Courier 1359

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Monday 20 November 2017 Issue 1359 Free

thecourieronline.co.uk

Lifestyle Time to get your facial hair in shape for the winter Page 12

Science A great ape has been discovered for the first time since 1929 Page 32/33

Music The winner of the World Cup of Retro Songs is revealed Page 23

The independent voice of Newcastle students

Est 1948

Positive response to Trans Awareness NUSU's Trans Awareness Week deemed a sucess Charlotte Boulton Last week, a series of events celebrating Trans Awareness Week took place across campus. The week aimed to educate people interested in learning more about transgender history and experiences, whilst providing safe spaces for trans and gender non-conforming students. The events were organised by Marginalised Genders Officer, Emily Sherwood, in collaboration with the LGBT+ Society and the Feminist Society.

Trans Awareness Week started with a charity bake sale held outside the Students Union on Monday 13th November. This was ran by volunteers from the LGBT+ Society and Feminist Society committees, alongside Emily.

“I feel like it was informative and I hope that it helped anyone struggling with their own feelings about gender identity" James Fitzgerald, Trans Rep for LGBT+ Society

The bake sale raised money for Action For Trans Health, a charity that assists trans people with access to healthcare.

Despite the cold weather, there was good engagement from people on campus donating money and asking for information about the cause. The LGBT+ Society are hoping to collaborate with Action For Trans Health next semester to provide further support for their trans and non-binary members.

On Tuesday evening, there was a film screening of ‘Screaming Queens’, a documentary about a riot in San Francisco led by drag queens, trans women and sex workers to protest police harassment. The riot is little-known compared to the famous riots of Stonewall in 1969, despite this ‘Compton’s Cafeteria’ riot being one of the first scenes of LGBT community protest in 1966.

The documentary was very interesting, giving opinions from trans women who were there, and used old footage to show how trans people were treated at a time when dressing as a woman was illegal. The screening was well-received by those present, with many including myself having little idea of the riot before the event.

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events scheduled for Trans Awareness Week, stretching from 13th to the 19th of November

On Wednesday afternoon, a ‘Trans 101’ discussion was led by James Fitzgerald, the Trans Rep for the LGBT+ Society. His presentation explained trans-specific terminology, how to support your trans friends and his personal experiences with coming out. This was educational, and even as someone who is very involved with the LGBT+ Society, I still learnt new information. The audience were open to discussion after the presentation, with some interesting debate around mixed gender changing rooms and how university spaces could be made more accessible for trans and non-binary students.

I spoke to James Fitzgerald about the event: “It was nice to have a turnout of people who weren’t all already aware of trans and non-binary issues. I feel like it was informative and I hope that it helped anyone struggling with their own feelings about gender identity, or anyone seeking to help their friends.”

A trans meet was also held on Wednesday; this is a safe space for anyone trans, non-binary or questioning their gender to meet up and socialise with other people who understand them. As a cisgender woman (someone who identifies with the gender assigned to them at birth), I did not attend this event, but spoke to someone who was there. Rae Farren told me: “We went to a coffee shop and had some nice conversations.

It’s been great to connect with the trans and non-binary community in Newcastle. I think this week is needed, we are often overlooked as a community.”

On Thursday evening a relaxed social was held in the Students Union. This was co-hosted by the LGBT+ Society, Feminist Society and Emily Sherwood, to reach as many interested people as possible. ‘Guys, Gals and Non-Binary

Pals’ was an opportunity to take a break from what can be a stressful and intensive week for those involved. Crafts, games, and snacks were on offer for the attendees. I really loved this social, as it was calming and gave good opportunities to chat to different people. One of the people there, Charlotte Darby, said: “The events I’ve attended this week have really cheered me up and it’s been good to meet different people and learn more.”

The Friday event was an ‘Intersectional Transfeminism’ panel, with various students discussing how their trans identities intersect with disability, race, class, and other identity factors. Louise, who was on the panel and helped organise the event, commented: “It’s been helpful to have a space where I can talk about things that are sometimes awk-

“The week has been really successful, with some engaging events and lovely people" Emily Sherwood, Marginalised Genders Officer

ward to talk about.”

The week ended with a vigil outside the Student’s Union to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance, and commemorate people who have died due to transphobic violence.

Emily Sherwood, who organised the campaign, was pleased with the outcomes of the week: “The week has been really successful, with some engaging events and lovely people. I’ve had good feedback from those who’ve attended, and am glad all the hard work paid off.

The Feminist Society, LGBT+ Society, and Hannah Fitzpatrick [LGBT+ Officer] have helped me through, and I really appreciate their help this week.”

Trans Awareness Week is one of many campaigns to come this year, with most of the Part-Time Officers having a dedicated week later in the academic year to push certain issues and generate awareness. Sarah Craggs, Newcastle University Students’ Union’s Welfare and Equality Officer, stated “The Students’ Union is committed to supporting every group of students, therefore it is vital that we give the PTOs our full backing with every campaign they run”.

The dream goes on: Ambassador Andrew Young unveils Martin Luther King Jr statue p4-5 Inside today >>>

MLK in the archives

Qawwali Night

Read about the original article from The Courier that documented Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Newcastle News, page 2

The Pakistan Society organised a traditional music event that was attended by multiple universities News page 3

Paradise Papers debate

A fresh face for Vogue

With the monarchy caught up a big scandal, our writers debate whether it's time for them to be abolished Comment page 8

Sian Dickie talks about the instant impact of Edward Enninful, the successor to the Vogue throne Fashion, page 15

Battle of the beaches

Performance poetry

Federica Mazzilli talks us through five different options for your next beach-based adventure Travel, page 18

Performance poetry gets the sweet treatment as Charlotte Boulton digs deep into the best of stand-up art Arts page 29

Stop the urge

This BUCS Girl Can

Science Editor Jack Coles explains the wizardry behind our random and often alarming thoughts Science page 31

Our massive feature on what our Newcastle women's teams have been up to, as well as the national outlook Sport, page 36-39

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the courier

thecourier The Courier is a weekly newspaper produced by students, for students. It’s never too late to get involved in the paper, whether you’re a writer, illustrator or photographer. Just visit thecourieronline.co.uk/about for more information.

Editor James Sproston Deputy Editor Alex Hendley Online Editor Jared Moore Copy Editor Laura Staniforth Current Affairs Editor Sunil Nambiar News Editors Valentina Egorova, Hanson Jones, Louise Hall, Laura Higgins and Isabel Sykes Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken and Alexandra Sadler Life & Style Editor Izzi Watkins Lifestyle Editors Sophie Henderson, Jaymelouise Hudspith, Lauren Sneath and Victoria Young Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston and Susanne Norris Travel Editors Charlotte Hill and Talia Gillin Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Errol Kerr Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaacs and Ally Wilson TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver and Alex Moore Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Daniel Haygarth and Christopher Wilkinson Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett and Richard Liddle Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little and Ciara Ritson-Courtney Sports Editors Tom Shrimplin, Courtney Strait and Mark Sleightholm The Courier NUSU King’s Walk Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QB Tel: 0191 239 3940 The Courier is printed by: Print and Digital Associates, Fernleigh House, 10 Uttoxeter Road, Derby, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, DE3 0DA. Established in 1948, the Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Students’ Union at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge.

The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of the Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of the Courier, the Students’ Union or Newcastle University.

From the archives 35 YEARS AGO

Council tries to ban Kit Kats

No bar for president at Southampton

50 YEARS AGO

MLK receives degree

69 YEARS AGO

Courier fights student apathy

Having survived the war, students in 1948 were, it seems, crying out for entertainment. Instead the got the Courier, which published its first issue 69 years ago this week.

The new paper was the brainchild of Alan Marsh, “a ginger-whiskered body” who became the paper’s first business manager, with Stuart Shaw as the editor.

The Courier was set up so that “your years here are not allowed to slip by with only a vague idea of what kind of place this really is.

“If you go home every night at 5pm and don’t spend your Wednesday afternoons on one of our sports grounds, this is the ‘painless’ way of keeping in touch. If, again, you are one of those types who belong to all the college societies... here, at last, is your opportunity for expression.”

CROSS-CAMPUS NEWS No bar or president for Solent With Southampton Solent University still reeling from the shock resignation of Union president Megan Maddex, students are now faced with another loss, that of their student bar.

The Students’ Union has closed its bar because a lack of customers was making it “financially unsustainable”. The Union has put some vending machines and a microwave in the former bar to create a “social space” where “you can bring and heat your own food”. Students can even bring their own alcohol “if they wish – just as you would in your own front room”.

581 students have signed a petition to reopen the old bar.

Martin Luther King’s 1967 visit to Newcastle coincided with student protests against a visit by rugby teams from universities in apartheid South Africa. This was just the start of a growing national student movement against apartheid, which saw widespread boycotts of companies with links to South Africa.

In 1982 student Council voted to strengthen the Union’s stance against South Africa. Rowntree products such as Kit Kats would no longer be sold in the Union, due to the company’s connections with South Africa. A room in the Union would be named after Nelson Mandela, while Mens Bar was to become the Winnie Mandela Bar, in honour of the anti-apartheid activist who was married to Nelson Mandela.

While the motion passed with a clear majority in council, the complex decision-making process of the Union at the time meant that none of the proposals were actually enacted, with another part of the Union deciding that they were impractical.

While the recent Freedom City celebrations have not been without controversy, the visit of Martin Luther King itself was enthusiastically supported by the student population. The Courier’s report of his honorary degree ceremony was uncharacteristically expressive, even poetic, and the reverence the Courier showed for their guest contrasts sharply with the other major story of the time, protests over a UK tour by rugby teams from South African universities.

The Courier described how “in a colourful and majestic ceremony the Reverend Martin Luther King was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law by the Chancellor.”

“Earlier in the day,” the Courier report continued, “King had displayed other facets of his amazing character when meeting some of the University students for an informal chat over coffee.”

He showed “a lively, sometimes even jovial temperament” and apparently “expressed his pleasure at being able to talk to some students”. This informal meeting, along with the ceremony, was captured on camera by Paul Barry, the Courier’s photographer at the time.

Monday 20 November 2017

Martin Luther King met with students over a cup of coffee before receiving his honorary degree Image: Paul Barry, The Courier

Solent’s cross-city rival has the opposite problem, and has had to ban their vicepresident from all the Students’ Union’s bars.

Dan Varley, Southampton’s VP Engagement officer, has been indefinitely banned from the Union bars following a series of complaints about his rowdy drunken behaviour.

Varley was reported by bar staff after several heavy drinking sessions and persistently encouraging others to drink excessively. He has also been accused of pulling down someone’s trousers and various other instances of rude and rowdy behaviour.

Mark Sleightholm

news

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the courier Monday 20 November 2017

@TheCourier_News courier.news@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/news Current Affairs Editor Sunil Nambiar News Editors Valentina Egorova, Hanson Jones, Louise Hall, Laura Higgins & Isabel Sykes

Rudd says international Donation bins set up students are not migrants in SU to help refugees Esther Michel-Spraggett Amber Rudd has declared that international students should be removed from net migration data. International students are no longer seen as long-term migrants by both the polls and most of the Theresa May’s cabinet. Theresa May is now the only minister in her cabinet to support the inclusion of international students in the data.

With the reinforcement of student foreign policy within the last few years, many colleges offering false courses have shut down and English language requirements are higher. As a result net student migration has dropped and students are less likely to stay in the UK after their studies.

Previously, student exit data was recorded through a survey. However, the Office of National Statistics accessed exit data, which records the physical exit of students, rather than questions.

Nearly 97% of international students

Christin Sauer

leave the UK within the time limit of their visa.

The data goes as far as showing that 6% of international students actually return to the UK. This raises concerns regarding the accuracy of the previous information.

The removal of students from net migration data could encourage more students to come and study in the UK. Migration data could reduce significantly, possibly causing immigration to become less of a threat in public opinion.

Currently, foreign students represent about a third of total net migration.

Their removal from the data may also reinforce the democratic quality of Brexit vote.

Part of the campaign was based off these figures, which are now suggested to be inaccurate.

Theresa May’s opposition to the idea could suggest an attempt to keep support for a ‘hard Brexit’. Nevertheless, students currently contribute £8bn to

the UK economy, probably because of how costly fees are for international students.

It could be considered that it is therefore in the government’s interest to remove international students from net migration data and change their foreign policy concerning them. This would make studying in the UK more accessible for foreign students and make universities into an even more diverse environment.

Part of the foreign policy concerning students was the recording of attendance.

However, with the change in foreign students’ status, is the attendance recording still necessary? When it was first introduced, it was seen as a racist and belittling procedure.

If the change in migration data influences the governments’ need to record attendance, university students can make their study lives more independent.

This week a donation campaign started at the Students’ Union for asylum seekers and refugees living in destitution.

The campaign was initiated by students volunteering for the West End Refugee Service (WERS) to provide those living in destitution with toiletries.

WERS is a charity organisation which was originally set up in 1988 to support asylum seekers living in the West End of Newcastle upon Tyne. Today, they seek to provide a range of support services for refugees and asylum seekers in the area.

“With a small donation, like shampoo or a toothbrush, we help to make their lives a little easier” Christin, WERS volunteer

International flags Image:Wikimedia Commons

If the applications of asylum seekers are refused by the Home Office, they lose their financial support and their accommodation.

Many are unable to leave the UK, or are stateless and have no country to return to.

In this harsh situation people are put into the position of depending, sometimes for years, on material donations

such as those WERS provides for them.

WERS provisions include food, clothing, and toiletries.

At the moment however, the charity is running short of toiletries, especially for men.

Students can drop off their donations at one of the two collection bins at the Students’ Union The problem of lacking donations gave WERS volunteers the idea to set up a donation campaign at Newcastle University. Christin, one of the volunteers for WERS, explains: “Our clients go through a very difficult time, many of them being homeless and unable to cover even their simplest needs. With a small donation, like shampoo or a toothbrush, we help to make their lives a little easier.”

Students wanting to get involved and donate some toiletries for men can drop off their donations at one of the two collection bins at the Students’ Union building.

Regarding the kinds of donation accepted, Christin said: “We would be happy about toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, spray deodorant, shaving gel, toothbrushes or toothpaste”.

The collection bins are located on Level 0 (inside the main entrance at the top of the stairs) and on Level 1.

Pakistan Society host Qawwali Night Rana On Sunday 12th of November at the Students’ Union, Newcastle University Pakistan Society organised its flagship event, the Qawwali Night, to pay tribute to the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his 20th death anniversary.

Qawwali is a centuries-old classical, devotional musical tradition in South Asia. It relies on the synchronised use of percussion instruments and intricate movement of the voice.

The Qawwali Night is the largest PakSoc event in the North-east and draws students from Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham.

World-renowned Qawwali singer, Haji Ameer Khan, performed with his seven-man ensemble of soloists, harmonium players, tabla drummers and vocal chorus.

Dressed in traditional attire, Khan fascinated the audience with his rhythmic energy, the additional solo accompanists producing the effect of interweaving musical densities.

Khan performed renditions of famous musical pieces by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who is often termed as the ‘Voice from Heaven’, a ‘Singing Buddha and

‘Pakistan’s Pavarotti’ by music enthusiasts around the world.

Other notable performances of the evening included Haq Ali Maula, Halka Suroor and Mast Nazron Se. The wildly enthusiastic crowd’s rhythmic handclapping enhanced the pieces in setting a participatory mood that lasted the entire evening, and the audience was a guide for Western listeners too.

Many came forward to toss paper money at the singer during performances.

The three-hour show reached its climax when Mast Qalandar was played, which enthralled the audience and created the impression of an extraordinary experience.

Founder of the society, Fahmeed Rajput, said that in light of recent developments, it has become imperative to highlight and promote the rich and beautiful culture of Pakistan.

Reflecting on the event, President Haseeb Saya said that Qawwali Night is an opportunity for us to promote and preserve this unique traditional musical heritage, and help us show a softer image of Pakistan.

His views were reverberated by the Social Secretary, Zukhruf Khan. He said that the event aims to send out a message of peace, humanism and love.

Newcastle University Pakistan Society Image: Fahmeed Rajput

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Monday 20 November 2017

Martin Luther King Jr’s statue unveiled Hanson Jones News Editor A bronze statue of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled on campus last Monday. The statue of the civil rights leader, standing two metres tall, was unveiled in King’s Quad, the newly refurbished space within the boundaries of the Armstrong Building. Around the base of the statue are inscribed words from Dr King’s acceptance speech at the University, in which he addressed the “three urgent and grave problems” that the world must face: racism, poverty and war.

The event took place in the morning, before the later congregation which saw honorary degrees granted to notable civil rights advocates in King’s Hall. Newcastle University honoured the guests with its highest accolade, 50 years since Dr King was granted the same for his efforts in promoting civil rights in the US and across the world.

The statue was unveiled to applause

by Ambassador Andrew Young, who, as a close friend of Dr King, accompanied him to Newcastle in 1967. Alongside Young during the unveiling were also Newcastle University’s Vice Chancellor and President Chris Day, and sculptor of the statue Nigel Boonham. The event was attended by over 100 spectators including President of Boston University, where Dr King gained his doctorate.

Ambassador Young praised the new statue of Dr King, stating “Martin’s dream is normally associated with race relations but from the beginning he said his commitment was to redeem the soul of America from the triple evils of racism, war and poverty. Civil society must find a way to fulfil Martin Luther King’s words and live together as brothers and sisters, less we perish together as fools.

The statue will be a way for his voice and his speech to continue to warm the hearts of the students that study here and visitors that pass through.”

Sculptor Nigel Boonham explained the research that he went into in order

to create the most representative image of Dr King, saying “It was a privilege to be asked to make a statue of Dr Martin Luther King Jr - he is a gift to a sculptor.

I searched for the essence of the man by collecting and studying over 100 black and white photographs as well as listening to his speeches. This informed the statue’s final design: Dr King standing firm with legs apart, holding his hat and leaning back slightly. It appeared to me that Dr King was braced for whatever came his way.”

“Martin’s dream is normally associated with race relations but from the beginning he said his commitment was to redeem the soul of America from the triple evils of racism, war and poverty. ”

Ambassador Andrew Young

Emily Smith, a history student, said: “I’m thrilled that Dr. King is being recognised this way at Newcastle University. He was a seminal part of the civil rights movement, and continues to inspire generation after generation.”

Clare Rogers, Director of Estates at Newcastle University, said: “I feel honoured that I was privileged to commission this statue, having strived to uplift the campus by introducing art for the enjoyment of students, staff and visitors. We plan to continue this with more distinctive artwork, making the university a cultural destination for all.”

Newcastle University was the only UK university to grant MLK an honorary degree during his lifetime, and his acceptance speech in King’s Hall was his last outside the US before his assassination.

Stop MLKing it! ‘King-mania abounds’ Mark Sleightholm You’re probably not aware, but fifty years ago this week the University gave an honorary degree to Martin Luther King. Alan Shearer and the guy who set up World HQ are more recent inductees to the club, along with Matt Ridley, the climate-change sceptic who was chairman of Northern Rock at the time of its collapse.

If our greatest achievement came thirty years before most current undergraduates were born, isn’t it about time we started?

Newcastle University stood apart from all other British universities by honouring King during his lifetime; this statement of support for his work apparently meant a lot to King himself, and certainly demonstrates a commitment on

the part of the University for equality.

But that was fifty years ago, when the young University was keen to establish itself as a thought-leader in the North East. If there really is nothing in the half-century since King’s visit that warrants such ostentatious celebrations, then what has the University been doing? If our greatest achievement came thirty years before most current undergraduates were born, isn’t it about time we started looking for some more contemporary worthy causes?

In fact, the Uni is already doing things it could be proud of. It’s commitment to divestment from fossil fuels shows how it can still lead the way in the fight for change, while its community engagement efforts try to give something back to the local area. When there are tangible differences the University is making here, today, why is it so obsessed with banging on about how it “recognised” but didn’t really actually help – the work of Martin Luther King?

By all means remember his visit, but stretching the content of a half-hour BBC4 documentary out to a year-long programme of indulgent, self-congratulatory events seems a tad excessive, and not all that respectful, either. At one point his face was on a temporary construction fence outside the Armstrong Building, then he was projected rather

awkwardly onto the front of the Students’ Union, now he finds himself in six different poses across a student bar.

It’s difficult to see how any of this helps fight racism.

But where, in this year’s Freedom City celebrations has there been any meaningful action on poverty, racism on war, the three threats to humanity?

The marketisation of higher education has inevitably led to a much greater emphasis on branding and PR, and perhaps Newcastle’s over-the-top MLK celebrations are better than the outright lies other universities have recently been accused of. But in my eyes this desperate attempt to cash in on the actions of a previous generation of University leaders completely undermines the giving of the honorary degree in the fist place.

I very much doubt the University in 1967 wasn’t attracted to the potential benefits to its own reputation by award-

ing King his degree, and yet it did seem to extend beyond merely a publicity exercise. But where, in this year’s Freedom City celebrations, has there been any meaningful action on poverty, racism or war, the three threats to humanity that King warned of during his visit to Newcastle? His words seem to have been drowned out by the sound of all the back-slapping.

And where was the student involvement in any of this? In 1967 King spent time during his brief visit to Newcastle talking freely to students, something Image: Newcastle University

which they have no doubt treasured ever since. A few months ago I met a former contributor to the Courier whose defining memory of his time as a student was taking the photos of King’s visit for the Courier, and he described how students were awestruck by King’s presence on campus.

2017’s celebrations, however, have been very much the domain of the University – not to mention the Council and even Northumbria University getting in on the act. King-mania abounds.

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news

Monday 20 November 2017

Prominent civil rights advocates honoured Hanson Jones News Editor On Monday 13th November, Newcastle University honoured four prominent civil rights advocates for their services to their respective communities, culminating the city’s year-long Freedom City 2017 programme.

Those recognised for their efforts were Ambassador Andrew Young, civil rights leader active in the United States notably in the 1960s during which he was a key figure in drawing up legislation establishing equal rights; Archibald Sibeko, trade union and political leader who fought against the South African government’s policy of apartheid in the 1950s and 60s; Malorie Blackman OBE, noted author whose works have outlined the impact of racial prejudice amongst young people; and Tom Caulker, promoter of multiculturalism and campaigner against racism in Tyneside.

“The fact it’s the same honour they bestowed on Dr King makes it even more special to me. I am flattered to accept it” Tom Caulker

L-R Ambassador Andrew Young, Professor Chris Day, VC and President, and Nigel Boonham Image: Newcastle University

Tom Caulker, as a local advocate for equality and multiculturalism, was honoured for his tireless efforts to integration in Newcastle and Tyneside. Born in Gateshead, Caulker has had a significant impact on cultural life in Newcastle through his involvement in well-known establishments in the city.

Caulker worked at and managed wellknown pub Trent House, close to Newcastle University, for 25 years from the mid 1980s until 2009. He was also active at the birth of Newcastle’s LGBT scene through his running of independent

club nights.

Perhaps his most significant contribution to cultural life in the city is his club World Headquarters which, founded in 1993, is the oldest running nightclub in Newcastle. The underground music club specialises in high quality music shows, but has also hosted a range of events and fundraisers for various organisations with the aims of confronting racism, and helping out those less fortunate in the community. It is because of this, and that it stands out as an independent club distinctly different from other nightlife destinations, that the establishment has been popular with the student community for many years.

Upon receiving his Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law, Tom Caulker said, “I honestly couldn’t be more surprised and honoured to receive such a prestigious award from Newcastle University. The fact it’s the same honour they bestowed on Dr King makes it even more special to me. I’m flattered to accept it, on behalf of everyone I have ever worked with and all the many people who have supported our music, our events and our World Headquarters way of thinking, spanning the last four decades.”

Caulker thanked many people who helped him get to where he is today, and to create and continue his vital work, including his family and the people who allowed him the opportunity to start his businesses.

He also outlined his motivation for his work, stating that he and others had created a “totally independent, racially harmonic nightlife in Newcastle. One that has at its core, the simple wish to use music, to both facilitate and accelerate the process of bringing people together.”

Newcastle University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Chris Day, said: “The award of these honorary degrees reflect the significant contribution each of our honorands has made to society through their work to promote equality and social justice. We are proud to welcome them to Newcastle University on the day we mark such an important milestone.

‘It’s important that we remember’ Scott Houghton On the 13th of November 1967 Martin Luther King, one of the most celebrated liberal heroes of the twentieth-century and leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s visited Newcastle University to accept an honorary degree. Newcastle being the only UK institution to do so whilst he was still alive. This came upon the coattails of fighting for civil rights in the United States and when he began to turn his attention to fighting against the Vietnam War and poverty before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.

King was vital in the culmination of hundreds years’ worth of struggle Fifty years later, a statue has been unveiled at Newcastle University to mark the occasion. Which stands in the new courtyard near the King’s Hall where Martin Luther King received his honorary degree in law. The opening of the statue was accompanied by eightyfive-year old American Ambassador

Andrew Young, who came to Newcastle with MLK that day in 1967, telling The Chronicle that he didn’t actually remember the visit but “It probably looks more like him than any of the other statues I’ve seen – and I’ve seen a lot.”

It’s important that we remember the significance of Martin Luther King and be proud of the fact that Newcastle University was the first UK institution to honour his achievements just a few days after he was let out of prison for demonstrating without a permit in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. The awarding of the degree nonetheless carried with it certain political implications for the university at that time.

Although it would be incorrect to attribute the success of the civil rights movement in the United States solely to MLK, the success rests on the shoulders of hundreds of years’ worth of AfricanAmericans and continues to this day.

From early anti-slavery campaigners such as Thomas Paine in the 1780s, through the Civil War, to campaigners such as the writer Frederick Douglas and Mark Twain all the way through to activists such as Du Bois, Rosa Parks and the work of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This contribution to the civil rights movement can’t be understated, in effect it laid the founda-

tions for King and the later generation of civil rights activists, but it does not mean that King is not worth celebrating. King was vital in the culmination

His leadership and rhetorical resplendence were pivotal of hundreds of years’ worth of struggle.

Capturing the zeitgeist of the era with his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in 1963, and whose movement directly resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination of all kinds by federal law. This was done via nonviolent means. In effect, his leadership and rhetorical resplendence were pivotal in getting lasting change for African-Americans, building upon years of struggle. This stands in contrast to the violent methods deployed by Malcolm X. King therefore symbolises not just the successes of the civil rights movement, but also a whole way of enacting real and lasting change through nonviolent political means which deserves celebrating in and of itself by the university. It’s a lesson we could do with today.

Image: Newcastle University

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news

Monday November 20 2017

Newcastle University ‘starts up’ new bootcamp project Anna Savage World’s largest student competition and start-up platform for social good comes to Newcastle University! START UP have teamed up with the Hult Prize to organise a START UP Bootcamp: Hult Prize on 9th and 10th of December. Established in 2009 and backed by President Bill Clinton, the Hult Prize is an annual competition that challenges students around the world to develop innovative social enterprises that can transform lives.

Hult Prize students will work in teams to find ways of harnessing the power of energy to develop an innovative social enterprise to transform the lives of 10 million people Global winners receive 1 million USD in seed capital, as well as mentorship and advice from international business leaders to help launch their ideas.

“Solving the world’s most pressing challenges is not just the right thing to do, it is also good business” says Ahmad Ashkar, the CEO of Hult Prize. With that idea in mind Newcastle University organises its own university-wide chal-

lenge that serves as quarter-finals for this competition. During this START UP Bootcamp: Hult Prize students will work in teams to find ways of harnessing the power of energy to develop an innovative social enterprise to transform the lives of 10 million people.

START UP Bootcamp brings together talented students and a panel of entrepreneurs, academics and those who work with social enterprises. As Muzammil Nahaboo Solim, the winner of last year on-campus event, said: “The Hult Prize is a great opportunity for students around the world to learn more about entrepreneurship.” The weekend includes workshops on idea development and design, pitching techniques and speeches from experts in the area of energy and sustainability. The Bootcamp allows students to enhance their team working-, public speaking- and idea generating skills. Moreover, to hear from experts in the area of energy and sustainability and most importantly just have fun.

The on campus event takes place on 9th and 10th of December at King’s Gate level 1. The winning team will represent Newcastle University at the Hult Prize Regional Finals on March 12, 2018 in London.

The winners of the grand final of the competition will receive 1 million USD in start-up capital to make their idea a reality. All current Newcastle University students can sign up to take part of the event. More information about the event and registration can be found through Careers Service website events or through START UP Facebook page events @NCLStartUp.

Newcastle University Image: Chris Thomson

Before the START UP Bootcamp: Hult Prize students are encouraged to join an event START UP Presents #MakeAnImpact to learn more about social startups and how they function.

Previous Newcastle University students who have started and scaled a social enterprise will be sharing their

experiences and their top tips for social start-up success. It is a good opportunity to get the mind ready for the Hult Prize Competition.

The event takes place on Friday 1st December, more information about the event and registration can be found on Careers Service webpage.

START UP welcomes all the students to develop their opportunities, explore ideas, help them to start their own business and hopes to see many people taking part of START UP Bootcamp: Hult Prize to change the world for better.

the courier

7

news

Monday November 20 2017

Newcastle welcomes new Deputy Vice-Chancellor Laura Higgins News Editor Newcastle University are excited to announce that they have appointed Professor Julie Sanders as the new Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Her impressive experience in cross-disciplinary research and leadership skills, illustrated via her innovative teaching projects, ensures that she will succeed in her new position.

“I hope in my new role to be able to support staff and students to realise their ideas and aspirations” Professor Julie Sanders

Professor Sanders was appointed as Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2015.

She will continue to fill this position, in addition to her new job as Deputy Vice Chancellor, until a successor has been appointed. Professor Sanders has a list of priorities in the pipeline which she intends to address now that she has been appointed as Deputy Vice Chancellor.

She will target the new cross- university projects on inter- and transdisciplinary in research and teaching. This will involve building collaborations with the university and external partners. So far, Professor Sanders has successfully led

many areas of excellence which has allowed Newcastle to consolidate its position as a leading university who works closely with the cultural and creative sectors for example Fine Art and English.

Before teaching at Newcastle University, Professor Sanders worked at Nottingham University’s Ningbo Campus in China for two years as Vice-Provost.

Subsequently, she will successfully support Newcastle’s international strategy by addressing equality, diversity and inclusion not only on the university campus but also on international campuses.

In addition, she aims to target sustainability at Newcastle University and lead the academic estate strategy.

Professor Sanders summarized her feelings about her new appointed position as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: “I am over the moon to be asked to be the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Newcastle University at this moment in time.

There is real energy around the place as we come together to develop the vision and the strategy for the future.

“I hope in my new role to be able to support staff and students to realise their ideas and aspirations. I am immensely proud of what the HaSS Faculty has achieved in recent years and I know what a terrific team effort that has been.

“I really look forward to being able in the DVC role to work across the whole University in a similar way and to play a part in what promises to be a significant next chapter in the Newcastle University story.”

Professor Julie Sanders Image: Newcastle University

Debate to lower voting age New app helps students Anna Savage Last Friday in the House of Commons, MPs debated lowering the voting age to 16 in the second reading of a private members’ bill introduced by Labour MP Jim McMahon. Officially titled The Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement and Education) Bill, if passed it would give 16 and 17 year-olds the right to vote in UK parliamentary elections, local elections and referendums.

“We expect people to continue in education or training until the age of 18” Theresa May, Prime Minister

The second reading is an opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles of a Bill before voting whether it should move onto the next stage. However, time ran out before a vote could be

called. Jim McMahon accused Conservative MPs of purposely prolonging the previous debate on the Mental Health Units Bill to cut short the time left for this discussion.

This sparked a series of criticisms from both sides of the debate concerning the supposed manipulation of the voting system. The government were accused of trying to narrow the franchise in relation to plans earlier this year to bring in a law requring voters to show ID at polling stations.

Critics of a lower voting age complain that left-wing parties want to increase the youth vote for their own benefit, on the basis that young people are more attracted to left-wing parties. Possible evidence for this was this year’s general election, where young people voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Labour Party.

