MT2 Cherwell Week 7 by Cherwell

7th week. Friday, 26th November 2021 cherwell.org Vol. 293 No. 5

Further criticism of Moseley money

Our partnership with the Pitt Rivers museum

Hysterical Histories by Antonio Pattrori

In Conversation with Amelia Dimoldenberg

Looted Benin artefacts identified by Oxford University Humza Jilani Oxford University has identified 145 artefacts under the stewardship of the University which had been plundered, and has committed to working with the Nigerian government to repatriate the artefacts. In February 1897, British forces released a salvo of rockets, shells, and gunfire on the then-Kingdom of Benin’s capital city. The British burned the city to the ground, and built a golf course on the ruins to celebrate their victory. Subsequently, they grabbed the Benin Bronze artefacts to take back to London and line the halls of museums and private residences. The University’s findings and conclusion come against the backdrop of a global debate over the obligations that formerly colonizing

nations, such as the United Kingdom, have to return artefacts taken from Africa, Asia, and the Americas during colonialism. In 2020, an advisory committee in the Netherlands recommended that the Dutch government return items taken without consent from Indonesia, Suriname, and many Caribbean islands. In the United States, indigenous people have used legal routes and activism to advocate for the repatriation of ancestral objects swiped by the American military and collectors. In a statement from earlier this year, Oxford University said the Pitt Rivers Museum was “working with Nigerian stakeholders… to identify best ways forward regarding the care and return of these objects”. The work is part of the Museum’s programme to research the origins of its collections and identify those objects that were “taken as part of military violence or looting, or otherwise contentious circumstances”. “We acknowledge the profound loss the 1897 looting of Benin City caused and, alongside our partners of the Benin Dialogue Group, we aim to work with stakeholders in

Nigeria to be part of a process of redress,” concluded the University’s statement. The Pitt Rivers Museu website describes the looting of the Benin Bronze artefacts as “one of the most explicit examples of British colonial power removing art by force… in the interests of imperial expansion.” Delegates from the Royal Court of Benin have visited the Pitt Rivers Museum twice, and representatives from the Pitt Rivers Museum visited Nigeria in 2019 as part of a Benin Dialogue Group. The Group, along with the Digital Benin Project, brings together museum directors and researchers from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, with representatives from the Edo State government, the Royal Court of Benin, and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria. The 145 objects in the Pitt Rivers Museum comprised less than 1.5% of all of the items looted in the attack. A further 10,000 objects taken during the raid are spread across 165 museums and private collections. The objects remain on display in the Pitt Rivers Museum today. “The Museum has received confirmation

website. Jesus College, Cambridge, recently became the first British institution ito return a Benin bronze in October 2021. The Oba of Benin thanked the College’s student body for “bringing to light the historical significance of this revered piece of the royal court of Benin.” In 2020, the Pitt Rivers Museum removed a series of human remains from Tibet, Malaysia, India, the Solomon Islands, Ecuador, and Papua New Guinea from display. This included a display or shrunken heads which inspired a scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Other objects which were removed from display included decorated human skulls, and a mummified child from Egypt. The Museum is reaching out the communities from where these objects originate, in order to see whether they

should be returned, kept in storage, or displayed in an improved context.

Continued on Page 3

Oxford begins human trials for Ebola vaccine Thomas Britton reports. The University of Oxford is beginning the clinical trial stage for its new Ebola vaccine, called ChAdOx1 biEBOV. The new vaccine uses the same viral vector technology that was pioneered in the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, also developed in Oxford. The trial, being run and overseen by the Jenner Institute, will have a sample size of 26 volunteer patients, between the ages of 18 and 55. They will receive a single dose of the

vaccine and will then be monitored and assessed on several occasions over six months. We can expect the results from the Phase I trial in the second quarter of 2022. The vaccine targets two of four species of the Ebola virus- the Zaire and Sudan species. Between them, they cause the vast majority of both cases and deaths from Ebola, and the Zaire species has a death rate of between 70 and 90%. It was the Zaire strain that was most prevalent in the catastrophic West African outbreak of 2014-16 that caused over 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths, primarily in Guinea,

Liberia and Sierra Leone. The ChAdOx1 virus, or is a weakened and harmless variant of a common cold virus, genetically designed so that it cannot replicate in humans. The use of a chimpanzee virus is so that no human will have any previous immunity to it. Although there are already two approved vaccines for Ebola, the new vaccine offers several advantages. Dr Paola Cicconi, Chief Investigator of the Trial, said that similar to the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine, the Ebola vaccine “can be rapidly manufactured at high volume for low cost, with storage conditions amenable to

to use in the developing world”. These factors are very important since the main market for the vaccine will likely be in sub-Saharan Africa, and especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is facing a renewed outbreak in the North Kivu region. This vaccine is also unique in being multivalent- targeting multiple species of the virus. By being able to target both Zaire and Sudan variants, the vaccine can be used in virtually all outbreaks and ... Continued on Page 2

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What’s inside? 3. Plans submitted for new Schwarzman centre for humanities 7. Oxford University and the alienation of working students

20.Books in translations 26. A lesson on western beauty, and my place within it

26. A lesson on western beauty, and my place 8. An in-depth look at the within it challenges for net-zero 29. Pens, Paper, and energy transition Panic: Ciara Rushton 7. Oxford University and on dealing with the alienation of working perfectionism and OCD at university students 10. On misunderstanding Taylor Swift

28. In Conversation with Chicken Shop Date’s Amelia Dimoldenberg

Continued from page 1 ...therefore governments can stockpile it, secure that it will be useful if a new outbreak appears. It is also at present a single-dose vaccine, which is more beneficial in crises and severe outbreaks than the two-dose vaccinations which take longer to be effective. Professor Teresa Lambe OBE, the Lead Scientific Investigator, has underlined the continued importance of Ebola vaccines, saying “sporadic Ebolavirus outbreaks still occur in affected countries, putting the lives of individuals- especially frontline health workers- at risk. We need more vaccines to tackle this devastating disease.” Dr Daniel Jenkin, who is the Principal Investigator of this trial at the Jenner Institute, has emphasized the novelty of this vaccine: “This disease can be caused by several different species of virus and each of these may require a targeted immune response to offer protection. “We have designed our new vaccine to target the two species of virus that have caused nearly all Ebolavirus outbreaks and deaths, and now look forward to testing this.” The Jenner Institute, named after the inventor and pioneer of vaccines, Edward Jenner, is

funded by Oxford University along with many partners, including the Ministry of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the European Commission. It supports research into vaccines and other treatments for diseases as varied as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, zika, and now-famously, COVID-19. The ChAdOx1 viral vector that is crucial to this vaccine’s effectiveness has been used in several other projects by the Institute- not just the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, but also for vaccination trials against malaria, MERS, and zika virus. It was in the aftermath of the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak that ChAdOx1 was first used by researchers from the Jenner Institute to try and prepare for ‘Disease X’, a fictional infection that was used to plan for the next serious epidemic or pandemic. While Ebola was certainly a greater threat in 2014-16 than it is now, with only very few, sporadic infections across remote regions of Africa, this vaccine could help ensure that no major outbreak happens again and that hundreds or thousands of lives could be saved across West and Central Africa. Image credit: Cinthia Goldsmith via Pixnio

16. Demeter in the Overworld by Cameron Clark

30. Oxford unpick keys and win the hallway dance as they waltz to victory 32. Our weekly cartoon by Heidi Fang

In short... In an article for The Spectator, Former Isis editor Rachel Johnson recalled Ghislaine Maxwell flirting with her brother Prime Minister Boris Johnson when they were at Balliol. Image credit: Number 10/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr

NHS waiting list at Oxford University Hospital Trust reaches 51,610.

Controversial Canadian psychologist Professor Jordan Peterson speaks at the Union. Image credit: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Plans submitted for new Schwarzman Centre for Humanities By Oliver Hall Oliver Hall looks at the plans for the Schwarzman Centre for Humanities, and revisits the controversy over its funding.

The University of Oxford has published its final plans for its new centre for humanities. Made possible by a £150 million donation from its namesake, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for Humanities is intended to be completed by 2025 if planning is approved. Further planning applications have been submitted for Oxford University’s new ‘Home for Humanities’. The building is set to cost £170 million to complete with the vast majority of funding coming from controversial businessman and philanthropist Stephen Schwarzman. Schwarzman is currently the Chairman and CEO of The Blackstone Group, a global private equity firm. According to the University, the centre will “provide all of the staff and students of our faculties with facilities to support our outstanding research and teaching, to promote cross-disciplinary connections with the rest of the University, and to open out more widely than is currently possible to new audiences and visitors.” The design from Hopkins Architects includes a concert hall, a theatre, and an additional performance space for experimental pieces. The centre will measure 23,000 sq/m and is set to be constructed opposite the Radcliffe Observatory building, providing “a dynamic hub dedicated to the humanities”.

A spokesperson for Mr Schwarzman told Cherwell: “When approached by Oxford, Mr. Schwarzman was proud to support the creation of the new Centre which was a major unmet need for the university and will benefit Oxford students, faculty and the community for years to come.” The project has come under criticism in the past, most notably after initial public consultations in February of last year. Then, campaigners from the Student Union and university staff called for Schwarzman’s money to be rejected, wanting more transparency in general regarding the process by which donations are accepted and funding is approved. Schwarzman has faced significant backlash in the past when contributing to other projects thanks in part to his close personal, political, and business relationship with Donald Trump. He set up and chaired the president’s ‘Strategic and Policy Forum’ before it was disbanded in 2017 and donated $15 million to a superPAC backing Senator Mitch McConnell for re-election in August of last year. A spokesperson for Mr Schwarzman told Cherwell: “Mr. Schwarzman is a lifelong Republican and it is hardly surprising that he has supported Senator McConnell – the party’s long-time leader in the Senate.” Regarding Mr Schwarzman’s ties to former President Trump, the spokesperson said: “When asked, Steve provided advice to former President Trump on matters related to economic policy and trade. Over the last two decades he has similarly provided assistance to presidents of both parties – including the Obama and Bush Administrations – on issues such as veterans hiring, the fiscal cliff negotiations and global financial crisis response. “Mr. Schwarzman and former President Trump have not spoken since mid-2020 – well before the November election – as Steve’s advice was focused solely on economic matters, not politics. Steve made it crystal clear in a November 2020 public statement, long ahead of the January Electoral College certification, that President Biden won the election and that he was ready to help the new president in any way he could. This was followed by

a deeply personal statement expressing his horror and disgust at the appalling insurrection that followed President Trump’s remarks on January 6. As Steve’s previous statements make clear, he strongly condemns the attempts to undermine our constitution.” Elsewhere, he saw himself drawn into controversy in 2010 after comparing an Obama taxation project to Adolf Hitler’s 1939 invasion of Poland. Mr Schwarzman’s spokesperson told Cherwell he had apologised for the comment “more than a decade ago”. The plans for the centre are now available to view on the city council website for 12 weeks and, if approved, the university plans to complete the construction by 2025. A spokesperson for Oxford University spokesperson told Cherwell: “Mr Schwarzman has been approved by our rigorous due diligence procedures which consider ethical, legal, financial and reputational issues. The idea of a humanities building has been in ongoing discussion and consultation for more than a decade but we did not have funding for the building until Mr Schwarzman’s gift. The Centre will benefit teaching and research in the humanities at Oxford; its performing arts and exhibition venues will bring new audiences to the University; and it will build upon our world-class capabilities in the humanities to lead the study of the ethical implications of AI. “All decisions about donations are made by the University’s Committee to Review Donations and Research Funding, whose members include Oxford academics with expertise in relevant areas like ethics, law and business. This committee considers whether donations or research funding are acceptable under University guidelines, and turns down proposals which do not meet this standard. The Committee reviews all the publicly available information about a potential donor and can take legal, ethical and reputational issues into consideration. Auditors have looked at our process and found it to be robust and effective, and we are confident in its ability to determine which sources of funding are acceptable under our guidelines.” Image: Web Summit/CC BY 2.0 via Flickr

The museum is also overhalling the labelling of its displays to remove “racialized and derogatory language and narratices” found in some of its artefacts’ interpretive signs. The updated signs will include contributions from indigenous leaders and artisans. Debates over whether to repartriate artefacts can also be of diplomatic significance. Greek politicians have repeatedly appealed for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens after they were removed by agents of Lord Elgin between 1801-1812. The statues were sold to the British Government in 1816, and handed to the British Museum, where they are still on display. The British Museum has loaned the statues out to museums around the world, including the St. Petersburg State Hermitage Museum in 2014. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who read Classics at Balliol and presided over a debate about whether the statues should be returned as President of the Oxford Union, has expressed opposition to their repatriation. In a 2012 letter to a Greek official, published in The Guardian, Mr Johnson said he thought they should “never have been removed” from the Parthenon, but that returning them would be a “grevious and irremidable loss” to the British Museum. In March 2021, Mr Johnson ruled out returning the statue to Greece. However, after a visit by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Number 10 said Mr Johnson thought the matter was one for the trustees of the British Museum to settle. Mr Mitsotakis offered to exchange a series of rotating exhibits which had never previously left Greece, including the Mask of Agamemnon, in return for the statues. The British Government’s official stance is that whether to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles is up to the trustees of the British museum. The newly appointed chair of the museum’s trustees is the fomer Conservative Chancellor George Osborne. Mr Mitsotakis said that the debate over the statues’ future was a “significant issue” for relations between the UK and Greece.

On the web... Christ Church Dean dispute draws on Chirst Church College under pressure to contribute to Dean’s £40,000 legal costs. - Pieter Garicano

Christmas market returns After it was cancelled in 2020, the Christmas market returned to Oxford. - Matilda Gettins

Tessa the tortoise is a male New College recently disovered that Tessa the tortoise is a male. His name will not be changed. - Eva Bailey

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Vice- Chancellor Professor Richardson speaks at the Union Jill Cushen reports on Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Louise Richardson’s talk at the Oxford Union.

Further criticism of Mosley donation Antara Singh reports on criticism of the donation from the Mosley Trust from the wider community. The fall-out from the University’s acceptance of the donation from the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust (ACMT) has grown. Among the main critics are groups from within the Jewish community. The donation has come under fire from other campaigners too, including Black Lives Matter UK. A number of weeks ago, The Daily Telegraph revealed that the University of Oxford has received just over £6 million from the Mosley family trust. Its controversy stems from the Mosley family’s fascist past, since the fund is supposedly a culmination of the inheritance of Oswald Mosley, the leader of the far-right British Union of Fascists (BUF). The Mosley donation will contribute to multiple projects at the University. St Peter’s College, who have been gifted £5 million, aim to construct new student accommodation: the previous plan was to name the block after

City Council announces return of severe weather emergency Efan Owen reports on the City Council’s policy for emergency accomodation for the Oxford homeless.

Alexander Mosley, but this has been rejected by students and abandoned. St Peter’s have, nevertheless, said that the trust’s contribution will make a “transformative” difference to the lives of students. Lady Margaret Hall have been given another £260,000 for foundation years, saying that the money “enabled a cohort of students from very diverse and low-income backgrounds to attend Oxford”. The rest is to be spent on a physics laboratory and the creation of the Alexander Mosley Professor of Biophysics Fund. Students have reacted in a similar manner, expressing distress. A joint statement from the Oxford Jewish Society (JSoc) and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) said: “Oxford JSoc and UJS are distressed by the news that Oxford University and some of its constituent colleges have accepted donations from The Alexander Mosley Trust. “The Mosley Family name is synonymous with Fascism and Antisemitism in Britain. The University’s decision to dedicate a professorship to this name serves to commemorate and revere the Mosley legacy. “Furthermore, the absence of any communication or consultation with Oxford’s Jewish

students is inconsiderate and inappropriate. “We encourage Oxford University, and the benefitting colleges, to reflect on the impact these donations will have on its Jewish students and the wider student body. As an institution that seeks to promote an inclusive environment for all, we hope that Oxford University and the colleges involved will reconsider their positions.” An alliance of Jewish charities has similarly condemned the University’s decision, branding the donation as “fascist cash”. The Daily Telegraph reported that the charities sent a letter to the Vice-Chancellor of St Peter’s College, expressing distress at the prospect of a Jewish student being taught by a professor holding the Mosley name. Several prominent Jewish charities signed this letter, including the Holocaust Educational Trust and the Jewish Leadership Council. Most recently, Black Lives Matter UK have said that Oxford University should hand back “tainted and dirty” money from the Mosley family. In a letter to the Vice-Vhancellor to St Peter’s, they wrote that “no university should touch money belonging to fascists and racists, especially violent racists.”

Oxford City Council this week announced the return of their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP). The policy is intended to provide overnight accommodation to homeless people living in Oxford in the event of particularly harsh winter weather. The Council expanded on their plan for housing those in need of shelter over the winter. In partnership with charities St Mungo’s and Homelessness Oxfordshire, thirty bedspaces have been secured across twentyfive rooms. The Protocol will be activated if extreme weather conditions are predicted. The decision to activate will be made on a day-by-day basis, and anyone believed to be in need will be contacted and offered a place by representatives of St Mungo’s. In a continuation of the social distancing measures first implemented in response to the coronavirus last year, homeless people will also be offered separate and segregated accommodation if

they desired. Communal spaces will only be available to one person at a time. For the first time, accommodation will also be pet-friendly, and room in dog kennels will be allocated to those who arrange in advance. The Council believes that these provisions ought to meet the needs of Oxford’s homeless community, particularly as the busiest night last year saw demand for as few as eighteen beds. However, contingency plans are in place should the number of people in need of accommodation be higher than predicted. A Council spokesperson clarified that the policy, if deemed necessary, would involve the introduction into the scheme of “a number of venues and hotels ... used over the course of the pandemic,” but stressed that such an eventuality is currently viewed as highly unlikely. In 2020, Oxford’s population who were experiencing homelessnes was estimated to

Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Louise Richardson addressed the Oxford Union on Monday evening, speaking on the theme of civil discourse and the digital age. Prof Richardson delivered a speech entitled ‘It’s time to get rid of the pillory: Making space for civil discourse’ in which she outlined her concerns for the current state of civil discourse and the impact of the digital world. She began by reminding those in attendance that she was not there to preach or lecture but to solicit ideas of how we can maintain a space for civil discourse, one in which there is “no room for hate speech or bullying or ostracizing others”. After briefly discussing a number of significant events in the history of the University, Richardson said that “Oxford has to acknowledge that our history included intolerance” and make “strenuous efforts” to ensure that voices which have been historically underrepresented are heard. Richardson described social media as “the pillory of modern times” and compared the “potentially overwhelming and quite addictive” use of it to the “satisfaction and stimulation of craving” seen in the late 20th century trend of chain smoking. She elaborated on the damaging effects of the digital world by stating that it has fostered an environment in which “intellectual risks become impossible” and presented us with an “endless set of binary choices”. The more these binary models of intellectual choice are reinforced, Richardson explained, “the more depleted our intellectual lives will become”. She proposed that we routinely interrogate in order to move away from binary modes of thought: “We respect the binary tradition and perhaps we should respect it less.” Richardson credited Universities with having the power to challenge these binary modes of thought. Read the full article at cherwell.org

be four times the size in relative terms of its London equivalent. Speaking to a homeless individual in Oxford, they said that frustration persists towards the responsiveness of local government to the genuine concerns of those living on the streets, particularly with issues of accommodation. When asked about the Council’s level of consultation with homeless people, a spokesperson from Oxford City Council said that a questionnaire was distributed to each individual who took up the offer of accomodation last year. The results of these questionnaires have informed this year’s policies, including the decision to maintain separate room spaces, in spite of the scarcity of available venues. The Council points to their close relationship with the Lived Experience Advisory Forum, a board of people who have experienced homelessness.

