of any kind, winged predator or not.

Dread Poets Society: The return of Ben Hefner

By Reed Brooks Never left Templeman

S

ome students spend so much time studying for exams they don't even have time to relax and enjoy life.

One such student was so desperate to get into their dream university that they glued their eyes open while studying so that they wouldn't miss a single fact in their textbook.

Other students have been known to try extreme tactics in order to get ahead, such as forming study groups with imaginary friends or drinking can after can of energy drinks to help them stay focused and energised. Some students even go as far as developing sleeping disorders to make sure they don't miss a single study session.

Classroom environments have also become intensely competitive, with some students seeing their peers more as competitors than classmates. They go out of their way to one-up each other in every little thing. It's gotten to the point that some students go so far as to keep score, tallying up points for every academic achievement.

But Ben Hefner was different. He cared little for studying or being an academic weapon, but he was fiercely competitive.

Wherever there was a chance to prove his greatness, he would demonstrate it with ease. So Ben did what he knew best and staged a fierce rivalry between the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. Their battles included everything from prank wars to sabotaging lectures.

The two universities declared war in an epic clash that would be settled in a duel of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Little did they know that Ben Hefner was considered one of the greatest players that the sport had ever known. His name was a name that went down in history.

But Ben Hefner is a man of honour above all else. He felt it too unfair to settle the great rivalry he had ignited with a fight that he would surely win. He decided the battle should be fought with giant foam hands, ensuring no sneaky tactics could be employed and that everyone in sight would be able to witness the greatest clash of humanity since The Calamity.

When the dust settled, both sides came out victorious and declared a draw - with each side emerging with a new-found respect for their opponents.

The students all went their separate ways having learned that although competition can be fierce, it's important to remember that ultimately, everyone is working towards the same goal and should support each other in the process. Through the experience of friendly rivalry, they also gained a deeper appreciation for hard work and the importance of having a good attitude when striving for success.

Ah yes, but what happened to Ben Hefner - the student who started it all? His legacy didn't end there. After the final RockPaper-Scissors battle, he was banned from both universities for his part in instigating the rivalry in the first place.

Ben Hefner eventually became a YMCA worker, now telling the story of his experience to students as a reminder to never give up and to never be afraid to take risks in pursuit of their dreams.

29

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Satire

BE PREPARED: THE FOG IS COMING

By Foggy Nelson Seeker of truth

T

o InQuire readers new and old, the Satire section wishes you

the happiest of New Year greetings.

2023 will definitely be the year that Kent Sport start accepting direct debits. Possibly.

Nevertheless, the advent of a new

researcher into the fog, point for the fog to emerge. had frustrations about Thomas Adachi, of Kent Police, his research forecasting has urged locals to keep calm amidst the threatening and growing concerns that government enigmatic weather officials are not addressing the fog anomaly. issue with enough severity.

He said: “I find it so Adachi said: “At the first sight funny when athletes of fog, or if you hear a loud siren, sign these long please stay inside and make sure all contracts. Oh, you’ll be doors and windows are closed and playing for the Yankees fastened tightly. If you continue to in 2031? Buddy the fog see any kind of fog-like apparitions is gonna consume us or shadowy creatures, then contact all in 2027. The fog the Fog Enforcement Squad is coming. The fog is immediately for extraction.” coming.”

The fog walker is now among According to Boyle’s us, and within their wake lies our research group, salvation. Such is the time of the known as Weather Great Harvest.

Report, the origin We as a species has lived for so point of the fog will be long that we’ve run out of things to 26.395348193316°N do, and things to create. Everything -114.778567450876°W has been done before, and it will be – just off the Western done again in the future, for better coast of Mexico. This or for worse. includes an expansion But tell me, do you think rate of 15x10^8 metres there’s a possibility that per second, which somebody has lived, is is five times the living, or will live, your speed of light. exact life? Or worse, Boyle added: have they lived that “Earth’s governing life better than you body will soon be ever could? a sentient cloud.”