However, in the Commons McMahon remained adamant that this bill is for the benefit of young people and is not about “gaming the system”.

Another concern about lowering the voting age is that most 16 and 17 yearolds are not yet politically informed enough to vote. To deal with such concerns, the bill includes an amendment

to the national curriculum to ensure that children are politically educated at secondary school to make an informed decision by the time they are 16.

The Bill does have cross-party backing from the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Plaid Cymru and Green Party.

There is even some support from within the Conservative Party, notably from Ruth Davidson, the party’s leader in Scotland, where 16 and 17 year-olds were granted the vote in parliamentary and local elections in 2015.

This decision has been praised for helping young people in Scotland engage with politics. The vote for people aged 16 and 17 is also being considered in Wales.

Debate on the bill is set to resume in December, although it has been speculated that it has little chance of receiving any time for further consideration because it is so low on the political agenda, as well as the fact that the government does not back the idea.

Earlier this year, at the Prime Minister’s Question Time, Theresa May said: “We expect people to continue in education or training until the age of 18, and I think that is the right point for the voting age.”

The British Parliament Image: Flickr

‘burst’ political bubbles Grace Dean

Three Newcastle University students have set up an app with a difference.

Burst Your Bubble provides a platform in which people with conflicting opinions are encouraged to communicate and discover the reasoning behind each other’s viewpoints.

“We believe that traditional media and social networks are putting people in echo bubbles. People only hear news and opinions that are the exact same as their own” The developers of Burst your Bubble

Users are presented with topical statements posted by other users, primarily related to current affairs including global warming, modern technology, Brexit and Trump’s presidency. Users have to react to these statements by expressing their agreement or disagreement, and those with opposing views are ‘matched’, and encouraged to engage in discussion. The developers believe that, by encouraging one-on-one conversation, users are more likely to express their opinions without hesitation, whilst also dissuading trolls and the use of aggressive and abusive language.

For the developers of the so-called ‘discussion app’, Kumail Hussain, Marwan Elwaraki and Karim Alsaka, online safety is of vital importance. Thus, the app is semi-anonymous, featuring only the first name and an uploaded profile picture of the user. Users are able to

stop their online communication at any time, and the user they were in conversation with will not be able to contact them again.

The three developers were inspired after observing the reactions to Brexit and Trump’s presidency in the print, online and social medias. Most people often have restrained exposure to opposing beliefs, because as a social species, we tend to gravitate towards those with homogenous beliefs. Through the media these habits are further enforced; people read the same newspapers, use the same websites and engage with the same Facebook pages. As a result, our political ideologies are often merely reinforced by our peers, and so we are rarely exposed to conflicting viewpoints, which can lead to bigotry and ignorance. Burst Your Bubble seeks to change this.

On their website, the developers state: “We believe that traditional media and social networks are putting people in echo bubbles. People only hear news and opinions that are the exact same as their own; ignoring the other side and the valid opinions that they have.”

In an interview with The Courier, the developers even admitted their own previous political naivety, and said that developing the app has helped widen their political horizons.

“We try to keep up with most of the topics because of the app, and we got more interested in trying to see both sides [of view]”.

Kumail, Marwan and Karim utilised their own skills to self-build and fund the app. Following a development process of around six months, the iOS app was launched in September and currently has around 200 users. It was has generated a lot of interest including an article by The Chronicle and an interview from BBC Radio Newcastle.

The developers hope to launch it for android soon and seek further support from the University, whilst also developing plans to expand internationally.

comment

8

the courier

Monday 20 November 2017

@CourierComment courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/comment Comment Editors Jamie Cameron, Caitlin Disken & Alexandra Sadler

No Monarchs, No Masters?

With the Queen’s estate implicated in the Paradise Papers, is it finally time to abolish the monarchy and our status as subjects?

Joe Holloran says

W

YES

hat would you spend £45.6 million on if you could? Spend it on yourself, give it away to charity, share it amongst family and friends perhaps? How about if we took all that money and gave to a family who haven’t worked in generations, live off the state and had a gene pool shallower than the breath of an asthmatic ant. Sound mad right? Welcome to the world of the Royal Family.

The royals in the UK have held no absolute dictatorial powers since the forced signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. However, it wasn’t until the signing of the 1832 Reform Act that Parliament was given the powers to rule over and represent the people of the UK, rather than being subject to the whims of the monarch.

Those who set the social scene, the royals, are the very embodiment of a plutocratic oligarchy These days the royals, the Windsors, hold a strange sort of ceremonial role – one more of tradition and commerce than of power. This is often used by pro-monarchists as their main reason for supporting the institution. Often you will hear them say that the Royal Family are good for tourists. Well, so is the Tower of London and the Jack the Ripper tours, why don’t we praise them as well? For those who are claiming this is an unfair comparison I say let’s compare the death toll caused by wars ordered by the royals over the centuries to those committed by ‘Naughty Jack’. The tourism argument just doesn’t hold up.

Another excuse given in defence of the monarchy is that they are traditional and set a good example to the people. What young person looks to the royal family for inspiration? What they mean by this, is that the royal family exert class. A manner, a way of being. Ultimately a Britishness. The spreading of these ideals and the ‘civilising’ of the unwashed other was one of the reasons for the gleeful expansion of the Empire, and all the pain that came along with it. Even today, the monarch is the head not only of the democratically elected government of the UK, but also the head of the Commonwealth. The very existence of the Commonwealth is a constant reminder of the oppressive, undemocratic system that once reigned over a quarter of the globe. The taint of this history is intrinsically linked to the idea of monarchy and inherited power. How can we call ourselves a progressive, democratic nation when those who set the social scene, the royals, are the very embodiment of a plutocratic oligarchy?

Like many British Republicans, including Jeremy Corbyn, Christopher Hitchens, Bertrand Russell and Morrissey among others, my own anti-monarchist sentiments are tampered with the reality of public opinion, which in a recent YouGov poll placed support for the Windsor’s at 68%. My view is that a passive attitude for the most part is required. It is unlikely that tomorrow Prince Charles or Princess Eugenie will stage a coup d’état and implement dictatorial rule by the sword. There is no need to rush or push the royals out, they will slowly vanish (as all illogical traditions do) with the passing of time and the dissemination of knowledge.

T

he argument that the monarchy lessens our democracy is ridiculous. Yes, the monarch is the Head of State and it is Her Majesty’s Government, but she exercises no power and her role remains ceremonial. This also clouds over where nepotism is a genuine issue, the House of Lords. Nowhere else (apart from the EU) will you find unelected officials with such law-making powers, many of whom are hereditary peers. This system is aristocratic and dangerous. The Queen has no power and the notion that by abolishing the monarchy our democracy will be raised is ludicrous.

And that’s the beauty of the monarch, it’s useless.

They have no power, no right to be there and no mandate. The role of the British monarch in the 21st century is so abstract that I can find no meaningful negatives.

They play an important role in deception; playing on Britain’s bloody and romantic royal past to coax tourists into thinking the Monarch actually does something.

Surely, then, the Monarch is a silly idea in a forward thinking modern democracy?

Absolutely not, it’s e x -

Sidney Pinsent says

NO

actly what we need, it brings an absurd sense of fun and pomp to the bland landscape of Parliament. Go to Germany, France, Italy or - better still - the EU in Brussels and you’ll find a cold world of Bureaucrats and civil servants void of humanity, restricted by their stony pragmatism.

Let’s face it, we find a big bell the most exciting

They are idealised throughout the world and the Paradise Papers will change nothing thing that goes on in Westminster. We jump on every MP scandal, froth at the mouth while we watch politicians backstab each other to oblivion but, as with all Monarch scandals, the Paradise Papers have been met with rampant indifference. It is embarrassment through association rather than genuine scandal. The Monarchy is too important in its role as a figurehead of Britain. They are idealised throughout the world and the Paradise Papers will change nothing.

They are not just part of our history, they are part of our country. They are as British as the soil under the Croquet lawn and as sweet as summer strawberries, the monarch is the British identity. To lose it will form a void than cannot be filled. Humans crave drama like a British man craves tea and biscuits. America has suffered a recent stroke of boredom in the election of Trump. I say let the Queen do the pomp so our politicians remain the meek underlings of the people.

She is the equaliser, not the divider.

Beware the wolf in patriot’s clothing Veterans have fought and died for our freedom and security. The politicians who command them haven’t had the same ideals Charlie Isaac

S

o it’s that time of year again, when our glorious leaders in Westminster honour the dead of the most horrific and traumatic event in British memory by donning a red paper flower. It’s awfully convenient for any politician trying to give the impression they care about the victims of warfare, without putting any actual effort in.

I mean, honouring the victims of ‘the war to end all wars’ isn’t all that compatible with allowing Britain to be the second biggest arms dealer in the world. Nor with funnelling billions into maintaining a collection of the most destructive weapons humanity has ever known. Leaving desperate refugees, fleeing from wars stemming from 200 years of British foreign policy (and fuelled in no small part by the aforementioned arms dealing), to rot in camps whilst giving the middle finger to the rest

of Europe doesn’t really seem in the spirit of things either, if I’m going to be honest.

Make no mistake: the likes of May and Boris wearing poppies is about on par with those ‘1 Like = 1 Prayer’ Facebook posts.

Jamie Cameron

H

arry Patch passed away in 2009. A British soldier, he was the last surviving combatant from any country in WW1. He had this to say: “The politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organising nothing better than legalised mass murder.”

Millions of men and boys were sent to be slaughtered over the honour and childish war games of old rich men in suits. The economic ruin doubtless shortened the lives of many more. The resultant destruction spawned the spiteful rage necessary for Hitler to divide the world once more with his

rise to power.

There are many lessons to be learnt from the mechanised slaughter of the 20th century. All of them point to the guilt of the estranged and psychopathic ruling classes that prey on the suggestiveness and trust of the citizens they claim to represent.

Why are veterans left to rot in the streets? Why are war refugees treated like criminals?

I dearly wish I could say these lessons have been learnt, but this same carelessness for life, and contempt for regular people, has only persisted among our political class. When they send soldiers into conflicts they create, they do so aware that soldiers will come back irreperably scarred, if alive at all.

When they decide to drop bombs, they do so aware that the overwhelming majority of the dead will be civilians, whether from the blast or resulting disease, famine, and exposure.

War is hell. You only need to listen to someone who has experienced it to know. Why then, does the ruling class sell weaponry to militaristic fascist states? Why does it ruin whole countries like Syria and Libya in proxy wars for global dominance and fossil fuels? Why, when veterans return home, are they so often left to rot in our streets, instead of being given the specialist care they deserve? Why must the poppy appeal and other charities try to care for them instead of the state? Why are war refugees treated like criminals when they flee suffering we can’t begin to understand?

If I knew that for sure, I would have stared much too deeply into the abyss, the void into which the basic humanity of many of our leaders fell long ago. The global governance of this world is largely empty of the most meagre moral concerns. If that doesn’t concern you, you’re part of the problem.

the courier

9

comment

Monday 20 November 2017

Aren’t elections useless?

Alexandra Sadler argues that voting is a fundamental right and it is our responsibility to use it properly

SOAPBOX

olitics by definition seems to include the word ‘divisive’. In the bubble of academia, it can sometimes seem that difference of political opinion does not have much of an impact. However, I would argue that the views and ideology that students hold in university are absolutely fundamental in shaping future politics.

CREATIVELY ORGANISED

P

Politics shapes everything, and politics is shaped by everything

cy. A democracy is often judged by the extent to which it holds free and fair elections and, more recently, the degree of conventional political participation. Many young voters exercise their right to not vote, not knowing who to vote for, or why they need to vote. In addition, the divisive nature of party politics has turned many people off the idea of political engagement. Even if young people are less likely to vote, the youth vote is arguably the most important.

You cannot complain about politics if you do not even attempt to influence

For one, we are the future government. Many of our peers currently work, or will go on to work, in our government, in the civil service, providing government contracts, or in the government itself, for example.

One could argue that whatever sector we work in, we are involved with politics. This is because politics shapes everything, and politics is shaped by everything. Therefore, it’s important that we become involved, and maintain involvement, in politics.

Of course, there’s other avenues of political involvement, such as direct action or social media activism. However, voting is one of the essential pillars of democra-

it by using the simplest and most basic tool of political participation, your vote. A quick internet search

will reveal candidates and their positions on issues, and of course you also have the right to spoil

A democracy is often judged by free and fair elections your ballot to show your anger or displeasure at the political system. And, closer to home, we have the chance to influence and improve the role of students at university and in society by participating in the Student Union elections. It is the younger generations that will grow up with the impact of successive governments and referendum results. That’s why it’s so important that our generation uses their vote as a voice, to better our society through our elected representatives and through available forms of direct democracy, such as referendums.

The vote of our generation is also incredibly important in helping to shape our future and our politics. And it’s not just the youth vote that is important, all votes are important.

Ultimately, it’s your decision, your future and your vote. But wouldn’t you like to live in a world where you can claim some responsibility for improving it?

Trouble in Paradise?

Turns out Paradise is a club for ultra-rich tax-dodging enthusiasts, and you’re not invited, loser Jack Coles

T

he Paradise Papers are a collection of documents recently leaked that detail the vast amounts of wealth hidden in tax havens by the very richest to avoid paying the millions they owe the government in tax. I found out about the Paradise Papers from my flatmate, who exclaimed “oh my God, rich people are hiding trillions of pounds from us!” My response was “… and you’re surprised?”

If there’s anything three years of evolutionary biology has taught me, is that all organisms will behave in such a way that maximises their chances of procreating at the least cost of energy. Humans, meanwhile, have slightly reduced that requirement for procreation, and have pretty much substituted energy for money (but it’s still the same overall concept). A rich person that fulfils their tax obligations doesn’t stay as rich for long; they have “evolved” to take advantage of a particular niche, one we call a “tax haven”. Meanwhile, tax havens have evolved to better cater for the needs of rich people, creating a vicious cycle of wealth entrapment for the top 0.001%.

I found out about the Paradise Papers from my flatmate... my response was “you’re surprised?”

Enough armchair economics though, let’s move on to armchair politics. What can be done about this? Well, governments around the world could annex tax havens and split their proceeds accordingly, but that’s never going to happen. Besides the fact that international politics is still a quagmire of grudges, rich people also tend to be very powerful.

Using under-the-table bribes or threats to pull economic investment, they have governments by the balls. The Conservatives promised to get rid of tax havens during elections, but they’ve been very quiet about them since finding half of their buddies use them. Electing an alternative government isn’t going to help much either, as they’ll still have that top 0.001% breathing down their necks, threatening to shut down jobs.

Caitlin Disken

W

hen 11.5 million documents were leaked in the Panama Papers scandal, you’d have thought that the super-rich would have become sneakier in hiding their dodgy tax-evasion schemes. However, instead of covering their tracks better, or even deciding that actually, there’s a reason the Panama Papers were a scandal, a fresh wave of tax-dodging has been uncovered by the Panama Papers’ equally shitty sequel – the Paradise Papers.

Props to whoever came up with the snazzy, alliterative names, but the aura of glamour can’t hide the ugly truth behind the papers. From Prince Charles to Lewis Hamilton, the hundreds of names listed have all been involved in shifty dealings that, however technically legal, are still morally wrong.

The aura of glamour can’t hide the ugly truth behind the papers In Britain, we’ve got 586,907 people needing emergency supplies from food banks, yet at the same time the Queens’ estate is investing £10m offshore. The disparity is astounding, and what we should be asking seems obvious: shouldn’t that money be circulating within Britain, helping citizens out, rather than just being used for the estate’s own gain? The fact that the Queen, our head of state, is implicated in the leak, is a wake-up call for all of us. We need to stop the rich getting richer whilst the rest of us flounder.

Yet it’s not just Britain that’s guilty. The Paradise Papers implicate people from all around the world. Tax evasion is not just a UK-only problem.

It’s indicative of the pitfalls of capitalism. Now, I’m not here advocating for a total overhaul of the system, but surely there’s an issue when Dan Gertler, a billionaire accused of corruption, can be loaned $45m and asked to negotiate mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo? In any sane world, such a man would never be allowed near that amount of money, let alone given a job that apparently cost the DRC millions of dollars. We’re living in a world gone mad – and one that needs to change.

Jordan Oloman

I

f you’ve been living under a rock for the past fortnight, let me just provide some context.

13.4 million confidential documents pertaining to the offshore investment activity of the rich and powerful was leaked to the public on November 5.

The leak names everybody from Madonna to Prince Charles, Tory donor and non-dom Michael Ashcroft (no surprise there) to Bono. The Queen is even lumped in there. Furthermore, (and this is even less of a shock) it looks like Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Disney, Uber, Nike and McDonald’s dodge the tax on a monstrous scale. Good luck avoiding supporting these guys.

Everything’s fucked, right? Whilst we strive to get by, crushed under the weight of a debt to educate, a group of selfish people who the public deem ‘treasures’ do what they can to avoid supporting the society whose shoulders they’ve stood on to make it.

Some of them aren’t even self-made. It’s selfish at its core, but here’s the rub: it’s totally legal.

It all comes down to tax evasion and tax avoidance. Evasion, which is criminal, is where you illegally pay less tax than required. Avoidance is the legal way of doing this, which is where you stick your money in Bermuda, Guernsey or the Seychelles and the governments of these countries (who know exactly what they’re doing) welcome you with open arms and a bottle of Moet.

We destroy the legal loopholes, force the selfish to pay the right amount Yes, you can blame our royal highness and ask her to apologise. Tell Lewis Hamilton he’s a cock on Twitter for dodging VAT on his private jet (he is). But you’re missing the point. We destroy the legal loopholes, we force the selfish to pay the right amount.

Divert your anger from the figureheads to the nefarious forces in the shadows enabling this activity.

As tough as it may be under Conservative control, we need to lobby our politicians, expose the lawmakers and maybe we can sort this mess out.

COMMENT’S HOME OF WEEKLY RANTS

D

Zoë Godden

espite the immense pressure to do well in third year, most students rejoice at the bliss of having more free hours outside of teaching.

Of course, this extra time is meant for you to actually start prepping for the biggest assignment of your life, but that can be dealt with after a few more nights out and Netflix binges, right?

No matter how many books you take out the Robbo, convincing yourself you’ll spend a weekend making notes and getting some cracking content for your literature review, the reality is that Foucault and Marx end up sat collecting dust on the desk you never actually use for studying. Keep refreshing that extended loan button, we all know you’ll be leaving it until last minute like the rest of us.

They say to make the most out of your dissertation, but to be honest, I’d rather it take up as little of my valuable procrastination time as possible, thanks.

FAITH IN DIVERSITY

E

Louis Vanderlande

ntitlement of any kind should be a thing of the past. No one should receive special treatment or privileges based upon ones faith.

That being said, a prayer room is not an entitlement or a privilege, it’s a space for reflection and communication with your chosen God/Gods. I’m no advocate for religion but I respect others decision to do so. With this respect I feel it is only natural that Newcastle University, which prides itself on its multicultural history, should have a space for those wishing to express their faith.

To remove such a thing in the short term due to building issues is an understandable thing.

However, to the reduce the space and limit its opening times without any consultation sounds counterintuitive to the very ethos this university is trying to represent.

The Islamic society, like any other faith, should have a space on campus that accommodates their needs and not the needs of the university.

CRITICAL DISTANCE

T

Bruce Skelton

o simply separate the art from the artist, is the answer posed by some.

Which if you can do, must be of great internal relief. Is it acceptable to continuing appreciating the work of the accused? A question of morality, that confuses, divides, and quite frankly, exasperates us. Will I be able to re-watch House of Cards, Baby Driver or Pulp Fiction? Will the enjoyment that they brought be preserved?

On the other hand, maybe there’s no debate to be had. Upon the discovery of wrong doing, the films, television and music should be instantly discarded. A sharp but principled response. For those who are torn however, where does the division lie? If the accused have exploited their positions, does supporting the work not only further the issue... Do we continue watching with a negative tinge?

With the endless scroll streaming services provide, finding new content must surely be a solution.

the courier Monday 20 November 2017

life & style

11

@CourierLifestyle c2.lifestyle@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/lifestyle Life & Style Editor Izzi Watkins Lifestyle Editors Sophie Henderson, Jaymelouise Hudspith, Lauren Sneath & Victoria Young

Blind Date Andrew on Lucy

Where did you go and what did you have?

We went to Turtle Bay for food and drinks, then Hadrian’s Tipi for drinks.

We had passion fruit cocktails and then mulled wine.

Lucy Spink, 4th Year Modern Language Student Andrew Johnson 3rd Year Chemistry Student

Lucy on Andrew

What was your first impression of Andrew?

Andrew seemed nice, was really friendly and it wasn’t awkward although I think we were both a bit nervous.

Where did you go and who chose the location?

We went to Turtle Bay, which was Andrew’s idea. As I’d suggested Handrian’s Tipi earlier we also went there for a drink which was nice.

What was your first impression of Lucy?

She was nice, really nice. The date started really well but towards the end... I don’t know Was Lucy your usual type?

I don’t really have a type but maybe, no. She was really nice though just not my type

Were there any awkward moments?

No, we had quite a lot to talk about and got on well, although I did accidentally call him Adam at the start!

What makes you think the date could have gone better?

Towards the end she started going on her phone so, I got the feeling she wasn’t that interested Were there any awkward moments?

There were a few silences but nothing too bad, she kept the conversation flowing What was either the funniest moment or the highlight of the night?

Um, maybe going to Hadrians. That was really nice and I hadn’t been before so it was a nice experience If Lucy were a fruit which fruit would she be?

An apple, I don’t know why but yeah Rate: 6/10

Do you think you will see each other again?

I don’t think we’ll see each other again. Andrew is a really nice guy, he was a real gent but we just didn’t really hit it off.

If he were a cocktail, which would be?

A strawberry daiquiri cause he was sweet.

Did you have much in common?

We didn’t have loads in common, he’s quite sporty and I’m not, but it was still fun to get to know each other.

Fancy a date? We’ll set you up.

Find us on our 2017/ 2018 Facebook page or email at c2.lifestyle@newcastle.ac.uk

Rate: 7.5/10

the courier

12

life & style lifestyle Monday 20 November 2017 Recipe of the Week with It’s that time of year again, Movember is back and bigger than ever! Jerome Affleck has all the tips for growing the best facial hair around whilst raising some wonga for a worthy cause Hope Coke

How to do Movember like a pro

Autumn Vegetable Quinoa

T

Every budding lumberjack should have a beard-trimmer to keep whatever fluff you have at optimal length

Image: Hope Coke

his is just the kind of thing I want to eat this time of year, with cosy roasted veg and warming spices that are brightened up by the sharpness of lemon and dill. I’ve used pumpkin here because you can quite often find them on sale post Halloween, but butternut squash would work well too.

Another plus is that the beetroot dyes the whole thing dark pink, which is pretty cool- and it tastes great whilst definitely fitting in with your pre Christmas-party diet. You can keep it vegan if you like, or top the dish with a little feta or goats cheese for another kick of flavour.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large raw beetroot (roughly 200g weight) 1 red onion 400g pumpkin/ squash (about 1/2 a small butternut squash) 1tsp cumin 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp olive oil 80g quinoa Zest of 1 lemon 1 handful dill Salt and pepper, to taste For the dressing: 1 tbsp mustard Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp honey 1 pinch salt and pepper Optional, to serve: Feta or goats cheese

Directions:

F

or some it’s a blessing; for others, it’s a curse. To the humiliation and horror of every baby-faced male up and down the country, November is upon us and it’s time to show off what you were blessed with in terms of facial décor.

Unless you live under a rock then you will know that ‘Movember’ is upon us. Normally the deadgiveaway is how that one lecturer is looking creepier than usual, and those few brave freshers are wondering around campus with approximately 5 hairs between them to shelter their upper lips from the brutal autumnal elements.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Start by prepping your vegetables, deseeding the pumpkin and squash and cutting it and the beetroot into roughly 2 cm chunks, then halve and peel the onion and cut each half into about six pieces.

Tip it all onto a roasting tray and mix together with the olive oil and spices and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, then put in the oven to roast for 20-30 minutes, or until all the veg is tender and starting to brown in places.

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa on the hob according to packet instructions (this usually takes about 15-20 minutes) then set aside. Make the dressing by mixing the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, honey and a little salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Roughly chop the dill and finely grate the lemon zest, then set aside.

Once the vegetables are cooked, tip into a serving dish with the quinoa and toss together with the dressing, dill and lemon zest until everything is evenly combined. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed, then crumble over the feta or goats cheese, if using.

Spoon into bowls and eat hot, or make ahead of time and have it cold as a quinoa salad. Any leftovers can be packed up in an airtight container and should keep for a few days in the fridge, ready to be repurposed into a packed lunch or side dish to fish or chicken.

If you’re not quite sure what exactly Movember is, it is an annual event which encourages men to grow moustaches throughout the month of November to raise awareness of men’s issues. Some of you may say: ”what issues?“. Well, as the Movember Foundation put it, “Men experience worse longer-term health than women and die on average six years earlier. Prostate cancer rates will double in the next 15 years. Testicular cancer rates have already doubled in the last 50. Three quarters of suicides are men. Poor mental health leads to half a million men taking their own life every year.

That’s one every minute”.

However, this isn’t an article about why you should get behind Movember- we all know how good a cause it is. This is an article on how to avoid any basic furry fashion faux-pas during Movember (and beyond, if it goes well enough).

Having facial hair and looking good whilst having facial hair are two very different things. Gone are the days where your glorified peach-fuzz could run rampant across your face; you’re an adult now, so learn how to take care of it.

Know what you’re dealing with

Patchy and thin facial hair is all too common among otherwise fresh-faced students and, unless you’ve somehow won the genetic lottery, this is probably what you will be dealing with.

These types of beards will leave people wondering whether you will be asking them for change as they walk past; know your limitations and don’t be afraid to ask your (trusted) peers “Does my beard look like shit?”.

to shape-up and you will be properly equipped to face the coming winter months in style. If you don’t already have these vital utensils, stick them on your Christmas list.

Maintenance

The most important part of having facial hair is taking care of it on a regular basis. It’s a daily battle with those errant hairs, which for some, when left unchecked will lead to your beard slowly creeping up to join your eyebrows- definitely not a good look. Make it part of your daily routine: get up, shower, brush your teeth and shave (or trim). Soon this will become second nature and a day won’t go by without your furry friend looking its best.

Follow these three basic tenets and you will be well on your way to join the legends in beard-Valhalla.

Tools

Let’s face it, no one can be arsed with wet shaving every morning, it’s probably the reason you have facial hair to begin with. Every budding lumberjack should have a beard-trimmer to keep whatever fluff you have at optimal length. Pair it with an electric razor

Images: Pixabay

Temporary jobs this Christmas All the best tips and advice for finding a temporary job this festive season, from Victoria Young

C

hristmas is coming up, and the bank balance is getting low. As you indulge in Christmas treats and splash out on friends and family, it can become difficult as you’re followed by the nagging thought that you really need a job.

Well, you’re in luck- whilst Christmas is a time of holiday spending, it’s also a great season for finding temporary jobs to tide you over to the new year (and new student loan!).

Where to find them

There are a number of ways to get clued up on what jobs are out there and how to get your hand on the positions: Reed.co.uk has a list of all the temporary jobs and vacancies in retail and is the UK’s number one job site for temporary jobs. You can search for jobs based on area, wage and shifts, and when you find one that fits the bill, simply apply online.

Another particularly good website for students is e4s.co.uk which offers the best student and temporary jobs with the understanding that applicants are still in full time education. Deliveroo, Cath Kidston and Primark are just a few companies that are currently using this site to reach out to student part timers for seasonal positions.

Employers often appreciate a candidate willing to drop a CV by face to face and introduce themselves If you’re not a fan of scouring websites, you could always take the more old-fashioned approach and distribute your CV manually across all your favourite retailers. Employers often appreciate a candidate willing to drop a CV by face to face and introduce themselves, so don’t rule out this option (despite the fact that it drags you out of bed!). You could also go to the job centre, speak to customer service desks, get a friend to speak to their colleagues or drop applications at local businesses.

Remember not to give up too easily.

Let’s pray that Father Christmas has a fat envelope of cash for you on the 25th December

If all this fails and really feel that you must be the most awful, unemployable person in the world, don’t worry. There could be a myriad of reasons why you weren’t chosen for various roles, and by asking businesses for feedback on your interview style, CV or qualifications, you could gain valuable knowledge for what to do/not do in the future.

And until that day of success arrives, let’s pray that Father Christmas has a fat envelope of cash for you on the 25th December.

How to be interview prepared

Make sure your CV is up to date and paints an accurate picture of your abilities and experience (the worst thing you can do is make up something, only to be asked on the day to elaborate on your “gold Olympic medal in type writing”).

Also, be sure to have some good references and referees who will show you as a good and desirable addition to the company. Take your qualifications, tell them what you can offer to their company over the busy Christmas period and be sure to tell them why you have specifically chosen to apply to them.

Relax, stay calm, be polite and dress well. If you don’t make this interview, move on and try the next one.

What to consider

When applying for a Christmas temporary job, you mustn’t forget that this is probably one of the busiest times of the year. Not only do you have your usual social life and University studies but you’ll most likely be bombarded with winter deadlines and assessments and be overcome with an abundance of Christmas shopping and organisation.

Ask yourself “Can I really afford to take on a job in addition to all of this? And if so, can I still do it to the best of my ability?”

Image: Public Domain Pictures

the courier

13

Monday 20 November 2017

Let the lead up to Christmas begin Editor, Sophie Henderson, shares her tips on getting into that festive spirit whilst in The Toon

H

ere in Newcastle, we wave goodbye to Autumn at the flick of a Christmas light switch, welcoming the winter months ahead. The temperature is dropping, big coats are appearing, and Northumberland Street is teeming with Christmas shoppers. Festive preparation is well underway, but there are a few things unique to this city well worth knowing a thing or two about.

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An annual display since 1971, the Fenwick window is the unofficial starting point of the NorthEast Christmas calendar. Crowds flock to its exhibition, so if you haven’t already seen hoards of people queuing to take a glimpse, you definitely will next time you pass.

The window was revealed to the public on Friday 3rd November, and the theme for Christmas 2017 is ‘Love from Paddington’. Take a walk through the display to see excerpts from Michael Bond’s well loved children’s stories, or stand back and take in the atmosphere. Whether you love it, or you don’t see what the fuss is all about, this Christmas window is a festive tradition that continues year after year. Its a nice thing to show family too.

Festivities at the Tyneside Cinema

Food, mulled wine and log fires - the golden trio

This time of year is all about indulgence. Put it this way - when you’ve sat in the library all week, the last thing you want to do is eat a bowl of pasta in your student kitchen. A cheap Sainsbury’s rosé will transform into mulled wine, and portions will

Image: Instagram @fenwicknewcastle

grow into hearty, homely food. There are plenty of places in and around town offering the comforts that come with Christmas time.

The first place coming to mind is Hadrian’s Tipi on Pilgrim Street, an 8-week winter pop-up open everyday from 8am-1am, although it has a slightly later opening time on a Sunday. Its warm log fires and cosy snug seating areas are the epitome of festivity, and there’s also a street food village, live music and entertainment. A few other spots for seasonal drinks, and/ or Christmassy food include: The Forth Hotel, Bar Loco and The Botanist.

Ice skating after a lecture

A winter tradition all over the world, Newcastle has no Central Park, but it does have a Times Square. Located just outside of the Centre for Life, Denise Welch opened the outdoor ice rink to the public on 11th November, and it will stay open un-

til 18th February next year. With no need to prebook your tickets, head to the main desk to rent out your skates. One ticket permits one hour on the ice - maybe try to avoid busy weekends and after-school trips.

And finally, Christmas shopping

With student loans dwindling away, try to set aside an amount for Christmas gift-buying. You can’t leave it all until you get home, so why not look for something in Newcastle to let your loved ones know you’ve thought of them?

The International Christmas Market at Grey’s Monument is open until December 10th, and Sage Gateshead are holding ‘Christmas Cracker 2017’ on Saturday 2nd December. with independent vendors, craft fairs and food stalls. Look to local companies to find unique gifts.

