The Print - Issue 25

HYGGE PAG E 6

COLIN BAILEY INAUGURAL LECTURE PAG E 4

THE

SCIENTIFIC EVENTS PAG E 1 3

PLACES TO VISIT IN EAST LONDON PAG E 5

FRESHERS WEEK PAG E 1 4

PRINT

T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S PA P E R O F Q U E E N M A RY S T U D E N T S ’ U N I O N

W E D N E S DAY 1 9 T H S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 - I S S U E 2 5 - F R E E

RECORD RISE IN STUDENTS ADOPTING VEGANISM

T H E P R I N T N E W S . C O. U K

SAYWAH MAHMOOD

I

n recent years, veganism has risen in popularity worldwide with consumer markets reflecting this change. Shops and restaurants now boast a wide array of vegan tailored food, clothing and toiletries (including Mile End’s 90° Degree Melt restaurant 5 minutes from QMUL’s Engineering building). McDonald’s is trialing it’s own vegan burger in Norway and even the Great British Bake Off has included a vegan week this year.

There doesn’t seem to be a singular universal reason for this dietary shift but some of the leading reasons “include”, animal welfare, greater awareness of the effects of meat production on the environment, health concerns and/or Cowspiracy. While social media has also had quite a substantial role to play, with #vegan accumulating more than 61 million posts on Instagram and a wide range of public figures sharing their vegan lifestyles online such

as: the grime MC JME, Madonna and Ariana Grande (a line up you’re not going to find anywhere else) to name a few.

The influence of these factors is reflected the huge increase in veganism in the UK, with more Brits than ever before choosing to enjoy a meat-free lifestyle. According to a survey by comparethemarket.com, there has been a significant spike in the number of people going vegan in the UK since 2016, with more than 3.5 million British people now identifying as such. That’s seven percent of the population and according PETA Director, Elisa Allen this includes “huge numbers” of students in the UK. To cater for this, PETA is launching a new campus rep programme to help young vegans reach out and connect together.

The PETA UK Campus Rep Programme aims to encourage more British students into activism, offering them the tools, resources, and guidance

to achieve this. According to PETA, successful applicants for the programme will organise “fun and effective animal rights outreach events and campaigns on campus [and] receive a stipend to put on vegan outreach events that inform other students about important animal rights issues.”

Organising vegan food events and on-campus campaigns and demonstrations are just

Image: Google Images/Medscape some of the responsibilities PETA campus reps will be tasked with. They wise been thrown away and in will also be expected to ar- California, at the University of range around six of these out- Berkeley, the creation of the reach events during one term ‘perfect’ vegan streaky bacon and continue to stay in contact is on the agenda. with their PETA programme If you’re interested in veganism you could check out adviser during the process.

In the wider world students at QMUL’s Vegetarian and Vegan the University of Ottawa are Society here: trying to create sustainable, vegan meals for students with h t t p s : / / w w w . q m s u . o r g / food that would have other- groups/vegandvegan/

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

OPINION

Places to visit in East London

A Tale of Two Cities

Page 5

Page 11

SATIRE

SPORT

Page 15

Page 16

Dixxie Chicken Commended for Beautiful Breasts

“My recipe for life is not being afraid of myself, afraid of what I think or of my opinions.”

Eartha Kitt Facebook: ThePrintNews Twitter: @ThePrintQM IG: @ThePrintstagram www.theprintnews.co.uk

The Print is printed at Mortons of Horncastle Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 6JR. Tel 01507 523 456.

Established in 2014, The Print is the free official student newspaper of Queen Mary Students’ Union. The Print is created by students and the publication retains all copyright of design, text, photographs and graphics, along with the individual contributor. The Print’s layout was designed by Molly Lattin.

Any views expressed in The Print are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper, the editorial team, Queen Mary Students’ Union or Queen Mary, University of London.

What to do on a Sunday?

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Millie Pritchard Kerry Maxwell

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Liam Pape

ONLINE EDITOR

Melissa Owens

DESIGN EDITOR

Maria Tarnacka

MARKETING

Hannah Rosling Vinny Sandhu

COPY EDITORS Louise Fligman

Zara Ali Samuel Clarke NEWS

Gevitha Anbarasu Shaun Fishenden Saywah Mahmood Mar Hernandez

NOTE FROM THE EDITORS editor@theprintnews.co.uk

W

elcome to this year’s first edition of The Print!

If you’ve picked us up and read through us before, it’s nice to see you again. If it’s your first time…welcome.

Here at The Print, we aim to cut through the confusion and give you clear, sensible and reliable information from a team of cutting-edge writers. We want to be informative, entertaining, maybe even a little contrary! But most importantly, we cover what

students want covered. We report on what you want reported, making it clear from the outset that The Print is your newspaper, featuring news you care about - from concerns of Kim Kardashian’s social consciousness in our Opinions section all the way to our news team reporting on Principal Colin Bailey’s inaugural lecture.

We hope you enjoy our first issue.

Millie and Kerry.

ARE YOU A FUTURE JOURNALIST? COME AND WRITE FOR THE PRINT!

FEATURES

Anna McKibbin Becca Billis Maria Benlaiter OPINIONS

Emma Louise Leong Madeleine Goode Madina Taraki COLUMNISTS

Gabrielle Agyei, Anna-Alexia Kotsakis Daniele Accurso Katie Bevan Emily Kelly SCIENCE AND TECH

Alexander Richardson SATIRE

Sihem Jouini SOCIETIES

Events Coming up at The Print: Chill and Chat with The Print: Want to know more about getting involved with Queen Mary’s official newspaper? Come on down to mingle with freshers and older years alike as we discuss all things student media and how you can cultivate your own journalistic voice.

Date: 25/09/2018 Time: Drop-in anytime between 18:00-20:00 Where: Bancroft, room 3.16

PHOTOGRAPHY

Blanca Alba

CARTOONIST

Celia Colomina Basanta When you’re done reading this, recycle it.

SPORTS

SAVE THE DATE!

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

NEWS

PHD STUDENT WINS DANCE YOUR PHD COMPETITION JUDIT PETERVARI’S SLICK DANCE VIDEO DAZZLED JUDGES

LIAM PAPE

P

hD student Judit Pétervári recently stormed to victory in the social sciences category of ‘Dance your PhD’, a competition which asks competitors to interpret their PhD research as a dance routine.

The competition, ran by Science Magazine, offers a $500 prize to winners of the Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Social Sciences categories, plus an additional $500 to the overall winner.

The competition has run annually since 2007 and Judit says she has been fascinated by the competition for a long time. “I liked the idea of sharing your research in delightful videos because I've been always a fan of communicating serious messages in a consumable, entertaining way.”

Judit’s PhD research looks at what happens in people's heads while they are evaluating creative ideas.

Specifically, laypeople and experts are

compared to see what characteristics of information processing are influencing their judgment of creativity.

As for how she went about interpreting that into a dance video, Judit explained, “Shooting my short movie in only four days required a lot of planning. The first day of shooting we learned the choreography and tested the clothes, set, and the make-up, then we shot the entire thing in the remaining three days.”

Judit self-funded the whole project, leaning on friends from her home country Hungary to help her out and saving money every month to cover the production cost.

“Using my connections enabled me to get the location for free, as well as the equipment and the set props for free - or with a large discount. We only paid for the essentials: food for the cast, the renting fees for the equipment and the cost of costumes and make-up.”

Although many ‘Dance your PhD’ entries include text in the form of subtitles or animations, Judit decided early on that she wanted to avoid “all kind of tacky symbols” as she thinks these make the dance “an illustration rather than the main attraction.”

Before filming began, Judit met with the dancers to discuss her research - most of whom were friends who Judit had once studied psychology with but who had gone on to become artists. “I boiled down years of studies to a few key elements and we started to brainstorm about how we could enact such abstract terms.” Judit explained.

After coming up with the core concept of creativity being epitomised in a room which needs to be furnished in order to see how different components add up, Judit presented the idea to the professional choreographer working with her. “We realised immediately that we needed more tension in this story to keep viewers

interested. So, he got the idea of the ‘random noise,’ that I talk about in my research, messing up all the other elements.”

Judit said, “I was fortunate to have an incredible team of power women taking care of all the logistics and tackling all of the unforeseen problems, such as not having any power in the building on the first day. It was insane what we accomplished together.”

Image: Judit Petervari -winning dance video entitled ‘Building up creativity’ on YouTube where it has racked up almost 20,000 views. https://youtu.be/wXzPH3iQV8E Judit is currently in the process of publishing the studies from her thesis which focuses on the evaluation of creative ideas.

You can watch the award-

ENORMOUS NERVE CELL CROSSRAIL: RUNNING OUT OF CONSTRUCTED ON STEAM? WHITECHAPEL CAMPUS OPENING OF SUPER-PROJECT DELAYED UNTIL 2019!

I KNOW A STRUCTURE THAT WILL GET ON YOUR NERVES...

LIAM PAPE

C

onstruction has finished on a 23-metre long, 10-metre high ‘Neuron Pod’ which will be used to engage pupils from local schools with the study of medicine.

The structure, described as an ‘informal science learning centre’, is comprised of 13 large steel sections and cost £1.9 million.

Centre of the Cell, the science education centre behind the project, aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and healthcare professionals.

Most of their resources are online; however, the ‘Neuron Pod’ will be a physical space to host live science shows,

workshops and debates. Queen Mary says the cell will boost public engagement.

Centre of the Cell’s Director, Professor Fran Balkwill said, “We are all very excited about Neuron Pod – this unique building will allow Centre of the Cell to fulfil its potential and offer so much more to our visitors. By providing an additional multi-functional space for live science shows, hands-on workshops, experiments, debates, films and exhibitions, we will continue to communicate the latest advances in medical research and maximise the number of people engaged with the subject.”