Hackers target University’s Covid vaccine Charlotte Keys explores the online targeting of Oxford’s vaccine research. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has highlighted in their annual review that hackers targeted the University of Oxford’s Covid vaccine research this year. Their review shows that the health sector has been experiencing record hack attempts, with 777 cases recorded between August 2020 and September 2021. This is an increase from the 723 incidents recorded in 2020. The NCSC, part of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), revealed that one in five incidents were aimed at organisations with connections to health, with particular targeting of coronavirus vaccine research. Additional cyber-protection support has been provided by the NCSC to those working in the health sector, from NHS workers to vaccine researchers. Researchers at the University of Oxford received help from the NCSC this year after security experts alerted them to a threat from ransomware which had the potential to significantly disrupt the progress of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine. Ransomware, an area of growing concern, is a form of cyber-attack where the criminal or hostile state locks a user out of their data and demands a ransom for the return of their data. However, in some cases, even if the money is paid, not all data is returned to the victim of the attack. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme removed 2.3 million cyberenabled commodity campaigns; this included 442 phishing campaigns using NHS branding. The growth in reported incidents is in part due to “the organisation’s ongoing work to

Oxford/AstraZeneca hits 2 billion doses Humza Jilani reports on the university’s medical milestone. On Nov. 15, AstraZeneca announced that the vaccine they jointly produced with researchers at the University of Oxford had reached its 2 billionth jab. Additionally, a new paper, published in collaboration with AstraZeneca in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, tells the story of how a key discovery just before the start of the pandemic unlocked the possibility of large-scale manufacturing. AstraZeneca has faced some setbacks in the last year, from slow deliveries in Europe to rare side effects and lower efficacies than mRNA counterparts, leaving regulators in the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe hesitant to scale up its delivery. As demand for vaccines in Western countries has waned, AstraZeneca have delivered more jabs overseas. Today, the vaccine is produced in fifteen different countries, with jabs having been delivered in over 170 countries. The AngloSwedish drugmaker initially rebuffed pressures to make a profit on its 2 billion vaccines, while its rivals netted billions in revenues. This year, AstraZeneca is set to make a loss on the vaccine of 3 cents per share, according to the Financial Times. Despite its extensive experience of vaccine

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proactively identify threats through the work of its Threat Operations and Assessment teams,” the NCSC has said. Earlier this year, NCSC Chief Executive, Lindy Cameron, warned that criminals and state-backed groups would use the pandemic as an opportunity for cyber-attacks; both in targeting information around vaccines and creating fear. She said, “some groups may also seek to use this information to undermine public trust in government responses to the pandemic, and criminals are now regularly using Covid-themed attacks as a way of scamming the public.” The transition to remote work and use of third-party computing and cloud services has created an opportunity for criminals to target businesses during the pandemic, whilst hostile states have an interest in medical and vaccine research, threatening the UK’s medical industry over the past year. The NCSC also predicts that ransomware attacks, which first gained prominence in 2020, are “almost certain to grow” in the next year. Director of GCHQ, Jeremy Fleming, stated, “This year we have seen countless examples of security threats: from state-sponsored activity to criminal ransomware attacks. It all serves to remind us that what happens online doesn’t stay online – there are real consequences of virtual activity”. Fleming added that “In the face of rising cyberattacks and an evolving threat, this year’s NCSC’s annual review shows that world-class cyber security, enabled by the expertise of the NCSC as part of GCHQ, continues to be vital to the UK’s safety and prosperity.” China, the NCSC states, is a “highly sophisticated” operator in cyber space and has been singled out as the biggest threat to Britain’s tech security. They warn in their annual review that “how China evolves in the next decade will probably be the single biggest driver of the UK’s future cyber security”.

development, the University had never manufactured more than a few thousand doses of any single vaccine until 2020. The Oxford team, headed by Dr. Sandy Douglas, followed a three-step process to take the vaccine out of the laboratory and into the arms of hundreds of millions in need. First, in January and February 2020, researchers experimented with a simple process to manufacture large amounts of the vaccine. Second, they persuaded manufacturers in the UK, India, China, and Europe to start prepping the vaccine, well before the first clinical volunteer had even been approved. They “franchised” the vaccine, which meant they outsourced production to different sites throughout the world to ensure vast distribution across multiple countries in need. Third, researchers forged a vital partnership with AstraZeneca in May 2020, which allowed them to tap into the pharmaceutical giant’s immense resources and ramp up production at an industrial scale. The researchers believe the “franchise” strategy’s success provides a template for remedying global vaccine shortages in future pandemics. The process can be applied to other adenovirus-based vaccines, helping to close gaps in equitable access to vaccines.” Image Credit: Marco Verch Professional Photograhpher/CC BY 2.0 via f lickr.

Alice in Wonderland themed campaign to support local businesses Meg Lintern reports on a campaign to encourage shopping and supporting local businesses in Oxford. In the run-up to Christmas, Alice from Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland will be appearing on the streets of Oxford as part of a City Council campaign. The campaign, launched on November 15th, aims to encourage shoppers to return to the streets and support independent businesses. The six-week project is designed to showcase the city as a hub of tourist activities, from shopping to fine-dining, in a bid to increase visitors during the festive season. Lewis Caroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, studied at Christchurch and composed his famous novel whilst living in Oxford. Carrol’s characters have long been used to bring magic to the city. Now, the Covered Market is once again decorated with fantastical figurines. Between 2019 and 2021, the Covid-19 virus stunted many celebrations. The restrictions on in-person shopping have had severe impacts on the independent shops that rely on tourism and holiday trade. Oxford City Councillor Susan Brown told

the Oxford Mail: “The pandemic has seen a big reduction in the number of international visitors to our city and we are keen to continue to support businesses across our city to recover. Oxford is particularly magical at this time of year and I would encourage everyone to enjoy our city and remember to support the local businesses that make it so vibrant when planning your Christmas shopping and entertainment.” Funded by the Government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund, established to support businesses at a crucial time of year, the campaign will feature a range of interactive elements to encourage shopping locally. These will include digital adverts on county-wide bus shelters and on-board Thames Travel buses in the south of Oxfordshire, as well as posters in local media including the Oxford Mail. Extensive content filmed by Independent Oxford and Fortitude Communication will highlight the broad range of entertainment the city has to offer, from the independent businesses of the Covered Market to the attractions of Westgate. All businesses will be encouraged to promote the campaign by tagging #VisitOxford on their social media channels.. The campaign is intended to reach students, locals, and tourists. The City Council seems hopeful that Alice in Wonderland will be able help make the Christmas season truly “magical” for its independent businesses.

EDITORIAL

The Cherwell view on the end of term

Sasha Mills (she/her), Editor-in-Chief During my degree, I’ve been involved in every big student publication except The Oxford Student (no shade but still wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole). I’ve done media and investigations at The Isis, edited podcasts at The Oxford Blue for a time, and tried (and failed) to set up news at The Flete (RIP). Basically, I’ve tried pretty much all of it, and I can tell you now that Cherwell is the only place that has successfully kept me for more than a few terms. And why is that? Not to be basic, but it’s the people. I’ve made so many friends here that I wouldn’t have met otherwise in my little OX2 island of St. Hugh’s, and when I spent a term at home last Hilary my Cherwell weekly zoom calls were really a highlight in quite a difficult time. When I came to Oxford I never really thought I’d be able to run something like this. Cherwell, once upon a time, was a bit of a boy’s club. Now, it’s had all-female editor-in-chief teams for a year running. That’s pretty cool. When I found out that I got this job, I really

wanted to turn this paper around – and I feel like we were able to take the first steps in doing that. We have advertisers again (?!?!), we finally rebranded (RIP 2010 aesthetic Cherwell, you will not be missed), and adding in pronouns is one of the first (but definitely not last) steps we’ve taken to making the paper more inclusive. The UK media is, to put it frankly, dying. Publications need to make real steps to become better, and central to that is becoming significantly more gender inclusive, rather than publishing trans-exclusionary content under the guise of free speech. Until nationals begin to do that, they’re going to continue failing. I’m not going to pretend we’ve always done everything right, but the Cherwell team is, and will continue to be, always open to being better. Thanks so much for being along with us on the ride, and if you want to become part of the team, section ed applications are open now! Feel free, as always, to pop me a message or email (like our Pitt Rivers collaboration in this week’s Culture section) and a non-hierarchical community where everyone lends their skills towards issues full of surprises. We take care not to make mistakes, but when we do we prioritise humility and set new goals for growth. The point being: Cherwell is made by amateurs and creatives who learn on the job, and that’s a good thing. Although, just from the time I’ve known them, the media world would be a far better place should any of my colleagues end up on Fleet Street. Wherever they take their talents (except to the OxStu), I hope Cherwell is a chapter in their university careers that they look back upon proudly. It’s been the best time.

Irene Zhang (she/her), Editor-in-Chief I wrote my first Cherwell article in late October 2019, a short news piece on the sale of JRR Tolkien’s home. Little did I know that going to one news meeting at Hertford JCR would end up consuming my life, 2 years later. Well, that’s partly a lie. Of course I didn’t know the future, but even since joining staff later that year, I’ve come to believe that Cherwell is a community worth being a part of in Oxford’s maze. Over the next six terms and through the pandemic, the passionate, dedicated, and interesting peers here have been a consistent source of inspiration and camaraderie. It’s rare to find a group of people who value thoughtfulness above attention, celebrate creativity in every corner, and see what they do as both genuine fun and real responsibility. I’m not going to defend the value of student journalism with some illustrious language, because the fact that we don’t always take ourselves seriously is worth celebration. Our impulse to experiment has led to exciting opportunities

Leader: On the Swiftie Renaissance

Izzy Merriman (she/her), Deputy Editor Friday 12th November, 2021. I’ve painted my lips crimson, (matt liquid, a sensible choice for a long day in the library) and my nails ruby to match, in honour of the occasion. But I’m thinking about when I was I was 13, dancing in the Gods at the Greenwich O2 arena as the infectious beat of Holy Ground kicked off Taylor’s Red concert. Songs like ‘All Too Well’ and ‘Almost Do’ were turned up high on the 202 into school and lyrics were whispered under my breath about boys whose names I now barely remember. And on the way home, Taylor was there to sing about mean girls and big city ambitions, like an older sister picking me up after a particularly shit day. I grew up with her words. Each album I can pinpoint to a school bus route, the tube station outside a boyfriend’s flat, singing in the car with my parents on a family holiday or a winding road in Wales with my long-suffering housemates. She’s put how I feel elegantly and eloquently into words, when I couldn’t find my own. Her songs have been dance anthems and cathartic cries (sometimes at the same time, thank you Taylor Swift Society) and with each re-released album, a new wave of nostalgia threatens to overwhelm me.

Listening to ‘Better Man’ on Spotify, rather than a badly taped bootlegged version on YouTube this week was, frankly, a lot. Being reminded of both the boy who broke up with you over a text on a school trip and the man “who didn’t know what he had when he had it”, makes for a pretty unique listening experience. Realising as I listen to the recent album that I’m probably going to be Beginning Again for some time to come, and turning back to that old familiar favourite to make a beginning out of an ending, like I have been since my first childish love at 16, is quite a reassuring thought. But it’s even more comforting when you see the light in Taylor’s eyes as she looks up to Joe Alwyn behind the camera in her documentary ‘Miss Americana’, and realise she might have Begun Again for the last time. (And that one day, so will you.) These new songs feel like Taylor saying; “just you wait for what’s to come”, whilst they make something beautiful out of what’s already been. Hearing the heartbreak anthems in past tense, the loves that Taylor has left behind (“cold was the steel of her axe to grind, for the boys who broke her heart”) and remembering the salt-inthe-wound 2am sing-alongs that I’ve survived, makes her capturing of such universal experiences so poignant. We’ve all been there. Her fans didn’t send a gut-wrenching ten minute version of a song that was never a single to number 1 for The First Time In History for no reason. Her lyricism is painfully relatable. But it’s hearing these songs with the new mature inflection in Taylor’s voice and knowing she’s moved so far beyond that old hurt (“now she sends their babies presents”) that’s so beautiful – because it reminds you that so can you. Or it makes you realise that maybe, you already have. Importantly, the re-recordings are reclaiming not just what is rightfully her art to own, but her history - all the happy, free, confused and

lonely she wrapped up in her words. She can own the “past trapped behind the glass” – not just the rights to the royalties. It’s an emotive, yet business-savvy approach that you can’t help but root for. With every re-recording, she reiterates

“You don’t have to be a fan of her music, to be a fan of Taylor Swift.” what her fans have always know: she really is The Man. Why write my Leader on something so trivial? Well, because it’s not. Being a fan of Taylor Swift is an act of feminist resistance. Surviving the tabloid witch-hunt that wrongfully painted her as a villain in a fight she never wanted and emerging a fan regardless of the slander? Feminist. Challenging the misogynistic dismissal of her relationship-inspired song-writing, as if everyother-male-singer/songwriter isn’t doing exactly the same thing with none of the same scrutiny? Feminist. Understanding her ‘eras’ as the necessary reinventions she herself acknowledges that female artists must undergo in order to retain relevance in a patriarchal music culture? You can see where I’m going with this. She isn’t just a pop star, she’s a fantastic businesswoman and a passionate political activist with significant electoral sway, as well as being a three dimensional human being with a crazy solid grasp on the rhetorical powers of the English language, and she is more than worthy of your respect. You don’t have to be a fan of her music, to be a fan of Taylor Swift.

Masthead SENIOR EDITORIAL TEAM Study-Blogger-Turned-Influencer, We miss you Irene, Twitter Famous, Ireland’s Finest, SU Insider, Cherwell’s Monica Lewinsky, Medieval Queen, Where’s Rusty Kate NEWS Sports Insider, Port Meadow Aficionado, Green Fingers, Reporting from the Chambers, Wednesday Morning Tutes COMMENT Weary from Poor Wifi, ‘My WordPress is Weird’, Second Read Enthusiast, The Only One with InDesign FEATURES The History Squad, Queen of the Edit, Tonsilitis Queen PROFILES Profiling Professional, Fabulous from Afar, An Iconic Cherwell Institution INVESTIGATIONS Sherlock Holmes of the North, Classy Classicist SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY The-one-who-wants-SciTechto-be-Jill’s-favourite, Lover of an unnecessary cycle BUSINESS & FINANCE The-one-who-came-back-forround-3, WordPress Aficionado, Our Fantastic Fresher CULTURE The O’Sullivans, Flor-ishing STAGE Permanently at rehearsals, OUDS Contact FASHION Edna Mode, Linda Evangelista, Anna Wintour MUSIC The Dynamic Duo That Tops the Charts FILM Jessica (couldn’t also for) Moore efficiency, Rosa Chal-pen is mightier than the sword, Hopkins-McQuillan, 007 BOOKS Writes everything for the section, Always at rowing, Course II Queen LIFE Gadhia of the Galaxy, T. shutes (she scores), Zetis THE SOURCE OxStu Double Agent, Best Fashion Sense, Still the Queen of Art SPORT Doing every sport under the sun, Calling Maebh out on lack of football knowledge, Miss Arsenal FOOD Free Food Enthusiast, Dalgona Fan MEDIA Dreams of a Cher-Tok CREATIVE Mia Clement, Aleksandra Pluta, Zoe Rhoades, Heidi Fang, Rachel Jung, Ella Markham, Liv Fugger SOCIAL MEDIA Min Luo, Mia Clement, Faith Owolabi

COMMENT

Oxford University and the alienation of working students

Bethan Draycott (she/her) discusses the impact of the disparity between working and non-working students at Oxford University. The cliché goes that working in customer service will teach you a lot about people. The key thing I’ve noticed is that a few lines in the sand will define who you are and who you can be. At Oxford University, this set of lines is everything. Not just that, but the bar of privilege is so highly raised here that being ‘average’, or even above average, seems to translate into disadvantage. It’s hardly original to accuse Oxford of being disproportionately tailored to the most privileged in our society – private school students, white students, cishet students. That is pretty much the first thing people will rush to tell you when you apply here. In recent years, Oxford has theoretically diversified its intake (whether sufficiently or not is pretty controversial): but is the system that’s in place actually equipped to support this apparently changing demographic of students? One of the many, and potentially more subtle, inequalities in privilege we encounter here is the divide between those students who have to maintain jobs to support themselves financially, either during term time or in the holidays, and those who don’t (a divide which admittedly sounds relatively banal compared to the reputation of -isms and -phobias that Oxford already boasts, but is real nonetheless). Students working jobs is not something out of the ordinary anywhere else, and most working- and middle-class students must take on a part-time job at some point. As a bottom line, having a job as a student should not be a problem, and is much less of a problem at most other universities that do not adhere to our term structure. So why is it so hard to handle here? The University website states that no student

may exceed 20 hours of paid work per week. We are also told that a minimum of 40 hours of our week must be dedicated to academic study. On top of this, we are encouraged to take on extracurricular activities, internships, and leadership roles within our colleges, as well as attending formal events and of course our actual teaching hours, which for me amounted to 16 hours per week in first year. Let’s be utopian for a moment and suppose that we survive all of this and somehow also manage to eat three meals a day and sleep eight hours a night. Even if this was sustainable, the national minimum wage for 18-20 year olds is £6.56 per hour. So working for this at maximum capacity during term time, according to University rules, you could earn £131.20 per week. According to the website, living costs at Oxford vary between £14,100 and £20,520 for 12 months, so between £271.15 and £394.62 weekly, on average. Therfore, the maximum amount of working hours permitted would not be financially viable for a student who has to support themselves on a minimum wage job. In my experience, owing to the structure of the intense eight-week Oxford terms, students that need to make money have two options: either to find a late-night job in something like a nightclub and accept that they will never sleep, watching from one side of the bar while the rest of their cohort enjoy themselves on the other side, or to work extra time in the holidays. Having done both, I would suggest that neither is going to give you a great relationship with your degree, or with anything else for that matter. There is also an underestimated disconnect between university life (and the social expectations that come with that), and the atmosphere and demands of the working world. Working a job during university, it’s easy to become dissociated from both: always slightly excluded from the freedoms of non-working students, but never able to fully relate to the lives of coworkers. A sticky, vodka-soaked bar becomes symbolic of a line we always feel like we’re on the wrong side of. For a student obligated to earn that cannot during term time, the amount they have to work during the holidays to compensate for not earning for eight weeks at a time (supposing that, according to the National Minimum Wage and Oxford’s 20 hours a week policy, they have lost at least £1049.60 per term) inevitably amounts to burnout. They also have less time to pursue internships and unpaid opportunities for their CV, less time to socialise, and less time to do pre-reading or revision for their degree. Not to mention the feeling of isolation, scrolling through festival

posts and holiday pictures in between shifts, knowing that if you work overtime you might almost get out of overdraft by the time term begins. This is before even acknowledging that working full-time in most manual labour or so-called ‘low skilled’ jobs requires an enormous amount of physical exertion that can lead to long-term health issues which are constantly undermined by those who have not experienced them. Being unable to evenly distribute manual work and academic study at Oxford is fundamentally incompatible with functioning mental and physical health. Thus, the structure of the term means that even outside of Oxford term time, working students are placed at a disadvantage when they do return to read for their subjects, already behind academically and burnt out

“As much as Oxford can claim inclusivity by extending and diversifying their intake, what good is half-hearted representation if you cannot take care of these students or allow them to take care of themselves?” during a period when they are expected to rest and revise. So, as much as Oxford can claim inclusivity by extending and diversifying their intake, what good is half-hearted representation if you cannot take care of these students or allow them to take care of themselves? If you change the type of students at the University, but maintain the system of education that was devised specifically for the most privileged in society, all you are doing is propagating these disadvantages in an altered setting. This also doesn’t just apply to those from traditional working-class backgrounds. Regardless of their household income, many students simply cannot rely on their families for financial help. Considering that student loans are based on the parents’ earnings, without consideration of actual disposable income, even the students eligible only for minimum student loan may not have access to financial support from their families. Studies have also shown that financial manipulation is a primary mode of control for an abusive parent. Not just that, but regardless of the student loan someone is entitled to, the

anxiety surrounding paying it off is, for many, enough to force them to find extra money. Fundamentally, there are so many reasons why a student may choose to supplement their finances with a job which can’t always be inferred. By disfiguring this element of choice, Oxford is not just excluding the disadvantaged, but solely catering for the extremes of privilege. Change is required for the structure of teaching to be ever truly accessible. Something we also commonly hear is that Oxford students shouldn’t have to work during term-time because they can get hardship funding from their college. While there are a few options available (some more useful than others), this doesn’t acknowledge some of the glaring holes in Oxford welfare that might make students unwilling to approach them, given that pursuing hardship grants usually requires a certain level of personal disclosure that many would not be comfortable with, given the staff in question. Many students also do not feel that they qualify for ‘hardship’ for the reasons stated above. For many, working is a way of securing a necessary financial independence, something which should not be held from us as autonomous adults. Furthermore, hardship funds are often offered in the form of loans which must be paid back the following term, an assumption being made that the student will be able to return home and find a way to pay it back. This kind of blanket approach to funding is just another aspect of Oxford’s frankly ignorant attitude towards less advantaged students. The purpose of this article is not only to help students who can relate feel less alone, and not at all out of bitterness towards those who can’t, but to insist that we review Oxford’s traditional system of teaching and expectations of students. Oxford must either create allowances for those students who have to work, rather than punishing them, or restructure learning to be more flexible. It must also provide specialised welfare and more financial support. Changing the student intake doesn’t actually fix the problem; we are being invited into a system that was not made for us. And to those who tell us that being within Oxford is an opportunity to exploit the system positively, consider that it becomes impossible to take advantage of an institution when you barely have time in a day to breathe. Many people will rush to pat you on the head and say that it will be worth it, because in the long term you will gain opportunities as a member of Oxford’s prestigious alumni, but if that means years of burnout, alienation, and long-term issues for some and not others, then that can never equate to accessibility or equality.

