GALAXY UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER’S FREE STUDENT MAGAZINE
FRESHERS VS. FRESHMEN WHO’S GOING WRONG?
The inside report after a year at Long Beach University, California
NOVEMBER 2016 - ISSUE 3
4 - Freshers vs. Freshmen The extreme cultural differences noticed by a student studying abroad. 6 -Why do we read poetry? Because there’s magic in the mundane... an exploration of the beauty of words.
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8 - How to Eat Vegan in Leicester With a map! 10 - UK to Italy, an Education in Cuisine How Bologna does it right. 11 - Student Bites Seafood paella for cheap! 12 Leicester Racecourse Review 14 -The Awful German Language A tough one to learn...
15 - What Has Happened to UKIP? Not necessarily a terrible thing... 16 - Why Doesn’t Anybody Like Jeremy Corbyn? He’s the man of the people, right? 18 -The 2nd Debate Whoever wins, is America the Loser? 19 - Theresa May shows her true colours
20 - Half Bad Review An insight into Sally Green’s trilogy. 22 - Game of the Month FIfa 17 KICK back and enjoy, this game is for BALLERS 23 Gears of War 4 All the gore and more. 24 Who Is Uber A?
25 -Rant of the Month Buses How bad can they be? Pretty bad, as we find out... We get a first hand experience of the trip from Leicester back to London using England’s greatest asset... The bus.
26 Reflections A creative and thoughtful short story on the experience of starting University, 28 -Year (1) Some brilliant drawn and painted artwork alongside a poem with the recurring fresher theme.
30 - Literary Week 2016 This year we are celebrating several anniversary’s and births of some of the greatest literary geniuses to grace our universe. 31 - What to do in November The lowdown on anything and everything you can get up to this month in Leicester!
SPORT
WHAT’S ON
CREATIVES
OPINION
ENTERTAINMENT
POLITICS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURES
CONTENTS
32 - Manners cost nothing What football can learn from rugby. 34 - Another Classic F1 Rivalry Hamilton vs. Rosberg, need we say more? 35 - Big Sam’s Demise The man who seemed so good at avoiding the fall...
TEAM Editor in Chief Priyanka Makwana pm309 Features Editor Lerah Barcenilla lmb53 Lifestyle Editor Sophie Demetriades sd348 Politics Editor Cameron Eyles ce190 Entertainment Editor Kelly Kingsbury klk13 Sport Editor Georgia Moulder gm245 What’s On Editor Nidhi India nip3 Opinion Editor Priyanka Makwana pm309 Designers Akash Shah as990 Josh Fleming jf246
WELCOME So, how did that first month go? Fairly painless? Horrific what is life where am I how do I get out? Relax, October always seems to fly but you’ll find the whole year does, and as it goes on you’ll learn to roll with it (or get really attached to coffee and crying). Take a moment and look through our November issue, it might calm you down a bit. We’ve got more content than ever, with several new sections that will catch your eye whether you’re an artist or anti-corbyn (or both, that’s allowed). Our cover feature this month comes from Joe Matthews’ experience of Freshmen in California, on his year out there studying. After having a read, you might rethink your shame on being kicked out of the O2 for how offensive your shapes are, we might be more mature than we know. We’ve also got a brilliant rant on how bad buses are (aka disease boxes with wheels), and a host of reviews, recipes and reflections. No, there’s literally a short story titled reflections on page 26. Have a look. Good luck with November! Got to be Christmas soon hasn’t it...?
Contributors
Josh Fleming
Joe Matthews, Andrew Gilligan, Amelia Talbot, Monica Jinabhai, Maryam Peerbhai, Claire Smith, Jia-an Lee, Elliott Humm, Ryan Asher
President
/UoLGalaxyPress
Images courtesy of Iconfinder
@Galaxy_Press
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Features
FRESHERS
vs
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT Once again, the freshers’ fortnight is entering its final days, and the dramatic shift from a two-week-long drinking binge to lectures and seminars must begin. Having just got back from a year abroad at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and going into my fourth year, I’m beginning to feel as somewhat of an elder statesman. As I watch the stream of freshers entering the SU, the glimmer of hope in their eyes yet to be drained by daily grinds in the David Wilson library, I can’t help but reflect on my time in California, and the extreme cultural differences I noticed between the ‘freshmen’ of the U.S. ‘college’ and ‘freshers’ of the U.K. university.
The most immediately noticeable difference between Long Beach University and my native University of Leicester is the mind-set of firstyear students. While in Leicester, and the entire U.K. in general, the ‘freshman’ year of university is the first real taste of adult life, for many students in California, and again, likely elsewhere in the United States, this is not always the case.
Now, while the ‘freshman’ week of CSULB obviously lacks the general debauchery of English ‘fresher’s fairs’, due to the drinking age being set at twenty-one, the mass socialisation initiated by the university’s accommodation is still rampant. And yet, underneath the slightly cheesy social events and the questions that make you feel like a broken record, “what’s your name?” “What’s your degree/major?” “Where are you from?” etc., something doesn’t feel quite right.
In England, most eighteen-year-olds starting university leap upon the opportunity to thrust themselves into their first position of independence, often moving several hours away to the other side of the country. Conversely, many students move from within the enormous state of California. Note: it takes almost the same amount of time to drive from the top to the bottom of California as it does to drive from the top of Scotland to the bottom of England. However, the seeming majority attend Long Beach from the neighbourhoods of Los Angeles, or local cities such as Huntington Beach or Anaheim – sometimes at little as fifteen minutes away from the campus.
By continuing to live so close to ‘the nest’, many American students do not experience the jump into adulthood for which university is partially intended, but rather a baby-step into independence. It’s not just the proximity from home that promotes this stunted maturity, though. To me, the biggest perpetrator is the, quite frankly, ridiculous traditionof roommates that has existed as the norm in American universities for almost as long as the country’s inception.
As a result, whereas the first weekend of first year in British universities will most likely be spent hung-over, struggling to work a gas stove and/or phoning your parents and telling them you want to come home, the first weekend in the dorms of CSULB felt like a ghost town. Almost every freshman had returned home, leaving only the unlucky few who lived too far away to just ‘pop back’ to mum and dad, and the latter year groups who had finally got to grips with the concept of living independently.
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Words: Joe Matthews
s.
FRESHMEN I understand the theory behind having a roommate. You’re thrust into a new environment where you’re unlikely to know anyone, and expected to take on a level of work and responsibility that you’ve never before experienced. It’s a stressful time, and what better way to counter that than by giving you a guaranteed friend? Camaraderie is a sure fire way to combat homesickness and feel more comfortable, and by being forced into the same room as somebody, you have no choice but to at least try and get along with them. When it works, it works. But when it doesn’t, then what? I was fortunate in the sense that I got on fine with my roommate in California. That being said, we had very little in common and our social and academic schedules clashed to such an extent that we barely spent anytime in the room together. I often saw him so little that I felt as though I had a room to myself, and honestly, I can’t
“
imagine any other outcome where I would have been as happy in the United States as this.
I, like many other people, love my personal space, and the thought of having no place to be on my own is not a pleasant one. There were times when I got frustrated with not having my own space, despite the fact my roommate was remarkably sociable, so I can’t imagine what life would have been like had I shared my room with a recluse as was the case with some people I know. And then there’s the exceedingly likely possibility of not getting on with your roommate. Even if you do at first, there’s no guarantee that things won’t deteriorate to the point that you’d want to kill one another. Even living in the same house with your best friends can eventually drive you to distraction, let alone in the same room as a complete stranger.
It’s not just the proximity from home that promotes this stunted maturity, though. To me, the biggest perpetrator is the, quite frankly, ridiculous tradition of roommates that has existed as the norm in American universities for almost as long as the country’s inception.
”
I saw roommates that were like peas-in-a-pod at the beginning of the semester, yelling at each other in the dorm corridor by February. I heard of, still hear of, and even got dragged into, drama between roommates who could just not get on due to their conflicting personalities. And that’s the thing; when two people’s personalities naturally clash, there’s nothing to blame except this adolescent style of assimilation to university life.