SHAUN FISHENDEN

I

n recent weeks it has emerged that the completion and opening date of Crossrail to the general public has been pushed back until autumn 2019 after unforeseen circumstances lead to delays in the testing of the new railway line.

According to the Crossrail website, the project is creating a ‘world-class railway’ that aims to provide a 10% increase in capacity and will give 1.5 million additional people access to Central London within 45 minutes.

However, does the delayed opening suggest those working on the project have lost the willpower and motivation to see the line open not only on time but within its agreed budget? Recent estimates have put Crossrail as being almost £600m over-budget, at a time

when infrastructure projects in the so-called ‘Northern Powerhouse’ have been cancelled completely due to a lack of funding.

Infrastructure projects like these often take decades to even get agreed and have planning permission secured, Crossrail itself originating from the 1943 County of London plan. But once they begin construction, you don’t usually expect them to fall down at the final hurdle. Those using the Central and District Lines like me are absolutely desperate for Crossrail to open, to help relieve some of the pressure on the ever-increasingly stretched Underground.

Now with the opening not until 2019, Transport for London is expected to face financial difficulties as they had been budgeting for next year with

the Crossrail ticket fares in mind? Let’s hope this does not lead to a decline in existing transport networks which London should be so proud for maintaining at a time when rural Britain is becoming ever more isolated by cut bus services and infrequent trains?

Hopefully the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan will be able to successfully persuade the Transport Secretary to provide financial assistance to TFL in the interim period before Crossrail opens and perhaps even carry out the devolution of more train lines that as have previously been proposed

by Boris Johnson.

With Crossrail’s track record, I predict HS2 might finally open in the year 2100!

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Wednesday 25th October 2017

THE PRINT

NEWS

NEW PRINCIPAL’S INAUGURAL LECTURE HIJACKED BY 9/11 CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

SELF-PROCLAIMED ‘TRUTH SEEKERS’ HECKLED PROFESSOR COLIN BAILEY AND TRIED TO STOP HIM LIAM PAPE

E

arlier this year, Queen Mary’s new Principal and President Colin Bailey spoke to a packed Skeel lecture theatre about how inefficient fire safety testing, oversight in design and issues with construction were all factors that led to the collapse of World Trade Centre 7 (WTC7), a 47-story tall office building next to the Twin Towers. However, many guests attended the lecture with the intention of disputing facts and distributing leaflets calling into question what exactly happened on the 11th of September 2001.

During the 75-minute lecture entitled ‘The Behaviour of Buildings during a Fire - Why

iley stated the fire would be at.

Professor Bailey explained that his research only went up to when the building collapsed and burning could have continued under the rubble.

Professor Bailey declared that he was however aware of the conspiracy theories. The gentleman rebutted, “I’m sorry but you haven’t answered my question.”

Unphased, Professor Bailey moved on and took more questions from the audience regarding Grenfell, the Shard and specific lessons that were learned from WTC7. It was while answering the latter of these questions he was heckled from a lady sat near the

terrupted and then offered the lady an opportunity to speak into a microphone, rather than just heckling. She accused Professor Bailey of “just spouting the official narrative” and not properly using the academic peer review system.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call us conspiracy theorists” she added.

The Principal explained that his intention was not to offend anyone and he was just offering the most balanced view. He then attempted to address some of the points.

He described how when he taught in Manchester he did a class on the political side-effects of bad design and used

“Professor Bailey declared that he was however aware of the conspiracy theory”

the World Trade Centre 7 Collapsed’, Principal Bailey drew upon his career-long experience in the field of structural engineering, and his time on the 9/11 expert witness panel, to explain how World Trade Centre 7 became the first building to ever collapse primarily due to uncontrolled fire.

At the end of the lecture, he opened the floor to questions and clarified that he did not want statements. The first question was from a man who accused Professor Bailey of deliberately not mentioning a pool of molten steel found below the building. He went on to say steel does not melt at the temperature Professor Ba-

front of the lecture theatre.

She said Professor Bailey had failed to mention a janitor who claims he saw people planting explosives, as well as 300 accounts from firefighters who gave witness statements regarding explosives. Other audience members jeered ‘SHAME!’ Professor Bailey said that he would finish answering his original question and then address her. The lady replied, “It seems like every question you took this evening was pre-planned.”

Bailey finished the answer he was giving before he was in-

this as the prime example. “I think it’s important for students - especially engineers to understand the importance of what they’re designing and what they’re building and the consequences of failure.”

However, the heckler would not stop interrupting him.

This continued for ten minutes until Professor Bailey declared he would end the lecture if she would not let him speak.

After one more unsuccessful attempt to respond to some of the lady’s points, he was forced to end the event.

As visitors were leaving the room, a man stood on his chair and shouted that if pe-

“The university president was accompanied by security (...) because a group of the so-called truth-seekers tried to stop Bailey leaving”

Image - Erfan Divanizadeh ople wanted to hear the truth about 9/11, they should attend a lecture at Conway Hall on 5 March. (This event was later cancelled by Conway Hall after the charity organisation Hope not Hate allegedly contacted them warning of ‘bad publicity’ if the event went ahead.)

There was a drinks reception that followed Professor Bailey’s lecture. By this point though, the university president was accompanied by security which was just as well because a group of the so-called “truth-seekers” tried to stop Bailey from leaving the building afterwards.

In an interview with The Print after the inaugural lecture, Professor Bailey said, “I wasn’t expecting what happened but hopefully it was managed okay.”

“What I was disappointed with was they did not want to get into a dialogue about those questions or even allow the questions to be answered. I think freedom of speech is important so people can express their views but then it is also important to debate those views.”

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T H E P R I N T Wednesday 19th September 2018

FEATURES

PLACES TO VISIT IN EAST LONDON ANNA MCKIBBIN

F

resher’s is an overwhelming week for any student. It’s a week full of choices, new experiences and, if you’re anything like me, tears. The choices and opportunity’s university offers can appear intimidating rather than exciting. It’s an emotional transition; these emotions are only heightened when your university is set against the restless city of London. I remember how I felt as a fresher, having only

recently moved from a town which had one Starbucks that closed at 7pm. London’s size and intensity overwhelmed rather than excited me. It took me 2 years to figure out where I liked to go and what I wanted to do. So now I, a wise third year reminiscing fondly on her first year naivety, am ready to pass on my wisdom and knowledge.

Mae + Harvey

Brick Lane Bookshop

What is it? A cosy café found on Roman Road.

(We are going a little farther afield, because let’s face it there are only so many new, exciting things I can recommend in Mile End.)

Why is it worth going to? I went to Mae + Harvey for the first time only recently after admiring it’s charming ambience in passing. Their coffee is great and the cocktails they offer spice up your everyday coffee date. The café is small but the space is well used and the servers are friendly which ensures that Mae + Harvey is a great place to study, read, chat or just daydream.

I too am a millennial so I will answer the question I know everyone is too ashamed to ask: Is this spot Instagram-able? Definitely! The café is well lit, with a neutral colour scheme that will serve as the perfect backdrop for a picture of you pretending to read Emma or Great Expectations.

Genesis Cinema What is it? An independent cinema down the road from Stepney Green station.

Why is it worth going to? Genesis is a must-go for any cinephiles. They host a number of different, exciting events every month. But Genesis is so much more than just an edgy cinema which caters to the desires of pretentious film students. Their café is equally as pleasant. The layout is open and relaxed with high ceilings, long tables and walls plastered with vintage movie posters.

Is this spot Instagram-able? I think so, especially with the new East London mural designed by Wumzum. Although, keep in mind that this is a cinema and so the lighting isn’t ideal.

What is it? A charming bookshop that serves as a quiet spot against the hipster, hubbub of Brick Lane.

Why is it worth going to? Brick Lane is exciting, it is both everything which makes East London great and everything which makes it insufferable. If you are exhausted by the sheer number of food markets and street performers I recommend visiting this small but lovely bookshop. It is the perfect place for bibliophiles to browse, uninterrupted.

Is this spot Instagram-able? Sure, especially if you want to prove to all your Instagram followers that you can read.

Junk Yard Golf Club What is it? An indoor mini-golf course and bar in Shoreditch.

Why is it worth going to? Rather than trying to scout out a seat in the over-crowded Half Moon Pub or going for a night out in Drapers and inevitably losing a shoe to the unnervingly sticky dancefloor, why not check out Junkyard Golf Club? Junkyard offers a few different golf courses, each with an inventive theme. While you complete your course you can enjoy a funky cocktail as well.

Rinkoff Bakery What is it? An inviting bakery nestled in amongst the residential neighbourhoods of Stepney Green.

Why is it worth going to? This bakery is fairly famous, proudly boasting the fact it was established nearly 100 years ago. The breads and pastries are dangerously delicious (I ate one of their sourdough loaves in a day last year.) They offer an enticing selection of freshly baked goods for reasonable prices.

Is this spot Instagram-able? Kind of? There isn’t really anywhere to sit. Still, it seems like you can’t do anything on Instagram without seeing a picture

Is this spot Instagram-able? Yes! The eclectic, neon design will serve as the perfect backdrop for all your edgy pics.

Homeslice What is it? A pizza restaurant in Shoreditch.

Why is it worth going to? I won’t lie this place is more expensive than the other relatively cheap options I have offered but it is delicious. My friend went to Italy a week after we visited Homeslice and maintains that the pizza here was better.

You can be the judge of that. I recommend bringing a big group of people because their pizzas are intimidatingly large.

Is this spot Instagram-able? No. Trust me, I am saving you from yourself here. The pizza is good but messy. If anything I recommend making a pact with your friends to ban all photography from the table.

S

o there you have it. Here are a few places I would recommend to my first year self. But the biggest piece of advice I would give to any fresher is to do your research! Find places you think sound interesting and visit them. The sooner you step outside your comfort zone and find places you like, the sooner London will feel like home.