Growing up means paying bills Scarlett Rowland urges us to pinch the pennies and shop around for the best deals out there

W

hen it comes to student life, saving money is a top priority. After the rosetinted glasses of first year have been cruelly ripped from your face, you realise that you’re sort of becoming an adult. An adult that has to pay bills and budget.

Though it is a little boring it is always a good idea to know your budget and tracking what you spend.

If you’re feeling really keen, think about making a little spreadsheet to track your spending. This way you’ll be able to see where you spend too much, or when you can actually treat yourself. If you’re not feeling that eager, online banking can be really helpful in allowing you to see what you’ve spent recently and keep you accountable for your own budget.

Just hit up Amazon and make that investment.

Though it may feel insane when 60 rolls of loo roll arrive at your door, when you realise you only paid £2.30, you’ll feel good knowing you’ve saved.

Planning meals and making a list makes it far easier to save money when food shopping. Going without a list is always going to be a disaster.

However, always go and check the sale section of your local supermarket. Anything that you pick up that is close to its sell-bye date can easily be frozen meaning it’ll last for months. I would also recommend making your meals in bulk, you’ll not only save money but also time, making it easier to get through those tough deadlines that’ll be coming soon.

It may feel insane when 60 rolls of loo roll arrive at your door

Image: Pexels

When purchasing anything that you find you are buying again and again think about buying in bulk.

A key one of these is loo roll. Though it may not seem like it, buying loo roll does actually add up.

Rant of the Week: Slow Walkers hy is it, that moment you have an appointment so important that you’ve been sweating about it for weeks, you bump in to the most hated pedestrian found in the world: a slow walker?

Slow walkers come in all shapes and sizes, they can be the fittest and most physically able amongst us, yet they have a preference for walking at the pace of a depressed sloth. They usually prefer a sort of ‘shuffle’ instead of the usual ‘one pace after the other’ routine; the worst type of slow walkers actually stop every so often to tie up a shoelace or simply point at stare at something vacuously in the distance.

Firstly, the Fenwick window

A well-loved student spot, the Christmas season starts in December at the Tyneside Cinema, and they’re pulling out all of the stops to make it an all-round festive experience. Student prices are reduced, and childhood classics like Home Alone and The Polar Express will grace the big screen.

To top things off, they’re offering a festive-singa-long screening of Its a Wonderful Life with the Northern Proud Voices Community Choir, equipped with lyric sheets and christmassy canapés. If it is the food you’re interested in, Tyneside’s cafe-bar are offering a whole new menu, and a Festive-themed Afternoon Tea. Check their website to book any tickets. (www.tynesidecinema.co.uk)

lifestyle life & style

One specific tip I’ve noticed is the offers that you see advertised in Tesco always end on a Tuesday, so if you see something that you need keep in mind that the deal wont last forever. If a Tesco isn’t your local, just ask someone at the till when the stuff gets knocked down. Check out the Sandyford Road Nisa Local at 9:30 for some 10p pizzas.

Another tip? A lot of the time the unbranded version really is not that different - try the cheaper version, and then you’ll know when to splurge on a branded item - Aldi Ketchup? Yes. Tesco Own

Brand Beans? No. When it comes to saving money when paying bills, there are many companies that offer you fantastic ‘deals’ and wonderful ‘savings’ such as Red Brick Bills or Glide. However, in my opinion, these companies are complete scams. Alongside this, the owner of the house you rent may offer you some kind of inclusive package.

Although you may find that it makes life easier, it certainly does not make life cheaper. I am currently paying half of what the cheapest company proposed we pay for our bills, and almost a third of what my letting agent offered. Searching around for the best deals online is super easy and genuinely an incredibly easy way to save more that a £5 a week, which is over £250 in the year. So please, please do it yourself - don’t get scammed and save some money!

They seem to have some miraculous pair of rose-coloured glasses that eliminate the entire idea of ‘rushing’ These slow walkers are never aware of their situation, they seem to have some miraculous pair of rose-coloured glasses that eliminate the entire idea of ‘rushing’ and the need to get somewhere within the same hour of setting off. They appear at the most irritating of times, and are seemingly unaware of the distress that they cause on a daily basis. Such distress, that the fast-walking pedestrian (e.g. Every sane individual), usually spends minutes upon minutes calculating a route to avoid the ‘sloth’. Sometimes this may involve jumping up onto ledges, walking on main roads, or literally sprinting past the walker, risking bumping into passer byers going against the current.

What I don’t understand, is the reasoning behind such sluggard behaviour; do they get a sadistic thrill out of causing pain for the queue of people who are stuck behind them? Do they feel powerful, able to stop an entire crowd of individuals from getting to their desired destination?

Perhaps they’re hungover, ill or just tired, I hear protesters state. This, I do understand, however I do not appreciate their inability to simply move out the way. If I’m not on top walking form, I am aware of the aggravated crowd behind me, and move to the side to let them pass. I can then walk at my desired pace, and I get a smile from the panicked walkers, so it’s a win-win situation. Apart from these extreme situations, most times I walk from A-B, I aim to get there at the quickest time possible. Why would I want to waste time ambling or even enjoying the scenery when I can instead almost sprint and surpass my PB? Now that, is a non-sadistic thrill that all pedestrians should enjoy.

Sophie Schneider

Image: Good Free Photos

@Courier_life Image: Max Pixel

@courier_lifestyle

14

life & style fashion

LET’S GET ETHICAL

the courier

c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk Fashion Editors Chloe Bland, Sophie Schneider and Zofia Zwieglinska

Monday 20 November 2017

Berets,bakerboys&beanies

Modelling industry ravaged by Charlotte Cooper will ‘beret’ you if you don’t pick up the hottest headwear and hats this winter fraudulent contracts Accessorize contrast pom-pom

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ith the growth of social media, society is going through a second evolution.

Despite the benefits the virtual world has brought, online media has unfortunately brought a multitude of problems with it too, and one of these is affecting the fashion industry.

Aspiring models, who are often teens or students, are increasingly exploited through fraudulent modelling contracts.

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Topshop classic plain beret

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New Look burgundy velvet baker boy hat

River Island camel widebrim fedora

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ASOS X GLAAD Collaboration

Natalya Baranovskaya reviews the new collection by famous brands in support of LGBT rights

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ovember has not only met all fashion addicts with new Christmas sweaters, but also the announcement of a new collaboration between the well-known online fashion and beauty store ASOS, and a media organization GLAAD, which promotes the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer) rights.

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the courier

@CourierFashion c2.fashion@ncl.ac.uk

Monday 20 November 2017

The New Era for Vogue Sian Dickie looks into the new diversity-focused issue of the first Vogue under Edward Enninful

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s a long time reader of British Vogue, I have always admired the creativity and art that is synonymous with the magazine. After 25 years of being Editor-inChief, Alexandra Schulman announced in June that she would be stepping down from the iconic publications, which lead to much speculation over who would be taking over her role.

Edward Enninful OBE, former model for i-D and ex-creative director at W magazine was chosen as the 11th Editor of the publication. This was to the delight of the industry and loyal Vogue regulars such as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, who hailed the new issue as ‘iconic’ on Instagram and rightly so. His first issue is entitled “Great Britain” and aims to show the real Britain, a Britain that is not often depicted in the media or past issues of Vogue itself. It is diverse in so many ways, not only showing creatives from different ethnic backgrounds, but also sexualities and ages.

His first issue aims to show a Britain that is not often depicted in the media or past issues of Vogue The cover is iconic, transporting audiences back to the seventies and reminding them of the magazines treasured and fabulously stylish past.

Adwoa Aboah, the cover model of the December issue is a well-known activist, model and founder of the online platform Gurls Talk; A close friend of Enninful, she said in an interview that she still “wakes up and pinches herself.” Most notably, this issue takes a more politically charged stance, which is immensely enjoyable, showing that the fashion industry is also impacted by political issues such as Brexit and immigration. Enninful himself is from Ghana and discusses in his new mission statement

for the people featured in the publication that “Regardless of where they were born or how they got here…[they] all share huge pride in their homeland, with an outlook that is pleasingly global.”

The great thing about Enninful’s new era is the variety of social media content the magazine has produced for the issue. Particularly with the series called „Love Letters to Britain” which has a mini version posted on social media and features all the stars of the December magazine. The short called “You know you’re British when” gives short content to the generation that relies on YouTube and other social media for their entertainment. Additionally, Naomi Campbell’s interview with Sadiq Khan has also been uploaded on the British Vogue YouTube channel.

Naomi did an amazing job and the interview is both captivating and some good ‘food for thought.’

There are some things that don’t change in a high-end magazine such as Vogue and they still know how to bring cutting-edge fashion. With this new fresh look there is a larger focus on street wear however the pricing of the garments is still the same. Trust me, not even your student loan will cover the price of any of the exquisite collections, from Supreme to Marc

Instagram: @britishvogue

Jacobs, as this stuff isn’t for the faint of heart or the short of change! Although you may be able to find high-street dupes of these looks, the exclusive designer brands in Vogue are still here to stay.

Sick of donning the denim?

Katy Prophet delves into the world of men’s fashion to seek out this season’s stylish jean alternatives

1. Topman grey blend wool trousers; £38 2. Asos Reclaimed Vintage Cord trousers; £40 3. JD side piped trousers; £22 4. Carhartt madison jogger; £85

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s easy, comfortable and fashionable as jeans have been ever since their popularity on the British high street in the 1960’s, it’s time to dump the denim and explore other options. It has never been easier to switch the bottom layer up, and there are some great alternatives to jeans available, with increasingly more fabric trends hitting the high street.

1. Cord trousers For that ‘edgier’ and more relaxed look, corduroy trousers are so easy to style, as they look great in a range of colours. They also match perfectly with a baggy jumper, T- shirts and even a shirt and belt for the smarter, more work-appropriate look. Cord is becoming increasingly popular, and so the places to buy them are endless. ASOS is one of the best online sites for cord trousers, as they range from affordable high street prices to much more highend, so it really depends on what you’re looking for.

2. Wool blend trousers Wool trousers for men are becoming increasingly popular and are especially useful for the upcoming winter months. Wool trousers are great, as they can be dressed up for the more formal look like

5. Dickies work trousers; £45 6. Zara ‘retro’ trouser; £29.99

date nights, and dressed down for something more casual such as a lecture or drink in town. All Saints wool and cotton blend trousers are featured as one of their best-selling styles, so this is definitely a trend not to miss. H&M and Topman offer much cheaper alternatives too.

It’s time to dump the denim and explore other options 3. ‘Work’ trousers Work trousers are massively on trend at the moment, especially since the popular Dickies and Urban Outfitters collaboration, with their industrial work trousers. Despite the workwear title they are great worn casually, mostly matched with jumpers and t-shirts – so they really do replace any need for jeans. Dickies are also sold on ASOS, so are extremely easy to get a hold of.

4. The side piped trouser Often, the side piped trousers are a less relaxed version of sweatpants, and so allow comfort without looking like loungewear. These trousers are a perfect in between option of jeans and smart trousers, as they are smart, made from stretch fabric but have a slimline look and fasten with a button, and they are much comfier than a rigid pair of denim jeans.The options are endless this season, so there’s no need to rely on your trusty pair of Levi’s when the alternatives are equally as comfortable (if not more), affordable, and bang on trend.

5. The jogging pant There is always a debate as to whether sweatpants and joggers can ever be anything but loungewear.

However, it is definitely undoubted that the jogger is a popular look and an alternative to jeans.

There are so many ways to wear joggers and by styling them they will not necessarily look like loungepants. It’s extremely popular to juxtapose the relaxed joggers with something smarter such as a shirt or a jumper. By wearing coloured joggers this also makes the whole outfit look a lot smarter.

15

fashion life & style

FASHION NEWS Zara’s unpaid workers

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onsumers of high street fashion brand, Zara, have reportedly discovered written notes concealed in store-bought Zara clothing. These handmade notes were allegedly sewed in by unpaid employees who make the apparels, the note reads – “I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn’t get paid for it.”

These unpaid employees are from Bravo Tekstil, an outsourced clothes factory manufacturer in Istanbul, contracted by Zara and also manufactures clothes for Next and Mango. However, it has come to light that Bravo Tekstil had abruptly ceased its management operations overnight. The affected employees claimed that they are owed several months of salary and severance allowance, which their boss had taken with the business.

The Bravo Tekstil workers took to Change.org to submit a petition, demanding rightful treatment for their laborious toil. The petition was accompanied by a joint message and video interviews of the victims, an excerpt of the statement says, “We have all laboured for Zara/Inditex, Next and Mango for years. We made these brands’ products with our own hands, earning huge profits for them.

We demand now that these brands give us the basic respect to compensate us for our labour. We demand no more than our basic rights! We call on the international community to support our struggle, sign and share to support our campaign!”

This case of mistreatment has been taken up by the Clean Clothes Campaign, which claims that that some 2,700,000 Turkish Lira was owed to the Bravo employees by Zara, Next and Mango.

The Clean Clothes Campaign is an international organisation committed to fighting for fair working conditions and empowering workers in the garment and sportswear industries globally.

In the news release, the Clean Clothes Campaign Turkey says, “Brands are principal employees. They have proven time and again that they control every aspect of their orders to their suppliers. Therefore, it is clear that it is in their power to make sure that all workers who produce their apparel receive their monthly wages and are working in safe conditions, and morally they must do so.”

Employees claimed that they are owed several months of salary Zara has been in the spotlight for unethical labour practices in factories in Brazil and Argentina in previous years. In this instance, Zara, Next and Mango have been reached out to for comment but have not yet responded.

Guilty as charged. We often take for granted the fashion apparels we purchase from these billiondollar fashion conglomerates. It is easy to dismiss the plight of employees who are working tirelessly to produce these garments in another country, much less on the other side of the world. However, if we choose to condone this dishonest behaviour by excessively buying from these retailers, what does it say about humanity?

I’m not discouraging a complete boycott of these fashion giants because it would be seemingly futile to end consumer spending of these highly popular brands. I’m saying that we, as consumers, should take active steps to ensure that these retailers are living up to ethical practices by voicing out doubts or dubious claims and actively questioning the Managements and its contracted labour policies.

If the Governments, labour unions and activists would cooperate and set stringent laws and penalties to keep these retailers in check, we will be on our way to ensuring just employment policies for all.

Amanda Jane Yap

Image: Pexels

16

life & style beauty

DIY dying your hair

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s students, money is often tight. After paying for your rent and bills there never seems to be much left to buy yourself some luxuries in life. One of the biggest shocks of moving to university is the realisation that the things we once took for granted actually cost real money, and a lot of it.

Dying your hair can be a bank-busting task - it can be as expensive as £90 for a cut and colour if you choose an expensive salon. You pay for the experience, the seemingly luxurious shampoo and conditioner, and the scented hair spray that reminds you that the products are worth more than you can afford. But you don’t have to blow the budget on your hair.

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courier.beauty@ncl.ac.uk Beauty Editors Laura Greatrex, Lois Johnston & Susanne Norris

MUAs: are they worth it?

It is well known there is no shortage of make-up artists (MUAs) in Newcastle. Nimra Rafique weighs up the pros and cons of using MUAs for special occasions vs. doing your own make-up up done by an MUA is really worth it. Sometimes events, especially graduations and weddings, can become a bit stressful. By opting to get your makeup done professionally, by an MUA you trust, rather than doing it yourself will minimise some of your stress. You know that you are in good hands and your make-up will turn out flawless. Also, I don’t know about you, but I find something quite therapeutic about relaxing for an hour or so getting pampered. Every time I’ve had my make-up done by an MUA it’s stayed flawless all day, but when I do make-up myself for an occasion I always find myself having to do touch ups throughout the day.

Make-up artists are usually experts in their field, so they know all the tricks to create a flawless make-up look that will last. Some of my favourite local MUA’s include, @cocochloemakeup and @ dollicious.

years ago the Ancient Egyptians dyed their grey hairs with henna

In the last few years the beauty market has been flooded with new advanced do-it-yourself hair dyes. Brands have worked hard to remove the low quality standard stigma by adding professional ingredients and tools, and it seems to have worked.

The variety of colours that can be achieved is now vast, from crazy colours such as lilac and pink to classical auburns and blondes. And you can get ‘salon results’ for as little as £5.

You can dye your entire head, add highlights, or simply top up your roots - there is now a product for everyone and everything. It’s hard to shake the fear of dying your own hair, and I for one spent my teenage years using box dies to change my hair colour every month with devastating results. But now the products can maintain your hair’s health and shine rather than strip the life out of them.

the courier

Monday 20 November 2017

Image: @maccosmetics

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hen it comes to special occasions I’m sure we’ve all debated whether to get our make-up done by a professional make-up artist or just do it ourselves. I know I have. There are pros and cons to both options, so I thought I’d breakdown some of these pros and cons and maybe it will help some of you with making such a decision in the future.

There are many pros for doing makeup up yourself for events. The most obvious is that it is arguably more cost efficient. I’m sure most of you wear make-up quite regularly so own the basic make-up products needed to create your intended make-up look, such as foundation, powder, bronzer/blush, eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick. Because you will use these products a numerous number of times, you are getting your money’s worth out of them. Whereas getting your

make-up done by a professional MUA can cost on average between £25-£40 for one day/nights wear of makeup.

If you don’t feel very confident in your make-up skills, but don’t want splurge out on booking an MUA, a piece of advice I would give you is practice.

Give yourself a good amount of time before the day of the event and practice different techniques and experiment with different makeup looks.

Watch make-up tutorials on YouTube, there are so many out there on so many different looks for any occasion, I’m positive you’ll find the right one for you. YouTube make-up tutorials are perfect; they give you step-by-step visual (and usually verbal) instructions on how to achieve the desired look.

On the other hand, getting your make-up done by an MUA also has many perks. For certain special occasions, I think investing in getting your make-

You know that you are in good hands and your make-up will turn out flawless Overall, I think whether you get your makeup done by an MUA or to just do it yourself is a personal choice. I would, personally, get my makeup done by an MUA for certain special occasions, such as a close family/friend’s weddings or my birthday, but would otherwise watch makeup tutorials on YouTube for inspiration/help and do it myself. I wish I could be like Kylie Jenner who has a personal make-up artist that follows her around the world and makes her look flawless all the time.

But I also think it’s fun to do your own make-up, to practice on improving your own makeup skills.

There’s no better complement than someone asking who did your make-up and responding with ‘I did it myself ’.

Stopping Photoshopping

Beauty Editor Lois Johnston delves into the world of beauty advertising and questions why, in 2017, photo enhancing technology is still being used to create unrealistic product expectations

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Image: @lorealhair

When buying your box colour remember to buy two boxes, as there is nothing worse than running out mid-head and ending up with an uneven colour. The second box can always be returned if un-used - it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Always remember to do the patch test by testing the product on your skin 24 hours before you plan on dying your hair to ensure you won’t have any unwanted reactions. You can even test in a section of your hair to check the colour is the one you desire.

ay back in 2011, L’Oreal was caught up in controversy after an advertising campaign with Julia Roberts was banned by ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) for being too Photoshopped. Fast forward six years to June of this year and Rimmel’s advertising campaign for their ScandalEyes Reloaded Mascara has been banned for similar reasons. According to ASA, the television advert starring Cara Delevingne used production techniques that ‘exaggerated’ the results of the make-up.

So, why is this still happening? Do these multimillion pound companies not have the intelligence to realise that it’s misleading to Photoshop the results of a product? More importantly, in an age when 90% of girls aged 15-17 want to change at least one part of their body, why are they even allowed to use Photoshop at all?

On the one hand, I understand that other

Always remember to do the patch test by testing the product on your skin 24 hours before The results are just as amazing and can save you a lot of money. So next time you need a colour top up, think about all the things you can do with your now spare money and opt for a box dWie. I’m almost certain you won’t regret it.

Laura Bolden Image: @maybelline

genres of adverts, such as those advertising cars or phones, for example, are allowed to use all the digital touching that they wish, so it is only fair that it is the same in terms of cosmetics. However, in this day and age, it is so important that we don’t promote content that could contribute to body confidence issues, especially amongst younger generations.

Consumers are now looking to bloggers for recommendations of products as they are more trustworthy ASA’s guidelines for cosmetics advertising state that, ‘whilst our rules do allow for the use of airbrushing and other post-production techniques, advertisers should make clear that these techniques have been used through the use of superimposed qualifications or disclaimers.’ Additionally, before and after pictures are allowed but only if they remain completely un-touched.

This means, in other words, that they allow a model wearing false eyelashes to promote a mascara, but only if there’s a tiny note in the bottom corner. I personally don’t see how that is helping anyone and is, in effect, false advertising. You wouldn’t want to buy clothes that had been edited to an extent where they were unrecognisable, so why is it acceptable to buy mascaras based on an advert that uses false eyelashes?

I think the continued disregard for these rules by cosmetics giants and their need to edit images to the extent where the results look un-realistic is

Image: @caradelevingne

one of the contributing factors to the rise of the blogging industry. Consumers are now looking to bloggers for recommendations of products as they are more trust-worthy and show the effects of the products on real-life everyday people.

For example, if I were looking to buy a new bronzer and had to choose between a Photoshopped, airbrushed image of a supermodel and an un-biased, untouched image and review from a girl who I could easily relate to, I would choose the product used in the latter without a second thought.

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of girls aged 15-17 want to change at least one part of their body

For the purposes of this article, I researched brands that refuse to use Photoshop in their advertising campaigns. Unfortunately, however, my research proved fruitless and I couldn’t find a single one.

the courier

@CourierBeauty thecourieronline.co.uk/beauty

Monday 20 November 2017

Beauty website wars

With a multitude of beauty websites to choose from these days, picking the right one can be tricky. Emily Cartwright talks us through her favourite websites and which ones are the best

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e’ve all been there: skint on your last £10 but your beloved £30 foundation runs out. Brilliant. Of course, you’re going to buy another one anyway, but where to go? Below I battle the 4 best beauty websites and try to discern the best one.

Cult Beauty: One of the first UK sites to stock American brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Cult Beauty has always been a good website to turn to for the best beauty purchases. It stocks hard to get brands like Lime Crime, Huda, By Terry, Laura Geller, ICONIC London and The Ordinary, and has frequent restocks with Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes especially. In terms of shipping, Cult tends to have a ‘brand of the month’ where all month it’s free shipping on that brand, but it’s always free shipping on orders over £40. So, all in all a good website to go to for beauty bits!

Feelunique.com Founded in 2005 by Aaron Chatterley and Richard Schiessl, Feel Unique is now Europe’s largest online beauty retailer, stocking over 500 brands.

Image: @feelunique

ASOS: Though initially starting out as a fashion website, ASOS upped their beauty game fast, making an entire dedicated section called ‘face and body’ for both men and women. Offering brands like NARS, It’s Skin, The Ordinary and Spectrum, ASOS provides a place where you can get amazing offers and student discount (10% always, sometimes 20%) on expensive brands. The delivery service is usually great, with a spend of £20 guaranteeing free delivery, or just £9.95 per year for unlimited next day delivery. Another good thing about ASOS is that anything you buy gets you points on your account which sometimes total

Image: @cultbeauty

up to a £5 or £10 voucher! So with 10% discount and a voucher, nothing can really go wrong, right?

Feel Unique: If you’re a skincare or haircare enthusiast, I think Feel Unique is the place to go. Though like Cult Beauty it offers some great make-up brands, the skincare and haircare brands are amass on there, including Emma Hardie, La Roche-Posay, Bioderma, Sachajuan, Kératase and Hairburst. What’s more, if you sign up to emails you get 15% off your first order - always handy to keep when you’re skint! Like ASOS, Feel Unique have a premium delivery service where for £8.95 a year you get next day delivery on any order. It’s also just £15 for free normal delivery. Plus, it offers 15% off for students on UNiDays and if you spend over £30, you get 2 complimentary free samples!

I’d say this is the best website for little deals every now and then.

Beauty Bay: Definitely my favourite out the bunch, Beauty Bay is amazing for make-up, skincare, haircare... everything! Not only does

it offer a wide range of brands that branches out more and more everyday, but it also stocks special collections and collaborations that are usually exclusive to the brand site. Take the MORPHE X Jaclyn Hill palette, Beauty Bay somehow managed to stock this for £37 without any crazy shipping fees that MORPHE’s website tried to pull. Like Feel Unique, Beauty Bay offers free delivery for any orders over £15 and I’ve found their delivery service is extremely quick and efficient.

Of course it all depends on personal preferences, but my ultimate advice when deciding on what website to use is look for offers! Decide what you want to buy and see what’s going on on each of the websites that stock it to try and see where the best deals are. All in all though, I would say that Beauty Bay and ASOS are my personal favourites as they stock the brands I tend to use most and have the best delivery services and frequent offers. (Plus, if you order from ASOS you have an excuse to buy new clothes too.)

Buy it in bulk: supermarket saviours Miranda Stoner lets us know what products we should be buying in bulk, in our online supermarket shop, to save money compared to buying in typical drugstores like Superdrug

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eing a student with a Superdrug addiction can sometimes put a strain on your budget.

Whilst you want to be able to afford nights out, library break cups of coffee and avocados in the weekly shop, you also want to keep updating your make-up drawer and beauty routine. A great way to do this is by cutting prices on your basic items and one of the best places to find great deals is your local supermarket. Not only is the meal deal cheaper than Boots, but supermarkets are also a better bet for a plethora of beauty bargains.

Take coconut oil for example. A 500g tub in Superdrug costs almost £10, yet in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s the same quantity is available for less than a fiver. Both are organic, the only difference is the label. As well as being a huge saving, this also means you can use it in baking or cooking, as well as for a hair and face mask, on the cuticles and lips, or all over your body to lock in moisture after a shower and reduce fine lines, wrinkles and cellulite.

Image: @vitacoco

It is also a surprisingly effective, yet gentle makeup remover - try rubbing it in and then washing off with warm-water. If you’re really adventurous it’s supposedly also effective as a shaving cream, or due to its natural anti-bacterial properties as deodorant - I have yet to try this myself though.

What’s more, as it is farmed from a plant this means it is 100% vegan, and coconut oil is usually a Fairtrade product.

Many supermarkets stock smell-a-like fragrances, which have all the lasting power without the fancy bottle and price tag Something else to add to the shopping trolley is supermarket own-brand baby shampoo. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you wash your hair with it! Baby shampoo mixed with warm water is ideal for cleaning make-up brushes. You can normally get 500ml for £1, which is a huge saving in comparison to a lot of branded make-up removers and it is just as effective. Moreover, because babies are so sensitive their shampoo is really gentle and doesn’t contain harsh chemicals. This helps to prolong the life of your brushes and means they return to teddy bear softness after every wash.

A handy tip for the fragrance lover, is that many supermarkets stock smell-a-like fragrances, which have all the lasting power and smell of high end brands just without the fancy bottle and the price tag. Lidl’s Suddenly Madame Glamour is a 63% fragrance match to Coco Mademoiselle and in a blindfold test, few contestants could distinguish

Image: @eumayaramotti

between the £3.99 and the £70 competitors. M&S, Sainsburys and Asda also bring some nice scents to the table, but always test them first because 90% of cheap perfume lives up to the less than favourable reputation.

A final trick, is to remember that beauty comes from the inside out, in terms of health, what you eat is just as important as what you put on your body.

Whilst marketers will have you believe you should be taking vitamin supplements, many scientists agree that if you are eating a balanced mix of foods these shouldn’t be necessary and you’re better off saving your pennies for something more important - like one of the new MAC Snow Ball Brush Kits for example. So, leave the multivitamin tablets on the shelf and pick up some fruit and veg from your local supermarket instead, this will keep your skin, hair, nails, and your bank balance healthy.

17

beauty life & style

What is your make-up made of?

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s a continuation from last week, I have provided yet more ingredients you should be looking for in your beauty products. This week focuses on green tea extract and salicylic acid, their benefits and their flaws.

Green Tea Extract (Epigallocatechin Gallate): The first thing they teach you in MRes Toxicology is “do not sniff the chemicals”. Next up in Tox101 is pretty much everything is toxic, to some extent.

Hell, you can even kill yourself by drinking six litres of pure water, a substance that makes about 55% of our bodies.

One of the more striking examples is green tea extract. You might very well have rubbed it all over your face, drunk a bit, and even consumed green tea supplements. What marketing isn’t too keen on letting you know the active ingredient in green tea – epigallocatechin gallate (EPCG) – is really quite bad for your liver. When it’s in your bloodstream, liver enzymes metabolise it to a toxin that causes scarring and cellular death.

Now for the good news. A cup of green tea doesn’t usually contain enough epigallocatechin gallate to cause any problems, and it’s absorbed too slowly through the skin to cause any damage.

The only way for EPCG to damage your liver is through “green tea supplements” – little pills often touted by nutritionists with only a passing relationship to science. In fact, EPCG can be very good for your skin. When absorbed by your skin it acts as an antioxidant, reducing the chances of receiving DNA damage from UV light. This means less sunburn, and less chance of developing a melanoma (skin cancer). The enzymes used to break EPCG down into toxins aren’t usually found in your skin, so it does little harm.

It acts as an antioxidant, reducing the chances of receiving DNA damage from UV light Salicylic Acid: I’ve seen people say salicylic acid is good for your skin. Those people probably attended the first thirty seconds of a presentation on human papilloma virus treatments before getting bored and trying to develop hand soap from bleach. What I mean is that in some situations it is good for your skin, but in others, not great.

Salicylic acid is used primarily as a treatment for common warts and acne, as well as more uncommon genetic skin conditions like psoriasis and ichthyosis. At high concentrations it can cause skin burns; don’t use wart treatments to get rid of your acne, unless you’re unreasonably confident in your dilution capabilities.

At very low concentrations it’s used as an exfoliating agent; it helps remove dead skin cells from the surface, making it look clearer. Exfoliating is good for you to some extent, especially if you have acne; you remove more Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria versus just washing with a sponge. If you don’t have acne, you’re just removing the outer layer of skin for cosmetic effect, which makes it a little easier for germs to get in. Also, by removing the outer layer of your skin you increase your risk of sunburn and skin cancer from UV; not so much of a problem during the winter months, but something to bear in mind during the summer.

Oh, and if you’re under nineteen be wary about using it, especially if you have a fever. Salicylic acid has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, along with aspirin. However, if you suffer with acne and have been prescribed salicylic acid by a doctor, then you can use it under the age of nineteen.

Jack Coles

@CourierBeauty @courier_beauty

18

life & style travel

@Courier_Travel thecourieronline.co.uk/travel

courier.travel@ncl.ac.uk Travel Editors Charlotte Hill & Talia Gillin

the courier

Monday 20 November 2017

Battle of the beaches: where will you go next?

Come fly away with us as Federica Mazzilli digs deep into the world’s most sandtastic holiday destinations

A

s the New Year is approaching, everyone is in search of a new travel destination around the world to explore with friends and family. Though many locations such as Santorini and Ibiza have been extremely popular recently, there are countless less known travel spots just waiting to be discovered. Helping you to distinguish you from the masses, these sundrenched locations are the perfect places to relax and of course, get the best shots for Instagram!

The Bahamas The Bahamas are certainly a location to be added to your bucket list, having some of the most beautiful, crystal clear beaches in the world. There are countless excursions such as Dean’s Blue Hole, known as the world’s second deepest blue hole after the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea.

There are countless less known travel spots just waiting to be discovered Another place to visit is the Pig Beach, which is part of the Exuma islands, where you are able to swim with pigs as well as snorkelling. However, one of the most elite islands at present is Harbour Island, found northwest of Eleuthera. The most renowned element of the island is its pink sand beaches that according to Budget Travel “gets its hue from

Image-Pixabay

thousands

of broken coral pieces, shells, and calcium carbonate materials left behind by foraminifera (tiny marine creatures with red and pink shells) that live in the coral reefs that surround the beach.”

Yet Harbour Island’s beaches are not the only thing worth seeing. The island itself will make you feel like a real local as you drive around in golf carts and admire the pastel coloured houses, white picket fences together and tropical vegetation. The island is also the favoured location for many A-listers and is very popular for having supermodel shoots for Sports Illustrated. So whilst on the beach, keep an eye out- you never know who you might see!