Time is a wheel and Image courtesy of AlphaSystem There is currently we are but specks in it’s no understanding wake. You can be one of the cause of the with the fog. Just year signifies the fast-approaching fog, or it’s source. However, embrace the fog. It is deadline in which the fog will some conspiracy theorists your last resort. Turn arrive. That’s right – the fog is believe radiation from Meteorologist to the fog. coming. television screens could be Jack Boyle Meteorologist Jack Boyle, an early a prime source and entry The fog is coming.

SATIRE SHORTIES

By Kieran Webb Satire Editor

The Satire Shorties segment returns this issue, showcasing some short, satirical, and outright bizarre stories that should give you a laugh or two. Enjoy!

KENT POLICE HAVE SATNAVS COUPLE OUTRAGED AFTER TENT STOLEN DURING THE STOLEN FROM EVERY NIGHT VEHICLE

A2 MOTORWAY ENCRUSTED WITH RUBIES AND EMERALDS

A spokesperson for the event told us: ‘It appears he’s been using performance enhancing rugs’.

Their insurance company warned One driver told InQuire: 'It them if this happened that they must be one of those jewel wouldn't be covered. carriageways'.

LORRY CRASH SPILLS ONIONS ON MOTORWAY

MAN DIVORCES WIFE OVER UNDERTAKER CAUTIOUS PASTA OBSESSION ABOUT GLASS COFFINS

Road traffic police are advising motorists to find a hard shoulder to cry on.

Alfredo Linguine told our He told InQuire: 'Remains to be reporters: ‘She won't get a penne seen'. out of me’.

'I SURVIVED MUSTARD GAS IN IRAQ AND WAS PEPPER SPRAYED IN AFGHANISTAN' CLAIMS CANTERBURY EX-SOLDIER He told InQuire: 'I'm a seasoned veteran'.

30

Monday 23 January 2023 InQuire

Sport

RIP PELE: THE BRAZILIAN KING OF FOOTBALL DIES AT THE AGE OF 82 Image courtesy of Sven Simon

By Sam Leah Sport Writer

O

ver the holiday break we were hit with the sombre news that legendary Brazilian footballer Pele had passed away at the age of 82 after a battle with illness.

He remains, at time of writing, Brazil’s joint leading goal scoring and world record-holding goal scorer, with 1,279 goals from 1,363 games. Stats aside, he was truly a revolutionary player, with his playing style visibly present in some of the game’s current top players, emphasising the standard he set in world football.

His death has surely been felt within the English game, something which Pele has no doubt influenced. A week of fixtures were preceded by a minute’s silence, and players wore black armbands in respect. Several Brazilian players now playing in the English Premier League were sure to pay their own personal respects: during the minute's silence for their games, Manchester United winger Antony wore a shirt that read ‘Rest in peace, Pele’ in Portuguese while Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimarães wore a signed

Pele jersey.

His influence was shown among several English league managers, too, for example Sir Alex Ferguson, who Pele himself regarded as his ‘coaching idol’. Sir Alex remained full of support for him, regularly calling Pele ‘the best player of all time’.

Pele has produced a bursting archive of footballing talent, made the game look truly easy, and all throughout remained sportsmanlike and respectable on the pitch, always inspiring those around him. His playing style would coin the idea of ‘the beautiful game’ and has made the sport desirable and enjoyable to an entirely new audience.

He achieved his fair share of glory across his career as well, most notably his three World Cup titles. The story goes that a nine-yearold Pele ran into his living room, his father in tears at the result of Brazil’s loss to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final. This was the first time he had seen anyone cry at a football match. Pele, there and then, promised his father he would bring the World Cup to his native Brazil, and eight years later, a 17-yearold Pele did just that, becoming at the time the youngest player to participate in, score in,

and win the tournament.

Tributes have been pouring in from all over the world, current and former players, managers, pundits, corporations, and more. Many both in and outside of football spoke about Pele’s kindness and generosity, including presidents and world leaders who all expressing fond memories; former US president Barack Obama, for example, met with the player several times and regarded him as ‘one of the most recognisable athletes in the world’ who ‘understood the power of sport’.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola paid his respects, reinforcing the idea that Pele truly revolutionised the way we look at football, adding: ‘Before him (the) number 10 was just a number, after him everyone wants to be a number 10.’