I can’t see American universities changing anytime soon. The tradition of roommates has been in place far too long for any major alterations now, but I’m sure that if American students could see the comparative maturity that emerges from a lack of somebody to hold your hand in your own room, from a space to call your own and retreat to if the pressures of such a dramatic lifestyle change get on top of you, then they’d push themselves to abolish the mandatory tradition of the first year of ‘college.’ Obviously this doesn’t apply to everyone, as many American students do replicate the English normality of moving a significant distance to their university to gain some independence and leap headfirst into adult life. Nonetheless, the combination of the roommate system and the reluctance to move long-distance can be a dangerous mix with noticeable impact on freshman’s maturity, something from which, thanks to inherent English hostility and unwillingness to share a room, even English students who don’t ‘fly the coop’ will not suffer. There are many features of higher education where England could learn a thing or two from the United States, but when it comes to the first year and making the first step into what is essentially a new life, I think our transatlantic cousins could learn a lot from us.
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Words: Lerah Barcenilla
WHY DO WE READ POETRY? Because there’s magic in the mundane... Because... I often find myself asking this and it’s not just because I’m an English student and I’m obliged to enjoy poetry. No, there’s something else, something more.
Because... The world and our thoughts and our emotions – they’re not just happiness and sadness and round or square, there’s delight and sorrow and octagons and they’re always more complicated than we think they are, more complex than we want them to be. We read poetry because we don’t have enough mystery in our lives and we want to be more. We read poetry because we grasp at the remnants of a world we once knew but they slip through our fingers like stardust and one way of experiencing them again is through words and memory.
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It gently places our mind where our heart is. We read poetry to see the world, the universe as something we’ve never perceived before, think thoughts we haven’t thought of before. We read poetry because these writers placed their hearts and soul on pieces of paper, yet we hear that song in our head, uncover dusty old words from the corners of our memories and we are different from just having been here, different from having read.
Because... We have stories that need to be written. Because we exist and there are words trapped within all of us. Because these words are spelt the same and pronounced the same, but they mean differently and produce different images, bring up different memories. We read poetry because we have a voice and we want to scream them on top of rooftops and we want people to listen. We read poetry because we have words made up of the same twenty-six letters and we can bend them to our will.
W he n Na tio the s na On ea lP ce so o an ns et d a aga r r y in wo Da oll a ut i n u nd nd ya af mn er an r l u r le iv rr wh dp y w aves y of es ro co mo ,s mp ee om quot te ve os six e m es pie nc ed let c e of te es leb ay dif rs, th o fe ra es fw jus re te a nt r t i m t re ly i n et g -a ea we rra ch nt ng tim y ed e.. .
Because... Language is beautiful and can bend and break and still remain whole. We read poetry because language is ever evolving and every poem and every story can race towards immortality. We read poetry and get excited about conventional constraints of spelling and grammar be – only to have the satisfaction of seeing the shackles splinter, shatter.
Because... Airplanes, cherry blossoms, blurred lamplights, raindrops, autumn leaves, lipstick, lightning, freshly cut grass, cocktails produce feelings we never want to lose – but Time inevitably catches up and the Past fades into a blur and all we can do is grasp at the feelings as they wash over us once again and hope that this time, we’ll manage to capture even the smallest remembrance.
Because...
Because... Of the times we have stopped to look at sunlight filtering through the leaves of a tree, wondering how those shadows are made, if there’s a word for this (there is, in Japanese it’s komorebi). Those times we have looked at the night sky and wondered and thought.
Words are beautiful, lovely, alluring, ethereal. Because there are dreams and ideas and thoughts we can’t reach with just our hands. Because there are gaps between people and quiet, empty spaces where words remain unsaid and words remain forgotten.
We read poetry because life is short – but poetry stretches Time, makes it last just a little bit longer. And that’s all we really need.
We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
The Dead Poets Society - 1989
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IN LEICESTER
Leicester is known for its diversity; whether it is the whole city celebrating cultural and religious holidays or delving into cultural delicacies from every background imaginable. This diversity even extends to lifestyle choices such as eating vegan. This article is specifically targeted to Leicester’s vegan community, because being vegan shouldn’t mean you cannot enjoy these cultural dishes as well. So what is a vegan? This is a lifestyle choice where people choose not to eat animal products including meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey. You might be thinking that this lifestyle seems restrictive, but there are plenty of options including vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes, pulses and carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta and rice. And thankfully, due to modern technology, vegans can enjoy everything vegetarians and meat eaters eat, such as pizza made with alternatives including soy.
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Bonzai Sushi
Lifestyle
In Leicester, you can even get sushi ‘veganised’ at ‘Bonzai Sushi’ on Hotel Street. This is one of my favourite vegan hotspots in Leicester as the alternatives have the taste, texture and look of real sushi. Why opt for a salad when you can get mango infused veggie rolls, avocado ‘California style’ rolls and miso soup. ‘Bonzai Sushi’ packs their food full of flavour by infusing spices and sweeter elements as well. Another bonus for students is that Bonzai Sushi’s meals are no more than £3 per platter. (Post-code: LE1 5AW)
Handmade Burger Co. Another ‘veganised’ dish is a burger. Luckily, Leicester houses a Handmade Burger Co. in Highcross, a restaurant which does a good job of pointing out vegan dishes on the menu. Cajun vegetable and bean, veg-mex, sweet potato and bean, Thai vegetable and chickpea and quinoa are the patty options; but if you prefer spicy burgers then the vegmex is the one for you. On the other hand, if you like milder burgers then I recommend the sweet potato and bean burger. You can also help yourself to any number of sides including jalapenos, salad and gherkins. The only downfall is that the meal price can start to rack up as one burger can be £8, so in total you’ll probably spend £10 per meal. (Post-code: LE1 4SD)
An extra recommendation is The Donkey located just outside Uni of Leicester on Welford road. Not only is The Donkey a student hotspot due to the warm atmosphere and cheap food, but also a vegan hotspot. Again, this is the place for you if you’re searching for a variety of options rather than just those on the standard menu. Their vegan menu includes bangers and mash, vegan mushroom burger, chocolate fudge brownie, apple crumble and a vegan breakfast option! This is the most colourful vegan menu in Leicester, with all mains priced at just £7.95 each- an absolute bargain. My personal favourite is the chocolate fudge brownie, which is a rich, crunchy treat all of us students could do with after a Friday afternoon lecture. (Post-code: LE2 6BH)
Vegan Market Something that brings the whole Leicester vegan community together is the vegan market. This is not a staple for Leicester as it only comes to the town centre occasionally, but if you’re interested in going to the market, you will have to keep up to date with their Facebook page. However, this is still one of my favourite markets, due to the friendly atmosphere and the whole community coming together. You can see so many vegan options in this market, everything from chocolate to fruit. It is so fulfilling to support local and independent vegan companies. (Post-code: LE1 5HQ)
World Peace Café The World Peace Café is another vegan favourite. This café is located in the Buddhist centre, which means that all profit is put back into the centre. The café serves an array of vegan options from jacket potatoes, sandwiches, burgers, wraps and salads to a variety of drinks and cakes. This is a personal favourite of mine due to the relaxing aesthetics and friendly service from all the volunteers. (Post-code: LE1 5FQ)
So vegans of Leicester, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to eating out. Leicester is home to an array of restaurants and cafés with vegan options. There truly is something for everyone! To keep up with the latest vegan trends check out Lindsay at Leicesterveggie.com, who helped suggest many vegan hotspots for me to try and suggest for Galaxy readers. Words: Amelia Talbot
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ENGLAND
ITALY:
Last year, I studied abroad in the beautiful, historic city of Bologna. I had never been to Italy prior to this, so I had to adjust to several new customs. However, an area of Italian culture that I had no trouble immersing myself in was their food... (not literally)
EDUCATION During the build up to Christmas, there was a chocolate festival held in the town centre in which I discovered cioccolata calda fondente. This is basically a hot chocolate drink, but unlike the more diluted version we have in the UK, this is a lot thicker, richer and overall more delicious.