Mauritius Like the Bahamas, the Mauritius is also well known for its beaches, lagoons, and reefs. Home to some of the rarest plant and animal species in the world, it has been named a “tropical paradise”

by Trip Advisor. Many tourists are likely to visit Île aux Cerfs Island, a private island that lies in the largest lagoon in the Mauritius, with water sports and excursions constantly taking place on the island. Although it remains a great attraction, we recommend visiting the hidden underwater waterfalls located off the coast of Le Morne. This optical illusion is created by the flow of underwater currents passing and is incredible to be viewed from a helicopter.

Mexico If visiting Mexico, Playa de Amor is a unique location you would not want to miss; it is a hidden beach within the Marieta islands in Puerto Vallarta, and can only be accessed by swimming or kayaking through a water tunnel that connects it to the Pacific Ocean. It has gone unknown for a long time as it is invisible from the outside and sits inside a cavern. Another impressive location in Mexico is Tulum, found in the Caribbean coast.

Featuring the famous Mayan ruins from the 13th century, it creates a fantastic cliff top view that overlooks the beach. For a peaceful diving spot the

Where the wild things are Rowena Tylden-Pattenson shares the best sites for spotting wildlife in the UK and beyond

W

ildlife is one of the top reasons I love travelling. There is, of course, the lure of delicious foods, fascinating culture and the chance to try out new thing but ultimately, it’s always the wildlife that really makes a trip special for me.

Iceland is the place to go for marine encounters.

Although you might not want to take a dip in the freezing Icelandic waters, there are plenty of boats that go out from Reykjavik for an hour, half day or full day to scour Faxaflói bay for whales, dolphins, porpoise and seal. There are regular sightings of Minke and humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises. On the way out into the bay, there are great views of seabirds as well, including cheeky puffins poking out of their nesting holes to watch the boats go past.

If Iceland’s too cold, but you still want the sea, Spain might be more your answer. Head to Andalucia in September for the annual birds of prey migration, with thousands of raptors passing over Tarifa towards Africa for the winter. I’ve heard this windy spot isn’t too bad for windsurfing either, in case the raptors aren’t showing.

Not far from Tarifa is Gibraltar, a few hours drive down the coast. When in Gibraltar, head up to The Rock to get unnervingly close to the Barbary macaques that live in the National Nature Reserve.

Just don’t forget to look after your lunch, as they’re notorious thieves, and will do anything for the chance to steal an icecream or sandwich!

The Donau-Auen national park on the outskirts of Vienna has a thriving population of beavers- although difficult to see out on the Danube itself, there are a couple kept in an enclosure about an hour’s walk from the park edge that give ridicu-

lously good views. There is also deer and a tame magpie nearby too, in case the beavers don’t show up for a while.

Image-Wikipedia

For a location a little bit closer to home, Scotland is a fantastic country. Boasting epic natural views, the land of Scots also offers the ‘Big 5’ species- red deer, otter, harbour seal, golden eagle, and red squirrel. 6am on the Isle of Arran, Scotland, turned out to be the perfect time to otter watch outside our holiday house- if you’re not an early bird, 10pm can bring badgers and pine martin to your very doorstop if you’re in the right spot. Unfortunately these are both prime time for midges, so be sure to cover up if you’re not looking for an insect wildlife encounter!

Image-Pixabay Cenote Dos Ojosm, located in Tulum, is mostly only known by locals and can be reached by a short walk through the jungle.

The Maldives The Maldives are another set of tropical islands that have been trendy for some time now, with Atlas Obscura describing them as being “about as close as it gets to tropical bliss on Earth”. With luxury resorts, underwater restaurants and an astounding marine life, the Maldives continue to be one of the best locations to visit for a beach holiday. However, as the masses tend to select the most exclusive resorts, Vaadho Island stays unnoticed and is home to an unusual but incredible natural wonder as a result of the Phytoplankton, a type of marine microbe. Living along the beach, they produce a mesmerising blue colour that can be seen glowing after nightfall.

Hawaii Even though Hawaii might not appear to be a distinguishing holiday location for tourists, it is perhaps the best place for hidden and unusual spots. Punalu’u beach is situated in Big Island, Hawaii and has black sand made of basalt due to volcanic activity. This unique beach, similar to the idea of the pink sand beach in the Bahamas is a unique wonder that deserves to be seen. In addition to the remarkable beaches around Hawaii there is also a hidden water slide on Big Island, Waipo Valley. The slide is originally a steep, old irrigation flume that despite being closed to the public, has not discouraged visitors from using it.

It is found by hiking down a two-hour walk trail in the jungle, known as the White Road hike, followed by walking through tunnels and water pipes suspended in mid-air. If you are in search of an adventure and a bit of risk, then Hawaii is the perfect holiday location for you!

Java, Jewel of Indonesia Helen Stevens adds a new place to our wishlist

W

ith Bali now cemented as a staple gap year destination, it’s easy to forget about the country’s less touristy but bustling main island, Java. Bali truly is ‘gap yah’ paradise where your life consists of beaches, booze, and bunk-beds. Don’t get me wrong, this is very fun… but it’s not the true Indonesian experience. Granted, I did not do the full Indonesian experience myself. However, my journey through Java put into perspective just how ‘westernised’ Bali really is.

Bali is a beautiful place that is loved for its impressive volcanoes, white sandy beaches, and unbalievable wildlife. Bali is the ‘go to’ place for any westerner: and unfortunately, seemingly every westerner. There’s hardly a language barrier – almost every tourist/local can speak some level of English. Also, if you’re rice and noodled out there is a wide array of food options varying from burgers, to pizzas, to avocado with poached eggs on toast.

You can spend weeks immersing yourself into a life of snorkelling with turtles by day and partying at night. The only problem with this is that everybody has the same idea - there are tourists everywhere! For me, it felt weird to be in such a different country but at the same time be experiencing so much western culture. Obviously, Bali thrives off its tourist economy, but whilst catering to anyone and everyone’s needs, the presence of

true Indonesian culture seems to have been stifled.

To escape the tourist traps and experience something a little more authentic and different, I would highly recommend you include Java in your travel plans. Java is the world’s most populous island and is home to 57% of the Indonesian population. In Java, you do actually have to whip out the phrase book and embarrassingly attempt to construct a sentence to get by. Almost every local who sees you will say hello and you will be in thousands of family photos, but it all adds to the enriching experience that Bali does not quite offer. Java has some of the most impressive temples, volcanoes, and natural beauty I have ever seen. I cannot imagine experiencing anything in my life as spectacular and otherworldly as watching the sunrise over Mount Bromo and Ijen Volcano.

Words of the Week Italian: Italiano Hello: Ciao Goodbye: Arrivederci Thank you: Grazie Please: Per favore

Image- Helen Stevens

Bali is fantastic, and it would be nigh on impossible to have a bad time - but if you want a greater sense of adventure and authenticity, add Java to your itinerary!

culture What’s on 19

the courier Monday 20 November 2017

student voice

editor.union@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk Culture Editors Zoë Godden and Errol Kerr Student Voice Editor: Alex Hendley

NSR SHOW OF THE WEEK Oliver Bond Fridays 2pm-3pm

Ollie’s show is the radio equivalent of a 10” margarita pizza at a suburban Italian restaurant. Your expectations may be mediocre, but you will be pleasantly surprised. The show will provide you with knowledge you will never need, but always want to know.

The refreshing chat is supported by music that audaciously fuses genres and eras, dictated by a different theme every week and a flurry of features Listeners enjoy Ollie’s unique, dysfunctional outlook on the world around us and warm to his skeptical, yet refreshing outlook on the world.

Learning is something you cannot escape at university, although Ollie’s show makes it more bearable than ever. If you ever needed another reason to love Friday afternoons, Ollie’s show is here for you.

STU BREW BEER OF THE WEEK Red Brick Available now!

Union University Campaign Society Monday 20 November

6pm TGC Week: Fun Run Location: Sports Centre 6pm W&S Week: Bend It Like Beckham screening Location: Bamburgh Room, NUSU 7pm The Subtitled Night Location: MLK Suite, NUSU 7pm Bingo Revolution Location: Venue, NUSU

THIS GIRL CAN WEEK

This week we’re going way back into the dusty Stu Brew tomes to look at Red Brick – the amber ale.

It has a particularly sophisticated malt base: Marris Otter, Amber, Caramalt, and Vienna Malts as well as Torrified Wheat give this beer its character. At first taste, the beer is slightly nutty and this transforms into a deep and rich malty body – it’s almost like drinking a digestive biscuit. Here, the hops kick in and the Chinook and Cascade enunciate the spicy qualities, making it as refreshing as a pale ale. You might taste cardamom or winter spices while swallowing but the after-experience is one of refreshment – there are no bitter aftertastes or esters left here. Sitting at 4.8%, this is a beer you can enjoy in all situations. It pairs well with meat or barbequed food as well as with biscuits or baked goods and is certainly good to try on its own.

As a Stu Brew staple, it’s widely available. You can find it in bottles around the University and the City but for ambers, the true experience comes on draught - luckily as a Stu Brew flagship beer, it can be regularly found in Luther’s, The Crow’s Nest, the Town Mouse. This beer was developed

by Sandy Tse, formerly of Stu Brew, who is now the head brewer at the Bridge Tavern. If you are interested in joining or working with Stu Brew, you can reach them at contact@stubrew.com, or join via the NUSU Societies page.

Monday 20 - Saturday 26 November This Girl Can Week comes to Newcastle University, to promote gender equality within sport.

There’s plenty going on, find more information in the sport section

Tuesday 21 November

5pm W&S Week: Celebration of Women in Sport Location: Bamburgh Room, NUSU

SUBTITLED NIGHT Takes Place: Monday 20 November

In the MLK Suite in NUSU this Monday at 7pm, the International Students’ Officer has organised a screening of ‘La Vie En Rose’, fully subtitled and complete with free pizza and soft drinks.

The event hopes to be the start of a movement to make Newcastle University a more inclusive campus.

Dan Jordan

POETRY IN ACTION POEM OF THE WEEK History?

There is no justice in history.

Blood loss, anguish and misery.

The vulnerable poor, what poverty, All the while a smug mobility, Is this a history I describe to you?

Or do we not still do what we used to do?

Start wars over oil and territory Allow dictatorships of pure brutality Disease, famine and slavery Still exists as real as you or me, Have we achieved progressive policy?

To allow true social mobility?

We must address the possibility With terrorism, mass migration and absurd president candidacy!?

That the statement should not read - ‘There is no justice in history’ But while the criminal bankers remain free The gas is fracked with no sustainability Populist views become reality, The question should be Where is the justice for humanity?

TRIP TO PARIS Takes Place: Early February

There are still plenty of places available for the Geography Society’s trip to Paris.

At just £174pp, the four night stay is great value and even better fun. There is an additional fee of £55 should you wish to head to Disneyland, and you only need to pay £50 when you sign up!

Wednesday 22 November

1.15pm TGC Week: Exercise Class Location: Sports Centre 2.30pm TGC Week: Frisbee Location: Exhibition Park 4pm TGC Week: Jazz Dance Location: Sports Centre 7pm W&S Week: Pole Dance Location: Venue, NUSU

Thursday 23 November

6pm W&S Week: Craft Session: Sporting Heroes Location: Ford Room, NUSU

Friday 24 November

5pm TGC Week: 5-a-side Football Location: Sports Centre

Saturday 25 November

5pm TGC Week: Cheerleading Location: Sports Centre 5pm TGC Week: Badminton

Location: Sports Centre

WOMEN AND SPORT WEEK Monday 20 - Friday 25 November The Feminist Society have planned a plethora of events for Women and Sport Week. See more in the sport section, or on FemSoc’s Facebook page

Sunday 26 November

9am TGC Week: Basketball Location: Sports Centre 2pm TGC Week: Badminton Location: Sports Centre 7pm TGC Week: Football Location: Sports Centre

20

culture music

c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaac & Ally Wilson

On Campus

the courier

Monday 20 November 2017

Reality TV vs real risers

Is it fair that reality TV stars apparently reach fame and fortune while others struggle for years?

Liam Austen tackles these overnight popstars and the future integrity of the music industry.

Outreach T A t Newcastle University, we are privileged to have outstanding musical provision and excellent musicianship, found both within the Music faculty and across Campus.

The Newcastle University Music Society, as well as providing opportunities to meet up socially, have fun and perform informally, also runs several musical groups covering a range of styles, from Big Band to Chamber Choir, and beyond.

These groups are open to all society members, and many musicians studying other disciplines have found their home here.

For the first time this year, the Music Society has taken on the running of the social outreach programme, building upon the sterling work of Tom Edney last year. The bulk of our work lies within schools outreach, in which groups of musicians are invited to help with providing workshops in primary schools across the borough.

Children have the chance to sing, pull silly faces, laugh and clap...

Led by the fabulous Glenn Bruinewoud this year, these workshops work alongside the Key Stage 2 curriculum to introduce children (and teachers!) to music and ideas that they may not normally come across. As well as providing live music, we also talk about the concept of ‘Working Songs’, tying regional music into themes of history and how music doesn’t exist in a bubble, but reaches out into almost every aspect of our lives.

Whilst this sounds serious, it really is an excuse to have an awful lot of fun. Children have the chance to sing, pull silly faces, laugh and clap and try their hand at something new - all in a supportive atmosphere.

MUSIC SOCIETY The Music Society has a history of outreach, as it hosted orchestral outreach days in February and March

These workshops culminate in two large concerts held at the end of each semester where every class is invited to an exciting, action-packed concert involving a full sized orchestra.

Having an abundance of musical riches within Newcastle University, we are enthused to take part in our outreach programme, whether it is in schools, the local hospital, or further afield and we are so pleased to be able to share our passions with others.

In the current climate, where music budgets are being cut and emphasis is being taken away from the arts in many schools, there is a need for work like this. Having the chance to be able to inspire children, helping them to learn about music in a hands-on way, may plant the seed for the future.

V talent shows are an almost sacred element of British popular culture to many people, with millions upon millions of Britons tuning in to shows such as The X Factor and The Voice every season.

Pop music mogul Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” was first aired on ITV in 2004, following the success of Pop Idol, which aired between 2001 and 2003. The show allows budding musical talents to compete for the grand prize of a £1million record deal, kick-starting their careers.

Although this is an amazing opportunity for any young, aspiring artist, it could be argued that this straight shot to fame may be more a curse than a blessing. For many contestants, their X Factor audition, recorded and broadcast on national television, may also be their first experience in the world of live performance and music in a wider sense.

This a great amount of pressure for contestants, which could be a reason for the numerous one-hitwonder contestants who vanish from music after their Christmas number one, in a cloud of heat magazine interview clippings.

Aside from their inexperience, these people are drastically transported from their humble, normal lives, to the centre of a pop culture firestorm in a matter of weeks, and therefore may not quite appreciate how much work would it usually takes to get anywhere near that point.

Musicians work relentlessly to pursue their dreams of sharing their art

These easy-assemble, flat-pack groups don’t represent music To play Devil’s Advocate, lets compare another area of the music industry in 2010, for example, the release of the critically acclaimed vocalist Erykah Badu’s album New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh. Unlike the 1D boys, Erykah followed the more gradual slope to success, starting off free styling on local radio from the age of 14, going on to work multiple jobs to fund the recording of her first mix tape. Her talent and hard work were recognised and she began to build an illustrious career in the music industry. It would be fair to say that she has earned her place in the ranks of musical greats.

However, her 2010 album, although selling in respectable numbers, reached a brief 4th

place in the Billboard 200 charts. Compare this to One Direction’s long stint at number 1, which broke the record for first UK group to hit number one with their debut album.

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of the winners of X Factor are still signed onto Syco

So, if this means that more people are interested in the overnight success story than the dedicated journeys of life long musicians, then is all their hard work for nothing? Obviously, musical preference or perhaps appreciation is different in everyone, and these easy-assemble, flat-pack pop groups do not represent the state of music. But it is worth wondering whether the music industry would be able to maintain its integrity a little easier without the novelty of TV talent shows.

Maybe this integrity relies on us rewarding those who travel the long road to musical notoriety, rather than lining the pockets of those who had a seat on the express train.

Images: Wikimedia Commons

Fox News or fake news?: the Radiohead storm Fox News caused the latest music industry drama as they pitted Radiohead against Coldplay.

Rory Cameron talks us through the highlights of the spat, and who really came out on top.

I

sn’t it entertaining watching drama unfold, watching a spat between two industry juggernauts become ugly? Think McCartney and Lennon, Biggie and Tupac, Liam and Noel.

Well now the music industry has a new war of words on its hands in Radiohead and, erm, Fox News?

Well, not so much a war of words, more petty squabbling. Although, that would actually insinuate that this tiff was less one sided that it actually has been. It appears that Fox News has decided to take a brief interlude from spreading hate and fake news over gun control activists and anyone further left on the political spectrum than Mussolini.

Greenwood briefly changed his Twitter bio to say “strange, malnourished and sad” Following Radiohead’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, comedian and Fox chat-show hosts Greg Gutfeld and Kat Timpf took a swipe at the band. They said that they were, “strange, malnourished and sad”, and described their music as “elaborate moaning and whining

@nclmussoc @Courier_Music @TheCourierMusic

with the whole world, many honing their skills in recording and performing from a young age. In 2010, One Direction famously took to the X Factor stage, and without even taking first place in the competition, hurtled into a record-breaking career. Their first album sold over 4.5m copies in it’s first year on the shelf, and the group have been international superstars ever since.

Image: Wikipedia

over ringtone sounds”. As big a fan of Radiohead as I am, there may be some truth to this very shallow assessment of one of the greatest and longestproducing bands of our time.

It caused a bit of a stir within the music fandom.

Courting controversy and antagonising people as it does so well, the Fox News channel decided to continue this rather weak gag in subsequent shows, by foraying into the realm of music criticism.

First they claimed that the new Hall-of-Famers were a “poor man’s Air Supply”; yes, the cheesy, clichéd, sad ballad duo who have aged worse than milk left in the sun. Perhaps, an opinion to be expected from such a conservative channel. Then, however, they stated that not only Radiohead were worse than Coldplay, but that Thom Yorke et al stole everything they produce from Chris Martin & crew. How such a right wing TV news station, or even anyone for that matter, can like such a middle-of-the-road band is beyond me. This claim goes to show that Fox News know about as much about good music as they know religious tolerance.

What’s more, Radiohead had already recorded four albums, including The Bends and OK Computer, before Coldplay had released their first album.

The ‘comedic’ pair continued by calling for a ban all Radiohead songs being played in public areas, and followed up with a cringe-worthy skit on the ‘Radiohead lice’ problem.

So, did Radiohead do anything in response?

Well, guitarist Jonny Greenwood briefly changed his Twitter bio to say “strange, malnourished and sad”, but that has been it. Quite right too, as Fox News don’t deserve the time of day. They are both a waste of breath, and Air Supply.

I guess Fox News should have followed the old adage of ‘stick to what you know’, and focused on racism and bigotry on Image: Wikipedia their channel. Culthero Super Hans of Peep Show was right: “People like Coldplay voted for the Nazis, you can’t trust people.” And you especially can’t trust anything said by Fox News, which in itself is old news.

the courier

Monday 20 November 2017

The Thrill Of It All

Sam Smith

If The Thrill Of It All was designed to be a direct sequel to In The Lonely Hour, then it is the perfect album. Its sound is very similar to its predecessor, with the beautifully unique voice of Sam Smith swirling over minimalistic piano and guitar, with the occasional help of a gospel choir to give the song some depth and gusto. There is no doubt that it is a very pretty album, but if, like me, you were hoping for Smith to be a little more adventurous and show us what that incredible voice can really do, you may be just a little bit disappointed.

Ally Wilson

And this, in a nutshell, is what the album consists of. Sure, as was evident by the sales rates of the first album, this is clearly what his fans enjoy listening to. But this formula, which is used in so many songs on both records does cause you to glaze over a bit, as it can seem as though they all drift into one, admittedly very relaxing, but also fairly monotonous 45-minute-long song.

The classic, fifties style of ‘One Last Song’ and ‘Baby You Make Me Crazy’ adds a shred of upbeat positivity to an album almost solely consisting of heart-break and sorrow-filled songs. ‘Midnight

Train’ and ‘Burning’ both rely far too much on the quality of Sam Smith’s voice. Of course, his range and texture is astounding and like no one else in the industry at the moment, but we already know this from the first album. A second album is a chance to demonstrate that this amazing voice of his can do more than just sing slow, depressing ballads.

Admittedly, on tracks like ‘One Day At A Time’, the minimalistic style works, showing off Smith’s delicate vocals whilst keeping the listener interested with a reasonably catchy melody. Your attention might also be grabbed by the introduction of YEBBA’s voice in ‘No Peace’, giving Smith a chance to include some harmonies in his song-writing (something which, sadly, seems to elude the rest of the album- massive missed opportunity for some killer polphony). The one instance where the choir aren’t used in the same backing-up-Sam-for-thechorus formula is in ‘Nothing Left For You’, where they offer a new dynamic style, with hauntingly powerful interjections which no doubt will sound great in a live performance. But sadly, both of these tracks only appear on the deluxe version of the record.

Lyrically, Smith has said that he’s gone “even deeper” and that he has “put his heart even more on the fucking line”. Although his lyrics are obviously heart-felt, the increased depth and exploration of topics is only really true of two of the songs on the record. ‘Scars’ delves beautifully into the apparently complex relationship he had with his parents, tackling very sensitive issues about his upbringing. In a similar way, Smith manages to address the issues he’s experienced living life as a homosexual man in ‘HIM’ without coming across as too aggressive or victimised. Other than these two tracks however, Smith sticks to his well-known simply-articulated songs about the same man who done him wrong.

Red Pill Blues

Editors’ Picks

Too Many Zooz @ Riverside

T

he arrival of Sam Smith’s new album has been hotly anticipated after the storming success of his debut In The Lonely Hour.

Judging by its name, his second instalment, The Thrill Of It All, seemed to promise a slightly less depressing theme, with perhaps a more experimental sound.

This however, is only partially true. Although Smith said recently in an interview that he “fucking hates” some of the songs on his first album, many of the songs on his second are very similar. The album begins with the first single released from the album ‘Too Good at Goodbyes’, which, similar to previous singles like ‘Stay With Me’ and “Not The Only One’, followed the same formula of a heartfelt, minimalistic verse followed by a catchy chorus with some hefty support from a big gospel choir.

Pretty standard Sam Smith, right?

It can seem as though they all drift into one 45 minute long song

Maroon 5

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really should have taken the album cover – headshots of the very-clearly-in-their-30s band adorned by snapchat style filters – as an omen of what to expect from Red Pill Blues.

Unfortunately, this glaring attempt to stay relevant very much carries over to the album itself.

Opener ‘Best 4 U’ is a catchy, if uninspired, track shimmering with 80s style synths and a hip hop beat. Most notable by far is frontman Adam Levigne’s vocal skills (disregarding the inevitable use of autotune), giving some much needed flare to the forgettable instrumentals.

Next, lead single ‘What Lovers Do’ managed to fulfil every cliché of a pop song in 2017, thus promising to be a staple of second-rate nightclubs for the next few months, before being promptly forgotten. SZA’s feature adds little more to the track than another big name.

As the album progresses, the ability to view each song as distinct from a generic pool of throwaway products becomes increasingly tricky. Some lyrical variety might well have staved off this; there is only so many times one can listen to Levigne’s silky falsetto sing about how much he loves his women (of which ever single lyric, no exceptions, is some variation of), before it starts to get very, very annoying.

This album does have its occasional moments; Levigne manages to inject a bit of soul into the chorus of ‘Lips On You’, whilst Julia Michael’s somewhat rougher vocals on ‘Help Me Out’ complements the upbeat instrumentals nicely, making for undeniably fun listening. Final track ‘Closure’ sees a return of the Songs About Jane-era sound of Maroon 5; a welcomed surprise at first, before dragging on for an excruciating 11 and a half minutes of vamping which comes across as unnecessary as it is unimpressive.

Forgettable beyond belief and not much fun either, Red Pill Blues is symptomatic of an industry which increasingly values production values, and pandering to the lowest common denominator, over actually writing a good song. Don’t waste your time.

Charlie Isaac

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@CourierMusic thecourieronline.co.uk/music

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ach week, The Courier’s Music Editors are working with Newcastle Student Radio to bring you the best new tracks from the week before...

‘I Miss Those Days - MTV Unplugged’ Bleachers If you don’t know Bleachers, you should really get to know. Their new live EP features the likes of Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s a perfect introduction to the band with lead-singer Jack Antonoff ’s phenomenal charisma clear to hear.

Toby Bryant, The Courier ‘Nothing Left For You’ Sam Smith One of the more dramatic moments on an otherwise pretty relaxing and chilled out album, this bluesy track offers Smith’s typically beautiful vocals with the support of some killer interjections from a powerful gospel choir.

Ally Wilson, The Courier ‘Double World’ The Wytches Self-described doom-surf trio The Wytches have released two versions of this new track: an eerily relaxing acoustic version, and a ‘sludge version’ that cranks up the heaviness. Thoroughly haunting stuff!

Charlie Isaac, The Courier ‘Yet Another Dig’ Bob the Drag Queen feat. Alaska Thunderfuck Am I cringe because my track of the week is two drag queens singing about lace fronts and spilling the T? Maybe, but I am definitely gonna be playing on repeat over the next 5 months..

Meg Smith, NSR ‘Strangers’ Sigrid Some have called Norwegian songwriter Sigrid ‘the next Lorde’ and after listening to ’Strangers’, I have to agree. Sigrid’s soft voice opens the track, gently building to an electric, catchy chorus - the perfect pop song.

Amy Woods, NSR Hear the Editors’ Picks first, as well as all the latest music news, reviews and gossip on NSR’s Music Show, Wednesdays at 4pm.

Image: Genius

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he tone for the night was set at the entrance, where a man in a sweater vest arrived at the same time as us to complain about the noise. Too Many Zoos were playing a 9pm set at Riverside, a venue not known for keeping things at a civil volume or closing up in time for everyone to get home to an Ovaltine and a solid 8 hours. Since he would surely be used to less-than-peaceful nights, his beef this time must have been with the music itself.

And Too Many Zoos are nothing if not piercing.

Frontman Leo P’s tone fluctuated somewhere between a didgeridoo and a wild mother elephant. As if the throaty buzz of a baritone saxophone wasn’t enough, he occasionally kicks in an octave pedal to add a pitched down version of his sax to act as a bassline.

Leo trades melodies with Matt - the trumpet player - who supplies swooping trumpet to the mix, occasionally recruiting the crowd into a call and response until he gets bored and flies into a solo. Backing them up is drummer Dave “The King of Sludge” Parks, who didn’t do anything remotely sludgy and in fact does the work of an entire drum kit on one modified marching band bass drum.

The band has coined the term Brasshouse to categorise their music. It was very kind of them to do this, because it is super hard to describe without making a new word. Like dancehall, but really, really brassy.

The accessibility of Brasshouse may have been reflected in the size of the crowd - Too Many Zoos brought in a surprisingly small number of people.

A packed room would have been better used by the band, who probably weren’t getting the response they deserved from an enthusiastic but sparse gang of fans. The night ended early after a spirited-ish attempt from the crowd to get an encore could only galvanise the band into playing one more song.

Too Many Zoos and Leo’s other band Lucky Chops were catapulted into the spotlight in videos filmed on the NYC subway. If you live in the NE1 area, use headphones when watching to avoid upsetting any nearby fans of sweater vests.

Josh Evans

music culture

A Love Letter

To...

Black Metal

F

by Gerry Hart

ew musical genres have garnered a reputation quite as colourful as black metal.

Despite emerging in the 1980s with bands such as Bathory, Celtic Frost and Newcastle’s own Venom (who coined the term), this offshoot of heavy metal wouldn’t really garner an identity of its own until the infamous Norwegian scene of the early 1990s (which I could write a whole article about in itself). So why do so many metal fans love a musical genre that is commonly associated with suicide, church burnings and murder?

One of black metal’s biggest draws is its sense of drama and theatrics both in its aesthetics and musical style. Though not universal and often mocked, the black and white ‘corpsepaint’ many artists wear has become synonymous with the genre, as has the frequently morbid, monochromatic artwork used on numerous albums and the insanely elaborate band logos.

Musically, this sense of drama manifests in the way black metal is typically played. Despite its generally lo-fi production, black metal can be remarkably harmonious. Its frequent use of blast beat drumming and tremolo guitar picking (and occasional use of synths for embellishment), alongside its characteristic shrieking vocals result in a musical combination which, when done right, is nothing short of thunderous. One need look no further than Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse or Gorgoroth’s Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam to see the results.

A genre associated with suicide, church burnings and murder But despite what the purists would say, black metal is a remarkably diverse genre. One need only list the number of sub-genres that its spawned, including ambient black metal, symphonic black metal, depressive black metal and National Socialist Black metal or NSBM (incidentally, fuck NSMB).

And whilst the plethora of subgenres can get pretty absurd, I feel it’s a testament to black metal’s musical versatility. Agalloch, Xasthur and Darkthrone might all fall under the umbrella of black metal, but beyond a few shared musical characteristics, they sound incredibly different.

This versatility further extends into the theme of the music as well. Though black metal is frequently associated with Satanism and European mythology, other bands have delved into other lyrical fields. Darkestrah, a Leipzig based band originally from Kyrgyzstan, centre their lyrics on Central Asian and Tengrist mythology, incorporating string instruments and throat singing into their music. Swiss band Zeal and Ardor blends black metal with African American gospel music, and was created in response to a racist message frontman Manuel Gagneux received on 4chan.

And though they still sing about Satanism, Polish band Batushka do so in a manner that deliberately draws from Russian Orthodox Christianity, dressing up as priests and using incense in concerts as well as incorporating religious chanting into their songs (which is probably why they’re banned in Russia).

It’s easy to see why black metal never attained more than niche popularity. The music itself is an acquired taste, and it’s hard to look past the genre’s dubious history, and the highly questionable politics of many of its leading figures.

Nonetheless, black metal has moved beyond its dodgy past and stands now as an enthralling, dynamic genre that gets progressively more interesting with each passing year.

Newcastle Student Radio: nsrlive.co.uk @NSRlive

22

culture music

the courier

c2.music@ncl.ac.uk Music Editors Toby Bryant, Charlie Isaac & Ally Wilson

Monday 20 November 2017

‘Old’ Old School

Retro Records: The Past, Present and Future Lady Soul

-Aretha Franklin

Ally Wilson

A

retha Franklin’s voice is like the first plunge of a tablespoon into a new tin of golden syrup. Even if blues or soul aren’t your thing, nothing can stop the involuntary shivering down your back as the velvety deliciousness rolls over your ears. On paper, it appears to be a slow sludgy slop of growling guitar, drunken drumming and sporadic wails from some great big black wall of sound and occasional outbursts of brass.

But for every sit-back-and-relax number, just around the corner, Storm Franklin looms waiting to unleash its awesome power. “Good To Me As I Am To You” sums up the struggles of life for a black woman in 20th century America, ‘Ain’t No Way’, is a beautiful love serenade, and the hymn-like ‘People Get Ready’ sounds divine enough to even convert Dawkins. It’s the Queen of Soul at her best, and it’s a force to be reckoned with, and certainly remembered.

Abbey Road -The Beatles

Y

ou could easily say any album of The Beatles can be pointed at and labelled a classic, but this is possibly my favourite.

With it being their 11th album, you’d think they’d be struggling for ideas, but hits ‘Come Together’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ suggest otherwise. Critics have argued this is their best produced album, with its well-constructed and edited tracks.

Recorded in the midst of band turmoil, Abbey Road showcases each member’s talents in their own written or performed tracks, yet still seems unified on a full listen through.

The Beatles changed the music industry and their influence cannot be denied – don’t even try, or ‘Mean Mr Mustard’ will have something to say about it.