Neymar, who drew level on goals with Pele during the World Cup, expanded on this in his heartfelt tribute, adding that before Pele football was ‘just a sport’, but has since received increased visibility and is now a form of ‘art and entertainment’ which gives ‘voice to the poor’. Meanwhile, in-form Norwegian striker Erling Haaland offered an effective quote and suggested that, of every great moment performed by any player, ‘Pele did it first’.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was under continued scrutiny during the World Cup, was present at Pele’s state funeral and additionally made headlines following a unique reaction to the news, which has split opinions. In honour of the players legacy, he asked for every country to name one of their stadiums after Pele, with a handful of stadiums having agreed so far. Perhaps as a concrete way for future generations to become aware of the player, who FIFA have consistently labelled ‘the greatest ever’.

Regardless of anyone's knowledge of football or sport, the name ‘Pele’ will hopefully be familiar in some capacity. The Brazilian was seen as a global figure as a player as well as after his retirement and crossed paths with many world leaders, presidents and more; the likes of Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and the late Queen Elizabeth. We hear often of footballing ‘legends’, but in my opinion no player is really deserving of that title more than the ‘King of Football’ himself, Pele.

Image courtesy of Birmingham Mail

MIGHTY MICHAEL WINS PDC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Image courtesy of AFP

By Reuben Flewitt Sports Writer

E

ngland’s Michael Smith defeated Dutch three-time champion Michael Van Gerwen to win his first World Professional Darts Championship, in the 7-4 win at Alexandra Palace.

Despite being the underdog to the perennial Van Gerwen who last lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy in 2019, Smith became world champion for the first time in his career, hitting a fantastic ninedart finish in the process.

The 32-year-old from St Helens is now the number one ranked player in the world as a result of his victory which he said would ‘never be topped’ in his career. ‘Even if I win a second, it will never top the way I’ve just felt then.’

Van Gerwen came into the final with 14 straight wins, having coasted through the quarter and semi-finals without losing a set.

When he took the opener of the final, it looked as if Smith was in for an extremely tough night.

In possibly the greatest leg of darts played, the third leg of the second set opened with a 180 and 177 from Van Gerwen with Smith replying with two maximums. Van Gerwen then hit two treble 20s, but missed the double 12 to win the leg.

Smith stepped up to the oche and nailed a 141 checkout, hitting only the second ever nine-dart finish in a World Championship final, and causing pundit Wayne Mardle to be forced away from the microphone after losing his voice in a passionate commentary.

Smith said: ‘I was hitting 180, 180 in practice and missing so I thought I would give the crowd what they deserve. I got a magical nine and it was good.’

Smith took the seventh, eighth and ninth sets to go up 6-3, needing just one more for victory. Despite Van Gerwen taking the tenth, Smith held on and won the championship in the eleventh.

Van Gerwen said: ‘He played really well. Of course I had my chances, I was playing not too well in the last few sets, but you can only blame yourself for that.’

In a match that saw a nine-dart finish, 37 180s, averages of over 100 for both men, and a new champion, fans and pundits alike are saying the 30th World Championship final was the greatest yet.

Image courtesy of ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX

31

InQuire Monday 23 January 2023

Sport

ENGLAND DEFEAT PAKISTAN IN T20 TRIUMPH DOWN UNDER Image courtesy of Sky Sports

By Reuben Flewitt Sport Writer ngland beat Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup on the 13th of November to become the first team to hold the 50-over and T20 World Cups simultaneously.

In a relatively low-scoring final, England chased down Pakistan’s score of 137/8 in 19 overs.

With excellent bowling figures like Sam Curran’s 3/12 and Ben Stokes’ formidable maiden T20 fifty, England won the competition for the second time, first lifting the trophy in 2010.

But how did they get there?

England found themselves in Group 1 with Afghanistan, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with their opener coming against Afghanistan.

In a run chase that they left later than they should have, England escaped Perth with an unconvincing win for a team that had been tipped as favour-

E

ites to win it all.