Comment highlights of Michaelmas term 2021 Cherwell’s Comment Editors look back on some of the section’s standout pieces this term. ‘Impossible to choose’ Leah Mitchell We’ve had so many great articles this term that I found it impossible to choose just one! My particular highlights were Iseult de Mallet Burgess’ piece ‘Gender Abolition: Why it matters’, Isobel Lewis’ article ‘Pitch: 1, Parliament: 0’, Bethan Draycott’s article in this week’s edition, ‘Oxford University and the alienation of working students’, and Ish Duncan’s piece ‘THE NAME GAME – A personal reflection on the ‘transtrenderism’ trend’. All four pieces combined great writing, original thought, and a unique voice behind the article; some were bravely personal,

others acerbic and witty. Together I think they sum up the best aspects of student journalism. ‘A privilege’ Antonio Pattori Editing Cherwell’s Comment Section has been a privilege, made such by the great talent of the student journalists who write for us. A piece which struck me was Ciara Garcha’s ‘This is England: Football and the nation’, which assessed the intrinsic social links between support for the national football team and nationalism. Ciara carefully traced the origins of this ‘disease’ back to the 1970s and 1980s, with tragic events such as the Heysel disaster. The article intelligently differentiated between the intentions of Southgate’s “embracement of diversity” at the head of the national team, but recognised a failure to “map onto society at large”, as revealed by the racist events after the Euro 2021 final. In the process, Ciara Garcha powerfully juxtaposed ideals of Englishness

with their corresponding realities, proving that such an ideal is simply too “far removed from reality”. ‘Incredible articles’ Daisy Aitchison Of all the incredible articles we’ve had this term, two standout - Ciara Garcha’s piece which was published in our first week edition, ‘We don’t need a ‘cure’: Challenging the discourse around autism’ and Isobel Lewis’ article from third week, ‘Pitch: 1, Parliament: 0’. Ciara’s argument was both powerful and eye-opening - I had no idea of the extent of the efforts being made to find a ‘cure’ for autism, and the support these attempts have from a whole host of celebrities in the UK. The personal nature of the piece just added to the impact, especially her point that autism is a part of identity in exactly the same way as features such as eye colour. Isobel’s article managed to be both hilarious and serious at the same time exposing the failures of our politicians in a light

hearted manner. My only complaint was that she reminded me of THAT video of Matt Hancock! ‘Passionate pieces’ Vera Prokopieva In the comment section, we receive a variety of passionate pieces and through editing them I not only engaged with issues outside of my immediate interests, but I found connections with another student writers. I enjoyed reading and editing ‘The Problem with Criminal Biopics’ by Olanrewaju Ajidagba because of its captivating argumentative narrative style. The piece looks at the problematic glorification of criminals in popular culture by opening with a deconstruction of the notorious Pablo Escobar and discusses the current issues surrounding Nigerian fraudster and influencer, ‘hushpuppi’. This article was also a great reminder of the wealth of international connections among our student body, which the comment section frequently showcases.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

An in-depth look at the challenges for net-zero energy transition Evan C.Y. Ng examines the broader system challenges for net-zero energy transition and the economic, financial, and market factors associated with these.

eaching net zero emissions by 2050 is necessary to meet the Paris Agreement’s targets, so that catastrophic climate disasters can be avoided. This means that the energy system must be decarbonized deeply – fossil fuels which represent 81.2% of the current global energy need to be substituted with progressively cleaner energy vectors as much as possible, while negative emission technologies like carbon capture, utilization and storage will likely be required to offset emissions associated with remaining usage of carbon-intensive fuels. Despite the falling costs of modern renewables over the past decade, the necessary energy transition is still occurring slower than what is required to meet the Paris Agreement’s targets. One key challenge hindering the net zero transition lies in the economically illogical action of subsidizing fossil fuel consumptions in many countries, which prevents renewables from competing with carbon-intensive sources on a level playing field. To put the scale of these subsidies into perspective, post-tax fossil fuel subsidies amounted to approximately 17 times the global renewable energy investment in 2015. Persistent fossil fuel subsidies also manifest substantial economic inefficiencies and encourage excessive energy usage. An analysis comparing the subsidy and consumption of fossil fuels in 50 energyproducing economies identified an almost linear relationship between the two. Fossil fuel subsidies in these economies have created social and infrastructural lock-ins leading to persisting inefficient practices. Reforming fossil fuel subsidies is urgently necessary, as subsidies disrupt market functions of accurate price signaling to inform future technology choices, potentially risking additional carbon lock-in which negatively impacts progress towards a net zero energy system. The negative environmental and social consequences associated with fossil fuel consumption are also not sufficiently con-

sidered. Only around 16% of global annual emissions are currently covered by either carbon taxes or emissions trading schemes and most carbon prices currently in place are less than US$25/tonne: a level well below the social cost of carbon emissions. This economic inefficiency not only creates unnecessary loss of social welfare, but also prevents consumers from realizing the real costs of their consumption. Emissions must be priced appropriately to correct distorted markets, enabling economic decision-making aligned with net zero ambitions. In power sectors where energy generation infrastructures typically have a long lifespans of at least 25 to 30 years, achieving Paris’ net zero targets means that no new fossil fuel power plants should be built from now on. However, without internalizing pollution costs to provide clear price signals reflecting Paris’ commitments, a marginal investor who focuses solely on monetary cost will naturally prioritize cheaper fossil fuel incumbents, exacerbating costly stranded asset problems. For example, premature retirement of planned and constructed fossil fuel power plants to meet 2050 net zero targets will cost Latin

“Fossil fuel subsidies amounted to approximately 17 times the global renewable energy investment in 2015.” America and the Caribbean at least US$37 – 90 billion. Therefore, if the distorted market continues allowing carbon-intensive energy infrastructure to be constructed, greater costs would be required to meet Paris’ targets. However, both fossil fuel subsidy removal and carbon pricing may burden consumers

Science Snippets

Russia shot the Kosmos Russia has tested a new anti-satellite missile system by shooting one of its own satellites, an old soviet spy satellite called Kosmos 1408. There has been international outrage as the hit has produced debris that could threaten the ISS and satellites in low-Earth orbit.

New HIV treatments NICE are approving a new HIV treatment that can treat people with an injection of cabotegravir and rilpivirine every two months to keep their viral load at a safe low level. This will replace the daily oral pill, hopefully lessening the emotional toll and improving the lives of people living with HIV.

with rising fossil fuel prices, potentially leading to socioeconomic challenges that affect political stability if mishandled. For instance, research that studied the association between fuel subsidies and fuel riots worldwide and found that 41 countries had at least one riot related to fuel price increases between 2005 and 2018, which may explain why politicians are typically reluctant to remove subsidies despite understanding their inefficiencies. However, the presence of pro-climate silent majorities in many societies could manifest a potential sensitive intervention point – a few “radical” social movements towards energy sustainability can effectively trigger political mobilization, allowing a shift in the underlying socioeconomic regime that enables rapid transitions away from existing overreliance on underpriced fossil fuels. To enable a smooth transition, correcting market distortions via increasing fossil fuel prices can be coupled with price reductions of alternative energy sources, minimizing the risk of social unrest caused by sudden surges in living expenses. As such, carbon tax revenues and savings achieved from fossil fuel subsidy removals can be recycled to subsidize renewable energy deployment, bridging existing financial gaps. A case study on switching subsidies from fossil fuels to rooftop solar deployment in the European Union found that this can effectively increase emissions abatement by around 20% as uncontrolled subsidy removal would likely result in investments diverted towards natural gas instead of renewables. Earmarking carbon and subsidy reform revenues for specific purposes, like renewable energy investments, exhibits greater transparency and would generally be more socially acceptable than incorporating them into general government budgets. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of this approach is contingent on consumers’ trust towards their governments – in areas with high political distrust, a lump-sum targeted cash transfer to politically important groups, such as fossil fuel industry workers

impacted by energy transitions, would likely ensure greater success. Policymakers can then introduce parallel policies to support these targeted consumers in

“Politicians are typically reluctant to remove subsidies despite understanding their inefficiencies.” reinvesting revenues towards low-carbon technologies. Although investing in renewables is often less economical than non-renewable incumbents now, it should be noted that operating a fossil fuel power plant might not be the economically optimal option in the long-run, given that extraction costs of fossil fuels would likely increase as easyto-extract reserves are exhausted. The cost of renewables generally reduces with increasing deployment as they tend to exhibit strong learning-by-doing and learning-by-researching effects. As such, policymakers can accelerate net zero energy transitions by taking advantage of sensitive intervention points – providing subsidies to support renewables deployment can kick-start a self-reinforcing feedback loop capable of further cost reductions. This subsequently enables renewables to become cost competitive relative to incumbents in the medium-to-long term, even when renewable subsidies are absent. Economic, financial, and market challenges must be resolved to enable rapid, widespread deployments of net zero energy technologies. Read the full article online at cherwell.org.

Tech Tidbits

Tesla lost the keys The app went out last weekend and locked drivers out of their cars, 500 users reported an error. Elon Musk apologised on Twitter, as usual. The company claims the drivers have other ways to get into their cars, but may not have had them on their person.

Racist healthcare technology The MHRA has found that oximeters overestimate the oxygen levels in blood when measuring people with brown or black skin. This may mean that fewer patients from ethnic minority groups are given oxygen supplies in hospitals, which may be a reason for higher death rates among minority ethnic people.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Money Diaries: End of term edition This week on Cherwell Money Diaries, a graduate student recounts the trials and successes of living on £20 for two weeks in Oxford.

onday, November 1st, 9:00am, somewhere in OX1. I wake up from a five-day Halloween bender and find myself sore, at least a week behind on work, and, most importantly, broke. My banking app informs me that I have ten Great British Pounds and seven Pence to my name. I have precisely two weeks until the German government once again transfers valuable taxpayers’ money to my account so I can sustain my extravagant lifestyle of Gail’s cinnamon rolls and straight cigarettes. Which leaves me with the question: how do I stretch £10 over two whole weeks? Just like George Washington knew back in 1799 that “the best form of defense is

Startup Spotlight: Bringing rocket science into cooking Hung-Jen Wu speaks to the founder of FIREUP, a new Oxford cookware start-up.

IREUP is a new Oxford cookware spinout founded by Raghav Agarwal and Professor Thomas Povey at the Department of Engineering Science. It recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to market and drive sales for a Dutch oven, which incorporates a unique design inspired by jet engine technology. The conception of this idea originated a decade ago with Povey, whose research involved designing cooling systems for jet engines. On one mountaineering trip, Povey struggled to get a pot of water to boil at high altitude. When a conventional pot is placed over a stove, a lot of heat dissipates into the environment after the flame goes around the edges, thereby reducing the cooking efficiency. He and his students spent the next three years prototyping with different pot designs and came up with a cast aluminum saucepan with tapered fins replacing the otherwise smooth cylindrical edge.

a good offense”, I knew that the best way to stop being broke is to make money. In this city, there are many side hustles to choose from. From tutoring private school kids how to get into Oxford PPE to life-modelling for art students and selling Union hacks oregano as marihuana, the options are unlimited. But this time, the solution was much simpler: I had booked a ticket for formal hall at my undergraduate college, and I wasn’t too keen on going anyway, so I sold it to a fresher for a tenner. That’s right, we’re at 20 pounds now – something we can work with! Arguably, I could’ve tried to make some more emergency cash, but I believed that I had to repent and learn how to be financially responsible. Here is what I learned: 1. Milk what you have: with a Pret coffee subscription, a Union and a Law Society

They called this invention the Flare Pan. The inclusion of the unique fin design guided the flame around the pan and into the fins, allowing the pan to retain heat more effectively. This enabled the pan to utilize 40% less energy and cook 30% faster than comparable saucepans. This novelty earned Povey’s group a coveted Hawley Award from the Worshipful Company of Engineers for “the most outstanding engineering innovation that delivers demonstrable benefit to the environment”. In 2019 Raghav Agarwal, a former entrepreneur who launched a cookware manufacturer in India, earned his MBA from Saïd Business School. Whilst at Oxford, Agarwal was chair of the Oxford Entrepreneurship Network and represented the business school on the Oxford Foundry’s Student Advisory Board. Through an Oxford University Innovation (OUI)-sponsored programme, he met Povey and the two hit it off immediately given their mutual interest in cookware and innovation. After exploring different applications, base materials and marketing directions, they decided to launch their new company, FIREUP. Their first product is a 5 litre cast iron Dutch oven which uses the signature tapered fins of the Flare Pan. Raghav cites the versatility of the Dutch oven to saute, sear, fry, braise, roast, and use in the oven as the primary reason for launching with this product. Another factor was the amount of hype that home cooking trends like ‘No-Knead Bread’ received on Instagram during the pandemic. What did they bake their bread in? Not in a pan, but quite often in

membership (the holy trinity of good value for money), there was surprisingly much free stuff I could get my hands on. None of the coffee items on Pret’s menu are particularly nutritious but if you drink enough, your heart palpitations will make you forget that you were hungry. Burgers and Milkshakes with Kirkland & Ellis for the small price of acting like I’m interested in corporate law? Say no more. 2. Choose your grocery stores wisely: some will say Tesco has the best prices, others will swear by Aldi or Lidl. I’ll let you in on a secret: one way grocery stores make money is by selling some items below market price while making profit on others. So by picking and mixing, I got the best value for my money. Also: know what knock-off brands are worth buying (Aldi’s Crave gives Kellog’s a run for their

a Dutch oven. He also cites the lack of innovation in under a century in cast iron cookware, and the potential of a market currently worth $2.8 billion globally to grow to $3.3 billion in the next four years, as the key reasons for his optimism. The total UK cast iron cookware market is worth £1.3 billion. Raghav told Cherwell: “On one hand you have painstakingly expensive French brands, like Le Creuset, that force you to almost sell your house to buy a long-lasting premium product. If you look at the history of these brands, they’re almost 100-200 years old [that only come in] different shapes, sizes, and colors. That’s not innovation.” He added that there are “smaller trendier startups” investing “a lot of marketing dollars to market a product that’s not as premium”. Initial financial support was provided by OUI and FIREUP was built up by a global team during the pandemic. The plan is to produce aesthetic and environmentally friendly cookware primarily for home chefs, finance its production through online pre-orders and sell units directly to customers. FIREUP also

money, but stay away from the Mini Cheese Bakes!) 3. If it’s batteled, it’s free: I said what I said. This is essentially like taking out an interest-free loan, so I made sure to eat lunch in college as much as I could - I even convinced them to put the small celebratory glass of mulled wine that I had at the end of my two-week journey on my battels account. After what felt like an eternity, two weeks were finally over and while I was glad to be able to spend my money at Turf Tavern again, some of the lessons I learned along the way remained. I’ve now permanently switched to some of the Aldi knockoff brands - they’re simply better - and it turns out that you don’t actually need to eat out every week. My mother will be proud of the two dishes I taught myself to cook (don’t get too excited, they both involve pesto and some form of pasta), and I even learned the one or the other thing about Magic Circle law firms; mainly that I never want to work for one, no matter how many more times I need to stretch £20 over two weeks.

stands out amongst OUI spinouts as the first to use Kickstarter as its key funding source. The campaign began on 19 October and as of 18 November, £144,511 has been pledged by 1,276 backers. Due to popular demand, the campaign will continue for the next month on Indiegogo. The FIREUP Dutch oven will be manufactured in Belgium with a nod to the sustainability profile of its predecessor. As Agarwal puts it: “The materials we use are long-lasting and non-toxic. We manufacture in an 80-year old foundry.. [which] is fully compliant with the highest environmental work standards. It pays fair compensation for workers, complies with global safety procedures and environmental standards.” For now, FIREUP is completely focused on launching their Dutch oven but they do have plans to incorporate the heat retaining tapered fin design to additional cookware down the line. Affirming his vision, Raghav said: “We are here for the long term. We want to build a brand that the ultimate customer can believe in.” Image Credits: FIREUP Cookware Limited

FEATURES

On misunderstanding Taylor Swift

rue innovation in literature is hard to achieve — the same is true of music. But we can still see the value in certain stories and works. If we were to begin applying different metrics to music, we might be able to see a new value in what we listen to today. Looking at the ancient Greek literature of Homer from c. 800 BC and Taylor Swift can change the way you think about musicians today. The poems of the earliest Greek poets, such as Homer, were not original in content; they were innovative in the way they drew together multiple different sources. When we consider that all stories can arguably be boiled down to seven basic plots, it is not hard to imagine why even the Greek poets struggled to come up with something new. This is demonstrated by Homer’s Iliad, one of the oldest Greek poems that we have today. The story of Achilles would have been familiar to Homer’s audience, who would have been acquainted with the broader narrative context of the Trojan Cycle, a key theme in the songs of

many contemporary poets. One of the central aspects of Homer’s Iliad is the grief of Achilles over the death of his loved one, Patroclus. This is borrowed from the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh (a twelfth century BC text from Ancient Iraq) – the titular hero suffers great anguish at the death of Enkidu, his loved one. Thematically, even Homer’s considerations such as tragedy of mortality set against the backdrop of immortal gods are borrowed from Gilgamesh. In a longer piece, further extensive correspondences could be highlighted (and caveats included), including those found in other ancient Greek texts. None of this diminishes the value in reading the Iliad, but it is worth noting that Homer is leaning heavily on precedent texts. The way these poems have been constructed constitutes a large part of what makes them so impressive. Looking particularly at the Iliad, we see the central framework of the story: there is a tripartite structure, with Books 1-9 constituting the setup of Achilles’ wrath, Books 10-16 being the consequence of Achilles’

continued wrath, and Books 17-24 constituting Achilles’ return to battle and the ramifications. This is the basic core of the poem. The text is then overlaid with ring composition to bind the whole poem together and underlined with sub-narratives of anger to reflect the overall plot of the poem. Another distinctive structural feature is how pairs and triplets of events build into each other, such as the deaths of Sarpedon, Patroclus, and Hector all making the next one more intense, each with an emotional setup, buildup, and climax. Most of these events fit into three categories: either stock stories like the ‘anger cycle’ taken from Homer’s tradition, real events including the death of Hector lifted from their shared tradition, or parallels to earlier traditions, such as the Gilgamesh. These influences were distilled into a framework handed down to Homer, and the bard was able to process it all into a finely woven composition. Again, this is not to deny the value in analysing the themes that occur in the poem, nor to suggest that it is not a joy to read for its in-

Khusrau Islam examines the history of literary innovation, from Homer to Taylor. depth characterisation, engrossing descriptions, and exciting passages of narrative. Instead, I am merely trying to highlight another metric by which to analyse the poems: intricacy of composition. Innovation in music is also arguably difficult: it suffers from the same narrative constraints as literature, and there are limitations imposed by the sonic form. For instance, across a set of parameters, every melody has been produced by a computer and copyrighted, while there are only 243 combinations of 3 notes by 5 notes, demonstrating that there is a limit to the potential of sonic innovation. Admittedly, we may be far from this ceiling, but I think that the existence of limits should prompt us to consider new ways to analyse song writing. One way could be the same as epic literature, exploring the way musical precedent is used to weave intricate and complex compositions. A quick example of this is the use of sampling: often, musicians take other musicians’ work and incorporate the sounds into the fabric of their own song to great

effect – consider Kanye West’s sampling of Daft Punk’s ‘Harder Better Faster Stronger’; and ‘Harder Better Faster Stronger’ sampling Edwin Birdsong’s ‘Cola Bottle Baby’. In all these cases, musicians have been able to take songs from completely different genres and work them into their own compositions. Similarly, the ancient poet Hesiod included didactic literature, apocalyptic prophecies, and catalogue poetry in his Works and Days. But this should not be viewed as negative: instead, artists have and continue to draw on different genres to produce masterful works. Just as certain sounds recur, certain themes are repeated in song writing. There are an incredibly large number of songs about heartbreak revolving around themes of affairs, falling out of love, and lovers being taken too soon. World Peace seems to be a popular subject too, just consider ‘Imagine’, ‘Give Me Love’, ‘Heal the World’, ‘We are here’ and the like. Sometimes, motifs are also shared between songs, including singing from the perspective of the devil.

