E E FR ISSUE 660 07 NOV 2016 exepose.com
EXEPOSÉ Photo: Sachi Minami
From the rubble: Exeter rebuilds Rachel Ashenden News Editor
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N the wake of the destructive fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel, and several other recent fires in the city, Exeposé have spoken to the business owners whose lives have been disrupted. The community has pulled together to ensure businesses reopen for the overall benefit of the city centre. There has been an abundance of praise for the efficiency of the emergency services, alongside aid from the council and support from local businesses during times of crisis. Firstly, the electrical shop Richer Sounds (adjacent to Exeter hall of
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residence James Owen Court) was severely damaged during August and was forced to close for three weeks. Seven days before Freshers’ Week, popular music venue Cavern was forced to close down due to extensive fire damage, with owners estimating it will reopen in February 2017, if all goes to plan. On 8 October, Exe Coffee Roasters experienced a temporary closure of one week after a fire outbreak from a pizza oven in the building’s basement. The most recent and most destructive has been the absolute ruination of the Royal Clarence Hotel, affecting surrounding businesses in the Cathedral Yard and beyond. Since the destruction of the Royal
Clarence Hotel, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue services have said they were “overwhelmed” by messages of support, thanking residents and business owners for their support. The Fire and Rescue service acknowledged the inconvenience caused by road closures - particularly for the businesses which have been closed - and said that the public have been very patient and helpful during this time of crisis, noting that all these procedures are put in place to protect public safety. The firefighting crews, working around the clock to bring the fire under control, said they were overwhelmed by messages of support, offers of assistance, and free food and drink.
Mark Healey, Chair of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue authority, said: “The support of the public has been amazing. I visited the scene with the chief fire officer and we spoke with a number of local business owners to say thank you for their support to our crews. “In difficult times, communities come together and the events of the last few days has seen this happen on a large scale. Despite the loss of a number of buildings, it could have been so much worse. I’m just so pleased no one has been injured.” At the height of the incident, 150 firefighters were at the scene to prevent the fire spreading to other historic buildings. Emergency services reported
that the firefighters were exhausted from battling the fire, which started at 5am. In a press release, Exeter City Council informed Exeposé that the “recovery phase”, following the emergency response phase, has begun; Cathedral Yard has now been re-opened. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue have formally handed the Royal Clarence Hotel back to their owners and contractors. Andrew Brownsword, owner of the Royal Clarence, has said he is incredibly pleased with the emergency services’ response, and the support from the local community amidst the tragedy...
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LIFESTYLE
Reflecting on Black Mirror
Chatting to a student fashion designer
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Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ
Editors Print: Jeremy Brown, Hannah Butler, Susannah Keogh & Ben Londesbrough Online: Theodore Stone & Jessica Stanier News Editors Print: Rachel Ashenden & Natasa Christofidou Online: Georgia Roberts & David Smeeton news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Bea Fones & Matthew Newman Online: Olivia Horncastle & Rowan Keith comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Georgina Bolam & Katie Jenkins Online: Samuel Fawcett & Kate Jones features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Jade Beard & Laurel Bibby Online: Alma Crespo & Lucy Ronan lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Emma Bessent & Natasha Ebbutt Online: Anna Blackburn & Izzy Hilliard artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Rory Marcham & Helen Payne Online: Sam Norris & Harry Williams music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Mark Allison & Zak Mahinfar Online: Cormac Dreelan & James Hands screen@exepose.com Games + Tech Editors Print: Jabez Sherrington & Sam Woolf Online: Ben Assirati & Jonathan Land games@exepose.com
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Supporting Exeter's homeless women: Provide a Pad returns
We didn't start the fire
EMEMBER remember, the fifth of November... Well, if you've got enough brainspace left between essay plans and dreams of Christmas, that is... (speaking of which: John Lewis ad, where you at?!) But it's not just Guy Fawkes we're remembering this November. Nor is it the blissful Reading Week (although two Comment writers certainly enjoyed theirs). Or that spine-chilling Netflix binge when Black Mirror finally returned the other week (see Screen for our review). ...No. This November we regretfully have to remember an iconic part of Exeter's Cathedral Green that sadly is no longer a part of our lives. The Royal Clarence was demolished last week on Wednesday 2 November, after days of desperate struggling to save it from a blaze that ripped through the historic building and left Exeter's population heartbroken. The title of this editorial is a bit lighthearted - and, of course, a bit obvious; after all, we still have no idea what caused the fire. But regardless of how it started, one thing's certain: it's those brave firefighters who ended it who deserve our admiration, respect and gratitude. It's sad to see online comment sections filled with residents slamming services for not responding earlier, bickering over how the hotel should be rebuilt, prematurely
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condemning the Council in case they utter those demonic words "student flats", and using the fire as an excuse to claim Exeter's student population "has no respect" for the city's history. Ok, that DSP costume might have been in poor taste (News, Page 6) - but from what we've seen over the past week, no-one's treating this as one big joke. And here at Exeposé, we're all devastated. But Exeter will move on from this... and we're delighted to hear that the annual Christmas market will still be bringing the Cathedral Green to life this winter. It's not all doom and gloom this week: check out Lifestyle for an exclusive interview with the Exeter student behind designer brand Tamara Harvey, Arts + Lit for this month's must-see theatre shows, and Science for news that we could soon be able to control our dreams. With any luck, we'll have it mastered in time to dream up the perfect result of this week's US election. But if not... well, there's always protest music (which isn't dead, according to Music. Phew.) Talking of the American Horror Story: we'll be up all night to keep Exeter in the loop, so make sure to tune into our cross-media coverage! And if anyone fancies bringing caffeine, curly fries or sugary goods, feel free. It could be one long night...
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Worldwide university news Student slammed for Obama noose outfit
Landlord revealed as Bin Laden's brother
Campaign for BAME stem cell donors
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HE University of WisconsinMadison has announced it will be reviewing its stadium policy – after a student arrived at a football game in a Barack Obama mask with a noose around his neck. In an apparent political statement, the student wore a mask of the current US President to a Saturday game on 29 October, along with a blackand-white prison outfit. He removed the offensive parts of the costume when asked to by Guest Services staff. Athletics Director Barry Alvarez said he was “deeply troubled” by the incident. Describing the noose as a “symbol of one of the vilest forms of racial hatred and intimidation in our country’s history,” a statement from Alvarez and school chancellor Rebecca Blank confirmed: “A noose displayed in this fashion has no place on campus.”
SAMA Bin Laden’s older brother owns luxury student flats in Glasgow, it has emerged. Residents of Woodside House near Glasgow University were surprised when the owner of the "stylish all-inclusive apartments” was revealed. One Spanish resident told The Daily Record: “I think that Spanish people coming to study in Glasgow would definitely be put off to discover that this was who owned the accommodation.” However, another student said: “It is definitely a bit strange but it doesn’t put me off staying here and I don’t think it is anything to worry about.” 68-year-old Bakr Mohammed Bin Laden – whose half-brother was assassinated in 2011 after being on the FBI’s ‘most wanted’ list for over a decade – paid £1.5million for the plot of land in 2014. The "luxurious" accommodation markets itself to Glasgow's "most discerning" students.
ITHIYA Alphrons, a student from Walthamstow, has been shortlisted for the ‘Anthony Nolan’ award after inspiring thousands to become stem cell donors. Vithiya has been battling an aggressive form of leukaemia and needed a stem cell transplant, but could not find a donor as only 13 per cent of donors are of black or Asian ethnicity. Her campaign named “Save V’s Life” has encouraged 10,000 people to volunteer as stem cell donors, 42 per cent of whom were of black, Asian or minority ethnic. She has not yet found the perfect match, but her campaign has transformed the chances of others finding donors. She has been nominated for blood cancer charity Anothony Nolan’s BAME (black, Asian or minority ethnic) Advocate of the Year. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the House of Commons on 22 November.
Soapy business across Cambodia
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ITTSBURGH University student Samir Lakhani has supplied a Cambodian village with large quantities of free and accessible soap as a safe way to keep clean. Whilst travelling in the summer in Cambodia, Samir was devastated when he saw a woman washing her child with detergent as it contains toxic chemicals Samir realised that the NGO he was working for, in Siem Reap, produces an excess of leftover soap from the 500 hotels in the area. With the remains of discarded soap bars he created a new composite bar: “eco-soap”. Two years since Samir’s revelatory idea, his Eco-Soap business now employs 30 staff members, who are in hubs across Cambodia. There is an overall collection of soap from 170 hotels, and has supplied 650,000 people with a safe way of keeping clean.
News
07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
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NEWS EDITORS:
Rachel Ashenden Natasa Christofidou
Exeter PhD student helps young people across Africa Susannah Keogh Editor
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N Exeter student has set up his own project working across six African countries - despite juggling his Phd alongside teaching first year students. Robert James Kali, a PhD student in Medical Sciences, was prompted to start East African Young Professionals after realising there isn’t a database of employers for young people graduating in the region.
“I wanted to create a platform that will provide that service. They don’t have a database of employers and of professionals, so you can’t find companies that are looking for people to work. After starting the charity in 2014, it’s taken time to get to this point “because I’m so busy with my degree,” Robert told Exeposé. Now, the organisation has over 900 members from across the world, who Robert keeps in touch with via Facebook and a Whatsapp group where he posts motivational quotes every morning. “It’s going at a snail’s pace because there is no funding. We can’t do anything we need until the database is up and running, but no to me just means try harder.” Originally from Uganda, but having lived in London from a young age, Robert kept in touch with what was happening in the region. “I’d been seeing all the difficulties people face when they go to school, things which you compare to what it’s like here, which is why I’m trying to give back to the community. How can you give back the knowledge you have to make an impact in the region? The only way you can do that is
for you to empower other people. Having been at Exeter since his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry, then a subsequent Masters in Applied Biochemistry, Robert praises the University for empowering him.
How can you give back the knowledge you have to make an impact in the region? Robert James Kali, founder of East African Young Professionals
A project started by the charity which springs to Robert’s mind is that of Scovia; a 39 year old mother of two. Born physically disabled with no arms, East Africa Young Professionals gave her a connection for work making uniforms for local schools, and bought her a sewing machine. “That’s a business for her; her two sons she has, I’m checking on them like they’re my kids. We put them in a boarding school because they can’t be cared for at home. It’s completely moving.” To find out more, visit: www.worldofprofessionals.org
Photos: Robert James
The fire that didn’t steal Christmas Guild “blown away” by Uni Challenge candidates
Natasa Christofidou News Editor
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XETER City Council has confirmed that the 2016 Christmas market will take as planned place on the Cathedral Green from Saturday 19th November, until Sunday 18th December. In this year’s event there will be a special chalet for the use of local businesses that have had to close down due to the fire. Councillor Pete Edwards, Leader of Exeter City Council reflected on the effects of the fire, which occurred on the 28th October: “At times like these it is so important we work together to quickly begin to recover. We understand the importance of carrying on as best we can and we were determined to ensure the Christmas Market could go ahead. We are satisfied that the new layout will provide the safest possible option for visitors without compromising on their experience.” The new layout plans for the market include a safety zone for the protection of the public as part of a revised plan. The market will include 86 hand crafted wooden chalets offering continental and local products.
Catherine Escott, Head of Visitor Services at the Cathedral, said: “We would encourage people to make the extra effort to visit the area in the build up to Christmas and to support all the local businesses represented in the market and the surrounding retail outlets.” Similarly, the University of Exeter will be holding a fair-trade Christmas market on the 8th December outside the Great Hall. Both local and national fair-trade companies will be at the event, along
with a stall for The University of Exeter’s Students’ Green Unit and Be the Change Society. “I’m not surprised that the fantastic market is going ahead, its exemplary of Exeter’s community spirit and our tradition of rallying behind our neighbours in need. I cannot wait to attend both the Uni’s market and the Cathedral’s in my Christmas jumper and drink mulled wine,” said Councillor Lewis Keen, a second year PPE student.
Photo: Exeter City Council
Suzanne Barrett Contributor
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HE University of Exeter’s Student Guild organised its own ‘Exeter’s University Challenge’, in search of its official 2016/17 team for the BBC 2 quiz show. The Student Guild were “looking for bright talented individuals with team-player skills” to participate in the competition. On Monday 24 October and Thursday 27 October, the semi-finals took place, with Harry Reeves, the VicePresident for Education, hosting both events. Harry Reeves told Exeposé: “I was absolutely blown away by the interest for the University Challenge, we had over 400 nominations. The competition we’ve run aimed to create a level playing field for Exeter’s team when pitted against other universities. “It’s clear that we have some real talent at this University, and I’m confident that at the end of the process we will have an incredible team who can do well in the television show.”
The final round of Exeter’s competition took place at 7pm on Thursday 3 November at the Alumni Auditorium with Timothy Quine, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, presenting the competition. Although it was a team competition, all eight participants were judged individually based on their performance. The winners were: Ghee Bowman, Edward Mills and Paul Gratrex. The final member of the team will be selected from Exeter’s Penryn campus. Exeter reached the quarter-finals in the 2008 competition - the furthest the university has ever progressed in the game show - before they were knocked out by Oxford University’s Corpus Christi, where they recorded the lowest score in the competititon’s history, losing with 15 points to 350 points. However, Corpus Christi were later disqualified for having a graduate on their team. University Challenge is broadcast every Monday, at 8PM on BBC 2, with Jeremy Paxman hosting the show as quiz master. Peterhouse Cambridge were the winners of the 2016 competition.
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Business owners rebuild with support from locals CONTINUED FROM FRONT In a statement, Brownsword said: “I would like to thank the city of Exeter and the many, many people who have helped us since the events of Friday. We are so grateful for the incredible efforts of the emergency services, especially the fire service who attended in huge numbers to assist in the effort to save The Royal Clarence and surrounding buildings. “We’d also like to extend our thanks especially to the Council and to The Mercure Southgate Hotel, who offered every assistance to help both our staff and guests including refuge and temporary office space.” Strategic demolition of sections of the hotel will now take place once comprehensive risk assessments have been carried out by contactors, to avoid further damage and ensure public safety. A spokesperson for Exeter City Council said: “This is a much loved and extremely valuable historical building. “We have been working at a pace to get the city centre back up and running as much as we can. We now need to give the contractors, hired by the Royal Clarence Hotel owners, enough time to take every precaution considering the next steps for the building. “It is an extremely complex operation but we are confident that everything will be done to salvage what can be protected. Safety remains the primary focus.” Exeter City Council has been working with over 200 businesses along with a host of partners since Friday’s fire, to get them open again.
The Council promises that the cordon around the fire has shrunk at every stage possible, and will be constantly monitored should safety allow for a reduction.
What has happened in the Cathedral Yard is our situation times a thousand David, owner of the Cavern Such a disastrous event has prompted the Cavern owners to reflect on the community support they encountered when they experienced a similar event in early September. On the night of 7 September, Cavern caught fire due to an accidental electrical fault starting in the basement, which took firefighters several hours to tackle. Crews – requested from further afield, as far as Crediton - continued to fight the fire until 2:08am. There were fortunately no injuries caused by the fire as the venue was not open that evening. David, co-owner of Cavern, told Exeposé that he “arrived at the Cavern at the same time as the emergency services, when smoke was already pouring out of the street-level ventilation.” The electrical fault, where the fire began, was in complete darkness in an underground cellar which David recollected was “a fireman’s worst nightmare”. David said “I started to sketch out a plan of the building, but luckily one of the firefighters was a regular at the Friday night event ‘Magic Hatstand’ and knew
where everything was! He helped them put out the blaze in a relatively short time, otherwise the whole building would have turned into an inferno.” The Cavern initially thought that the damage was so severe that they might never re-open. The owners reflected: “We’d just completed our programme for Freshers’ Week, so it would have been the busiest time of year for us – the worst time to have this happen.” Satisfied with the emergency services response time, David also added that he was gratified by the level of local support. The first person to phone David was George Sloane, owner of Timepiece, who had experienced a similar situation when The Hole in the Wall caught fire. George told Dave: “Anything you need from us – anything – it’s yours.” Furthermore, the Phoenix and the Lemmy have given venue space to Cavern, hosting their shows during the refurbishment process. Cavern has plans to reopen in February 2017, in time for its 26th birthday.