In Italy, coffee is essentially what tea is to the British; it is so much a part of Italian culture that the idea of not drinking it is entirely foreign. It is estimated that there are more than 50 ways to drink coffee in Italy, ranging from the standard espresso to a cafe shakerato.
In terms of alcohol; wine, wine, prosecco and more wine is the way to go in Italy. At as little as €2 a bottle, Italian vino still beats any alcohol I’ve had in the UK, even at this price. So if you’re a student planning your next travel venture, Italy is definitely a destination I would highly recommend.
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CUISINE Another cultural tradition is the Italian aperitivo. In the UK, snacking in between meal times usually consists of a packet of crisps, some fruit or a chocolate bar. In Italy, an aperitivo fills this gap and is the equivalent to tapas in Spain or a buffet in the UK. It doesn’t have to break the bank either; I spent no more than €4.50 on my last aperitivo. This price also included a “Spritz,”; a wine-based bright orange beverage commonly served with aperitivo in Northeast Italy.
While living in Italy, pizza came to be my equivalent of a sandwich at lunchtime. There are small pizza shops all over Bologna and Italy in general, boasting a variety of flavours, each slice only costing about €2. And, you’ll be pleased to know that the proper way to eat pizza, according to the Italians, is with your hands!
Lastly, but by no means least, I should mention Italian gelato. I love all kinds of ice cream, but the Italians do something truly magical with their version. This is ice cream at its finest, with a variety of fabulous flavours to suit any mood, from fruity to chocolate.
So, after my trip to Italy, I can safely say my palette has been spoilt and I won’t ever look at a Dominos pizza, a budget bag of Penne pasta or a Mr Whippy the same way again!
Words: Monica Jinabhai
STUDENT
BITES
Full of culture, flavour and absolute deliciousness, Paella is one of my all-time favourite dishes. It not only makes you look like a dab hand in the kitchen, but it’s got so much more to offer than that sorry jacket potato you were planning on having.
Chicken, Chorizo and Seafood Paella
E
S
1. Peel and crush the garlic and finely chop the onion 2. Remove the casing from the chorizo and chop into medium sized slices. Alternatively use pre-sliced chorizo. 3. Add a tablespoon of olive oil into a pan and cook the garlic, onion and chorizo on a medium heat for around 5 minutes. Then add the chopped pepper. 4. Give it a good stir, then add the rice and tomatoes. Remember to season well with salt and pepper. 5. Crumble part of a stock cube into the pan and pour boiling water over the rice. You won’t need to use a whole stock cube unless you’re cooking for a few people. 6. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stir regularly to prevent the rice sticking to the pan. If it becomes dry add a drop of water. 7. Add the peas and prawns and cook for a further 10-15 minutes on a low heat. Leave to simmer, stirring every few minutes and cook until the prawns are cooked thoroughly.
: 20 MINUT
METHOD
T E IM
This recipe is for prawn and chorizo, but what makes Paella great is that it’s so flexible, making it the perfect dish for a flat meal. Flat meals can be a great way of getting everyone together and can save money too. Whether your flatmates like chicken, seafood or veg, Paella’s got it all covered. Oh and by the way, forget about having piles of washing up to do afterwards, as you’ll only need one pan.
INGREDIENTS 2 cloves of garlic 1 onion A handful of peas A handful of chopped pepper Chorizo 1 chicken/vegetable stock cube Olive oil Around 2 cups of Paella rice or Aborio risotto rice A handful of prawns 4 cherry tomatoes chopped Salt and pepper
If you’ve made too much simply freeze it, there’s nothing better than coming home to Paella after a long day. Those peas sat at the bottom of the freezer drawer, plus all the other bits and bobs laying around the kitchen you have no idea what to do with can all be thrown into a pan to make this fantastic dish.
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FUN AND FINE DINING: LEICESTER RACECOURSE
Our Lifestyle Editor Sophie Demetriades was invited along to Oadby for a day at the races... I’d always thought that going to the races was for people who were quite wealthy, with plenty of horses and a good knowledge of betting- I never thought I would enjoy the day so much as a student struggling to climb out of my overdraft. On the contrary, Leicester Racecourse welcomes people from all walks of life, even if you don’t have a background in horses or betting. This warm and welcoming atmosphere was evident as soon as my partner and I arrived at the course. On arrival, we were directed by a friendly member of staff through to the Owners and Trainers entrance and guided upstairs to the comfortable and stylish Nelson Suite Restaurant, which provides a wonderful panoramic view of the racecourse. There was a good buzz about the place, which made watching the races from the suite all that more exciting. As we were seated, I noticed that this wasn’t a place where you had to dress up either- just a smart outfit, nothing too fancy would suffice; which was lucky for me as I was sporting my latest Primark purchases, or should I say Pri-marché. The Nelson Suite menu was a world away from the Student Union snacks I usually have, but of course the food here was far more delicious, so I made the most of it with a starter of oak smoked salmon, wasabi, crisp baby gem salad with a sauce vierge, which I would highly recommend. Then I had a main of portobello mushroom filled with sauteed shallots, sweet potato, braised baby fennel & Roquefort cheese. And finally, onto my favourite part of the menu- the dessert- which certainly pandered to my sweet tooth with the passion fruit meringue tart with orange cream & chocolate spear. At the end of the meal, tea and coffee was served to enjoy throughout the day.
STUDENT OFFER!
£10 12
Make sure you bring your student card, because for just £10 Leicester Racecourse are offering you entry and a complimentary pint of lager, cider or ale, or a glass of wine! More info: www.leicester-racecourse.com
In between courses, we were able to go outside to get within just a few meters of the racecourse, gaining a clear view of the 1¾ mile oval circuit and the finish line which was directly in front of us. There were also betting stands outside of the restaurant which often had better rates than those inside, which we certainly made use of. From the “Members” enclosure, just outside the Nelson Suite, there was also a tiered stand with seating on a slope which made for better viewing, with a large screen in front of the stand so we could see the start of the race more clearly. Throughout the day, we placed five £1/£2 bets each; somehow, I think this might have signalled our student status, but nonetheless, the staff remained friendly and helpful and didn’t snigger as I emptied a few copper coins from my purse. All in all, I won a grand total of £16.40, which for a first timer I thought was pretty damn good!
After having experienced my first day at the races, I can safely say, I’m still not much of a betting person- or at least I don’t think I’d risk anymore than a fiver- but even so, I would still recommend the experience; it was a fun, exciting and an all round refreshing day out, (perhaps made even better by the fact we won our first two races). All in all, I would highly recommend the experience to people who want to try something new, and especially to students living nearby in Oadby halls. So, freshers, do you want something new to do this week? Try out Leicester Racecourse, you won’t regret it!
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‘THE
FU
E R MA N L G L A
In preparation for Germany, I pack, I fill out forms, I stress, I send countless emails, I browse, teary with frustration, through the minutiae of airline luggage regulations, and I learn German. Before I put you off studying German forever, let me console you with two of my favourite German words. One is punkt, meaning ‘dot’ or ‘full stop’, said out loud it’s the cutest word ever. The other is ausgezeichnet, which sounds like a sneeze, looks like a sneeze, and means ‘excellent’. German is a gendered language, and on that basis, we are familiar. My mother-tongue is a gendered language; Arabic, which I’ve studied for years, is also gendered. Likewise with French, which I made a feeble attempt at in secondary school, is gendered. But a mother tongue is one thing, it comes naturally to you, Arabic comes slightly less naturally to me, but it’s so methodical it’s mathematic. French doesn’t count, because I don’t recall any. Then there’s German, which may have a method to its madness, but it’s passed right by me on its way to smarter alecks. It seems I am destined to be eternally German gender confused.