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

FEATURES

IS THERE HAPPINESS IN HYGGE? BECCA BILLIS

H

ygge is a term which has begun to make an appearance in the British and American vocabulary in recent years.

Google clearly translates the word to English as ‘fun’, however many Danes would argue this to be inaccurate. The true meaning of the term cannot be reduced so simply.

Hygge originates from a Norwegian word meaning ‘well being’ appearing within the Danish vocabulary around 1800. Despite the minor linguistic barrier, the sensation is one we can all relate to; the successful blog HyggeHouse defines it as ‘Hygge (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah) is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special.’

The popularity of the blog is indicative of the global rise of Hygge in recent years, cosy coffee shops and pinterest worthy bedroom nooks are recurring images subliminally pushed upon us in day

MARIA BENLAITER

D

ixie’s, PFC, HFC, PFC. HFC, KHF - Mile End is London’s unofficial ‘chicken shop mile’. Takeaways and fastfood in general are linked to rises in heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but the real factor which makes the food choices popular, is in the price.

The alternative, however, is an appetizing kale and quinoa salad accompanied by a pot of vinaigrette as your last saving grace for flavour, likely to set you back at least £3 and leave you feeling as empty and hopeless as sitting on the second floor of the library at the peak of exam season.

The state of food prices in London means that its poorest inhabitants are hit the hardest. Since a large group of people living on a budget are students, this means that the poorest students are worse affected by the daily lun-

HYGGE: WORTH THE HYPE?

to day media. From my personal dappled understanding of Hygge, coziness seems to be the central idea for understanding the unique atmosphere. In Meik Wiking’s top selling book ‘The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish way to live well’ he uses an anecdotal memory to encapsulate it; ‘We were all tired after hiking and were half asleep, sitting in a semi-circle around the fireplace in the cabin, wearing big jumpers and woolen socks.

The only sounds you could hear were the stew boiling, the sparks from the fireplace and someone having a sip of their mulled wine. Then one of my friends broke the silence.

‘Could this be any more hygge?’ he asked rhetorically.

‘Yes,’ one of the girls said after a moment. ‘If there was a storm raging outside.’

We all nodded.’

Undeniably this sounds lovely, yet I cannot help but wonder if the authenticity was misplaced during Hygge’s cross country passage to our dreary isles. Lights, warmth and

comfort food. Are these the elements which make the sum of Hygge? Objects such as candles and blankets can be easily bought at any homeware store and we can google recipes for Danish baked goods.

Nevertheless I find it hard to subscribe to the idea that such simple material additions can equate to the sum of the hygge feeling, let alone be powerful enough to drastically change somebody's life.

that ‘All the top countries tend to have high values for all six of the key variables that have been found to support well-being: income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity.’ Although ranking a respectable nineteenth on the survey, we trailed far behind many other northern european countries such as Finland, Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands who all placed within the top ten positions.

“It’s worth trying”

these authentic experiences and avoiding commercialised gimmicks is the most effective way to capture the danish lifestyle. Returning once again to Hygge House, The blog’s author Alex pulls away the perpetuated facade that you can buy into the hygge experience, and I believe summerses the core of the illusive Hygge.

‘It’s not a thing and anyone telling you different either doesn’t understand it or is literally trying to sell you something that has nothing to do with the concept. You can’t buy a ‘hygge living room’ and there’s no ‘hygge foods’ to eat.

Yet the evidence suggests it’s worth trying; Danish people are believed to be some of the happiest people on the planet. In addition to the strong welfare state, emphasis on respect and equal rights within the community, Wiking believes that Hygge may also be the reason for the countries general happiness. It is suggested that hygge feeds into the positive attitude of the liberal society. The World Happiness Report of 2018 outlines

This leaves us wondering why our neighbours have seemingly cracked the code.

anger about the lack of varied choice on and around campus.

Alternatively, you don't care, in which case I applaud you for getting this far. Read on as I have some tried and tested tips for how to get around the extravagant charge of what’s usually called a ‘caramel, *insert milk sub* latte’ and food that isn't a chicken strip burger.

insburys, which costs seventy pence and would barely make a single cup of tea in an Arab household. Meanwhile two full bunches from the grocer come at the price of 1 single pound and you get the added bonus of supporting a local business.

Remember, markets are in fashion, even if they’re in Whitechapel and not Bloomsbury Square, and you don't have a nice lady named Susan selling homemade vegan brownies on the side!

will thank you.

Third, go the extra (half) mile.

There is an Asda supermarket a mere 12 minute walk away from campus in the Stepney direction. It may be hard to motivate yourself to walk all the way down, especially for a big shop, but take some friends; make a day out of it; take those die-hard urban pictures in trolleys - you won’t look strange, I promise - and your savings account

Finally, the internet is your friend. Websites such as Time Out, Livingsocial, London Cheap Eats, and of course, everyone’s favourites Groupon and Wowcher, regularly post offers and discounts for restaurants all over the capital.

It may also be your opportunity to try something completely new!

Unsurprisingly, the outlined aspects of happiness correlate closely with the attitudes of Hygge. Wiking’s ‘Hygge Mainfesto’ is grounded in the ten points: Atmosphere, Presence, Pleasure, Equality, Gratitude, Harmony, Comfort, Truce, Togetherness and Shelter.

In reading a variety of sources, it is clear that focusing on

It literally only requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present. That’s why so many people distill ‘hygge’ down to being a ‘feeling’ – because if you don’t feel hygge, you probably aren’t using the word right.’

FINANCING FOOD

chtime contest of blowing the bank on a bowl of buckwheat and beetroot or sacrificing their long-term blood circulation for the sake of their short-term survival. A lack of nutrients in food has known effects on intelligence, development, mood and sleep. It does not help at all that the options in our immediate vicinity are in the highly-priced end of the spectrum. According to regular price comparisons by Which?, the price of food sold in campus-based cafes matches that of the local Starbucks and Costa - which are brands criticised as being part of an extortionate capitalist mechanism which will eventually manipulate us into selling our left leg for a mozzarella panini.

By this point, you have either become painfully aware of the choices you have been making, or reinforced in your

First, hot water is free from the library cafe! Just pay for the cup and bring your own tea bags/coffee/hot chocolate and start saving. Investing in an aesthetically pleasing thermos bottle may also help you to commit to the practice of DIY caffeine boosts.

Second, do your food shops at markets or independent grocers rather than supermarkets. The price difference is astounding. Take for instance a packet of mint leaves at Sa-

Fourth, a tactical meal. Many supermarkets will mark down food - usually sandwiches, yoghurt pots and loaves of bread - just after the lunch rush or later on in the evening. So stock up on your household food items then.

Starbucks have also followed Itsu’s lead in halfing the price of snacks and sandwiches an hour before stores close to cut food waste.

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T H E P R I N T Wednesday 19th September 2018

OPINIONS

A GUIDE TO LIVING: GETTING PAID ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY LIVE MADELEINE GOODE

O

h, London. The cruellest mistress. I can’t live in her, don’t want to live away from her.

The expensive seductress who lures you in, despite your protestations. Just picture it.

You’re up early — it’s a Sunday morning. Take the 25 from Mile End to St Paul’s, thank the hard working driver for his service as you alight.

It’s still quiet, and the world is just waking. You can actually hear your boots hitting the surface of the pavement as you walk.

The morning is clear and sunny, and just warm enough.

Perhaps you’re carrying a caramel latte in your hands (or perhaps you’re not as basic as me. It’s my fantasy, just cut and paste your preferences ok). Look up at the Cathedral in the morning sun, and wonder just who built it, and how, how in this difficult world can such a monument exist?

The street is alive but not teeming, and you do the classically British let-me- j ust- scampe r - ac r o s s -a -busy-road-and-wave-apologetically-at-the-taxi-driver-who’s-flipping-me-off, continuing your quick pace down to the Millennium Bridge. The Thames speaks in love’s clearest language as you watch her; she reflects the sun that shines on her, parts for those who enter her, flows and bounds onto every surface unapologetically, spattering London with her touch.

You take in the bridge, the trains that run parallel, the boats that plough the water below. You see the Tate Modern, home to the greatest artistic minds the world has ever

seen (albeit home to the most expensive coffee the world has ever seen) and thank her for her inspiration. Breathe in, breathe out. London. Every part of you is beautiful. OK, not the Central Line. But everything else. It’s magnificent.

It takes your breath away.

You idly take out your phone from your pocket and check your bank balance. You have £13.28. Six days ’til payday.

Sigh. Fuck. Shouldn’t have bought the latte. That bus cost £1.50. Wasn’t even a necessary trip. Damn it. I’ll walk home. Need a better job. Can’t believe I’m still on minimum wage. In London? Are you fucking serious? I work forty five hours a week answering to nasty egotistical assholes and I can barely make rent? Rent in my home that I share with sixty seven families of mice and enough mould to grow a new species of mouse on? I take the tube every morning along with apparently EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD, getting breathed on by a dude who smells like he smoked a joint eight hours ago and didn’t brush his teeth, and I make £7.38 per hour? Minus TAX? When it costs me £2.40 just to get to work? What kind of a world do we live in?

I’m sick of Pret. Pret is nice but fucking hell it’s a smug place isn’t it. Falafel wrap for £3.75? Fuck you. You’re owned by McDonalds. Don’t tell me you’re a nice guy, Pret.

I know who you really are.

Also, why did that guy next to me eat salami on a rush hour bus the other day? Can’t you see that’s a dumb idea? And oh, seriously, you’re walking around Zara in Westfield with your screaming child

Image: David Holt/Flickr

who’s covered in chicken pox?

Don’t you think shopping could wait? Seems like your kid is in pain and doesn’t wanna be shopping for an overpriced shift dress right now. I, and the rest of East London, would like to consume overpriced, unethically made products in peace, thank you, madam.