I would like to thanks friends and family who collectively contributed 240 hours of their time
Steve Pearson, Owner of Exe Coffee Roasters
Reflecting on the fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel, David said “The Cavern is basically run by a group of friends, so the disruption caused by the fire has affected us on a personal as well as financial level. What has happened in the Cathedral Yard is our situation times a
Photo: Sachi Minami
thousand, so our hearts go out to all the people who’ve been affected. It will have a devastating affect on the businesses in that area.” Owner of Exe Coffee Roasters, Steve Pearson, informed Exeposé that support he received after his shop was damaged by fire was primarily through local family and friends, not from the council. Steve has said that the quick turn around for reopening happened solely from his own hard work, and friends and family contribution. He said: “Before the council could react and help us, we had done it all ourselves. “I would like to thank friends and family who collectively contributed 240 hours of their time and with lots of
cleaning and repainting, the shop was only closed for 1 week.” Furthermore, he was disappointed at Exeter Express & Echo’s exaggerated depiction of the fire, which implied that the shop was practically beyond repair. Steve added: “They exaggerated the situation to sell the papers”. However, the local roaster Crankhouse did offer to roast their coffee during closure, so that there would be no disruption to the supply and demand at Devon Coffee. Since the fires, Cavern owners are currently hard at work for the venue’s reopening; Exe Coffee is bustling with business, and the Cathedral Yard will be restored slowly but surely.
Student Ideas system RECOUP’s campus recycling gets a fresh new look competition launches next week Joe Burroughs Contributor
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HE Students’ Guild has made changes to the way it presents Student Ideas and its scoring mechanisms to increase transparency. Changes to the way the scoring formulae are presented were announced on the ‘Guild Change’ Twitter account. The scores of each idea are based on voter turnout, cost, mean average and the size of the majority which determine the ideas ‘grade’ and the subsequent action required by the guild. Templates of the scoring formula have also been made available for download by the Guild. This allows students to input polling data and receive a prospective
result based on their figures. Guidelines laid out on the Student Ideas website say that making these tools available will allow proponents of Student Ideas to monitor their Ideas and potentially improve their campaigns in order to get Ideas passed. These changes are designed to make the Idea grading system clearer and increase general understanding of the system. In the wake of last years controversial National Union of Students referendum, the largest in the Guilds history, there where widespread calls for more openness, clarity and transparency from the Guild on the Student Ideas system. These changes seem to be part of a broader programme, that includes mandatory campaign training for ‘Large Ideas’, to make the system more effective for Exeter’s student population.
Natasa Christofidou News Editor
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TUDENTS at the University of Exeter will have the opportunity to engage in a recycling event on campus, through various organised activities. The Students’ Guild and the University’s Sports Park are hosting a recycling road-show with a recycling company that goes by the name RECOUP. The event will take place on the 15th November in the Ram Foyer area of DH1 from 10am-5pm, and on the 16th November it will be held at the Sports Park. There will be a range of interactive activities including an opportunity to compete against other universities for the world record in plastic bottle keepyuppies. A workshop will also be held on plastic recycling on campus, but also in town as a whole, where students will have the opportunity to find out more about
recycling. In order to increase student engagement, the company asks students question relevant to their University Experiences. RECOUP has drafted questions in collaboration with the Green Unit on campus, where students will be questioned on their demand for a reading week for all year groups and courses accross campus.
Waste is an issue that affects not just the University, but Exeter as a whole Luciana Edwards, Students’ Green Unit coordinator Students will also be given the opportunity to learn more about careers in sustainability and green consultancy. These ideas can be discussed both at the stalls outside the Ram, or the Sports Park,
as well as at the workshop. Recycled prizes will also be on offer, which are included as part of the competitions, including Dr Dre Headphones. Initiatives to improve recycling on campus have been the subject of numerous Student Ideas on the Guild website, with one recent idea gaining a 97.5 per cent positive vote. “Waste is an issue that affects not just the university but Exeter as a whole,” said Luciana Edwards, Students’ Green Unit Coordinator. “Contamination is big issue in university recycling bins, as putting waste in the wrong bin means it may all just be sent to landfill. Also, new council regulations mean that black bins are not taken if they are too full, so its really important know what to put in recycling bins to reduce black bin waste- a pile of month old bin bags isn’t going to make you any friends in your neighbourhood!”
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Diwali celebrations light up Streatham campus Natasa Christofidou News Editor
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HE University of Exeter’s Hindu society organised a free, joint event with the Asian Society on campus for all students and members of the community, in celebration of Diwali. The annual event took place on Sunday 30 October in the Forum Street from 3pm onwards. Navin Nagesh, the co-President of the Hindu Society spoke of Diwali as a festival that “signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil and hope over despair.” Cultural activities were provided at the event, such as food and clothing stalls, along with various traditional dance performances. Available stalls on the day included face painting, henna art, diya painting, and a special costume trial. This year’s event also included a cultural photobooth, a Bollywood stall and free
dance workshops. Nagesh also told Exeposé that Diwali is “celebrated with [similar] festivities and rituals over a period of five days.” “We believe it’s important to host this event on campus to give everyone who celebrates Diwali an opportunity to embrace their traditions and maintain their cultural roots.”
Photo: Ben Thornley
Being thousands of miles from home and being able to celebrate is amazing Shradda Chaudhary, Students’ Guild DVP International Guests were welcomed by the Mayor of Exeter and University of Exeter Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education) Professor Tim Quine during the opening ceremony at 3pm. The University’s Hindu Chaplain, Ravi Nathwan followed with a
Photo: Ben Thornley
traditional Hindu prayer. Towards the end of the celebrations, at 6pm, the festivalgoers walked down to the XFI Building by the Business School, where they enjoyed a firework display. Also known as the festival of lights, Diwali is a culturally and religious significant Hindu festival that is celebrated around the world and on campus every autumn. In the run up to the event, Suhruta Jasthi, co-President of the Hindu Society, said: “We hope many people from the local community will come to campus to celebrate Diwali with us.” The International Guild’s Deputy Vice President, Shraddha Chaudhary, praised the event: “Diwali, just like any other cultural event on campus is something a lot of us associate with home. Being at university, thousands of miles away from home and still being able to celebrate the culture that one grows up in and holds dear is an
Students outraged as Grove Diner “cashes in” on Royal Clarence fire Susannah Keogh Editor
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HE Grove Diner has come under criticism from students after being seen to try to capitalise on the tragic in Exeter city centre. On Saturday morning, after the fire demolished the top floors of the Royal Clarence Hotel, the Grove Diner posted: “We’re OPEN from 11am-4pm in Cornwall House just off Stocker Rd if your plans for breakfast/lunch in the City Centre have sadly had to change”. Soon after the tweet was posted, an onlooker responded asking whether the Grove were “cashing in”, adding “I hope you are taking burgers to the firefighters.” In reply, the Grove claimed they
had “no agenda”, justifying the tweet by adding “we’re open as normal and telling the students in case they had made plans that have changed given all the closures.” Third year Politics, Philosophy and Economics student Samuel Shie tweeted: “There are ways to advertise your business but referencing tragedies is NOT one of them.”
There are ways to advertise... but referencing tragedies is NOT one of them Samuel Shie, PPE student A spokesperson for the Students’ Guild said: “The Students’ Guild is saddened by the loss of the historic
buildings in the fire last week, we would like to take the opportunity to praise the fantastic emergency services who tackled the blaze. We understand the tweet from the Grove Diner account was misjudged and removed it shortly after posting, we would like to apologise to anyone who was offended.” The Grove Diner has become increasingly active on Twitter this term, hosting regular competitions for customers every week. Located behind the Lemon Grove, as a Students’ Guild run outlet, the diner is separate from the University and offers a range of American-style food to students and staff on campus. A number of restaurants surruounding the Cathedral and the Princesshay area were forced to close due to smoke inhalation and water shortages from the fire.
absolutely amazing feeling. In addition to this self satisfaction, one also shares one’s culture while learning about the cultural practices from around the world, much of which shall happen next week with ISCs cultural week. Having such events on campus promotes diversity, inclusivity and overall student satisfaction which as aspects integral to both student mindsets and university agendas.”
Celebrating Diwali allows people from all backgrounds to come together Ravi Nathwan, Hindu Chaplain On the following Monday, 31 October, the Hindu Chaplain Nathwan organised a New Years worship with the offering of a mountain of free food (Govardhan Puja). “Diwali is celebrated every year by
millions of people around the world,” Nathwan said. “My favourite aspect of Diwali is the chance to meet and greet families and friends and exchange good wishes for happiness, as well as of course enjoying prayers and the Prasad - Feast of Offerings. “Celebrating Diwali at the University of Exeter is important as we have hundreds of international students who would miss home. It also allows people from all backgrounds to come together enjoy and learn about different customs.” A Students’ Guild spokesperson told Exeposé: “The Diwali celebrations on campus were a fantastic display of Exeter’s diversity and community spirit,” “The event was a great success enjoyed by students, staff and members of the local community. We particularly want to congratulate Exeter Asian Society and Exeter Hindu Society who put so much work into making the celebrations such a success.”
Screenshot from Twitter
Provide a Pad returns to campus Hannah Butler Editor
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TUDENTS are being urged to help Exeter’s menstruating homeless and vulnerable population – by donating tampons and other sanitary products. Student-led group Provide a Pad have announced a donation drive during week eight in an attempt to support Exeter Foodbank and other charities in the city. “We’ll be collecting products from anybody who wants to come and donate,” Provide a Pad’s Charlie Morrison told Exeposé. “People who want to get involved just need to buy a pack of pads, or have pads on them and give them to us.” Provide a Pad was founded in Spring 2016 by then-Postgrad Taught Officer Sherv Cheung. After a collection in June, the team delivered the products to Exeter Foodbank and told Facebook fans they were “extremely proud to make a significant donation” to the charity. They will return to the Forum street this week to collect pads and tampons from students, staff and visitors. “We’ve been happy to see
so many students wanting to get involved,” Morrison said. “It’s great to see people who are so interested and compassionate.” The campaign’s relaunch comes a month after outreach workers warned of “ridiculously high levels” of homelessness among women in Exeter – with women making up an estimated third of Exeter’s homeless population, twice the national average. Donations will again go to Exeter Foodbank, but if the team receive enough, they plan to support local homeless charity St Petrock’s. “We’ll probably try to split it evenly,” Morrison said, “so the greatest amount of people will be able to access those donations.” Exeter Foodbank told Exeposé they were extremely grateful for Provide a Pad’s support last term. “There is such relief on the faces of women who we have passed on the pads and other items to,” Foodbank Manager Joy Dunne said. “It’s one less thing to worry about.” “Buying sanitary towels is an added expense that is hard to find the money for,” she said. “Imagine having to take children to school, looking for work
every day or attending a Uni lecture – all without finance to buy sanitary items.” Provide a Pad is currently an allwomen team – but Morrison is keen for male volunteers to get involved. “Everyone is welcome!” she stressed, adding: “it would be great if we could have some more gender diversity among the people volunteering.
There is such relief on the faces of women we have given the pads to Joy Dunne, Foodbank manager “We are trying to break down the stigma around this issue, especially as there’s been a recent rise in homelessness among transgender and non-binary people, who will also experience menstruation,” she explained. “We’d also like to be aware of these people’s difficulties and needs.” Exeter’s PearShaped magazine is currently planning a fundraising gig for Provide a Pad, President Robert Scott told Exeposé. Details are yet to be confirmed – but it’s hoped the gig will take place on 29 November at the Lemon Grove, with support from the Guild’s Society Annual Grant Scheme. Provide a Pad will be in the Forum street between 9am and 6pm until 11 November
Unit 1 under fire after bartender “blacks up” for DSP Rachel Ashenden News Editor
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NIT 1 has apologised for offence caused during its Halloween DSP party - which saw one bartender “blacking up” for the evening. A white bar manager wore an afro wig and darkened his face for his shift on the club’s Halloween special version ‘Return of the Killer Clowns’ for DSP Monday, as shown in a photo posted by Unit 1 on their Facebook album. The costume seems to have been based on Sanka, a Jamacian character from the 1993 film Cool Runnings.
Shortly after Exeposé contacted Unit 1 for a statement in response, the photo was removed from Facebook. A spokesman for Unit 1 told Exeposé: “Although no offence was intended, this was clearly a lapse of judgement for which we apologise unreservedly. We have removed the photo from our social media and will be working with our staff to ensure that nothing like this happens again. We would like to apologise for any offence caused.” The Facebook page ‘Spotted: Racism at Exeter University’ later shared the photo with the caption: “I’m sick of seeing open and joyous racism. I’m sick of the amnesia around racism, when this is a
conversation that we seem to have every Freshers’ Week, every Halloween. I’m sick of the conversation falling on deaf ears.” This post had a mixed reception, with one student commenting: “I don’t condone blacking up or racial stereotypes of any sort... but surely this is the bloke from Cool Runnings? This isn’t meant to offend anybody. But why is it racist to dress up as a movie character?” Another said “Unit 1 has such a horrific history of bad bouncers and racist management.” Further controversy from the night arose as two students were spotted dressed as The Royal Clarence hotel and a firefighter in the same album. Express & Echo’s online report on this
topical costume choice has simultaneously caused both offense and praise. “Clearly respect is a thing of the past in the delinquent generation,” one recent Exeter graduate commented. “And I only graduated from Exeter university a year ago so unfortunately it’s my generation!”. Other local residents have commended the students’ humour, commenting “Genius! Born and bred in Exeter and feel desperately sad about the fire but an awesome idea for a Halloween costume!”, and that the costume “was a tribute to such a marvellous hotel.” The original photo featuring The Royal Clarence duo has also since been removed from Facebook. Photos: DSP
NEWS
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Exeter Prof Goth’s vampire research
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R Nick Groom, a professor of English at the University, has earned himself the nickname of “Prof Goth”, after his research uncovered the medical history that inspired early Gothic authors such as Bram Stoker. He has revealed real-life medical reports from the 1730s describing vampirism in Eastern Europe, though the earliest reports were traced back to Poland and Russia in the 1690s. In research published by Cambridge University press on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Dr. Groom records how by the 18th Century physicians were investigating reports of “blood gorging” monsters. His book, ‘The Gothic: A Very short Introduction’, maps the roots of the vampire in early medicine, theology and criminal law. According to ‘Prof Goth’, Stoker would have been aware of how earlier accounts of vampirism were both a “terrifying medical condition” and the result of mass delusion and wretched living conditions. He said: “For many years vampirism was a serious subject of research: on the one hand it was a terrifying medical disorder, on the other a mass delusion fostered by wretched social conditions. As its popularity rapidly spread across Europe, the image of the vampire changed the way that people thought about political power, theology and philosophy, and legal testimony – as well as supernatural literature.” Giusy Urbano, Contributor
Evolutionary spray to fight malaria
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EW research from the Universities of Exeter and California demonstrates that evolution can be used to create highly effective repellents that are able to be sprayed onto surfaces inside people’s homes. This is crucial due to the gradual increase in mosquitos biting humans indoor at night, despite people believing they are only in danger outside. Researchers say that pairing a chemical repellent with insecticides drives evolution to change mosquitos, until the majority are in danger from the repellent; consequently encouraging mosquitos to stay outside, and protecting people whilst they are indoors. Dr. Lynch, research fellow at Exeter in the Biosciences department, justified this decision through stating that evolution consequently favours the repelled mosquitos, causing this breed to increase in population and thus the repellent is demonstrated to be more effective. Arguably, the success of the repellent can be said to be weighted upon a number of issues, for example the type of mosquitos around and how repellent they already are. Natalie Keffler, Contributor
07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
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Comment
THE SABB Alec James VP Welfare and Diversity
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O it’s that time again when some of us will be looking for a place to live next year. This is a period that can be stressful, and I’ve been thinking of how we can make this process easier. The Accommodation Fair is normally after Christmas. I’ve had discussions with major letting agents in Exeter, and they proved unwilling to release their housing lists later in the year. So, we’ve decided to move our Accommodation Fair back to November to make sure that when you’re making your decision, you can do it with the information and support you need. If you are in first year, you will have heard all kinds of things about finding somewhere to live - I thought I’d use this space for some myth-busting and share a bit of my experience. Here are some things you may hear around campus, and the actual facts: 1) There aren’t enough houses: There are more than enough places to live. When people think of houses, it’s very easy to think about a 6-bed house on Vic Street. However, there are far more options than this. 2) Everybody’s signing for places: When you see on Facebook that somebody’s signed for a place, it’s easy to assume that this is the case. However, I know from experience this just isn’t true. People sign at various times throughout the year and not all the houses that are available are released straight away. 3) If I don’t find the right place soon, there will be no good options left: After a few near misses, I signed for a house for final year after my summer exams, and it was an amazing place to live. Our Accommodation Fair this year is on November 22 in the Great Hall. Come to meet some local landlords, find out about what support options are available, and if you’re in a position to do so then you can think about booking viewings. We will also have our volunteer Accommodation Team available to look round houses with you and help you deice whether it’s the right decision for you. If you’re in first year, my advice would be to think very carefully about who you want to live with. Think about who you get on well with and don’t feel pressured into anything. There are loads of ways to find people to live with. Keep checking the Guild website for information about our flatmate finder events if you’re finding it difficult, we will be having a Flatmate finder event in Term 2 as well.
