Interview with Who are FIRE EXIT ?
FireExit Is a local rock and blues band consisting of the band members, Beth Raczkowski (Vocals), Emerson Cooper (Vocals & Rhythm Guitar), Sam Mitchell (Lead Guitar), Simone Sparvoli (Drums) and Cody Cady-McKellaron on Bass. In this interview we discussed the music scene, why music is important and what FireExit is all about
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L L E K C -M Y D A C Y D O C Y B
How did we meet?
Lead guitarist Sam said, “I was desperate for a band, so I recruited the people who I thought closely matched my music taste.” The band was formed in September through them meeting in their music class (BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Music) at Bexhill College. Sam continued: “The first time we met as a band we hung out around Bexhill, along the seafront. It really connected us and made us a lot closer and more comfortable and confident around each other. We became good friends as well as great band mates and it made our Beth pointed out that she “was introduced into first rehearsal and everything after much better.” the world of music very young and it’s always been a big part of her life.” She also told me that her musical side was passed on through her granddad who was also very musical. “It’s something I can hopefully carry on within the family Every band member in FireExit has been “in- because I love to do it and because it shows who spired individually by different bands and art- I am.” Sam told me he thinks music is important ists. However, our styles as a band were mainly due to it being a universal language as “it’s a way influenced by rock orientated groups like Fleet- of expressing yourself in a way that anybody can wood Mac and also by more recent rock bands understand.” such as Kings of Leon and The Killers.” This is He felt that he had never been the best with not a surprise since a lot of their repertoire for words and coming from a musical family. it has their gigs usually contains songs by these artists managed to help him communicate and channel his emotions, “Music is a powerful thing and (‘Rhiannon’, ‘Mr Brightside’ & ‘Use Somebody’). shouldn’t be taken lightly.” We have found music as a way of coming together.
Why is music important to us?
What are the band’s main influences?
What’s our perception of the music scene in Sussex?
Beth: The music scene is promising in this area because there are a lot of venues that give bands and young musicians an opportunity to perform like the Brass Monkey which are constantly supporting young musicians, Simone our drummer is an international student from Rome and has another band there, He noticed in Sussex There are more places to have gigs and more organisation...Another big difference I noticed is that here during concerts it is easier to engage with the audience since in Rome a lot of people don’t know English song lyrics.�
Photo credit: @d_c_e_photography on Instagram
WHAT HAVE WE DONE RECENTLY?
We have done a variety of gigs in venues like the ‘Brass Monkey’ and ‘On The Rocks’. We have also played in the college’s refectory. The gigs vary in length but no matter what we always create a good set list with a good mix of covers and originals that we know our audience will love. All our gigs in the past have gone down successfully, thanks to the hard work from our band members.
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR FIREEXIT?
“We are currently preparing for our first solo gig, which is a huge step for us,” Sam said. Emerson added that we are “hoping to spend time with our drummer Simone before he leaves the UK this summer.”
HIT US UP ON... Our Instagram: @fireexitband Our Facebook: @fireexitband18
Places to visit this summer The Towner Art gallery is located on Eastbourne’s sea-front (Devonshire Park) and hosts one of the most significant public art collections in the South of England. This gallery brings in over 100,000 visitors a year and most of the exhibitions are free. ITV News described it as "the region's biggest art gallery". So, if art inspires you and the creative flare inside of you wants to shine, The Towner Art Gallery is a great place to visit in the summer. It’s even a stone’s throw away from ice cream and the beach!
East Hill Cliff Railway is a funicular railway with two authentic cable carts located in the seaside town of Hastings. These carts only cost £2.50 for a return ticket that provides access to Hastings Country Park which overlooks Old Town and Rock-a-Nore. Hastings also includes the pier, arcades, and the cute Old Town shops which are all locations that are fun and interesting to visit. The Sky Garden in central London is a freeentry skyscraper with a top-floor restaurant! This beautiful building features glass walls for magnificent views and is definitely an incredible scenic point to visit. Bookings online are free but should be done a month in advance. This stunning building with 35 floors features glorious views that cannot be missed.
Close to Bexhill College is where the iconic 1935 modernist building, the De La Warr Pavilion, is located. The De La Warr offers contemporary art in its various exhibitions and also has an eatery, bar and shop. This pavilion also offers many events, with Gomez (a British Indie rock band from Southport) performing in July for less than £30 per ticket. It also always has a free art exhibition, and sometimes free live music.