Old School

Hybrid Theory

D

Gerry Hart

espite the fact its become somewhat de rigueur to take the piss out of its angst-laden lyrics, Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory truly is something special.

Released in 2000, Hybrid Theory emerged at the height of the nu metal craze. Indeed this is made particularly apparent with one of the album’s strongest features, the interplay between its two vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. The band bare their souls in their lyrics and song writing throughout Hybrid Theory in a surprisingly poignant manner.

Hybrid Theory marks an album transitioning into a classic, especially after Chester’s tragic death earlier this year.

Nevermind

Gerry Hart

Future Old School

The Slim Shady LP -Eminem

Joe Holloran

y 1999 the Hip-Hop scene had stagnated. The acts that had originated the genre were fading from popularity, or found themselves victims of gang violence.

Then came along the little white boy from Detroit; Marshall Mathers. Under the moniker of Eminem, Mathers released an LP that re-energized and revolutionized the genre. Songs like ‘My Name Is’ and ‘Guilty Conscious’ received extensive (albeit heavily censored) air and TV play, making Slim Shady a household name.

The album is full of innovative imagery of violence, sex, misogyny and biting cynicism.

None of this held it back however and it became a commercial and critical hit.

The Slim Shady LP is a fanciful and brutally honest narrative adventure through the mind

The Fame -Lady Gaga

G

Ally Wilson

J

oni Mitchell will probably be familair to most of us as the artist that Emma Thompson listens to sadly in Love Actually, when she discovers Alan Rickman has been cheating on her. Pretty sad circumstances in which to discover such an eclectic and beautifully sensitive artist, but I am very glad it put her in the spotlight.

Her unique guitar sound is instantly recognisable and her melodies, like in ‘California’, are as intricate as bird song, taking unexpected twists and turns which shouldn’t work but just do. Lyrically, she is a wordsmith, most especially in ‘All I Want’, expressing very menial and everyday emotion in a way that is both sensitive and emotive. Artists of today like Laura Marling and Gabrielle Aplin owe their style of experiemtnal folk and acousticism Joni Mitchell, which is why she should 100% be recognised as the pioneer that she was.

Thriller

-Michael Jackson

Sidney Pinsent

I

n 1982 disco was in the grip of its golden age hangover and needed a remedy away from the landfill synth pop the 80s was throwing up. Along came Michael Jackson, a life of stardom from childhood his career had been bubbling over to this eruption. The result? The best pop album of all time.

Every song is a stratospheric hit. From the gospel rock of ‘Beat It’ to the teenage heart-throbber ‘The Girl Is Mine’, the unmatched consistency of bangers Thriller strengthens Michael Jackson’s case for being the eternal King of Pop. You won’t find an album more iconic, but still it’s not listened to enough. I’ve heard God has a poster of Michael Jackson on his wall.

-ACDC

he release of Nevermind in 1991 was a seminal moment, thrusting grunge to the forefront of rock music.

Like their previous work, Nevermind is partially rooted in punk sensibilities, though it is far more refined musically and conceptually. Its genius lies in its simplicity. Almost every song contains a memorable hook and the instrumentation intertwines brilliantly with Kurt Cobain’s harsh, rasping vocal style.

Though it might be played to death, Nevermind has in the 26 years since its release rightly come to be regarded as a rock classic. It marked the break from the flamboyant exuberance of the 1980s in favour of the moodier, more understated tone that would typify ‘90s rock.

B

Blue

Back in Black

-Nirvana

T

W

Charlie Isaac

aiting for a drug dealer. BDSM. Heroin addiction. Not you’re average lyrical content, let alone for an album released in 1967. While the hippy movement flourished in San Fransisco, the other side of the U.S saw Lou Reed and a group of similarly New York-based misfits gather to record what was to become one of the most important and influential albums in alternative music. With none other than Andy Warhol acting as producer, the result was messy, abrasive and absolutely brilliant.

German singer Nico provides wonderfully smooth vocals on some of the softer tracks, but it is Reed’s witty, deadpan delivery and innovative guitar work that truly give the album it’s character. Listening to tracks such as the relaxing yet strangely uneasy ‘Sunday Morning’, the unhinged intensity of ‘Run Run Run’, or the drug-addled odyssey that is ‘Heroin’, one can hear the influence on everything from punk to indie to the avant-garde. Few albums can claim to have changed music forever; Velvet Underground & Nico is undeniably one of them.

-Joni Mitchell

Charlotte Boulton

-Linkin Park

The Velvet Underground & Nico -The Velvet Underground

T

AM

-Arctic Monkeys

A

Charlotte Boulton

Charlotte Boulton

M’s opener ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ is beautifully crafted and distinctive in all the right ways, setting the tone for the entire album. The hits from AM just keep coming, with ‘R U Mine?’ and ‘Why Do You Only Call Me When You’re High?’ rarely missing from any decent indie party playlist.

For me, AM showcases the band at an exciting point, blending their typical style with some new and interesting sounds. Lyrically, Alex Turner is at his best, and its these lyrics that push this album into classic status for me. The fusion of guitar solos and poetic refrains makes for an album that’s easy and enjoyable to listen to, again and again.

With everyone eagerly anticipating Arctic Monkey’s next release, AM is a pretty good place to be waiting at. Having often been labelled the ‘best band in Britain’, it feels downright wrong to not consider this a future classic collection of sounds.

Yeezus

-Kanye West

aga took pop music by surprise with her debut back in 2008, setting the stage for her to become one of the most recognisable artists of the generation. ‘Just Dance’ became the soundtrack to every cringe school disco that year, but for me never lost its charm.

It brings me back to my mum singing along in the car (badly).

It’s undeniable this album will be seen as a classic, with singles like ‘Poker Face’ it’s the sound of late noughties pop that you can’t help but become nostalgic for.

Experimental and electronically influenced, The Fame shouldn’t be written off as a classic just because its most popular songs focused on fun rather than deep meaning. And the extended version, The Fame Monster, gave us ‘Telephone’, an incredible duet with Beyonce – what more could we ask for?

Jennifer Cooke

his album’s iconic status was solidified long before it re-entered pop culture’s awareness through its reintroduction to mainstream in the form of the Iron Man franchise. I defy anyone not to sing along when the title track ‘Back in Black’ comes on the radio, and it’s easy to see why with it’s unapologetic lyrics and heavy rock sound making this song catchy as hell.

Opening track, ‘Hells Bells’, is a tribute to their late lead singer Bon Scott and welcomes in Brian Johnson to the AC/DC family. Despite the change in line-up, this album managed to stay true to the band’s sound whilst ushering in a new age to their rock legacy.

Y

Jagoda Waszkowiak

eezus is now considered an icon of modern-age music, no question. It’s so distinctive, for the most part because of these key features: Unrepeatable cover – both extremely minimal and beautiful at the same time, the album artwork is a really postmodernist take on album marketing: nothing like this was done before, even though it is probably the simplest design imaginable. His music just speaks for itself.

Unique blend of music – Kanye’s experiment on rhythm and sound, with addition of electro, acid house, even samples from the legendary Nina Simone, resulted in an ear-striking and memorable combination.

The sixth album of Kanye, Yeezus is also the one that cemented his place as a star, fully uncovered his self-identity and granted him his status of a “God”. This album represents the aesthetic and character of West, like any other before or after 2013. Each layer of this composition, even separately, is a trademark of West’s artistic output.

the courier

@CourierMusic thecourieronline.co.uk/music

Monday 20 November 2017

23

music culture

The Courier’s Ultimate Retro Song Contest After narrowing down the best of each year’s top 10 best-selling songs, The Courier Music Writers took to the polls, and after over 100 votes, The Courier Music section are proud to present the results!

2000

2001

2002

2003

Rock DJ, Robbie Williams - 57%

Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus - 74%

Hero, Enrique Iglesias - 48%

Where is the Love?, Black Eyed Peas - 87%

Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - 43%

Budapest, George Ezra - 26%

Thrift Shop, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - 52%

Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West - 13%

2015

2014

2013

2012

Quarter-Final

Quarter-Final

Rock DJ, Robbie Williams - 29%

Thrift Shop, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - 6%

Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus - 71%

Where is the Love?, Black Eyes Peas - 94%

Semi-Final Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus - 62%

Where is the Love?, Black Eyes Peas - 38%

WINNER!

Runner-Up

Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus - 86%

Airplanes, B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams - 13%

Crazy, Gnarls Barkley - 14%

Crazy, Gnarls Barkley - 87%

Semi-Final

Image: YouTube

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Quarter-Final

Quarter-Final

The A Team, Ed Sheeran - 29%

Crazy, Gnarls Barkley - 71%

Airplanes, B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams - 71%

Rockstar, Nickelback - 29%

2004

2005

2006

2007

Cha Cha Slide, DJ Casper - 39%

Feel Good Inc., Gorillaz - 48%

Crazy, Gnarls Barkley - 61%

Foundations, Kate Nash - 35%

The A Team, Ed Sheeran - 61%

Airplanes, B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams - 52%

Sex On Fire, Kings of Leon - 31%

Rockstar, Nickelback - 65%

2011

2010

2009

2012

24

culture TV

Amy Gildert’s Riverdale

O

BITTER

h Riverdale, you sweet venture back into teenage drama. Poised as a gritty reimaging of Archie Comics, Netflix’s Riverdale repeatedly falls on its face while trying to dance between genres. Is it a romance? Is it a murder mystery? Is it a thriller? Who knows? Certainly not the writers.

Although Archie may be the only character that actually has teenage problems, his issues are ridiculous in comparison to the other characters. Betty and Jughead are out here trying to solve a murder, and Archie is lamenting over whether he’s going to get a music scholarship or a football scholarship.

Boy, sure must be tough to be so talented.

Also, is everyone going to continue to overlook how weird the Blossoms are? The entire family gives out weird vibes, but no more so than Cheryl and Jason. I understand that they’re twins, but I’m consistently worried that we’re straying into Lannister sibling relations here. On behalf of all of us I ask the writers: please stop. I am Uncomfortable.

Characters in Riverdale are often the main source of frustration. Betty is positioned as the good girl character we are meant to like, but she consistently comes across as a judgmental busybody. It’s understandable though, when her abusive mother is just as bad and shows no signs of changing. Also, Pussycats? There’s only so far commitment to the theme will get you in the music business. Please take the cat ears off.

In addition to the sin of unnecessary headwear, Riverdale falls victim to one of my most hated tropes in any show: queerbaiting. Advertising videos went up focusing on the kiss between Veronica and Betty, aiming specifically to draw in queer audiences longing for representation. However the kiss was taken totally out of context and I among many, am left having invested in two characters I know will never get together. It’s a frustratingly common phenomenon in television and it needs to stop.

D

Monday 20 November 2017

Find sexism funny? Jo Brand’s Got News for You!

Helena Buchanan addresses Jo Brand’s rebuttal of sexism in the media industry on the BBC

F

or as long as I can remember, I have been a huge fan of Have I Got News for You. In the past few years this has (sort of) increased because (pat on the back to British TV) every week of the five guests one or (good god and heaven preserve us) two are women. Yes, it is still a minority, and yes, the panel is still predominantly white, but I think we had all hoped that these were steps in the right direction.

Apparently not...

This is the show of the lefty liberal elite. Surely - SURELY - we can demand more.

The episode airing on the 3rd November highlighted how horrifyingly little comedy has progressed, giving us a taste of what it would be like if quotas demanding representation did not exist.

We have been living in a time where men’s appalling misconduct in the media industry has been dragged out into an appropriately brutal light. But this is the show of the lefty liberal elite. Surely SURELY - we can demand more.

More, at least, than what we saw on Friday night, namely men joking about women overreacting to low level sexual harassment. For a few, long, and awful moments they carried on uninterrupted, until angel (or, morally and socially aware person with an iota of empathy) Joe Brand stepped in and smacked them down.

“It doesn’t have to be high level (crime) for women to feel under-siege in somewhere like the house of commons” One of the worst things about this was the men’s reactions. Ian Hislop, who I used to wish would be

Image: YouTube

my grand-father, gave a deeply condescending performance of leaning in and listening to Brand’s response. No, Hislop, it is not necessary to lie across your desk to prove that you are listening to what a woman has to say… you could just listen.

It is hard to establish whether they had been told by the producers to try to make a joke out of this story: if so, that seems a disgustingly jaded way to gain cheap laughs. The other worrying facet was the response to the audience. Though they cheered Brand’s response, they also laughed at the crude jokes preceding, including the comment that the Lib Dems can’t drum up “a decent gang of sex of-

VERDICT

lthough it’s easy to write Riverdale off as wholly bitter, I can’t deny its popularity and the fact that I watch new episodes the moment they’re out. It’s unapologetic in its drama, and its high-stakes cliffhangers mean that if you watch one, you’ll probably end up watching them all.

fenders”. Yes, I know the crux of the joke is the lack of Lib Dems, but carrying the joke is the ha-haomg-so-funny idea of sexual harassment.

You’re right. I don’t have enough of a sense of humour about this. But I really don’t think I need to.

Having a sense of humour about this means supporting the pillars of the patriarchy, rather than trying to pull them out from under the feet of old white men. I am trying to think about how many times I have been on each side of the “having a sense of humour” line: the side where that means making a joke, or the side where that means taking it.

From Hollywood to the small screen of TV

Beth Chrisp addresses the good, the bad and the tacky worlds of �ilm to television adaptations.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

B

TVS is the holy grail of film to TV adaptations, Buffy was first introduced to us in the form of Kristy Swanson’s back-flipping valley girl in Whedon’s 1992 tongue in cheek comedy.

The film exists somewhere between Clueless and Fright Night without quite managing the charm of either. Without the astounding success of the TV series it is a film that would have been relegated to the forgotten annals of early 90s misfires.

SWEET

espite Riverdale’s many flaws, it does manage to be a really entertaining show.

The murder of Jason Blossom plotline progresses with nice pace throughout the first season while still providing you with enough new information to keep you interested. The romance plots are quick and sweet, but I find myself rooting for each new relationship as different characters interact. Although Riverdale draws you in through the teenage characters, the older generation of parents plays a really interesting role in the show, and are just as captivating as their children.

I’d be lying if I said that Cole Sprouse’s reemergence onto our screens wasn’t a positive factor in my love of Riverdale. Perhaps it’s the childhood crush on Zack and Cody, perhaps it’s the bad boy trope that he exudes, but his portrayal of Jughead Jones is easily one of the best performances on the entire show. His relationship with Betty is also an attractive feature. Although the pacing of their relationship could have been drawn out a little longer to really maximize the reward of their inevitable get together, their dynamic together is extremely watchable.

The production value of Riverdale is something that is increasing as the show progresses, and currently it’s at an incredible level. The lighting and cinematography are at the top of their game right now, and for a show aimed at teenagers, it really manages to look beautiful with many of its shots.

It also makes use of some top quality music that is definitely Shazam-worthy.

A

the courier

c2.tv@ncl.ac.uk TV Editors Jacob Clarke, Joel Leaver & Alex Moore

Buffy tackled heartache, parental loss, finding your place in the world and LGBTQ representation Image: Wikimdeia Commons

I

Hannibal (2013)

was incredibly sceptical about this adaptation, I’ve read all of the books, seen all of the films. I was “Kubrick filmed the Moon Landings” sceptical. However, when I discovered the show was being helmed by Bryan Fuller, I gave it a chance and now, I can make the bold claim that for me, Mikkelson is Hannibal (Sorry, Anthony…).

Hannibal is set up like a pretty typical murder of the week crime drama, but anyone that knows Fuller’s work knows there’s nothing typical about it. This is an incredibly beautiful show; every single shot is perfect in composition. The murders are grisly but each is framed almost as a classical painting. Food is fetishized heavily in Hannibal; the most gruesome and stomach churning moments of the show are when guests savour the tasty morsels Hannibal serves at his dinner parties.

Hannibal boasts an all-star cast with the likes of Mads Mikkelson as the titular Hannibal, Hugh Dancy as the anxiety crippled Will Graham, Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford and Gillian Anderson as the intriguing Bedelia. It’s not one to miss.

C

Catfish (2012)

atfish isn’t the greatest documentary of all time but it’s an intimate and endearing account of a man on a journey to discover whether his online love is really the woman in the photos.

The TV show, however, is a formulaic reality show typical of MTV, repetitive and it appears fairly staged. Having said that, it is a guilty pleasure, but the kind that you watch with the door locked and the volume down low.

I

The Mist (2017)

t’s almost too inoffensive and bland to be bad. I’ll admit I only got through the first episode, at great pains, I might add but I got the idea. It’s a combination of phone-it-in acting, generic melodrama and a complete lack of suspense.

Darabont’s depiction of small town hysteria combined with the threat of whatever was hiding in the mist was a masterclass in horror filmmaking, not to mention the incredibly powerful ending. This TV “Coke Zero” version is not worth your time.

Whedon resurrected Buffy in 1997 and the rest, as they say, is history. Gellar’s Buffy packs more of a punch, both emotionally and physically, than Swanson’s incarnation. As well as recasting the Slayer Whedon also changed a few vital plot points, Buffy was no longer warned of a vampire’s presence by getting period cramps (yes, that really happens in the film), her parents are no longer a self-involved warring, married couple, instead we have Joyce Summers, a single working mom and the vampires are given an image overhaul making them scary rather than cartoonish.

CASTING FACT Sarah Michelle Gellar originally auditioned to play Cordelia, whilst Charisma Carpenter auditioned for the titular role; both were eventually cast in the opposite role

Image: lincolnlt2001 (Flickr)

Buffy ran for seven seasons, spawned the spinoff Angel as well as boasting a thriving existence in the comic world. Over its seven-year run Buffy tackled heartache, parental loss, finding your place in the world and LGBTQ representation, not bad for a little show based on a cheesy 90s Vampire flick.

the courier

@CourierTV thecourieronline.co.uk/tv

Monday 20 November 2017

25

TV culture

Amazon to bring new things to The Lord of The Rings TV editor Alex Moore weighs in on the news that Amazon will be producing a series from the world of Tolkein’s wider �iction.

L ast week it was reported that Amazon have won the rights to produce a multi-series The Lord of the Rings television adaptation, following a battle with Netflix for the £189million ($250million) deal with the Tolkein Estate.

Game of Thrones producer HBO was priced out of the competition in its early stages.

The series will likely be the most expensive show ever made, with an estimated production budget of $150million, knocking The Crown off its top spot of $130million, along with surpassing Game of Thrones – which costs around $10millon an episode. The potential here is unbeleivable and with a buget of this size it will become Amazon’s flagship show, but the streaming service is so far yet to prove itself in the same way as their seasoned competitors (and now we will all have to buy Amazon Prime, instead of sponging of that one mate with a Netflix account…).

However, after much speculation and fear that they would simply remake The Lord of the Rings, some faith has been restored as the company announced the new series would focus on events

taking place ‘before The Felowship of the Ring.’

Hooray! The Lord of the Rings is just the tinniest glimmer into the vast horde of material Tolkien left behind, and finally fans can hope to see some of this done justice.

Don’t make Sam carry Frodo all that way up Mount Doom again Think of The Silmarillion. The events of the Peter Jackson films are mentioned in passing, in this history of Middle-Earth spanning from its very creation to beyond the events of LOTR. Undertaking a TV adaptation which could truly do this justice would be a mighty undertaking, but a big budget Game of Thrones style epic could potentially pull it off. It would need extreme care and attention to detail over the course of many, many series, but if done right it could be the single greatest work of

The People v.

O. J. Simpson Netflix

T

V shows really fall under two categories: the ones in the first category, you can enjoy without paying much attention, they’re usually amusing and are a great accompaniment to you scrolling for the 78th time through Facebook; and the second category contains those shows that completely suck you in, blow your mind, and leave you laying on your bed, wrapped in a blanket like a burrito starring blankly at the credits of the last episode. The People v. O.J. Simpson unquestionably falls under the second category.

This anthology crime mini-series shows what happened during the trial, what lead to the verdict of the case, and what happened after. Of course some small parts are sensationalised and rearticulated just as most crime story re-enactments are, but that doesn’t affect the main facts of the case.

The actual story is full of plot twists and uncertainties, and in the end, I wasn’t even sure what to think of the verdict. I stayed up till 3am the evening I finished watching the series for the first time, watching parts of the real case, interviews, reading up about the lawyers.

The facts of the case stayed in my head for a long time after, but that’s how you know when you’ve watched a truly amazing show. I still haven’t decided how I feel about the verdict or about O.J.’s lawyers but I’m embracing the fact that I can watch it for the third time to make up my mind.

It’s not just the story that makes the show such a hit, but the casting, the soundtracks, the camerawork, the overall creativity (I could go on and on). The soundtracks are so well suited and adapted to the scenes they’re featured in. I particularly fell in love with the old school rap songs they used in the scenes where O.J.’s lawyers are walking into the court chambers (it even made 50 year old raisinlookalike John Travolta look like an absolute badass).

The casting is perfect, besides actual O.J. who in real life is a huge, broad ex-football player but in the show is played by Cuba Gooding Jr. who looks like a prepubescent 14 year-old compare to real O.J.. I only have one piece of advice for those who haven’t watched this yet; DO NOT start watching it 2 days before an assignment deadline (which obviously you haven’t started yet) because there is no chance you will finish the assignment in time. No. Chance.

Gabriela Szczepanska

from the LOTR. Peter Jackson did it only sixteen years ago, and he did it incredibly well. Don’t make Sam carry Frodo all that way up Mount Doom again - albeit a different Sam, Frodo and likely a spectacular, super-HD special-effects volcano. It won’t be the same, and even if it is, my heartstrings can’t take that again.

Previews

Reviews

Image: Eric Powell (Vimeo)

fantasy to ever make it to our screens.

If The Silmarillion were too much for the winning bidder - which whilst disappointing, would be not be shameful in the slightest - why not focus on the more detailed tales? The Children of Hurin, for instance, an epic tale beginning with ‘The Battle of Unnumbered Tears,’ which makes any conflict in the LOTR look like toddlers scrapping at nursey playtime.

Let’s just hope that Amazon learns from Peter Jackson’s mistakes with The Hobbit. Spend a little of that enormous budget on costumes, not awful CGI. More importanly, remeber that we don’t need pointless romantic plot lines just to satisfy horny nerds worldwide (sorry Tauriel, you were a good character but possibly the only woman to ever turn Orlando Bloom down for a hariy four-foot member of a different species… I’m not buying it). If inter-species love scenes are what makes fantasy worth watching these days, then make Beren and Lúthien, Tolkein’s orignal epic romance far predating Aragorn and Arwen’s.

But please Amazon, whatever you do, stay away

The Good Place Netflix

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Image: YouTube

he Good Place is a Netflix original that did not originally jump out at me. But as soon as a friend introduced it to me, I severely regretted that I let it fly under my radar due to its stellar comedic timing and captivating story.

In the first episode, we meet Kristen Bell’s character Eleanor Shellstrop: a young woman who has recently died. In Eleanor’s world, the afterlife is divided into two places; the Good Place for the world’s elite, and the Bad Place, where the rest of the world is tortured for all eternity. This trope isn’t particularly revolutionary, however it takes on an entirely new dynamic when Eleanor realizes that there has been a mistake and that she should be in the Bad Place instead.

The gentle but clever comedy style reminds me of shows such as Brooklyn Nine Nine and Parks and Rec. However, The Good Place possesses a more continuous story that had me watching one episode after another. The writing and dialogue are phenomenal and the writers manage to be clever with their jokes without resorting to cheap, insulting gags. Instead they create their comedy by bouncing characters off one another. Indeed, it’s the characters of The Good Place that really set the show apart. Each works well with the others, and Kristen Bell and Ted Danson really stand out with their performances. Even characters that I originally hated, such as Jameela Jamil’s Tahani, grew on me so much that she became one of my favourite characters.

The writers manage to be clever with their jokes without resorting to cheap, insulting gags As with any show about the afterlife, The Good Place raises a lot of questions about the practical functionalities of a Good Place, such whether or not it’s fair that the majority of the world is in the Bad Place, or forcing you to contemplate which place you would end up in.

But even while considering these philosophical questions, The Good Place masterfully manages to keep things fresh and interesting in ways that you could never have predicted, all the while maintaining a lighthearted comedic atmosphere that will have you laughing out loud.

Amy Gildert

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective TBC

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here is a rumor going around that Morgan Creek Entertainment plan to reboot some of the old classics as Tv series or movies, like ‘Young Guns’, ‘Major League’ and…

‘Ace Ventura’! About the last one, the director of the company, David Robinson has said that: “we wanted to do a mainstream theatrical production relaunch”, which sounds very promising.

As a diehard fan of the movies, I am very excited about a possibility of a return of this iconic character. My key interest, in this case, is their strategy: How to smoothly continue the existing plot; how to develop the whole character over time and how to not ruin a legend? Robinson has stressed that the idea is not to do a straight remake but a new movie in the spirit of the original and that the current concept eyed for an Ace Ventura reboot is “a baton-handing”. Head of content Barbara Wall has said that maybe a long-lost son or daughter of Ace possibly showing up at his doorstep and taking over. This sounds very similar to the strategy that the newest version of Ghostbusters had presented, which is not exactly what I would like to see.

The idea is not to do a straight remake but a new movie in the spirit of the original I would much prefer to see the origins of Ventura explained, with a use of a new, charismatic, young, talented lead, but still capturing this late 80s vibe, which would be so trendy right now! Despite that, their plan sounds not entirely awful. A new version of the role refreshed and adapted to the current times. But, I want the creators to learn from Ghostbuster’s mistakes. The rebooted plot needs to have a clear, logical root in the past. At the same time, it needs to feel like something new and bring something beneficial to the franchise.

I’m sure, we as the fans will ridiculously criticize, but also love it if the sequel is done properly. It’s an awfully difficult job and I’m crossing my fingers for Morgan Creek’s writers and directors.

Jagoda Waszkowiak

Punisher Netflix

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e use superheroes to reflect societal issues, to converse on behalf of and to the disenfranchised as well as to engage a wider audience with sensitive issues.

Larger than life characters become the vessel in which we communicate problems in the real world; Hulk is a commentary on repressed anger, the X-Men on what it means to be an outsider. With Frank Castle, ‘The Punisher’, we analyse the nature of conflict and consequences of war.

For over forty years, rising out of the public reaction to Vietnam, the Punisher has embodied the Western conscience towards violence. Sometimes a good guy, sometimes bad, often elements of both. After three failed attempts to bring the character to the screen, Marvel are putting Frank Castle front and centre with a new miniseries on Netflix. With gun violence at the forefront of political debate once more, and in a time of increasing international tension, a Punisher series may be exactly what contemporary audience’s want - but perhaps not what we need.

Argue with any self respecting film enthusiast and they will tell you that gratuitous violence on the screen in no way reflects real life. When John Woo shows bottomless gun clips emptied at multi-angle slow motion - he’s not fetishising violence but rather voyeuristically exploring what we imagine it to be. Tim Roth bleeding out at the start of Reservoir Dogs is violence realised. Al Pacino blowing away the Bolivian Cartel at the end of Scarface is violence fantasised. That is the distinction between a Punisher series as violent entertainment and entertaining violence - and the line it needs to land on the difficult side of.

With a new shooting incident taking place weekly in America a serious commentary should be made on the Second Amendment through the Frank Castle character. Whilst Jon Bernthal’s incarnation was introduced well in the Daredevil series, now, with the Punisher at the forefront of the story, there’s opportunity to observe what contemporary violence in America truly looks like. If they go for style over substance they risk a vocal audience turning against them quickly, and with a hush-hush release date and a cancelled premiere in the wake of the recent Las Vegas shootings, it’s hard to detect much confidence on the part of Marvel or Netflix. And that’s a shame, because a real conversation on violence through the Punisher character could make for very compelling TV. Callum Costello

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culture film

c2.film@ncl.ac.uk Film Editors Helena Buchanan, Dan Haygarth & Christopher Wilkinson

Golden Oldies The Goonies (1985)

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ith a rise in eighties nostalgia in the past couple years with Netflix shows like Stranger Things, it is of no surprise that I’ve been yearning to see the movie classics that made my weekends growing up, The Goonies being one of them.

The opening scene introduces each of the goons and the Fratellis to the audience, with a great adventure style score written by Dave Grusin.

There’s a certain nostalgic familiarity with seeing Sean Astin and Corey Feldman on screen, it seems that they were in almsot every film at the time.

A misfit bunch of kids, on bikes, and a soundtrack by Cyndi Lauper These actors, along with certain tropes in the opening titles, reflect every teen movie made in that era; a misfit bunch of kids, on bikes, with a soundtrack by Cyndi Lauper.

The concept of nostalgia here is useful as it perhaps reflects a childhood that the millennial generation didn’t have. Growing up in the age of technology makes a gang like The Goonies seem so innocent and simplistic in the way that they sought after adventure instead of seeing it simulated on screen. This is a reason why Stranger Things is so popular today and if you have seen series two, you may recognise Sean Astin as Bob. Watching this film now, I have to mention some of the problematic elements of the script. Chunk, who is used as a comedic device, is overtly fat shamed throughout. This may not be seen to be serious at first but the gang are genuinely cruel to him and it is utilised for comedic effect.

Even though it is obviously scripted, young people watching this film could take this as being okay, which clearly it is not.

Also to use the only person from an ethnic background as a cultural stereotype is a horrific trope throughout this film. Data, a character from an Asian background, is used for his smarts with his inventions of dodgy gadgets that seem to save the gang once in a while. The worst part however, is the racist subtitle at the end when he is talking to his parents. In spite of this, The Goonies still remains a classic.

The goofs and horrifically obvious product placement make it a great comfort film Overall this adventure story has a really sweet plot and I throughly enjoy watching it each time, I would certainly recommend it if you need a break from the stress of mid terms, some of the goofs and horrifically obvious product placement make it a great comfort film.

You can’t avoid some of these problematic features but as long as people notice them and interrogate them, we can remember that these constructs were formed in a different era and not follow them in our lives today.

Sian Dickie

@Courier_Film @NewcastleCourierFilm

the courier Monday 20 November 2017

Watching Classics with the Classics Society

Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here? Film Editor and Classics Society president Chris Wilkinson talks us through the society’s film night at Quilliam Brothers’ Teahouse

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ver since I was a little boy, I have always been encapsulated with stories of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Perhaps it is because they are so entrenched in legend and (sometimes) fantasy, or perhaps it is because the morality of the stories (sometimes) rings so true today and proves their immortality.

I’m not sure, but I do know that this obsession was ardently followed through film. Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, Hercules and Gladiator, these films introduced me to a completely different world and left me there for a long time.

A whole night of tea, crisps and Greek Myths It was just my luck, then, that the Classics society had a film night, in which both Hercules and Gladiator were played to an extremely enthusiastic crowd. Having hired out the Quilliams Film Room, a whole night of crisps, tea, and Greek myth ensued, in which I think a whole rooms worth of childhood memories were brought out once again into the open.

First on the bill was Hercules.

No, not that horrendous but quite entertaining one with The Rock in. It was the classic Disney one, where Danny DeVito voices a hilarious satyr

indistinguishable from real life, and Hades is voiced stupendously by James Woods, as a pseudo-suave psychopath who regularly erupts in a furnace of fury over his two inept sidekicks.

What I brought away from this re-watching is in fact how brilliant Hades is as a bad guy. He arguably walks away with the best animation in the film, and his portrayal as a Machiavellian usurper, in contrast to the simple and naïve Hercules, is a contrast so similar in a lot of the Greek myths themselves.

Besides this, there is the soundtrack – please tell me you remember the soundtrack – which brings endless confusion but satisfaction as we wonder, how do soul numbers work so well when dealing w i t h mythological monsters?

Second had to have been Gladiator. The archetypal film of vengeance and retribution, the film which brought Rome and Greece back in a big way, the film that revealed Russell Crowe to the rest of the world, and the

film which makes everyone cry a little bit (a lot) when they first see it.

Gladiator’s soundtrack is almost exactly the same as the Pirates of the Caribbean First off, the cinematography is astounding. Trees flitter in the cold Gallic wind above the heads of hundreds of legionnaires, and sand scatters into the air underneath the rough trod of a thickly – clad gladiator.