COMMENT EDITORS:
Bea Fones Matthew Newman
Has Exeter been ‘changed forever’? Rosie Shepard Contributor
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ITH a trending hashtag on Twitter and my Facebook timeline full of fellow students sharing multiple news articles, photos and videos, #exeterfire has been the talk of the city this past weekend. Beginning at 5.20am on Friday morning, and the final flames still flickering on Tuesday as ‘hot spots’, the fire has affected many of us across the city in going about our daily lives. In the frenzy, however, the question does crop up as to whether there is an element of hypocrisy in all this? Why choose to care about our city and its illustrious history now, when a landmark has crumbled, rather than when it was here in all its glory?
We know the city like the back of our hands
The loss of the Royal Clarence Hotel has seemingly hit a lot of people quite hard, with many commenters claiming Exeter to be ‘changed forever’. Whether it be fond memories of summers sat in Cathedral Green, or a trip for afternoon tea at the hotel itself, for many of us a key area of our pretty city has diminished. But not many seemed to care about the history before. Even as a History student, I’m ashamed to admit that not even I knew that the Royal Clarence was the oldest hotel in England, dating back to 1776. However, I don’t think that makes m y
horror at the fire any less genuine. The hard work of over 100 firefighters from Devon and neighbouring Somerset has equally not gone unnoticed. We look on with a sense of pride for what these brave men and women have tirelessly done for the past few days, with donations of thousands of pounds being given by grateful locals and students alike. The reason we’re all so concerned with the fire is, quite simply, because it’s so close to home. We know this city like the back of our hands, so to lose a prominent part of it is to lose a part of our
home…but that just makes us love it more. Yes, we may complain about its measly number of night clubs, the early closures of such clubs, and the odd idiosyncrasies of Exeter’s locals, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. In some ways, this fire has helped us get more involved and interested in local history, which I’d view as a victory, not a hypocrisy.
The people have now come together as one I disagree with the notion that Exeter is ‘changed forever’, at least not in the superficial way that such commenters are stating. The hotel will be rebuilt, maybe not in all its historic glory, but gloriously nonetheless. I would say the way Exeter had changed is simply that the people have now come together as one, in support, and we can hope this union may last. So let them share their news stories and let the country know that we’re proud of our city, damaged or not.
Care about Exeter? Don’t kid yourself Matthew Newman Comment Editor
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F all the buildings. Of all the 70s-built retail outlets, mediocre chain eateries, and soulless coffee shops in Exeter, it was ‘the country’s oldest hotel’ that was struck down in the early hours of an otherwise normal Friday morning. Of course. It had to be. Because we can’t have nice things.
Any smart-arse in the know would tell you it’s not sod’s law, it’s just science Obviously, any smart-arse in the know would point out that it’s not sod’s law, it’s just science - the older, archaic structures clearly being more susceptible to fire. But it still seems like an additional punch to the gut; a reminder that it’s only the things you actually like that get fucked up, and that your life will always be plagued instead by the pig-ugly Queen Street Sports Direct…or something. The fact it was The Royal Clarence that burned down, however, is the only reason we, as a student body, are still talking about it one week later. Indeed, the
locals and you’ll get a turned-up nose and a guffaw. Dare mention the city’s homeless population and wait for the chorus of ‘I don’t feel safe here’ - how many of those apparently so upset by the result of last week’s fire made any noise about the Public Spaces Protection Order earlier this year? bab, Unit only reaAsk about the locals 1, or the son it’s and you’ll get a turned-up Old Firehouse, making the pagPhoto: Jabez Sherrington nose and a guffaw is one of these ‘bubes of this very paper is bles’, and as such we mark them because a large and important There is, then, a very clear hypocrisy as our territory. The Cathedral Yard is inportion of the most picturesque area of on show here, a privileging of compascluded in this, because of its ‘cute’ coffee town has now been lost. Anywhere else, sion that chooses certain things shops, ample summer-term picnic and we simply wouldn’t care. Let’s not kid as deserving of our sympaspace, and lovely, Instraourselves. If it was any of the buildings thy based solely on our grammable views. It’s listed above that perished – if it was the own experience as likewise the place King Billy pub or the entirety of Sidwell students. And this we’ll show our Street even – we’d have lost interest the is bound to be parents when minute we knew that all of ‘our’ places the case when they visit, to were safe. we are able to convince them Because students don’t really live pick and choose of what a beauin Exeter, as an entire functioning city. how much of tiful place we’ve Instead, we live and operate in a series the city we want moved to. of smaller places within the city-centre to actually ‘live’ in, Outside of deemed worthy of our presence. Much is creating and perpetthese ‘bubbles’, said of the clichéd student ‘bubble’ but I uating those spaces in though, student enlike to think of our existence more as stuPhoto: Jabez Sherrington which we feel most comgagement with Exeter dent ‘bubbles’, plural. Wherever we confortable. itself is limited. Ask about the gregate en-masse, whether it be Mega Ke-
COMMENT
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Things We Lost In The Fire In the wake of last week’s fire, Editor Jeremy Brown (with the help of exetermemories.co.uk) is here to give you a rundown on the history of The Royal Clarence Hotel, and just what will be so sorely missed...
E
VEN before the events of last week, it seemed like there weren’t many beautiful old buildings left in Exeter. The Baedeker Blitz – in which the Nazis attacked British cities of cultural and historical significance – rapidly turned our beloved city from “the Jewel of the West” to what I can only describe as a hastily-rebuilt ode to concrete. So when I first heard about the hotel’s
destruction early on Friday morning – and the threat of the fire spreading – I was gutted. But I have to confess, the media’s response made far too much about this being “the oldest hotel in England”. A quick bit of research reveals that the owner at the time was French, and decided ‘hôtel’ was a better name than ‘inn’ - hardly groundbreaking. I like to think our constant
obsession with the first, oldest or best shouldn’t matter, either. The hotel was still a pretty piece of architecture at the heart of the city, and there’s now an empty gap in the facades which wrap around Cathedral Green, which is a shame however you look at it. Although the whole nation has reacted appropriately to this tragic ‘loss of history’, I’d question how much the average person actually
1801 Admiral Nelson was awarded the freedom of the city, but he rejected the banquet which had been put on at the Guildhall, and chose instead to eat back at the hotel.
knew about the building before the fire (myself included). So I’ve had a quick look through
www.exetermemories.co.uk
to gather together some choice morsels of history. It’s a wonderful website, and I’d fully recommend taking a look - it’s an incredible local archive, and exactly the sort of thing we should be celebrating considering the recent events. The site also made
me realise that instead of getting too upset about the Clarence’s destruction, we should above all be thankful for the exceptional work of the fire services to protect the rest of the city: like the gorgeous, timberframed Tudor Mansion House behind the hotel, now home to Laura Ashley. Once we’ve mourned the things that we’ve lost, let’s start to celebrate the things that remain...
1820
1827
The dead body of the Duke of Kent was kept overnight at the hotel, before transportation to his funeral at Windsor.
The hotel was renamed in recognition of the Duchess of Clarence (wife of future king, William IV), and the building was restyled to fit an Egyptian theme.
1840 Pianist and composer Franz Liszt performed there while travelling the country with a small ensemble.
Rumour has it that the police have no power on its premises, due to its ecclesiastical heritage - only the verger of the Cathedral can lock up drunks.
Take a look at exetercivicsociety.org.uk for more information on the city’s blue plaques
COMMENT
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Photo: Flickr
Truly feminist?
Upon their return to Exeter, Bea Fones challenges Reclaim the Night and their problematic past
Bea Fones Comment Editor
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ARCHING to draw attention to and fight oppression has been a popular form of protest for centuries. But can we say, in 2016, that activist marches are always the best way to achieve our goals in changing societal outlooks? Reclaim the Night is a march protesting sexual violence and “all forms of male violence against women”, and the event will be returning to Exeter on December 8 2016. It’s undeniable that Reclaim the Night marches have a large presence and are widely publicised, drawing attention to an extremely important cause and opening up discussions across communities, but looking closer at the organising bodies, how far is Reclaim the Night truly “feminist”?
Sex workers and trans women have felt excluded from the events London Reclaim The Night, in its current incarnation, has been run by the London Feminist Network for over ten
years, with thousands of women march- the Night is for WOMEN” and handing ing through London calling to end sexual out leaflets “raising awareness of violence violence. However, there have been accu- perpetrated by male transgenders” [sic] sations that the Reclaim The Night is far This same group reprimanded Reclaim from a safe space for all; sex workers and The Night organisers for stating that trans trans women have felt excluded from the women are welcome on the march. However, many women at RTN events by speakers and attendees, despite recent statements that the march is inclu- London each year speak out against these sive towards women of all races, sexuali- transphobic slogans used by a minority of attendees, and march in solidarity with ties, and abilities. trans women and sex workers, carrying In 2014, the Sex Worker Open banners and chanting mesUniversity criticised Resages of inclusion. claim The Night for Consider this inviting a speaker fairly questionfrom Object, a able slogan, campaigning used at RTN organisaLondon 2013. tion which “ Wo m e n ’s S W O U bodies must claimed not be sold!” oppresses Well. Whilst sex workthis is true if ers through we are considerpicketing their Photo: Flickr ing it in the context workplaces and of human trafficking attempting to put Photo: Flickr and women being forced them out of work. The into the sex trade, surely we must SWOU also alleged distribution of transphobic leaflets by some attendees respect a woman’s right to sell her own of the march, confirmed by an attending body? To use it as much as a labourer or group of “radical feminists” who admit- an office worker would use their body or ted to carrying a banner stating “Reclaim mind? And regardless of how someone
enters the sex industry, once they are part of it, they face prejudice and the constant threat of violence, and therefore must be protected by the law and by society. Toni Mac from SWOU has spoken out about how previous marchers have behaved violently towards sex workers, passing by strip clubs to protest sex work, and even spitting on the sex workers who attempt to join the march. Sex workers are subject to an enormous amount of gender-based violence, not only from clients but from police harassment, raids, and street violence. And yet, they are still often painted as perpetrators of patriarchy and contributors to a misogynistic system rather than victims of it. Some feminist organisations, in their refusal to broaden their activism, seem to place more obstacles on the road to equality than they break down. In excluding some of the most marginalised women in society, they go directly against the notions of equality they supposedly support. Trans women and sex workers should, in my opinion and that of many others, be leading these marches; the intersecting oppressions they face must not be brushed under the carpet and buried beneath a “white feminist” ideology. Those feminists who hold more societal privilege must know when to step
back and allow the voices of those who are most often marginalised, to be heard. The dedication of society to the binaries of gender and sexuality leaves little space for those who do not conform, but successful and safe feminist spaces should be ones where there is no room for these destructive divisions. And of course, gendered violence towards sex workers is devastatingly common, and so who better to speak out on this subject; sex work cannot be regulated without input from those involved in it.
Intersecting oppressions must not be brushed under the carpet All feminists, and activists of every kind, have good intentions, but these often become obscured through internalised prejudice. Clearly, there is still a long way to go before these “feminist” marches are accessible to all those most affected by the issues being protested. I’ll leave you with this statement from the Sex Worker Open University. “There can be no liberation based on supporting and perpetrating increased violence against some women.”
Getting your head round reading week Gwyn Wright Contributor
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NOUGH new experiences, friends and memories- for now. You’re going home, which you left as a shivering wreck six weeks ago, and had almost forgotten. First there’s the reunion with Mum. Thought this would be easy, that we’d just pick up where we left off, but no. After awkwardly tripping over your bag and exchanging pleasantries, you think for things to say. Does she think you’ve changed? After slumping on the sofa, stroking the cat, and a trip round the supermarket,
your reading is staring you in the face. At first you listen to lectures that you were too lazy to go to, but eventually you start turning the pages. You visit your old job and, oh, they’re still short staffed after you dropped everything to go travelling five months ago. Want any shifts? You reluctantly accept and, as you scan another barcode, you feel like you’ve never been away. All a waste of time? We’re not Oxbridge, but the workload remains substantial. Our marathon terms need breaking up. And it’s nice just to go back to a parallel universe. That’s the real point of reading week.
Rowan Keith Online Comment Editor
R Photo: Wikipedia Commons
EADING week is like taking paracetamol when you have a headache. Can you survive without it? Yes. Will you be pleasant or healthy without it? Probably not. Given that the university thinks we don’t need to have lectures for five months between the end of term two and term one, I feel like they could probably justify an extra week off in term two. No matter what you use it for, reading week is useful. Yes, catching up on reading week and actually being on top of your work for once is great, sure, but so is
being able to relax. After six weeks of being thrown back into uni and being asked to academically step it up, people need a break. As a university that claims to prioritise mental health and wellbeing, Exeter should be striving to help us with our work-life balance. University is amazing, but it is exhausting. Everything is full speed all the time and often you do not realise how stressed you are until you take a breath. I, personally, made use of reading week to go on a weekend away with my best friend and to go home and have my mum look after me for a week, and I fully believe that everyone should be given the choice to do this, every term. Pho-
Features
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07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
FEATURES EDITORS:
Georgina Bolam Katie Jenkins
“If you want the blunt truth...” Theodore Stone, Online Editor, interviews Director of the CIA, NSA and Deputy Director of National Intelligence, General Micheal V.