They lost their second match in a shortened affair against Ireland. The game was decided by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) which handed Ireland the win. In similar unfortunate fashion in the most exciting game of the group, England vs hosts Australia, was rained off.

England needed a statement win after a rocky start and that’s exactly what they produced against the Kiwis, winning by 20 runs. In their final match versus Sri Lanka, England chased down 141 to finish second in the group behind New Zealand. Even though both teams had seven points, the Kiwis took top spot with a better net run rate.

The T20 World Cup is a relatively exclusive tournament with only 12 teams competing. The top two from each group advance to the two semi-finals before the final.

India and Pakistan finished first and second in Group 2, meaning England would face the Indians

in the semi-final, whilst New Zealand and Pakistan would fight it out for the other place in the final.

In probably the most impressive batting performance of the tournament, England knocked off India’s impressive 168 without losing a wicket in just 16 overs in the second semi-final, reaffirming their label as tournament favourites.

In yet another run chase, England won the final by five wickets denying Pakistan, who had defeated New Zealand previously, their first tournament win since 2009. England had four players in the team of the tournament, the most of any nation, and now have the joint most tournament wins with the West Indies.

Sam Curran’s 3/12 in the final earned player of the final and tournament honours.

But what comes next for extraordinary England’s white ball team?

After the major overhaul undertaken by Captain Eoin Morgan that culminated in England’s 2019

ODI World Cup win on home soil, some feared England would enter another period of tournament anguish after Morgan’s retirement. They feared the return of timid white ball play with no hope.

However, the appointment of wicket keeper Jos Buttler to captain, and former Kent captain Robert Key as managing director has been a revelation.

So, does English white ball greatness beckon?

Key certainly believes it’s possible.

Key told Sky Sports: ‘if they keep winning trophies then they could be one of the best we've seen- certainly one of the best cricket teams and one of England's better sporting teams’.

White ball coach Matthew Mott echoed Key’s ambitions to capture more trophies when interviewed by Nasser Hussein.

‘That's what we're about at the moment. World Cups are what you play for.

‘In terms of aspiring to be great, that's definitely the journey that we want to go on.’

What is undeniable is that this England side has already put their name in the hat for greatest white ball side by being the first to hold both World Cups as the same time.

The other teams that are generally accepted as the greatest are the West Indies team who won the first two ODI World Cups in the 1970s, and the Australians who won three consecutive tournaments between 1999 and 2007. All these were before the introduction of the T20 World Cup, however.

With defences of both titles coming up in the next two years, Butler’s men will have the chance to further their credentials for the best ever. With the structure constructed by the ECB, England certainly have the depth of talent and resources to challenge for at least next five years.

However, tournament cricket can be unpredictable. Despite having the largest pool of talent in the cricketing world, India have not won an ICC tournament since 2011. Where England fall behind in the talent pool, they more than make that up in investment and resources dedicated to cricket development.

But the changes over the last eight years in the way England play white ball cricket is enough to give fans hope that the team has a credible chance to forge a limited overs dynasty alongside the revolution the test side is bringing to that format of the game.

LAS VEGAS THE NEW HOME OF F1 IN THE USA

By William Jenkins Sport Writer

T

he famous Star-Spangled Banner has begun waving over Formula One. The revealing of a Grand Prix in Las Vegas has left drivers like Daniel Ricciardo with a smile wider than the Grand Canyon. From the tried and tested Circuit of the Americas in Texas to the new party-loving city of Miami, Formula 1 has continued to make its mark in the USA despite fierce motorsport competition which saw organizers having to battle to enter the US market since the early 1960’s. But more than sixty years of expeditions into the US have finally borne fruit. Moving into 2023, three races will be held in the US, now including the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.

From the birth of F1, when middle-aged men risked their lives in cars that rode on ice-skates, to the modern turbo-hybrid era, the sport has always dipped its toes into the American motorsport world. Institutions such as NASCAR and IndyCar had the country wrapped around their fingers.

With the marketing of American men driving American cars around American tracks perfected, it left Formula 1 stuck in the mud.