British Airways i360 is a 162-metre observation tower located on Brighton seafront which opened in August 2016. Made by the manufacturers of the London Eye, the tall tower allows you to view gorgeous views of Brighton’s town and beach. A standard ticket costs £16.50, but us students can get the discounted price of £14.50! Holywell is a picturesque part of Meads, a district of Eastbourne. Holywell lies between the western end of the lower promenade and the chalk pinnacle below St Bede’s Schools. It is a lovely walk to participate in, especially when the sun is out the calming, beautiful views surround you. Besides the sea is also a tea chalet where you can sit down and grab a refreshing drink or ice cream during your summer walk. If you are a rock-pool lover, Hollywell is a superb location for this too.
London is full of more free places to visit, and if science excites you or you want to learn more about the world, the Science Museum is for you. This museum is located in South Kensington and is one of the city’s main tourist attractions, attracting over 3 million visitors annually. At the moment, the Science Museum is free and offers many fun and interesting exhibitors such as ‘Living With Our Star’ which tells the story of humanity’s ever-changing relationship with our nearest star. The Seven Sisters is a series of chalk cliffs that are by the English Channel. They form some of the South Downs in East Sussex and connect towns of Seaford and Eastbourne. In the summer, these cliffs can be a lovely walk in the sun- especially when you catch the sunset. This free, picturesque location is also great for summer-time picnics and photoshoots. Remember not to go too near to the edge! Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a public museum and art gallery in the city of Brighton. It is specifically located in the Royal Pavilion Gardens, at the heart of the city’s cultural quarter. Its collections bring together the arts and history to tell stories about the city. This museum is free for local residents but charges £5.20 per non-resident visitor. It offers various exhibitions and displays that can be both educational and entertaining to look at and appreciate.
By Jemma Bowring
The
Life Of Karl Lagerfeld
Looking back at the life of the iconic designer who died recently at the age of 85. Born in 1933 Munich, Germany Karl was known for his position as creative director of the House of Chanel, Fendi and his own brand. His signature look consisted of a white ponytail, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves and detachable collars.
Written by Yasmine Moro-Virion
FASHION CAREER Lagerfeld began his career in the fashion industry when he won a competition, sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat, looking for a new and innovative coat design. He was then hired as an assistant by Balmain, a French highfashion house. He spread his influential designing work also in Italy where he was hired by Fendi to revolutionise their fur line. His projects were seen as original and out-of-the-ordinary as he started using mole, rabbit and squirrel pelts. Lagerfeld worked with Fendi until his death. Lagerfeld began working with Chanel in the 1980s, when the brand was in decline after the death of the designer Coco Chanel. The German creative director helped the fashion house regain popularity and he also introduced the interlocked ‘CC’, which stand for Coco Chanel, as a pattern within the Chanel products. Throughout the years, the logo became emblematic of the House of Chanel.
HIS OTHER ART The German designer didn’t only focus his creative talent on fashion but was also recognised as a professional caricaturist. In fact, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung started featuring in its publications his cartoons regarding politics. He also inaugurated in 2018 a collection of sculptures made of particular types of white and black marble called Arabescato Fantastico and Nero Marquina. The art pieces combined a balance of antiquity and functionality as they consisted of mirrors, lamps and tables.
MOST ICONIC FASHION SHOWS Every year at the Grand Palais, Paris, Lagerfeld held his Chanel fashion shows, which became one of the most important annual events in the fashion industry. Every time he came up with a new theme which was shown, not only in his innovative outfits, but also in the aesthetics of the runway. The following are his three most memorable shows: Fall 2010 The show started by lifting a gigantic wooden box and revealing a real iceberg Karl imported from Sweden. The transportation of the ‘prop’ was not simple: it involved 35 people, took 6 days and required the constant temperature of -4°C for its preservation. The winter theme was matched by the German soundtrack ‘I want to be a polar bear’ while models walked through the natural sculpture. The use of fake fur was omnipresent in the outfits, as animal activists protested fiercely against the use of real fur on catwalks.
Fall 2014 ‘Chanel Shopping Center’ was the name given to the supermarket staged during this memorable show. This show was an embodiment of the quote ‘God is in the details’ as shelves featured more than 100,000 products that were all labelled Chanel. From food products and cleaning supplies to shopping baskets made entirely out of Chanel chains: grocery shopping has never been so fashionable! Lagerfeld created clothes around this comfy everyday style with trainers, tracksuit trousers and crop tops while still featuring its iconic tweed coats and glamorous bags.