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Some noun genders are expected, such as man being masculine and woman as feminine. Little girl is, confusingly, neutral, but I can live with that. Apple is masculine. So is tree. So is the sun. But cat is feminine. So is pestilence, nature and one of the words for sea, because synonyms don’t necessarily share genders. Sky, moon and stars are all masculine but people, food and travel are all feminine. To top it off, these words will change genders and/ or articles when they are plural, or dative, or genitive, or possessive, or anything else.
N ’ AGE GU
AW
Words: Maryam Peerbhai
? ? ?? ?? ???
Learning a language requires the kind of dedication that I have never given anything I don’t absolutely on the pain of legal prosecution- have to do. Without teachers, I’ve had to resort to autodidacticism, which does not always produce results when the would-be autodidact is me. DuoLingo does its best, but their longsuffering green owl makes frequent visits to my email address, and yet the highest bar I’ve ever reached is a one-day streak. So I’ve decided to bumble along as best as I can. I’ve tried, but Germany will have to put up with me gender-swapping everything I set eyes on. And I’m nowhere near ready for German compounds (sometimes they’re fun: kartoffelwaffeln, potato waffles; sometimes pure unadulterated horror: rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, an insurance company which provides legal protection. And yes, since you wonder, I did waste ten minutes checking the spelling of that word). German enough to order food is good enough for me; as long as endless rounds of cheese on bread will still be available in Germany when I get there, I shall not starve. And now, for my last act, I direct you to Mark Twain’s short essay-review on German, entitled, naturally, ‘The Awful German Language’. It is scathing and hilarious – ausgezeichnet, even.
??? ??? ??? ? ? ? ? ? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ? ? HAS ? ? ? WHAT ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ? ? HAPPENED ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ? ? ? ? ??? ? TO ? ? ??? ? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ? ? ? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? Y ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? Words: Cameron Eyles
ou would think that coming off the historic leave vote in this past summer’s EU referendum UKIP would be riding a wave of momentum. After years of campaigning they had finally achieved their goal of leaving the European Union. Fast forward a few months and the entire party seems to be in disarray. They have no real leader as Diane James, who served as leader for less than three weeks, resigned last month. Add to this the fact the party are literally fighting one another it seems to have been a disastrous few weeks for UKIP. The question is: just what has happened? The main criticism of UKIP was always that it was a one issue, one-man party. The man of course being Nigel Farage, who has been the leader of UKIP for most of the last decade. Farage has cultivated a man of the people, lads down the pub sort of image, which has resonated well with some voters. In fact, it is actually quite hard to find an image of the UKIP leader not holding a pint of larger in his hand. Farage is a paradoxical figure however. He is clearly UKIP’s biggest asset but he is arguably UKIP’s greatest flaw. Big Nigel, as I am sure he would like to be called, has almost made UKIP a cult of personality around him. This means that when he resigns, like he has done, a massive void is left in the party to fill and UKIP simply do not have any other members that are high profile enough to take his place.
Then there is the issue that UKIP really only has one aim: to leave the EU. Like it or not, we are leaving the EU so it could be argued that there is no real point to UKIP. The party is aimless and without Nigel Farage they seem to be rudderless as well. This lack of purpose and leadership has lead to the events of the past month. Diane James’ resignation is very odd, in fact on the official documents to become UKIP leader she signed ‘vi coactus’ which is Latin for under duress. Clearly James never wanted to be UKIP leader.
The scuffle (or fracas had they worked for the BBC) between senior UKIP members Steve Woolfe and Mike Hookem (which is a great name for someone involved in a fight) sounds like something from a sitcom. It was not a laughing matter for Woolfe however, as he went to hospital due to his injuries. The mess that UKIP currently finds itself in seems unsolvable. Unless Nigel Farage returns full time to the party, which is never out of the question, they have no recognisable faces. Even if Farage came back UKIP still have no real endgame to work towards. They have already achieved their goal. It could be worse for UKIP though, at least we are still talking about them. Imagine how bad the Liberal Democrats feel.
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WHY DOESN’T ANYBODY LIKE
JEREMY CORBYN?
Words: Joshua Ford
Why does no one like Jeremy Corbyn? That is a lie. Most people either like Mr. Corbyn, value his ideas and ideals or respect the seemingly rare and unique boldness and honesty he has, compared to the invisible dictatorship of right capitalism. If you ask anybody in the street they might not support him, but they have a hint of appreciation for a man who may for the first time since before the Blaire-rights, actually listen and represent truly what the public think. If this is a common censorship across the majority of Britain, why is Corbyn represented as an “unelectable” extreme Marxist who arrogantly doesn’t listen to his own party? Yet at the grunts and hisses of Parliament and the media, he retained his position as the leader of the labour party with a majority of 61.8% against Owen Smith; an “alright” politician who has had more experience in the media and governmental business sector than politics. Remind you of someone? Ah yes Mr. Alistair Campbell, who possibly lost all the governments money by helping Tony Blaire decide that Britain was the world’s vigilante and started attacking anything that attacked in the Middle-East. A war which is silently still going on and has increasingly got more confusing than who is the true king of Westeros in Game of Thrones. Owen Smith by all accounts is a good-candidate for a leader and has a reputation for being quite a good politician, but why isn’t Mr. Smith “unelectable”? Because Owen Smith represents the middle-right of labour which at the moment is so similar to the conservatives it may as well be a younger, less-esteemed brother. Labour stated they wanted someone charismatic and electable, someone the public can relate too, but those he is not. As described by political comedian, mock news reporter Jonathan Pie “If Owen Smith was on a plate of biscuits, he would a stale oatcake” . Why does the media love Mr. Smith? Because unlike Corbyn he does not answer questions, he does not speak the truth however much trouble he may get into and he continues to un-interrupt with the flow of leadership that is the old, the rich and the right. The old, the rich and the right? Who are these people you ask, well these are the people who own the media, own the newspapers and send their boys to Eton to become spies in the House of Commons. As of summer 2015, nearly a third of the House of Commons went to Eton. Within just England, there are 24,372 schools, so nearly 217 politicians out of 650 all went to the most prestigious school in the UK, forking out £30,000 a year which is three thousand pound more than the average wage including London.
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Is that democracy? Is that fair representation of the whole of the UK? Simple answer: No. So why doesn’t anybody like Jeremy Corbyn? Because we have been told not to. Why is Jeremy Corbyn “unelectable”? Because we have been told he is. Why has Jeremy Corbyn been elected? Because labour and the public are fed up of being treated like blind cattle or pawns in a big game of Tug of War. The mould and the system are scared. Jeremy Corbyn is inconsistent and at times he does have worse leadership skills than Boris Johnson. But his stubbornness, his relatability and simply put, his understanding of what people not only need but want threatens the rubble of the ignorant, power-craving hierarchy that hides behind their family number and has poisoned the once leading democracy in the world.
Images: Independent All over the board: Right, Left, The Guardian, The Telegraph, North South. All aspects of society contains the few higher-middle class who likes how things are because they favour the present circumstances. As we all know the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The fact of the matter is that the media runs the country along with the spin-doctors and the privately educated who try to keep the country all warm and cosy for their three houses and tax-avoidance villas in Cuba. This is why nobody likes Jeremy Corbyn because he is like Winston Smith in George Orwell’s 1984. He is standing up to the hypocrisy and the corrupt in the country. All we hear is how bad Jeremy Corbyn but this is because the public does not have a voice, only ears. I am not left or labour or right or a UKIP. But politics now-a-days is a poker chess game played for fun and money and whenever you do get the odd politicians wanting to ‘change the status quo’ they get pulled out to sea to join the rest of the fish by greed and power. He beat the benches and he beat the critiques single handedly. Is he perfect? No. Was there a seat on the Virgin Train? Who cares. Was he vote out? Sadly, probably yes. But that just shows how passionate he is to change his whole political anti-European view for his party and people. He is the best we got at the moment to take down the establishment and his voice belongs to the people.