“
I’M not sure if I’m allowed into the Green Room” are among the first words I utter to him. “Nonsense,” comes the reply. “Nobody’s going to mind.” At this utterance, I’m led through a short corridor within the Hay Festival’s tent to its Green Room, where a conglomerate of authors, actors and academics are tucked away from the public eye until they are released unto to their respective audiences. He walks briskly over to a seat and takes his place. I comply by sitting in the one next to him. In one corner, Marlon James chats to Russell T. Davies. About what I do not know. In another, Benedict Cumberbatch attends to his children, whose immediate needs remain a mystery to me. Whilst this would usually distract one from the task at hand, the person I am set to interview is of a different cloth, one whose impact on world affairs dwarfs that of everybody else in the room.
In one corner, Marlon James chats to Russell T. Davies... General Michael V. Hayden is the only person in history of have held directorships of both the CIA and the NSA. His CV is practically unparalleled within the world of contemporary intelligence. Alongside the aforementioned directorships, the USAF Four-Star general has served as the Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence between 2005 and 2006, serving under John Negroponte, and was for several years the highest ranking military intelligence officer in the United States’ armed forces. He seems to be relaxed, or at least as relaxed as one can be within the field of espionage. The anonymity likely helps: whilst those holding political office would likely be confronted in the street, he can blend in. He only needs to be known when he wants to be. Today is one of the days where he is going to be. He’s scheduled to give a talk on International Security in the next few hours. As soon as we’re settled, he gestures for me to begin, and I comply. Donald Trump winds up being the order of the day. His inquisitive
stare, sweeping the room, melts into a mild facial sigh. Trump has become a trademark public enemy for the General. Throughout the year he has done what he can to diminish the possibility of a Trump presidency, even signing a letter along with 49 of his contemporaries denouncing Trump as “reckless” and “unfit”. To put it simply, his view on the matter is that Trump poses a greater threat to the United States than the Islamic State. “Let’s put it this way,” he elaborates, “Trump has done more to increase the threat of Islamic Terrorism within the United States than ISIS have. They may be the ones to physically commit these atrocities, but Trump is the one who is stirring up hatred within communities and enhancing civil unrest.” Indeed, Trump rallies have become practically synonymous with racial profiling and assault. At the time of this interview’s publication, it was just over a week since an African-American supporter of his was removed from one of his rallies in North Carolina, and was described by the man himself as a “thug”. Meanwhile, many Republican
what America actually needs, as opposed to what it doesn’t. Pluralism, perhaps? “Of course, absolutely... Pluralism is what we should be aiming for. What we need is somebody who can create a common ground between different people, as Trump has done opposed to amplifying the divisions. The more damage to our other candidate [Clinton] is far more qualified to do this”. Interestingly, it is national security than worth noting that General Hayden has anybody else in the world refused to endorse Clinton, although his reasoning not to remains confined to his His voice narrows. “Trump has done person, and throughout the interview he more damage to our national security than avoided any pitfalls which could have led anybody else in the world,” he continues, him down what could have been the route icy in tone. “He has massively reduced to endorsement. our standing in the fields of international Earlier this year, General Hayden peacekeeping and security with his appeared on the talkshow Real Time With rhetoric.” Indeed, the Economist Bill Maher, where he categorically stated Intelligence Unit has gone that, if Trump is elected, the armed forces as far as to place Trump would not be required to carry out his on its list on the top orders. I inquire as to whether he still held ten risks facing the this view. The response I receive is direct world. “If you want and immediate: “Absolutely.” the blunt truth, he “But he’d be the Commander-inhas been reckless, Chief,” I query. he has been “True, but the United States’ Armed ir responsible, Forces are obliged to refuse orders which and he has go against international law. You are been downright required not to follow an unlawful order.” dangerous.” “So if Trump were to follow through In light of this, I with his demands?” use the statement to “The armed forces would refuse to act pivot towards the because they would be unlawful orders.” other side of the “So there’s the real possibility of a t o p i c , potential stand-off between the President and the military in the next few years?” “Yes.” Throughout the history of the United States, the standoff usually arrived between a general playing Hawk and a President playing Dove, case in point, President Truman and General MacArthur during the Korean War. MacArthur wished to amplify the bombing to almost apocalyptic levels, whereas Truman saw no favours with the plan. MacArthur was dismissed. What we would have here is a reverse of the situation - a General being sacked for refusing to bomb. The situation is Photo: Wikimedia Commons further amplified by politicians are rumoured to be turning down the opportunity to distance themselves from him because of the potential threat it may pose to their families.
the distance between Trump’s rhetoric and Hayden’s experience. Whilst Trump demands the return of waterboarding for interrogation purposes, “and worse”, the General claimed during his talk later in the day that he only authorised the use of torture once, and that it did not work. In short, the methods by which Trump could destabilise America are not only ones which are seen by many as morally reprehensible, but do not actually work. A collapse forged by basic failure.
It is worth noting that General Hayden has refused to endorse Clinton I sense the need to escape to cheerier pastures. Unfortunately, it instead turns to Edward Snowden. Of course, it’s no surprise that General Hayden has a distaste for Snowden, a man he has previously described as “naive” and a “narcissist”. “Nations, to put it simply, conduct espionage, and we’re world-leading. We spend a lot of money on it, over $50 billion a year, and the reality of it is that we need this information to stay ahead of the game. What Snowden did is transform our language from one word to categories of ‘American Intelligence’ and ‘British Intelligence’ and so on, whilst leaving out Chinese and Russian Intelligence. We cannot afford to do this.” “There is crucial information which we need to obtain in order for us to do our job,” he continues, “what Snowden did is help hinder these efforts. We have a sworn duty to keep citizens safe, and endangering lives by carelessly leaking documents is not how you do that. What my book (Playing to the Edge) tries to do is unpack and explain why we made these decisions in order to protect the population. We do not pursue activities like this because we can, but because we know they work.” So there you have the blunt and naked truth, straight from the mouth of one of the most experienced military intelligence officers in the United States. In his talk later on in the day he would speak of a “cultural adjustment” concerning the threat of data gathering from the government to the private sector, and the need for a conversation on the limits of Facebook. But what I obtained is simple America lies on the edge of an abyss, and it might be about to jump in.
U.S. ELECTION SPECIAL
Xmedia Schedule:
Make sure to tune into Xpression FM, XTV and the Exeposé Twitter feed for live updates on the election and the following topics of debate. 10PM: Introduction and current stats 10:12PM: The Trump phenomenon 10:28PM: Clinton's politics 10:48PM: Obama's legacy 11:02PM: Black Lives Matter 12:10AM: Sanders and the youth anti-establishment feeling 12:24AM: Swing states and their impact on democracy 1:30AM: Trump/Clinton discussion 2:05AM: The future of America 3:05AM: Broader context of America 3:50AM: Feminism in world politics 4:05AM: Trump's global reputation 4:25AM: Conspiracy theories 4:33AM: Results
How will the election be decided?
Each state has a certain number of Electoral College votes, with each candidate requiring 270 of these for a win. The Electoral College is the formal body which votes for a presidential candidate, with each state having the same number of colleges, as they have been weighted members of congress. There are a total of 538 electors. However, in the circumstance that neither candidate has a majority vote, the House of Representatives is in charge of electing the President, with each state being given one vote. This can be controversial, as seen in the 2000 election, where the elected candidate was not the one who received the popular vote. In American elections, ‘swing states’ are what you need to be keeping an eye on close to election night. These are states which are not clearly leaning to one candidate before the election, and therefore will decide who wins or loses. They have an incredibly small margin for victory, meaning that they could end up voting either way. These states are normally targeted by campaigns, and frequented by candidates close to election day. The ‘swing states’ change each election, depending on which issues are more prevalent at the time. Despite over 200 million Americans being eligible to vote, only 66% have registered so far. This is 10% more than the 2012 presidential election, highlighting how important this decision is for the American people. Daphne Bugler
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America’s election? T
Rosie Shepard discusses her vision of a Trump presidency
HAT’S a scary ‘What if?’ Donald Trump becoming President is hopefully just a pipe dream for him and his supporters, but worst case scenario, we could end up with that tyrant as the ‘Leader of the Free World’. So what would actually happen if he wins the upcoming elections and becomes the next President of the USA? Take these ideas with a pinch of salt – after all, he’d actually have to get the Bills through Congress for any of his plans to be put into action. Firstly, in terms of economic policy, Trump seems to believe that his vast fortune makes him qualified for presidency, despite his multiple failed business ventures. He has given very few details for his economic plan, simply claiming a need for tax cuts, which would cause major revenue issues in the future. His other solid plan is essentially to start a trade war with China, to “make America number one again….to out-negotiate the Chinese” – simple, right? Furthermore, it will be even harder to get by as a common citizen. While Trump is lazing away in the White House, the minimum wage will stay “pretty much where it is now” at $7.25 an hour, so God knows how families will continue to survive, let alone thrive. One of the biggest topics on everyone’s lips when it comes to Trump is immigration, namely what could become the 'Grotesque Wall of Mexico' – a 1,000-mile-long wall drawing the border between the USA and Mexico. Trump has made many claims saying ‘the wall will be successful’ in keeping out those problematic Mexicans who are all criminals, drug fiends and rapists, naturally. The rest of his immigration policy doesn’t get much better, with an aim to deport around 11 million immigrants from America within two years. The cost of such a project would be sky-high - although the wall will be funded by the Mexicans, for their own good – and would be completely unworkable
unless Trump is planning to create a police state...here’s hoping not. His straw-haired highness has bravely spoken out in favour of police brutality, claiming they need more power due to the ever- ‘rampant’ crime.
Trump pretty much just plans to blow a lot of places up... What a suprise Trump’s foreign policy is extremely jumbled - aside from his exchange of friendship bracelets and pinky-promises with Putin, his foreign supporters seem to be a bit thin on the
Photo: Flickr/DonkeyHotey
ground. With what experts are referring to as “strategic recklessness”, Trump pretty much just plans to blow a lot of places up…what a surprise. For someone who plans to create a “stable world”, he’s going about it the wrong way. But hey, what’s that? He also wants to welcome back old enemies with open arms, as long as they don’t send any immigrants. His plans for human rights seem to be a lot more solid, and one thing’s for sure: they’re not good. If it isn’t bad enough to banish all immigrants, Trump has laid out a plan to have special identification for all American-born Muslims. Institutional racism, which is already a major issue in the US would no doubt proliferate. Next on Trump’s hit list would be people of the LGBTQ+ community. Trump has publicly accepted the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow gay marriage, but if he became president, its
highly likely he would attempt to overturn this. His claims of being a ‘traditionalist’ just exacerbate homophobic feelings in America, giving legitimacy in what should be an age of toleration. Moreover, Trump’s “traditionalism” extends to his get-in-the-kitchen and downright perverted comments about women’s rights. He has famously made many a crude joke about how fit his daughter is, and that he’d date her if it wasn’t incest - I’d be praying to be the ugly one in the family, thanks. On the plus side, maybe we’d be in for a political scandal the size of which hasn’t been seen since Marilyn and Kennedy – one point for entertainment factor. While he has praised Planned Parenthood for their help with cancer screenings, Trump would remove funding altogether, making a woman’s right to an abortion hard to achieve. The right to a choice is hotly debated across the US, but the debate would be defunct with Trump at the head. He also plans to remove funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, so both natural and manmade disasters would be harder to deal with. Trump’s hatred of the media would no doubt be brought to his policies, with a suppression of the freedom of the press. He’s already excluded certain journalists from his conferences, so why not take it a step further? On the other end of the scale, Trump would put the Second Amendment first so there would be no end to the astronomical number of gun crimes in sight. But how will this all affect us in the UK? Firstly, I think I’d think twice before going across the Atlantic for a holiday – who knows what horrors could await at the border. In return, a UK petition went viral this year to ban Trump from ever even entering our country, receiving over 500,000 signatures meaning it was genuinely discussed in parliament. This was unfortunately unsuccessful, but if he becomes president it could be revisited. America as a whole will become a lot less appealing to deal with, with multiple MPs branding him a “buffoon”, “dangerous fool” and even, oddly, a “wazzock”. It’s safe to say Theresa May won’t be chatting with him over tea and scones anytime soon.
U.S. ELECTION SPECIAL
...or the world’s?
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Thoughts and predictions
Will Grice analyses the world’s perspective on the U.S. election
O, the time has finally come for America to make its decision. The debates have been run, the pundits have had their say, and the candidates are approaching the finish line. It has been an election like no other - two polarising candidates, with some of the lowest popularity ratings in modern US presidential history, vying for the vote of millions of Americans. The fact of the matter is however, whoever is elected on November 8, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, they are going to be placed in charge of the world’s remaining superpower. At their disposal, they will have the largest military, with 36 per cent of total global expenditure (SIPRI 2015), and the world’s largest economy to take care of. Needless to say, this election will have global ramifications. Therefore, it might be worthwhile to take a step back and consider what other countries make of the insult-filled, forcefive hurricane of a Presidential campaign. To most of us here in the UK, we can’t get our heads around the concept of the Trump Phenomena. Yes, we have had our own right wing populist revival in the form of UKIP, but US politics is shifted towards the right anyhow, so it makes Nigel Farage et al look rather tame. The childish, misogynist, and even racist comments have lead many observers who are not American to view this election cycle as a circus. Mexico’s former President Felipe Calderón approached Trump’s flagship policy of “the wall” head on, saying, Mexico would not ‘“pay any single cent for such a stupid wall.” Trump responded in his usual diplomatic manner, quipping, “the wall just got taller”. The fierce rhetoric from Trump of course started with his announcement rant on Mexico“they’re bringing drugs. They’re bring crime. They’re rapists”. Never before has a candidacy started this way and it really set a precedent for the rest of the race. What has been most alarming for foreign policy experts across the world, is the fact that Trump has spoken fondly of autocrats including Putin, Gadaffi and even Saddam Hussain. Understandably Clinton has pounced on this, arguing in the latest debate that Trump would be like a “puppet as President”. There is indeed some legitimate concern for this position. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been a firm but fair approach to Russia, with the stance hardening somewhat more recently. The suggestion from Trump that he “admires” Putin is seen as dangerous, and
advantageous to a possible resurgent Russia. Not only this, there is the legitimate concern that Trump is simply not qualified to be President. Francois Hollande argued that the election of Trump will “complicate” Europe’s relationship with America. Especially Trump’s opposition to free trade agreements like TTIP (the US-EU trade deal) and his stance that European nations must free-ride on US security provision may worry many in the EU. On top of this, he even picked a fight with the Pope. In short, Trump has turned this election into an unimaginable spectacle for the rest of the world to really question. Clinton on the other hand, has been viewed as the logical and expected choice to win on the 8th. The latest polling averages place
Clinton anywhere from 6-8 percentage points in front of Trump (New York Times), extending her lead since the sexual harassment reports have come out.