Without ruining too much, Ridley Scott shows us that the life of the soldier is not too far distant from the life of the Gladiator. Both fight for the glories of Rome, both must kill or be killed, both live a life bonded to their comrades, and both are subject to the will of the Roman People.

As brilliant as the film is, though, one thing strikes me whenever I watch it. The soundtrack is almost identical to Pirates of the Caribbean. It is stupidly similar.

I’m so glad I re-watched these films, and if you want to as well, I’d strongly recommend joining the Classics society.

Image: Youtube

Never Grow Up: a season of nostalgia at the Tyneside Joe Holloran channels his inner Peter Pan to look at the Tyneside’s Never Grow Up Season

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his month marks the release of The Florida Project, the latest film by Tangerine director and rising cult-figure Sean Baker.

To celebrate, Tyneside Cinema is running a ‘Never Grow Up’ featuring three classic films that will transport even the most jaded person back to the frivolity and adventures of childhood.

All three films; The Goonies, Stand by Me and E.T. were made and released in the eighties, when blockbuster summer films were relatively new and drew in all the kids who didn’t want to miss out on what their friends would be talking about when school rolled around again.

This period of excitement and adventure has recently been brought back to the height of cultural awareness thanks mainly to a small show on Netflix called Stranger Things.

The happiest times of our youth were spent watching other kids have adventures For many of us some of the happiest times of our youth was spent indoors with friends watching other kids (American kids on a small screen) going off and having adventures, rather than doing it ourselves because, frankly, who needs the hassle?

The Goonies and E.T. are staples of western youth culture. Many of us have seen both films many times over the years and know the films very well. While I have some issues with it in other ways, E.T.. is to many an important memory of their childhoods, of the time when Elliott’s desire for adventure mirrored our own and when they pretended not to sniffle and cry at the end.

The Goonies is perhaps the quintessential youngteen adventure movie. It features an excellent and eclectic range of outsiders living in the drab Oregon town of Astoria, their only escape being their friendships with each other and rides on their prized bikes.

Their friendship however, is on the verge of being torn apart. An attic rummage one afternoon

sets the kids off on one last adventure, to find the treasure of One-Eyed Willie (don’t laugh, you’re a student now). If you want a true adventure movie for kids and adults of all ages, then get down to the far end of Northumberland Street before the month is out.

The film’s emotional edge is given by the outstanding performance of the late River Phoenix.

Many older readers will have already seen Stand

By Me, but if you haven’t I strongly recommend you do. It will stay with you long after you leave the cinema and reinforce your close friendships like no other film can.

The boys attempt to beat their summer boredom by trying to find a dead body Of the three films being shown at the Tyneside over the coming weeks, the one that I will certainly be going to watch on the big screen is Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me. It is, unlike the other two, a drama and a more emotionally taxing experience, but one that will stay with you long after your first watch.

Based on a

Stephen King novella The Body, the story follows four young guys as they attempt to beat their summer boredom by trying to find a dead body. Along the way they discover themselves, as well as the dead body.

Image: YouTube

the courier

@Courier_Film thecourieronline.co.uk/film

Monday 20 November 2017

Paddington 2

Dan Haygarth reviews Paddington 2, a feel-good family film and fitting sequel, or just unbearably cute?

addington Brown, Britain’s favourite illegal immigrant, returns in this sequel, which finds the young bear framed for robbery as he looks for a present for his greataunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday.

Based on Michael Bond’s timeless books, 2014’s Paddington received widespread critical praise and topped the yearly UK box office. A sequel was inevitable, but matching the quality of its predecessor would be no mean feat.

Fortunately, Paddington 2 lives up to expectations and some. Returning director Paul King has crafted a family film that is sweet, warm and very funny, but also seamlessly preaches kindness, acceptance and even prison reform.

Developing the first film’s pro-immigration message, this sequel celebrates and revels in London’s diversity. Now an established member of the community, the Peruvian bear embraces the capital’s many different cultures and looks for the best in everybody he meets.

As a result, Paddington is immensely popular and stands as an example of the benefits of immigration.

On the other hand, the Browns’ narrow-minded neighbour, Mr Curry (Peter Capaldi), spends his days peddling fear about the dangers of accepting ‘others’ like Paddington. It is reassuring to see that these qualities make him Windsor Gardens’ least popular resident.

Despite Paddington 2’s culturally inclusive morals, it does ignore the capital’s inequality; as the entirety of its population are seemingly able to live in beautiful Georgian townhouses. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see a family film which is willing to take a stance on such a pertinent issue as integration.

The film’s optimistic and inclusive politics make

it a perfect antidote to the insular intolerance that has been so prominent since last year’s European Union referendum.

King’s sequel also boasts a very impressive cast.

Brendan Gleeson, a new addition to the series, is very entertaining as Knuckles McGinty, while Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins are excellent once again as Mr and Mrs Brown.

Bonneville thrives on the film’s slapstick comedy, which is very well executed and is never used for a cheap laugh.

Ben Whishaw has the perfect voice for Paddington, which encapsulates the young bear’s unwavering good nature, complete lack of cynicism and childish innocence.

However, it is Hugh Grant who is the standout. He is superb as the villainous Phoenix Buchanan, an ageing actor whose best days are firmly in the past. He throws himself into the role and deserves kudos for embracing a character that is almost redolent of his own career trajectory.

With this performance and last year’s Florence Foster Jenkins,, the actor’s renaissance has been confirmed. After spending the last decade making substandard rom coms, such as 2007’s dreadful Music & Lyrics,, he has finally been allowed to remind people just how talented he is.

The Florida Project (15)

Thelma (15)

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Image: YouTube

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his film is what sparked the ‘Never Grow Up’ season at the Tyneside Cinema, so in line with my love of the line-up (The Goonies/ ET/ Stand By Me) I had high hopes for The Florida Project. Hopes which were amply and perfectly met.

The plot follows the life of the naughty daughter of a young, unemployed mother. The heat of Summer in Florida is tangible, as is the expanses of Moonie (the daughter’s) imagination. The cheeky, if wildly inappropriate language of Moonie and her mother is hilarious, then jarring and slightly worrying. The care taken by the Motel manager is heart-warming, then heart-wrenching.

This is a film of dichotomies, where the situation the pair are in rapidly depletes, yet their attitudes lift the film out of darkness or dreariness. This film is strangely optimistic, in the face of a mountain of hard times. Haley’s (the mother) bitchy, entitled, ungrateful nature makes her, at points, hateful, and you wonder what she can possibly care about. And you wonder why you care about her.

This is a girl and a woman who want to play, who want to get away with things, and who take things too far. It seems they cannot escape the consequences of their actions, and yet they cannot cease making terrible decisions in the pursuit of fun, or ease.

The film is punctuated by the departures of planes and helicopters from across the river, and while Hayley and Moonie are progressively abandoned by friends they pushed too far, you wonder when the film will turn, when they will give up, when they will let go of their zest for life on the fringes of society which has rejected them, or they it.

This film left me aching. Not sure whether the end was happy. Not sure where they would end up.

But sure that I loved them.

Helena Buchanan

Hellboy II : The Golden Army (2008)

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his is a stylish mystery thriller that never falls into the trap of elevating style over substance.

Thelma focuses on a young woman moving away from home to attend university in Oslo; Trier manages to perfectly capture the isolation and crippling loneliness one can feel at this time, without tipping over into a trite or angst-ridden affair.

Thelma meets Anja, who sparks something inside her. As she tries to understand her feelings for Anja she is plagued by seizures and undergoes frightening tests, with repressed memories soon coming to surface.

Eili Harboe shines as the vulnerable and endearing Thelma. She manages to shoulder a heavy responsibility as Trier keeps the camera close to Harboe’s face throughout the film, drawing the audience into Thelma’s internal struggle as she tries to discover who she truly is and what she wants. Harboe brings heart to a young woman’s struggle in trying to gain autonomy over her own body. She is complemented by a brilliant cast, her parents are portrayed wonderfully as sinister and controlling, but wholly three-dimensional with a hesitant love for their daughter shining through.

At its heart, Thelma is a film about discovery, burgeoning adulthood and sexuality. It’s an enjoyable and engaging riff on a common theme.

It also boasts some beautifully tender moments between the lead and her love interest, Anja.

These moments are expertly handled, deftly portraying Thelma’s yearning, in contrast with the unidentified threat that surrounds her.

The storytelling is economic and intelligent, never spoon-feeding the audience answers. This is a film that poses many questions and allows the audience to make their own minds up. Thelma mixes genuinely unsettling and disturbing sequences with tender and sensitive romance.

Beth Chrisp

film culture

Column 2 Electric Boogaloo

Simply, Paddington 2 is an absolute delight.

Exciting, sweet and very amusing, it ranks amongst the great family films, while its message of openmindedness and kindness make it especially relevant. Paddington is the tolerant, liberal hero that Brexit Britain so sorely needs.

78/52 (15)

Image: YouTube

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f you’re a film fanatic, this is for you. 78/52 is the story of Psycho’s famous shower scene, compromising of 78 shots and 52 cuts.

With the help of writers, actors and directors, Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary puts together a collage of experts to dissect 3 minutes that profoundly changed world cinema.

The film reveals early on that Hitchcock saw Psycho as a joke, perhaps just exercising his power as the biggest director in the world. Cinema was at his mercy and he was brutal in the way he crafted that power to change cinema through violence.

1960 was a crossroad for the American dream; suburban America was booming, but racial tensions and the Cold War was brewing a sense of unease grew in domestic America. The documentary wonderfully reflects the horror of the shower scene as the world around them reveals the horror of the real world.

We see how music and editing are combined harmoniously, to terrorise the audience without ever seeing a knife pierce the skill. Master filmmakers are able to show us things we aren’t seeing; atmosphere and camerawork are used to excel the violence.

It’s a pleasure to see experts talking on a topic they love, although their smugness is palpable.

Something about Elijah Wood telling me what’s good is a annoying, and I don’t know why they got the director of Captain America to talk about what makes good filmmaking.

Apart from these blips the film is crafted with such love and detail you’ll be in its grip from the beginning. Each interview is interwoven seamlessly with the next, the flow throughout is enthralling.

A dense and fascinating documentary, more lean than a sirloin. For film fans, any trip back to the Bates motel is a treat.

Sidney Pinsent

ollowing up from the also impressive origin story, this outing sees Big Red and the team travelling across the globe as they seek to intervene in a war between worlds as the Prince of the Elves Nuada tries to bring his people out of mythology and into reality.

Everything that made the first film is turned up to ten and one scene in particular gives cause to consider this not only the best film in the series but also one of the best comic book films ever made.

Mike Mignola’s comic masterpiece is being revived currently by Newcastle’s own Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) with David Harbour (Stranger Things) playing the lead and looking the part.

For me though not allowing Guillermo Del Toro to finish his gothic fantasy saga is one of the great missed opportunities in modern cinema. In his second and consequently final outing as Hellboy, Ron Perlman brings the range, funny and fury to a character that evolves leaps and bounds through the film. Changes in the workplace see ectoplasmic boss Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth McFarlane) drafted in to keep Red on the leash, whilst partner Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) deals with an unexpected pregnancy.

The morally complex storyline involving the extinction of multiple races of fantasy species makes for thought provoking drama, and the embracing of the weirdness of the story helps unshackle the film from the formula of the superhero genre. No doubt this film isn’t for everyone but there is truly no story like it, and fans of the first film and the source material are richly rewarded.

No expense is spared with visually spectacular scenes and thrilling action set pieces ensuring the film garnered wide critical acclaim. The funniness of the first film is dialled up also with ‘Hellboy II’ cruising past the five laugh test.

The best of the film however is in the scene underneath Brooklyn bridge, where Red embraces his inner Lone Wolf and Cub cradling a baby whilst trying to fight off the giant Elemental. Lush greenery engulfs the New York streets in a scene that is as visually captivating as anything you’ll see, with the heavy consequences giving real emotional depth also. It’s truly riveting stuff.

The only negative against this film is that Del Toro was never given a chance to finish his trilogy. One can only imagine what he had planned for the finale.

Callum Costello

Image: YouTube

the courier

28

culture gaming courier.gaming@ncl.ac.uk Monday 20 November 2017 Gaming Editors Gerry Hart, Georgina Howlett & Richard Liddle The Top 5 Gaming DLC to Play Gerry Hart asks if video games should make more effort to stick to the history books

Historical accuracy and video games

is often done indirectly through vassals (who can be utter shitpipes if you don’t keep them happy), whilst the primary focus of the game centres on building a lasting dynasty and the familial politics surrounding it. Though undoubtedly far from perfect, Crusader Kings II provides a fascinating mechanical and thematic exploration of medieval politics.

The main problem for devs isn’t setting so much as mechanics and theme

Image: CD Projekt Red

5. Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

I’ve played this particular iteration of Civilization much longer than any other Civ game. Partly because it expanded quite a bit on the base game; artillery was no longer the unit of choice (because it couldn’t outright destroy an enemy), but then there was more artillery variety. Corporations and espionage made the late game much more interesting, and then there were the random events.

Oh, the random events! They added another layer of complexity as well as a slight narrative to a game where you effectively play as an immortal overlord with severe detail deficiency. The scenarios it came with were the icing on the cake.

4. Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

Oblivion was one of the very first RPGs I ever laid hands on, and I loved it. On the surface, Shivering Isles was a second helping of Oblivion for people that still had bits of Martin Septim’s deity dust on their faces. It was much more than that, though; there were a lot of experimental things in Shivering Isles that pushed the boat out for later development in Skyrim. There was a dual-questline system that wasn’t merely a good/evil dichotomy, zombies reanimating in front of you, and cool unique items like the ring that caused your clothes to fall off.

3. Borderlands: The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx

Bit of a controversial choice here, because there have been complaints levelled against this game for excessive vehicle driving. And yes, some fast travel would have been appreciated. But here’s the thing, right: Knoxx’s Armoury is both entertaining and funny. The original Borderlands, while having a decent sense of humour throughout, suffered from being 90% written and 9% Claptraps whinging.

Knoxx went “bollocks to that!” A particular highlight is a section where one of the villains is gay/bi, and tries to hide that (and also the fact he’s a big softy) by behaving hyperaggressively; a comment on issues we still face today.

2. The Witcher III: Blood and Wine

Blood and Wine is set in some kind of mix between medieval France with rural Spanish architecture and a city that looks like a larger version of Neuchwanstein Castle. In about 20 hours of content it successfully parodies Frankenstein, Don Quixote, various adaptations of King Arthur, and about twenty or so other books that I’m not well-read enough to recognise. If that doesn’t win you over, then trust me when I say the story and gameplay here is second to none, even to other bits of the Witcher. If it can cause me to actually feel something more than passing indifference, it’s well worth your time.

1. Faster Than Light: Advanced Edition

Faster Than Light is, without a doubt, one of my favourite games. Granted, it took me a good 40 hours or so before I actually won my first game, but still. The little narrative experiences conveyed simply by textbox and determined by RNG don’t sound like the most engaging thing, but it honestly is. Soundtrack is good, and each ship has a different playstyle associated with it. So what could an expansion possibly add? Well, it turns out the answer is MORE. OF EVERYTHING. WEAPONS. SOUNDTRACK. SHIPS. DIALOGUE. EVEN BACKGROUND ART. ALL FOR FREE. DOWNLOADED DIRECTLY INTO YOUR HARD DRIVE. It’s fucking great.

Jack Coles

Image: IGDB.com

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f all the new features in Assassins Creed: Origins, perhaps the most interesting from an academic standpoint is the inclusion of an educational mode that highlights items of historical importance or interest and allows the player to explore them at their own pace. It’s an interesting move for a game that predicates itself on its historical setting, and a welcome one at that, though it does raise one important question. Should historical games be historically accurate?

Whilst the answer to this question might seem like a straightforward ‘yes’, it is far more complicated than that. The main obstacle is our actual knowledge of the past. Historical accounts are often incomplete or contradictory, or coloured by the biases of those writing them, or focus on the rich and powerful at the expense of people on the margins of society.

Then there are the biases through which we

ourselves view the past. This is particularly apparent in strategy games. Though games like Civilization and Age of Empires go to great lengths to portray themselves as historically representative, they, like many strategy games rely on very modern, realist oriented interpretations of statecraft and warfare. That being the idea that nation states are the primary actors in international politics, that conflict is inevitable and a zero sum game and that t’was ever thus, despite a plethora of historical evidence to the contrary.

So the main problem for devs who wish to convey historical accuracy isn’t the setting so much as the mechanics and theme, and this can be incredibly tricky to pull off in a compelling way (remember Empire: Total War’s naval battles? I wish I didn’t).

One good example is Paradox Interactive’s Crusader Kings II, which beautifully emulates the feudal, dynastic politics of the medieval period.

Though the control of territory remains crucial, it

It is also worth examining the kinds of games being made and the historical periods being used.

As Extra Credits highlighted, most historical games are strategy games and whilst I love them, it would be nice to see history explored in a more intimate genre such as an RPG. There are of course some exceptions such as the aforementioned Assassins Creed or 2013’s Expeditions: Conquistador, though as good as the game was I still felt I was making decisions from a very modern viewpoint.

In terms of setting, there are plenty of underutilised periods to cover. Personally, I’d love to see an RPG set during the Mongol Invasions, or during the late Roman/Byzantine Empire. It’d also be nice to see more games exploring the French Revolution, though after Assassin’s Creed Unity my hopes aren’t exactly high.

Of course there is a lot to be gained by exploring alternative histories or by playing around with historical settings as the latest Wolfenstein games have shown. But games have a unique power to explore the past by practically placing us within it.

And whilst there might not be a straightforward way to convey the past accurately, there are so many fascinating ways developers could go about it. So please, game devs - please give us some more variety. And do your best to get it right.

Hardware review - Xbox One X

Alex Logan takes Microsoft’s supercharged new console for a spin to see how it measures up

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hroughout console gaming we have seen a large gap between generations of consoles, sometimes waiting 8 years to get our hands on the latest tech. Sony wanted to change that with the PS4 Pro, and now Microsoft wants to join the 4K party.

The One X is Microsoft’s attempt to bridge the gap between not only between console generations, but also between the compromised experience those of us who prefer consoles receive, and the higher-end one enjoyed by those who prefer the PC. It brags 6 teraflops of computing power, HDR and 4K Blu-Ray support, all in a package that’s somehow smaller than the already impressive One S. This is the second iteration of Microsoft’s newfound talent for hardware design, and it’s worlds apart from its original console.

The One X is Microsoft’s attempt to bridge the gap between console generations They managed to achieve this through an advanced vapour chamber design, typically found in higher end graphics cards. The increased cooling capacity not only allows for the size, but for much quieter operation. Throughout my first couple of days, I haven’t managed to get the fans to be any louder whilst playing Forza Motorsport 7 at 4K, than the old One S console was at idle.

Within a few seconds of booting the console for the first time, you really see just how much they want to push this to the extreme, with a bright, loud new intro. As soon as you get past this, you couldn’t be blamed for not realising you’re using a new console. The dashboard is the same as its cheaper counterparts, including its resolution.

This is the last place where you’ll see the older experience, as from here on in you’re treated to beautiful high-fidelity visuals that belong on much pricier computers.

Provided a game has been “Xbox One X

Image: Flickr

En hance d”, you’ll be treated to enhanced visuals throughout. For the games that have this, including Forza 7, the experience is breathtaking. It has the fabled 60 frames per second, whilst retaining picture-perfect renditions of a shockingly large number of cars. In the rain, with 24 Formula One cars wrestling around Silverstone, it somehow maintains this. Last year’s attempts to hit this level of details fell short, with Project Cars 2 struggling

It supports the 4K 60FPS experience, but there’s a caveat developers must add support themselves to keep above 40 frames in similar situations.

There’s a large list of games that have been enhanced, with surprise entries from old titles like Halo 5. These enhancements even manage to improve original Xbox games from as far back as 2001. But it’s not quite enough, not yet. An addition of a boost mode, like that found in the PS4, would

help to improve the experience whilst the rest of the console world catches up.

I n general, the One X lives up to expectations. It supports the 4K 60fps experience, but there’s a pretty large caveat to this - developers must add the support themselves. For old games, its questionable if this will happen beyond the launch titles we’ve seen this week. For new games, it looks as though developers will just match the sub-par PS4 Pro experience and call it a day, which is disappointing at best.

When the games catch up, and Microsoft manages to create enough first party content to support a system like this, it might be worth it. Even then, that’s only true if you already have a 4K TV, as otherwise you won’t really notice the differences, especially not enough to justify a £449.99 console and a TV that costs about the same if you’re looking for anything average.

In short, it’s the best console ever made. But you probably shouldn’t buy it.

the courier

@Courier_Gaming thecourieronline.co.uk/gaming/

Monday 20 November 2017

BlizzCon 2017 - Overwatch and World of Warcraft

Blizzard had a lot to show off at their annual convention - Gerry Hart and Amy Gildert reveal all

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ovember 3rd marked one of the biggest events in the annual gaming calendar with Blizzcon 2017. And whilst much of the focus was on Overwatch, there was plenty to be said for Blizzard’s venerable MMORPG World of Warcraft.

The primary revelation WoW-wise was the announcement of the next expansion, Battle for Azeroth. Whereas the previous expansion centred on the Burning Legion (hence the name), Battle for Azeroth focuses on the outbreak of war between the Alliance and Horde as shown in two dramatic trailers (makes you wonder when they were ever at peace).

To be honest, I’m in two minds about the new expansion. I’m not 100% on board with the primary focus being on the Horde/Alliance conflict, partly because there are far more interesting aspects of the WoW universe to explore (e.g. the Old Gods) but also in the world of Azeroth, geopolitics and personal drama seem to go hand in hand, and frankly I’m getting rather bored on WoW’s overinfatuation with its main characters. Yet at the same time, the new continents of Kul Tiras and Zalandar look gorgeous and the announcement of new races for the Horde and Alliance got me excited.

By choosing to make a classic edition of their own, Blizzard has garnered an enormous amount of goodwill But even this, the announcement of a whole new expansion was overshadowed somewhat

by Blizzard’s opening gambit. Despite years of insisting that fans “didn’t want” legacy servers and that such servers are technically unfeasible, Blizzard are developing World of Warcraft classic edition.

It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal this is. For years, Blizzard has been pursuing fanmade classic servers such as the infamous Nostralius server,

much to the chagrin of the WoW community.

By choosing to make one of their own, Blizzard has already garnered an enormous amount of community goodwill. Additionally, its rather satisfying to see Blizzard admit their own defences didn’t stand up to scrutiny. Whether it’ll actually be as good as fans remember is another matter but it’s nice to see a little bit of gaming history officially curated, and will be an interesting experience to try.

Of course being a corporate event Blizzcon amounts to little more than a giant advert, and we have no way of knowing if any of the announcements made will actually be any good.

Still, this year’s Blizzcon was pretty strong and I’m interested to see how its announcements turn out when released.

Gerry Hart Image: Wikimedia Commons

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lizzCon 2017 was a highly anticipated event, especially so for Overwatch fans, who received a variety of announcements and releases. The big news from the event is the upcoming release of a new hero: Moira, a Talon scientist. The Overwatch community has been asking for a new support hero for some time, and Moira looks like a game-changing addition.

She specializes in a hybrid of offensive capabilities and healing. With one hand she deals out a biotic spray that heals teammates, and with the other deals out a damaging beam to enemies that drains their health whilst replenishing her healing energy. As far as her other capabilities go, she is equipped with a Biotic Orb that bounces around the map as either healing support or damage, and a Fade ability that

allows her to teleport a short distance. This ability is particularly interesting, as it revealed that Moira was in fact the scientist responsible for Reaper’s iconic Wraith form and Shadow Step ability. Her ultimate Coalescence looks particularly powerful, utilizing a long-range beam that simultaneously heals allies and damages enemies. From the sounds of her abilities and the gameplay clips released so far, Moira looks like an exciting addition to the support characters.

From the gameplay clips released so far, Moira looks like an exciting addition A Reinhardt animated short was also released, and it will tug at your heartstrings. Blizzard has been teasing fans with glimpses of Overwatch’s backstory, and ‘Honor and Glory’ is no exception.

In addition to showing the present day reactions of Winston’s call to arms, it shows a young Reinhardt facing off against enemies in the Omnic crisis around the familiar Eichenwalde map. Frankly I’m not a big Reinhardt fan, but the short is compelling enough that I’m suddenly looking at the character with a whole new sense of appreciation.

New skins have been added for Widowmaker, Zarya, Doomfist, Roadhog, Reinhardt and Mei, and the new Reinhardt and Mei skins tie nicely into their animated shorts. Thankfully these new skins aren’t tied to loot boxes with specific time periods, so they should be available to earn or buy as soon as they are put into play.

Fans can also expect a new map in 2018 called Blizzard World: a theme park based around Blizzard games. The map is half payload and half assault, and features different zones that Blizzard fans will recognize, such as the entrance to Stormwind, a Hearthstone Tavern, and a Heroes of the Storm arcade for starters. Overall it looks like a fun and lighthearted addition to the map options.

Amy Gildert

Autopsy - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

George Boatfield runs us through the shortcomings of this Bethesda classic (we did warn him)

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ou’d think that after all the success and acclaim that Skyrim has received, it doesn’t really seem like the kind of game in need of an autopsy. Indeed, six years after its initial launch, few other games would be receiving both a VR version on PlayStation VR and a handheld option through Nintendo Switch within the coming weeks. Add the wealth of mods available via the PC version (and a limited selection on consoles too), and it’s clear to see that’s it not just Bethesda that wants this game to keep going, but a loyal community too.

After hearing all the success Skyrim was having, I decided to sink 30 hours or so into the openworld RPG back in early 2012. While that is a playtime significantly less than the average ‘this is my second life’ Skyrim fanatic, it has given me a solid foundation to discuss both the positives and negatives of the game.

Let’s start with Skyrim’s’s most significant selling point - the open world. While it seems as though most PS4 and Xbox One games are open world, the console generation prior appeared to have a higher proportion of linearly structured titles. When Skyrim released, it represented the pinnacle of both world scale and interactivity. The time taken to walk around the map seemed like the default metric for looking at this - nothing else came close.

To me, exploring the open world was the most engaging aspect of the gameplay. Scaling a mountain to find a dungeon, wandering around a forest in search of a cave or even just walking along a path to the next unknown destination was all so compelling thanks to the structure of the environment.

Combined with the guiding hand of the compass, the landmarks and points of interest throughout the world reduce the reliance on the map screen and brings a more natural form of navigation to the forefront.

Unfortunately, this only kept me playing for a fraction of what most seemed to manage. And that’s because I feel as though almost every other aspect of the game, from combat

to storytelling, has been done better in countless other games.

Some of the poor voice acting and dialogue has become famous online as memes, and while these are entertaining on their own, I think it’s indicative of the broader issues with the game’s narrative. It’s true that there’s plenty of scope for players to enjoy making their own stories within the game, but the lack of any cinematic flair in the presentation of core narratives and side quests is evident. Poor animation, scripting and many other elements show a shell of a story in comparison to other open world games like inFamous 2 and Horizon: Zero Dawn. If you include linear games that have a built-in

Image: Flickr

advantage for telling a focused narrative, then titles like Heavy Rain, Spec Ops: The Line and The Last of Us trounce what Skyrim has to offer.

The problems continue with actually playing the game. As I’ve said, I’m a fan of Skyrim’s exploration element, but the immersion is broken as soon by the moment-to-moment gameplay of interaction (whether this is through combat, puzzle solving or something else entirely). Skyrim is known for the ability to play in both a third and first-person perspective, but both these modes are equally as terrible at giving any sense of contact or feedback in combat.

I feel as though almost every aspect of the game, from combat to storytelling, has been done better elsewhere An extension of this is that both views feel like controlling a camera rather than a character seeing as neither are specialised for all tasks. Games like the Battlefield series are fantastic for making a first-person camera feel like the perspective of an actual person, while the Uncharted series gives the player a full third-person view of the protagonist and his surroundings without making his movements feel tied to the camera.

Although Skyrim was a great accomplishment in open-world design, its flaws seem overlooked.

Fallout 4, Bethesda Softworks’ next game, perhaps exposed these flaws more clearly due to the higher presentation standards expected from the current set of consoles. They have the world design nailed, but Bethesda needs to start taking cues from other developers, particularly ID software and Machine games.

There’s a lot to learn from these teams that could propel the Elder Scrolls VI to a level fans can only dream of.

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gaming culture

Indie Insight - James Moulang’s Contacts

Image: James Moulang

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ontacts is marketed as an ‘intentionally annoying game’, and indie games developer James Moulang’s contribution to the gaming community for 2017. As story goes, there’s not too much, although this is only a small game.

The product of Moulang having spent a few frustrating hours trying to put contacts in himself, Contacts certainly serves to irritate the player to heights bordering on the levels of 2048. It took me way too many… well, years, to complete that game.

I’m hoping Contacts won’t take quite that long.

It’s a simple enough idea: after rigging a controller up to a computer, use trigger buttons to slowly open two eyelids and put a lens in a freakishly giant eye.

After a few attempts, it becomes clear what makes this so difficult; the figure’s need to blink increases the longer the eyelids are opened, and adapting the trigger pressures to combat this becomes fiendishly difficult. The moment you get both eyelids open, you find the finger’s juddered off to one side.

This is a game in concentration, with excellent multitasking skills required to avoid poking the figure’s eye This is a game in concentration, with excellent multitasking skills required to avoid poking the figure in the eye and returning to square one.

There’s a lot of concentration and finesse required to finally get the contact placed right!

Although difficult, it’s proved popular in the few instances I’ve seen it played, with heady competition growing between players to see who can get the contact in fastest. The replayability of this game probably comes from a situation like this, where it’d be easy to mess around as a group (and no doubt cause an even higher difficulty, with all the distractions).

Perhaps Contacts could be improved with a timer, to encourage this competitiveness, as currently it’s a bit of a one-trick pony with no way of recording high scores (or low scores).

Nevertheless, it’s pretty enticing as a game. There’s nothing like your every move being watched by a giant staring eye! The art style is simplistic but distinctive, certainly marking the game as slightly unusual. Little noises and starburst animations when the controls start to line up add to the zen feeling of the game, which definitely means I end up playing for way longer than I should do.

I’m thankful I don’t have to put actual contacts in every day, because I couldn’t cope if it’s as difficult as this When I think of ‘intentionally annoying’ in a game, I think more of flashing lights and loud noises, so I’m glad that this one has gone the other way, creating a relaxed atmosphere but with technically infuriating gameplay.

Another bonus is it’s pay-what-you-want, so if it doesn’t take your fancy after a trial run or two, you’re not too out of pocket. Very important on a student budget, and hey, you’ve gained a game to try out on your friends after one too many drinks.

I’m thankful I don’t have to put actual contacts in every day, because I definitely couldn’t cope with it if it’s anything like as difficult as this. I’ll be watching what else James comes up with, because I think Contacts would make a great party game, and I’m hoping there’ll be more similar on the way.

Rowena Tylden-Pattenson

the courier

@CourierArts thecourieronline.co.uk/arts

c2.arts@ncl.ac.uk Monday 20 November 2017 Arts Editors Scarlett Rowland and Carys Thomas

Should we publish posthumously?

Christopher Wilkinson comments on the morality of posthumously publishing work, in light of the recent publication of Sylvia Plath’s previously unseen letters.

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ith the recent publication of Sylvia Plath’s unseen letters, an old spirit from the Pandora’s box of World Literature has flown overhead and revealed itself once again.

Generally, it is the question of whether should we publish works of an author posthumously, but it is certainly not a new question, and because of this we know that is not a question concerned solely with death. Rather, it is: Should we presume to know the wishes of an author?

Sylvia Plath, as we know, was subjected to horrendous, barbaric emotional and physical abuse underneath the draconian hand of Ted Hughes. He beat her, caused her to miscarry, pushed her to suicide, and then after her death published the poetry which made her name. You can see the moral perplexity of all this. Hughes brought her to her death, but propelled her to the forefront of the literary world.