Fall 2017 The iconic fashion designer opted for a futuristic theme matched by a Chanel rocket placed in the middle of the runway. The outfits featured glittery boots, silver jackets and astronaut and planet prints and hairstyles inspired by the 60s, also referred to as the Space Era. To top it off, the very chic space station was sound-tracked by ‘Rocket Man’ and the show ended with the ‘real’ launch of the rocket which rose over 33 feet of smoke.
THE FAMOUS DIET One aspect of Lagerfeld’s personal life that attracted most attention from the media was his transformation through weight loss. He lost around 40 kg in just over a year as he wanted to wear designer clothes which targeted slim male individuals. He then worked with the doctor that created his special diet, Dr. Jean-Claude Houdret, to publish The Karl Lagerfeld Diet book selling over 200,000 copies worldwide.
DEATH Lagerfeld encountered some health issues in January 2019 and went to the American Hospital of Paris. He requested his ashes to be spread alongside the ones of his mother and of his partner, Jacques de Bascher. His death was caused by pancreatic cancer.
HIS ‘HONESTY’ The German fashion designer was very famous for his controversial statements. For example, he believed that the use of fur in the fashion industry wasn’t a big issue in a meateating world. As a result, he was called by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) a "designer dinosaur". He was also criticised for his statements saying that the artist Adele was “a little too fat” and that people who protest for the environment are right but should learn to dress better. Furthermore, he caricatured Harvey Weinstein as a pig following the sexual assault allegations.
Dorit Oliver Wolff Benjamin Norris and Me Johanne Petersen talk to Holocaust survivor Dorit Oliver-Wolff In February, we had the pleasure of meeting Dorit Oliver-Wolff, a local resident, and one of the most remarkable people, with a more than remarkable life.
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Written by Benjamin Norris
orn into a Jewish family living in Hungary, at the time rife with antisemitism, Dorit was destined to do great things. At just four years old, she was dancing and singing for the King of Yugoslavia, already bitten by the performance bug, so enthralled by
the spotlight that she could scarcely bring herself to leave the stage. However, within a year, her life had been thrown into tumult, and her childhood was stolen away. At six, a woman passing by spat into her eye, and called her a ‘stinking Jew’. But, as Dorit says, ‘ignorance is bliss’, and this funda- ‘Dorit preaches positivity and mental lack of under- for equality across the world’ standing kept her, to an extent, safe from the hatred and suffering she faced throughout the war. But to be Jewish in a world where there is no certainty as to who hates you, and who does not, was a hard burden to carry. She knew, however, that she had to hide, and be afraid. There was no certain-ty with any aspects of life as a Jew in permanent fear of discovery. Her mother, a Red Cross nurse, concealed her, and kept them moving from place to place; her grandmother searched in bins behind hotels to find food, and ‘to realise from the age of five that you don’t have enough to eat’ would have repercussions as, by the war’s closure,
Dorit was a nine-year old child with pleurisy, pneumonia, no hair and weighing just three stone, given six months to live. This, she realised,was not going to do. Overcoming agonising hardships, she triumphed, and her dream would be realised. During the war, however, suffering was neverending, and ‘reality was horrible’. She saw people killed, hid under bodies while ‘covered in other people’s blood’, which ultimately saved her life during brutal bombing raids. One day, while waiting for her mother to return, she was discovered by a landlady, who quickly reported them to authorities. is a strong advocate After that, things only worsened. Transported to a sortinghouse, she was separated from her mother and, for five months, taken under the wing of an anonymous woman who was herself removed and never seen again. Needless to say, she became one of the millions who sadly never left. In the sortinghouse, the people were treated ‘worse than dogs’, starved, and children under twelve almost immediately sent to the gas chambers. That, according to Dorit, you can never completely forget.
You can try to live, but more than anything, it should never be forgotten. It was the kindness of a certain soldier that saved her. ‘We’re not all bad, you know.’ he said, and saw to it that she was reunited with her mother. Now, Dorit preaches positivity and is a strong advocate for equality across the world. Change, she says, is not always for the better, and the repetition of history is something that must be avoided. She believes that Jewish people have, throughout time, become scapegoats, unfairly subjected to cruelty and mistreatment, but often, hate is itself a catalyst triggered from jealousy. Hate is a learned behaviour; babies are not born with a predisposition to be cruel – rather, it is picked up through environment. Sadly, people will hate for any reason, so why not ask yourself,before you hate someone, get to know them first. More often than not, you may have things in common. As Dorit says, the past is history, tomorrow is a promise, and to day is a gift. Despite all that she had endured, Dorit never relinquished her childhood dream of becoming a performer. During the Fifties and Sixties, she shot to stardom in Germany, and her tracks quickly became bestsellers. She was widely adored, modelled for fashion, appeared on television, and even performed for soldiers in concert. ‘I did it!’ she thought, ‘you didn’t kill me!’ Today, she still retains her sense of optimism and endorses the progression of human rights. She is also a successful author and her autobiography, ‘From Yellow Star to Pop Star’, was published in 2015, a harrowing but deeply inspirational story of overcoming every obstacle to achieve her dream. As our interview concluded, she made one last poignant message; if you have an ambition, go for it. You are responsible for your own happiness, and your life. Live it.