FEATURES

This is common to the rock genre, album is not a bitter collection of complex songs on the album ‘1989’. / can’t help it if I wanna kiss you in These are very brief examples that demonstrated in ‘Devil’s Child’ vitriolic songs, but actually mostly This is because each sub-setup, the rain’: on a surface level it is easy highlight the way in which Swift has (Judas Priest), ‘Friend of the Devil’ explores her feelings in a new rela- build-up, and climax have their to see how the use of angel imagery returned to the realm of high school (Grateful Dead), and, of course, tionship. Throughout ‘Reputation’, own setup, build-up, and climax. We evokes a positive impression of love. love triangles to give a much more ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ (The Rolling Taylor points to what she could praise Homer for his ability to ex- On ‘White Horse’, she sings, ‘Say nuanced perspective. At this point, Stones). While these examples are have done – a grand chorus, or a pand on his basic structural frame- you’re sorry, that face of an angel / rather than simply providing an ininexhaustive, they should demon- bitter revenge album – but instead works: to appreciate the artistry of comes out just when you need It to’: depth exploration of one theme, or strate how, in thematic terms, songs takes it in a different direction. In the compositions, we should look at on the next track of the album, the a completely innovative narrative, tend not to innovate but rather build the opening section of the Odyssey, Taylor’s songs in the same way. angel imagery has been twisted to she layers in all manners of imagery upon motifs and Her use of the bridge produce opposite feelings of heart- to craft a reflection on cheated on tropes with a broder “One way could be the same as epic is a good example of break. The way of using this image is whilst young. universal appeal structural frameworks not new – consider the angel motif With examples like ‘IA’, ‘LWYMto produce some- literature, exploring the way musical being adapted to great in ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ – but MD’, and ‘Cardigan’ in particular, thing intricate and effect. Though others just because the motif is repeated or I hope to have shown how value unique, much like precedent is used to weave intricate might be regarded as inherited does not reduce its value: and meaning can be derived from the incorporation of the “classic” Taylor the use of the phrase gives meaning the way the songs are composed. other sounds through and complex compositions.” Swift bridges, such as within the song. Just as Homer There are many other features of her sampling. ‘Devil’s ‘Death by a Thousand adapts stock imagery to his needs, music I could have explored, such Child’, for example, uses the Devil Zeus discusses justice and revenge, Cuts’ and ‘All too Well’, the bridge in here Swift uses a common motif in as the sampling of ‘I’m Too Sexy’ in motif in combination with those of leading the audience to expect a Illicit Affairs (IA) is demonstrative multiple ways to offer value. LWYMMD or of her own heartbeat in heartbreak – thus drawing on differ- story centred around these themes. of this. The song discusses an affair Swift is also able to draw on a Wildest Dreams. However, this past ent genres, motifs, and traditions. However, Homer instead goes in a from the perspective of “the other wealth of ideas and influences, fur- section has aimed to show there is Instead of focussing on the artistic different direction: he has hinted at woman”. Throughout, Swift address- ther highlighting her artistic talent. an inherent artistry behind Taylor talent of innovation and creativity, what he could explore but instead es how affair partners are forced to It is certainly true that in the past Swift’s songs in the way different we should focus on the composition, proceeds to write about different hide their trysts, resulting in the she was considered to have written themes and structures have been like we do for the Iliad. subject matter. In the same way, need to deny the feelings they have. solely about love, or ‘silly’ themes layered into what we hear. Taylor Swift’s music is indicative ‘LWYMMD’ points to certain themes This is echoed in the bridge where like teenage heartbreak, but enough I believe this analysis could be of this sort of composition. She has and techniques that she could have she writes about how she was shown people, even national newspapers fruitful for music in general. True been lambasted for the use of repet- chosen to use, the rest of the album “colours you know I can’t see with like the Washington Post, have innovation is possible, but it beitive motifs and themes, particularly is almost completely different. anyone else” and taught “a secret acknowledged the versatility in comes increasingly difficult and rare those surrounding heartbreak. HowThe weaving of different themes language I can’t speak with anyone her themes. A few examples of this to find. Instead, we can derive value ever,her work is highly versatile, if and qualities into her music is best else” – there is nothing she can do versatility include social anxiety in from the way music is composed. not on thematic terms then in com- seen in her transition through to about her feelings. She disrupts the ‘Mirrorball’, dealing with her moth- Of course, a song could be the most position. ‘Look What You Made Me pop. By the publishing of ‘1989’ ordinary song structure by having er’s illness in ‘Soon You’ll Get Better’, impressively intricate and complex Do’ (LWYMMD) highlights Taylor’s in 2014, Taylor had dropped her the bridge fade into the outro, and her love for her late grandmother in song ever created, and people would ability to use structure, contempo- country accent almost completely, not another chorus. Here, the bridge ‘Marjorie’, or discussing teenage love not be obliged to enjoy it. This exrary events, and narrative to create increasingly conforming to the leads nowhere, just like an illicit from different perspectives in two ploration is not a demand for people complex musical pieces. She has standards of pop in spite of criti- affair, in which you must deny all consecutive singles, ‘White Horse’ to start enjoying music on these successfully performed the transi- cism. However, she has not dropped your true feelings and hide it from and ‘Love Story’. With over 150 grounds. Certainly, I listen to Taylor tion from the country genre through her country roots. Firstly, she still everyone you know, cannot lead songs in her discography, it would Swift almost solely because I enjoy to pop, gaining mastery over the sings of troubles specific to her, a anywhere. Through her song struc- be surprising if she had not written listening to the sounds and lyrics of latter genre’s song structure. She has motif common to country music ture, Swift supports the narrative lyrics across a broad spectrum of her music. However, I believe this consistently incorporated different and has also borrowed tropes such thesis of the song. themes. sort of analysis could lead to a new ideas and influences into her music, as escaping the small town. As she Another example is the use of However, it is worth noting how appreciation of different songs. The even as she shifts again into the al- progresses to pop, Taylor keeps hold set phrases to convey meaning. she draws different ideas and themes poems of Homer have value outside ternative genre. This is where we can of the emotional energy of country, Homer does this to an extent: while into the makeup of her songs, such of their composition yet analysing see artistic value: the composition of with all its personal power. his use of epithets the poet’s craft reveals her music is intricate and complex. When she does reach pop music, is often dictated by “True innovation is possible, but it their true skill in writing. ‘LWYMMD’ is a useful starting she exerts an extreme amount of metrical constraints, Similarly, by analysing point to highlight Swift’s under- control and mastery over com- it can sometimes becomes increasingly difficult and modern music on these standing of different motifs, and monly used sonic structures. ‘Blank derive meaning. This terms, we might reach a how she uses them to derive mean- Space’ parodies both the narratives happens in Iliad Book rare to find.” new level of appreciation ing. Classic FM analysed ‘LWYMMD’ surrounding her and general pop 22, where the phrase for modern artists. from a music theory standpoint, structures. This is done by the “swift-footed Achilles” is used to as in Cardigan. Here, she explores The poems of Homer have value and came to the conclusion that the marking out of the chorus and the foreshadow Achilles’ eventual catch- affairs (“chase two girls, lose the outside of their composition yet ansong consistently leads the listener’s excessive use of four chords that ing of Hector, enabled by his speed. one”), growing up (“when you are alysing the craft behind them reveals expectations in ascertain direction are commonly used throughout The use of the phrase foreshadows young, they assume you know the true skill of the bards composing before failing to satisfy these ex- music. The basic structure of a song the eventual event. nothing”), and heartbreak (“chasin’ these poems. Similarly, by analysing pectations. After hearing this lead is tripartite: setup, build-up, and This use of phrases to derive shadows in the grocery line”). The modern music on these terms, we single, pundits from news outlet climax, often corresponding to the specific meaning can also be seen imagery combines fairy tales (“Peter might reach a new level of appreciaNPR predicted Taylor would play the sections verse-chorus, verse-chorus, in Swift’s music. For example, in losing Wendy”), fashion (“high heels tion for modern artists. victim on the rest of ‘Reputation’. bridge-chorus. ‘Shake It Off’, as basic ‘Hey Stephen’, she sings the line ‘I on cobblestones”, etc.), and broken Image Credit (top-bottom): Eva Upon the release, it became clear the as it may seem, is one of the most can’t help it if you look like an angel families (“leaving like a father”). Rinaldi/CC BY-SA 2.0; Pixabay.

CULTURE

CONTENTS CULCHER

14 | Art as escapism 15 | Reshuffling our thoughts

THE SOURCE

16 | Omoroca, Leah Stein

MUSIC

18 | A night at the Sheldonian

FILM

19 | Back to school: Sex (re)education

BOOKS

20 | Books in translations

STAGE

21 | Review ‘Murder in Argos’

FASHION

22 | Hot off the runway: fashion soc returns to Oxford 23 | In conversation with Yasmin Jones-Henry

COVER ARTIST The Pitt Rivers Museum This week, Cherwell’s Culture section introduces an upcoming collaboration with the Pitt Rivers Museum to highlight the Benin bronzes and their legacy. Issues of labelling, return, and colonial violence are vital to contemporary debates on museums, and the erasing legacy that they both represent and contribute to. Cherwell’s Culture editorial this week explains how the display of these artefacts is a manifestation of colonial violence, as well as highlighting the work of artist Leo Asemota on illuminating the power of these artefacts as representations and methods of interpretation. The PRM has kindly contributed our cover photo, an interior of King’s compound burnt during fire in the siege of Benin City, with three British officers of the Punitive Expedition [from left, Captain C.H.P. Carter 42nd, F.P. Hill, unknown], seated with bronzes laid out in foreground. Accession # 1998.208.15.11 Photographer: Reginald Kerr Granville Date of Photo: 1897 Continent: Africa Geographical Area: West Africa Country: Nigeria Region/Place: Benin City Cultural Group: Edo [Benin] Named Person(s): Captain C. H. P. Carter, F. P. Hill Format: Print black & white Size: 165 x 115 mm Acquisition: Hugh Nevin Nevins ? - Donated?

Escape to the culture-side

Georgia Brown on the art in the pandemic, and the importance of escapism.

here is a certain magic in the escap- the art being produced. Yet interestingly, friends and family, alongside gratitude, I ism that art offers, in our ability many early creations were met with mixed can still feel the discombobulating nature as humans to completely fall into receptions. Love in the Time of Corona, a of what we have experienced worlds and emotions that do not hasty pandemic project released in upon my shoulders. As if I belong to us. Not to be underestimated as August 2020, was particularly atam floating somewhere mindless distraction, there is something tacked by critics. Critic Adrian in the sphere of the powerful in how art permits us to create a Horton remained “sceptical that new normal, not quite “I will speak for different reality to the one we find ourselves there’s anything that can capture grounding my feet. myself in saying in. a period we’re still very much in”, Art allows us to sit in Since the beginning of the pandemic, the which confirms the suspicion that that I am not ready moments like these; it question of how long art can exist as a form people still wished to suspend freezes time and gives to move on just of escapism is something I have ruminated belief for a moment longer. It was, emotions the space to over quite a bit. As the world seemed to quite simply, too soon to see our be felt. It allows us to yet.” spin out of control in the first lockdown, we newsfeeds replicated in the fiction make better sense of ourcannot be blamed for seeking out alternate that we turned to for escape. selves. I would like to catch realities. Some people discovered new creaYet, as we distance ourselves from the my breath. tive outlets, whilst others filled their days past two years, I would argue that there is Whilst I agree that reminders of bleak with consuming art, whether that be art- value in seeing the world around us reflected lockdowns are not in demand, I would like works, films, books, music or TV shows. Our in the art we consume. In her book Funny to see art that reflects the shift in our collecwillingness to become lost in stories Weather: Art in an Emergency, Olivia tive experience and channels our emotions. where words such as lockdown or Laing discusses how art certainly I would like to see art that discusses where pandemic had little meaning cannot solve everything. It we are right now, here, in the aftermath. is unsurprising, and evident cannot provide a concrete an- That offers a light for this messy in-between “As the world in trends from the time. swer, nor can it explain fully stage where everything is yet to fall into seemed to spin out what has happened. It can, place and lets us know that we are not alone. Take the Normal People phenomenon of April however, be reparative for I hope we do begin to see stories of people of control in the 2020. Without detracting the future. It offers a new trying to scramble back into social interacfirst lockdown, we from the show’s deserved way of seeing, opens our tions; university freshers who haven’t had success, arguably the eyes to the alternate pos- normality since they were sixteen, twentycannot be blamed twelve-hour intimate sibilities surrounding us. somethings thrown into the adult world for seeking out exploration of the proThe best art, in her opinion, unexpectedly, people grieving for the time tagonists’ relationship alternate realities.” is “more invested in finding that was lost. resonated so widely due to nourishment than identifying Stories of how love has been changed; the audience’s desperation for, poison”. Whilst art may not allow people who fell into connections immediwell, normality. The show’s emphaus to change what has already hap- ately, people who still can’t seem to shake sis on the significance of physicality and pened, it can provide us with the hope of the distance placed upon them. Tales that touch only played upon people’s longing for what follows. feature the pandemic of course, but at their connection. It was a reminder of the lives I think, most importantly, art allows us to heart are mostly just about people learning and emotional ties that had been paused, a catch our breath. Whilst we are so desper- to live again. respite from our strange new surroundings. ate to rush towards getting back to normal, Escapism will always have its blissful moThis relief could only be offered for so I will speak for myself in saying that I am ments, but there is also a kind of beauty in long, however. It was inevitable that the not ready to move on just yet. As the days the strangeness around us. I hope we don’t new emotions and anxieties would seep into ahead stretch out and are filled with seeing turn away from it.

CULTURE

Reshuffling our thoughts Flora Dyson on the concept of the album in the age of digital music.

unday saw a shock decision by Spotify, which has fundamentally shaped the concept of the album in the digital age. Adele’s new album, 30, can no longer be shuffled as the streaming giant followed the artist’s conviction for her album to be heard as a cohesive, narrative whole. Whilst the loss of a small button may seem inconsequential to many, I believe it intrinsically alters our conceptualisation of the album in an increasingly disparate, modern musical age. Arguably many of the 20th and 21st century’s finest albums act as a musical entity, rather than a collection of disparate songs. Adele’s 30 follows an explanatory narrative as she follows her divorce. The singer says her album, amongst others, “tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended.” Yet Adele is not the first to use her “Sunday saw a album to express shock decision by a narrative. Bruno Mars’ and Silk Spotify, which has Sonic’s recent a l fundamentally bum, An Eveni n g shaped the concept With Silk Sonic, uses funk inspiration of the album in the which is novel i n digital age.” comparison to t h e poppy tone of the rest of Mars’ oeuvre. The f u n k- k i n g Bootsy Collins announces the work in ‘Silk Sonic Intro’ which makes the album appear as if it is a recording of a live performance, conceptualised as a narrative whole and situated in time,. The structure of An Evening With Silk Sonic and 30 hark back to a by-gone age of analogue listening. Music was heard on vinyl, with the needle cutting through tracks in the artist’s intended order. Connections across an album would be recognised by the attentive listener. The Beach Boys’ seminal work, Pet Sounds, transfers melodic

musical material from ‘I Know There’s An Answer’ into ‘Hang On To Your Ego’ which provides reflective threads on the previous angst within the album’s narrative and compliments the contemporaneous technolog y it would be played on as it would allow the listener to “Music listening is recognise a revision of mater ia l within the now based upon its passage of time. reception rather Musicplaying than its artist tech nology has intention.” fundamentally changed our concept of the album and its narrative. Streaming allows us to drag-and-drop our preferred tracks into curatable playlists based on mood or the music’s association in a display of listener agency. Listenership has moved from passively appreciating an artist’s work to reforming it to fit our taste. It is almost as if the album has become a box of chocolates; we pick our favourites and discard the rest. However, the album is not a disposable commodity and is, in most cases, a piece of art with personal to its creator and cultural value to its listener. Do you read a chapter of a novel at random, only to put it down again, or select your favourite objects in a painting? Alas, I thought not. The album, like a painting or a book, should be considered as a whole work. Music-disseminating technology devalued the album to pander to listener preferences in a seismic shift of musical authority. Music listening is now based upon its reception rather than its artist intention. Artists release their albums into the public realm and express their innermost artistic creativity through such mediums. Surely we would be doing them a disservice to reorder and cherry-pick the fruits of their labours?

PITT RIVERS EDITORIAL

On the first floor of the Pitt Rivers Museum, in a corner framed by fire extinguishers is a display case entitled ‘Court Art of Benin’ which holds bronze plaques, sculptures etc., many of which were looted during the 1897 Punitive Expedition of the Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria. The proximity of the fire extinguishers makes all more apparent the scorch marks along the large and elaborately carved ivory tusk, most likely a scar from the military campaign itself, a reminder of the violence that facilitated the entrance of these objects into museums such as the PRM. The debate surrounding the objects looted during the punitive expedition is not new, and has been front and centre in current talks of repatriation and restitution. The scorch marks and tears in the bronzes are not the only marks of violence and displacement in the display case, but the case label itself enacts a type of violence that is much less overt but perhaps more pervasive. As part the Labelling Matters project, the PRM undertook a review of their displays and interpretation. Employing euphemistic language, the Benin case labels effectively take control of narrative by turning it in favour of colonisers. It locates them at the heart of production of knowledge and grants them interpretative agency whilst at the same time silencing, erasing, and invalidating the ways of knowing and understanding of others; also known as epistemicide. The current museum label’s narrative of ‘ambush and retaliation’ is built to obscure the severity of the crimes committed on the side of the British military, and the retaliation mission is presented as a proportional response to this assault, but what is left out is the actual violence, physical and cultural causalities. The label decidedly tells a story that is far more forgiving on the side of the British military. It rationalises and justifies lawless action by crafting a story of cause (ambush) and effect (retaliation). Guided by the hope of beginning to further illuminate the issues of interpretation and ownership surrounding the Benin objects the PRM is collaborating with Nigerian artist Leo Asemota on a commission funded by the Art Fund. The overall collecting project was envisioned to collect contemporary objects that act simultaneously as artefacts and new forms of interpretation by speaking directly to the existing collection. The project with Asemota is an offshoot his Ens Project, which formative and creative impetus are ancient and contemporary Nigeria’s Edo peoples of Benin’s rich tradition of art and ceremony, Victorian Britain’s history of invention, exploration, and conquest in which the sacking and looting of the former Kingdom of Benin is of particular interest. The collaboration with the PRM focuses on the epistemicide that occurs through the displacement and decontextualization of the objects that occurs within the museum’s display. Asemota seeks to provoke thought on this subject by mimicking that displacement by using the same media that was first used to disseminate information and images of the Punitive Expedition, the printed press. On 10 April 1897, the Illustrated London News published an article titled Spoils from Benin, which featured images of objects taken during the expedition accompanied by a dehumanising account of the Edo people. The PRM and Asemota are partnering with Cherwell in 2022, the 125th anniversary of the punitive expedition, to create a special edition of the newspaper. The special edition newspaper project seeks to create that jarring sense of decontextualization as a means to sparking more conversation and understanding around what truly occurs when cultural heritage is taken and withheld without consent. With most Benin court objects stored behind glass cases in European countries the ritual life of these objects had forcefully been stopped. A valuable link was lost as these belongings used to serve as material anchors mediating between people environment and the sacred. The stillness surrounding the objects on display here is no serene silence, it is rather a discomforting quiet that speaks to a history of violence. - Marenka Thompson-Odlum Curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum

The Source Omoroca Leah Stein

THE SOURCE

This week The Source is exploring the theme of Folklore.... Demeter in the Overworld

Cameron Clark

She is a kingdom Pray for my daughter: contained within herself, for Charon’s dipped oars in the obsidian of forgetting: A menagerie of half-formed beasts human-faced, for a girl’s half-expectant face. stampeding against her ribcage, Oceans flowing Once, returning Around cartilage-capped bone, Seagulls’ cries escaping home, you think you catch salt brine lips. a glimpse of her: old god, awash She is a universe, in Winter A supernova caged and diesel smoke In the cavity of her chest, Galaxies pulsing in a high street swarmed Between her fingertips, with greystained voices and grey She, skies infinite coats, wearing her waiting buttoned She is cut apart, to the throat, Halved at the waist, on the other shore Her torso becomes flat skies. Her face, petrified, of the road’s harsh a pale moon hovering, and catalytic sea. phantom, overhead. Some woman's face, you think, Her thighs become earth, dark soil Breasts fall into mountains, Tears fill rivers, one more mother And her breath hovers, fog in winter air. among the press She is a planet, of the street; unremarkable as the missing Pieces of herself scattered Over a world created posters that mar the symmetry In her wake, of brick. A crime scene So you walk She, the evidence. on because the sun He buries the bloody sword That cut her to pieces, is already shallow Buries and forgets, in the sky; you have no Blood seeping beneath time to stop or help or pray. Walked-on ground. He treads heavily Pray, gods. for the mother: On her spine, for the trees crouched uselessly above her, Bruises blossoming green on her flesh. for these last ice-bitten lilies of the valley hanging their heads. He washes his hands clean And forgets her face. He calls her vessel, Calls her sacrificial offering Calls her anything but her name, Anything but kingdom, universe. Why is it always she who must bleed, Who must render herself offering, Conduit of creation? Why is it always she who ends up in pieces? Image credit: Gustav Kilmt’s ‘Hope II’ Stephen Sandoval / CC BY 2.5 Submit your creative writing to The Source at: culturecherwell@gmail.com

THE SOURCE

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MUSIC

PLAYLIST OUR GOODBYE SONGS

For the term’s final print edition, our editors choose their favourite songs that say goodbye

VISIONS OF GIDEON Sufjan Stevens Beth Jenkins

TELL ME IF YOU WANNA GO HOME Keira Knightley Issy Kenney-Herbert

THE END Sibylle Baier Jimmy Brewer

Image Credit: erin/CC BY-SA 2.0 Tony Shrek/CC BY 2.0 Pierre-Jean Crittin/ CC BY 2.0

A Night at the Sheldonian Jimmy Brewer reviews the performance of the Oxford Millenium Orchestra, having attended their concert on Friday night

ast Friday, I went to see Oxford Millennium Orchestra perform their Michaelmas term concert at the Sheldonian. Billed as the headline, with soloist Magdalena Filipczak, was Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. This was supported by Beethoven’s Egmont overture and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3. Out from the November night an easy orange glow invited me into the Sheldonian. I trotted up creaking stairs to the top floor, into the jaws of death – the jaws of death being an archaically unintuitive seating set up. The seats on the upper stalls are just three big steps – if you arrive late, sidling along the upper rows in front of those already seated requires deft footwork and a lot of “excuse me”s. The night began with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. It was a bracing musical introduction, serving its purpose as an overture, with bold themes easily latched upon by the audience. Composed for the 1788 play of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the piece is interesting merely for its connection to two German luminaries. Yet Beethoven’s reputation was not earned by chance; the Egmont overture, with muscular themes and compelling structure, simmers and sweeps and soars. Goethe’s play describes the life of Count Egmont, a heroic sixteenth-century Dutchman who refuses to give up his liberty despite the threat of arrest from the Spanish. The orchestra conveyed this drama and heroism, playing with eager conviction – tense strings and flowing woodwind melodies leapt out under Adrian Adlam’s tight and economic conducting. When Egmont finished, soloist Magdalena Filipczak emerged to healthy applause. The audience would soon discover that this applause was not only rightly deserved, but should have been louder. The Bruch Violin Concerto no. 1 seized the ears from its opening strains. Filipczak played with haunting clarity; the meandering violin melodies sizzled against the orchestra’s deeper texture. The instrument she played that night was of note – dated from the 1720s, crafted by famed luthier Antonia Stradivari. Violins made by Stradivari are considered to be among the finest ever made; only musicians of significant repute will ever have the resources and support to be able to

“It is not for you”: Adele’s Lucas Jones reviews Adele’s deeply honest album, offers reflections on the changes in her career and a response to those his age who criticise and yearn for the days of 21 and 25.

dele’s journey to 30 has been more exciting than most. At 19 years old she was an international bestseller, and by 21 she was one of the leading lights of the global music industry. The power and quality of her voice catapulted her to the forefront of a celebrity culture that Adele has seemed desperate to avoid, for obvious reasons. A genuine cultural icon, she has so many recognisable hits that it would be pointless to list them. The girl who once went to the BRIT school and sung for her friends in a park in West Norwood is now on the cover of Vogue and British Vogue simultaneously, the first person ever to do so. Throughout her career, Adele has combined sheer vocal power with a vulnerability that makes it so easy to love her despite not knowing that much about her.