Trump is just simply not qualified to be President So what will a Clinton Presidency look like for the wider world? Well firstly, a lot of world governments already know Clinton through her work as Secretary of State. She is seen as a safe (if inevitable) pair of hands, compared to the self-professed “unpredictable” Trump. Due to her tough Primary challenge with Bernie Sanders, it is widely expected that her focus will be on the domestic agenda, with emphasis
on improving Obamacare, reforming the taxation system, and even the ambitious aim to reform and eliminate college debt. However at the same time, she is expected by to be more aggressive, ramping up her rhetoric throughout the campaign about doing more in Syria. This is perhaps the reason why former Secretary of State Colin Powell (Republican) has just endorsed her. Worldwide, Clinton is certainly respected and revered far more than her rival, and with a consistent and clear message, there would appear to be little change on the surface from the Obama Administration. She has had to do very little to persuade the world that she is ready to be President. She is a matter of days away from perhaps breaking the toughest glass ceiling there is, and if she is able to do it, she may indeed inspire a new generation of women to follow in her footsteps elsewhere in society. Despite this, elections in the USA depend on the electoral college. Whilst Clinton enjoys an 81.5 per cent likelihood of becoming the next President (Five Thirty Eight Election Forecast) elections are strange things, polls will not tell you how the general populous will vote on the day and the Trump phenomena has not actually been tested yet-. How many new voters will he encourage out on the day? How many voters will the lacklustre Hillary be able to get out? Will the Libertarian, Gary Johnson, who has been polling at 5 per cent, affect the balance in certain states? Will the new FBI investigation into Clinton’s emails be her downfall? Certainly, this latest Clinton scandal will make the job of governing after the election almost impossible if the Republicans hold Congress. The simple fact is that the greatest poll is the election itself. The world may not be able to understand the US election, but we definitely care about the outcome. Whatever happens, the next four years will be greatly influenced by this individual, to an extent that other world leaders can only dream of. Regardless of your opinion on the US election, it cannot be denied that this has been a historic onemired in scandal and mudslinging. At the end of it all, you can’t help but feel that on 9 November, America will wake up to the President it deserves.
Photo: Flickr/DonkeyHotey
“It’s going to be closer to 1984 than 2000: Democrats to take the Presidency and the Senate” Ollie Lund
“I’ve been astounded at the amount of bigotry this election has revealed, both in America and the UK” Annabel Matthews
“They’re screwed either way: Even if Clinton wins, she won’t have the support of half the country” Beth Honey
“This election has unearthed America’s toxic search for a modern identity” Katie Jenkins
“After insulting every member of the electorate bar his fellow white males, Trump will lose, leaving a fractured Republican party” Leah Crabtree
lifestyle
ARTS + LIT
E X H I B IT MUSIC
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the magic of building a show
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black mirror season 3 review
Battlefield 1 review
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tamara harvey: MADE IN ENGLAND
is rock dead?
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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Jade Beard Laurel Bibby
ARTS + LIT EDITORS Emma Bessent Tash Ebbutt
MUSIC EDITORS Rory Marcham Helen Payne
SCREEN EDITORS Mark Allison Zak Mahinfar
GAMES + TECH EDITORS Jabez Sherrington Sam Woolf 07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
lifestyle
Entrepreneur Exe-traordinaire Lifestyle Editors Jade Beard and Laurel Bibby interview student entrepreneur Abi Tamara Harvey
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HIRD year English student Abi Tamara Harvey talks about her luxury handbag collection, Tamara Harvey, and gives her advice for budding student entrepreneurs.
How did you get started as an entrepreneur? I don’t like being bored and I’ve always had little ventures on the sidelines, so when I was 13 I set up my first business designing jewellery and selling it. My mum lent me £30 and in a few weeks I turned that into £300. Then at 17 I bought a beach café – Maidencombe Beach Café – it’s actually now one of the premier places to be. I did that for three years and at the height of it I was employing six other people. I went to uni and wanted to drop out within a few weeks – doing English, I don’t read a lot, so I found that quite hard. I wasn’t allowed to drop out, so I thought I might as well do something with myself! I couldn’t find the right bag to go on a night out and I was like, "well, if I can’t find it, I’m going to make it’" so I did. And it just has spawned.
Do you send the bags off to a manufacturer to be made? I made the prototypes myself, but I made them out of fabric because leather’s really ex-
pensive. I emailed every single manufacturer in the UK and only got two replies. My lovely manufacturers are fabulous. I got my first one back within two weeks and before I’d even had the rest of my stuff I’d already sold to everybody I knew anyway.
THE MOST QUALIFIED I AM IN THIS IS A LEVEL ART I’d say the hardest part is finding the manufacturers and actually honing in on a design. The most qualified I am in this is A Level art – I have no design knowledge or anything, I just know what I like and go after it.
How do you come up with your designs? I’ll think of an outfit and the perfect bag to go with it and see if I can find it, but usually I can’t. And I’ll just draw it. Then I’ll start looking at other products, so I’ll go into stores and be like, well how do other people make the base of their bags? I’ll have a look at those and I’ll have a look at things like how straps are added. I also have a lot of books of handbag design. It usually starts with an idea or a colour. Something just sparks the imagination.
A bit like how an author will hear something and see a whole story forming. That’s how I see it.
What happens after you send the designs to the manufacturer? They make a prototype and I’ll have a look at it and see what needs to be done. I’ll use it a bit because you have to see if these things are practical, and I’ll show it to people and see what they think. Then there’s a period of about two weeks when I have to work out how much this is all going to cost, order the leather, order the hardware, order the zips, then ship it all off to the manufacturer. About a month and a half later I get all my stock back and then I have to think, "how am I going to sell this, then?"
met before so they don’t know who you are. They’re not going to buy out of sympathy; they’re going to buy because they love the product. That’s really good, but social media is brilliant. I’d say if you’re doing a start-up, you have to be on social media. It’s free, it’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s quick and it’s accessible. You can reach other people in different countries, so I get messages from people in Los Angeles. I ship worldwide, I sell off my website but mainly selling through department stores and to friends and family.
I JUST KNOW WHAT I LIKE AND GO AFTER IT
How do you publicise it all?
Do you run the business alone?
Social media and word of mouth. So you sell to a friend, a friend will wear that bag out everywhere and then their friends will see it, and it’s like a chain reaction. It helps when you get your very first store; that kicks the snowball off because you’re showing to a load of people that you’ve never
Last year we had exams in April or May and I had this three day gap when I had to get my website up because I had everything ready and needed to get the money in. I’d never coded anything in my life, so I spent a night on YouTube working out how to code. I spent three days building my website and then got
to my exams. I do everything. Packaging, shipping it off, even going to the Post Office – I do all that stuff myself.
IF YOU'RE DOING A START-UP, YOU HAVE TO BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA Who would you say is your ideal customer? Cara Delevigne, because she’s fun, quite edgy and quirky. You’ve got to have quite a bit of money to buy my products – they’re quite expensive – so people who frequent luxury shops, but people who like colour. I don’t like how you always see black handbags and brown handbags and grey handbags. Where’s the yellow handbag? Someone who experiments with colour, who likes fashion, is fun and who is conscious because everything is made in England. But I would say I don’t design for a specific person in mind, I design for myself and I think I have quite a good general grip on what other people would like also. If I could get anybody to wear my products, I think it would have to be someone like Kate Moss. I love Kate Moss. If I could get her in a photo shoot, I would be happy. Definitely someone rock and roll, quirky, fun, who happens to be stunning and have a million followers so then they’re all going to go and buy all my products, because that’s what we want at the end of the day!
Are there any lessons that you've learned the hard way? Oh god yeah, I’ve wasted so much money on sampling. There’s this one where I was really stupid and I got confused between inches and centimetres – quite a basic thing that you
should know about! I did the height in inches and I did the length in centimetres. It looked absolutely ridiculous and I wasted about £500 on that. So I would say definitely go over it again, make sure the finer details are perfect and make sure everything’s working. I would also say, think a little bit before you run, because I’m an impulsive person so I will buy 205 square foot of leather without having a single design or idea. Check yourself a bit and make sure everything’s perfect so there are not silly little mistakes like adding things up and profit margins.
What are your hopes postuniversity? World domination. I’m being serious. This is the stepping-stone. I’ve recently designed a ten-piece lingerie collection, but that won’t be for another two years or something because that’s quite expensive to do. Just branching this out into more of a lifestyle brand like dresses, shoes, lingerie and stuff like that. Then I want a department store, and everything in the department store is going to be made in England; all the designers will be English upand-coming designers.
THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL MAKE YOUR MILLIONS IS BY GETTING OUT THERE If I did have to work for someone else, another part of me actually quite wants to be a comedian. So I would maybe go into something like that, like script writing. Or just in other businesses and enterprises really. But hopefully when people read this article and buy all my bags I’ll be like "yes, I don’t need to get another job!"
Do you have any advice for other budding entrepreneurs? I would say: get out and do it. My motto is "who dares wins", and I think they're the best words an entrepreneur can hear; the only way you'll make your millions and live the life you want to live is by getting out there. Stop dreaming, stop thinking of excuses and get it done! Start the company!
THE BEST WAY TO LEARN IS TO GET OUT THERE AND GIVE IT A GO You're never going to know if it's going to work unless you actually get out there and do it. Put everything in place and just go for it because no one's going to give it to you. I strongly believe that degrees and expansive theories can only get you so far; the best way to learn is to get out there and give it a go.
All images from Tamara Harvey.
Tamara Harvey's new mini cross body bag 'The Marianne' will be available online and in store by 13 November. Featuring a suede lining, internal zip pocket, gold hardware and signature logo, the bag will be available in black, hot pink, lime green, royal blue and limited edition silver metallic stingray. Retail price £185.00.
Follow Tamara Harvey Shop online at
www.tamaraharvey.co.uk
@tamara_harvey_luxury
www.facebook.com/ tamaraharveyluxury
arts + lit
Faith, trust and pixie dust
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Jade Beard, Lifestyle Editor, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the magical process of building a show
HE Northcott Theatre’s upcoming production of Peter Pan is sure to be one extraordinary, magical adventure this December. As the theatre’s first home Christmas production in six years, director Paul Jepson’s refreshing and unique take on the classic story is set to make Peter Pan a must see for all of those looking for just a sprinkling of fairy-dust. After attending Monday’s launch of the production, I got a real insight into the unique vison behind the production. I was in disbelief when told how the cast and crew had only officially met earlier that day – they already looked like a fully formed ensemble, and the room was filled with chatting laughter. The launch began with a welcoming
speech from Paul Jepson, the production’s director, who spoke passionately of his excitement for the production. “I think what we’re doing with the play is quite bold” said Paul, “but I think it makes very good sense. I just couldn’t imagine doing a play in any other way.” What really got me excited for this performance is the sheer boldness behind the concept of this production. Traditionally, Mr
Darling is usually doubled with Captain Hook and Mrs Darling with Tinkerbell, but at the launch, director Paul revealed how these roles are in fact swapped. Why? “It is part of the organising idea” says Paul. “We go into that which is not usually allowed and it enables us to have a huge amount of fun with Neverland, to imagine all possibilities”. The casting of the Peter Pan was also a unique yet conscious choice for Paul. “I’m casting Peter Pan as girl – that means the discovery of Peter Pan, is the discovery of the male within the female. So it is, if you like, gender fluid. Children don’t think about themselves in terms of being a girl or a boy, they think of themselves in terms of being what they might
wish to be’. Laura Prior who plays the role of Peter Pan, said she is excited to play the role with this specific vision in mind. “It’s really interesting for me to have a rehearsal process where you’re actually questioning what actually it is to be a girl, and discover what Wendy sees in Peter – she sees what she could be’. Laura assured me that the show appeals to not only children, but adults too. “It’s a timeless classic story that appeals to all ages because it’s got heart and warmth, and people can relate to the characters in it. I think Paul’s vision for the show is going to make it really accessible.” Laura also told of just how spectacular the performance is set to be, as herself and other characters are going to be flying across the stage. “Good core strength is needed” Laura jokes, “I’ve been going to the gym so I’m not exhausted keeping up with all the kids”. Steve Bennett is also set to make a comeback to The Northcott in the role of Tinkerbell, after six years away performing in various productions in London. Renowned for his role of the pantomime dame, Steve has previously performed in 17 Christmas shows, and is excited to tackle a different role. “Kids are the easiest audiences, they kind of just go with it. I think there’s going to be a few Mums and Dads thinking ‘what’s going on here then?’”, he jests. Steve spoke of how
he is thrilled with the direction that the production is going to take. “I think it’s great for a theatre in this area to be doing this. This sort of concept you would think nothing of in London, but out in the sticks you wouldn’t expect it”. Overall, the launch was just a teaser of how Neverland will come to life, but already the passion of the cast and crew is present in abundance. A production that promises to be as wonderful as it is unique, Peter Pan is certain to captivate all those searching for Christmas magic.
Artist: Ellan Parry
Give it a chance, that’s ‘All I Ask of You’
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Victoria Bos, Science Editor, praises the merits of musical theatre
USICAL theatre often gets the wrong end of the stick when it comes to evaluating drama. Combining music, dance and speech, many so called ‘experts’ or highbrow performers see them as a bit wet and undetermined, with U2 guitarist The Edge publicly saying “most musicals are really pants. They’re really not cool.” Putting aside the fact that his idea of a good musical was Spiderman: Turn of the Dark, which was Broadway’s biggestever flop, closing with losses of approximately $60 million , his point of view is one that seems to be quite popular. People think that musical theatre is childish and simple; that it’s theatre that simply panders to the masses. However, this snobbery and ‘holier than thou’ attitude is not in any way deserved.
07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
For many people, myself included, musicals are their taste in theatre. I can still remember going with my father to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium when I was seven and being left gobsmacked by the music, the performances and the effects. However, that does by no means show that musicals are childish. In fact, I’d argue you’d have a hard time getting a child in to see Book of Mormon or La Cage Aux Folles. It allows an entrance way into the theatre that is much more engaging than a Shakespearian tragedy (though I point you in the direction of Westside Story) or Brechtian drama, allowing people into the world of theatre who may have otherwise never engaged with it. Simply, covering the genre with the overarching term of ‘musical theatre’ can also be a bit
belittling. You say musicals are awful? I say you just haven’t found the right one yet. It’s like saying you hate all films, simply because one genre hasn’t caught your attention. Enjoy romance? Go and watch Phantom of the Opera. Comedy is more your thing? Take a look at The Producers. Still young at heart? Give Lion King a gander. There are so many different types of musicals that you are guaranteed to find at least one that catches your attention. Let’s also not forgot one of the best parts of musical theatre: the songs. Say what you like about musicals, but you cannot deny that they have given us some of the best ballads ever written, as they have to portray so much emotion and storyline within their lyrics. That is the reason songs like ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ and ‘Send
in the Clowns’ are so popular, even outside of their respective shows, because they resonate with people, despite the context they are meant to be in; the sign of a truly great song. That, and they are just plain catchy, it’s so easy to find yourself humming ‘Masquerade’ or ‘Oom Pah Pah’, I bet that one is lodged in your head right now – You’re welcome! In short, musicals are one of the great staples of the theatre, offering an accessible path into other genres and so much variety and spectacle, you can never get bored. So, come on babe, why don’t we paint the town? You see, it’s a fine life and the joys of musicals leave you thinking you could have danced all night or gone singing in the rain. After all, life is a cabaret old chum, and there’s no business like show business!