I took the tube here and had to listen to some young white dude who clearly spent forty minutes ironing his shirt talk to his mate, louder than is necessary, about making sales of something to someone. I just want peace and quiet.

Do you see? It’s a heaven and a hell. A capitalist hole of filth and corporate crime, and a utopia of ideas, art, beauty, creativity. What forces people out, however, is not always the former - it’s the fact that the latter, the art, the creativity, is entirely unachievable without money. The above ordeals, typical in any big city, are totally tolerable if, like everyone should be able to, you can afford food and stuff like that (no big deal). This brings me to the London Living Wage, which in 2017 was raised to £10.20 per hour. Now. By law, it is optional for employers to pay this wage, as opposed to the minimum wage, which for over 21s is £7.38 per hour. I’m god awful at maths, and even I can work out that that can be the difference between staying or going. London or Somewhere Else. Surviving or living. Creating or not creating.

If you’re reading this as an employer who pays under the London Living Wage for full time workers in London: do better. Just do better. It should be illegal to disrespect your employees this much. To ask them to scrape, and I mean scrape, the barrel every month while doing you an important service every day of their lives is a violation. Whenever I hear anyone speak about living in London as a young person, the sentence goes something like, “Yeah, I love it, it’s so fun and cool and full of opportunities, but honestly, it’s so expensive. I’m constantly watching myself. It’s impossible to save for my future.” You want reliable workers who enjoy their lives and therefore contribute better to your company? Pay them. Pay your workers the living wage. Don’t ask for a minimum of two years experience in a field and then offer them £7.38 per hour. “Sure, come and work for us. We’ll take your tiring, emotionally exhausting labour and in

“If you’re reading this as an employer who pays under the London Living Wage for full time workers in London: do better.

Just do better.”

return, you can pretty much survive in this place you call home. You’ve paid £27,000 for a degree in something, let’s not even pay you that much in a year for all that knowledge you now have.” We’ll go somewhere else. That’s the bottom line - we don’t want to, but we will. Somewhere where you don’t have to nervously check your online banking before putting your card in the machine. Every. Time.

So let’s break this down, living on minimum wage in London. Is it really that hard to live on? The work consists largely of serving jobs; waiting tables, cleaning, barista-ing, bar-tending. Companies that pay minimum wage to London workers include Starbucks and Wetherspoons. This year, a ‘name and shame’ list was released of companies accused of paying below the minimum wage. These included Wagamama, Odeon cinemas and Marriott Hotels. If all these companies pay it, surely it’s possible to live on it. In a recent study, onlymarketingjobs.com claimed that to live comfortably and happily in London, including rent, bills, food, travel, social life, paying into a pension scheme, everything, you need about £1800 per month after tax. Call it £2000 before tax, shall we?

On £7.38 an hour, one would need to work 271 hours in one month to earn such a wage.

271 hours in 30 days. Let’s, for the sake of argument, say that a month amounts to around four weeks. And let’s assume, for the sake of argument, one works five days a week — so approximately twenty days a month, yes? For 271 hours a month, on that principle, you’re working 13.5 hours per day. Give or take one or two hours for extra days in the month, that’s more than any person can manage while also maintaining a family life, friends, relationships, or basic sanity. On the London Living Wage, living comfortably comes down to 196 hours per month. Granted, 196 hours a month, approximately fifty hours per week — still ten hours per day, bloody hell — is a lot of work. However compared to the minimum wage, you’d be left with 75 fewer hours a month to work.

Of course, this is an estimate.

However it’s no surprise that for 271 hours a month, just to live normally and happily, most people would get the fuck out of here, and do it fast.

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

OPINIONS

I MADE IT BACK ALIVE! MY JOURNEY TO AFGHANISTAN

MADINA TARAKI

W

hen writing this article, trying to find a topic proved to be harder than I thought. Considering how much I like to talk and share my opinions- more often where it’s not needed- this came as a surprise. Bearing in mind my summer was undoubtedly eventful, the irony of the this was not lost on me.

From shadowing my local MP in Parliament, to making my first ever trip to Afghanistan, the last three months have been anything but dull.

Boarding that airplane in Gatwick, with a very long journey ahead of us, I was reminded of all the stories my parents liked to tell me about my homeland. The connection I felt to my country and its people stemmed from the tales passed down by my family members, who still held that shred of nostalgia which drew them back to their youth. Although I was consistently bombarded with questions of ‘is it safe?’ or ‘aren’t you scared?’ by well-meaning but slightly hysterical friends, I could honestly say that I was excited to witness first-hand what my parents had been harping on about. While the more self-conscious part of me was uncomfortable with the prospect of covering up from head to toe for the first time- surprisingly not as big of a culture shock as I once thought- a big part of me was looking forward to this entire trip. What was certainly amusing was to see the sheer number of Afghan women on the plane from Turkey, slowly lifting their scarves in sync, from their necks to their heads. Turned out I wasn’t the only one who valued vanity above all.

Touching down in Kabul was almost surreal. I had asked so many family members and friends who had previously been about what it would look like. Being bombarded with images of a war-torn Afghanistan as a dusty brown desert and hearing stories of ruin and chaos, from both press and those closest to me, had certainly conditioned me into a state of ignorance. I really did not know what to expect.

Looking back, the shock I experienced at seeing trees and flowers on the roadside is almost laughable. Did

“The connection I felt to my country and its people stemmed from the tales passed down by my family members, who still held that shred of nostalgia which drew them back to their youth”

I honestly think nature and greenery only existed in the West? Conforming to my most dramatic self, I felt no better than a neo-coloniser. That was definitely misconception number one.

Coming from a country of law and order, the organised chaos of Kabul was, at first glance, terrifying. Roads without a single traffic light in view, drivers overtaking one another while people casually strolled across busy roundabouts without a single care of which driver might hit them, was a major culture shock.

I found myself gripping the door handle of my uncle’s Toyota Corolla- which seemed to be the only car in existence in the whole of Afghanistan-praying this drive would not be my last. At the beginning, it really did seem like this is how I would die. It took me a total of 2 days to learn to love the anarchy that encompassed daily life in Kabul. From the mess of markets and bazaars to the hectic driving, I realised there was a sense of symbolic freedom in the frenzy of the city- though my mum would vehemently disagree.

Certainly, my biggest misconception, which stemmed from living in London, a leading global city, was the level of modernisation Kabul had.

Even now, my answer on how modern Kabul is, is still uncertain. It was, in the conventional sense, an urban capital, with students, families, businesses and people (shocking, I know). However, like many other Asian countries, Kabul produced a strange blend of both a modern city and a rural village. The contrast of the marble pavements and elegant jewellery shops adorning the district of Shahr-e-Naw, to the sight of cows and sheep walking side by side with the cars was, at first glance, both odd but also completely unsurprising. It may be fair to say that modernisation has many definitions, and sometimes it isn't always the Western solution of having a Pret around every corner.

While the entire city has a long way to go in terms of security and development, driving across the city at 1am, in that moment, there seemed to be little difference between Kabul and London. I felt at home.

On my journey of self-discovery- which funnily enough didn’t include going to Thailand and becoming Buddhistthe most common question that was asked was what it felt like, as a foreigner, going to my home-country for the first time. I had honestly never heard such a vague question. A shrug of my shoulders and a quick muttering of ‘it was alright’ seemed the quickest way to sum up my emotions.

In reality, it's been 2 weeks since I’ve been back and the struggle to evaluate my entire experience in a single sentence has been real (PS: you will definitely regret asking me, I could talk about this entire trip for hours). I found myself questioning my identity as both a Brit and an Afghan.

As all my fellow diaspora friends can relate, the feeling of floating between two different cultures is a daily difficulty (first world problems, I know). However, much like the mix of new and old that Kabul represents, my identity is a combination of London culture (i.e. apologising for everything and never talking to strangers) and Afghan culture (shoutout to my mum for making it her life mission to make us love our ethnicity). I mean, it's only taken me 20odd years to accept both the cultures and societies I have grown up in.

While TripAdvisor probably does not rate Afghanistan high up on the list of holiday destinations, for me it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Connecting with (almost endless) family members and discovering the hospitality amongst the people of Kabul, I felt as if there was a real community. No longer was I identified as the immigrant (yes I wasn’t born here and no, I am not here to take anyone’s job), but rather I was welcomed.

So to sum up, my visit to Afghanistan? It was alright.

For more information, head to our website: https://theprintnews.co.uk/ opinions

“As all my fellow diaspora friends can relate, the feeling of floating between two different cultures is a daily difficulty”

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T H E P R I N T We d n e s d a y 1 9 t h S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 8

OPINIONS

IT’S A DOG’S LIFE WHY SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE KEY TO THE MILLENNIAL OBSESSION WITH MAN’S BEST FRIEND MADELEINE GOODE

D

ISCLAIMER: this is not an article arguing that dogs “aren’t all that,” or that we should stop being obsessed with dogs. I am literally besotted by every dog that walks past me. I want to know about their life.

I want to chat to them and meet their friends. I yearn for their snuggles, pine for their kisses. Big or small, ugly or cute, I am devoted to them all - and judging by social media figures, I’m not alone.

Unless you’ve been living under a social media rock, it’s

and if it is not. well who really cares. i still love you lots”.

On another occasion, “i had a long talk. with my fren. about how to spot. a fake ball throw. the optimal strategy. is to follow the ball. with your eyes. instead of your heart”. RT if you cry every time. I do.

While we’re being pumped up for the day by a non existent dog telling us he loves us on Twitter, we may turn to Instagram for more of the joy. @dogsofinstagram for your generic cuteness — 4.2M followers. Marnie the Dog (@ marniethedog), a 16 year old

we’ve never met in person — and even create separate social pages for the pet itself. All of a sudden, our pets have a persona, a voice, and a following who play along with the cutesie concept of a dog taking selfies with witty captions and posting them to Instagram. I mean, who wouldn’t? We are crying out for redeeming content. We are literally leaving the fucking EU. Our top politicians are useless old windbags (at best) and dangerously Islamophobic, egotistical actual monsters who are selling the NHS to Richard Bran-

are dying out every day. Children and their families are being blown to bits in Yemen and Palestine by demented governments, many of their arms supplied by British sources. Apple is now worth $1 trillion, while poverty and disease lives on everywhere.