It is this intoxicating mix that makes her the unrivalled queen of the breakup song (Adele could sing Red, I imagine Taylor wouldn’t fare so well with Hello). Adele’s latest album does away with some of the mystery, favouring stark honesty. 30, in Adele’s own words, is an explanation of her divorce to her son, Angelo, who actually features on one of the tracks. The Adele that sings My Little Love is at a stage of vulnerability, and emotional maturity, that is the culmination of an emotional development that began at 19. The hummed backing calls back to the days of River Lea, but the biting conversation with her child and heart-breaking message about loneliness that she speaks over it is proof, on track three, that this album is less about pride and more about being pulled in a hundred

play one. In incompetent hands, a Stradivarius will sound as dull as a charity-shop violin. It was the skill and vivacity of Filipczak’s playing that brought the concerto to life. Icily capricious runs and howling high notes reflected not just of the virtuosity of a professional but the hunger and earnestness of youth. It was exhilarating to be in the audience and hear this liberating three-way conversation between player, conductor and soloist. It seemed that each member of the orchestra was responding with their very best to Filipczak’s electric lead. The concerto begins with drama; a hushed orchestra swells and softens against the barbed but melodious line of the principal violinist. This moves without break into the second movement, whose singing melody stands out as a highlight of the piece. The third movement buzzes with a dancing, skipping opening theme, returned to throughout, each time with increased vigour and movement. It ends in loud and exuberant style. When the violin concerto finished, the audience broke out into unrestrained applause. Around the room people glowed with the excitement that comes after a great performance. Filipczak bowed, walked off, walked back on, bowed again, and walked off. Then she walked back on again, this time poised to play something more. She announced to the audience that she would play a piece by composer Grażyna Bacewicz – Polish Capriccio for solo violin. Filipczak drew special attention to Bacewicz being female, standing out among an otherwise all-male cast of composers. It is always worth reiterating, for the sake of our own vigilance, the tragedy ubiquitous among the arts that historic representation of nonmale artists remains so poor. The Polish Capriccio, brief as it was, deserves a special mention. Played with all the fire and wit that she gave to the concerto, Filipczak delivered this high-spirited Polish tune convincingly. The audience, perhaps tentative to begin at the prospect of a piece few had heard of, were all applauding unreservedly when it finished. With that, Magdalena Filipczak walked off for the last time. After the interval, the audience came back to hear Schumann’s Symphony No. 3. However, it felt as though some of the energy of the orchestra had walked off along

different directions. This album is not 21 or 25, which were wallto-wall with chart-topping power ballads. This album is more mellow, reflective, and deeply personal. The change certainly isn’t anything to do with her vocals: ITV’s An Audience with Adele proved that she is still one of the strongest singers in modern pop music. Adele has been crystal clear that this isn’t the Chasing Pavements style that Generation Tiktok has fallen in love with; this is music for her generation, for 30-something year olds sitting in a stark, white kitchen in Surrey with a glass of red wine in hand and divorce papers delicately positioned on the counter. Why I feel such a strong connection to that kind of music is a mystery to me, and a pressing question for my boyfriend. Maybe I should get a divorce… The strange thing about Adele is that we never really know what to expect. Her singing is so heartfelt and powerful that it seems strange to see her giggling away with Dawn French as she hosted her ITV audience. All of her live performances have the strange moment where the star sings a bone-shaking last note

with Filipczak. The symphony, grand and rarefied though it is, was simply outshined by the preceding performance. Throughout the symphony’s long five movements, it was a struggle to hear it as anything more than a footnote to what had come before. There were occasional flashes of excitement, but the orchestra seemed lethargic. Whether this was from fatigue after a long concert, or the lack of a unifying soloist, was unclear. After the end, conductor Adrian Adlam, speaking a few words about the music, called the Schumann symphony “the great work of the night”. Wherever this greatness lay, it had not been realised in the Schumann the way it had been in the Bruch. Nevertheless, for an orchestra made up entirely of students, which rehearses only once a week, it was an impressive concert. The evident dedication that each member of the orchestra had put into the music, on top of demanding degrees, is admirable. Adlam had a word or two to say about this; in his closing speech he exalted the students for their crossdisciplinary skill. He seemed particularly enamoured by STEM subjects – presumably the most foreign to a disciple of music – speaking reverently about those studying “physics” or “biomedicine”. It was a touching admission of humility from the conductor, and ended the evening on a tone of good faith. I left satisfied. Image Credit: Diliff/CC BY-SA 3.0

of a song about her heart being broken, takes a breath, and starts jabbering away like she’s your best mate. I imagine those moments will be far more pronounced when she tours with this album, which has everything from a love-song to wine (in what could be the biggest leap forward for music since the invention of the instrument) to heartfelt tunes about coming to terms with her divorce. I have heard some people my age complain that the album hasn’t got the strongest melodies, or isn’t quite as exciting as her previous album. To those I say: it is not for you. If people our age can enjoy the songs, that’s perfect. But sometimes music isn’t for us, even if it’s by our idols. We’ve got 19, 21, and 25 to hear Adele sing about growing up, breaking your heart, and the power of belonging. 30 is another project personal to a stage in her life, and regardless of whether it’s for everyone, it is a simply brilliant listen.

FILM

Back to school: Sex (Re)Education

MUST SEE

Rebecca Walker reviews the third series of the Netflix original streaming sensation .

NEW RELEASE Petite Maman From the director of the exquisite Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Petite Maman is an intimate fairytale and a journey of discovery.

he long-awaited third season of the hit Netflix series Sex Education arrived on our screens in September. And, just like before, it opens with another sexual montage: something viewers of the show are well-versed in by now. It’s in the name. But the sex is not all ‘for show’, so to speak. It tells so much more about teenage worries, desire and relationships, both sexual and platonic. The well-established mix of humour and honesty that Sex Education brings to these themes is a refreshing approach, and enables an exploration of a huge variety of sensitive issues regarding sexuality, as well as more light-hearted everyday adolescent dramas. As it says in the name, Sex Education provides an actual education. Or perhaps, more suitably, a re-education from the less than adequate sex ed classes we had in school and the societal expectations that haunt us. Indeed, so many issues that are pervasive and normalised in society are discussed and broken down. Basically, we just need a teacher like sex therapist Dr. Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson). The series is direct in its address of the problems with school provision of sex education, from Jean taking it upon herself to provide advice in season two, to the students fighting back against the seeming promotion of abstinence by the new headteacher, Hope (Jemima Kirke), in season three. The series manages to be educational on a whole number of matters, whilst avoiding forcing it down the audiences’ throats. It reveals just how much the school sex education system, and, more generally, societal expectations of and views on sex, need to change. In order to create an equitable space for everyone, all must feel comfortable and confident in themselves and their bodies. Let’s just say it. Masturbation. Especially for women, this is a topic often avoided, viewed as something dirty. I remember being in school and girls saying, “urgh, no, I would never do that”. As Otis (Asa Butterfield) points out to Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), “women do tend to feel more shame surrounding masturbation than men. Feeling that it’s sort of taboo … You should probably figure out what works for you, and your body.” The show accurately represents how many women feel about this subject, and yet it actively works to break down these preconceptions. As per usual, it combines a more serious message with a familiar sense of playfulness; Aimee replies “so you’re prescribing a wank?” This point, figuring out “what works for you”, is carried throughout the show. Ironically, whilst Otis advises

others, he also needs to hear this himself. After testing his “clock technique” on Ola (Patricia Allison), he realises he is doing something wrong. He asks for help from a classmate, Ruthie. She says “there’s no magic technique that works for all women … but you shouldn’t be asking me, you should be asking your girlfriend.” Here it is assumed that Ola herself will know what she enjoys, thus implying that she has discovered it. As with Aimee, the show points out the importance of self-discovery and that, yes, it is fine to wank. It’s crazy how innovative it feels for a show to be addressing female pleasure and how important it is to communicate personal preferences. Societal expectations and pressures are part of the problem, and series like Sex Education is one example of fighting against these and encouraging a different outlook for current and future generations. It opens up conversations that perhaps we’ve been too embarrassed or afraid to discuss before, making us question what we’ve been told from a young age. I remember the first sexed class we had in school, in our last year of primary, preparing us for what happens during puberty. Looking back on what we were taught made me angry about the implicit sexism that is perpetuated. We were told that as girls we would have periods and be able to have babies, and told that the boys would wank and have wet dreams. This only continues inequalities in society, when, from a young age, pleasure is an expectation for men and a matter not discussed for women. As a society, we can change this narrative. I personally feel like these matters are becoming a much more open conversation. Just as Jean and Otis show the students at Moordale and then, by the third season, each other, talking about these things is essential. And let’s not even start on the lack of representation of LGBTQ+ relationships in the school education system. In my school, anything other than heterosexuality was never mentioned in class. By refreshing contrast, Sex Education celebrates diversity in sexuality, gender and identity in ways that are often so neglected in school. Of course, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) is an absolute fan-favourite of the series. He is unapologetically himself, and also one of the funniest characters. Yet he is not reduced only to this. He is another complex, multi-layered character, and the exploration of his church community, and, especially in season three, his Nigerian family heritage, creates much more nuance to his identity. Particularly when the representation of queerness on screen is mostly reserved for white characters, it’s

so important to see sexuality not being stereotyped. The series also sees the journey of characters to self-discovery and acceptance of their sexuality. Ola and Adam (Connor Swindells) provide two distinct examples of ‘coming out’ stories; the audience is able to see the series’ different approaches to this. Ola embraces her pansexuality after breaking up with Otis and realising that she has developed feelings for her friend Lily (Tanya Reynolds). Her self-acceptance happens relatively quickly. In contrast, Adam is shown to struggle with coming to terms with an understanding of his sexuality. Sex Education, therefore, depicts a wide range of sexualities, and yet also delves into how people do not always feel entirely comfortable with their identity. Hopefully, more and more representation on screen will help us work towards a culture in which queerness, in all forms, will be celebrated by everyone. Departing from previous seasons, season three sees societal gender constructions explored and also challenged. We are introduced to Cal (Dua Saleh), a non-binary student at Moordale. As a cis woman especially, I feel that this is a hugely important storyline for educating viewers about gender identity. The inclusion of a non-binary character enables the series to expose everyday issues faced by non-binary teenagers, including ignorance from others, especially teachers. Hope, the headteacher, is extremely intolerant to Cal for supposedly not wearing the ‘correct uniform’. Yet for Cal, refusing to wear the ‘correct’ uniform is not merely ignoring the rules (as Hope assumes and punishes Cal for): it is an essential expression of identity. Yet again, this is another aspect of sexuality that has failed to be discussed in school, and often in society more widely too. One of the series’ darker storylines is Aimee’s; she is one of the most lovable characters on the show, but one who has to deal with the impacts of sexual assault. Sex Education approaches the matter with care and empathy. The storyline also demonstrates the power of female friendship - a group of the leading female-identifying characters bond together to support Aimee. Importantly, the series pays attention to not only the event itself, but the aftermath and the effects on Aimee’s mental health, and season three only explores this further. It highlights that trauma is something that can be worked through, providing hope, without downplaying its difficulties. Part of Aimee’s journey to work through the effects

TO STREAM Limbo A favourite of the 2021 London Film Festival, Limbo is an offbeat, lifeaffirming portrait of the refugee experience. Streaming now on MUBI.

CLASSIC Eyes Wide Shut What better way to mark the start of the Christmas period than with Stanley Kubrick’s decadent odyssey of lust and paranoia - oh and it’s set at Christmas.

of the assault involve talking to Jean, who gently reminds her that, “you may never be the old you, Aimee, but that’s okay…And by processing this trauma, you may gain clarity on the event itself and we can move you towards healing the relationship with your body again.” Therefore, beyond being an entertaining, funny series, Sex Education addresses many important topics, including female pleasure, LGBTQ+ identities and sexual assault, amongst others. The different experiences of such a wide range of three-dimensional characters on the show mean that there’s always something relatable, while also teaching viewers about the experiences of others. Sex Education doesn’t create an ideal of what sex, or identity, or relationships should look like, as there is enough diversity to be able to recognise something in everyone. Instead, it proposes: be who you want to be. This is the message that teenagers, and indeed anyone of any age, should be hearing, not the narratives constraining their sexuality and pleasure.

BOOKS

Books in Translations Elena Buccisano explores the growing popularity of books in translation.

ooks in translation have become a literary phenomenon in the last few decades; they have become their own sub-genre of literature as more and more publishing houses recognise the value of translating literature, for both cultural and commercial reasons. It is relatively agreed on that the translation of foreign texts is necessary to spread new information, knowledge, and ideas across the world. The vast majority of authors are now being translated into multiple languages, but the task is fraught with difficulties. Producing a successful translation of a text involves translating not just the words but translating a culture. Languages don’t necessarily map onto each other which raises the question; what constitutes a successful translation? As a student of modern languages, this is a question I spend a lot of my time worrying about —and it is a concern which is at the core of the translating profession. The rise of books in translation is being noted by more and more publishing houses. New research commissioned from Nielsen Book by the Man Booker International Prize indicates that translated fiction in the UK market grew by 5.5 percent [during what period?]. The report sees sales of translated fiction for last year coming in at £20.7 million. These statistics are encouraging as it tells us that the commercial and cultural value of books in translation is being recognised. Although they still constitute a minority of books published each year, the increase in translations indicates an increased appreciation for foreign literature in the British public. Commercially, publishing houses are increasingly realising that there are worlds of foreign literature yet untapped in the British and European markets, and by commissioning translations, they are able to open up entire continents of literature to their readership. Evidently, this has financial benefits for them, but it also has significant cultural benefits for the British literary scene more widely. Indeed, right now translation is more important than ever — for suddenly, foreign literature seems finally to be finding its place in Britain, an island where it has previously struggled to attract substantial numbers of readers. The reasons for this are multiple. Firstly, globalisation is encouraging the British reading public to explore new cultures through the medium of literature. Secondly, Covid-19 has

not only encouraged reading as a pastime, but has led the reading public to search for new and foreign ideas which can be found in untranslated literature. Ann Goldstein, the acclaimed translator of Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, notes in her prefaces the importance of books in translation to writers around the world, promising them a significant increase in readership. Goldstein is best known as the translator of the Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet of novels, which have sold more than a million copies and become somewhat of phenomenon in the genre of foreign literature translation. It is arguably thanks to Goldstein that Ferrante’s books have become so popular in anglophone countries. She herself has shed light on the difficulties of translating literature, of which there are many. The most fundamental challenge is arguably, the cultural challenge. Translating foreign literature is as much about translating connotation as it is about translating language. This is why it is crucial for the translators to be as well versed in the culture as in the language of the text they are confronted with. This cultural challenge can manifest itself in the translation of even singular words. This is because the author of a text carefully chooses the words they use for a particular reason — even singular words are filled with nuance and association which can change the meaning of entire sentences. This challenge is rendered even more difficult for a translator when there are no direct translations or when several options are available and each one has a slightly different nuance. Other significant challenges

include the rendering of culturally-specific expressions, idioms and slang into another language and into a translation which the reader completely understands. These aspects all play into the wider challenge of translating cultural and linguistic contexts — which translators strive to do to the best of their ability. Translators, therefore, are constantly improving their linguistic and cultural knowledge in order to produce more successful translations. The question, what makes a successful translation, is a complex one. But can be reduced to two fundamental aspects; fidelity to the language and fidelity to the context of the foreign text. Fidelity to the language largely means fidelity to the content of the text, style and register. Indeed, a literary translator must be able to command tone, style and inventiveness in order to convey meaning. But, an excellent translation not only communicates content, but also the way in which it is expressed — it takes into account the whole cultural background of a text. In all, the importance of literary translation is immeasurable. Restricting the public readership to only works produced in their spoken language inevitably limits their horizons and their access to new ideas and varied knowledge. Books in translation enable people to understand the wider world more fully. Students are able to understand philosophy, politics and history through the translated works of Sophocles and Homer, writers who are mostly unintelligible to the public unless through a work in translation. In this way, books in translation facilitate the access to knowledge; I could not do my own degree without books in translation. In

the contemporary world, readers are able to enjoy new insights into the different ways of life through recent translations and more people are able to enjoy the creative, fertile and highly imaginative minds of modern foreign authors. Perhaps most importantly, translation is necessary to facilitate cultural familiarity; it is crucial in creating effective and empathetic communication between different cultures. Indeed, translated literature is an essential tool to teaching the new generations about authors, cultures and ideas beyond just that of their own home country. It has been argued by many that our literature curriculums are too Eurocentric, and Anglo-centric — by including more books in translating within school curriculums, students would not only be inspired to reach beyond literature in their spoken language but to learn from the literary techniques, language and concepts of other cultures. I used to be a sceptic of books in translation; I used to question how the nuance of a text in its original language can be translated accurately into a completely different one. But this is the complex challenge faced by literary translators. Although, it is arguable that something is always lost when books are translated into different languages, the importance of carrying out this task and refining the art of translation is becoming increasingly more important – the richness that books in translation are adding to the literary scene is invaluable. Image Credit: Wolf Gang via Flickr, (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Cherwell recommends... Favourite Reads

hilst the old adage goes that you can’t judge a book by its cover, our editorial team firmly believes that you can judge someone by their favourite book. For our final edition, therefore, we’re giving you Through the Language Glass by Guy Deutscher Anna Cowan, Books Editor One of my favourite reads of all time is, perhaps surprisingly, Professor Guy Deutscher’s study of language and translation theory Through the Language Glass (2010). The subtitle of the book perhaps explains best what it’s about, reading ‘why the world looks different in other languages’. Deutscher is an Israeli linguist, holding a fellowship at the University of Manchester and a professorship at the University of Leiden, but despite his towering academic credentials Through the Language Glass is accessible and incredibly

engaging. The text leads the reader through linguistic theory, psychological experiments and close textual analysis to discuss some of the greatest questions in language: is there such a thing as linguistic equivalence between languages? Do different languages shape your perception of the world? What is ‘meaning’? I read Deutscher’s work shortly after George Steiner’s seminal After Babel, which I also considered for my recommendation this week, however Deutscher’s more recent scholarship and deeply enjoyable academic mocking of Steiner’s arguments boosts his work to my number one, not just for his fascinating subject matter, but also for his witty and approachable explanation of complex topics. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Amelia, Deputy Editor Marina is a gothic thriller written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; the Spanish author is most famous for The Shadow of the Wind, but Marina has

become a kind of cult-classic. Set in Barcelona in 1980, the story follows teenager Oscar and the enigmatic Marina, who he meets and falls for in a dilapidated old house lost in the centre of the city’s Gothic Quarter. The two attend a macabre ritual that only takes place every fourth Sunday of the month. They begin trailing the woman at the centre of the ritual, which takes them to some of the most haunting and sinister parts of Barcelona. mysterious and aloof Hopper. It is common in who-dunnit style novels, plot-driven by nature, to spend little time on character development, but Pessl works hard to create a developed and likeable trio of protagonists. Following them as they gradually get closer to Cordova and his secrets is an unforgettable and incredibly entertaining - journey.

STAGE

Review: ‘God of Carnage’ by Yasmina Reza // Blue Moon Theatre Lucie de Gentile reviews Blue Moon Theatre’s ‘God of Carnage’.

o know ourselves, we must know what we will fight for. All four characters in God of Carnage fight against each other – and very rarely reflect upon their own failings. This is a play about how conflict with the outside world clarifies and sharpens our own character through our opposition to others’ points of views. Conflict in God of Carnage is created through two groups of parents’ apparent desire to resolve their children’s fall out. Alain and Annette’s child has hit Véronique and Michelle’s son, breaking two of his teeth. However, despite their initial airs of maturity, the adults soon lose any sense of moderation, and indeed turn themselves into quarrelling children. This play is therefore an intimate descent into savagery. All the actors impressively depicted both polite respectability, and rage – not a mean feat. Michelle (Poddy Wilson) was particularly compelling to watch, showing an authentic range of emotions whilst remaining a grounded character. She was a fire that kept burning brighter and

brighter. Her partner, Véronique (Imogen Front), provided the play’s main energy source, keeping it buoyant. However, there was a lack of palpable tension between her and Michelle – although if the intended effect was to intensify Véronique’s isolation and being stuck in her own space, then this was successfully conveyed. Alain and Annette (Michael Yates & Bella Stock) were a more unified couple, in the way they dressed, moved, and spoke. There was a real sense of unity in how they wished to be seen, and this level of subtle chemistry was noted. They both also had great enunciation which really brought the wit of the script to life. I did however find the transformation of Annette from rather meek, to a prowling aggressor to have been not completely convincing – it would have been satisfying to see Alain lose his temper more. Indeed, it was only Alain who did not become completely neurotic or depressed and, ironically, that was a shame. The Frenchness of the play was very much emphasised – and understandably, because this is the work of the famous

French playwright Yasmina Reza. Firstly, the actors’ efforts at French pronunciation should be applauded. However, I must say that the very accurate translation of French expressions, which tend to be very dramatic, did not quite come off as natural in English. ‘Being desperate’ in French is a much more common expression than when an English person says it – therefore, an already dramatic play was probably over-intensified through its translation. The choice of music – ‘Tout plane pour moi’ at the start of the play – was very good, creating a sense of electricity and movement in the air. On the other hand, I did find the choice of ‘Aux Champs-Elysée’ to finish the play to be rather confusing. I do feel that this sensitivity is completely due to the fact that I am French – and that if one is not looking for accuracy, it is a completely charming depiction. Director Alison Hall has successfully brought to life a play with primal, animalistic emotion, witty dialogue, and charismatic actors. This was a play showcasing people’s true disgust of each other, some witty insults, and a general

sense of civilised chaos, and I would recommend it whole-heartedly.