Billy and eve holocaust educational trust ambassadors, with Dorrit(middle)
The Fight For Climate Change
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he climate strike started back in 2015 when a group of students invited other students around the world to skip school the first day of the United Nations Climate Change conference, which was held in Paris. On the first day of the conference over 100 countries and more than 50,000 people participated in the climate strike. Then in August 2018 a similar movement was put into action: School Strike for Climate, also called Fridays For Future and Youth Strike for Climate, which has since grown into an international movement. Now, instead of attending classes on a Friday, school students all over the world are demonstrating and demanding action that will put an end to further global warming and climate changes. The inspiration for this movement has been Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg who decided to skip school to sit outside the Swedish parliament holding a sign that read ‘School strike for climate’. Prior to that Greta Thunberg had been part of a group that had decided to do something that would get the attention of politicians (and make them take climate changes seriously), but since the group could not come to agreement on what they wanted to do, Thunberg, who back then was only 15, decided to take matters into her own hands. She had already discovered that she
was great at persuasion, as she had made her mother give up flying and her father had become a vegetarian thanks to her arguments and now she wanted to persuade politicians to take action that would prevent further climate changes. On the first day she sat alone outside the parliament, but already the next day a few people had joined her and since then she hasn’t been in it alone. Now people all over the world have joined her in striking for the climate. These students have been criticised for skipping school, but to that Greta responds that she doesn’t see the point in going to school if we don’t have a future. She was striking everyday, during school hours, from the 20th of August to the 9th of September until the Swedish national elections to gain focus on the climate and since then she has been striking most Fridays. She later gave a speech at the People’s Climate March rally in front of thousands of people, calling out leaders and politicians for not taking enough responsibility, not doing anything, to save the climate. Since then many have seen Greta Thunberg as a figurehead for the campaign against climate changes, and she has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Greta Thunberg is today known worldwide, speaking widely and meeting important figures such as Macron and the Pope. Recently she met with British MPs, who she bluntly told were behaving irresponsibly and that the UK government’s support for airport expansions and fossil fuels were ‘beyond absurd.’
Greta Thunberg has the opinion that although the biggest responsibility to prevent further climate changes lies with politicians and leaders, responsibility also lies with the individual. As an individual Greta Thunberg has given up flying, which means that she travels abroad by train, and has become vegan, only eating plantbased products. A lot of products that most people use in their daily routine are actually a burden on the climate and environment. Take an everyday activity like brushing your teeth for instance. In toothpaste there are microbeads (microplastic) which do no decompose, eventually ending up in the ocean – and thereby
harm the marine environment. Microbeads are also seen in other products like facemasks and shower-gels. In fact, using certain products can be equivalent to throwing plastic bottles straight into the ocean. Plastic is one of the most difficult things for nature to decompose – plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic straws and toothbrushes can take approximately 400 years to break down. It might be difficult for most people to change their habits, but something as simple as bringing a shopping bag instead of buying a plastic one at the supermarket will make a difference for the environment, as will buying reusable plastic and plastic free products like
vegetables without plastic wrapping. It might also be worth considering using metal straws instead of plastic straws, using toothbrushes made of bamboo instead of plastic and maybe not eating meat every day. Obviously, there is a need for some big changes to prevent further damage to the climate and environment, but at the same time if everyone just does a little for the environment and climate – it is better than doing nothing – and it can make a difference.
Me Johanne Petersen
Royal National Institute Of Blind People
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Written by Catherine Bagley
exhill College students are raising money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). On Wednesday 26th June, they took part in a 5 kilometre walk through Bexhill as part of the College’s Social Action Day.