Because of this Plath has always been mentioned closely with the morality of publication, but the poems which she wrote she had intended to be published. These recent letters, on the other hand, are not.

Some of these letters date back to the age of 12, to an age where Plath was writing to her mother from summer camp, whereas some explore her artistic sensibilities at Cambridge. If it is at all possible (and I myself doubt whether it is) I think a line should be drawn between the purely artistic and the autobiographical.

This is not to say that one should be published and the other not.

The autobiographical content is invaluable in that it helps us to understand the content of the art itself, but the artistic can sometimes be disastrous.

Take, for example, J.R.R. Tolkien and the legacy of the Lord of

What’s On: Bongo’s Bingo @ Boiler Shop, 23 Nov, 1 & 19 Dec

Expect dance offs, rave rounds, incredible and not so incredible prizes along with all their usual madness and mayhem.

Oh and bingo of course.

the Rings. As superb as the Lord of the Rings is, Christopher Tolkien, the son, feels compelled to release any scratching that his father may have noted down; and some of it is rubbish. Some, it is not too hard to tell, was quite obviously not intended for release, and by going hand in hand with this unremitting drive for material simply serves to dilute the brilliance of the original, refined works.

A line should be drawn between the purely artistic and the autobiographical Another case is Harper Lee, and the publication of Go Set A Watchman Although she has now died, when Go Set A Watchman was published Harper Lee was very much alive, albeit extremely reliant on those around her and resigned to complete inactivity. The decision to publish Watchman was not initially hers, and the fact that she had for 60 years declared she would never publish another book arose suspicion in whether she was fully aware of what was going on. The book was released as a sequel, but upon reception it became quite clear it was simply a first draft for the unparalleled To Kill A Mockingbird.

SYLVIA PLATH The vast majority of Plath’s work, including novels, poetry and children’s books, was published posthumously

So with the autobiographical content of the letters, I think we can remain calm. But if any other unreleased poetry comes forth, be careful you don’t lose what you loved in the first place.

arts culture

SALTY COLUMN PERFORMANCE POETRY CHARLOTTE BOULTON

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h, poetry. It’s not all about stanzas, similes and Shakespearean sonnets (although they are fantastic). Performance poetry is growing greatly in popularity at the moment.

Which is understandable, as it allows people to bring poems off the page and turn them into something more.

Personally, poetry allows me to talk about topics I’d normally be too afraid to articulate. There’s something really therapeutic about writing a poem about something emotional, or life-changing that happened to you. And that therapy is just enhanced when performing to others, perhaps saying these things out loud for the first time publicly. Performance poetry doesn’t have to be serious; some of the best I’ve seen have been comical or satirical.

It’s not all about stanzas, similes and Shakespearian sonnets I love it in all its forms, but especially this performed kind. Watching talented spoken word poets is an absolute joy, and I really recommend checking out the local poetry open mic nights and events around town.

Watch some Button Poetry online, head to Bar Loco or Ernest for their open mic nights, or set up your own events! Even if you’re too shy to share your work, write it for yourself! Perform for yourself, choosing how you want your thoughts and creations to be heard. And when you dare, please do share. I, for one, would love to hear it.

Interview: Harry & Chris Show 2 Carys Thomas talks to the musical comedy duo Harry Baker & Chris Read about their new upcoming show at The Stand.

POEMBOX Ode to the Oxymoron ELENA TRAYANOVA

IRL to URL @ Baltic 24-25 Nov

This two-day programme explores the role that digital technologies play in shaping and distributing contemporary art.

We didn’t have our hot summer this year and we only realised that when we were standing outside in the Northern rain in our summer clothes in mid-October and We saw our sunlight in the street lamps and our ocean in a big puddle of mud we learned to love the way that orange mixes up with grey and not blue and still

@TheCourierArts @thecourierarts

Image: Callum Costello

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First off, I was wondering how you two met and began performing together?

We met in Primary school - Harry was a big deal and had just won the national quick cricket championship and I (Chris) was keen to find someone who could freestyle rap and hold court in a cricket game. (Is it played on a court?)

How do you find it being both colleagues and friends, is it always as fun as the two of you make it look or does it come with some difficulties?

We actually have a song about this as it’s a question we’re asked quite often, so you’ll have to come along to the show to find out. Instead, can we talk about Blue Planet 2? I haven’t watched it yet but Harry showed me a clip where a fish eats a bird and it was CRAZY. How does your writing process work? Does one of you take the lyrics and someone else music?

The general rule is that if something makes us

laugh enough, we’ll try and put it in the song. Once we’re set on a subject we’ll write a chorus and then build verses around that. Maybe we’ll write a song about Q and A’s. Or about this one specifically!

Would we have to pay you royalties?

Where do your ideas come from, and are there any specific messages you look to get across through your songs?

Again it’s generally if something makes us laugh enough - then we know it’ll keep fresh throughout many shows. We try and be as uplifting as possible and just have fun with it - so we try and put that across. Thanks for having me in your Q and A - see you at The Stand!

Harry & Chris are performing ‘The Harry & Chris Show 2’ at The Stand in Newcastle on 4th December.

For tickets and more information please visit www. harryandchris.com/

We put a certain meaning to every single goose bump and we imagined things that weren’t there for the sake of making distant places feel a little more like home Like the drenched roof tiles in that shade of red are only this dark because the Sun set them on fire and we wanted to feel close so we ended up burning up too so There is an emptiness we fill in with water from the drains, trying reverse biology on our bodies, infecting ourselves in hope that the disease will help us heal – We didn’t have our hot summer this year and we only realised that when we were standing outside in the Northern rain in our summer clothes in mid-October and We weren’t cold.

32

science & technology

Are you Tech-ing the piss?

the courier

courier.science@ncl.ac.uk Science Editors Jack Coles, Christopher Little & Ciara Ritson-Courtney

Monday 20 November 2017

But...I’m too old to die!

Facial recognition checkout Jack Coles digs out his second-year biochemistry notes to understand cellular aging processes

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here are moments in history when a technological advancement revolutionises the way we live. Well, I’m happy to say this is one of those moments. British start-up Yoti has created an invention that completely changes everything. They have developed a facial recognition app that will allow you to buy alcoholic beverages from a self-service checkout without the need to converse or interact with another human being. Hallelujah!

Guessing someone’s age has always been a perilous task. That’s because, for some strange reason, the amount of time one has spent spinning through the cosmos is a peculiarly sensitive topic to us humans. Some people will take offence if you overestimate the amount of times they’ve orbited the Sun, others will take offence if you underestimate.

If you’re ever unlucky enough to be put on the spot and forced to hazard a guess at someone’s age, you’re stumbling into dangerous territory. If you’re too wide of the mark, you’ll have the pleasure of an uncomfortably awkward moment and a potential new nemesis in your life.

With younger generations striving to look older, and older generations striving to look younger, causing offence has never been so easy – so spare a thought for those whose occupation entails asking people to prove how old they are (especially with some stores trying a ‘Challenge 30’ policy - “what, I don’t look under 30?!”). Because of an innate disposition to not cause offence, it’s not surprising that many approach this job requirement with a degree of trepidation.

Our fragile emotions, however, are of no concern to machines and computer programs. This should make them more suited to the role of age verification: their interminable indifference means they will never hesitate to ask, and no matter how sensitive a person is regarding their age, they surely can’t get offended by an automated system? Sadly, though, computer-based age verification has been a tad circumspect up to now (e.g. ‘tick if you are over 18’).

Technology company Yoti is looking to change a l l of that. The London based security start-up is aiming to become the world’s most trusted identity platform and already have plans to trial their new facial recognition app in two supermarkets in 2018. The free-to- consumer app will allow customers to buy age-restricted products, such as your favourite bottle of gin, from self-service checkouts – without the need for you to be beset by staff.

In a quintessentially modern approach, the app begins by asking you to take a selfie.

I t ’ s probably best not to add too many filters to it, though, as you need to pair the photo with an official document, such as a passport. Users will then just need to confirm their mobile number via text message and take a quick test to prove they are who they say they are.

Once you have it set up and you get to a self-service checkout a QR code will appear on the screen; hold your phone up to it and it will activate your camera, aim it at your beautiful face and Bob’s your uncle, the booze is yours (of course you need to pay for it as well).

Some will have concerns registering their details with third-party companies, but Yoti says the data will be encrypted and they will have no access to it. Robin Tombs, co-founder and head of Yoti, believes the tech also has potential to be used in places such as pubs and on dating sites.

But most importantly, it will help alleviate those pesky bottlenecks (no pun intended) at the selfservice checkouts, and mean you aren’t judged for your questionable drinking habits or your youthful/mature complexion.

Christopher Little

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ging is a process that affects us all, unless you’re (un)lucky enough to die before the age o§f 25 from a freak yachting accident.

Things start to break down after a while; replicating cells start to make mistakes in their DNA copies, your organs start to irreversibly scar, your collagen stops being elastic, and you start recognising yourself in the Biomedical Sciences module guide on the Biology of Aging.

I’m only 22 (happy fucking birthday, me), and I’ve already got back pain and a general distrust of teenagers.

In short, getting old sucks, and hence people have tried to stop it. Treatments have usually focused on the symptoms of aging as opposed to the root cause, as the root cause has not even been remotely understood until now. But now it seems that the University of San Diego, California have come up with a potential explanation.

If you would like to read the full paper, it’s called Multigenerational silencing dynamics control cell aging, by Yang Li et al. And it’s free to access on PNAS, but be warned, the biochemistry gets very heavy, so here’s a short summary: Aging revolves around something called chromatin. This is a complex of DNA and histones, the latter being a group of proteins that wrap the DNA around themselves like thread on a spool. A single histone spool is called a nucleosome, and the collective term for all these nucleosomes is chromatin. Then you wrap these spools around each other, and then wrap this super-thread around itself to form a single chromosome. With me so far?

This is where it gets complicated. DNA has its own alphabet, using A, T, C, and G to spell out whatever protein you want in its own language.

Histones also act as signals to various cellular enzymes to help them determine if the DNA they’re looking at is useful genes or just junk that’s just lying around. Think of DNA as being computer code, while histones are the index; instead of .jpg or .mp3, you have .protein, .tRNA, .virus, and so on.

While massively overs i mp l i f i e d , this is general the function of ch rom at i n .

Eu ch rom a tin is used to loosely wrap all the important stuff, while junk regions and viruses entrapped in our DNA are tightly bound up in heterochromatin so that they never see the light of day. Yes, you did read that right.

We have viruses lodged in our DNA, but that’s a whole other story.

1.5%

Percentage of human genome that translates directly into a protein

Anyway, this is where this newly discovered aging mechanism comes into play. Euchromatin is open to the nuclear environment, and as such is more likely to be hit by any DNA-damaging elements. That’s usually a bad sign, as this can cause mutations that will kill the cell, or even make it develop into a cancer. Heterochromatin is more

Borneo to be wild - great ape discovered Biology enthusiast Ng Yi Min sheds light on Pongo tapnuliensis

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ood news to all the biology enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists – a new great ape species has recently been identified in Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia, after nearly a century since the last ape species being discovered. Prior to this, there were only six known living species of non-human great apes on this planet Earth: Sumatran and Bornean orang-utans, Western and Eastern gorillas, common chimpanzees and Bonobos.

This newly discovered ape species, Pongo tapanuliensis (also known as Tapanuli orang-utan), marked the third species of orang-utan known.

Before we pull out our champagne glasses and start cheering for this new discovery, note that Tapanuli orang-utan, albeit newly discovered, is already classified as critically endangered animal.

The term “orang-utan” is derived from Malay and Indonesian words whereby the word “orang” means person, while the word “hutan” means forest – the “forest person”. With its population size estimated to be lower than 800, this newly identified ape species is found to roam the high-elevation Batang Toru forest at the South Tapanuli district of North Sumatra (hence the species name

Image: Wikipedia

P.tapanuliensis).

For several decades, conservationists and scientists had been suspicious of the presence of this population of orang-utan. This is because Tapanuli orang-utans are more closely related to Bornean orang-utan than Sumatran orang-utan (Sumatran orang-utan lives on the same island as Tapanuli orang-utan while Bornean orang-utan are endemic at to Borneo which is across the sea). To be more exact, Tapanuli orang-utans are similar in appearance to both Sumatran and Bornean orang-utans but are slightly smaller in size. They have frizzier orange hairs, smaller heads and flatter faces than Sumatran orang-utans. Through years of studies and series of testing and checking, it was revealed that the Sumatran, Bornean and Tapanuli orangutans comprise three distinct evolutionary lineages, with the oldest lineage belongs to the Tapanuli orang-utans!

Like the other two orang-utan species, Tapanuli orang-utans are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, small insects and reptiles. However, they survive mainly on a heavily fruit-based diet, with favourites including mangoes, lychees, durian, and figs. They will spend much of the day searching for fruits and then eating them to gain enough nutrition. However, despite their big size, Tapanuli orang-utans spend most of their time high up in the trees using their long arms and strong and flexible hands and feet with opposable thumbs to search for food, and prevent themselves from being preyed on by larger predators on the ground.

Fun fact: the Tapanuli orang-utan uses homemade tools to help with eating and drinking!

However, humans are the biggest threat to the three orang-utans species as many human activities (such as illegal hunting and excessive deforestation) cause destruction of their natural habitats.

This risks the lives of these great apes, causing their population number to decline drastically.

closed up than euchromatin, so DNA wrapped up in it suffers far less damage.

Don’t stay in the sun for too long, avoid barbecues, and stop having fun.

What scientists discovered was that every now and then, their test cells would package up euchromatin-containing areas with heterochromatin to limit their exposure to DNA-damaging elements.

Later on, these cells would de-package their heterochromatin back to euchromatin so that they could use the DNA that’s wrapped around it.

Now for the bad news: all this work was done on yeast, and therefore some of it translates poorly to human physiology. Take it from me when I say that this isn’t much of a big deal as yeast replication shares many core elements with human cell cycles. It just means that there’ll need to be a lot more work done before we can start thinking about slowing aging in humans using this process as a guide. Try comparing a painting to a photograph of the same thing; that’s the same level of difference we’re dealing with here.

But like that one song by Still Remains, the worst is yet to come. Scientists also tried to completely stop this switching, and this caused the cells to die even more quickly than before, so that’s not really an option. If the DNA was in the euchromatin state, it would accumulate damage faster than usual and the yeast would die. If the DNA was wrapped in heterochromatin instead, the cell would die from not being able to produce the right proteins and RNAs. Either way, the switching was key.

The study concluded that in order to delay aging, we’d have to somehow enhance the switching capability of the cells. Some yeast cells lost the switching ability of their own volition, and these proceeded to eventually die, and it seems likely that our cells are doing the same thing. So while there isn’t a miracle cure yet, I can offer some advice; take antioxidants, don’t stay in the sun for too long, avoid barbecues, and generally stop having fun.

Word of the Week:

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Lithobraking

ave you got an unmanned space vehicle that that needs to safely reach the surface of a celestial body? Yes? Well you’ll need lithobraking. That is if you have no parachute, crappy rockets and the thing you want to land on has very little gravity.

Lithobraking is essentially using gravity to slow your space craft so it doesn’t blow to smithereens on impact. Using their crappy rockets they line the probe up so incoming angles are made shallow enough so it skims graciously across the surface, a glancing blow if you will. All this sounds quite clever but essentially it’s crashing in space.

Hollywood would have you believe probes are placed like a cherry on a cake when landing.

Instead, the best brains in the world came up with the bright idea to cover the probe with gas filled balloons and crash. The 1966 Soviet Luna 9 moon probe was the first use of lithobraking in space travel and is considered the first ‘soft’ moon landing, while the American were still wasting their time and money on rockets. In a new wave on cost cutting, it’s rumoured Ryanair are considering introducing lithobraking on continental flights.

Sidney Pinsent

the courier

@CourierScience thecourieronline.co.uk/science

Monday 20 November 2017

science & technology

The Industrial evolution

Victoria Young has an axe (and pepper) to grind regarding macro/micro evolution confusion

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ow does Industrialisation affect the rate of Evolution? Well, in order to answer this question, we have to begin by posing two other questions: what actually is Evolution, and not ‘how’ but ‘does’ Industrialisation actually impact it?

Evolution is the scientific theory that “different kinds of living organism have developed from earlier forms during the history of the Earth” - for example, the common notion of the ape-like creature “evolving” or “progressing” into the man that we have today.

Microevolution deals with Darwin’s natural selection observations to within a species Over the years, there have been lots of environmental factors that have caused scientists to examine and research the rates of Evolution. Chemical water treatment and global warming are just a few of them, but another is levels of pollution as a result of increased industrialisation.

The Evolution Theory comes from Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species where he observed how the beaks of Galapagos finches changes over time depending on their environment, coining this observation “natural selection”.

What some scientists fail to factor into questions such as “how does industrialisation effect evolution?” is whether they are dealing with micro or macroevolution.

Macroevolution explains that of the ape-like creature developing into another creature and changing its DNA makeup. Whereas, microevolution rather deals with Darwin’s “natu-

ral selection” observation and limits evolving to that within a species. In other words, “their beaks might have changed but their DNA is exactly the same”.

The peppered moth is said to have evolved a different colour during the 1800s It’s a little frustrating when these so-called “Evolutionists” don’t know their macro from their micro… It’s also a little frustrating when they try to use evidence for microevolution to “prove” macroevolution and complete species change.

So let’s consider not “how” but “does” Industrialisation actually impact evolution. Without delving into micro and macroevolution, some scientists believe that Industrialisation has clear and profound influence upon the Evolutionary process.

The example that is most often used to support this claim is the peppered moth, which is said to have significantly evolved a different colour as the re-

sult of the 1800’s Victorian Industrial revolution: “The evolution of the peppered moth is an evolutionary instance of directional colour change in the moth population as a consequence of air pollution during the Industrial Revolution. The frequency of dark-coloured moths increased at that time, an example of industrial melanism.”

Evolutionists now argue that this example is sufficient evidence for all evolution. Most would say that this colour change of the moth from white to black to white (depending on the colour of tree trunks) was a positive genetic change, as it became more easily able to camouflage on trees and thus preserve its species.

But this is simply not the case.

The peppered moth merely shows the shifting back and forth of species frequencies within natural selection and offers no evidence to support an ape to man evolution… they only rest on treetrunks during dark hours, when they can’t even be seen anyway!

There is no evidence beyond the peppered moth to secure us with an absolute proof that industrialisation does impact evolution (though it does affect the world within which we live), and even if it did, it would only be within the confines of microevolution and natural selection.

length of time in.

What they found out was that the key chemical for suppressing these thoughts was the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA for short; meanwhile, the key section of the brain that helps with this suppression is the hip-

The key chemical for suppressing these thoughts was the neurotransmitter GABA A group of researchers from Cambridge (of course) figured it out. Firstly, they got groups of volunteers to associate pairs of unrelated words, such as “chalk” with “cheese”, or “light” with “hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia”. Then they flashed one of the words with a green or red signal; if it was green, the subject had to try to remember the associated word – if red, they tried to suppress the relevant word. All the while, they were put in an MRI scanner, which I can assure you is something very uncomfortable to spend a protracted

Mythbusters: Superfoods

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uperfoods, the miracle foodstuffs that reduce our risk of heart diseases, cancer and stroke, and can now reportedly slow our aging, cure our mental health and increase our physical capabilities and intelligence. Next, they’ll be telling us that it’s quinoa, not Red Bull, that gives you wings, and that ‘miracle food’ can, like Jesus himself, cure blindness and leprosy.

Thing is? It’s unsurprisingly mostly a load of rubbish. The NHS page on superfoods isn’t afraid to remind us that what we’re told is often based on huge amounts of the antioxidants that you’ll find in superfoods. Garlic’s able to reduce blood pressure, sure - but you’re going to have to eat over 25 cloves of garlic daily to have a noticeable effect.

And I mean, I love my Italian cuisine, but I don’t think I or anyone else is willing to eat that much garlic in one go.

Goji berries? These amazing vitamin C providers, with enough antioxidants to list that I’d probably go over this article’s word count solely through writing them out, aren’t the miracle berry that celebs rave about. Looking at you, person whose name rhymes with Smyneth Smaltrow.

If you look into the research, there’s nothing supporting these superfoods are super whatsoever.

Sure, there’s one study each where one scientist tested like, fifty patients and came up to a conclusion, but it’s the same kind of attitudes that have your mum believing that vaccines are the reason I’m autistic, so I’m not really trustworthy of the fruit version of Andrew Wakefield.

An excessive amount of antioxidants might even make mortality rates more severe

Why did I want to drop-kick that baby?

Science Editor Jack Coles eats a tomato to stop the temptation of using a baby as a rugby ball I ntrusive thoughts are like the Tourette’s syndrome of your mind. (OK, Tourette’s already is a mental illness, but it has physical symptoms so shut up). Occasionally your brain will throw up something like “that person is a [CENSORED]” or “ do you remember that time six years ago when you said [REDACTED] about [REDACTED]? Boy, that was embarrassing.”

What people don’t like to admit is that pretty much all of us had them. I’m sure many of us have been on a long journey where a baby is crying and all you want to do is drop-kick it out of the nearest window/airlock. Doing so would actually be quite horrific, and those of you with emotions and shit might even feel bad about thinking this in the first place, but those thoughts still happen. And now, for the first time ever, scientists think they might know why.

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p o camp u s .

V o l unteers t h a t were good at suppre ss i ng the other half of the word pair had strong activity in their hippocampus, with a high release of GABA. This ties in with previous studies carried out on schizophrenia patients. Schizophrenia is a disease where the symptoms include hallucina-

tions; hallucinations which can be produced when the hippocampus so poor at filtering out intrusive thoughts to the point that they start manifesting as physical stimuli. Post-mortems on schizophrenics show a damaged hippocampus, where memories are accelerated through, instead of stopped before they reach the prefrontal cortex.

Don’t have schizophrenia? Sit the fuck back down. Hippocampus hyperactivity has been linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and chronic depression. All wonderfully fun diseases, if you’re from bizarro world, where up is down and hamburgers eat people.

This research has provided some answers, but doesn’t answer the crucial question “how do we treat this”? At time of writing, GABA-related neurotransmitter blockers or enhancers aren’t really used that often. Schizophrenia patients are usually treated with dopamine inhibitors, while people with depression often take serotonin enhancers; neither of these neurotransmitters have any direct effect on GABA receptors. Creating a GABA analogue or precursor for treatment could very well be useful for reducing disease onset.

0.7%

Proportion of the world predicted to have Schizophrenia

In the meantime, you can make your very own schizophrenia treatment by eating like a literal kilogram of tomatoes. They are really full of the neruotransmitter GABA. Please note; this was an inference made by looking at the Wikipedia article for GABA and as such has all the scientific value of a divine revelation had by a hippie on hallucinogenics.

Superfoods might even be harmful. Studies from 2012 indicate that there’s no indication a higher amount of fruit and vegetable intake than the recommended norm (Five? Seven? Who knows?) will affect health, or reduce mortality rates. This study even indicates that an excessive amount of antioxidants might even make these mortality rates more severe. Not really what you want from your daily cauliflower rice bowl, is it?

Being told that some miracle food is going to cure my physical and psychological ailments is patronising at best, and at worst, directly misleading - possibly even harmful. Not only to mention it’s damned expensive, See, pushing the idea that ‘food X’ is able to, say, I don’t know, bloody cure the damage done by all the salt you’re shoving through your system or something ridiculous like that means that, chances are, that item of food is going to be decidedly more expensive than its nonsuper counterparts.

Realistically, a bag of kale is going to cost a fair bit more than a similarly-weighted bag of spinach, lettuce, or other greens, and eating a bag of kale every other day isn’t going to help a diet that’s focused heavily on unhealthy eating. Quinoa doesn’t fix the damage done by that tub of Ben & Jerry’s we ate watching Stranger Things a fortnight ago.

We’ve known for a while superfoods are a bunch of crap, and yet here we are, still in a world where healthy eating focuses on foodstuffs like quinoa, kale, other weirdly-named crap that’s basically what we eat normally, just tasting slightly different.

These names call out “Waitrose mum” to me, and the leftie in me (or more accurately, the leftie that is me) would presume that these healthy trends are just a method of squeezing that bit more money out of us when we’re buying the food we need simply to survive.

So, next time you’re looking at that four quid bag of quinoa thinking you could replace your carbohydrate intake with that? Sod it and buy the two quid bag of pasta. You know you’ll enjoy it more anyway.

Errol Kerr

puzzles

Monday 20 November 2017

Puzzles Editor Joey Barton Deputy Puzzles Editor Alex Hendley

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the courier

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1 Famous big green lorries 2 Your boat wouldn’t get far without one 3 None of these before Marbs 4 Grass starter Pokemon 5 Manchester shopping centre 6 Final country to qualify for the World Cup

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Can you use the clues given to discover the name of a Newcastle University campus building?

7 Underwater squirrel 8 Large antlered mammal 9 Capital of the ancient kingdom of Hispania 10 Celestial 11 Country nicknamed ‘The Hexagon’ 12 Forms a duo with Dec 13 Rubeus Hagrid’s faithful companion

Name that lake...

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Across

1 You’re looking for them right now (7) 6 Concept coined by Freud (7) 9 One of the great Milan teams (5) 10 Covert agent in feudal Japan (5) 11 The day before (3) 12 ___ Caulker, recently earned an honorary degree from Newcastle University (3) 14 Won’t be going to heaven (6) 15 Protagonist of children’s cartoon set in the Yukon (4) 18 Definitely not friends with Kim Jong-un (5) 20 Pride of Egypt (7) 23 Sandy hill (4) 24 Nickname for premium bonds (5) 25 A group of crows (6) 26 They’ll show you to your seat (5)

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1 A club of people formed for a particular purpose (7) 2 Hailing from the far east (7) 3 Famous for its rings (6) 4 ____ Can, Liverpool midfielder (4) 5 Better than the normal things you eat (10) 7 Famous magician (6) 8 French for ‘bridge’ (4) 13 Openly (5) 16 Cells which form the woody part of a stem (5) 17 Southampton Football Club (6) 19 A damp student house might grow this (5) 21 Member of the House of Lords (4) 22 Addition (3)

Last Week’s

Solutions...

Issue 1357 quiz solutions: Spot the Difference: Zip, Lanyard, Belt, Turbine, Shadow, Mouth Campus building: Claremont Bridge (Black, Balmy, Fracture, Blur, Ken, Money, Flour, Nook, Betty, Tube, Freedom, Bali, Ood, Aggie, Aegean)

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the courier

sport

Monday 20 November 2017

10-man Newcastle through to cup final 16 MEN’S FOOTBALL

Newcastle 2nds Blyth Spartans Res

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Newcastle win 3-1 on penalties

Freddie Webb at Cochrane Park Max Bell’s decisive penalty capped off a spirited performance by the Newcastle seconds in the Stelrad Minor Cup, beating Blyth Spartans Reserves 3-1 on penalties.

Newcastle University’s second team fought on despite a last-minute goal from Blyth Reserves in normal time and being down to 10 men from the first half of extra time following an injury to Lefteris Alambritis.

Their hard work and dedication was rewarded in the penalty shootout. Joe Brook made two fine saves to keep Blyth at bay whilst Ollie Schofield, Chris Scott and Max Bell converted their penalties to give Newcastle a thoroughly deserved win.

Newcastle got off to a bright start in the first half, scoring from an individual effort by Lefteris Alambritis.

Alambritis collected the ball from the

Newcastle at the Stelrad Minor Cup 1st round Bye 2nd round - 7 October Away v Benton FC 1sts walkover to Newcastle 3rd round - 11 November Home v Blyth Spartans Reserves 2-2 (Newcastle win 3-1 on penalties) 4th round - 9 December Home v Cramlington United 1sts

middle of the Blyth half from James Donohue, cut straight through the two Blyth centre-backs, rounded the keeper and slotted home into the bottom corner.

However, this lead was short lived.

Blyth Reserves equalised following a play out wide from their kick off. Newcastle failed to deal with a floated cross into the centre of the box, leaving Blyth striker Jordan Lee unmarked to drive his shot into the bottom corner.

This was the only defensive lapse by Newcastle in the first half. Donohue controlled the midfield defensively, allowing Newcastle to create a number of chances. Alambritis had another opportunity, again rounding two defenders but his shot was straight at the keeper.

Blyth had multiple long-range efforts but failed to trouble the Newcastle goal After this, Blyth began to tightly mark the Uni forwards and wide midfielders.

Niza Chilufya, Newcastle’s main striker, was tightly man-marked throughout but was supported well by Aiden Ratcliffe and Max Bell from the wide areas. Unfortunately, the final balls were mostly inaccurate. Schofield floated in a number of corners that were not capitalised on. Schofield’s set pieces remained an issue for Blyth, hitting a free kick just wide of the top corner, forcing a good save from the keeper.

Defensively, Newcastle remained solid throughout the rest of the first half. Centre-Backs Oje Ofioh and Chris Scott made a number of key intercep-

tions to isolate the Blyth strikers. Going forward, Newcastle failed to convert any more chances. A free kick from Ratcliffe was met by Bell at the back post but his shot went straight at the keeper.

Certain Blyth players implemented a physical style of football. Alambritis was fouled badly off the ball before the end of the first half but carried on. Rob Winrow and Kieron Day made strong forward passes forward but Alambritis and Chilufya was tightly marked throughout.

Newcastle were briefly lackadaisical after the break at half time, with the score at 1-1. Blyth had multiple longrange efforts but failed to trouble the Newcastle goal. These defensive lapses were short lived, as Newcastle settled back into the game. Scott and Donohue made several key tackles but failed to create offensive chances from them.

Newcastle were more effective going forward after their first substitution.

Micky Strang came on for Ratcliffe and offered a lot of energy on the right wing.

But it was Alambritis who was still causing problems for the Blyth defence. He put in a chip through ball past the defenders to Chilufya who chipped the keeper but just wide of the near-post.

Blyth countered soon afterwards, forcing a fine save from Brook who tipped a near post shot onto the post.

Newcastle’s hard work was finally rewarded mid-way through the second half. Schofield started the play passing out wide to Strang, who split the defence with a through ball straight to the feet of Alambritis. Alambritis set up Chilufya with a low cross into the sixyard box who tapped in to make it 2-1 to Newcastle. It could have been 3-1 shortly after, when Ofioh met Schofield’s corner with a powerful header but was cleared off the line.

Unfortunately, Ofioh had a clash of heads in the area and shortly had to come off, leaving Newcastle down a man. Blyth capitalised on this, forcing Winrow to make a number of key challenges to stop the Blyth counter-attacks.

Ofioh came back on shortly afterwards.

Blyth resorted to a more physical mentality shortly afterwards. Strang drew a number of fouls, resorting to two yellow cards for Blyth defenders.

Blyth’s physical play did have a price, with Strang being forced off with a calf-strain after a rough challenge from the Blyth left-back. Ben Blackburn replaced him.

Newcastle held on until the final minutes of the match. A harsh free-kick was given to Blyth on the left wing after a 50-50 challenge. Blyth's Euan Anderson took the opportunity and scored an unmarked header from the free kick, leading to a 2-2 draw and extra time.

Matthew Johnson was substituted on for the injured Oje Ofioh at the beginning of extra-time.

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Blyth Spartans levelled in the 86th minute, taking the match to extra time

Chilufya had a couple of half-chances in the first half of extra time but had a lack of opportunities.

Blyth dominated the first half of extra-time. The defensive line remained strong. Brook made a fine save after the Blyth striker was left unmarked from a low cross. Johnson, Day and Scott made a number of last ditch clearances shortly afterwards.

Things got worse for Newcastle shortly afterwards. After a rough challenge,

Alambritis was forced off with an ankle injury, leaving them down to 10 men.

Blyth capitalised on the man advantage but Brook produced a fine save when one-on-one with the Blyth striker and held on to the second half of extra time.

Newcastle were dead on their feet through their hard work but soldiered on By the second half of extra time, Newcastle were dead on their feet through their hard work in the previous 105 minutes. Despite the exhaustion, the players soldiered on. Newcastle had little attacking opportunities but remained steady defensively.