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ARTS + LIT
EDITORS: Tash Ebbutt and Emma Bessent
Theatre focus
07 NOV 2016 |
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Emma Bessent, Art + Lit Editor, describes her bizarre experience of the Cygnet Company’s Eurydice
EURYDICE Cygnet Theatre, Exeter 27 October- 4 November
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MAGINE this: Alice in Wonderland meets Greek myth.” The promised combination of two of my very favourite things - Classics and Alice in Wonderland - was a lure impossible to resist. Although I was perhaps a little disappointed that the Carrollian overtones in the play itself were all but limited to the propeller hat worn by the character described as “Nasty Interesting Man/Child” in my programme, I do have to say that my experience of Sarah Ruhl’s naïve yet dark Eurydice at the Cygnet Theatre had an awful lot in common with falling down the rabbit hole. The showing I attended took place on the Friday night of the Cathedral Green fire; with half-drunken students staggering through the smoke-clad city in absurd Halloween costumes, the evening already had an unstable and unsettling ambience. I was later and more panicked than the White Rabbit as I made my way toward the high street to meet my friend - for whom the Cygnet’s Box Office had insisted upon providing a second free ticket - and as we made our way through the city. This fuzzy feeling was thrown off a little when the door attendant handed back my newly perforated ticket and bade me “Watch out for the swimming pool”. The absurdities of the evening were only just beginning. The space itself - dedicated to training young performers - was reminiscent of the semi-professional studio-slash-theatre that I completed my
drama GCSE in: unadorned blocks on the stage, the main set piece (a sort of screen with doors in the middle, reminiscent of the early modern discovery space) decorated with papier machê and five rows of community hall-style blue chairs organised into tiers. The aforementioned swimming pool seemed to be an inverted metre square block covered in pond lining and filled with ten litres of water. It was clearly not a highbudget event, but the effective use of the limited tools made available to the cast reminded the audience that low budget is not synonymous with low quality. At sporadic moments throughout the play, you could hear passers-by laughing and car engines revving on the road behind the auditorium. The awareness of the real world outside provoked by these noises did not detract from the performance; if anything, in fact, it made its audience feel even more enticingly trapped in the strange other world presented by the seven actors, exerting sympathy for Eurydice in her Underworld prison. From the offset, I found the technical framing of the small ensemble extremely sophisticated. Blue lighting made the space frigidly cold whenever the scene moved to the Underworld; ‘rain’ drenched Eurydice as an elevator delivered her to the afterlife; rock music thundered and vivid green and blue spotlights shone from under the on-stage platform as the Nasty Interesting Man/Child zipped onstage in his propeller hat riding a tiny BMX. The script’s inane switches between comedy and tragedy were mirrored elegantly in every piece of tech the stage bore witness to. The only critique I might offer would
be that Little Stone was dressed in an incredibly fluid and bouncy tutu; not quite as fitting to her character as the other two Stones’ sombre, structured costumes. However, with what I would call a skeleton cast and a very bare stage, the focus was very much on the individual performer and the experimental style of acting employed by the Cygnet Company didn’t quite hit the spot. The tentative use of physical theatre felt weak, with only one moment achieving true visual elegance; the wrapping of the Stones around Orpheus as he clung to his ladder out of the Underworld to hide him from Eurydice. And, although of course a play whose programme mentions Freud multiple times should not sit comfortably with its audience, there were certain details which made you feel a little unnecessarily uncomfortable as the cast departed from the script in their actions. The three Stones, a modern sort of chorus, were continuously refuting emotion and demanding silence in their dialogue, yet they showed an excess of emotion in their interactions with other characters. Eurydice’s Father seemed much too happy to call his daughter “Miss” and act as the porter Eurydice mistakes him for upon her arrival in the Underworld. However, at other points, it was clear that Ruhl’s script was the route of discomfort. When Eurydice’s father explained the concept of love to his Lethe-dipped daughter as like sitting in the shade of a tree with no clothes on, the titular character responded with a shimmy and a wicked grin which allowed her mouth to open just enough to let out an “ooh”; a Lolita-esque moment that Nabokov himself could have penned.
Eurydice’s earlier line that dictates a wedding day is the day that a daughter stops being married to her father also comes disturbingly close to condoning the Electra complex. Orpheus’ scripted silences and absurd utterances painted him as a most undesirable hero indeed.
A LOLITA -ESQUE MOMENT THAT NABOKOV HIMSELF COULD HAVE PENNED But there were also beautiful and emotionally compelling moments. When Eurydice’s Father took his daughter’s arm in the pretence of giving her away, as he stepped forward - as if down an aisle - his position was unchanged, but Eurydice’s hand slipped from his proffered arm in recognition that he had moved on to a place that she could not yet follow him to. The story’s execution left me with a definite sense of trauma. Having been carried through the grief, fear, rage and joy of the characters by the budding talents of the Cygnet Company in a very intense and exhaustingly-paced eighty minutes, I felt a frustrating and personal disappointment in the necessity of the tragic ending and not quite ready to climb back out of the rabbit hole. Among my wackier theatrical experiences and not the type of performance that my classically-inclined interests usually allow me to enjoy at all, I certainly have to hand it to the Cygnet Company; they really do know how to put on a show.
Whetted your appetite for local performance? Arts + Lit give you the low down on what’s on nearby! The Woman in Black The Northcott Theatre 14-19 November
Strictly for thrill-seekers, Susan Hill’s terrifying tale comes to our on campus stage this November The Red Shoes Theatre Royal Plymouth 21-26 November
Matthew Bourne’s ballet pirouettes into our neighbouring town
Les Contes d’Hoffmann Exeter Picturehouse 15 November
Want to experience the London scene without the expense of train travel? ROH Live at Picturehouse is for you
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ARTS + LIT
EDITORS: Emma Bessent and Tash Ebbutt
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Guilty pleasure
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Zoe Case lets you in on what an English Literature student really reads
S an English student, I spend much of my time reading Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dante. Although those dudes are pretty sick, I didn’t exactly choose this degree back when I was eighteen because of an indelible passion for only the words of dead white men.
I DIDN’T CHOOSE THIS DEGREE BECAUSE OF AN INDELIBLE PASSION FOR DEAD WHITE MEN You’d be surprised at what I’m reading this year in between my day-long bouts of academic drudge. Critical thinking modules have taught me to realise that everything counts - so, sometimes I read the back of cereal boxes just to absorb the key nutritional facts. Sometimes, in the minutes between putting down one Henry
Arts in the news
James and picking up the next, I stare out of my block window, bleary-eyed, reading the brand names on passing students’ jogging bottoms, backpacks and trainers. Sometimes, while walking to class, I read the names of roads. More often than not, any light reading I have time for comes in the form of closed-captioning at the bottom of my Netflix show du-jour. I do enjoy the odd spot of light literary pleasure reading when I’m not slogging through Middle English. Right now, I’m into ghost stories. I’ve heard a rumor that there’s a new Susan Hill out, though I haven’t picked it up yet. If you haven’t read The Woman in Black or seen Daniel Radcliffe’s first attempt at “Not Being Harry Potter,” ™ you have your chance to see a play inspired by Hill’s story coming up at the Exeter Northcott theatre from the 14-19 November. I just put down a novel by new author Michelle Paver called Dark Matter, not to be confused with the dozens of other books, films, plays, stories, etc. also titled “Dark Matter”. The
Van Gogh ‘cut off his ear after learning brother was to marry’
novel is about a young Londoner named Jack who, in 1937, completes an expedition to the arctic and discovers an evil entity among the land of the midnight sun. Straight afterwards, I picked up The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp, another novel about a ghost-hunter named Jack. But in this case, Jack is actively trying to find the ghosts instead of avoiding them as any sensible person would do.
CRITICAL THINKING HAS TAUGHT ME THAT EVERYTHING COUNTS Why does everyone who isn’t Chaucer, Shakespeare or Dante designate their blustering lead male character with a generic name beginning with “J”? What is that you say? There’s a Jack in Henry IV, Part 2? And plenty of “James”s in Dante? Milton’s first name was literally “John?” Whatever; it still irks me.
Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins to get major UK exhibition
Designer Marc Newson’s Pod of Drawers sells for £1m
All I want for Christmas As the cold weather sets in, Matthew Phillips prepares his literary letter to Santa
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HRISTMAS is the time for many wonderful and magical things but for arts and lit lovers, it’s most crucially the time for demanding free books from friends and family. If you’re having trouble deciding which books you would most enjoy being wrapped in reconstituted dead tree under another dead tree, let me help you out. Your grandparents have read it, your parents have read it, you have probably read it but I haven’t yet gotten around to reading it. And everybody says I simply must. Fifty Shades Of – nah, just kidding, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. As an, allegedly, beautifully written dystopian science fiction novel that involves clones and explores morality and hopelessness, it’s the kind of story that would usually make me throw money at the bookshop. It’s frankly unbelievable that I haven’t read it yet, and that’s why it’s top of my wish-list this year. Time for a non-fic! I’m trying – or at least I think I am – to join the faceless bulk of doomed souls who call themselves writers. In an online Q&A Charlie Brooker (the creative genius behind Netflix’s Black Mirror) recommended Stephen King’s On Writing. I’m a fan of Stephen King’s work, and Charlie Brooker is writing goals, so this one has to be
stuck in my stocking. Jerusalem by Alan Moore is up next. It’s a sprawling beast teetering on the insane and it’s longer than the Bible. Occupying a similar headspace to Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, I’m certainly eager to wade into the wilderness that is Moore’s incredible mind. Or beard. Perhaps they are one and the same? Responsible for game-changing graphic novel Watchmen, one of my favourite stories to date, I am certainly eager to see how Alan Moore handles continuous prose. If I want to retain any class, I have to iclude winner of this year’s Man Booker Prize, Paul Beatty’s The Sellout. As a lover of social satire and one closely interested in American ideology (as we all are in these troubled times) I am intrigued to read Beatty’s sharp-witted novel on systemic racism in the USA. This may be cheating because I already own a copy, but say I didn’t: I would love a colour copy of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves. Definitely one for a Christmas present, Danielewski’s fragmentary, surreal and eerie tome stitches together the story of a documentary about a house which is a couple of inches bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Some pages require a mirror to read and others are just
single words. It’s fantastically reviewed and if you have ever wanted to trip without taking drugs, this is the book to beg of Father Christmas.
music
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Is protest music dead? Wil Jones debates whether politics has a place in today’s music scene
N May 2010, the first Conservative government for most of this readership’s remembered lives was elected into office, via coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Within a little over 12 months, the youthful mob collectively spoke: in November 2010 during the student demonstrations, and in August 2011 during the London riots. In making sense of those disruptions, the musical piece that was deemed a prescient narration was Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘I Predict a Riot’, a song from the heartlands of derivative indie. A ballad containing the hallmark vowels-increscendo-preceding-the-chorus that was a staple of the form. This wasn’t protest music: it wasn’t even the commentary it was reimagined as either. The landfill indie of the 2000s was a populist pastiche of geographically specific guitar music - Joy Division and The Smiths from Northern England, punk from the South yet without the discernible musical difference that defined these located genres. The Kooks could have been formed in a performing arts school anywhere in the country. So where did it go wrong for music as overt, populist protestation? Woody Guthrie sang ‘This Land is Your Land’ on a guitar emblazoned with “This Machine Kills Fascists” in 1941; in 2009, Mumford & Sons declared themselves “Gentlemen of the Road”, English public schoolboys dressing in the garb of the dustbowl horror Guthrie lived and wrote about. Their atrocious success is emblematic of the commodification of Western music: sincere American counterculture, appropriated and repackaged for the world at large into trite and digestible feasts of song, saying nothing at all, appeasing no genuine musical hunger. It’s the kind of music that validated The Temper Trap’s vanity in ‘London’s Burning’, a portentous, hollow commentary that misses the irony of wealthy Antipodeans attempting to speak for working class Londoners. Instead, understandably, it was the music
of London that provided the best social reflection. On the one hand there was dubstep, music from the melting pot of South London, an electronic warbling that eventually became bastardised into the American frat party soundtrack of Bro-Step: transatlantic appropriation works both ways. Yet it was dubstep’s cousin, grime, that has had the greater staying power as a countercultural genre with mass appeal. It has filled the void dubstep left as an artistic genre that can be sold to the record consuming, suburban middle classes across the country. With its genesis as a subgenre of electronic m u s i c similar to dubstep, the added elements of viscerally powerful music, and linguistically inventive vocals touching on nuanced and real social realities, it gave voice to an often marginalised and oppressed section of society. It was here that the tangible frustrations and
varied narrations of being young and black in contemporary Britain - of growing up poor so close to the financial wealth within the City of London - can be found. The destruction and material theft in those riots is a demonstration of kicking against systemic oppression: the emancipation through music and dreams of social empowerment- of which material possessions are literal barometers - can be found distilled in Kano’s ‘Random Antics’. It was the messy enacting of such musical expressions that led to condemnation and understanding from within grime itself. The student riots appear to be the last cry of a generation now warmly embracing establishment ascension, with a twist: the internet has allowed the dispersion of a very American collegiate identity politics to enter the British discourse. The transatlan-
us election MIXTAPE Susannah Keogh ‘Run The World (Girls)’ - Beyoncé Emma Pravignano ‘American Idiot’ - Greenday Alex Brammer ‘This House Is A Circus’ - Arctic Monkeys Jaysim Hanspal ‘Dear Mr President’ - Pink Theo Stone ‘Every Threat You Make’ - The Police With the US elections imminent, Exeposé Music Writers put together a soundtrack for the momentous occasion
Nick Marsden ‘November Spawned a Monster’ - Morrissey Rob Nought ‘Laughing Stock’ - Kurt Vile Robert Westlake ‘Donald Trump Has A Shit Lid’ - Milk Jug
tic gap feels significantly leaner in the fervour for total adoption of righteous, American pop, of which Beyoncé is evidently Queen. Her album Lemonade has the appearance of protestation and is the logical, universal application of racial, sexual, and gender politics for mass appeal, yet is still very much reliant on the desirable mythologies of capitalism and wealth at the expense of others. Perhaps protest music is dead only in the form we have come to expect it in. Were 2017 to be a Summer of Love, it would be expressed through Facebook interactions rather than communal rejection of normativity. What message does this send? The internet has commodified everything; even ephemeral commentary has a quantifiable value in likes; music through views and therefore visibility on streaming platforms. This hegemony infects even socially progressive artistry in novel consumerist ways that always seemed secondary to the message in the past. Now success and social revolution appear to sit happily alongside each other, embraced by artist and fans alike. Nirvana brought an abrupt end to the pomposity of the stagnant bravado of 80s hair metal, and in doing so gave new life to guitar music as rebellion through slacker culture at a time when hip-hop was very much the voice of Western protest music. The re-emergence in the 2000s of gangster rap - a machismo, money, and power oriented music that could be sold to white America aligned with its Capitalist values of consumption whilst retaining the element of intrigue through the exoticism of cool blackness - shows the fraught nature of politically representing the world as it is, and achieving the desired social change through artistry and music. Protest music with mass appeal isn’t dead. It’s simply as real and imperfect as it always has been, with an economic focus that sits slightly uneasily with the mythologised counterculture of yesteryear.
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EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne
07 NOV 2016
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The death of rock P
Sarah Morrish disputes Roger Daltrey’s claim that rock has reached a “dead end”
ROCLAIMING, or at least prophesising, rock music’s ostensible demise appears somewhat en vogue amongst a plethora of aging musicians and listeners. Gene Simmons – ever the optimist – declared it defunct in an interview with Esquire Magazine, whilst Lenny Kravitz and Marilyn Manson opted to vocalise their qualms, albeit sardonically, through the medium of song. Perhaps it was naïve to assume that the naysayers’ disapproval regarding this subject had been alleviated, for the latest despondent soul to lambaste the so-called ‘death of rock’ was none other than The Who’s Roger Daltrey. Speaking to The Times, Daltrey laments that ‘’the sadness for me is that rock has reached a dead end,’’ and that ‘’the only people saying things that matter are the rappers.’’ Perhaps more disheartening than rock music’s supposed plateau is the cynicism, if not the repression, emanating from a defining figurehead of the genre. By pronouncing rock dead, Daltrey and his counterparts are neither losing nor acquiring anything aside from flouting their own artistic licence, existing as an apparent dying species, the first and last of their kind.