For more than 80 years, RNIB’s Talking Books service has helped create a lifeline to the outside world for blind and partially sighted people in the UK and Bexhill College has chosen to support this cause. According to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, there are almost two million people in the UK living with sight loss. So what does it actually feel like to be losing your sight? Pat, a former teacher, explains: “It’s a kind of homesickness,” she says. “You don’t know where you are, and you don’t relate to anything anymore.” Pat’s eyesight slowly began to get worse a few years ago but then it suddenly deteriorated very rapidly. A visit to the optician diagnosed wet macular degeneration. Pat explains that this affects a tiny part of the retina at the back of the eye. It causes a person’s central vision to become distorted or blurry and, over time, a blank patch may appear. The RNIB says that Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the UK, and the number of people living with late-stage AMD in England is expected to increase by a third by 2030. There is no cure, but treatment is available for wet AMD, which stops the new blood vessels from growing and damaging the macula. Pat regularly attends The Dowling Ward at Bexhill Hospital for this.
As she says, “It’s amazing what you can put up with to try to save your sight.” What’s the prognosis? “Well, at the moment I have about 40% of vision in one eye and 75% in the other. But it will eventually end up in pretty near total blindness – I may be able to see a little light on the edge of the field of vision but the central field of vision will be quite black.” However, Pat receives support from RNIB and she can’t praise the charity enough. “They have been wonderful,” she says. “First of all, they cheer you up no end. Many of the employees are themselves blind or partially sighted and you see them doing such fantastic jobs. They are also very kind and have a huge body of volunteers who help.” The RNIB’s Talking Book service has a huge variety of high-quality audiobooks which are provided completely free. So at Bexhill College, the English, Humanities and Languages section have pledged to raise money for this great cause, starting with the college’s biggest ever sponsored walk through the town. We hope to raise the £1500 necessary to produce a children’s book and maybe even the £2500 for an adult book. Pat concludes, “A service like the RNIB’s Talking Books brings some hope to blind and partially sighted people. When you can’t see, a lot of your relationship with the outside world goes. A Talking Book can help restore that relationship and bring some light back into the world.” Help us reach our total to give a person who is blind or partially sighted the chance to enjoy the pleasure of a book. Please visit our Just Giving page to donate.
Go to
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bexhillcollegernib
to donate
MORE THAN A Singer
Written by Matt Andrews
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lisha’s voice is a tranquil ocean, destined to flood the world; the antidote for silence, and the realisation that such silence is a cruel neglection of beauty. To label Elisha’s voice as ‘noise’ would be to insult its gentle expression. Elisha’s voice is more than noise. It is not quiet, nor loud. It is not melancholic, nor joyful. It is not something that one ‘hears’; but something that one experiences, embraces, and becomes totally submerged in. Elisha, as a self-diagnosed creature of imperfection, says that her singing serves as a sort of “personal therapy”. Singing allows her to put herself, her “rawest” and most vulnerable self, on a stage Singing is simply a recital, a resurrection of the emotion that she devotes to her music - “like writing in a diary and showing it to the world,” she says, eloquently. This can be reaffirmed by a consideration of the arresting intimacy of Elisha’s performances and lyrics: I will lose a section of myself, Just to please the heart of someone else. Much of Elisha’s music revolves around a confrontation with the self in pursuit of a consolidated and individual identity. A
confrontation which many attempt to engage in and to fulfil, but like waves, they strain and strain over rough pebbles, only to be pulled back helplessly by their own mass. When Elisha sings, she makes floods. Music is an assertion of identity, and Elisha says that much of what people don’t realise about her finds its place in her music. Although she does admit that other people’s perceptions of her are consequently limited - she becomes “Elisha, the singer”. Elisha pours her entire being into music and it therefore becomes an inherent part of her identity, and though, to be defined just as “the singer” might be somewhat restrictive, Elisha gracefully accepts and embraces such a title. She says that “music is like pulling the curtain back” - it allows her to reveal things about herself that she and others never realised and perhaps would not be revealed in any other way. In this sense, music is far more liberating than it is restricting. Elisha points out that music is also important for her audience, for it is effective in “raising awareness for general internal struggle” - her music provides audiences with both personal insight and a sense of relevance for their own experience and emotion. One objectionable characteristic of her generation is “caring too much about what other people think”, and, in following her musical role model, Lauryn Hill, Elisha finds value
in music’s ability to facilitate indifference and independence - a microphone makes her far louder than background noise. Elisha talks of her transition from what she describes as a person who was “extremely insecure”, to who she is now: a girl who possesses the ability to reduce the entire world to one room, one stage, one voice, simply by opening her mouth and singing. She attributes this dramatic evolution to the power of music and her recent “consumption” of it as a platform upon which she can convey thought through vulnerability and openness. Music is certainly a source of emotional accessibility and for many has always served as a platform for sentiment and revelation. For Freddie Mercury it was a way of expressing his sexuality when society did not allow him to do so. For Frank Ocean, music is a similar articulation of identity, and provides the capacity for an imposition of the self on a social landscape in which genuine individuality is something of a rarity. For Elisha, music is the ability to elevate her own voice above the common noise – it makes her different, and that makes her remarkable. Timeless beauty, the kind that we hear in Elisha’s voice, doesn’t come from being quiet or timid, and if you take anything at all from this article, make it this realisation exactly: silence is a cruel neglect of beauty.