Review: ‘Murder in Argos’ // Votive Theatre Kaya Gadhia reviews Votive Theatre’s ‘Murder in Argos’.

urder in Argos was staged for the first time by the Votive Theatre Company in the Keble O’Reilly Theatre this fifth week, and was the perfect cure to any form of fifth week blues that I had been feeling. It was not simply the joy of being back in the theatre for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but also the joy of watching student actors who were so passionate about the play and seeing they much they too missed this. As someone who doesn’t study English, and has a self-proclaimed lack of aptitude for understanding classical literature, the thought of watching a Greek tragedy and then having to review it made me apprehensive. I feared that I would not fully understand it or miss some sort of deep profound message. However, the play was set in a modern World War context, making it feel more accessible. Although the modern costume and setting felt slightly stilted at times when juxtaposed with the classical dialogue, it demonstrated the timelessness of the issues discussed in the play and was a unique interpretation. As Murder in Argos was an amalgamation of the plot of The Osteria originally written by Mary Nicholson, the company were successfully able to convey the key aspects of the original work, and all its key messages. The play functions as a commentary on justice and revenge, both starting and ending with a trial – the object of which

becomes clear to the audience as the play progresses. The contemporary context also demonstrates the immutable problems of human nature. By starting and concluding with the same trial that ultimately reaches no real conclusion, it demonstrates that justice and conflicts of justice are universal, and that some are always likely to walk away free. Despite being a classical commentary on war, power and justice, the play has a strong feminist undertone. From being written by a woman in the post-war period, to having a queen as the main character

and displaying open acts of violence in the public sphere against men was refreshing. It was also interesting to see how well translated traditional male roles such as the ‘man with no name’ and Deino the Shopkeeper were onto female actors. This highlighted the timelessness of the piece, and the relevance of its commentary in the present day. Certain members of this eclectic, talented cast shone through. The arrival of Queen Clytemnestra (Rosa Calcraft) dazzled the audience – her strong and regal presence commanded the stage

whenever she was present. This was also complimented by the costume choice of a bright red suit which drew the audience towards her, and when offset with her blood at the end of the play provoked a debate about female power, violence, and revenge. The chemistry and power dynamic between Clytemnestra and her husband Agamemnon (Michael Freeman) also shone through, characterising many of the stronger scenes in the play. Marianne Jones as Cassandra was another stellar addition to the cast, as her powerful monologue about death and the consequences of war had the eyes of the audience glued to her. Murder in Argos was a triumphant start to the year for Votive Theatre and co-directors Jahnavi Bhatia and Helena Aeberli, and I very much look forward to seeing what they do next. Image Credit: Kunal Patel

Hot off the Runway: Fashion Soc Returns to Oxford

FASHION

Dorothy Scarborough in conversation with the Society’s President, Caitlin Campbell

hen Caitlin Campbell entered Oxford in Michaelmas of 2020, she was surprised to learn that fashion society had been out of commission since 2018, but looked forward to re-starting it after lockdown. This term, the second year archaeology and ancient history student at Somerville College has finally been able to bring back a group of like-minded students, all interested in fashion, on a range of levels together for chats, workshops, and lectures. Already this term, the group has had a number of meetings and looks forward to a group-watch of Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci on Friday November 26th at 20:00 at the Odeon St. George Street. Cherwell had the opportunity to speak with Caitlin last week and learn about her motivations in re-starting the group and hopes for its future. Cherwell: Tell me about the club? CC: We have quite a diverse group of members so far, and I really want to keep it that way, people studying different subjects at different colleges. One of us [the committee members] basically sews all her own clothes, so she’s giving a workshop in that, and I’m really interested in sustainability and finding speakers, so I’m working on that. I’m interested in getting people in who are part of the fashion industry - and even outside of the industry, for example, there’s a woman who’s very stylish, but not in fashion, in the environmental industry, whom I would love to hear from -- to talk about the types of jobs they have. For people who are only peripherally interested, we want to show them the different forms a career or interest in fashion might take, be that making your own clothes, attending talks, shopping in moderation, etc. We want to try to get a range of views, for example Oxford grads who are part of the media, environmental activists who aren’t necessarily involved in fashion, but provide interesting perspectives, entrepreneurs in the fashion space. C: What do you think is fashion’s perception at the university, and how might it have changed in the last few years? CC: I think fashion has a positive perception throughout the university. A lot of people are quite creative and quite individualistic, but of course not everyone shows that through fashion, but I think it’s a way for people to show who they are, showing a bit of flare or creativity. Where the perception is negative is in the environment as people are concerned that fashion isn’t really sustainable, though I do think that people are working towards interesting solutions for it. C: Why might someone join fashion society, rather than, for example join the fashion journalism team at Cherwell, The Student or Industry? CC: I think there’s just a wider range of angles covered within fashion; if you’re not interested at all in fashion journalism, or just putting things out there yourself - if you’re just interested in listening or learning something new - please come along. I’ve had people come up to me and say that they’re interested but not sure if they’re fashionable enough - but I want to emphasize that everyone is welcome. We also want to encourage people with all fashion backgrounds to come along: you can come to every event or just one.

The fashion society’s committee members

Building a Sustainable Wardrobe Madi Hopper on superficial sustainability and the power of mending in fashion

ustainability – or at least the surface-level semblance of it – is undoubtedly one of the hottest recent trends amongst the entire spectrum of fashion brands. With everyone from well-established designers like Vivienne Westwood to fast-fashion juggernauts like H&M releasing collections marketed as eco-friendly, the environmental crisis has never been so fashionable. As good as it may seem at first glance – sustainable collections must be better than nothing at all, right? – there is one slight issue. Encouraging genuinely sustainable shopping habits is totally, fundamentally incompatible with the business model of most of these brands. The way a large majority of these businesses are run is with the intention of increasing profits exponentially, year on year – which naturally means getting customers to increase their spending in the same way, by encouraging a mentality of ever-growing consumption. The trouble with even so-called sustainable collections is just that – they’re only collections, released in response to the trend of environmental awareness, and also often only being produced on top of all the regular lines – actively increasing the brand’s pollution and carbon emissions, as well as the over-saturation of the fashion market, all in the name of eco-friendliness. The true purpose of greenwashed collections is to encourage you to buy yet more clothes you probably don’t really need, only this time with the added incentive of ostensibly doing your bit for the environment – and you have to hand it to them, the moral high ground is one hell of

a gimmick. So, how can you make your wardrobe more sustainable, in a way that doesn’t play into the fast-fashion cycle? Second-hand shopping, which has also become very popular in the last few years, has been vaunted as the best option, which makes sense, as the clothes already exist, so you’re not actively engaging with the environmental havoc of production or giving the companies your money. Trouble is, if you’re buying a lot of clothes – vintage, resale, charity shop – more out of want than need, you’re still falling foul of the speed of consumption perpetuated by the fast fashion cycle. The best way of shopping sustainably? Not to shop at all. Now, this is obviously a bit of a pipe dream for most of us – after all, we live in a society where ‘shopping’ is something a lot of us do for fun – but one of the easiest ways to do it is by getting in touch with your inner rationing-era housewife. The best way of all you can make your wardrobe more sustainable is by getting proper wear out of your clothes. And the best way to do that (and the point of this piece)? Mending. We all know by now that buying tops or trousers to wear once or twice and then chuck is a bit iffy, but what if it’s torn, or the sleeve has come off? This, too, is often a result of the demands of the fast-fashion industry, as in order to cut corners and keep prices down the quality of materials and construction becomes dodgier and dodgier – you get what you pay for, which is why it can be so tempting to simply bin and buy again. In order to break this toxic cycle, where clothes aren’t assumed either

by the customer or the manufacturer to be made to last, it’s impossible to understate the importance of mending. Not only does it save you money – a needle and thread are (at least before the PLT Black Friday sales kick off) less expensive than a replacement – but it also allows you to push back against the mayfly lifespan of the average item of clothing. If, like me, you are accident-prone, perpetually broke or both, the ability to fix your clothes when they break is a total godsend – if the warm fuzzy glow of eco-conscience doesn’t float your boat, the other major benefit is that mending really can wind up saving you a fair amount of money. One of the easiest ways to get started is with your socks – perhaps the humblest item of clothing, and one a lot of people see as almost disposable by function – bought, worn into holes and replaced, and even with the heightened awareness of the impact of clothing waste, often seen as a guilt-free disposable. Subject to the most universal wear and tear – and also the only item which you expect to bin because it’s broken. Unlike, say, a jacket, socks aren’t generally on display to the world at large, meaning they aren’t liable to fall in and out of style as rapidly – if at all – as other, more visible items, and are also under enough stress from the friction of walking (and of being inside a shoe) that they’re the last remaining item of clothing which your average person is likely to wear until it can no longer serve its function. This lifespan, though, can very easily be extended, but the idea of darning your own socks likely seems just as dated, and probably about as appetizing – after all, there’s a reason we’re all still using paper tissues. The thing is, though, darning your socks is actually remarkably simple – and if you catch the hole while it’s small, very fast. In fact, for as far back as people wore woollen hose they were able to pull off a nosew mend by simply slipping a piece of carded wool into their shoes and allowing the moisture and friction generated by a day’s work to felt hose and patch together; if for some reason you happen to have both pure wool socks and access to carded wool this is doubtless worth a shot. And for the rest of your clothes? Well, the beauty of mending is it allows you to rethink your relationship to them – and small fixes, like closing rips, taking up a fraying hem, or even just being bothered to sew on a button, are remarkably easy – and can be done whilst sitting with friends, or watching Netflix, so you don’t even have to build extra time in to do it. The best thing about small repairs like these is also that they are very easily done by hand –really, probably easier than they would be on a sewing machine – so you can get mending in even the tiniest shack of student accommodation. It can really have a proper impact on the way you think about clothes and their disposability – once you’ve invested even the smallest helping of time and effort into a bit of clothing, you’ll be reluctant to let it go. At the end of the day, a small effort can add longevity to your wardrobe, save you a few quid and (if you look up a darning tutorial on YouTube – there’s loads!) give you the boost of knowing your feet are doing their bit for the environment. Make mending the newest addition to your wardrobe: there is no better way to truly get in touch with your clothes.

FASHION

In Conversation with Yasmin Jones-Henry

Dorothy Scarborough speaks with the prominent fashion journalist and activist

ast week, I had the opportunity to interview Yasmin Jones-Henry, fashion journalism pioneer, founder of the movement Workinfashion.me, and former Financial Times editor about her work in the changing fashion industry. Cherwell: You started your career studying Classics and English, rather than more traditional routes of fashion or journalism. How do you think that your choices of subject affected your career, and though you grew up around the fashion world, how do you think that you used your subjects and time at university to enter the industry? Y J-H: While I was at university I was a features writer for Redbrick (University of Birmingham's award winning student paper) at the time (2010-2013) - in the wake of the rise in student fees, Tory cuts to the arts - it was actually quite a fast pace moving place to work - copy deadlines, word counts and social responses were all part and parcel of the task, which was good preparation for my future career writing for Guardian Opinion and the FT. Aside from that, the subjects themselves Classics and English Literature - gave me depth and breadth to write across a vast range of topics. Economics traces its roots in philosophy (Oikonomia - by Xenophon), politics, rhetoric and art. Fashion has its roots in all of the above, so while I didn't do a BA or an MA in a fashion related course in my capacity to communicate the message behind a composition or the aesthetic - for me, that joint honours degree was the best training I could have hoped for.

Image credit: Unsplash

state, no student fees, no student debt it came to conversion rates in sales but then voted in a Labour govand brand development. That ernment subsequently that inplatform has its virtues and its troduced student fees, then but social media was “The generational vices voted in a Conservative never designed to be a onedivides are government that trebled stop shop for career develthose fees while making opment. economic - but cuts on public spending socially, they are "Where do I think we thus opening the gaping artificial, we’re divide in economic powshould be looking next?" still fighting the - away from social media is er and asset ownership we now see between their genmy answer. My career prosame war.” eration and that of their chilgression accelerated when I dren. invested more of my time nurWith regards to @workinfashion. turing professional relationships me, I'm a firm believer of creating the world and friendships - in real life. A meaningful you want to see. My first 3 jobs were horrif- phonecall has a much longer lasting impact ic, - aged 22, working in advertising on the than a DM. I believe people are at their core sales floor - I cannot begin to tell you the fundamentally kind and want to share - but horrors I saw when I entered the workforce. not all of it belongs on social media... We There was a marked hostility towards Mil- miss out on a lot of #IRL knowledge trying lennials - we were seen as a threat, usurpers to build our lives in the metaverse. There's - with very little mentoring or support. been a lot of talk about "lessons learned from Lockdown" - but I think digital fatigue @workinfashion.me was borne out of a de- - and yearning for community - has been sire to break down those generational bar- the most visible of them all. riers, as I'm a firm believer in intersectional collaboration. The generational divides are economic - but socially, they are artificial, we're still fighting the same war against racism, gender discrimination and discrimination against class - being divided won't get us anywhere. C: You have said that "hope saved your life." What in fashion is giving you reason to hope today? What are you most concerned about?

Y J-H: In fashion - the thing that gives me C: You have written in the past about how the most hope - is seeing the innovation the worldliness of millennials has made that hope brings. Designers - particularly you desirous to open the industry in work- the #NextGen designers have reinvigoratinfashion.me and #wedress, #wework, ed the industry by utterly removing them#wewin. How do you see the generationselves from the old ways of working al divide, particularly in fashion, as around take, make waste. These gen-z enters the space? Is there new creative entrepreneurs anything you feel that you sudby pioneers such “I think the first inspired denly don't understand, or as Katherine Hamnett and that you feel our generation Christopher Raeburn thing I would should be working towards? have entered the market say to that is with a circular economy Y J-H: I think the first thing Millennials are focused business model. I would say to that is MilSeeing them using their lennials are only just getting only just getting creative power to design started. The industry has a high real time solutions to our enstarted.” turnover of churn and burn - both vironmental and social probin terms of how it treats its employlems - that gives me hope! ees - and also in terms of how it sees the consumer. As a demographic - Millenni- C: You have also talked about carving a als (born 1980-1996) are quite an eclectic space or niche as fashion professionals culbunch - for those, like me - who are not yet tivate brands and careers; however, social 30 - we share more in common with Gen media has arguably become oversaturated. Z than is widely communicated. The older Do you agree? If so, where do you think we millennials are homeowners, starting fami- should be looking next? lies, earning a salary that affords the acquisition of assets, while the younger Millen- Y J-H: I think there are pros and cons to nials - share the title of "generation rent" every social media platform that manifests. with the approaching Gen Z market. As Gen The reality is, the algorithms can only do Z enters the market there will inevitably be so much. Nothing beats human connecsome overlap and a blurring between the tions and those connections can happen generational lines. in analogue or in the digital space. What I think the generational divide between the is missing - is the bespoke. Platforms like "Boomers" - those born post war vs the mil- Instagram were not designed to connect lennials and Gen Z, offers a much more dis- creatives with capital, or mentorship. It's tinct contrast. The post-war generation had previous reliance on "likes" has since provfree education, a fully resourced welfare en to be the Emperor's New Clothes - when

Image credit: Yasmin Henry-Jones

LIFE

Bouncer’s rejection. It’s not you. It’s him. Maddy Belluci recounts her experience with bouncers on her year abroad.

Just a quick disclaimer that this is definitely in no way based on any personal, ego-related trauma or inner wound from a recent real event. I simply just wish to provide some hypothetical guidance to those who may have gone through this randomlyimagined humiliating situation. Not that I know what this must feel like or anything, but when a French bald 6,4ft man with the arms the size of two bouncy castles looks you up and down and in front of about 500 people tells you that you are an underserving speck of insignificant scum who should never leave their house again and should never have left in the first place (not in so many words maybe, but a look can convey potent sentiments, trust) it must not be the crème de la crèmiest feeling on planet Earth. (I can only imagine of course). So, here is the purely hypothetical situation at hand: It’s Halloween. You’ve queued for the club for an hour and a half, and you are getting your ticket ready while your friends in front of you go in. It takes about half a second longer for you to yank that little unrelenting piece of paper out of your unnecessarily packed wallet, but finally there it is. You hand it over, having made the bouncer wait half a second longer. He, him, the man, the total stranger in front of you gives you a look (the look, communicative of potent sentiments previously detailed), shakes his brick head in quasi-imperceptible movement and that’s that. Finito. Your fate has been decided. You are not going to give the crying drunk girl in the toilet fake consoling

compliments. It’s ciao ciao connected to a stranger through latest he’d know red and pink are babycakes. And you have only mutual identification of a sudden a deeply sophisticated mix). Just a two choices here: to start sobbing disagreeable stench permeating pearls before swine situation. uncontrollably like an 8-yearfrom the man that just walked 3) You look like his exold whose Nintendo has been in) there is no way you and girlfriend: Not much to say confiscated for the evening, or robot-faced bouncer man have here. His out-of-his-league hot to simply stoically accept that 3 communicated mentally on any girlfriend cheated on him with his hours of your time and 3 ounces of your nearly-finished foundation level. So, this is clearly very much best friend and that is not your and now-substanceless Chloe a him problem. fault. Nor is the resultant blend perfume (& 3 stomach-defeating Here are the only four possible of your parent’s chromosomes. vodka shots) were all in vain. explanations for the rejection: 4) He is gay: Just like Leo in Pour rien. But can you imagine the year above was unfortunately sobbing uncontrollably like a definitely gay because he didn’t Ninento-ridden child in front get with you at Ella’s house A l l of 500 people? Christ. Could party, similar case here. never be me… jokes aside, it was And as much as you However, I urge you to may have sexualitynot be superficial in disgusting to leave a drunken girl transcending sextaking the rejection appeal, it can’t work at face value. Just like in a skimpy outfit outside on her on everyone. the boy in school who own and let all of her friends used to kick you in the Listen, I know it’s shins definitely had a lifegutting. Especially when go in. consuming crush on you, the you’ve just listened to a droid-faced bouncer standing in 50-minute positivity podcast the way of you and your alcoholic about not comparing yourself sweaty mosh pit-induced dreams to others and being happy in must be hiding a secret form of 1) (The obvious one) He your own skin. A bit difficult to infatuation. Hear me out. Your has a sudden love-at-first-sight trust you though, Ms Positivity figure is looking the best it ever crush: You are his exact type. Adrienne, after watching all has and your dress is hugging it Everything he’s ever wanted. So your fellow Brats Dolls strut like they’re two reunited BFFs you’re distracting him and he towards their sweaty mosh pit who have not seen each other in already needed the toilet but now dreams and being denied the over four years. Your eyes are so because of you he’s literally about same strut. Unfortunately, you foxy and lifted that aliens would to wet himself. cannot control what human be jealous and your lips are a 2) He is colour blind: This (pri*k) was plopped in front of shinier than the Eiffel tower in would make a lot of sense. Your you at that very moment. You the rain. So, you have definitely blue Brats Doll Halloween wig can, however, control whether or not been rejected on the basis of isn’t resonating as to him it is red, not you will choose to emit the your appearance. And as much and because your dress is pink he mousy squeaky voice of despair as I do think that sometimes does not enjoy the pink and red (which exists somewhere within one can engage in some form outfit clash (although, if he were us all, alongside the Karen). And of telepathic communication to get up to scratch with Vogue’s as much as I understand (and (like on the metro, when you are

validate) the urge to let him know you hope he gets a papercut in between his fingers and a truck doesn’t fully run him over but just his toes, we must supress our inner squeaky Ninento-ridden voice. Especially when there are 500-odd spectators. All jokes aside, it was disgusting to leave a drunken girl in a skimpy outfit outside on her own and let all of her friends in. I’d go as far as to say slightly sadistic. A perverse power trip. But here are 2 reasons I thank him: 1) Just like I learnt from my awful ex, and would actually relive that relationship just for the colossal subsequent glow-up that ensued, I thank Bouncer for prompting an imminent new one. (Still waiting). 2) I will never have a boring shower again. (They were getting quite mundane). Now each one is a new exhilarating opportunity to perform an (increasingly aggressive and improving) monologue. Funny how uncanny the resemblance between a human and a motionless shower tap can be. But ultimately, I wouldn’t stress too much because the French word for bouncer is “videur”, which means “emptier”, so it is literally his job title to extract the gems from the garbage. You are the gems.

LIFE

Ryan Fincham Third Year Pembroke

Isobel Sanders Fourth Year Merton

Cherpse

How were you feeling before the date? Slightly nervous since I haven’t done a blind date for a while, but excited to meet someone new. First impressions? Izzy was really bubbly and we got along well. Did it meet up to your expectations? Yes! It was a fun evening and we had lots to talk about.

How were you feeling before the date? Fine! I’m generally quite a relaxed person (if it’s awful, at least you have a funny story to tell friends later...)

Isobel and Ryan spice First impressions? Well, I didn’t have my glasses so my first impressions are a bit blurry, up their sixth week with but he seemed nice and easy to talk to. a blind date ..... Did it meet up to your expectations?

‘Expectations’ is a funny word! I thought that maybe this kind of thing would attract weird people but was absolutely not the case.

What was the highlight? Some deep conversations about the perceived pretentiousness and exclusivity of poetry, and how it leads aspiring poets to doubt their own work.

What was the highlight? We had a lovely chat about cooking (shared passion) and literature

What was the most embarrassing moment? Sharing my most embarrassing Zoom virtual interview moment (which I won’t re-share in Cherwell). Describe the date in 3 words: relaxed, fun, profound

What was the most embarrassing moment? It was a bit embarassing at the start - turns out I’d messaged him about something two years ago, but hey it’s a small world.

” ‘Expectations’ is a funny word. I thought that this kind of thing would attract weird people, but that was absolutley not the case.”

Is a second date on the cards? Maybe, we will see!

Describe the date in 3 words: Calm, interesting, nostalgia Is a second date on the cards? I had a really lovely time and would get another tea some time but probably not as a date.

Horoscopes...

LEO 23 July - 22 August So you’ve been ill all term from the fresher’s flu that never ends, just like everyone else. On the verge of buying Boots out of Lemsip, you’ve finally found yourself with clear sinuses and the ability to breathe. Hurray! Time to go out and celebrate – they say health is wealth, so now you can actually afford the ridiculously inflated Parkend ticket price.

TAURUS 20 April - 20 May

ARIES 21 March- 19 April Your lucky colour this week is red. Textbook for your essay has red on the cover? 76% here we come. See someone wearing red in Bridge? Who knows where that get with could lead. Pret sign has red in it? Lucky you, coffee time. Keep an eye out and follow the signs (unless they are red flags).

LIBRA

So the ‘new year, new you’ philosophy at the start of term didn’t work out – don’t worry! January is fast approaching with the opportunity for you to decide to go to the gym/ read more books/learn the guitar again, but maybe this time try not to set such unrealistic goals (no, you can’t do all 3 simultaneously).

SCORPIO 23 Oct - 21 Nov As the weather gets even colder, you’ll hit your fashion element. Finally you can get out all those cosy, cosy jumpers and revel in layers of warm wool. No jumper is too thick, no scarf too long. Dare to dream.

23 Sept - 22 Oct Wondering why you never have any free time? mysterious ache in your thumb muscles? Take a look at your screen time from this term, and then a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror.

SAGITTARIUS 22 Nov - 21 Dec Take on this week knowing that you’re a great person. Things you’re particularly good at include unnecessary tequila shots in your college bar, drinking games involving ping pong balls, and choosing the right emoji reaction on Facebook messenger. Keep killing it queen.