Finally, Mrs. Thatcher’s daughter - Teresa May has opposition. The household cleaning of Labour has been done and hopefully forgotten. We may just see the rise of what could be a new movement in politics once again from the Labour Party. Could Corbyn socialism rejuvenate the labour party back into being a party for the labourers, for the working class people? Only time will tell, but I know who I will be voting for next election. The media and the establishment hate him. But we, the public, do not.
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Words: Ryan Asher
HILARY CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP 2ND DEBATE
WHOEVER WINS, AMERICA LOSES Sunday’s presidential debate, where businessman/Orangutan, Donald Trump faced off against America’s morally questionable Grandma, Hillary Clinton was truly memorable. Indeed, as the nation’s historically most disliked candidates sparred on matters such as Donald’s vulgar comments on women, likened to sexual assault by CNNs Anderson Cooper, or negligence from Hillary’s handling of classified emails, I cannot help but have a bleak outlook for my country of origin. Both candidates were in full defence mode in an attempt to redirect fire from their own scandals to the other, of which there were plenty. This being said, the Donald greatly improved on his first performance by not being baited as easily and attacking Hillary on substantive issues like Health Care and handling of ISIS. Interestingly, there is a lack of continuity between Trump and VP pick Indiana Governor and ‘someone’s homophobic uncle’ Mike Pence. While Pence called for an aggressive stance towards Syria with a no-fly zone and strikes against Bashar alAssad Trump takes on a much more Pro-Russian stance, having a history of speaking positively of Putin in the past.
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This makes Pence’s statement confusing, but I theorize that this results from little communication between the men, as Pence was thrown in with Trump at the GOPs order to have somebody with some clue on the ticket. The candidates differed most on proposed nominations for the Supreme Court; the judicial branch and highest American court. This court settles landmark cases such as Plessy v Ferguson (1896) or more recently, Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) extending the fundamental right to marry to same-sex couples under the 14th amendment. Incumbent president and man we will miss considering the alternative Barrack Obamas’ nomination Merrick Garland has been blocked upon the death of traditionalist Constitutionalist Antonin Scalia, but the new president will have the huge responsibility of choosing the next Justices, who will influence legislation for the next 40 years. Indeed, those who Donald Trump have nominated, while being fine legal minds, would likely push to overrule same-sex marriage and abortion rights. . As a structural argument, this is personally the most compelling argument to vote for Hillary Clinton despite her flaws;
her justices will outlive her and ideally push the ball forward on repealing Citizens United thus getting money out of politics and advancing social issues. Overall this debate showed politics as a blood sport from the offset where the traditional handshakes were skipped. Moreover, Trump’s swift retort to Secretary Clinton saying he would put her in jail as President is symbolic of the sordid state of the world’s longest-standing democracy. Truly the party of Lincoln and Reagan has had a nativist facelift, to a 70-year-old Satsuma who may have avoided paying federal income tax after losing $916 million in his 1995 tax returns. As we leave the debate, voters seem to be swallowing the Bitter Hill (get it?) and Clinton appears to be pulling away with Real Clear Politics giving her a 6.2% lead. However, as has become clear in this election, anything can happen. Donald Trump Hilary Clinton Unsure According to CNN, majority of the polling participants felt Hilary Clinton was victorous in the 2nd Debate.
Theresa May shows her true colours However, during Rather than Following the Conservative strive to maintain Britain’s Theresa May’s Conference in tariff free access to ascendancy to the position Birmingham in early the world’s biggest single of Prime Minister in July after October, we finally market and 500 million emerging relatively unscathed from learnt what direction consumers, Theresa May the political fallout of the Brexit May’s Government will defiantly proclaimed that vote, one which claimed the political be taking issues such she will prioritise immigration life of David Cameron, questions as Brexit, immigration controls over this membership. concerning what we would and business toward. This comes despite Parliament expect from her Government Unfortunately for and nearly 90% of economists have been the topic of hot remainers like myself, overwhelmingly supporting Britain’s debate. May’s speech effectively access. Moreover, with the pound We ended whatever hope we having fallen 20% against the US dollar also had for a ‘soft Brexit.’ since the referendum, plus recent rows heard over the price of Marmite and other goods Amber between Tesco and Unilever, it’s not Rudd, the hard to see the extent of support Home Secretary, for the single market. make proposals that There’s would force firms to also the disclose what percentage of concern that their workforce is non-British. As well as that the Rudd’s proposal Prior to the policy could precipitate further hate crime in conference though, does little to solve the post-Brexit Britain with immigration being details emerged about deep-lying problems of such a highly-charged issue, the plan also businesses unscrupulously the Government’s sounds like something out of Aldous exploiting workers. Whether archaic and divisive Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. this is through companies decision to extend the provision of grammar issuing zero hour contracts when people need fixed hours to live by schools by lifting the cap or by classifying workers as selfon the number that can employed, therefore limiting their be built. I rights to the minimum wage. presume Although, in this policy would have been my opinion, what is announced at the conference if equally as bad or if not worse it wasn’t for the leak in September. is that by focusing on selection, For example, Nonetheless, grammar schools only the Government are neglecting the just 3% of those benefit an unjustifiably small proportion majority of comprehensive schools attending existing of children. The idea that working class throughout the country that are in grammar schools are kids have an equal opportunity in terms desperate need of teachers and entitled to free school of access to these schools is based on meals, while areas that have funding. To me, it feels like Theresa empty romanticism and of a rosetinted viewpoint of social mobility retained selection have a bigger May is simply papering over the wage gap between high and low cracks in our educational system in 1950s post-war Britain. that is drowning in the lack earners. This clearly emphasises of support from central the severe limitations of grammar Government. schools in helping a workingclass child’s education.
Words: Elliott Humm
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Words: Kelly Kingsbury
Entertainment
THE REVIEW Nathan Byrn is half Black witch and half White Witch. His father is the most powerful Black witch in existence, but they have never met. His mother committed suicide when he was a child, but there might be more to her story. So, what does that make Nathan? No one actually knows, not even Nathan himself, but he is determined to find out. On his seventeenth birthday, Nathan will fully come in to his powers. It is a time for Nathan to decide which side he is on. This trilogy is about self-discovery, romance and a battle between what is right and wrong. Despite the cliché themes, the trilogy itself could not be more different. The series is set in a magical modern day Britain, yet there is very little magic used until the end of the trilogy. White witches hide behind their councils and rules until the third book. Nathan and his friends are supposedly big bad witches, yet they are hiding out from White witches that claim to fear them. The actual magic does not appear in the trilogy until the council of White witches’ true intentions with Nathan are revealed. What makes this trilogy unique is the relationship dynamics. The romance in this book is filled with betrayal and confusion. Nathan is in love with his childhood sweetheart, Annalise. To him, she is everything. Although, like all relationships in books, things get complicated. Nathan is not sure who he can trust in a world that is hunting him. One person who will not leave his side is his best friend, Gabriel. They
meet purely by chance, but Gabriel does not trust Nathan’s ‘girlfriend’; but is he just jealous? Nathan was raised very differently to most. He does not let peoples looks deceive him. He judges a person based on their personality; on who they are and what they do. There are very little books, let alone trilogies, that raises the question of whether or not the main character is gay. In fact, Nathan seems quite feminine at times. It is the gentleness that he has with his friends and family. When having to leave his half brother, Arran, Nathan kisses his fingertips and places them to Arran’s forehead. It is as if he does not want to break them. The violence increases throughout the trilogy; from carving letters in to a person’s back, to eating human hearts. This series is dark, gory and toxic. It does have its delicate and more romantic moments, but these are short lived due to the books fast pace. It is written in brief, precise and eloquent sentences that will captivate any reader. Another reason for the brief sentences is the difficulty of writing from a characters perspective that has trouble reading and writing themselves. Nathan is better with maps and images as opposed to words. The ending to the trilogy is heartbreakingly unique, sad and beautiful. It is by far the most memorable part of the series. It is a scene that will either leave you screaming in frustration or leave you in tears. The entire trilogy is that emotional and is a highly recommended read.