Nigel Farage exists. Loads of Hollywood greats turned out to be dangerous sexual predators. Love Island is only on for 8 weeks a year. We need this. We need a dog taking a smoulder selfie. We need him to type a funny caption with his little fluffy paws. We are

trick? Tell her well done, she deserves to be insta-famous more than any Kardashian.

Bombarded by content as we are, the Internet is pretty much a hellhole of terrible tales about terrible things. And that’s the truth - the world is full of really really horrible terrible horribles. We focus on the things in front of us, like Trump, Brexit, global warming, health care. But truthfully, the terrible is everywhere. It’s in our kitchens and sitting rooms - and we know it. The trick to surviving

“All of a sudden, our pets have a persona, a voice, and a following, who play along with the cutesie concept of a dog taking selfies with witty captions and posting them on Instagram” clear that millennial culture pretty much lives for pups.

Our undying love for dogs, or rather “doggos”, “puppers” and “good bois” is evident in the figures. On Facebook there is a page entitled ‘Dogspotting’, a page on which you can post a picture of a dog you meet by surprise or pure chance (the first and most rigorously enforced rule of Dogspotting is that you cannot post your own dog, or a dog known to you. For that you must head to Dogspotting Society, a separate entity of its own). The site has over 1 million members. A picture of a young blue pitbull, resting his head luxuriously on the knee of his owner in a café in Prague, was posted yesterday. The picture amassed 6.6k likes in 20 hours. Then there’s Twitter. An account called ‘Thoughts of Dog’ (@dog_feelings), in which it appears a dog is tweeting his thoughts every day, has 1.55M followers. I’ll give you an example of his tweets. “gooooob morning” he writes, “today is your day.

rescue Shih Tzu, has become famous in her own right, with 2M followers and celebrity fans such as Chance the Rapper and Jack Black. The Dogist (@thedogist), a photographer who takes beautiful photos of dogs he meets on the streets of New York, doesn’t only have 3.2M followers on Instagram but also is the author of a New York Times bestseller entitled The Dogist and Puppies. The guy literally made his living photographing random dogs.

I mean, if that’s not a dream then what is? If anyone would like to pay me to hang out with their dog and take his picture, apply below. I will traverse oceans and conquer deserts.

With the rise of social media as a fully integrated part of modern life, dogs, the majestic species full of love and pure goodness that they are, have risen with it. In Western culture, one of our favourite things to post online is our pets. We pore over each other’s pets — even ones

son (seriously, Google it) at worst. America is being run by a KKK-loving sexual predator, backed by loyal protectors (wealthy Republican white boys & Vladmir Putin). The seas are full of plastic, species

literally desperate for positive content. He runs into the sea and comedically splashes bystanders? Post that shit. He eats a strawberry out of your hand? Upload immediately and TAG ME. She learns a new

is to acknowledge the terrible terrible horrible terribles, but to find respite. Respite, for many, comes in the form of friendship, love, adventure, a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose. There is no shame in perusing Dogs of Instagram daily, or to fall in love with Thoughts of Dog and his undying support for you and your struggle. We all need a little unconditional support and it’s there, among fluffy paws and puppy eyes.

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Image: Krisitine Paulus/Flickr

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E

PRINT

OPINIONS

WHY THE KARDASHIANS ARE IN BUSINESS MADINA TARAKI

T

he Kardashians: a name every millennial is familiar with. Dominating every platform in life from social media, to billboards and even our daily conversations, the Kardashian clan have acquired a level of fame not even the Royal family can match. Love them or loathe them, we cannot deny their influence on our generation. From their controversial tweets to their venture in every area of business, it's no wonder they have managed to stay relevant over the last ten years. Their ability to keep up with the trends of the twenty-first century is quite a feat (who ever said the Kardashians weren’t talented?).

However, what they represent is much wider than a (very addictive) reality show. They have now become a metaphor for fame, wealth and profit in this generation.

It's Sunday night. You’re mindlessly scrolling through

If this does not define social media culture, I don’t know what does. While we love to complain about the lack of awareness our favourite influencers possess, maybe it's time to take a step back and reassess our own values. Why must we expect celebrities and ‘Insta-famous’ people to speak up on the issues that plague the world today, especially considering the level of publicity ‘woke’ culture has acquired. Have we gone too far in our devotion to our ‘faves’?

While we must recognise the impact that influencers have on a younger audience (hence the name…) specifically in relation to social issues, there is something to be said on the over-reliance of news shared by celebrities. I may sound like an angry, middle-aged mum who is allergic to technology, but the news does exist. There are other ways to access information on what goes on in the world.

resolve the racial tensions in America, there seems to be a commercial element to a movement dedicated to the under-represented. It's now trendy to be ‘woke’ and these companies certainly know how to make money from it.

So why do we continuously buy into it?

Maybe it stems from a need of validation. Our need to believe that a celebrity or influencer has the same opinion as us, thus making us feel better about ourselves. Maybe it reinforces our belief in the power of our generation and social media. After all, companies and celebrities do rely on the response of their audience.

Take Khloe Kardashian’s Good America denim line. The ‘body positivity’ hashtag had been dominating our screens for the better half of this decade.

Now it was time to make some money off of it. While the message behind it was something close to her heart- as

Image: David Holt/Flickr the now-commodified ‘woke’ culture every person our age wants to take part in. Will the role of major companies help narratives of marginalisation spread to a wider audience? Or will it undermine it? Only the

time you watch a show on Netflix featuring a POC person, take some time to think about what benefits Netflix has reaped from their newly formed social consciousness.

The Kardashian’s may not be

“Maybe it’s time to take a step back and reassess our own values.”

Twitter. You see an onslaught of tweets and commentaries on the latest problematic tweet Kim K has posted. The next morning you have already forgotten about it and you’re happily binging on the latest season of KUWTK. Last night’s brief shock is locked in a tidy corner of your mind.

The real issue does not lie in the fact that celebrities haveGod forbid- political opinions, but in the way these matters are commodified for the sake of profit. Whether it be a new makeup line featuring a more diverse range of colours to a Pepsi advert that appears to

she has said- there is no denying the profit she has made.

All off the back of a movement that took place on our Twitter feeds and Facebook timelines.

Who ever said people power doesn’t work?

Today it is interesting to think of the future ramifications of

next generation can tell us.

We can call out the Kardashians all we want (after all, complaining is what I am best at) but really, they are part of a wider trend. Their quest for wealth and money is a major driver in their participation of awareness campaigns, but are they the only ones? The next

the only ones but, after all, it is why they are still in business.

WE NEED A FRESHERS COLUMNIST! Our segment ‘Fresh Perspective’ has been feeling slightly neglected this time round, but now you’re all starting at Queen Mary we want to hear from YOU! Each printed issue, we try and get a column from a Fresher - this could be about anything! Making friends, starting your classes, living alone. Anything! If this sounds like something for you, join our Facebook contributors page (https://www.facebook.com/ groups/313006895901346/) and look out for posts by our Opinions editors.

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

OPINIONS: COLUMNS

DON’T MIND ME

EMMA LOUISE LEONG

The Absence of a Uniform Ideal

O

nce upon a time, Christianity was the default way of life. The ideal narrative to being a good person, to being part of a community.

Now, in our post-modernist Western world, many young millennials do not identify with religion.

Furthermore, the capitalist era we live in has triggered severe symptoms detrimental to our mental health. Severe loneliness can trigger depression and stress can trigger anxiety.

So what is the link between the decrease in religion and the increase of mental health problems?

A theory: the absence of a uniform ideal.

Human beings naturally resort to a higher being. Perhaps we do this to reduce fear and uncertainty, or to provide comfort in knowing that they are safe in the hands of someone else, or to aspire to an ideal figure. The vulnerable self adores being looked after, providing us a way to accept questions beyond our understanding and out of our control.

However, now, Christianity is dying out. Sunday is no longer our day of rest.

Rationalists speak more of truth and human progress, giving us with more answers to the ‘unknown’.

So who is our higher being now?

Well, in this day, it could be anyone in the public eye.

People can worship more than one public figure and/or religious god if they choose to. This could be a pop artist, an actor, a philanthropist, a TV personality, a sportsman. The list goes on.

What has this got to do with why more people feel disconnected and lonely?

There is no such thing as a uniform ethic. This leads us to lack meaning and sense of direction within our lives. Should we become more altruistic? Or more family-oriented? Richer? More famous? More fashionable? More intellectual? What is our higher purpose and who do we look up to in order to achieve this?

For many young people today, celebrity worship is a likely avenue. But is this the way forward: a superstar spirituality?!

The issue imposed is that many celebrities are the pinnacle of fame and fortune, which is a difficult standard to achieve. Let’s, for example, assess the difference between Kanye West and Jesus. Jesus was a man with good morals and values. Any human can achieve this standard of morality. However, Kanye has sold over 21 million albums. You can see the difficulty in achieving such a standard. Instead of achievement and progress, there is envy, a spiralling sense of hopelessness, and obsession.

This fragmented ethic also cause incoherence within a community. If we do not share the same values towards a morally guided life, the foundation to a strengthened populace is crippled. One is more likely to feel lonely or hopeless because there are too many directions to take, causing chaos in the self and distance from others.

Furthermore, the absence of this uniform ideal may not necessarily lead to celebrity worship; some may not to have an ideal they aspire to at all. This can put a lot of pressure on the self, naturally placing the self at the centre of his or her universe.