GEMINI 21 May- 20 June They say everyone has 7 clones in the world – this week is the opportunity for you to find your spiritual twin. You may find this easier a few drinks in, especially in the girls’ bathroom at a club, as this is where all platonic soulmates can be found. (The editors do not endorse entering the girls’ bathroom if you identify as male, that is creepy).

CANCER 21 June - 22 July Your friendship group’s Secret Santa will reveal a secret unrequited love affair… they’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you and decided the best way to do it would be with a £5-£10 gift!

CAPRICORN 22 Dec - 19 Jan Decisions, decisions. You’ve been good at those recently, so keep it up. Make that Secret Santa shopping efficient. Make up your mind about whether you really want to apply for a DPhil or just like the idea of being called Dr. Self-direction is your best friend.

VIRGO 23 August - 22 Sept Hey hot stuff, someone’s been on fire this week and they know it! Your wisdom for the week is to remember everything in life is just as much about the journey as the destination, unless the journey is on the Oxford Tube.

PISCES AQUARIUS 20 Jan - 18 Feb You’re an Aquarius, which means the stars think you should open an aquarium. What better place to do that than Oxford? Put on your entrepreneur hat and buy some fish – it can’t be that hard.

19 Feb - 20 March You’ve been saying ‘third year starts in January’ all term, but now you’re starting to realise this might have screwed you for work big time. Now is your chance to knuckle down, so please God get on with it. When your housemates start to agree with your mother about your work ethic, this is a sign from the universe to start acting like you’re actually doing a degree.

LIFE

A lesson on Parting Words of Wisdom western beauty, RUSTY KATE! and my place within it *WARNING* This is a mildly comedic column written by a drag queen agony aunt. It is not for the faint hearted, and contains sensitive topics which may cause distress to some readers.

Kaya Gadhia discusses western beauty standards, and fitting in.

’ve always considered myself to have a volatile connection to my cultural identity, being of Indian heritage but growing up in North London. I consistently rejected any acknowledgement of my cultural identity, refusing to learn the local dialect spoken by my family and insisting on wearing jeans to family events knowing I would be the odd one out. I could have lied and said my lack of connection to India came from the fact I only visited for the first time in 2020, but it really stems from my refusal to accept the fact that I was neither white, nor British. I had been taught that white was better and more desirable, a sadly common belief by many women of colour who have been socialised into Eurocentric beauty standards. My personal gripe with western and Eurocentric beauty standards is not new, as many girls before me and of my generation have become acutely aware of the fact that beauty is truly in the eye of the coloniser and that conventional beauty is inextricably linked to a culture of racism, capitalism, and colonial attitudes. Women of colour deviate from the ‘norm’ and are faced with the reality that they will never be enough and never have been. Our unique cultural features are ugly and undesirable, and we are forced into a constant and ultimately unwinnable battle to change themselves into a whiter, more palatable version of themselves. In The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf argues that beauty standards are a fundamental part of the patriarchal superstructure that keep women in a subordinate position to men. She says that conventional beauty has been used as a ‘political weapon against women’s advancement’ Women, and women of colour in particular are the perfect target for an industry that preys on entirely manufactured insecurities, keeping us both consuming and consumed by an impossible narrative. Eurocentric perfection is sold in many different formats, from contour sticks to straighteners to detox juices. It creates a vicious cycle in showing us that there is always more that we can be doing to achieve perfection. The beauty industry sells what they think we want, and the more we spend the more we are obligated to believe

Your favourite IBS-ridden drag-ony aunt has been giving you life advice all term. Like Nanny McPhee, Aunt Rusty has been here to help with your pillow talk problems, insecurity issues, and debaucherous debacles. She’s been dishing out important life advice five hundred words at a time; all because if you lot end up in the Warneford, no one will come to her shows. You’ve been guaranteed complete anonymity, unless she needed to use your trauma for blackmailing. Happens shockingly often. When you need her but do not want her, she shall be there; but when you want her but do not need her, she will be elbow deep in your father. Go back to your therapist – I know it’s above her paygrade, but she needs something to kill the time.

it. And so, the cycle continues. Even campaigns that vow to ‘break the mould’ and champion body positivity and cultural pride fall victim to this narrative. The excessive use of words like ‘empowerment’ or focussing on ‘self-love’ becomes patronising to the consumer and implies that they have failed to achieve what is expected of them and forces them to settle for what they have. For years I fell victim to these ideals. I would contour my face and curl my eyelashes and straighten my hair until it was damaged beyond repair. I thought it would make me prettier. I was told to stay out of the sun out of the fear of becoming too dark, and I never questioned why. The idea of a ‘beauty standard’ is in itself problematic and oxymoronic. It seems impossible to me to quantify something as subjective as beauty, transforming it into a scale of unattainable perfection. I am still in the process of Flapjack, a beauty from the far unlearning my old patterns. Removing my subconscious north of St. Hugh’s, frolicks on association of Western and European to beautiful will the quad grass... involve uprooting everything that I believed to be true for so long. I often catch myself falling into old attitudes of wanting to be considered as conventionally attractive as possible and believing that the only way I could do so would be to reduce any aspects of myself that made me appear different or resembled my ethnic identity. In new social situations, I found myself actively ignoring or diminishing my Asian features in favour of being seen as more palatable and ultimately desirable, to the point where I olaris shines bright in was labelled ‘the whitest girl in the cold November skies An inside look at the the room’ during a drinking game tonight. Since the Tobacwith university friends. Oxford Union co Dispenser dispensed These attitudes are far too with pleasantries and made common, and I am painfully aware their move for the Presidency of the fact that I am not alone. its become harder to picture But, by recognising and raising awareness of the toxicity of these The Cameraman on the throne. beauty standards we will be able John Evelyn can only hope that to begin to dismantle them. This he isn’t blown out as hard as his recognition must come from 26 candles. We fear, however, both women of colour who fall that Mr Weasley might wave his victim to these ideals, and white wand wand and inspire a greater women who actively benefit and connection than our dear slates. participate in their perpetuation Like most election juice, in order to find security the real pulp comes from the in the superstructure. ‘Self-acceptance’ and eclectic standing fruits. Whist ‘self-love’ will always some are banking on the cloisseem patronising if we ters, others have taken to the do not create a new Great Lakes of Oxford, fishing narrative of beauty for votes (with nearly as much that is not tarnished zeal as the hunt for Mr Last by the unrealistic and Minute Revealed). For the first falsely manufactured time since the wrath of Jupiter Jupiter, Mansfield finds itself a

College Pet of the Week

John Evelyn

key battleground state. Whilst the Swiss Delight has ventured into the Garden of Eden for the majority of her votes, her main rival is looking to moot his way out of mute to deliver victory. A second unexpected swing state is Orange County, on the continent. The title of the Flying Dutchman is up for grabs, and either candidate will use any means of transport, bicycles, canals etc. to cart their votes to Frewin Court. Last but certainly not least, the Birthday Enthusiast is taking to centre court. Whilst usually tight lipped, John Evelyn would like to advise him to avoid a cheeky drink before he takes serve, to avoid any further faux pas’ to the press. Sleep tight tonight dear members. Oxmas day is finally here and our Genesis Santa is here to deliver the goods.

FOOD

There’s always time for a cocktail Katerina Lygaki on the joys and complexities of making cocktails at University.

enjoying them. hat is a cocktail? Despite the And so, I ask again, what is a cocktail? countless hours I’ve poured According to my trusty OED, the word over this question, the answer ‘cocktail’ is used to note any alcoholic still eludes me. Is my vodka, cranberry and pineapple juice concussion mixed drink, but it originally designated considered a cocktail? Is my orange juice a specific drink made of a spirit, bitters, and Fanta mixture a mocktail? Of course water, and sugar. The first recorded use of the word was in 1750, and it was only by not! But where does one draw the line? The politics behind cocktail and the 20th century that the word evolved to mocktail-making will remain a include all fruity and boozy creations. point of contention for eons First of all, the first cocktail to come. For me personsounds a bit disgusting. ally, they will forever be “There is no clear-cut And by a bit disgusting, riddling me every time I mean utterly upsetting. I mix any sort of fruity recipe...anything could Where is the juice? Where drink together. In the is the funk? Where is process of thinking be a cocktail as long as everything I love about a Pornstar Martini? Secabout my angle for this article, I decided it has a snazzy name ond of all, why was 1750 to go where no man such an important age for has gone before, and and an even snazzier the history of alcoholic explore the pressing isdrinks? Third of all, why sues behind the cocktail does this definition leave taste.” in a frantic attempt to me more confused than end my cocktail-induced before? I want to move on anxiety. By understanding the with my life, trust me, but these quesmechanics behind these deliciously aptions haunt my dreams. petising drinks, I seek to master the art of And don’t even get me started on the

Culinary controversy at COP26 Katie Schutte interrogates the climate conference’s supposedly eco-friendly menu.

OP26, the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, provided catering that prioritises locally sourced and seasonal food “to minimise mileage for transportation and support[ing] local business”. What made this menu radical, however, was the carbon count of the dishes. Each meal on the COP26 menu was accompanied by a figure that estimated the amount of carbon dioxide that has been emitted in its production, which aimed to encourage delegates to make more climate-friendly choices. “By including climate labels on our menus, we aim to make it easier to achieve this goal — together.” Faced with the option of carrot and thyme soup with an emission of 0.1kg of CO2, or a Scottish beef burger and cheddar cheese at 3.4kg of CO2, which

would you choose? 95% of the food served at the conference was sourced from the UK, 80% of which is from Scotland. This local and seasonal produce, the government asserts, “put[s] sustainability at the heart of catering for the summit, reducing emissions and promoting environment-friendly food production”. But there are also other aspects to consider beyond CO2 emissions: the carrots and potatoes were sourced from Benzies, a Scottish farming company that powers their cool storage using wind turbines, uses biomass to provide heating, and recycles the water used. Not everyone agreed with the carbon footprint labels, however. Reading a sample of news headlines is enough to gauge the divided opinions this menu has sparked. Even within the same news

etymology of ‘mocktail’— its definition is so allusive it might as well not even exist. According to the OED, ‘mocktail’ denotes ‘a blended non-alcoholic drink consisting of a mixture of fruit juices, etc’ and its first recorded use was in 1936. I don’t even know where to begin. So any sort of juice mixture can be considered a mocktail? My accidental spillage of my tutti fruitti juice into my orange juice the other day was my subconscious attempt at bartending? No, OED, it wasn’t. Also, what does the ‘etc.’ imply? Which avenues is it opening the definition of ‘mocktail’ towards? I am so confused. Due to these inconclusive findings, I turn to my personal experience for answers. My experience with cocktails at bars has been a pretty traditional one. I read the menu, order the jazziest sounding drink, and have an allaround great time. However, my experience at home has been nothing but chaotic. The last time I attempted to make a cocktail for friends was during my Freshers’ week last year, where I ended up serving everyone some very tomato-forward Bloody Mary’s with a fishy aftertaste. Needless to say. my drinks were not received very well. Since then, I’ve tried my best to grow as a mixologist. I’ve spent the last term working my college’s bar and can honestly say I’ve mastered the art of making a Pink Sun-

rise and a virgin Piña Colada. I say this to inspire, not flex, I swear. If anything, my experiences in the college bar world have helped me come to terms with the fact that I don’t know what constitutes a cocktail. There is no specific recipe, no ratios, no clear-cut combination to limit any cocktail within an understandable scope. Anything could be a cocktail as long as it has a snazzy name and an even snazzier taste. What I’ve concluded from this whole experience is that I may never get answers to my cocktail-related questions. But that’s okay. It has to be okay… But no worries, I shall not leave you confused and empty-handed. Despite all the puzzling points I’ve raised today, which I’m sure will keep you up at night for months to come, I’ve found a blog that will dissolve all of your cocktail/mocktail anxieties. Nat from MindfulMocktail has created some seriously impressive mocktail recipes that will not only cure your fifth week blues, but that are also easily turned boozy by splashing a shot or two of your favourite spirit in them. After a divine intervention in my research that led me to discover her site, I indulged in her magnificent recipes and even signed up for my free e-book. And with this wisdom, which speaks for itself, I shall leave you all to explore the world of cocktails and mocktails on your own. Let the wild adventure begin.

outlet, one journalist frames the menu as ‘pioneering’ whilst another quotes animal right group Animal Rebellion, criticising the menu for including meat and dairy at all. The media’s alternate praise and criticism reflects the tension that surrounds attitudes to diet, as discussions about the sustainability of foods like meat and dairy can become emotionally charged very quickly. As more and more platforms discuss the ethical and environmental implications of food production, people have become more sensitive and defensive about their personal choices. The main rebuke that the government has received for its COP26 menu is that only 42% of the dishes are plant-based. If the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says that we should be eating meals that produce less than 0.5kg of CO2 to reach the Paris Agreement goals, then why would the menu include dishes like Haggis, which is labelled as producing 3.4kg of CO2? Perhaps, it was an attempt to highlight the contrast between the emissions of plant versus animal-based meals. This would certainly challenge people’s conscience, making them think about the impact of the

food they eat and possibly even to reconsider their diet. But many environmental activists argue these high emission meals undermine the government’s promise to place sustainability at the heart of the conference. Critics like Joel Scott-Halkes, a spokesperson for the campaign group Animal Rebellion, have accused the government of hypocrisy for hosting a climate conference that serves animal products: “Meat and fish on the menu at #COP26 ?! This is the equivalent of serving cigarettes at a lung cancer conference. Only when governments grasp animal agriculture’s central role in the #climate crisis will we stand a chance of solving it.” One can’t help wondering about the accuracy of climate labelling startup Klimato’s carbon footprint calculations. CO2 emissions on menus is itself a positive step towards changing social and cultural attitudes towards food production. It raises awareness about the food industry’s contribution to climate change, and is a visual reminder of our individual responsibility to make more sustainable choices. Perhaps we can expect to see carbon footprint labels in food businesses in the future.

PROFILES

In Conversation with Amelia Dimoldenberg Dimoldenberg certainly seems to be Dimoldenberg filmed a six-episode With plans to write her own screenplay making ‘awkward’ fashionable, something investigative series for Dave, called ‘Who “in the long term”, she’s also taking Prakrit Prasad interviews she tells me is a bit of a conscious mission: Cares?’, posing questions to the British some time off. We both take a moment to “I feel like awkward is a negative public about topics including the housing lament the fact that neither of us own a Amelia Dimoldenberg on the term,” she pauses. “If you’re crisis, billionaires and fast picturesque lake house to which we might origins of Chicken Shop Date, being called awkward it’s fashion. How did she manage go on a writing retreat. not something you’d the transition from the Just before we end the call, I ask the re-defining awkward, and re- shout about. But I’m “I’m interested more light-hearted question that I’d been waiting to ask trying to turn it into a nature of Chicken Shop since we started. When are we going to claiming her own name. in making iconic pop positive (…)So many Date to more serious see Drake on Chicken Shop Date? She Starting as an ambitious crossover interactions are while laughs. It’s no secret that Drake has been culture moments, which conversations between chicken nuggets and grime, awkward. Especially maintaining her comedic her dream date since the show started. I feel like I’m kind Amelia Dimoldenberg’s YouTube show, dates and just meeting personality? “Drake did slide into my dm’s just Chicken Shop Date, launched her career people generally. I “I’m not propositioning before the pandemic hit. That was just an as an interviewer and presenter at the top think it might be quite nice them for a date, and I’m insane thing that happened that I just of her game. Having now amassed 100 for people to see someone being not flirting with them on the street. can’t get over and it’s just incredible and million views and close to one million awkward and think ‘oh god, I can relate’, I’d probably get arrested!” means so much to me that he subscribers, she quite literally ‘dates’ pop or if you can’t relate, then it makes you Dimoldenberg laughs. “I’m even watched the show. culture figures from Ed Sheeran to Maya feel better about yourself,” she trails off trying to use humour to get Fingers and toes Jama in chicken shops across the U.K. A in laughter. something interesting crossed. I’m thinking “If you’re not hilariously cringey five-minute interview As we talk about the filming process, out of the conversation. in my head that laughing, what’s the ensues, brought to life by an exquisitely Dimoldenberg explains that a lot of the That, I guess, is the when he comes back tuned combination of awkward silences, humour is derived from how the footage kind of thread between to do another tour, point in even having this sarcastic wit and unaffected questioning. is edited, and she’s a wholehearted all my work – my tone which I’m sure he Who else would ask Jack Harlow if he was proponent of ‘less is more’. of voice, the deadpan will, that that’s the clip in it.” able to read, or tell Aitch he “look[s] “We film for about forty minutes. humour,” she says wisely. perfect time. He’ll be in a bit like a prawn”? Minimal is used. That’s the While Dimoldenberg is London. I’ll slide in again: Logging into the zoom beauty of it really. I watch so most well-known for these skills as ‘You owe me a favour, Drake. call, I half-expect to be much content where I’m an interviewer, I wonder whether she has Hello. I’m available.’” “In my head met by this same stonelike ‘this could be half considered making content on her own. Image Credit: Who Cares? with I’m saying: ‘say faced, self-professed the length. So much Perhaps the recent change in name of Amelia Dimoldenberg airs weekly on the serial dater I had so of this stuff is like, her YouTube channel from ‘Chicken Shop Dave YouTube channel. Watch Chicken something funny, say enjoyed watching over not interesting’. That Date’ to ‘Amelia Dimoldenberg’ speaks to Shop Date and Amelia’s Cooking Show on the years. Instead, I something funny, please comes from a place of a desire to establish herself as a comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg’s YouTube. am greeted by almost me watching so many in her own right? can this be funny’. the antithesis: an things and me being “Of course, most of the stuff that I do incredibly personable, like, ‘I don’t want it to is opposite someone. I’m interviewing And if it’s not funny smiling Dimoldenberg be like that’. If you’re someone and I actually love that. That’s sitting in her brightly-lit not laughing, what’s the my favourite type of thing to do and that’s then at least it kitchen. point in even having this what I think I will be doing for a long, long “I feel like it’s obviously an clip in it.” time. As you said, it needs that dynamic exaggerated version of myself,” Whilst Dimoldenberg’s content is and something to riff off. But at t h e Dimoldenberg explains. “I’m just well-understood and loved in the context same time, to build my audience and t o extending aspects of my personality that, of British humour, I wonder how she deals build my name, I need to be doing stuff o n if I pushed them further, would be funny with situations where the person she is my own. Working with talent i s and would get a reaction from the person interviewing might not quite ‘get it’. amazing and you get such brilliant I’m interviewing, in the best kind of way, “The ideal with any guest is you content from it, but it also can be that would make for a really entertaining want someone that is coming back such a hassle (…) Maybe it would be video.” with something interesting to say.” She easier if I was just vlogging in my pauses briefly, and changes her mind. bedroom and all I needed was me and m y Dimoldenberg initially created Chicken “No, funny first. In my head I’m saying: camera and my handbag with all the Shop Date as a written column in a youth ‘say something funny, say something stuff I was going to show you that’s club magazine, and was first introduced funny, please can this be funny’. And if in it. But I don’t think that’s what I’m to grime and rap through fellow it’s not funny then at least it should be interested in making. I’m interested i n members. She then decided to interview interesting. And if it’s neither of those making iconic pop culture artists in order to learn more about their then you’re a bit like ‘oh, goodness’. If moments, which I feel like I’m music. Having seen journalists pose the someone’s sitting opposite me and giving kind of doing. I think you need t o same unoriginal questions to celebrities me back one word answers it is tough, but have celebrities involved. But I think time after time, Dimoldenberg was keen to my advantage with Chicken Shop Date, it is important for me to make sure m y to do something different: “I wanted to it thrives off the awkwardness. It’s meant name stands out on its own.” She do an interview in a way that you don’t to be a terrible interview and terrible pauses deliberately. normally do an interview, so I thought I’d date. It’s spinning it all on its head, like “Still, so many people don’t do it as a date. I also really wanted to go the inverse of what those things should know my name in terms o f on a date as well. Then someone said you be and that’s where the comedy people that watch Chicken “I should go on a date somewhere where comes from. So I’m actually Shop Date. So many people you would never normally go to make pretty lucky that if someone just call me ‘the girl am very it fun and that’s how the chicken shop maybe just gives me one from chicken shop happened. Luckily there’s quite a few in word answers I can make date’ or like on the picky. Like everyone London to go to.” that the punch line, street they’ll be is with who they date. Unlike traditional media interviews, make that the ‘thing’ like ‘CHICKEEN’ or Dimoldenberg’s show is as much about of the interview and ‘CHICKEN GIRL’ It goes through criteria. the interviewer as the interviewee. She that’s funny in its and I will just turn attributes her success to people wanting own way.” Are they exciting enough? Is around because to see how typically composed celebrities So how does I turn around to manage the gloriously uncomfortable Dimoldenberg select there a buzz around them? Do that now. But atmosphere that she so effortlessly the ‘ideal guest’? more and more we think they’re going to be creates through her ‘chicken girl’ “I am very picky. I find people are persona. ‘Chicken girl’, of course, being Like everyone is with like ‘Amelia!’ and big if they’re not already? one of the many names she has turned who they date. It goes that’s when I know Watching previous around to in the streets of London, through criteria. Are I’m doing something alongside the simple, but effective, they exciting enough? right - when people interviews, do they ‘CHICKEENN’(spellings may vary). Is there a buzz around start to remember my “I think that people like the show them? Do we think they’re actual name.” have charisma? because of my awkwardness. They want going to be big if they’re not As our conversation to see whatever guest, how they interact already? Watching previous draws to a close, she tells me with my awkwardness and how it makes interviews, do they have charisma? about what’s in store for the rest of them appear. I hope that through my Are they funny?All these different the year. In addition to monthly uploads own awkwardness and weirdness, their things.” of new Chicken Shop Date episodes, she personality comes out because they’re The more we talk about her career, the hopes to continue filming with members affronted with something they don’t more I get a sense that Dimoldenberg of the England football team: expect (…) It just makes them act in a is certainly not to be seen as a one-hit “I’m fully obsessed (…) I would love different way that actually maybe makes wonder. From starring in her own cooking to do more football episodes but at this them a bit more relaxed because they’re show to presenting a documentary, ‘Meet point I don’t know if I could because I thinking ‘oh my god at least I’m not as the Markles’ for Channel 4, she seems keen don’t know if I would be able to control weird as her!’” to diversify her portfolio. Most recently, myself and my emotions!” With her tremendous success,

COLUMNS

Columns

Pens, Paper, & Panic Ciara Rushton (she/they) on dealing with perfectionism and OCD at university.