Blyth made a number of clear chances and had a two on one opportunity but the Blyth striker shanked his shot over the bar from six-yards. Similar attacks happened twice over. The Blyth number 9 had two more chances when he was fed low crosses but wasted those opportunities.

Newcastle’s hard work was rewarded in the penalty shootout. Schofield scored a perfect penalty into the top left corner. Blackburn failed to capitalise on Blyth’s first missed penalty but Scott drove his penalty into the bottom left corner. Blyth only scored one penalty in the shootout, with Brook saving two of them. Chilufya squandered his penalty but Bell converted the penultimate penalty to win the game for Newcastle.

120 minutes of hard work and dedication was rewarded with the win despite the circumstances. All the players should be proud of their performance.

Sports Centre hosts emerging swimming star to be at her best.

“The social side of the sport is my favourite part of swimming, because without the people around me, it wouldn’t motivate me as much to do well,” Large said. “Everyone pushes for each other to perform at their absolute maximum.”

Courtney Strait Sports Editor There are big things to come for the sport of swimming in the North East.

Tynemouth native Emily Large, who has chosen to train at Newcastle University, has just been selected as the Emerging Athlete of the Year at the British Swimming Awards on 4 November.

Large, who is in year 12 at Kings Priory School in Tynemouth, said swimming piqued her interest early in her life and the sport came naturally to her as a youngster.

“It just looked good fun,” Large said.

“I had competed the swimming lessons at my local pool and wanted to be like my sister, who I saw at the local swimming pool.”

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Without the people around me, it wouldn't motivate me as much to do well

Large won gold at the World Junior Championships in less than 128 seconds

Despite Large’s humble approach toward the game, this athlete has had stellar success thus far in her young career.

Some of her recent accolades include 2017 World Junior Championship Gold Medalist (200m butterfly), 50m fly, 100m fly, and 200m fly Gold Medalist at the past two British Championships.

To train for her events and prepare herself for such physical demands in the pool, Large chose the Newcastle University Sports Centre. There, her and her teammates at the Newcastle Swim Team do strength and conditioning sessions. Large said the Newcastle gym was an easy choice.

Large has competed in the British Championships and the 2017 World Junior Championships Image: Emily Large “Newcastle University has fantastic gym facilities,” Large said. “It is a great place to do my strength and conditioning sessions.”

Whilst training with the professionals at the Newcastle Sport Centre, Large has seen great personal results thus far.

Large attributes her improvements to her strength and conditioning coach at Newcastle, Ross Drummond.

Large said Drummond’s depth of

knowledge has not only reduced her chance of injury, but has allowed her to excel in her strength and power.

Large said this progress is transferred directly into the pool.

Large’s hard work behind the scenes, in both the pool and in the gym, have clearly not gone unnoticed. Large said the sport requires endless hours and receiving the Emerging Swimmer of the Year Award was a lovely reward for her efforts.

In addition, Large not only accepted

this award on her behalf, but also considered it an honour to represent the North East at such a high level. She said it was a proud moment to put Newcastle on the map and help create greater interest in the elite athletes coming from the Newcastle area.

Despite the seriousness of the training, diet and strength and conditioning sessions that competitive athletes must endure, Large said the social aspect of swimming is what pushes her

Aside from enjoying the camaraderie with her team, Large said school is another aspect of her life that is important. Because her training is so demanding, Large has to balance her time wisely in order to excel in the pool and in the classroom. She said although managing school and sport can be difficult, it is rewarding to work on her time management skills and succeed in both. It helps that her school is very understanding of Large, who said it is very flexible and fully supports her athletic endeavours.

Schoolwork aside, the future is very bright for Emily Large. Being selected to compete in the Commonwealth Games, which take place this April, is Emily’s next goal. She said she would love to represent Great Britain, and the Commonwealth Games would be a great stepping-stone toward bigger and better competitions.

But Large didn’t stop there — the 2020 Olympic Games are just around the corner, and Large has her sights set high — she said her ultimate dream would be to represent Great Britain and compete at the highest level for her country.

If Large continues with this attitude and work ethic, there is no limit to what this girl can do.

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the courier

sport

Monday 20 November 2017

These Girls Did: sporting inspirations

We take a look at some of the top female trailblazers in the world of sport. From battles of the sexes to competing for their country, these women have left a lasting mark

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Wikimedia Commons

MARIA SHARAPOVA

CLARE BALDING

BILLIE JEAN KING

SYLVIA GORE

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL

One of the highest-paid women athletes in the world and one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Maria Sharapova, inspires many young girls around the world to be the best in the tennis courts.

The Russian tennis player, who is now residing in the US, is also an Olympic medallist and holds the career Grand Slam. Moreover, she is a goodwill ambassador at the United Nations from 2007 onwards.

Sharapova has always supported the equal rights in the sport of tennis. During various interviews, she claimed that she wants the sport of tennis to be equal for both of genders, and hopes that with her many great performances that she can encourage other women to take up various sports as well.

Clare Balding OBE is one of many inspirational women involved in sport.

She started as an amateur jockey, winning various awards, and went into sports journalism, which at the time was arguably a male dominated field.

She began as a Trainee presenter on racing, and as her family were horse trainers, she had specialist knowledge of the sport. She’s covered all the big meetings, winning both the Racing Journalist of the Year and RTS’s Sport Presenter of the Year awards in 2003.

She then later went on to cover cricket, football, and rugby league and has become an unstoppable force within the Sports Journalism world.

The rather average Battle of the Sexes film doesn't really do it justice, but Billie Jean King's victory over misogynist Bobby Riggs in 1973 announced to the world that tennis was truly a competitive sport for women as well as men.

A growing gender pay gap in prize money in the early 1970s prompted King to lead the formation of the Women's Tennis Association to represent and organise women's professional tennis. She went on to set up the Women's Sports Foundation and has consistently advocated women's sport, LGBT rights and for fair treatment of sportspeople.

And, of course, she found time to win 12 Grand Slam singles titles too.

One of Britain’s best-loved athletes, the now Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill has had an illustrious sporting career.

Danielle Brier

Mark Sleightholm

Sylvia Gore was a skilful footballer, probably best known for scoring England Women’s first ever goal back in 1972, but was inspirational for a wealth of other reasons as well.

Having written herself into footballing history, Gore continued to play for England and Fodens until her retirement at 35. Whilst many footballers fade out of the game, Gore became ever more prominent, volunteering as a coach, including becoming the manager of the Wales national team for seven years.

Gore also set her sights on increasing participation in the women’s game, holding posts in Knowsley, Liverpool FA, England FA and the Women’s Super League.

Egle Vaitekenaite

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Ennis-Hill's best 100m time in the heptathlon was only 0.34 seconds short of the overall world record

Shortly before she died in 2016, she was appointed as an ambassador for Manchester City Women’s Football Club on International Women’s Day, having overseen over fifty years of improvements in the women’s game.

After breaking through in 2007, as a heptathlete she later won the World Championships in 2009 and 2011 (the latter retrospectively), as well as win the European Championships in 2010 and the world title for the indoor pentathlon in the same year.

Her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time was cemented after famously winning a gold medal in London 2012 on “Super Saturday”. Then, EnnisHill’s accomplishments only grew after coming back from a pregnancy lay-off and injury struggles to claim her third World Championship in 2015 and a silver medal in the Rio Olympics.

Since retiring from athletics in 2016, Ennis-Hill has remained busy in taking up a number of roles, from media work to supporting charities, in addition to looking after her growing family.

James Sproston

Tom Shrimplin

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Gore retired as a player at the age of 35, but continued to be a major force in the sport

Share your experiences of uni sport to win £219 Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Image: YouTube

ELLIE SIMMONDS

SERENA WILLIAMS

TRACEY NEVILLE

Ellie Simmonds became an undeniably inspirational figure for Team GB, the Paralympics and women’s sport alike after she took home two gold medals for the squad in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing aged just 13.

Following this victory, she went on to win three more Paralympic gold medals and has even set a new World Record in the 200m individual medley event.

At just 14 years old, she became the youngest ever person to receive an MBE, and in 2013 she was elevated to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to Paralympic sport.

With 23 Grand Slam titles to her name, there is no doubting the sporting prowess of Serena Williams. For over a decade the American has been at the top of her game, from 2003 when she completed the infamous ‘Serena Slam’, taking home every single major championship title that year, to winning 2017’s Australian Open whilst pregnant.

Along the way Williams has had to overcome many tribulations. Be it injuries or body shaming over her too “manly form”, she has stood strong and become an impeccable role-model. Oh, and she has her own charity organisation and book, is the minority shareholder of Miami Dolphins, speaks four languages and is a new mother!

The class of 92 invokes images of Neville passing to Neville, playing it to Scholes who pings it to Beckham who drills a cross so fine, it’s not an overstatement to say children were probably made. However, possibly the most successful of the Neville family is Tracey.

Now an MBE, England netball player turned coach Neville played at two commonwealth games before a serious knee injury forced her to stop in 2008.

Considering the family she comes from it might not be a surprise to read of her sporting prowess, but it’s no mean feat to match the achievements of her brothers.

Josh Nicholson

Emma Bancroft

Toby Bryant

Mark Sleightholm Sports Editor BUCS have launched a survey to research the links between physical activity and students’ wellbeing, in partnership with UK Active and Scottish Student Sport.

The short online survey is active throughout November and explores the impact of sport and exercise on students’ lives, including their mental health, social inclusion, academic success and perceived employability. A stronger understanding of the benefits of physical activity for students could help BUCS to improve its provision of sports at British University.

The survey follows an earlier study by Scottish Student Sport that asked 5,000 Scottish students about their levels of physical activity and their wellbeing, and found that active students were significantly better off than their inactive counterparts. 93% of active students believed

they would graduate with a first or 2:1, compared to just 81% of inactive students, and similar differences were seen in areas such as mental wellbeing and social inclusion.

10

The survey's organisers estimate it will take just 10 minutes to complete

The new British Active Students Survey is aiming to collect the views of 25,000 students from across the UK, whether they consider themselves active or not. The results will be published early in the new year.

All students taking part in the survey, which UK Active estimates will take about 10 minutes to complete, will be entered into a prize draw to win a sports watch worth £219, with runner up prizes of £50 Amazon vouchers also available.

38

the courier

sport

Monday 20 November 2017

Knights take charge in an impressive display WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Newcastle 2nds 75 Huddersfield 1st 28

Courtney Strait at the Sports Centre The Newcastle women’s seconds basketball team used a balanced attack and aggressive full court press to dominate University of Huddersfield last week at the Newcastle University Sports Hall.

From the starting tip to the final buzzer, the Newcastle Knights were able to substitute efficiently, showing their depth and finishing the game with an impressive score of 75-28. The victory was the seconds team’s first win of the season in the BUCS Northern 2B league.

Offensively, the Knights had their way and were able to move the ball without much trouble First team veteran and seconds team head coach Noelia Cachiero-Quintas had her players in a full court press for the majority of the first half, which led to many intercepted passes. If the Huddersfield firsts were able to get the ball past Newcastle’s frenzied defence, the majority of the time they had to settle for difficult, contested shots.

Offensively, the Knights had their way and were able to move the ball without

much trouble. Team members Charlotte Warren and Danielle Bensadon did damage with cuts off the ball, as both were able to slice through the defence and found open looks near the basket in between Huddersfield defenders.

In addition, the Newcastle post players used her height to her advantage and tallied a handful of offense rebounds for easy put back scores. Unfortunately for the shorthanded Huddersfield squad, they were no match for the likes of Newcastle’s height and athleticism in the post position.

Despite Newcastle’s ease in their half court offense, they found the most success on the fast break. Because their defence caused so many turnovers from their opposition, the Newcastle guards were able to push the ball up the floor and pass to open players for layup after layup.

After a somewhat close first quarter, the Knights burst the score wide open in the second quarter, and this comfortable cushion provided the squad with the confidence they needed to finish the job in the second half and put Huddersfield away early.

Looking forward to the remainder of their season, the seconds team has room for improvement and plenty of potential to cause an upset after the Christmas break.

In order to take the next step, the Knights would benefit from slowing down when they get a steal - these ladies are some of the best when it comes to forcing turnovers and rattling their

opponents, but they need to take care of the ball when they are trying to convert on a fast break.

106

Newcastle seconds are the most prolific scorers in the league

In addition, the seconds team have a great advantage with their post players.

Most teams in their league are lucky to have one decent post player, and the Newcastle seconds are able to boast two talented, experienced bigs down low.

With that in mind, these post players need to demand the ball and they will cause some serious damage and add a few more victories in the win column to boot.

The next home match for the seconds will be 29 November at the Newcastle University Sports Hall at 8pm. If you are in the area, be sure to head to the Sports Centre and show your support for these hardworking athletes.

Northern 2B Pld

W

D

L

GD

1 Leeds 1sts

4

4

0

0

124

Pts 3

2 Hull 1sts

3

2

0

1

66

3

3 Sheffield 1sts

3

2

0

1

33

3

4 Newc 2nds

3

0

0

3

-72

0

5 Durham 3rds

3

0

0

3

-151

0

Veteran Charlotte Warren was devestating in attack Image: Charlotte Warren

Durham and Hallam slammed but Manc too much WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Manchester 1sts 16 Newcastle 1sts 11

Ella Windsor-Lewis, Bella Austin, Freya Cantwell, Louisa Brophy at Armitage Site Despite the colder weather, all three of Newcastle’s women’s lacrosse teams had matches this week with some exciting results.

After a 13-8 loss in the firsts’ last match against them, Newcastle arrived in Manchester raring to get a win off their rivals. They got off to a cracking start, with a solid defence and a slick goal from vice-captain Kat Edwards, winning her the prize of “Shot of the Match”. Thanks to Newcastle’s new and well-practiced set plays, the goals were rolling in, the freshers showing the rest of the team how it’s done.

Thanks to Louisa, Bella, Katie and Emma, the half-time score showed an impressive 7-6 lead and spirits were high. However, a slow start to the second half cost Newcastle some goals, leaving a lot of catching up to do. Despite winning more center draws, and increasing the pressure in defence, effectively face-marking Manchester’s key players, Newcastle couldn’t stop them from forcing their way through and placing the ball in the back of the Newcastle net.

Thanks to Newcastle’s new and well-practiced set plays the goals were rolling in The end whistle blew at a score of 1611 to Manchester, leaving the visitors disappointed but proud of their play.

Man of the match and goalie Charlotte had an incredible game, despite saving several goals with her head she was unfazed and continued to save many more and made excellent clears to Newcastle’s midfield players. The other man of the match, Bella, a consistently impressive

player, had an exceptional game seemed to play almost every position on the pitch.

Newcastle 2nds 27 Sheffield Hallam 1sts 4

Cat Loudon at Longbenton Being the only home team fighting the cold Newcastle weather didn’t stop the seconds, who had a great game with every member of the team working together to produce what was undoubtedly their best performance as a squad so far this season.

won by captain Livvy Savage, and taken straight down into Durham’s defensive end. With no opposition to meet her before goal, Livvy moved their goalie and placed the ball securely in the back of the net, starting the game off with a 1-0 lead for Newcastle in the first minute of play. This was an instant boost of confidence for the team, as the game continued into the first half.

With strong moves on goal by attack, strategising play around Durham’s solid line of defence to bring the score up to 8-0 in the first 30 minutes. Goal scorer and coach Olivia Hopewell set up a

new attacking play, aptly titled ‘crunch’ which drove attack to the top of the fan, confusing Durham’s seemingly attentive defence; and passed to straight attacker Jenny, who used her left handed advantage to drive in another goal.

8

However, new goalie Ella was not letting anything past her, resulting in a 13-2 win for Newcastle at full time.

Newcastle’s lacrosse league performance

Pld Pts Pos

Northern 1A

Newcastle 3rds scored eight goals in the opening 30 minutes against Durham

Durham used an unexpected crease roll to bring their score up to one, and a second was scored in the second half.

Newcastle 1sts

6

6

4

4

2

5

4

3

7

Northern 2B Newcastle 2nds Northern 3B Newcastle 3rds

The team energised themselves with wine gums and chocolate Sheffield Hallam put up a strong fight, however it was futile in the face of Newcastle’s solid defence. The midfield transitioned the ball effortlessly down the pitch, and Newcastle’s attack were unstoppable with nearly every player scoring a goal and the well-rehearsed attacking plays working seamlessly.

Goalie Anna was making some remarkable saves, the true hero of the match. At half time, with a 12-2 lead, the team energised themselves with wine gums and chocolate before heading out for a stellar second half. The play matched the standard set in the first half, shown by the end score of 274. The well-deserved win sets the seconds in a good position for the rest of the season.

Durham 6ths 2 Newcastle 3rds 13

Scarlett Rushby-Smith at Maiden Castle Grass After a strong 21-0 win last week, the threes boarded the bus to take on Durham sixths with a positive outlook to the game ahead. The starting draw was

Lacrosse had every reason to smile after their efforts Image: NU Lacrosse

39

the courier

sport

Monday 20 November 2017

Intra Mural Netball Monday 5pm Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1 Law Netball

1

1

0

0

15

3

2 BioSci Netball

0

0

0

0

0

0

3 Devo & Co

0

0

0

0

0

0

4 MLS Netball

0

0

0

0

0

0

5 Medics (Mon)

0

0

0

0

0

0

6 Economics

1

0

0

1

-15

0

Saturday 10am

Tuesday 5pm

Thursday 5pm Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1 Medics (Tue)

6

6

0

0

108 24

1 Medics (Thu)

6

5

0

1

65

20

2 History

6

6

0

0

41

24

2 Team CEAM

6

4

2

0

49

20

3 Globe Trotters

6

4

0

2

12

16

3 Pollies Dollies

6

3

1

2

21

14

4 Toothfairies

6

2

1

3

-20

10

4 CHS Netball

6

3

1

2

5

14

5 Charlie's Angles

6

2

0

4

-25

8

5 History (Thu)

6

3

0

3

49

12

6 Nets Top Models

6

1

1

4

-40

6

6 MarkSoc

6

1

1

4

-63

6

7 Law Netball

6

1

0

5

-13

4

7 Net Energy

6

1

1

4

-76

6

8 Agrics Netball

6

1

0

5

-63

4

8 Economics

6

0

2

4

-50

4

Toothfairies 17 Law Netball 4 Agrics Netball 8 History 8 Medics (Tue) 24 Charlie’s Angles 12 Nets Top Models 6 Globe Trotters 17

Pollies Dollies Medics (Thu) Net Energy Economics

Saturday 11am

Saturday 12pm

15 16 14 14

MarkSoc History (Thu) CHS Netball Team CEAM

2 42 15 15

Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

Pld

W

D

L

GD

Pts

5

4

0

1

58

16

1 NUNC Dev Squad

5

5

0

0

75

20

1 Law Netball

5

5

0

0

69

20

2 Medics (Sat 10)

5

4

0

1

41

16

2 Polo Princesses

5

4

1

0

67

18

2 Pollies Dollies

5

4

0

1

43

16

5

3

1

1

33

14

3 CHS Netball

5

4

0

1

33

16

3 Civil Engineers

5

3

0

2

38

12

3 History (Sat)

4 Nu:KEM

5

2

0

3

-12

8

4 Toothfairies (Sat)

5

3

0

2

17

12

4 NUAS Netball

5

3

0

2

13

12

5 MLS Netball

5

2

0

3

-13

8

5 BioSci Netball

5

2

0

3

-29

8

5 Medics (Sat 12)

6

3

0

3

10

12

6 ManSoc

5

2

0

3

-32

8

6 Nets Top Models

5

1

0

4

-26

4

6 MarkSoc

5

1

0

4

-37

4

7 Accsoc

5

2

0

3

-37

8

7 Medics (Sat 11)

5

1

0

4

-63

4

7 BioSoc

6

1

0

5

-77

4

8 Globetrotters

5

1

0

4

-43

4

8 Speech Soc

5

0

0

5

-74

0

8 Psychology

5

0

0

5

-54

0

17 20 15 0

BioSci Netball 0 Nets Top Models 8 Toothfairies (Sat) 15 Polo Princesses 28 NUNC Dev Squad 32 Speech Soc 0 Medics (Sat 11) 5 History (Sat) 15

BioSoc Medics (Sat 12) Law Netball BioSoc

Mark Sleightholm Sports Editor Research by Sport England has found that 75% of women in the UK want to be more active, and yet the number of women taking part in sport is still significantly lower than the number of male participants.

This week the Athletic Union and the

GET ACTIVE The Athletic Union and Sports Centre are running a range of free events for students

1 Charlie's Angles

Accsoc 7 Civil Engineers Medics (Sat 10) 18 ManSoc Charlie’s Angles 16 MLS Netball Nu:KEM 2 Globetrotters

This BUCS Girl Can

0 30 27 10

MarkSoc Pollies Dollies NUAS Netball Medics (Sat 12)

11 18 14 5

Monday Fun Run - 6pm Sports Centre Wednesday Trampoline - 7am Sports Centre Exercise Class - 1:15pm Sports Centre Frisbee - 2:30pm Exhibition Park Jazz Dance - 4pm Sports Centre

Feminist Society are putting on a series of events aimed to encourage more women to take part in sport.

This Girl Can is a national campaign that aims to empower women and help them to overcome potential fears of judgement. The campaign was developed by Sport England, and this week BUCS are running their own campaign aimed specifically at students.

In Newcastle several sports clubs are running free taster session which any students can attend, whether they have a Sports Centre membership or not.

Meanwhile the Feminist Society are holding their Women and Sport Week, which includes film screenings, discussions and other events aimed at empowering women through sport.

GET INSPIRED

Thursday Fencing - 3pm Sports Centre

Newcastle University Feminist Society are hosting a series of events as part of their Women and Sport week. All students are welcome to attend

Friday 5-a-side Football - 5pm Sports Centre Spin Class - 6pm Sports Centre

Monday Film screening: Bend It Like Beckham 6pm Bamburgh Room, NUSU Central

Saturday Bike ride - 10am, meet outside SU Basketball - 11am Exhibition Park Cheerleading - 5pm Sports Centre Badminton - 5pm Sports Centre

Tuesday Panel celebrating women in sport 5pm Bamburgh Room, NUSU Central Wednesday Pole Dance 7pm NUSU Venue

Sunday Basketball - 9am Sports Centre Badminton - 2pm Sports Centre Thai Boxing - 6pm Sports Centre Football - 7pm Sports Centre

Thursday Craft session: feminist sporting heroes 6pm Ford Room, NUSU Central

BUCS RESULTS BADMINTON

M1 v Sheffield 2nds M2 v Northumbria 2nds W1 v Birmingham 1sts W2 v York 2nds

BASKETBALL

Newcastle and St Andrews trained together in October Image: NUWPC

Unlucky Toon sunk by St Andrews WOMEN’S WATER POLO

Newcastle 1sts 8 St Andrews 1sts 11

Megan Lord at Sport Central On Sunday, Newcastle’s women’s first water polo team took on St Andrews.

Sitting in fifth place after two disappointing defeats at the start of the season to Durham and Sheffield Hallam, the Newcastle team were looking to gain two more points after Wednesday’s win over newly promoted Nottingham.

Following the gain of several new players and a very impressive preseason in Budapest, the St Andrews line-up looked much stronger than the team that Newcastle easily defeated 14-2 in their last game of the 2016/17 season.

Nonetheless, Newcastle were going in for the win.

Despite Newcastle’s Rowena Moores winning the first swim off, the first goal of the game came from St Andrews’ Georgina Izen, who put the ball past Jess Newman between the posts. Newcastle held a strong defence for the first

quarter, not allowing any more goals to pass by Newman.

On the attack, Newcastle’s top scorer Giorgia Bosworth expertly scored two goals to put Newcastle 2-1 up at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was another close contested affair, seeing exclusions for both teams, which neither team was able to capitalise on. As the end of the quarter neared, it was St Andrews’ Meg Hedrick who finally put that ball in the back of the net, twice in quick succession, to bring St Andrews 3-2 up as the first half drew to a close.

Newcastle held a strong defence for the first quarter, not allowing any more goals to pass Following two incredible goals from captain Sarah Poyntz and another from scholarship player Liz Kreek, the third quarter looked promising for Newcastle, as the team went two goals clear at

5-3. The resilient St Andrews team were quick to respond with goals from Nicole Thompson and Hendrick, who scored an impressive long range shot with one second on the clock.

This led both teams into the fourth and final quarter with five goals apiece.

Much to the disappointment of the speedo-clad Newcastle supporters, it was St Andrews who took control of the last quarter. Despite goals from Newcastle’s Ellie Churchill and Ellie Sowerby, Newcastle found themselves going into the last minute of the game 8-10 down. The game ended with another goal from St Andrews’ Izen, to sink all hope for the Newcastle team, as the game ended 8-11.

Despite the loss, team coach Matt Little said it was a “really positive performance from everyone” and the St Andrews team had “a couple of lucky distance shots” that helped them clinched the win.

The Newcastle girls now must face St Andrews next week, but are hoping to come out on top on Scottish turf.

M2 v Leeds Beckett 3rds W2 v Leeds 1sts

FENCING

M1 v St Andrews 1sts W3 v Keele 1sts

FOOTBALL

M1 v Manchester 1sts M2 v Sheffield 2nds W1 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds W2 v Sheffield 2nds

8-0 4-4 0-8 3-5 65-49 37-73 87-1 37-73 2-3 4-3 1-1 2-4

Mix1 v Leeds Beckett 1sts 4.5-1.5

HOCKEY

NETBALL

W1 v Manchester Met 1sts

RUGBY LEAGUE

M1 v Leeds 1sts

GOLF

M1 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds M2 v Leeds Beckett 2nds M3 v York St John 1sts W1 v Nottingham 2nds W2 v Durham 4ths W3 v Sheffield Hallam 2nds W4 v Durham 5ths

LACROSSE

M1 v Durham 2nds W1 v Durham 3rds W3 v Manchester 1sts

2-0 2-4 1-1 2-3 2-1 1-0 2-3

RUGBY UNION

M1 v Bishop Burton 1sts M2 v Hull 1sts M3 v Northumbria 2nds M4 v York 2nds W2 v York St John 1sts

TENNIS

M1 v Sheffield 1sts M2 v York 2nds W1 v Durham 3rds W2 v Leeds Beckett 2nds

VOLLEYBALL

M1 v UCLAN 1sts

WATER POLO

M2 v Durham 3rds W1 v St Andrews 1sts

11-7 0-3 2-2 44-62 28-16 15-20 19-24 32-17 90-0 10-38 10-2 8-4 6-6 2-10 0-3 18-7 8-11

OVERALL BUCS POSITION WOMEN-ONLY POSITION Pos

University

9

Northumbria ▲

10

Pts

Pos

University

Pts

1460

8

Birmingham ■

693

Cardiff ▼

1376

9

Cardiff ■

616

11

Newcastle ■

1252

10

Newcastle ■

581

12

Stirling ▲

1239

11

Northumbria ■

570

13

Notts Trent ▼

1181

12

Oxford ▲

540.5

sport the courier

Monday 20 November 2017 Issue 1359 Free

@Courier_Sport courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk thecourieronline.co.uk/sport Sport Editors Tom Shrimplin, Courtney Strait & Mark Sleightholm

Sheff’s specials off the menu at Newcastle squash tournament

Inside Sport today >>>

THIS BUCS GIRL CAN WEEK Celebrating female athletes at Newcastle and beyond

Toon talent named emerging athlete of the year Page 36

Newcastle’s Chris Wiggins was unable to beat Nottingham’s top seed Adam Auckland Image: Charlotte Cooper

SQUASH Charlotte Cooper at the Northumberland Club The biggest weekend of the year in terms of squash at Newcastle University is undoubtedly the Premiership weekend. Unlike most of the other university teams, the men’s squash first team don’t have regular BUCS fixtures on a Wednesday afternoon. Instead it all took place last weekend, some of the best university squash teams in the country travelling up to the Northumberland Club in Jesmond to battle it out for a place in the next round in the division.

With a round-robin style tournament, Newcastle took on favourites to win Nottingham university. First on court was Newcastle third seed Dave Daly.

Nottingham’s player dominated from the off as Daly struggled to gain advantage of the ‘T’. Despite the long rallies in an energetic game in which Newcastle’s third seed was desperate to retrieve his Premier North Stage 1

Pld

W

L

Pts

1 Nottingham 1sts

3

3

0

59

2 Loughborough 1sts

3

2

1

39

3 Newcastle 1sts

3

1

2

31

4 Sheffield 1sts

3

0

3

15

Newcastle’s matches

1-4 loss against Nottingham 4-1 win against Sheffield 2-3 loss against Loughborough

opponent’s shots, Nottingham appeared too strong leaving the score 0-3.

Next up were the first seed players, where Chris Wiggins took on world 207 ranked player Adam Auckland. Wiggins played brilliantly well considering his opponents’ strength and experience of the game but was unfortunate to lose 0-3.

With Newcastle two games down, third and fourth seeds needed to pull something out of the bag Both fifth seed Alex Cahill and second seed Mike Mackay had better chances of wins in their games. Mackay came close to a game from the Nottingham player in the third but narrowly lost out at 10/12 leaving his score also 3-0. Alex Cahill put in an excellent performance and certainly didn’t make it an easy win for his opponent either, with all three games being 9/11.

With Newcastle already suffering losses in all four matches, it wasn’t looking hopeful for the fourth seeds to head on court. The team’s losses however did not put off fresher Ollie Walls as he asserted himself early in the match winning the first game 11/8. After shaking the Nottingham player into motion the next game making the score became 1-1. Walls dug deep and began to dominate on court moving his opponent around the court and taking the third

game 11/7. In a nail biting fourth game it looked as though Newcastle were set for a win until Nottingham took the game at 12/10. The crowd increasingly built up to watch the showdown final game. Walls continued putting in some applaud worthy cross-court volley nicks as he manged to hold off his opponent for one final time making the final score 12/10 winning the match. The final score was 4-1 to Nottingham.

In their second match of the day, Newcastle took on Sheffield University. After a hard defeat earlier on, Newcastle came back fighting strong. Both first and second seeds dominated in their matches bringing two wins for Newcastle. Despite this Ollie Walls had ran out of energy for the day and lost his next match 3-0. Fifth string players followed on court where despite Sheffield’s efforts Alex Cahill’s skills proved too much of a match securing another win for the university. Dave Daly, the third seed player also had a close call match but managed to hold off his opponent, winning the game 3-2.

Sunday morning was the next round of matches against Loughborough University. After Newcastle’s number 4 player injured himself on Saturday night, it was left to reserve Rob Finch to step up to the mark. The match went down to the wire but unfortunately Loughborough found themselves with a 12/10 win in the fifth game. First seed Wiggins also found himself under too much pressure from his opponent suffering a 3-1 loss. With Newcastle two games down, third and fourth seeds needed to pull something out of the bag.

An incredible comeback from Daly saw a 3-2 win over Loughborough. Cahill followed suit and snatched yet another 3-2 win over his opponent equalising the match score. Now the pressure really was on for the second seed Mackay to bring the win home. Unfortunately, he lost his focus in the final two games which allowed his opponent to pick up the pace winning 3-2. This resulted in the final round score finished 3-2 to Loughborough University.

Alex Cahill made his debut for the Newcastle men’s first team and was thrown straight into the deep end at the Premiership weekend. Despite this Cahill held his own on court playing fantastic squash over the course of the weekend securing two wins and making him a worthy player of the tournament.

Taking a look at key women in sport Page 37 Basketball seconds dominate Huddersfield Page 38

MAN OnALEXhisCAHILL debut for Newcastle men’s team, Cahill OF THE first showed his skill on the court to secure wins in a tough TOURNEY two tournament Thanks goes out to President Ryan Doren for organising the whole weekend as well as the university coaches Bryan Beeson and new Lead Coach Liam Gutcher. Thanks are extended to the Northumberland Club for hosting the event and to all of the supporters and players for coming to provide encourage and drive the players on.

Hallam hammered by lacrosse seconds Page 38