‘Go and make some noise’
MOVIES Written by Benjamin Norris and Jemima C-W
A cartoon fifty years ago, a TV programme, a live action film and now an animation. The ghastly crew will return to our screens this October, reprising the orginal look by the creator Charles Addams. in their new adventure Morticia, Gomez and the children must devise a plan to keep the media attention away for good after being hassled by a reality TV host to feature on her show.
Frozen ii The sequel to the big hit ‘FROZEN’ will be coming out this November in UK cinemas. It has already broken records as the mostwatched animated trailer in first 24 hours of release. Although the plot is not yet apparent, we think we’ll be back in Arendale with the original crew from the 2013 box-office success, most likely following Anna and Elsa in their Arctic plight, perhaps focusing on the darker aspects of the previous instalment.
STAR WARS IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
The final instalment in the Star Wars series will be released this December. Mark Hamill will reprise his role as Luke Skywalker and original star Billy Dee Williams will return as Lando. The cast and director J.J Abrams have been secretive with any information about the film but we think the evil emperor Palpatine will return. The late Carrie Fisher will also return in her role at the iconic princess Leia, using a combination of unseen footage from ‘Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’. Leia was set to be the centre of Episode 9 but after her unfortunate death in 2016, they had to re-edit the film, ensuring to pay tribute to the late actor who had beautifully created a strong, fearless female character.
the joker Joaquin Phoenix will be introducing us to a Joker we’ve never seen before. While we’ve had a succession of them, each has brought something unique to the franchise, and 2019’s adaptation will be the first to be seperate from the DC’s extended universe. Set in 1981, the film follows a failed comedian, Arthur Fleck, who is driven toward a life of insanity and crime in the underbelly of Gotham City.
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Poetry Let me tell you something about love: It is a slow burn, and then, it is a forest fire. But have you ever seen the aftermath of such a Tremendous, all-consuming disaster? Because no one tells you about the smoke: about how it comes in dark, demanding clouds that swallow the sky and all its stars. They don’t tell you that it takes your breath away, even after the fire has finished burning, and that every attempt to fill up your chest, scorches you on it’s way down. And they don’t tell you that you go on loving people, Even when you know they will never burn back. Even when they have nothing left to set alight. Even when they don’t even feel a flame. So how do you go on loving once the fire is over? When all that you are is ashes, and the wind scatters your heart in a thousand different directions? When there is nothing salvageable to rebuild from? Maybe all I am is burnt. And all you are is a rage That takes, and takes, and takes. Maybe I can never love anyone else, After you.
By Nicole Calland
Corner
After you
THE
TROUBLE
IGNORANCE ABEL WITH
M AND
HOW
THE snow came down one day, From dawn ‘till winter’s dark, Blanketing dear London, Hiding Holland Park. It covered Covent Garden, And buried Savile Row, Horse-carts trundled through the streets, The gas-lamps burned aglow. Candles clipped to fir-trees, Within each and every house, The children were all sleeping, Silent as a mouse. All but one, of course; Fifteen Chapel Road, Father was in Crimea, such was the abode. All alone was Mother Dear, Three daughters she bestowed; Mary, who was rather tall, Margaret, who was rather small, And Mabel, who was quite a swine, The spawn of Satan, only nine; As the wickedest of kin, Mabel was the original Sin. When all the other children slept, Mother clasped her hands and wept; The girls just would not go to bed, They waltzed around the tree, ‘Watch those flannel petticoats!’ A most necessary plea.