29 out this compulsion, something dreadful will happen. A recent development in this is that, as I mentioned my good luck compulsion, I have to do it before starting an essay or else it’ll be a bad one. Contamination OCD, linked to germophobia and manifesting as increased hand washing and other rituals, is something I have particularly struggled with since arriving at university. My previous obsessive cleaning has shown itself again, both related to the pandemic and the general change I’ve experienced in moving to a city. Staying conscious of the changes I have experienced in compulsions related to this, especially increased hand washing, has helped me overall in recognising when I may need help and therefore in helping to control these compulsions. Without a doubt, the first few weeks of university have significantly impacted my OCD and how I cope with it, and I’ve seen many of my peers struggle with the stress of the situation. Such a vast change in my life has put me in unfamiliar situations and with unfamiliar people, intensifying my condition significantly. But, thankfully, being around excellent people and reaching out for help when I’ve needed it has made it much easier to understand my condition and to cope with it. Life at university with OCD, as I have found, is a constant work in progress, but one that is certainly improving.

Read Pens, Paper, and iving with Obsessive “Instead of these high standards motivating Panic and the rest of Compulsive Disorder, Cherwell’s columns at perfectionism has me to work harder, I get cherwell.org. become a centre point into a loop of worrying immensely about what in my life. Everything I have ever done has had to be to the happens if I don’t do absolute highest standard it can well enough.” be, or it isn’t good enough. To an extent, this has been a good thing. I attribute a lot of my high achievement to the immensely high standards I set for myself. However, there comes a point at which it becomes counterproductive. Instead of these high standards motivating me to work harder, I get into a loop of worrying immensely about what happens if I don’t do well enough. This self-sabotage is something that’s really intensified, along with a lot of my other OCD symptoms, since coming to university. I could stare for hours at a blank screen out of pure worry that what I’m writing wouldn’t be a masterpiece. This is the point at which the compulsions kick in – tapping on my head five times for good luck is my most common one. Any mix-up in how I do it and I’ve got bad luck for the rest of the day. Having to tackle such obsessions and compulsions, largely on my own, has certainly made for a difficult first few weeks at university. The anxiety I develop around Antonio Pattori (he/him) submitting essays, especially if I’m not completely happy with the outcome, can on history’s weirdest wars at times become deeply troubling for me. and most eclectic escapes. I’ve never been satisfied with work that’s anything less than the absolute best and, having succumbed to the dreaded freshars are, and will always be, a ers flu, I’ve had to really work to create a stain on mankind’s record for balance between my perfectionism and not their bloodshed and atrocioverworking myself, as I’ve been prone to ties. Nevertheless, some wars in the past. In an environment that is in- truly reveal a tragicomical nature to them, credibly difficult to control like university, because of their accidental nature, or the OCD can spiral and worsen because there sometimes bizarre motivations which led isn’t that anchor. humans to fight them. Some wars were so A lot of people I know, with and without bizarre that they continued for centuries OCD, have spoken about their perfectionism without anyone really noticing they were and the stress they’re under. Compulsions, going on, whilst others were fought over in a rather irrational way, can be comfort- pride, relics, and mere rivalries. So, today, ing in dealing with these and, in relation to it is time to explore history’s forgotten that aforementioned desire for control that tragic, yet hideous, conflicts. is intrinsic, at least for me, to my condition. Most people may at least recognise the I will think to myself that, if I do not carry name of the Hundred Years’ War; a conflict

Hysterical Histories

spanning one hundred and sixteen years be- all of which would have made the escapee’s tween the Kingdoms of England and France, five kilometre swim rather challenging. In which was so glorified by Shakespeare’s ac- December of the same year, John Paul Scott counts of Henry V’s deeds of arms. However, did exactly that, yet was then arrested across few know about history’s longest war: the the bay suffering from hypothermia and Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years’ War. exhaustion. Numerous theories exist about It was fought between the Netherlands, and the escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, ranging from their death to a new another great naval power of the time life in Brazil. The mother of the Anglin … the threateningly powerful Isles brothers continued to receive of Scilly. The origins of this flowers for Mother’s Day, whilst conflict lay in the English War, “Some wars were two very tall women in heavy so bizarre that where the Protestant Nethmakeup were sighted at her erlands aided Cromwell’s they continued for funeral in 1973. At the father’s parliamentarians against centuries without funeral, two unknown men the Cavalier royalists. Evenanyone really with large beards came near tually, Cromwell pushed all noticing they were the casket, wept, and then left. the royalists out of England, going on.” To this day, the infamous Escape except for the remnants of the from Alcatraz remains an unsolved Royalist fleet harboured in the mystery. Isles of Scilly, prompting the Dutch History presents a myriad of prison escapes, Admiral Maarten Tromp to declare war on the Isles in 1651. When the royalists even- all with different facets and elements, yet tually surrendered, the Dutch left without none are more bizarre than Pablo Escobar’s firing a shot and forgot to sign any peace 1992 escape from La Catedral. After ordering treaty with the small archipelago, until, in the assasination of Colombian Presidential 1986, a historian noticed and informed the Candidate Luis Carlo Galan, Escobar - the authorities of both the Netherlands and the leader of Medellin Drug Cartel - negotiated Isles of Scilly, who finally ended this terrible a surrender with the Colombian authorities. state of affairs. It must have been terrifying The result was his imprisonment in a new perfor Scillonians to have lived so long with a sonal prison, equipped with Jacuzzis, swimming pools, a football pitch, and waterfalls. fear of imminent Dutch invasion! Another of history’s most laughable ‘Hotel Escobar’, as it was dubbed, became a conflicts was the notorious, yet now forgot- luxury resort, and facilitated Escobar’s escape ten, War of the Bucket fought between the in 1992, once he uncovered plans to move him Italian city states of Modena and Bologna to a standard prison. Escobar simply walked in 1325. Italy in the fourteenth century was out of the back gate and disappeared. Howtorn between allegiance to the Papacy and ever, Escobar could not escape forever. His to his rival Holy Roman Emperor, known as life as an escapee lasted only another sixteen the conflict between the Papal Guelphs and months, prior to being killed by Colombian the Imperial Ghibellines. Unfortunately, special units (funded by the US Government) many lives perished over who had a stronger in a 1993 shootout. History is full of many less famous escapes. claim over Italy and Europe, yet many cities took this wider ideological conflict In 1534, Alice Tankerville was sentenced to as an opportunity to sort out traditional death for having stolen the king’s gold (and rivalries. In Northern Italy, Modena and we all know how much Henry VIII liked monBologna stood against each other and took ey!), and was imprisoned in the Tower of any occasion to lambast the other rival city. London. Tankerville managed to escape and This exploded into full out war when, as the crossed the Thames by seducing a guard who, legend memorialised by a later sixteenth taken by his new love for her, escaped with her century mock-heroic epic poem recalls, the with the help of another gaoler. This romantic Modenese stole Bologna’s communal bucket story was not to last. The three were arrested, from the city well. After months of conflict, and I will leave to your imagination what fate Modena defeated Bologna and, to this day, Henry VIII had planned for them. Escaping the bucket is elevated inside the city cathe- the Tower of London could, however, bring dral as a monument to the city’s glorious great results depending on who the prisoner was… in 1100, the new king Henry I imprisvictory. Hysterically tragic, but true. oned his predecessor’s Chief Justiciar, Ranulf Flambard, scapegoating him as the man responsible for the previous regime’s mistakes. Great Escapes Flambard became the first person to ever esHistory is riddled with stories of great escapes cape the Tower, by descending out of his cell’s against all odds. Whilst some of these stories window with a rope smuggled by his allies in a resulted in successful escapes, others ended flagon of wine. Flambard then escaped to up worsening the situation for the condemned Normandy, where he worked for Henry I’s criminal. The most famous escape of all, im- brother and rival, Duke Robert, prior to remortalised for posterity by the great 1979 turning to England and resuming his old post movie starring Clint Eastwood, must be the as Chief Justiciar. Indeed, Henry had realised Escape from the US maximum security prison that imprisoning a capable administrator was on Alcatraz Island in 1962. In June of that year, a stupid idea! Unlike Escobar, the Alcatraz Frank Morris, and Clarence and John Anglin, escapees, and Tankerville, Flambard played successfully escaped Alcatraz Island after tuck- his cards right and succeeded. Hysterically ing papier-mâché heads into their beds: these tragic, but true. were models of themselves made to sneak out Artwork by Zoe Rhoades at night, literally like mere sixteen year old teenagers. The three then broke out via an unused corridor, and fled the island aboard improvised inflatable rafts. Their fate, however, remains uncertain. San Francisco Bay is known for having strong currents and the presence of numerous species of sharks,

SPORT

30 Calum Isaacs analyses Oxford University Basketball Club’s recent victory against Loughborough. Oxford 92-68 Loughborough 4s

Winning the hallway dance and waltzing to victory

n a sports hall thronging with tens of people, the Equinox dance crew put on a halftime show. I know even less about dance than I do about basketball, so will not offer commentary on the routine. Yet, as they moved about in their various motions, I did think, “hm… I could do that… but that seems a bit cheap”. What I was thinking about was drawing some choreographic analogy with the game we were in the middle of. But look, however crass this may be, I did see parallels. To be specific, I saw three. The most obvious and simple symmetry came from the middle part of the show. The performers stood in a semi circle and individuals came forward and did what looked like freestyle, to varying success. This was the climax of the routine and it was up to the individuals to make it worthwhile. The game this performance bisected certainly depended on individuals to make it worthwhile. For Oxford, it came down to a holy trinity: Josh Soifer, Orin Varley and Alex Koukouravas. Between them, they ‘1, 2, 3, Oxford!’ before each quarter sounds scored 76 of Oxford’s 92 points. more comradely than rabble-rousing. This Josh, as I have covered previously, is a is a style I think I’m instinctively disposed player with a particular skillset. He’s a to defend as it’s also the only one I’m perpower forward and has all the strength sonally capable of. But it does feel like the and tenacity to merit the name. He’s Mr InOxford dressing room is a comfortable and evitable. Every quarter begins with a quick welcoming place, and I think Orin has his Soifer two-pointer. Every missed three is part to play in that. met with a Soifer rebound. He also gets into It also helps that he’s pretty good at basfoul trouble, and, inevitably, the resultant ketball. He seems to always pick up points in forced absences are much noticed. For those a fairly steady way. But, as Akin Akinlabi— periods he is missed, Oxford lose that sense an up-and-coming player slowly and surely of security, that sense that a flying ball will gaining himself more game time—says after be met by a flying 6’5” Canadian. the match, if we made a highlight reel for The thing about Josh is that he can’t shoot this game, it would all be Alex. Alex is the from far, or, at least, he doesn’t. His currency starting point guard. My basic understandis rebounds and drives. Early in the first ing is that a ‘point guard’ is the pivot from quarter, just as the teams were feeling out which everything stems. They control the the rhythm of the game, he pulled off a drive tempo of the game, and direct people to the to remember. Drives in basketball are both brutish and beautiful. And this where the second parallel with “A PLAYER THAT DECIDES TO DRIVE dance comes in. TO THE BASKET HAS CHOSEN A DIFThe opposition ‘key’, the rectangular box below and in front of the FICULT THREE-SECOND OBSTACLE hoop, is stuffed with opposition players, moving about at speed. A COURSE. THEY MUST SPIN AND player that decides to drive to the basket has chosen a difficult threeFEINT AND, YEAH, DANCE THEIR second obstacle course. They must spin and feint and, yeah, dance their WAY THROUGH, UNPICKING THAT way through, unpicking that inscrutable morass. And once they’ve INSCRUTABLE MORASS.” carved out the path, they jump and a defender jumps and in the air, they play chess. The shooter looks to pop it over the defender’s head but the defender right positions for various plays. And for a starts moving his hand to block and the point guard, Alex sure does a lot of pointing. shooter instead, in an instant, moves his Yet at the same time, he’s popping up on the hand to one side and then the other and hits left, or the right, shooting a perfect three, it round his opponent, and the chess match or he’s driving round one, round two, round is over and the fate of the ball is up to the three. Some of the drives and shots on the gods. bounce he managed on Wednesday were so Up to the gods, yes. That is why the most creative. He was in the dancing mood. hopeful of these shots are called ‘prayers’. You might have noticed that I don’t talk But Josh’s shot was not a prayer—it was solid, about defence very much. That’s because and rehearsed. As it dropped in, I heard the I don’t really understand it. Drives are a loudest cheer I have heard at any of these dance, but it does take two to tango. And games. I wish I had a photo of Josh’s face at here is parallel number three. that point. It contorted in such a passionate The weird acrobatics of these sequences is way that it’s hard to describe. The feelingdown to the weirdness of the defensive rules. out-the-rhythm thing was over. The tone Basically, neither player is really allowed to had been set. make contact with each other. I mean you So, that’s Josh. The value of Orin and Alex can, but not properly, not forcefully. So, the is a bit different. Yes, they can drive. But they result is that the defender is actively trying can also shoot. And ‘can’ in both of those to prolong a version of the awkward-dancesentences is used in a high threshold sense. when-trying-to-walk-past-someone-in-aOrin probably had a better overall game. corridor. The attacker moves one way and He’s the captain, but his leadership style is the defender anticipates and copies. The not rowdy or tough. The shout he leads of attacker moves the other way, so does the

defender. That’s why it’s so important for a defender to ‘beat him to the spot’, i.e. get in the way quick enough. Defence is this strange, jittery samba. You’re constantly trying to anticipate your opponent’s movements, and you can’t be too far (or they’ll shoot), and you can’t be too close (or they’ll drive past). What’s funny is when an attacker successfully dribbles round you, you kind of just have to let them go—which means that when a drive unpicks a defence, the mass of players that looked so intimidating is transformed into a group of men sheepishly giving way to you. I think for proper basketball people, this will all sound fairly inane. ‘Weird dance? What are you on about?’ I mean I’m meant to be learning, developing my understanding. They say that over time, I should start being able to know whether a shot is going from the moment it leaves a player’s hands. Reader, I’ve tried… but that’s still definitely not the case. They say I’ll probably build a connection with this team, and start caring about whether they win or lose. Reader, I have to admit I’m still more interested in the story than Oxford’s winning. W h a t I did notice,

possibilities. I see Alex pointing, Orin shooting, and Josh flying in for the rebound. Of course, there are two levels on which to process the story in these games. There is this one, where it’s slowed down, where basketball is this waltz of flying and footwork. And then there’s the bigger picture, the context. This was a cup game. Oxford have progressed to the next round. And although this is the Loughborough 4s, they really are a decent team, which tells you something about what Oxford are up against if they want to get back to winning Championship games against Loughborough 1s—like they used to a couple of decades ago. This was a tough game and probably Oxford’s best performance of the season. It takes them to a 6-0 record this season, which, as I said last week, is the best form in over a decade. I don’t know on what level I will focus on the next match. It’s an away game at Brookes, whom Oxford narrowly beat a couple of weeks ago, but are expected to now be more in the flow of their season. Supposedly they have quite a few spectators at their games. Supposedly this will be the hardest game of the season so far. But I also suspect I will find myself gravitating back towards that other level of interpretation, where the physical is supreme, where

On this day...

t hough, in this match , is that On 26th November 2017, British Formula my focus on 1 driver Lewis Hamilton claimed his offence o v e r 4th F1 World Drivers Championship defence Alex’s is partly points after finishing 2nd in Abu Dhabi, leading are dia sign of developrecting m e n t . a dance Sebastian Vettel by 46 points. The Oxford r out i ne, attacks just a n d seem to have where everymore colour. thing pauses as Loughborough would Josh crashes towards come forward, and maybe the hoop. they’d string some passes together, maybe they’d shoot a nice shot. Image description: OUBbC’s Josh But it all felt fairly routine—like they were Soifer drives past a Loughborough player. getting points just to keep the game rolling Credit: Oxford University Basketball Club on. When Oxford attack, I see characters and

SPORT

Tennis, toilet breaks and Tsitsipas Ariana Rubio discusses recent changes in ATP regulations on toilet breaks.

n the 31st of August 2021, Andy Murray tweeted: ‘Fact of the day. It takes Stefanos Tsitipas twice as long to go to the bathroom as it takes Jeff Bezos to fly into Space’. Nontennis fans were no doubt confused by the confusing collocation of the billionaire’s adventure in space and the Greek tennis player’s bathroom breaks. Tennis fans, however, would have immediately understood Murray’s not-so-subtle jibe at his opponent. The day prior, on Monday the 30th of August 2021 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, Murray and Tsitsipas faced each other in the first round of the 2021 US Open. Murray took the two set with a dominant laed of 6-2, while Tsitsipas scraped a win in the second set with a very tight tiebreak score of 9-7. Murray took the third set 6-3, and lost the chance to close out the match when Tsitsipas came back to win the fourth set at the same score. During the break between the fourth and final set, Tsitsipas took an extended toilet break – of eight minutes to be exact. This fifth set, which determined who would advance to the next round of the tournament, was possibly the most crucial juncture in

the entire match. Complaining in a press conference after the match, Murray alleged that Tsitsipas’ long break was unsportsmanlike and disrupted the momentum of play. He later stated that, while ‘I’m not saying I would necessarily win that match [if Tsitsipas had not taken the break]’, this ‘had influence on what was happening after’. At the time, however, this was well within ATP guidelines on toilet breaks. In a five-set match, players were permitted to use the bathroom and change clothes during two breaks of unlimited duration at the end of a

set. Describing the ‘amount of time’ that Tsitsipas spent in the bathroom as ‘nonsense’, the British tennis player insisted that ‘I would have said the same thing if I’d won, I promise’. Given that Tsitsipas’ break was fully within ATP guidelines, one is tempted to tell Murray to stop his unsportsmanlike whinging. It should be noted, also, that the previously unlimited time for bathroom breaks was helpful for players on their periods and players suffering from digestive issues.

It is true, however, that a lengthy break off the court can help one compose oneself and come back to change the flow of play. Alexander Zverev, a German player on the tour who reached the semi-finals of the championship, agrees. Prior to Murray and Tsitsipas’ US Open clash, Zverev had accused the latter of receiving illegal coaching during a lengthy toilet break. Noting that Tsitsipas took his phone to the bathroom and his father was texting in his box, Zverev alleged that the two were communicating. Murray and Zverev were no doubt pleased to hear that the ATP Tour have now changed their regulations regarding toilet breaks. From now on, a clock will start when the player reaches the bathroom. Players will be allowed up to three minutes for a toilet break, with an additional two minutes available if they decide to change their clothes. They will incur a time violation, the frequent occurrence of which will lead to penalties, if they go beyond this limit. This is structured similarly to the guidelines regarding time between points, which state that players must begin their serving motion within twenty-five seconds, and may lose a first serve for repeated infractions. Now at the end of the 2021 tennis season, which saw the reprisal of tournaments following the Covid-19 pandemic, the world of tennis eagerly awaits the next season. Fans will watch to see how this new regulation plays out on the court in 2022.

Sport Shorts...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked The relentless rise of The by Man United Red Roses On Sunday 21st November, Manchester United sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the side’s 4-1 defeat to newly promoted Watford. The sacking comes after a string of sub-par team performances, with the Red’s winning just one of their last seven games, leaving them trailing in seventh in the Premier League table, 12 points behind league leaders Chelsea. Games characteristic of this poor form include a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool at the end of October, and a 2-0 defeat in the Manchester Derby, losing to Manchester City at the start of November. Appointed to replace Jose Mourinho on an interim basis back in December 2018, the Norwegian impressed Manchester United bosses with a collection of impressive results and was rewarded with a three-year contract in March 2019. He guided the team to a 2nd place finish in the Premier League last season and

brought them to a Europa League Final where they eventually lost out to La Liga side Villareal on penalties, but ultimately it has been a poor run of form this season which has cost Solskjaer his job. Speaking following his departure from the club, the former Red was visibly emotional, but remained philosophical in his reflections of his managerial spell. Speaking on how he feels to have had the opportunity to manage Manchester United, he reflected that he was “Very, very proud. Of course, it’s one of those things you dream of in your life.” Manchester United search for their new manager is already underway, with Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Pochettino two of the current frontrunners. By Caitlin Murray Image Credit: MulaMiszczu via Pixabay.

England Women’s rugby team crushed the USA 89-0 last weekend to round off an unrivalled year, extending their winning streak to an unbelievable 18 games. This latest result follows four consecutive comfortable international wins, including two crucial victories over current world champions New Zealand, meaning England finish this autumn with 239 points. For the first time in history, four consecutive England Women’s Tests were broadcast on terrestrial television outside of a World Cup, with over 1 million tuning into BBC 2’s coverage of the Red Roses’ win over Canada. The Red Roses have cemented their status as the No. 1 ranked team in the world and are set to be favourites in the New Zealand World Cup next year. Twelve different players crossed the tryline with Lydia Thompson (Worcester Warriors), Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning)

and Sarah Bern (Gloucester-Hartpury) all scored twice as England racked up 14 tries against the USA. Full-back Abby Dow (Wasps RFC) was named player of the match on her 50th appearance for the team, having recently been nominated for the International Rugby Players’ Women’s try of the year following a stellar effort against France in April. Dow told The Guardian, “We rarely play four games in a row so to be able to go out there and perform like that and to keep the tempo we wanted is just incredible. It’s been a long process but all the training we’ve been doing is clearly paying off.” By Georgina Findlay

Image Credit: JDW_0606-1 / CC BY-NC 2.0 via f lickr.

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