From Phoenix to Detroit, and even an early attempt at a race in Vegas during the early 1980’s, F1 has tried to break into the US market. Yet, the races did not bring in big enough crowds to justify the cost of hosting a Grand Prix. Success

was found briefly in Long Beach, California from 1976-1983in what became the ‘Monaco Grand Prix of the United States’. Legends such as Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet took victory here. Nevertheless, Chris Pook, the race organizer for the event, decided that the American IndyCar would better use his money, pulling the plug on F1’s short stint in the sun.

F1 tried again in the early 2000’s when Bernie Ecclestone, former CEO of the F1 Group, tried to feed the Indy Car-loving fans in Indianapolis with a new brand of motor sport. Fans may remember the track due to the 2005 tyre controversy, where only six cars entered the race due to safety concerns over Michelin runners. But the first race drew a massive crowd of around 200,000 people, proving the venture a worthy risk. But yet again, F1 failed to make the Indianapolis GP a permanent fixture of the F1 calendar, ending the Grand Prix in 2007 due to the cost of hosting the race.

Whilst short-lived, Indianapolis did have a lasting impact on the US fans.

F1 finally cemented its presence in the States with the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), which has now been the home of American Grand Prix racing for 10 years. The American fan has now created a bond with the magnificent racing often on display. 2022 attendance of 440,000 surpassed the previous year's attendance mark of 400,000, highlighting the expeditious growth of F1 in the states. COTA’s executive chairman,

Bobby Epstein, explained how Austin won’t ‘have the celebrity or the glitz and glamour’, but will ‘keep the focus on the fans and the sport’.

2022 also saw the first ever Miami Grand Prix.

Surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium, the venue included a trackside swimming pool and a fake marina filled with million-dollar yachts. Celebrities flocked like sheep to be a part of the show, as did the quarter of a million people, who hoped to get their hands on one of only 80,000 tickets available. With tickets having been re-sold for a princely sum of $2000, the Miami Grand Prix became a prestigious event and a ‘must see’ for any motor sport fan. Formula 1 had begun soaring over the home of the Bald Eagle. They had finally got the eyes of the American spectators.

However, this wasn’t the main introduction for many in the US The dramatized blockbuster Netflix documentaries, Drive to Survive, which merged Formula 1 and reality TV together, followed the drivers and teams throughout the racing season. Now on its fourth season, it has become a flagship series for the sport. According to a Morning Consult survey, people in the states who considered themselves fans of the sport rose 33% in the years after DTS was released. Following the first season of the Netflix series, average viewers rose to almost 1 million on channels such as ESPN; 39% higher than in the previous season.

Across five different motor sports, including F1 and IndyCar, NASCAR had the smallest percent

growth rate in the first two years of DTS being released. F1 has Netflix to thank for helping the sport crack America.

Looking to the future, the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023 is expected to be one of the biggest and best events in world sport. With certain hotels creating weekend packages worth $5million, it is likely to be an unforgettable Grand Prix. The track will extend down the famous Vegas strip as the cars glisten in the bright lights. The move for more venues in the US is supported especially by the new F1 American owners Liberty Media. In fact, there are now more American venues than any other country next year. Las Vegas and F1 will need to make sure they mix a great weekend with fantastic racing, as that is what makes the perfect cocktail for an F1 fan.

It may have taken F1 many years to finally enter the American motor sport world, however, when it did, they took every available opportunity. Not only does F1 now hold a firm position in the USA, but vice versa. America’s position within the sport seems to be the strongest. The venues are the most attractive and likely to receive the most money. Celebrities and influencers won’t go to Monza, they’ll go to Miami. The shift in culture today and modernization is being mirrored in Formula 1’s progression into America. It may be the most important step forward for the sport in a long time.

