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Table of Contents Strangers to the City
Words and Illustrations by Rachel Sawyer
The Journey
Words and Illustrations by Margarita Louka
The Blue Hole
Words and Illustrations by Anna Stone
Spread Thin
Words and Illustrations by Rachel Sawyer
Victim Blaming
Words and Illustrations by Margarita Louka Cover and Endpapers: Srishti Gupta Editor: Anna Stone
By: Rachel Sawyer
Strangers to the City
Imagine one day, you wake up to brush your teeth and suddenly, you spot frogs clinging to your toothpaste and brush. They are just as shocked to find you there as you are them. You think this is very odd, so you look down to splash your face with cold water and revive your senses, but once again you are confronted by another unexpected and surprised guest; a platypus swimming in the sink. Well this is all getting very out of hand. You ponder, but realise you probably just need a coffee to wake you up properly. Maybe you are still half asleep? You begin to plod down the stairs, minding the snakes wrapped around the bannisters as you go and ignore the flamingos congregating by the hallway lamp. The kettle boils, you pore your first hit of caffeine for the day, waddle into the lounge to sit and there before you is a large clouded leopard hogging the couch like its Pride Rock. I write of a soft and mildly humours scenario, but the reality of increased urbanisation is far more serious. As humanity continues to claim and encroach on nature, so do we destroy habitats and their residents. Those that survive the displacement must seek shelter elsewhere, which with a lack of options leaves only our towns and cities. Though this may seem harmless at first; unnatural living arrangements can quickly turn volatile. Examples can be found from across the globe where wild animals are resorting to urban residency, such as the leopards of Mumbai and the macaques of Thailand. As our cities expand to reach the edges of the forests, the border between humans and
animals has been blurred, leading to an often unhealthy cohabitation. Before Covid 19, it may have been an attraction to visit and feed bananas to the macaques, but as tourism dried up in the lockdown, so did the food resource of the monkeys and as a result, the macaques became more violent in their search for food. This creates a torrid environment for humans to exist in, but it isn’t just people who suffer from the shared living space. As in Mumbai, leopards use the cities to stalk prey at night. Their usual victims being deer, but as pigs and dogs are much easier to catch, the deer are slowly easing their way off the menu. It is evident that some animals adapt to city life far easier than others, you only have to look on your doorstep to see how well foxes, seagulls and rats coexist with us. This cannot be said of all animals however, particularly the larger, predatory mammals that will be seen as a threat to humans. Although waking up to a frog on your toothbrush may seem an amusing idea to you, the frog will not find it amusing to find itself there. The only way to prevent habitat destruction, deforestation and increased animal urbanisation is through education. Take the time to learn what causes it, how you can mitigate your impact as much as possible, and support organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund. Not all animals can adapt to city living at the same rate that humanity continues to steal their land. If we want to preserve the diversity of our wildlife, now is the time to care and take action.
Illustration By: Rachel Sawyer
By: Margarita Louka
The Journey
“Change is the only constant.” This is an extremely cliché quote, which is easy to dismiss without reflecting on how accurate it is. I am probably contemplating about change as I am going through a period of change; I am moving to a different city, away from Bournemouth, where I’ve been living permanently for my whole adult life. So many ‘firsts’ happened in Bournemouth: first time living away from parents, first time having a full-time job, first time travelling on my own … you can see why this article is based on ‘Journeys’, as I’ve had this month to reflect on my own journey. Change is something to be proud of, as it shows that you’ve grown as a person, changed your mind about certain things, therefore taken time to listen to other
people’s opinions. Change is growth after all. Of course, it is possible to ‘regress’ as a person and change for the worst, by becoming more bitter and narrow minded as you grow old; some do, but on the other hand, some take it in their stride. However, in this article I’d like to focus on the positive side of change, and seeing it as a way of opening your mind. I honestly think that the best way to change and grow is to go through lots of ‘journeys’, both mental and physical. Moving to Dubai as a child was such a positive change, and it was definitely full of uncertainty! The emotional part of moving to a new country and learning a new language was so challenging, and I wasn’t initially very happy to have moved, but as I
Illustrations By: Margarita Louka
adapted I began to love it there. However, because I moved to new countries, once to move to Dubai, and a second time to move to England, I am very excited and prepared to move a few more times in my life. Nothing beats the excitement of moving to a new place! We’ve talked about physical journeys, but what about mental, internal journeys? They are just as important and fulfilling. I know that many people avoid their emotions and keep themselves busy to escape confronting their insecurities. While I am no expert in this subject, and I am not in any position to give tips to anyone, I do know for certain one thing that helps me externalise negative emotions: my diary! Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed with
emotions it helps me see my problem more clearly, and eventually it helps me see what the right path is. Change and journeys are a way to reinvent yourself and reflect on your mentality and opinions. It is a skill just like any other that takes time to harness, but it is a skill I hope to retain for the rest of my life.