That is not to say we should all identify with a religion or we have the same ethic to be happy. But perhaps a good philosophy needs to be established in your life to enhance your perspective. The spiritual guidance our archetype craves for has stretched out to so many public avenues, that the likelihood of feeling less lonely or less stressed is slim. This analogy may be more prevalent today than we realise.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

KATIE BEVAN

Preparing for Take Off

W

hat felt like yesterday, when I sent off my personal statement and application to study abroad, is actually eight months ago, and my flight to New York City is tomorrow. My bags are finally

packed (I know, you’d think I’d be ready in advance of ‘the night before’ but 11:55pm deadlines for the past two years at university have turned me into an advocate for last minuteness), and I honestly have no idea how I am feeling.

Over the last few weeks, I have excused the consumption of far too many coffees, indulged in a few too many meals out, and opened the Wetherspoons app one too many times, all in the name of catching up with friends before parting ways for a year. My social life is not complaining, but my bank balance is politely nudging me not to make this a regular occurrence. Every person has asked me how I am feeling and, despite the many opportunities to rehearse and refine my answer to that predicted question, each time my response has remained equally uncertain.

I like to think of myself as someone who is rather well travelled and adventurous for my age, or at least my scratch map would suggest so (all without having taken a gap year to ‘find myself’), but I have always completed those journeys with a best friend, or two, by my side. I am also always the designated document holder; boarding passes, accommodation confirmations, maps for the local area, useful phrases in the nation’s language, seven-page internet explanations of the cheapest transport option. Those bits of paper made me feel like I was as prepared as I could be for those trips and yet the possession of that information fails to comfort me this time.

The arrival of my American flatmate Annie on our first day in Pooley House (our first year university accommodation) springs to mind. She walked through the door of Flat 45, her flight luggage trailing behind her, located her room and proceeded to ask an abundance of questions about where would be best to locate a UK SIM card for her phone, bedding, kitchen utensils, and all of those university essentials that an IKEA trip usually solves. I had all of the answers. On my first day, having moved away from home, I already felt at ease in London because I had visited so often as a teen and awaited my opportunity to live there.

I am moving to a country where I do not have to overcome a language barrier (besides the occasional misunderstanding of their pronunciation of herbs), where I have accommodation waiting for me, I can tick off multiple things from my bucket list, I have enrolled in classes that excite me, and where the flight is no longer than the door-to-door journey from my home in Essex to visiting my sister in Edinburgh. Plus, when (I intend to be honest in this column hence that wasn’t an ‘if’) homesickness kicks in, I know that my family are seconds away thanks to the wonders of modern technology - as is Greg James’ show on the BBC Radio iPlayer.

This is what happens when I have been asked that same question; how are you feeling? I verbalise all of my anxieties and worries, freak out about them a little, remind myself that it is totally normal to be nervous… and then the excitement hits.

I AM GOING TO LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY FOR A YEAR! Twenty-years-old and I am one sleep away from embarking on (cliché preparing for landing...) the adventure of a lifetime.

For more stories from our collumnists, visit our website: https://theprintnews.co.uk/opinions/collumns

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

OPINIONS: COLUMNS

KOTSAK IS CAPTURING CULTURE TALKING GABRIELLE AGYEI

ANNA-ALEXIA KOTSAKIS

Boris’ last ditch effort

A

nother year in British politics, another year that former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson isn't leading the country. In a predictable turn of events Johnson resigned from his post after Prime Minister Theresa May introduced the Chequers Brexit proposal stating that the "Brexit dream is dying" and should the Chequers proposal be implemented, Britain "would be reduced to the status of a colony" . This leads me to wonder if he knows what a colony really is. The "Brexit dream" was of course instigated by a Tory government through the making of false promises and by profiting from discriminatory rhetoric that was supported all too eagerly by Mr. Johnson among others. We now have substantial evidence to theorise that the Leave Campaign cheated its way to victory and no longer does the majority of the country want a Brexit. It's a dream that only Mr. Johnson has along with Nigel Farage but that's not good company to keep.

Seeing that this political dream of his might not come into fruition the way he imagined it, Johnson is keen to make another dream come true: becoming Prime Minister. Known for his ambition and opportunism, his name has come up multiple times as a possible party leader and this time is no different as there's talk of a vote of no confidence in the hopes of removing May from the helm of the party. The prime challengers appear to be Johnson followed by Sajid Javid and of course Conservative darling Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Johnson's strategy comes across as a riff on Trump's populist playbook. In the past month since his resignation, he has tried to capitalise on nationalist sentiment by attacking women who wear Burkas, characterising them as "letter boxes" and comparing them to "bank robbers". There is also the rumour that he has met with Stephen K. Bannon, former Trump adviser who seeks to strengthen ‘right wing’ parties all over Europe. Speculation aside, Johnson was recorded praising Trump, saying that he was coming around to appreciate his methods. Thus it isn't shocking that he is trying to emulate his idol's divisive strategies. If anything though, his efforts seem to be wasted as he has been branded "pound-shop Donald Trump". And therein lies the issue; he is of the belief that being blatantly racist “in” now or simply being a true racist who has decided to be loud because it tends to win you presidential elections nowadays.

Boris' last ditch effort for PM is so transparently shallow, lacking the gravitas of a true politician with a will to do good for his constituents that it should, and hopefully will, fail. His destructionist behaviour has him on track to go down in history as one of the most despised MPs this country has ever elected. He should consider himself lucky if he is only remembered as the "bicycle guy".

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WHAT THE BOOK

Come fly with me

EMILY KELLY

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s summer slowWhy I’m No Longer ly draws to a close, with the days seemTalking to White ing shorter and the People About Race nights longer, one can only reminisce on hot days spent

by Reni Eddorelaxing in the sun. The Lodge (from a white threat of sunburn and The somewhat unbearable nights perspective) spent tossing and turning seem a small sacrifice to ack in 2014, ‘award winning’ journalist Reni pay for bright, long days that fuel adventure. Like Eddo-Lodge published a post to her blog myself, a lot of you may have spent your summer entitled ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to travelling. With the final submission of that essay White People About Race’. It blew up. Three you spent what felt like an eternity on, or sitting years later, in response to the immense reaction the last exam of the year, us students were left free. the post provoked, Eddo-Lodge published a book Free from the stresses of university deadlines. Free of the same name. It was met in similar fashion; from the pressure of finding new ways to reinvent A Sunday Times Bestseller, Foyles’ ‘Non Fiction’ the one and only pasta dish you can be bothered Book of The Year and according to Vogue ‘The book to cook for yourself. With a care free attitude and that’s changing how we talk about race’, it’s no months of unassigned time our disposal, many of short of hype and for good reason too. Many of you us found ourselves boarding a plane, coach or train are probably ahead of me on this one, having read heading to new destinations. If you’ve caught the it last year or following the original blog post itself. travelling bug, or didn’t manage to get further than you home town this summer but are itching for the No prizes for guessing what Eddo-Lodge writes opportunity, here are five reasons why you should: about. While her original blog post discusses the 1.Self-discovery communication gap that exists in the discussion of As cliché as it sounds, travelling is a great way to race with white people, the book develops this idea explore and learn about yourself.

Being thrown by reframing the notion of racism- and in doing into new environments and introduced to differso highlights this communication gap clear as day. ent cultures, people and ways of living really opens Beginning with a brief history of race relations your eyes to life’s possibilities. Living in London all in Britain, immediately I was into territory that I my life, a fast-paced, competitive city, getting away hadn’t covered in school (or at least, not in any from it all brought on the realisation that there are great detail). So much of what I learnt about race in other ways to live. It allows for you to question History lessons related to American race relations; what it is you actually want from life and the kinds whole modules of A Level courses were dedicated of experienced you’d like to have. to the American Civil War, whilst I know embar2.New culture rassingly little about the slavery that ended less Running off my first point, finding your ways to than two hundred years ago in my own country. new destinations exposes you to culture. There’s Especially today in Trump’s America, with horrific nothing like experiencing first hand a way of life acts of racially motivated brutality being reported nothing like your own. Trying our foods, music, almost constantly, it is too easy to point a finger clothing, festivals is all a part of this authentic exand claim ‘America has a race problem’. It is perperience. You come away from it a more rounded, haps harder to own up to the fact that Britain still educated and understanding person having opened does too. yourself up to the former.

3.Making memories Part of the book’s immense success is no doubt When traveling I find you take something special Eddo-Lodge’s ability to move seamlessly between away from each experience. With each place you go dense chunks of heavy historical context, intercomes its own set of memories and, whether travviews she's conducted over the years and powerful elling alone or with family or friends, each destireflections that range from political to philosophnation becomes memorable in its own way. Where ical to deeply personal. She is endlessly engaging possible take a camera with you, a simple disposable and yet extremely disquieting at the same time- I will do, and capture it all. The wild night out you struggle to decide whether it would be right to lahad with the lads in Ibiza, seeing the Mona Lisa for bel the book ‘easy to read’ as it is often incredibly the first time in the Louvre or throwing to simply uncomfortable. As it turns out, being confronted throwing a ball about in the ocean with your best with reality is uncomfortable, as is being confrontfriends. Each moment comes with its own moment ed with one’s own ugly ignorance. But I reckon this of happiness. is why everyone should read Why I’m No Longer 4.Happiness Talking to White People About Race as soon as It is very easy to become comfortable, to believe you can get your hands on a copy. It’s better to that we are completely content with what we have feel ashamed of your ignorance than to pretend it at home because it’s all we may know. Seeing the doesn’t exist. world completely opens these boundaries and so much joy is to be had from being thrown into to NEXT MONTH’S BOOK- Homo Sapiens, by Yuval completely new settings. Happiness is born from Noah Harari adventure and travelling, as far as to the other side of the world or within the confines of the UK, can be the experience of a lifetime.