Read a good book recently? Think you can remember enough about it to write about how much you loved it? Let us know! Email our entertainment editor Kelly: KLK13
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Words: Andrew Gilligan
GAME OF THE MONTH - FIFA 17 Fifa 17 has been widely regarded since its release as the perfect football game, or as close to it as possible. While there are still those that enthusiastically clamour the PES is superior, the number of people buying Fifa’s rival game seems to drop every year, and it’s easy to see why. With a brand new engine greatly increasing the game’s graphics and realism, a revamp of the way set pieces are taken, and especially with the inclusion of Fifa’s story driven campaign The Journey, this year has possibly presented the largest update for a new Fifa game in its history. Opening week sales numbers increased by 18% for Fifa 17 compared with last year’s version of the game, and the new game even earned the highest UK launch sales of any Fifa game ever. One matter of controversy that is key to note though is the discrepancies between what was advertised and what was delivered when it came to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of the game; on these platforms Fifa comes without the new Frostbite engine and new game mode the Journey, much to the dismay of many players. “My name is Alex Hunter. You don’t know me. But believe me, you soon will.” The Journey represents a whole new ball game (pun intended) for the Fifa franchise, creating a new story revolving around young footballing prodigy Alex Hunter, as he enters the high-octane world of Premier League football, and the effects that the atmosphere can have on himself, his family, and his best friend Gareth Walker. On the whole the Journey has been accepted as a great new addition to Fifa 17, however it has drawn some criticisms that the actual story of the game mode goes a bit flat towards the middle of the season, as well as the fact that the campaign is shorter than players would have liked. Now a stalwart feature of all Fifa games, Ultimate Team is a tried and tested formula that is only slightly altered in each update of the game, yet is still likely the most popular game mode on Fifa as it nears its 8 year anniversary. This year sees the addition of FUT Champions, where players compete in daily knockout tournaments to gain access to the weekend leagues, where consistent weekly performances earn gamers special in-game unlockables to show off their accolades. As well as this, players on Xbox One and 360 have access to new players released as Ultimate Team Legends, including Paul Scholes, Alessandro Del Piero and Carlos Puyol. 22
OUR THOUGHTS Following an attack on the village of outsiders the team call home, the 3 of them must set out down the proverbial rabbit hole in order to rescue Kait’s mother from the growing danger of the Swarm. Realising their lack of experience, they head to JD’s home to enlist the help of estranged father Marcus, and after a moderately awkward reunion agrees to help the team in their search. Old, grizzled and grouchy as he may be, Marcus is still willing to get back into the fight and protect his family. The interplay between the characters works excellently, with the young and likeable new protagonists contrasting well with the machismo, brash nature of old.
Chainsaws, curbstomps, and more blood than even Quentin Tarantino can handle; Gears of War is back! Picking up 25 years after the culmination of Gears 3, the new campaign revolves around JD Fenix, son of old protagonist Marcus Fenix, and his friends Kait and Del as they battle the totalitarian bureaucracy of old friends the Coalition of Governments, as well as a disturbing and mysterious new threat known as the Swarm. The online multiplayer modes remain largely the same, with the Coalition clearly reluctant to divert from the tried and tested success of the almost cartoonish bloodbath that is Gears of War – after all, is there anything quite as satisfying in video games as chainsawing your opponent into a bloody mess? Several new game modes have been introduced, Arms Race, Escalation and Dodgeball, to add to the old favourites of Execution, King of the Hill and Warzone. The game also includes Horde Mode 3.0, a tower defence style game mode revolved around holding back waves of Deebees and the Swarm.
WORTH NOTING Unfortunately, as with most A-list games these days, micro-transactions appear to have taken over Horde mode with the introduction of packs to unlock weapons and bonuses paid for by in game credits or real money, potentially turning the game into a pay-to-win system. The move to the Xbox One has greatly improved the graphics within the game, best portrayed by the environmental impact of the introduction of Wind Flares, hurricane like events that affect movement of characters and slow moving projectiles and grenades. While the mechanics of the game remain the same for the majority, the move to next-gen consoles allows for much more seamless transitions between and over cover, as well as introducing new ways to battle enemies sharing the same piece of cover. As well as this, the introduction of new types of enemies presents a new dynamic to combat, with the introduction of the mechanical DeeBees of the COG, as well as several mutations of the Swarm,
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The game mode hasn’t simply been copied from Gears of War 3 either; the introduction of a class system appears to have diverted the focus of Horde even more onto teamwork, playing to each class’s skills to progress further through the onslaught. New developers the Coalition previously remastered the original Gears of War for the Xbox One and PC, but with Gears 4 being the first game they have created in such a popular series it was the one that would have to set the tone forward. Thankfully, the game is a huge success, and with the story set up for sequels, fans of the series will be waiting on the edge of their seats for news about the continuation of the saga.
Who Is Uber A? There is also very little information in the file on the second birth of Mary Drake’s child. There is no mention of gender or how many children there were. It merely states that there were no complications.
The last thing in this scene that supports the idea of an identical Spencer twin is the song that is sung to Hanna. It is the same song that Mary Drake sings to the real Spencer when she is shot at the end of season 7 episode 10. Is all of this a mere coincidence or a simple mistake? Let us be honest; there are no mistakes in Pretty Little Liars.
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Words: Kelly Kingsbury
The big question all Pretty Little Liar fans are asking is ‘Who is A.D?” aka ‘Uber A’. We have had some big A reveals in the past, but this might be the biggest and most complicated A reveal yet.
We hear two gunshots, but Spencer only had one bullet wound.
The main theory online is that A.D is Spencer’s twin! Crazy, right? Well... To start with, twins run in the family and can be genetically inherited. According to most medical websites fraternal twins can be hereditary but not identical twins. Despite this, most people tend to say differently. If Mary Drake is indeed Spencer’s mother, then it is plausible that she has a twin.
Did Jenna shoot twice? Was it truly Spencer that we heard shouting “no” or was it her twin? Why was Mary Drake there with A.D if they weren’t related? They must know each other.
Fans have also noticed that this ‘Spencer’ only mentions the way out to Hanna after she says “Maybe it is a good thing we don’t know who killed Charlotte.”
To add to this theory, in the scene when Hanna ‘imagines’ Spencer when she was abducted by A.D there are some anomalies. Hannah has supposedly imagined one of the liars being around her before and it turns out they were actually there.
To further prove that the person Hanna saw was in fact Spencer’s twin is the use of the name A.D. By the time the liars get the first text ending in A.D, Hanna had already been kidnapped. Even in Hanna’s unconscious mind, she could not have known the initials A.D to refer to Uber A, yet this ‘imaginary Spencer’ did.
BUSES Last weekend, I went home to London. The journey is very familiar: get on the train at Leicester station, arrive at St Pancras, and make my way home from the platform. I go past the glittering shops, soon to be adorned with Christmas décor, and jog down to the underground; though ‘jog’ is an ambitious word since my hand luggage is usually far too heavy to allow me to do that. The next step is to wait for the right Metropolitan line train to whisk me to my stop. You might be wondering why I wrote all of that. It’s because that is an infallible script of my journey home. The only thing I haven’t yet covered, however, is the unpredictable journey from the station to my front door. The bus stop is busy with hoodie folk massaging the insides of their nostrils with their nail-bitten fingers only just peeking out of their tracksuit sleeve, stopping briefly to adjust their Beats Solo2 headphones.
Opinion
Elderly ladies sit on the bench, checking their watches every now and again, mostly wondering how Mary’s knee operation had fared. Then there’s me, checking the bus app, and refreshing the page on my phone. Five minutes away. Three minutes away. Two minutes – “TFL is indicating that no buses are stopping here within 30 minutes”. Christ. It’s not news that buses are unreliable but when you’re blessed with an app that gives you minute-by-minute updates on bus routes and timings, it feels like twice the disappointment when they inevitably, do not arrive on time. That’s also just London. If anyone is aware of any existing bus apps for Leicester or other cities, I would love to know, but in the meantime, it is back to the Dark Age. Metaphorically and literally. Because, you know, it’s November and it’s dark at 17:00.