InQ Quire

Sport

www.inquiremedia.org/sport

WALKING IN A WONDERFUL WINTER WORLD CUP Image courtesy of Getty Images

By Joe Crossley Sports Editor

“It’s Kane “And it’s blasted over the bar “It’s heartbreak for the England Captain”

T

he words of Sam Matterface as England as Harry Kane’s penalty soared over the crossbar as France stopped the “It’s Coming Home” parade. England were out of yet another World Cup semi-final despite the heroic effort and fight of Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions. Yet the fact England were out, football fans' eyes were still glued to the screens, and it was clear to see why.

Qatar 2022 was a spectacular sporting event. A melody of marvellous football that didn't stop producing moments of magnificence throughout its month-long run.

The Brazil vs. Croatia game summed up what this World Cup was all about. With the weight of 214 million Brazilian prayers on his shoulders, the veteran Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian centre back Marquinhos struck the ball true in the penalty shootout. But it was Croatian dreams of back-toback World Cup semi-finals that had been realised, as the ball ricocheted against the frame of the net.

Brazil were out.

But it was not only the Brazilians who fell victim

to the David vs Goliath narrative. Qatar 2022 was a World Cup full of upsets, from eventual victors Argentina losing their opening game to Saudi Arabia, to Japan defeating the European heavyweights of both Spain and Germany. Morocco's run to the semi-final was simply a joy to watch for the neutral spectator, a team whose hard work and talent overcame Spain and Portugal before being defeated by runners-up France.

Whilst the heroics of the so called ‘lesser’ footballing nations took our hearts, it was the traditional powerhouses of World football that took centre stage for the grand finale of holders France and now three-time champions Argentina. This was the final of so many stories and narratives.

There was Lionel Messi’s redemption arc from the 2014 final loss to Germany, and his cementing as the greatest player of all time. The little magician was easily the stand-out player of the tournament, earning himself the Golden Ball award.

Then there was the Messi vs Kylian Mbappe story arc. Was this Mbappe’s chance to take the torch from Messi and take football forward into 2023 as the best player on the planet?

Unfortunately for him, he was let down by two of his teammates’ penalty misses, and the heroics of Argentina sh*thouser Emiliano Martínez. And yet Mbappe’s hat-trick, which included two penalties and an outrageous volley was only the second hat-

trick to be scored in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst’s in 1966, told the footballing world that he was the talent who would take over from his PSG teammate Messi.

Qatar 2022 took the footballing world by storm, despite the decade of condemnation and questions that had been posed to not only FIFA for voting for the Arab nation to host the World Cup, but to the nation itself. These have been widely discussed by almost every media organisation in the world: the human rights issues, the armbands, the fan experience, and whether it was right for Qatar to be the hosts despite the lack of footballing infrastructure in the small country. And still, as soon as the matches kicked off, the football spoke for itself.

The allegations of human rights violations will not go away, neither will the finger pointing by western pundits, wrongly or rightly. But what can be said, despite everything, Qatar 2022, from a footballing standpoint clearly delivered entertainment to millions of football fans across the world that will go down in footballing folklore.

By Sam Leah Sports Writer

T

he final of the Qatar World Cup might go down as the best game of football ever seen.

It had so many positives; true end-to-end

competitiveness and pure talent on display. Both teams had equal amounts of talent headed by their own star players, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe respectively, you truly never knew which way the game would turn next. It was the fairy-tale ending for Argentina and Messi, who can finally tick off the World Cup on his ever-growing list of silverware. Despite being on the losing side, Mbappe has reminded us why he is one of the brightest talents in world football right now, as part of a France team who showed their quality in depth despite entering the tournament with several key injuries.

My Netherlands prediction wasn’t too far off, as they would eventually bow out to the champions Argentina in the quarter finals. The game between the two iconic footballing nations ended up being one of the highlights of the tournament; a late equaliser in the form of a clever free kick routine by Wout Weghorst to give the Dutch a sliver of hope, only to be narrowly bested in a penalty shootout.

Outside of that game they had an otherwise pristine record, an unbeaten group stage and a comfortable victory against the USA in the Round of 16.

Overall, Argentina capped off a perfect 2022 with a Copa America victory and the nation’s first World Cup in almost 40 years, and while controversy surrounding the host nation will always shroud the 2022 World Cup, the football on display was nothing short of tremendous.