By: Anna Stone
The Blue Hole
If you know anything about space or have watched Doctor Who or any other sci-fi films or television shows, then you probably have heard of “Black Holes”. However, recently off of Florida’s coast in the US, people have discovered the existence of “Blue Holes” deep at the bottom of the ocean, which formed thousands of years ago. The ocean itself is such a mystery to humans, and only 5% of the ocean has been explored. Finding these mystifying blue holes, just adds to the intrigue of what else could be out there under water. Researchers are going to be going out to Florida’s Gulf Coast this month to explore these 425 foot-deep Blue Holes, in search of signs of life, among many other things. The hole, being named “Green Banana”, is located around 155 feet below the water’s surface. They were actually discovered by fishermen and recreational divers, instead of researchers or scientists, and have been an enigma to people for decades. Researchers at ‘Mote Marine Laboratory’ (MML) have estimated these holes were likely formed roughly 8,000 to 12,000 years ago, when the Florida coastline was around 100 miles further offshore from where it is now, because of lower sea levels. Jim Cutler, a senior scientist and program manager at MML began diving to look for the holes in the mid-1990’s, and has so far confirmed there are around 20 holes in the region, but suspects there are probably three times that amount to be found.
A team of scientists and amateur
explorers from MML explored a 350 footdeep blue hole called “Amberjack Hole” in May and September 2019, which is about 30 miles off of the coast of Sarasota. Among many things, the researchers discovered two dead Small Tooth Sawfish, which is an endangered species. These two Sawfish were still intact, and found at the bottom of the hole. During this month and May 2021, the same team are going to explore the ‘Green Banana’ hole. The “Green Banana” is not only deeper than the “Amberjack Hole”, but it is also somewhat shaped like an hourglass, which creates extra challenges for the lander deployment and water sampling. Other than looking for signs of life, the researchers are also looking for a possible connection between the sinkholes and Florida’s groundwater, nutrient secretion from the hole. This could affect the surrounding area, and so they may decide to make the holes protected areas. It will be interesting to hear about what the researchers find as they go out to explore the Blue Hole this month and next year!
Illustration By: Anna Stone
By Rachel Sawyer
Spread Thin Illustrations By: Rachel Sawyer
I knew there wouldn’t be WiFi so what did I expect? This was the question I was asking myself by about an hour in to my three night countryside break. One early start, a Maccies breakfast and two hours in the car later, I found myself sat on the balcony in a cool breeze, tea in hand and the sound of trees, birds and more trees. Calm and quiet was the lodge setting, yet calm and quiet wasn’t my mind.
So in the spirit of freelance life, you take the knocks where they come and quickly move on to rustle up your next gig. For me though, this rustling felt less like popping a meal into the microwave for three minutes, and more like babysitting twenty different slices of toast. In ten different toasters. With broken timers. All about to burn.
The past three months has had me ‘hustling’ and putting my nose to the grind stone more than ever. I hit the ground running in 2020 with freelance opportunities falling happily in to place and then low and behold, the virus struck and those opportunities were either postponed or worse cancelled.