RANT OF THE MONTH
Words: Priyanka Makwana On a side note, buses in London now longer accept cash payments for tickets, only allowing Oyster cards or contactless card payments. So, you can imagine my dismay when, a few months ago, having hopped on a bus, forgotten my wallet and hoped to pay with the change I had in my pocket, I was turned away by the bus driver. Turned away. Let that dread sink in. It’s the same feeling as the train leaving the platform just as you get there, panting and out of breath. Probably worse.
bus ride turns into a game of Cluedo. Can you trust Professor Plum with his shady-looking briefcase that is most likely carrying government secrets? Should you really sit next to Colonel Mustard-shirt who looks like he’s been breaking wind and pretending it wasn’t him? And would you shuffle into the window seat to allow Miss Scarlett-in-the-face-from-too-much-fake-tan to sit in the spare seat even though she smells like she’s poured her entire perfume bottle on herself?
Now, if you’re not a Londoner, let me steer you towards something that might be more familiar and yet equally disturbing: the interior of the bus itself. The fragrance spritzed everywhere is mustiness, body odour, and weed. The seat design is lacklustre and the company is equally enthralling. I’m not purposely trying to be insulting towards the general public because that would be rude, but you really do find the oddest amalgamation of people on buses. What was supposed to be a simple
I’m stressing you out. Sorry. It seems the only logical solution to this whole bus conundrum is this: put your earphones in, cross your arms, avoid both eye contact and physical contact with anyone, and be as British as possible. Tut when the bus arrives late, thank the driver anyway as you get on, don’t say anything when the person behind keeps kicking your chair, and apologise profusely as you push your way through the crowd to the exit. Or, just avoid it altogether. Happy travels!
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Creatives
REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONS
Marianne looked at her face in the mirror the morning she was moving to university. She grinned at her reflection, equal parts excited and nervous. Her face was round, pale, and unfortunately acne ridden. Uni would change that. She sucked in a deep breath to try and quell the butterflies in her belly. Uni would help with that too, make her less anxious, less scared, less introverted. She nodded, reassuring her reflection, who in turn reassured her, and marched out of her room, now bare of her posters and knick-knacks, things she would take with her to decorate her new room. In the car ride, hands clenched in her lap, she imagined the person she would become; outgoing and extremely friendly. Maybe she’d get asked on dates, or do the asking herself. She’d go out every weekend with a wild group of friends who would be as close as family. She’d be cooler, sleeker, better. When Marianne looked at her reflection in the tiny mirror her room in halls had been provided with, on her first day of uni, she didn’t notice any significant difference. The thought of going out that night still gave her some butterflies, the reminder that she was away from her family made her chest ache, and her acne still annoyed her. Sure, she had started making some friends, but it still felt so awkward. She sighed and leaned away from the mirror, hunting for her keys before heading down to breakfast. Maybe the change took a little longer. At the end of her first week, Marianne could still not find any differences between who she was before uni and who she was after arriving. Going out on Saturday had been…fun? She guessed? But not the all-out extravaganza of excitement she had imagined it would be. She had bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep, and her fringe was looking a little limp today. She huffed and tried to slick it back into place. Nobody had seemed particularly interested in her in the clubs, but then she hadn’t found anyone of particular interest either. While going out no longer felt like a big thing to make her palms sweaty, the thought that she still didn’t have any new best friends was a little nerve-racking. Marianne gave her cheeks a little pat and forced a smile. The change uni life would obviously give her hadn’t quite kicked in yet, clearly. By the end of Marianne’s first month, going out had sort of lost its appeal. She had always preferred staying in and watching a movie, so she elected to do that more often. It was more fun with others though. Her reflection still had the same round face, the same pale shade, and the same annoying acne dotting her chin, but she found she cared about it less. Uni was hard, she had more important things to worry about. Besides, no one else seemed to really care. A knock on the door distracted her from her thoughts, and Marianne couldn’t help but grin as she pulled open her door to find Daisy waiting with a smile.
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“Ready for dinner?” Daisy asked. “I hear its fudge brownie for dessert today.” “Yep! Let me just fetch my keys.” As Marianne plucked them from her desk, she said, “Still interested in watching a movie with me tonight?”
“Definitely!” “Awesome, I can’t wait to show you my most favourite film ever!” At the end of her first semester, as she packed up to head home for the Christmas holidays, Marianne thought it was rather funny that she thought she would have changed by coming to university. Yes, perhaps she had become more confident in her abilities, she was living on her own (in a way) now after all. But she hadn’t changed much. She had arrived an introvert, and remained one. She had always preferred watching films with friends, and so she still did. As first Daisy popped by to say goodbye, and then Thomas from downstairs who had somehow wormed his way into their little friendship pair (group?), Marianne smiled at her reflection. It was the same as it always was, and it was perfect the way it was. At the beginning of her second year, as Marianne manned the stall of the Society she had become the secretary of, she smiled at the new freshers as they milled about. She could see so much of herself in how they acted, how they looked around both eagerly and anxiously, hoping to find themselves in such a new place.
As some passed by and signed up for newsletters, she hoped they’d find themselves as she had, by realising that they didn’t have to change now they were freshers. They were perfect the way they were. Besides, they had a whole three years ahead of them to find themselves, there was no need to rush
Words: Claire Smith
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Year (1)
at the edge of Summer, when Autumn smiles everything looks strange, you’ve travelled for miles; as the seasons change and new leaves turn over, and you look up to glass and stone, that early October. in this new city, new faces, a new year, this path lined with residual Fear, but between Doubt and Fear hides Curiosity a new flame ready to ignite in this new city. the goal you’ve worked towards for the past two years, it stands before you, now oh so very near, overwhelmed by the buildings, the people, the noise, but this is your chance to be heard -- to use your own voice. the first year is for you to make mistakes, to choose all the roads you wish to take -learn something new, meet newfound friends, perhaps even those who’ll travel with you until the end. because there comes a time to be a king and a time to fall there comes a time to silence the voices and hear your call there will be times you will doubt and times you will fear but don’t worry, your dreams will soon be near. and yes -- we still have a long way to go, so many things to learn and so many things to show, there will be smiles and tears along the way but look closely, at the colours, among the grey. (and remember: ‘the night is darkest before the dawn’, a new year awaits you... bring it on.)
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Artwork: Jia-an Lee Words: Lerah Barcenilla
so it’s okay to fear, but don’t let it stop you, it’s okay to doubt, but do what you have to do -to achieve what you want, to dream and run; because this is the start, this era, a rising sun.
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Y R A R E T I L
What’s On
So, it’s official. 2016 will not go down in history for being a good year for planet Earth - Brexit and Donald Trump anyone? - but, and it’s a big but, this year we are celebrating several anniversary’s and births of some of the greatest literary geniuses to grace our universe. It’s been 400 years since the great Bard himself was laid to rest (that’s Shakespeare to us mere mortals) while the legendary Charlotte Bronte was born 200 years later in 1816. That year also features another anniversary, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein was first written- although was not published for another two years. Also, if all those great dates weren’t enough, the extremely talented and a firm childhood favourite Roald Dahl was born 100 years ago this September just gonepray tell me about someone who didn’t grow up reading at least one of his great classics. To celebrate these great writers amongst many others, the University of Leicester is hosting its renowned Literary Week once again!
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Running between the 16th & 19th of November, the University will be holding talks, workshops and many more exciting events for those of you buddings writers (and also not so budding writers but keen literary and the arts enthusiasts). With talks from the likes of Dame Jaqueline Wilson- again I ask you all to name me one person who did not grow up reading her novels- to screenwriter Sally Wainwright- of Happy Valley fame- and many more this event is one not to be missed. While entry is free for all events, tickets are required in order to guarantee a seat. Some are already at full capacity but waitlists are still available.