THE ONLY PEOPLE SAYING THINGS THAT MATTER ARE THE RAPPERS Realistically, though modern rock is resoundingly dissimilar to the rock of Daltrey’s era, it still subsists and operates - to imply the contrary is to rob the emerging generation of their musical identity. However, in a culture that predominantly favours pop music along
Photos: IBTimes, Gigslutz, The Star
with its innumerable blends and hybrids, a myriad of modern rock musicians is almost stowed away, their discographies reduced to hidden gems that one might stumble upon in a thrift store, or on an obscure podcast. It is this concealment of one genre, and exposure (if not overexposure) of another that also differentiates modern rock to the traditional rock offered in Daltrey’s heyday - some might forget that the consumer must now scour for the music, rather than the producer scour for the customer. Garnering instantaneous chart success in this climate was no mean feat, then, for English duo Royal Blood. Despite their sound infusing blues-rock, hard-rock and garage-rock into a tangled cocktail of debauchery and eccentricity, the band’s eponymous debut album propelled directly to the formidable summit of the UK Album Charts in 2014. Alas, Royal Blood’s mainstream success can be perceived as the exception to the rule – at this moment in time, not a single rock-orientated act can be observed on the current Billboard Top 100. Amid the throng of underground modern rock, and the pop and rap that dominates the charts, it is rather easy to undermine the emergence of the pure, unadulterated rock that is adored by so many. Popular music’s journey from rock-and-roll’s melodically uncomplicated heavy beats to a far more versatile and expressive incarnation of rock was not necessarily a smooth or effortless transition either. Prior to the infamously groundbreaking British Invasion, rock-and-roll appeared to reside in something of a respite period, acknowledged by some as the ‘in-between stage’ in rock’s evolution. Moreover, it is vital to appreciate that rock music’s roots were derived from an array of genres such as blues, folk, country and jazz. This meant that the music was es-
sentially unoriginal and uninspired, but influenced, just as the music of today is. Over the years, however, rock is remembered and regarded as the indigenous pioneer of the shock-factor, ruffling the listener’s feathers with a sense of urgency and revolt (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s ‘Ohio’, released in 1971, still resonates as one of the greatest counterculture anthems of all time). Does this sound familiar?
MAYBE ROCK ISN’T DEAD AFTER ALL, PERHAPS IT IS JUST ADAPTING In expressing that ‘’the only people saying things that matter are the rappers,’’ Daltrey is, perhaps inadvertently, heralding a genre often written off as sleazy or excessively aggressive. Such judgements are prominent amongst those who simply do not, or will not, regard rap as a serious form of music. Multiple sub-genres of rock music also succumbed to this backlash in their floundering early years, a notable example being punk rock which deviated from the ideological societal norms of the era, and deliberately unsettled their audience. Rap also aims to unsettle their own audience through the explicit and unapologetic discussion of significant societal issues. Tupac Shakur, amidst the gangland folklore enveloping his legacy, often produced messages of wisdom and insight beyond his years and ahead of his time, stating in posthumous Ghetto Gos-
pel that ‘’it ain’t about black or white ‘cause we’re human.’’ A pioneer in the contemporary popularisation of the genre, Shakur is often ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. A twenty-first century example in terms of messages and morals, by comparison, would be Kendrick Lamar, whose third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly was released last year to universal acclaim, hailed by many as the best record of the year. Spawned from his latest effort was ‘Alright’, a track of which has become something of a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. It would be fair to insinuate that mainstream rap has overtaken mainstream rock as the voice of reason, invigorating its audience by addressing repression and oppression alike. Unlike rock, however, rap music was not the by-product of a natural genre transition, but stemmed from a subculture galvanised by young African-Americans as they engaged in block parties, particularly in the Bronx. To suggest that these two genres, so similar yet so different, cannot coexist is ludicrous; Paul McCartney’s recent collaborations with Kanye West, and Rod Stewart’s prominence on A$AP Rocky’s Everyday, demonstrate that the two can certainly mesh in cohesion, as well as generate adequate chart success amongst the masses. This incites an audience to ponder that maybe rock isn’t dead after all, perhaps it is just adapting. Musicians from both genres work so incredibly well in cooperation because they both, at some point or another, stood out to rebel against the system, what came before, and what their parents and grandparents condemned. As Neil Young whimsically warbled back in 1972: ‘’old man look at my life, I’m a lot like you were.’’
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07 NOV 2016
EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne
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The baffled king composing Theodore Stone, Online Editor, exalts possibly the final album of the legendary troubadour LEONARD COHEN You Want It Darker 21 October
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OBODY at the age of 82 should be making records this good. In fact, nobody expects musicians at the age of 82 to even be making records. Leonard Cohen, however, appears to be bucking this expectation. Forthcoming critical acclamations aside, the sheer fact that Cohen is able to produce music and lyrics of this quality at the age of 82 is, in short, remarkable. Most of his contemporaries have either prematurely shuffled off their mortal coil or taken up bee-keeping, and those who continue to write and release often earn praise simply for the feat of being alive, as opposed to writing quality songs. We ignore the creative lull in order to appreciate their functionality. In many of these cases, we are inclined to proclaim these albums to be ‘the best since when’. Cohen is, once again, not one of these people: he’s been on a roll since 2001’s Ten New Songs brought him out of a decade-long absence, and every subsequent release has been an improvement on the last. Fifteen years later, we are once again standing at the peak of a creative mountain, but the landscape looks very different to what it once was.
Throughout the album, Cohen embraces spirituality, and couples it with an acute awareness of his own mortality. Whether it is an acceptance of death or not, however, remains to be seen. Whilst he told The New Yorker earlier this year that he was ready to die, he almost immediately retracted this statement, and whilst death’s fingerprints are all over the LP, there is no sign of it being a resignation. The title track flits between aggression and acceptance, but never lets you know where he truly stands.
HE HAS LONG BEEN CONFIRMED AS ONE OF MUSIC’S IMMORTALS At the end of the day, lyrically, this is an album of juxtapositions. He has scores to settle with God, lovers, and himself, old wounds to heal, and new ones to open. And yet, despite the seemingly hopeless themes and the war against the omnipotent unknown, there is a sense of persistence, an immortal side to a very mortal record. Cohen can’t quite give up yet ‘Treaty’ closes off the events with a list of misfortunes, sins and feuds, a feature which helps to make whatever examples of light within the album all the more valuable. The tracks are filled with contradictions and anomalies, but that in
itself exposes the fleeting examples of hope which run through the album. As for the music, it’s safe to say that this is by no means more of the same. In spite of his age and history, Cohen is nonetheless moving forward, embracing dance remixes and replacing the synths and drum machines of old with waves of strings within a sea of organ. Tremolo guitars and pedal steels emerge from the void to tug at the heartstrings, whilst the contrast of orchestral majesty and scorched singing makes for a fascinating comparison. And what a voice. The trademark growl, a poetic snarl, has only become more cultivated as the years have built on it. The wine has become richer, the vintage more refined, to the point where the overall effect feels as if Cohen is singing inside your very mind, a feat only enhancing the album’s spiritualist tendencies. His defiant rasp speaks volumes, and paired with the simplistic instrumentation and churchfeverish choirs, it forces you to develop an almost hypnotic fixation with it. It’s a fascinating weapon. Leonard Cohen might be singing about his physical mortality, but he has long been confirmed as one of music’s immortals. You Want it Darker simply adds more evidence to this case. Cohen longs for wishes, and yet he already has all he needs, for he already carries a legacy built to last millennia. To put it simply, it’s brilliant.
EXEPOSÉ MUSIC WRITERS’ BEST ALBUMS OF OCTOBER #1 Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker
#2 Two Door Cinema Club Gameshow
#3 Agnes Obel Citizen of Glass
#4 Kate Tempest Let Them Eat Chaos
Dropping off the map Jonny Morris critiques the latest offering from the Manchester indie rockers THE COURTEENERS Mapping the Rendezvous 28 October
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tried to explain, “it’s a cultural thing”, somewhere between one and seven beers. I was attempting to explain to a friend why The Courteeners are so big in Manchester; coming from the North-West I feel like I have more of an insight. The band churn out unpretentious songs with everyday lyrics that resonate with the man on the street, which endears them to legions of Mancunians. Their following in the city is massive, filling a gap left by The Stone Roses and then Oasis; they sold out the 25,000 capacity Heaton Park last year and are playing the 50,000
capacity Old Trafford cricket ground in May next year. Liam Fray follows Liam Gallagher and Ian Brown as a distinctive lead singer with arrogance and swagger. The unusual thing for me was always why The Courteeners aren’t bigger down south. This seems to be changing now, however, as the group are selling out larger venues in the South, including the O2 Academy in Bristol on their upcoming tour. The new album, Mapping the Rendezvous, Rendezvous is the group’s fifth album. The previous effort, Concrete Love, Love achieved reviews that can only be described as ‘mixed’. On a first listen, it is obvious that the band are crafting a different brand to the previous brash pub-rock sound of the St Jude era. There is much more experimentation with different styles; this is refreshing but perhaps endangers their image as an unpreten-
tious band and risks alienating some of their fans. The album kicks off with ‘Lucifer’s Dreams’, perhaps a more traditional indie-rock number compared to some of the other songs; fast-paced with a tap-along drumbeat, it’s certainly enjoyable if not particularly memorable.
BORDERLINE DULL AND LYRICALLY VANILLA The singles ‘Kitchen’, ‘No One Will Ever Replace Us’ and ‘The 17th’ all stand out and punctuate the album well. ‘Kitchen’ has a powerful drum beat and earthy guitar part; however, the addition of a trebly riff reminiscent of INXS is a bit different and distinguishes it from previous hits. The lyrics might be thought of by some as mundane, but the fact that that Fray can craft relatable stories of day-to-day life endears him to many fans. ‘No One Will Ever Replace Us’ shows us that the band have not forgotten how to deliver a catchy chorus, while ‘The 17th’ is arguably the best song on the whole album; it builds fantastically and it isn’t hard to imagine a crowd singing the words back at the end of a show. As the album progresses it somewhat
loses its way. Ironically, ‘Most Important’ is borderline dull and lyrically vanilla, surprising considering how Fray has been praised for his lyrics in the past. It feels unnecessary after ‘Finest Hour’, another nostalgic slow song which starts with a piano accompaniment and then builds as the band enter later on, although not exactly interesting. Mapping the Rendezvous contains some fantastic upbeat indie-rock tracks and it is certainly more refined than earlier efforts. However, Liam Fray’s Marmite reminiscing, especially in the slower tracks, may not be to everyone’s taste. There are a few too many forgettable songs, and this unfortunately cheapens the album as a whole. Nevertheless, the album is a good listen, and the new creativity shown is definitely welcome.
MAPPING THE RENDEZVOUS OUT NOW
screen
Reflecting on Black Mirror
Matthew Phillips reviews the third series of the speculative satire BLACK MIRROR Creator: Charlie Brooker Bryce Dallas Howard, James Norton 2016
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N an online Q&A with showrunners Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones one user asked: “Do you guys find it at all ironic that your show captivates people for hours of the day, similar to your portrayal of technology in the past seasons?” To which they replied: “RESUME VIEWING” (a reference to Fifteen Million Merits, S1E2), and resume viewing is exactly what Black Mirror’s third season forces you to do. An anthology of terrific and dark social satire told through an uncannily pertinent lens, the summits of Black Mirror’s storytelling set the bar very high. Considering this, however, some episodes are notably weaker than others. The first episode, ‘Nosedive’, opens the series with a relatively light-hearted and palatable touch before the anthology as a whole – like most Black Mirror episodes in themselves – plunges into an increasingly dark and twisted descent. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Lacie, a social media obsessed office worker, ‘Nosedive’ presents a society where people’s social media rating has a real-world impact on how they are treated. The unsubtle nature of the themes is conducive to the bright, colour-saturated glossy visuals and the repetitive, cheeping electronic sounds which create a garish future in which the impact of social media platforms like Instagram is stretched to the extreme. Dallas Howard’s performance is excellent, and ‘Nosedive’’s ending is liberating: it throws off the thick, almost tangible layers of everyday anxiety social media produces with a resounding “Fuck you!”
Perhaps feeling a little mollycoddled by the cosier-than-usual story of ‘Nosedive’, ‘Playtest’ jerks you from your seat in a ride of thrilling psychological horror. Cooper, an easy-going traveller looking to quell existential angst about his deceased father and alienated mother, is aptly brought to life in Wyatt Russell’s thoroughly convincing performance. Whilst one of the major themes ‘Playtest’ explores is intriguing – modern society’s reliance on smartphones and associated media to manage and produce our existence, romantic, familial and vocational – the points it attempts to drive home can feel a little confused. Nevertheless, ‘Playtest’ is a frightening and fantastic piece of storytelling in itself that leaves the viewer buoyant with the exhilaration of postfright catharsis. Photo: Netflix
A FRIGHTENING AND FANTASTIC PIECE OF STORYTELLING A comparatively weaker entry, ‘Shut Up And Dance’ attempts to deal, somewhat awkwardly, with the moral quandaries surrounding ‘hacktivists’ and the hypocrisy of those willing to condemn alleged criminals to grisly physical and psychological torture for their crimes – the Ashley Madison scandal is called to mind. The episode is nonetheless lifted by exceptional performances from Alex Lawther, who plays shy and terrified Kenny, a teenage paedophile, and Jerome Flynn, who plays Hector, an anxious husband ever-furious at his tormentor’s anonymity. The narrative becomes a progressive escalation of nightmare tasks Kenny and Hector must endure, meaning ‘Shut Up and Dance’ lacks the quintessential unpredictability that is character-
istic of Black Mirror’s best stories. ‘San Junipero’ presents an unexpectedly colourful, jubilant and profoundly heartfelt story. Arguably the best entry of the new anthology, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis play Kelly and Yorkie, two women who fall in love in a simulated slice of the 1980s called San Junipero. On the story’s unusually joyous note, Brooker explained that “I was consciously trying to reinvent what the show was, partly as a palate cleanser for myself.” And aren’t we glad that he did! ‘San Junipero’ is a beautiful piece of work. Its score was chosen terrifically and speaks to the story’s overarching themes: a tale of love between two elderly women in a simulation that manages to remain emotionally grounded, sincere and moving is told to the sounds of The Smith’s ‘Girlfriend in a Coma,’ Living In A Box’s ‘Living In A Box’ and Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven is a place on Earth.’ Brooker’s sci-fi romance weaves the story of Kelly and Yorkie’s relationship with themes of high philosophy (namely, what constitutes reality?) in a subtle yet highly thought-provoking manner. ‘San Junipero’’s ending, the climax of its genius, blends very unlikely emotions on visual and conceptual levels: bliss as Yorkie’s grave is lowered into the ground, delight as Kelly has her consciousness uploaded to the cloud, and the afterglow of happiness during a retreating shot of San Junipero’s vast and uncanny server room.
UNEXPECTEDLY COLOURFUL, JUBILANT, AND PROFOUNDLY HEARTFELT Starring Malachi Kirby and Adeline Brewer as Stripe and Ray in what is probably the story most pertinent to modern day issues, ‘Men Against Fire’ is set precisely at Black Mirror’s thematic tem-
Photo: Netflix
07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
Ahead of the upcoming November
perature. Kirby gives an excellent performance as a fresh army recruit in a government sponsored battle against deformed “roaches,” and Brewer’s performance as his over-eager, pacey companion is sound. Primarily confronting ethnic cleansing, ‘Men Against Fire’ is a superb and harrowing look at what drives soldiers to pull the trigger and the othering of nationalities foreign to our own. Some have called ‘Hated in the Nation’ “Charlie Brooker’s masterpiece.” Whilst I wouldn’t go as far as that, season three’s feature-length sci-fi crime thriller is certainly a worthy final instalment. Kelly Macdonald, who co-stars as the stony and cynical DCI Karin Parke, provides a solid performance to contrast her optimistic and tech-savvy partner Blue, played well by Faye Marsay. Together, the improbable pair embark on a conventionally gripping murder mystery that explores the phenomenon of social media hate campaigns and the destructive power of technology in the wrong hands. Despite the original nature of the story’s main plot points, the heights of its narrative ingenuity can be a little flash-in-the-pan owing to the episode’s varyingly over-developed and under-developed ideas. They pull its pacing short of perfect and slightly blur the usually piercing social commentary. Critical though we must be of the season’s final and longest instalment, ‘Hated in the Nation’ is definitely one of season three’s strongest episodes. In all, Black Mirror’s third season is fantastic. It’s absolutely worth taking the time to watch, ponder, and pace furiously around the room over. Finally, if you disagree with points in this review and feel an indignant rage bubbling to the surface, take recompense in Charlie Brooker’s comment that ‘no two people can agree on their favourites, it seems. We’ve seen all of them labelled worst and best.’ If this isn’t enough, feel free to give me one star and reduce my rating.