PAID THE PRICE
For it was Christmas Eve that night, In Eighteen-Fifty-Three. The tree bedecked in decoration, Light dismissing gloom, ‘Mind your dresses, little girls,’ As they gave their frantic twirls, Around the downstairs drawing-room. Sat atop the Steinway, on that Yuletide night, ‘Til one of them did miss their step, And gave Mama a fright. Alas, poor Mabel lost her step, Playing that little game, Her dress, and all the Torchon lace, Brushed against a candle-flame. In a second, she had missed her foot, The drawing-room was filled with soot; It came about, this burning blaze, But onlookers could only gaze, As poor Mabel roasted, She went right up in smoke, The other girls fell backward, And could do nought but choke. Their house, which was in Westminster, Gave out a dreadful groan, A lamented little croak, The flames had spread, would not cease, And soon had licked the window-oak. Glass began to bend, and then began to melt, This Hellish fire would not end,
Nor the blistering heat they felt. Her screams rang loud amid the crowd, Though muffled by the snow, But still were heard, in every word, In Balham, Barnet, Bank and Bow. Poor Mabel did not make the dawn, As much as she was able; Her body had been turned to ash, By bitter Christmas morn. They gathered ‘round poor Mabel, Or rather, what was left, Poor Mother fell down to her knees, And really was bereft. They buried her so sadly, On December Twenty-Seven, Mama let go quite glady, Since Mabel was in Heaven. So children, mind those little hinders, Or you might be burnt to cinders.
Watch the candles, lamps as well, Or you’ll fall to deepest Hell, Don’t stray too near the fender, Or lean toward the fire, For rest assured, God Bless The Lord, The consequences will be dire. If the upset of a paraffin-lamp, Should spark a conflagration, Do summon with considerable haste, The London Police Station. Scream like a spirit and call to your aid, Pray you are saved by the fire-brigade. So you see, if no moral lesson learned, You shall certainly be burned, And for the sake of our children, We deplore; What shall become, Of Eighteen-Fifty-Four?
B E N JA M I N N O R R I S
Corner
Poetry
London The P ace I Call
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hrough literature we are taught that ‘London, is a great cesspool where all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained’ (as poetically put by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and through history we are taught that London has withstood fire, illness and war. London is a resilient, yet wounded city that has crawled its way through the ashes to become larger than life and by doing so has captured the hearts of millions as the historical hub of Britain. Whenever someone asks me to describe how I feel about London, I always struggle. Everywhere is different; you could turn a corner and feel as though you have travelled thousands of miles. That’s the thing; there is no way to accurately describe London, not really. You become a ghost once you walk through London. Physically, you are surrounded by thousands of people, but you go unnoticed, unrecognisedit is truly a bizarre feeling of isolated freedom. However, that feeling comes at a price. To inquisitive minds, London is a mess of fleeting glances and missed opportunities. Every individual person weaving past you has a set purpose, an ultimate goal. If you interrupt their story, get caught at an electronic reader or drop something while walking down Regent Street, chaos can ensue and the tutting begins. To me, visiting London is an induced form of self-torture. Yes, that is a dramatic claim, but it is an honest one.
When you visit London, you go for the experience- the sights, the sounds and the crowds. Ultimately, they are the exact things you end up trying to avoid. The Houses of Parliament, historic, yet covered in a shell of scaffolding. The street performers, talented, yet obstructing the pavements. The tourists, valued, yet oblivious to those around them. Learning how to cope with these things is all a part of the process; if you love a place enough, you are willing to compromise in order to preserve your feelings. There are only three places in the world that actually make me feel something. One is Cirencester, another is Florence and the last is Primrose Hill. My favourite place. Walking to the top of the famous hill and staring out upon an ever-changing skyline is a little bit overwhelming. Some may say that, “There Is Nothing New Under The Sun”, but standing there makes you re-evaluate. During the summer, there is a calming breeze that brings with it the soft sounds of children playing and couples relaying memories over an al fresco meal. Winter brings an army of cold-loving enthusiasts, turning the hill into a hive of activity- hundreds of strangers playing together in the snow, releasing their inner child. I am happy to sit there for hours (as I am now) be it with a book or a guitar and just relax. Relax is a word which you don’t come across often in London. Whether you are running down to the shops or going to see a show in Leicester Square, everywhere seems to have this electric energy, a constant buzzing. It’s a
nice feeling though, everything and everyone working together yet seeming like independent entities. It’s an unperturbed sort of panic. London is eclectic, but in some ways it can seem small. You become much more aware of your own senses because you need to be. Caught in this little bubble you can really start to appreciate the gravity of where you are. In London you are this tiny dot- one in nearly nine million. But, once you find your place it is like putting down the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle; suddenly the picture makes sense. It’s strange; as a city, London shouldn’t work…so many people, so little space and yet it does. Like a well-oiled machine, London whirrs along and despite breaking down from time-to-time, it is reassembled to form a much stronger beast. As a country, England has had some troubling and absolutely devastating encroachments- be it terror attacks or momentary lapses of judgementmany of which have occurred in the past few years. London? Well, London is the banner we hold up in those times of trepidation, the brave face we put on for the rest of the world. That feeling of unity is what brings people to a place like London; it doesn’t need fancy bells and whistles (though, not having to pay 50p to use the loos at Charing Cross was a nice plus) because it is home to a rich history and this amazing, ever-changing culture. It is home.