5.Experience The internet and social media allow us to communicate and connect with the rest of the world without having to even having to leave the comfort of our homes. Right now, you could type ‘Italy’ into google and thousands of pictures, articles and videos would instantly be at your disposal. The news keeps us informed on what’s happening in the rest of the world but none of these technological advances in our communication can rival seeing the real thing. Travelling allows one to really live, we see the world through our own eyes rather than a computer screen.

So those are my top five reasons for why you should get up and go explore the world. It may seem life bad timing as the university has only just begun but who’s to say a weekend getaway is off limits? Plenty of Queen Mary societies even offer opportunities to go to other countries; now you really have no excuse!

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Wednesday 19th Spetember 2018 T H E P R I N T

SCIENCE AND TECH

FRESHERS TECH WHAT GADGETS DO YOU REALLY NEED AT UNIVERSITY? ALEX RICHARDSON

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hen you’re packing for university, it may be tempting to pack all your gadgets to use whilst you’re away. But after a few weeks you may find many of them are just laying around, unused and cluttering up your flat. So we’ve made a list of what we think you need, what can be helpful, and what you can live without.

Essentials A smartphone: be it checking your emails, chatting with your friends or procrastinating in lectures, your smartphone is the most useful (and most distracting) device you could bring to university.

There are so many uses for one that this entire article could be dedicated to them; but beware its ability to distract you. A decent pair of headphones is also recommended, especially if you’ll be travelling on the TUBE a lot, and make sure you download the QMUL app for your timetable, library remin-

ders and more.

A laptop: with so many module resources being available on QMplus, a laptop is a must for your assignments and research. Something small and light is recommended, especially if you plan to bring it to lectures with you. However, make sure you also use a Cloud storage service or an external hard drive to back up your work, just in case something goes wrong.

Nice to have A TV or a monitor: being able to hook up your laptop to a TV or a monitor can be nice, provided you’re willing to sacrifice the desk space for it. You’ll also need a TV license if you bring along a TV, even if you don’t use it, so don’t let that charge catch you off-guard.

A tablet: with the ease of access to digital reading material, be it lecture notes or e-textbooks, a tablet can be a great gadget to have. Their bigger screen makes them far better for reading than your

“Your smartphone is the most useful (and most distracting) device you couold bring to university”

phone, but they’re also smaller and more portable than a standard laptop. And as a bonus, they’re great for watching movies in bed.

A Bluetooth speaker: instead of bringing along a dedicated stereo, a Bluetooth speaker is perfect if you want something slightly louder than your laptop. They’re also just handy to take along on a picnic or a journey. But be careful not to turn it up too loud and annoy your flatmates.

Maybe you can live without A gaming PC or console: you might think it’s a great idea to bring along your new games console to make friends with your flatmates as you’re settling in, but you might also want to consider the effect it may have on your studies.

Whilst gaming until 4AM is great fun, is missing that 10AM lecture for the fifth week in a row really worth it? If you’re worried that you’ll never go to lectures if you bring it along, it may be best to leave it at home until the holidays.

A printer or scanner: QMUL has dozens of printers available on all campuses, offering high quality, full colour printing at competitive prices, many of which work as a scanner as well. This means you don’t have to worry about running out of ink for that last-minute assignment, or spending hours troubleshooting why your printer inevitably isn’t working in the first place. Unless you’re desperate for one, it can be much easier to simply use those provided.

Smart devices: be it a voice assistant or a Wi-Fi connected kettle, smart devices can cause many problems when on campus. Some of them will not connect properly to the university network, whereas others will try to pair up with the one two floors below you.

Add in the opportunity for your flatmates to set alarms for you whenever they’re in earshot, and your smart device might just seem like anything but.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SCIENTIFIC EVENTS An overview of the different research events in science MAGDALENA INES SCHACHT

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cientific events such as seminars, symposia and conferences, but also informal meetings such as science comedy, can be a great opportunity to discover original and fascinating research that you haven’t heard of before. These events allow researchers and students from different disciplines and educational levels to meet and interact in a friendly environment, which helps them connect with colleagues from various research areas (and from different places around the world, depending on the event). Such events lead to the discovery of new tools and techniques that might be relevant for their research. Additionally, learning about other topics that may not be directly related to their work may give insights that can be translated to their field, thereby providing them with new ideas and motivating them to try new things. On the other hand, researchers presenting/showcasing their work by either a talk or a poster can benefit from receiving feedback that can clarify and refine their research.

What are the differences between the three (more formal)

troduct i o n followed by t h e i r results, as well as any difficulties a n d challenges t h e y might h a v e experienced Image - Magdalena Ines Schacht in their field types of meetings mentioned of research. The seminar is above? concluded by a discussion where everyone from the auResearch seminars are usually dience is encouraged to partiorganised by an academic in- cipate. stitution, e.g. a university or a professional organization. For example, here at QMUL They are recurring events, the School of Biological and each focusing on a specific Chemical Science provides two topic where experts (usually research seminar series that invited speakers) present the- run during the term and are ir work by giving a general in- open for all, including stu-

dents from first years to final year. To find out more about research seminars run by the SBCS, visit the SBCS website.

A one-day meeting, where researchers from a similar field get together (it is usually not recurring) and several talks on a specific topic are held by experts, is called a symposium. Each talk is also followed by a short discussion, as it is done in seminars. Often, symposia are held and organised by a department or School.

Since the frame is similar to that of a conference, it can be referred to as a small conference, but the scale is much smaller.

A conference usually is an annual (or every 2-4 years) meeting where participants give and attend talks or present and look at posters, interact with colleagues to exchange information and opinions, and discuss the latest research.

Conferences can be meetings with thousands of attendants and therefore are prearranged

by a society (and in contrast to seminars and symposia that are generally free to attend, conferences often require a fee).

Finally, there are more informal meetings such as science comedy. One of the biggest science festivals is Pint of Science, which takes place every May. But there are also smaller events and even touring individuals, including QMUL’s own Matt Parker, also known as standupmaths.

There are many opportunities to get involved with science and it doesn’t matter whether you have just started with your studies or whether you are already one of the big names. It is always important to keep up with the latest science (whether it is directly related to your field or not), and to build a network. Discussions and new ideas are very important and helpful to either come up with or shape your next research project.

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

FRESHERS WEEK, INITIATION TO BECOME A STUDENT CLICHE: WELCOME TO UNIVERSITY

SIHEM JOUINI

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elcome and congratulations in joining Queen Mary University.

Coming in as an undergraduate or postgraduate student from the UK or from abroad, you will have the opportunity to be part of one of the most distinguished academic experiences and take part in a student life to create a close community. Freshers Week, is the initiation to your university experience. It represents for many, and in overall for everyone, the possibility to be part of a group and have an ease start of the year while socialising.

and will allow the most unsettling student to let loose. Everyone will forget it should be consumed within moderation.

After all it is Freshers Week and all brains are turned off.

Many amazing friendships will start and end during Freshers Week, either because a stranger held your hair while puking – which is definitely a sign of loyalty because you know, people are #So Loyal – or because they left you on your own after a necessary A&E session of stomach pumping. But no one is judging, it's freshers week.

You will meet new people from all over the world, enjoy the cultural fusion and share your backgrounds, and where naivité will present itself by borderline cliché comments about foreign cultural traits.

You even might fall into the typical racist comment about how different cultures are so “interesting”. But no fuss here, we are all “discovering new things”.

But do not worry, records of the events will be found on every social media platform to help even the shiest of you to remember the Hangover adventure you've had; all those hashtags and snapchats you will have to erase are nothing compared to the endless feeling of regret which will live on during the whole of your course and (fingers crossed) will follow you until next year freshers week.

It will help you to only grow stonger as a student.

Partying will be a central activity and the copious amount of cheap beer will bring joy

Until this time,you will have the joy of forgetting the people you just met, stop caring

about the new born friendship, or just plainly avoid the drunk hookup or even the student you abandoned to A&E. Many outcomes will come for this major student life experience. For some, it will be just being able to judge everyone and there behaviour during Freshers Week and for the rest of the year. For others, it will be the sad call to the parents asking for more money, although you just got a transfer but drank it all.

Then, the most notrious and also the majority, the ones with freshers flu and STDs. Many germs will be shared but who cares about common sense sexual health protection and fitness to attendthe start of the term for which your parents just took a loan for, as long as you embraced your student life from the start and to its fullest.

Missing introductory modules session? No problems, you can pick something out of your curriculum and say you wanted to explore different academic fields. After all, your a new student and will not be alone in this situation. That is freshers week for you. Student life to its

Image - Sihem Jouini stupidest and for all to lower your IQ and reject every ounce of logic and common sense you gathered until now. And if

done right, you might end up with herpes. You are welcome.

WORLD NEWS WITH YOUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT SATIRE EDITOR AT THE PRINT

SIHEM JOUINI

Welcome to Queen Mary World News, your monthly satirical update on current affairs. In other news: - Freshers Week is about to start all over the UK for thousands of reliable and smart students, with the inevitable consequences of immature and stupid decision making followed by a major flow of NHS emergencies. And they said we couldn't fill the NHS budget deficit within the UK. - Boris Johnson has recently commented on the latest Brexit Chequers plan, released by the UK government, stating this was a stop at a proper Brexit and surrendering to the EU. Boris Johnson is always there when you need him. Like the one time when he campained for the Leave

and was fully prepared, had an indepth understanding of the consequences of Brexit and could inform voters with strong argumentation. We need someone to start campaining to get the Prime ministership with concise, detailed and clear knowledge of current affairs. Know anyone?

- It has now been over a year that the tragedy of Grenfell happened, leaving survivors in a desperate and tragic situation. Come on Grenfell inquiry, with everything you have not done so far you can make it two years!

- Newspapers and media networks around the UK reported about Theresa May visiting the foreign country of Africa. While covering this event, they were able to report

a major breaking news: Theresa May doesn't know how to dance. All is lost.