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Words: Nidhi India
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o register for a place at any event go to http://www.le.ac.uk/ literaryleicester where all the information as to the date, time and location for everything can be found. For those of you who may not be interested in the written aspect of the week or if you simply just want to watch a free film or two (while broadening your intellectual horizon of course) then get yourself down to the screening of The Black Heathcliff; A Regular Black: The Hidden History of Wuthering Heights on Thursday 17th November at 3pm or Salvation Army written by and starring the ‘first’ gay Arab author Abdellah Taïa on the last day of the festival- also at 3pm. For more information or to keep in the loop contact the organisers at; email: litleic@le.ac.uk telephone: 0116 252 5499 www.le.ac.uk/literaryleicester Whatever you are interested in, this is an event not to be missed!
What? Poetry & Rap Open Mic Night Where? Upstairs at the Western
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What? Antarctic Monkeys (Tribute) Where? O2 Academy
What? Tigers vs. Harlequins Where? Welford Road Stadium
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What? Hip Hop Karaoke Where? Firebug
25th 12th
What? Steve-O (Jackass) Where? O2 Academy
WHAT TO DO IN
NOV What? The Collector Where? Curve Theatre
What? Layla’s Room Where? Upstairs at the Western
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What? U.S Presidential Election Night Where? Loaded Dog
What? Leicester’s Got Talent Where? The Y
8th What? Pop Quiz Where? Firebug Every
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Week
MANNERS COST NOTHING In July 2016, a new zero-tolerance crackdown upon ‘intolerable’ treatment of referees was promised across all of English professional football in an attempt to crackdown the amount of abuse officials face at every level of the national game. The Premier League, Football League and the Football Association have instructed officials to take a far stricter approach if they are subject to intimidation, physical contact and dissent from players as well as managers. This comes after a series of high profile incidents in the Premier League last season, including Jamie Vardy who was banned for one game after abuse he gave referee Jon Moss and the infamous Diego Costa who has had numerous incidents in which he has remonstrated with referees over his supposed mistreatment within the Premier League. Many point to rugby of both codes and their reduced levels of dissent however, sadly, if one
The Telegraph illustrates that 60% of officials in grassroots football were experiencing significant verbal abuse in at least half of their games, while more than 19% had even endured physical abuse.
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suggests a rugby remedy, you are labelled as holier-than-thou and preaching. What rugby recognises is that the respect for officials is an important factor, and the behaviour of the players on field could affect crowds and the game lower down. This is indoctrinated at the very youngest of ages, that officials are, without exception, to be treated with the utmost respect. The officials themselves do not have to earn it, as the street is not two-way. If the referees manage to do so, though this happens in fewer cases than with players, then this is altogether a different form of respect. Even if there were to be poor refereeing, it should bring sanction to them as opposed to them losing respect entirely. Rugby players themselves are not superior and would protest in the same way footballers could if they were able to, however the laws of rugby prevent them from doing so. If you are marched back 10 yards or are sin-binned then there is an immediate effect.
60%
Words: Georgia Moulder
Sport
If a penalty for a rugby player is now within perfect range and the opposing team kicks and gains points during absence, then it is you, not the officials that are responsible for the consequences of your actions. A yellow card that is shown is not totalled up in a ban like in football, which may bite a few games later, and benefit another opponent. As a result of this implementation, none of your fellow teammates, management, or even your fans, will support such behaviour, whether or not you think that the decision made by the referee was wrong. You could, and are able to stop yourself from reacting to a decision with abuse and confrontation. Anyone that says you are unable to are part of the problem. Given that this is just the latest attempt in order to tackle this significant issue, one has to doubt the will of football being able to see it through. If football is unable to, then other sanctions will be necessary. In rugby, the sin-bin itself is extremely useful. Why? Well it limits the effects of the punishment yet it gives the opposing team an instant
advantage. One could utilise the 10-yard rule as well. This, according to Telegraph writer Brian Moore, would work if the spot was moved towards the centre of the goal, and if it went inside the box, automatically resulted in a penalty. If that does not work, then potentially a threepoint deduction for an agreed amount of cards shown would most likely be a far more effective sanction than, say, fines or warnings to rich clubs. With such a rule enforced, how long will managers maintain the selection of players that run the risk of threatening a team’s success as well as their jobs? What also could prove beneficial is the miking up of referees so that both the viewers and the supporters can hear players’ comments. They and, importantly, sponsors would soon complain when everybody is able to hear how bad the problem is. A player’s self interest and peer group pressure are very influential and effective behaviour modifiers. Even though lip service is paid to this point – without officials it renders the game non-existent.
Number of yellow and red cards shown to players in the premier league in 2015
1185
59 33
ROSBERG
HAMILTON
Words: Georgia Moulder
ANOTHER CLASSIC F1 RIVALRY In Formula One, rivalry has always been at its passionate when it has been between teammates. The irony of this statement is that Mercedes have been trying to diffuse the intensity between the pair; Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It has been a talking point within Formula 1 for the previous three seasons and, whatever the team says, they revel in the publicity that this relationship creates just as much as any other person. However, these cannot even begin to compare to the rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. It all started when Senna joined McLaren in 1988. What was the first big giveaway that there was going to be an issue was when Senna, who was leading his teammate Prost, crashed on lap 67, and, instead of returning to the pit lane with his team, instead stormed off to his apartment. Prost argued that Senna was just desperate to prove that he was the better driver of the two. The events that followed proved him to be correct. The relationship between the two drivers reached its base at Suzuka in 1989, when the two of them
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proceeded to crash into each other which meant that it gave Prost his third world title. Despite Prost joining Ferrari the following season, their feisty competition did not end there, however in 1990 Senna did end up winning the championship. The film, Rush, directed by Ron Howard, told the story of the 1976 season, where James Hunt won the title after a highly charged battle with Austrian Niki Lauda, with the action reaching its climax in the final race at a rain-soaked Fuji. The most recent high-profile clash prior to the whole Hamilton-Rosberg saga was the one that was between the Red Bull twosome of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. The relationship between them reached an all time low when they crashed in Turkey in 2010. The anglophile Webber received a great deal of support, however it was Vettel that won all of the titles. And currently we have Hamilton and Rosberg, teammates who were once close friends who are now locked in a fierce embrace. It may even get worse, whatever Mercedes say.
“Mercedes have been trying to diffuse the intensity between the pair�
BIG SAM’S DEMISE
In recent weeks, the whole of English football has been engulfed in the Big Sam scandal, whereby the Daily Telegraph claims England manager Sam Allardyce agreed to a £400,000 deal with a football agency and offering advice to businessmen how to ‘get around’ FA rules on player transfers. This was even after he was appointed England manager. But his downfall does not come as a surprise. When it comes to political scandals, it can be narrowed down to this simple method: Conservatives tend to be brought down by sex, and Labourites by money. With England football managers on the other hand, the list of wrongdoings spreads far wider. This can range from McClaren’s unhappy association with umbrellas, to Graham Taylor’s resemblance to a root vegetable, those who have found themselves in charge of England have found ways of undermining their positions. However, with Sam Allardyce, his downfall was decidedly old-fashioned. With Big Sam, it is all to do with money. He has been brought down as a result of his affection with folding, but what is more astonishing is the speed of his demise.
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Even the likes of Kevin Keegan managed to last a whole year prior to him resigning at the old Wembley stadium. As Allardyce falls, never has the documentary made about Graham Taylor been more pertinent. The Impossible Job it was called. As Fabio Capello had demonstrated, no one, however significant their reputation is, can survive in a role that has become the managerial equivalent of dynamite. When Allardyce came to Wembley in July, he boldly insisted that, far from being impossible, was to be an Englishman who may defy history. Big Sam suggested that the job was an honour. However for Allardyce, the seemingly crucial priority of monetizing his position to fictitious businessman saw him dumped before he was even able to develop his own theory. But, then again, I feel like we should have known, as the hints were there all along. Immediately after Allardyce’s first win against Slovakia at the beginning of September, he made great play of a local supporter giving him a lucky coin. It seemed playful at the time, however only now we discover that this is how he enjoys operating. He thrives on