Written by Charity Hammans
As the world’s ecosphere
wobbles on the crest of an uncertain wave,
it’s a struggle to stay out of the pan without falling into the fire.
Steaming mad?
T
Written by Jack Carnegie
he planet is getting hotter - a forecast we're all too familiar with - and, though we know the threat of global climate change, I doubt many here in the UK would complain if temperatures were to see a little artificial inflation. But does warmer weather really make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, or can we only keep cool when we're keeping cool? All groaning aside, the UK had its hottest summer on record last year: 1.5C above the long-term average. We like to think of sunny days as times of happiness and joy, but crime rates rose sharply when they came around. Following a recent surge in violent crimes, chair of the Police Federation, John Apter, remarked that, “the public react very strangely when the weather gets hot.” According to the Met, violent crimes occur 14% more frequently when the temperature is above 20C than when it’s below 10C. There is a growing mountain of evidence from countries across the world that show similar findings but, as always, the issue isn’t quite cut and dried. Countries near the equator, for instance, are both hotter and often have higher crime rates. But there is a laundry list of other factors - socioeconomic, cultural and political - at play. This is (partly) why we don’t see many comparisons being drawn between Norway and Russia. Incidence of domestic violence correlates strongly with the temperature, as abusers become angry and aggressive more easily. This trend was described by one researcher as ‘an annual rhythm in the battering of women’. The rate of drug crimes, however, seems uniquely unaffected by changes in the weather - likely owing to the strength of demand in the market. Other, more specific kinds of crime such as stalking also follow a similar pattern to violent crime but are less strongly correlated. Our choice of words, too, clearly reflects this thinking; we call people who anger easily ‘hotheads’ - they lose their cool, get all hot and bothered, and may
even erupt if pushed far enough. On the flipside, those who keep their cool can be described as chilled - and even the temperature-neutral ‘calm’ evokes our deep-seated link between motion and agitation. The parallels are all around us. We so often associate heat with frustration and anger, but is there any pragmatic approach to this when looking at the problem of violent crime? In 1992, a study of crime in England and Wales found ‘strong evidence’ that most types of property and violent crime rise with the thermometer across all seasons. There are more people out and about when it’s warmer to begin with - rioting almost exclusively happens in hot weather. We also drink more alcohol when it’s hot; the evenings stretch far into the night, there is more partying, and fuses can quickly run short. For those of us not averse to fun, it may seem like a double-edged sword between sober drudgery and dangerous merriment, but is this really the case? One of the most detailed studies on the link between weather and crime, in Chicago, shows a positive correlation, but only up to a point. Crime rates rise up to around 32C but peak and fall sharply after this. Like an ant in a greenhouse, the sun’s beating rays can only boost our spirits for so long before the only motivation is finding somewhere to cool off. When it comes down to fight-or-flight, the temperature may play just as large a role as our temperament. On the other end of the scale, crime rates in Boston plummeted by 34% after the city was hit by 6-foot snowfall in 2015. We all tolerate weather differently, but I know few who enjoy leisurely strolls through the tundra. While we shouldn’t expect to see giant nationwide umbrellas or blocks of ice around any time soon, I think we can all agree on the impact weather can have on our mood. Seeing as global temperatures are set to keep rising, I can’t help but wonder whether this will pave the way for more violence in the years to come. There’s little good in speculating but it seems there is more to gain from beating the heat than just keeping our planet habitable.
WRITERS
Matt Andrews Je m m a B o w r i n g C o dy C a dy - M c Ke l l a r Nicole Calland Jack Carneige Charity Hammans M e Jo h a n n e P e t e r s e n Sophie King Ya s m i n e M o r o - V i r i o n
D E S I G N & L AY O U T Je m i m a C r i t c h l o w W h i t t a k e r Benjamin Norris
EDITORS
Sarah Harris Catherine Bagley
SPECIAL THANKS D o r i t O l i v e r - Wo l f f Elisha Edwards fireexitband Royal National Institue Of Blind People