- In the US, indictments have starting to fall and mid terms elections are coming up. Plenty of content material to come for all of us abroad to enjoy in order to forget about Brexit, far right groups, and Brexit.

- This summer has been one of the hottest in the UK. Yeah, we know, we were there. Everyone fed up hearing about that yet? Good.

- It was reported that the last edition of Love Island received more applications than Oxford and Cambridge university. It was also reported, after watching Love Island, over half the audience considered plastic surgery. Because why putting your money into

education when you can put yourself in debt for a brand new body and still not get into Love Island. Not everyone is Meghan.

- Allegations were raised against China, as it is “allegedly” holding a minority of muslim citizens into “re education camps”. The “alledged” purpose, covered under anti-terrorism policies, is to force mulsims to disavow their religious beliefs and swear alligance to the Communist Party. But China denies everything so it's probably not true.

However, if it is true, China is going to kick itself for such waste of effort: you can be muslim and communist.

- In August the French Tennis Federation decided Serena Williams was banned from

wearing her catsuit, wore during Roland Garros 2018, on the ground that “one must respect the game and the place”. It's far much better for women, and respectful of the game, to have tight and close to the chest vests with almost non existing skirts. Such a difference.

- During the summer, the possibility of a “No Deal” between the UK and the EU was announced. With six months to go before the leaving deadline, everything is right on track for what we all hoped for: recession, financial crisis, rise of discriminatory behaviour and so much more. Literally can't wait.

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T H E P R I N T We d n e s d a y 1 9 t h S e p t e m b e r 2018

SATIRE

Image: Celia Colomina Basanta & Sihem Jouini

DIXIE CHICKEN COMMENDED FOR BEAUTIFUL BREASTS

LIAM PAPE

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n iconic Mile End chicken shop has recently been celebrated for the size, shape, and even perkiness of their wonderful breasts which have left many customers gawking.

The breasts, which Dixie Chicken has become known for over recent months, have sparked controversy, with some customers taking offence at the fact they are being used to entice customers. However, if a chicken shop can’t celebrate their tender breasts, what can they celebrate? Their thighs?

Their legs?

What makes the breasts so special, is not only the fact that they leave many customers satisfied and with sticky fingers, but their firmness.

Critics have expressed concerns that these might actually be fake American

breasts. However, a spokesperson for Dixie said: “Our breasts are completely natural, and definitely not pumped with chemicals to bulk them up or make them appear bigger than they really are". Others have expressed concerns about how the breasts will probably end up causing a bad back.

As well as breasts, punters claim that they’ve seen large cups and a decent mug. However, Dixie say that all of their soft drinks come from bottles and cans.

When asked about the size of their rack, a spokesperson for Dixie’s explained, ‘We don’t do BBQ ribs, unfortunately’.

We asked Dixie if they had any plans to serve nuts for customers who don’t fancy the breasts (OK, that’s enough - Ed.)

GOOSE WINS PLACE AT CHINESE UNIVERSITY SAYWAH MAHMOOD

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goose named Gugu, who was smart enough to dodge the boiling pot, has won a place at a prestigious Chinese university.

His academic endeavour began with a public post by his former owner, a woman named Ms Wu, on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. She was worried she would not be able to care for Gugu when she moved house and appealed to Shanghai Maritime University to help.

In the post she wrote: "I am the owner of a pet goose. He is very handsome (to be honest I have seen better looking geese), and has been with me for a year and a half, but I am moving to a new place. Can you take my goose? I am reluctant to cook it."

The university was quick to reply and accepted the request.

His admission has taken Chinese social media by storm with users like Jule Oh commenting: "What a touching story. I hope Gugu finds a forever home, maybe a big lake he can swim in". Agreeably, the big lake will be a welcome change from the meagre paddling pool he was confined to.

His welcome letter read "Student Gugu, congratulations on being accepted to the programme of poultry farming studies at the Intelligent Lake Ecology Department... please bring this letter with you to claim your place. For times and venue, please read the admission guide for newcomers."

I hope Gugu will now enjoy the all-too-well-known combination of insomnia, existentialism and debt.

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Wednesday 19th September 2018 T H E P R I N T

SPORT + SOCIETIES

DANIELE ACCURSO

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et me start off by saying hello to all new students and returning students at our fantastic university! For all you football fans out there, it can sometimes be tough not going to watch the beautiful game on a regular basis. This holds even more resonance whilst at uni.

With London potentially being a new city for many of you, essays and reading soon taking up most of your time, I aim to be the trivago of the footballing experience in England’s capital city.

As someone who has gone to every major club in London, I’ve amassed quite the experience going to grounds and knowing what to expect. So if you want to go watch the football and are not sure where to visit, look no further than this series. ‘What To Do On A Saturday’ aims to provide you with information of where to go, so planning a day out is one less worry for you. So, sit back and relax - hopefully your monthly footballing fix will be sorted with my help.

At the start of the year, major investor and Director Glyn Hopkin, resigned from his role at Dagenham and Redbridge

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WHAT TO DO ON A SATURDAY? which has seen cash in short supply for the East London side. West Ham even played a friendly against the club in March to raise some much needed money. The issue is urgent for a club who have seen success in previous years with the tax-office constantly on the club’s case.

Only 9-years ago the Daggers were in League One under the experienced figure of John Still. Still returned to the club in 2015 and has steadied the proverbial ship which has however continued to sink. Still was a fan of Dagenham and his love showed by playing and managing them yet even his patience has faltered, with the grandfather of football moving to Barnet FC in the summer.

Currently sitting in 22nd at the time of writing, a poor start to the season with just 1 win earnt so far has been overlooked with financial troubles still shrouding the club’s future. Things are looking up for the club though, with American investors rumoured to be completing their take over very soon (The takeover may be done as you read this piece and I hope it is!)

Yet, regardless of financial takeovers and new owners, lower league football clubs rely on gate revenue for their survival; So I urge those who have the time to make the short trip to Dagenham and hopefully partake in helping the club survive and actually grow.

Games coming up Dagenham have three matches coming up over the next month which you can get your teeth into; A home match against last season’s play-off semi-finalists Ebbsfleet on 29th September will be sure to be a good watch footballing-wise, with the visitors a team full of talent. Into October, Dagenham will be facing promotion chasing Wrexham on the 13th who will bring a massive away following, so if you want atmosphere this is the one for you! And finally the surprise package in this season’s Vanarama National League, Harrogate Town, make the trip to the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Stadium on Saturday 27th October. All three home matches are against sides in the top-half so each match will be worth the

entry fee.

Seats and prices Dagenham have four stands you can position yourself in for a match; the ‘Terrace’ which is standing costs £10, the Family Stand which is seating costs £10 or you can go in the Carling Stand which is slightly more expensive at £15. The final stand is the A13 Steel Stand which also costs £15, however this also houses away fans. These prices are for concessions so please remember to bring your student ID when buying tickets on the day!

Travelling to the game The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium will not take you too long to get to from the university campus. From Mile End station, take the district line via Upminster, and get off at Dagenham East, which should take around 25 minutes. When you have left the station, go left and walk straight for around 5 minutes along Rainham Road. After this, take a left into Victoria road which will see you arrive at the stadium.

STUDENT MEDIA - JOIN NOW

or this paper, we thought it’d be nice if you heard from some of our sister student media outlets to let you know of the range of ways you can get involved with student media here at Queen Mary!

First up, our counterpart CUB magazine - Queen Mary University of London’s official Magazine. Nicole is the editor this year, and here is what she had to say about CUB:

‘Love writing about Art, Film, Music, London, Style, Sex? Are you opinionated and have you always dreamed of having your own column? Then why not write for CUB Magazine: QMSU’s Media Outlet of the Year 2017, and the winner of the 'Student Media Online Award 2018'. For more information about how to get involved and who we are, email CUB on: editorcub@gmail.com and be sure to check out our social media!’

We also have another ma-

gazine at Queen Mary called ‘PEACH’, which focuses on creative writing, poetry and prose. They also host Spoken Word Nights on campus each month. This gives you a chance to really interact with fellow students here at Queen Mary, and listen to a variety of creative voices.

Queen Mary also has its own radio station! Quest radio is being run by Daniel this year, and here is what he has to say about it: ‘Quest Radio is Queen Mary's own radio station, run entirely by our students! You are more than welcome to join our family - whether you have an idea for you own radio show or you want to become a part of our committee, or you just want to be in on the Quest vibe - leave us a message on our socials or write us an email, we welcome everyone with open arms!

(Email: questradiostationmanager@gmail.com / Facebook: Quest Radio / Twitter: @

quest_radio / Instagram: quest_radio) All the best, Dan from Quest

In the same line as radio, we also have our own TV station.

QMTV is the official television station here at Queen Mary run by and for students. You can get involved in this society in so many ways - if you’re interested in being in front of the camera, there are plenty of presenting and acting opportunities. Or, if you’re interested in the technical side of things, there are loads of tech roles such as editing, filming etc.

If you want to learn more about our student media societies here at Queen Mary, go to https://www.qmsu.org/studentmedia/join/

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR NEEDED ‘Sport editors will provide news coverage on all things university sport related. Ideal candidates will be extremely passionate about sport and have previous playing experience for sports teams.

Excellent writing skills are also essential to providing immersive coverage illustrating every goal, point, tackle and foul. A willingness to attend fixtures is required in order to come up with interesting and engaging content.

Sounds like this is for you?

Email editor@theprintnews.co.uk.

SOCIETIES SECTION EDITOR NEEDED Are you looking for a way to expand your university experience by reporting on the activities of some of the most engaged students on campus? The societies editors will be required to work closely with societies- highlighting developments and reporting on events and successes. The ability to maintain links with the eclectic mix of societies our union has to offer and produce creative, perceptive and stimulating content is vital.

Sounds like this is for you?

Email editor@theprintnews.co.uk.