In the peak of lockdown I spent my days furiously illustrating new pieces for my portfolio, updating my website/social media’s and contacting Art Directors. My mind was a hive; constantly buzzing with a need to be working, exhausted from long hours, and an overwhelming sense of guilt when being unproductive - also known as watching TV or sleeping.
I felt like the last scrapings at the bottom of a jar being coaxed over those 20 pieces of toast. My furious level of productivity had dried up and I was left feeling spread very thin. Fast forward three months and here I am, secluded in the middle of Devon with no signal or WiFi. Many a millennials nightmare I’m sure. I’ve brought my iPad and pencil just in case I have to work but the lack of internet is preventing that. So mission accomplished; no WiFi means forced relaxation. It has been three days since I touched my iPad and it is only now that I felt inspired to pick it up and write. I
can’t keep writing for much longer though as I have limited my screen time to a full charge of battery per day. I am now at 23%... This article will resonate with the self employed and freelancers more than anyone else I expect, but here is my hot
take for you all: don’t try to juggle twenty pieces of toast and expect to have enough energy to adequately cover them all. Take a time out, switch off your devices and ignore the little guilt daemon sat on your shoulder. Your mind and body will thank you for it, and your creativity will return in the process. From a freelancer on 15%, goodnight.
By: Margarita Louka
Victim Blaming: A Global Pandemic
There are some notions that are just baffling to think are still being repeated in the 21st century with confidence by some people. One of these notions is the attitudes and reactions towards sexual assault allegations, or what we call ‘Rape Myths’ in our society. These are ridiculous statements that are still mentioned in courtrooms, such as enquiring what the victim was wearing, blaming the victim for flirting with their abuser or being inebriated, all which are unacceptable statements when discussing such a serious crime. The comments I hear from tabloids, politicians, or even acquaintances about this subject make my blood boil. Even though I do not understand what it means to experience sexual assault, I do understand how these ‘myths’ affect my daily life as a woman. There have been quite a few times I refrained from wearing something because I was apprehensive of any unwanted attention or comments, and I take caution to never walk home alone after dark, because this is something that’s always on the back of my mind. I’ve realised that the biggest disservice is keeping quiet about this injustice, which affects all women in different ways. So, why does victim blaming happen, and why do people try to argue that sometimes there is a grey area on what is considered sexual assault? For example, if someone gets shot there is no ‘grey’ area; we acknowledge that the person who shot the other is clearly guilty. Therefore, why is it sometimes seen as doubtful whether a
sexual assault has been committed? One of the factors could be sexism. In the words of Katie Russell from Rape Crisis England & Wales “rape and sexual violence and abuse are overwhelmingly perpetrated by men, and largely though by no means solely against women and children, and that we still live in an overwhelmingly sexist, patriarchal society.” Sexism, is a societal, global, and unnecessary ‘pandemic’ that affects the way we operate and unfortunately create premature judgements about the people we interact with. I’ve noticed that some assume that sexism doesn’t affect Western societies anymore, which is false. We need to acknowledge the problems in our society if we hope to amend them. Sohaila Abdulali, the author who wrote about her own rape and advocates for women’s rights, says that education about these issues should start from a young age, in school and at home. That way, we will achieve a paradigm shift in the way we perceive the different sexes. That way, we will teach children that people who perpetrate these crimes will be punished, that they are not above the law, and that no sexist myth gave them the right to commit these crimes. That way, through education, we can begin to eliminate sexism.
“I do not hate men. It is too easy a thing to do, and many men are victims of different kinds of oppression. It is patriarchy I hate, and that incredible tissue of lies that say men are superior to women, men have rights which women should not have, men are our rightful conquerors.� - SOHAILA ABDULALI
Copyright Š 2020 by Margarita Louka, Rachel Sawyer, Srishti Gupta, and Anna Stone. All rights reserved. This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, copied, reprinted, reworked, redistributed, or used in any manner whatsoever without the explicit written permission of the copyright holders.