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EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar
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Bake Off curtain call
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Joanna Williams reminisces over the finale as the sun sets on the BBC favourite as we know it
N your marks, get set, BAKE!” These words epitomize the joy that I have felt these last seven years, along with millions around the country, when watching fairy cakes, and pastries, pies and puddings, and oh so much butter cream created on The Great British Bake Off. It’s brought tears and smiles, nerves and excitement, and, most importantly, it’s brought home-baked goods back to the table. But the “time is up”, the bakes are done, an era has ended. Mary and Paul, Mel and Sue, along with twelve bakers, must leave the BBC’s baking tent of goodness. Such a programme requires a celebratory send off, and with a royal theme , the BBC said goodbye to The Great British Bake Off with all the glory it so deserved.
lenges. Mary Berry’s technical challenge came in the form of a traditional Victoria sponge. Sounds somewhat straightfoward for the seventh series’ final, doesn’t it? But do not be fooled. Scrutinising over whether they should employ the all-inone baking method, or not, presented as difficult a challenge as anything else. Queen Mary of Bakes was not merely testing their physical baking ability but rather their baking mentality; who knew that baking could be so psychological? The tables turned, and Andrew won the challenge, with Candice second and Jane coming last. All was to play for in the final showstopper bake. Simplicity was seemingly the theme once again… or so it
seemed. A picnic hamper fit for royalty was required, filled with 49 different pieces: 12 scones, 12 sausage rolls, 12 quiches, 12 fruit and custard tarts, and one big chocolate cake. Each of these items alone should have proved a piece of cake for such experienced bakers. However, the scale of the mission, to be completed within a five hour time limit, complicated the challenge. Jane and Andrew’s pastry was raw, Andrew’s tarts suffered from the infamous soggy bottom syndrome, and Candice’s cheese scones lacked cheese, ironically. Although the judges deemed Andrew’s chocolate cake delicious, Jane’s quiches exquisite and Candice’s tarts divine. Not only had they displayed their baking capabilities, but the
BUT THE “TIME IS UP”, THE BAKES ARE DONE, AN ERA HAS ENDED.
strength of mind to triumph in the face of confectionary complexity. The judges crowned Candice their winner, and deservedly so. Consistent throughout the series, with three star baker awards to her name, and in the final itself, Candice pushed the boundaries with her creative and delectable bakes. As Jane later commented “you can’t outCandice Candice”. Candice’s teary final words were as sugary and sweet as her bakes. Winning the Bake Off would, as she so rightly said, change her life.
CANDICE’S TEARY FINAL WORDS WERE AS SUGARY AND SWEET AS HER BAKES Andrew, Candice and Jane all could have won, and unlike other competitions like the XFactor, or even Strictly, The Great British Bake Off makes every baker a winner. If baking brings smiles to people’s faces, well, what could be better? The cameras switched their final shot to Candice and Jane sat chatting around a picnic table, planning a future baking road trip. A P.E. teacher and garden designer off on a baking adventure, brought together by… cake. It seems that the baking tent did more than just facilitate baking. It built friendships and confidence too. We may have said goodbye to the BBC Bake Off but we don’t have to say goodbye cake, there’s always plenty more to bake.
This year’s final was just as tense as every other week. Beginning with a triple layered fruit meringue signature challenge, the bakers were forced to get creative with a classic combo. However fancy P.E. teacher Candice and engineer Andrew’s meringue replicas of the crown jewels may have been, it was landscape designer Jane’s simple piped construction that won the royal seal of approval. On the surface, simplicity appeared to be the theme of the baker’s first set of chal-
Talentless competitions?
J
Katherine Watson assesses whether television talent contests are really interested in talent
EDWARD, Wagner, Honey G. No prizes for guessing what these three have in common: they are – and I think we can all agree on this – objectively talentless X Factor contestants who somehow managed to make it through to the live shows, even though they cannot sing for love nor money. Actually maybe that’s a bad choice of phrase: that’s exactly why they made it so far.
SACRIFICING BOTH TALENT AND INTEGRITY Simon Cowell obviously has his reasons for sacrificing both talent and (let’s be honest) integrity in favour of fame-hungry wannabes (I’ll give you a clue: it rhymes with honey) and Louis Walsh appears to be involved in a bet as to just how ridiculous an act he can peddle, but what about the rest of us? Why do we continue to use our vote as a shout into the void against the Establishment? I have one word for you my friends: Brexit. Yes you may think comparing our democratically legitimate departure from the EU to a
couple of Irish twins with untenably high quiffs is a comparison too far – and you may well be right – but my point still stands. We love a wild card and are unfailing champions of the underdog, prepared to use our voting power to support one. Having said that, some ‘stars’ (although it pains me to use the word) have emerged from Simon Cowell’s nursery. Just look at the success of contestants like Little Mix, Olly Murs and, of course, One Direction: I myself am one of those way-too-old-should-bemore-ashamed-of-themselves fans who sings along with the screaming packs of 9-year-old girls. But even with these examples there are problems. Olly Murs came second to Joe McElderry (a gold star and a 70 in your next essay if anyone can name one of McElderry’s songs) and our beloved 1D were beaten by both Rebecca Ferguson and Matt Cardle. So does winning The X Factor have anything at all to do with talent? No, for two reasons: as we’ve already seen in previous series, and may be about to see on a greater scale with the upcoming US election, people really will vote for anything. And secondly, a good deal of what makes an artist successful
is song writing, which is woefully ignored in the show’s set-up, and therefore leads to the inconsistencies between its results and the following year’s chart standings.
THE SET UP IS MORE CONDUCIVE TO IDIOTS But what about shows like The Apprentice? Similar in many ways, but with a few key differences, which mean I’m still watching a group of people in suits and heels try to create adverts and sell antiques every Wednesday, despite having given up on The X Factor in 2011. For starters, the set-up is much more conducive to the complete idiots getting knocked out early, as the person who leaves is always from the losing team. Plus, the bottom three are handpicked by someone who is all too familiar with their failings, and very unlikely to give them a leg up simply because they’re funny: their Project Manager. In the boardroom, we are treated to seeing the losing team being torn to shreds by each other and the ‘judges’, exposing their weaknesses and often
making it clear who should go. Then there’s the ruthless interview episode and the fact that Lord Sugar, Karren Brady and Claude Littner really are business experts, and thus all too aware of the various wools the applicants try to pull over their eyes. The result is a show where yes, there are some truly incredible acts of bravado, but also some real gems. Well, as long as you ignore our old friend Katie Hopkins that is.
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EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar
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Power to the people Mark Allison, Screen Editor, is full of praise for Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner I, DANIEL BLAKE Director: Ken Loach Dave Johns, Hayley Squires 2016, 100 minutes.
THRE ARSARSARSAA
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ROM the glum realism of 1969’s Kes, to the tragedy and blood of 1995’s Land and Freedom, English director Ken Loach has crafted an impressive and varied back catalogue. Now aged 80, his desire to broadcast injustice and make demands for a better world remains as powerful as ever, equalled by his immense skill behind the camera. With this year’s I, Daniel Blake, Loach fixes his sights on contemporary Britain, and an uncaring state that uses its most vulnerable constituents for political capital. As one would expect, I, Daniel Blake has a political agenda that is inherent in its design. Despite this, however, it never feels as though one is being preached to. Rather, we are shown an interpretation of reality and asked to draw our own conclusions. Paul Laverty’s script wisely roots itself in compelling and sympathetic character drama, focusing on the human experience in a world that is all too often reduced to a series of statistics and
quotas. Meanwhile, Loach’s talent in making the everyday appear cinematic results in an experience that is both emotionally and visually striking. Although the film focuses on a thoroughly depressing subject matter, it avoids submerging itself in misery. Laverty’s script has a great sense of wit that runs throughout all but the most harrowing moments, and every key cast member imbues their role with a genuine sense of warmth and humanity – it’s this unrelenting charm in the face of adversity that makes their continued plight feel all the more senseless.
THE SCRIPT HAS A GREAT SENSE OF WIT Dave Johns stars as the eponymous Dan, a 59-year-old joiner who finds himself unable to work and reliant on the state following a major heart attack. It’s an impressive performance from an actor more likely to be found on Never Mind the Buzzcocks than a socialrealist drama. Dan’s frustration is palpable as he grapples with the Department for Work and Pensions, every step powerfully chronicled as he faces layers of bureaucratic apathy. The stand out performance of the film,
however, is delivered by Hayley Squires as Katie, a single mother struggling to provide for her children after relocating from London. Squires shines in some moments of heart wrenching reality, as Katie tries to stay afloat against a tide of poverty and benefit sanctions. Her story packs an emotional punch that catches one off guard and leaves a harrowing impression. I, Daniel Blake is not just a populist call to arms, but a damn good piece of film-making. Fundamentally, Loach has taken a series of phrases with which the newspapers have made us unfortunately familiar – sanctions, fit-for-work assessments, food banks – and placed them within their human context. He shows how people depend upon this confused labyrinth of paperwork and assessments for their very survival, and how the system is corrupted for political convenience. Loach’s power as a film-maker ends here, but if we, as citizens, are truly appalled by what he has put on screen, then it is our responsibility to demand the change we seek. As the title suggests, Daniel Blake could be any of us, and this reminder of our collective responsibility is the film’s most essential ideal. I, Daniel Blake is enlightening, gripping, and emotionally exhausting, but more than anything, it’s important.
Stranger things George Gregory looks at the latest outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe DOCTOR STRANGE Director: Scott Derrickson Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton 2016, 115 minutes.
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OCTOR Strange follows a genius surgeon, Stephen Strange, who loses the use of his hands in an accident, and whilst trying to find a cure inadvertently stumbles upon spiritual powers he could never have imagined. The film stands out from the multitude of other Marvel films thanks to the stunning visuals which continue to amaze throughout the film. Dazzling sequences allow for the film’s plentiful moments of exposition to become a joy to watch rather than a slog. Whilst not all of the visual effects are truly original, and you may see similarities with the likes of Inception or 2001: A Space Odyssey, they still captivate and set the spiritual and mysterious tone of the film well.
THE FILM STRUGGLES IN THE VILLAIN DEPARTMENT Audiences have become very used to superhero origin stories in recent years, so the plot may seem formulaic to some. But the fast pace of Doctor Strange meant I never became bored of a location or scene as before I knew it we had burst into another visually entertaining action sequence. The break neck speed of the film does have the odd negative
as Stephen Strange’s love interest is not fully developed and seems to just fall away near the end of the film into insignificance. Benedict Cumberbatch’s confident performance is what really sets Doctor Strange apart from its many competitors. Cumberbatch is not a brave casting choice, since we are all used to him being the brilliant but difficult genius in Sherlock. However, he brings a confidence and wit which will inevitably lead to comparisons with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, which is high praise indeed. Cumberbatch is naturally funny throughout and his performance is varied enough for him to be both the powerful action hero one scene and the more relatable joker in the next. He does pull it off entirely by himself though, as Benedict Wong puts in a great supporting comic performance. Regretably, the humour is occasionally overdone and sometimes a gag arrives far too close to an emotional climax in the film. It is hard for these emotional scenes to have any real poignancy when we are all too quickly jumping to the next joke. A common problem in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is weak and forgettable villains, and unfortunately Doctor Strange does struggle in this department. Mads Mikkelsen portrays Kaecilius: a master of the mystic art whose head has been turned by the dark di-
mension’s potential in dodging death. His motive is intriguing and his similarities with Stephen Strange lead to some interesting conflict, and it would have been great to have even seen more of this theme. Kaeciliius needs a couple more scenes to really show the audience why we should be scared of him, but unfortunately the swift pace of the film does not allow for this. The villain does his job sufficiently and is not necessarily a drawback, but I doubt he is going to become a fan favourite.
IT’S MARVEL’S BEST SINCE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Doctor Strange does face the classic Marvel problems of an under cooked villain and a formulaic plot. But it’s difficult to care as the fast moving plot, mind-boggling visuals and an emphatic performance from Benedict Cumberbatch more than compensate for its problems. Doctor Strange is not the instant classic it had the potential to be, but it is exciting throughout and is Marvel’s best entry into their cinematic universe since Guardians of the Galaxy.
games + tech Not so horrible histories
Ben Assirati, Online Games + Tech Editor, explores the past through the very best historical games
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HOSE who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. These are the famous words of George Santayana, and they neatly summarize society’s fixation on events long-since passed, and people long-since dead.
THERE’S A SWATHE OF GAMES DEDICATED TO HISTORICAL SETTINGS Since the video game industry is, in essence, another tool for consumption of media, it makes sense that there’s a swathe of games dedicated to historical settings – fictional or otherwise. With the upcoming release of Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s worth taking a brief look back at a few of these games, and evaluating their merit as tools for education. My personal favourite series of historical games is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. These games take place in vastly different locations,
with a recurrent plotline of a battle between the ‘Assassins’ and the ‘Templars’. Despite the playable characters/ modern-day NPCs all being completely Image: U bisoft Pres fictional, as well s as the whole set-up of a series of ancient super-beings, the games are surprisingly accurate when it comes to recreating real locations (such as London, Paris and Rome), and feature a fair few real historical humans as part of the story lines. You
probably shouldn’t cite anything here in a History essay, but for basic knowledge of what cities look like, and the interpersonal relations of a few people, it’s an accurate enough tool. For historical knowledge on key battles and generals, you should look no further than the Total War series. Ranging from Feudal Japan, to the Roman Empire, and even to the French Armies of Napoleon, the series has surprising levels of historical knowledge in relation to 1868 battle tacft Press so bi U e: tics and the Imag
set-up of some of the most powerful armies in history. More recently, two games have accurately hit the niche of the 1940s: the ‘gangster’ era. These being Mafia II, and L.A Noire. Whilst neither are exactly powerhouses of factual information, they are both acclaimed for their ability to capture the run-and-gun, gritty feeling of post-war America.
THE AC GAMES ARE SURPRISINGLY ACCURATE Finally, I would want to see a Skyrim-like game, but based off of the Viking mythos. Yes, I know the ‘Nords’ of the Elder Scrolls entry draw heavily from Viking inspirations, but I am imagining a game in the veins of Beowulf; sailing to foreign lands to protect kings, fight dragons, and slay sea monsters. This would provide a perfect opportunity for going in-depth in the extensive amount of mysterious Viking lore.
Moore’s law uproar A
Sam Woolf, Games + Tech Editor, examines the concerns over technological advancement
RTIFlCIAL intelligence has always seemed more the realm of science fiction than science fact to me. As such, it always comes as a bit of a shock when I am reminded of just how far technology has come over the past half-century. It was recently reported that an artificial intelligence system has achieved a 79% success rate in predicting the outcomes of hundreds of cases heard at the European Court of Human Rights. We appear to be quite a way off from robot lawyers just yet. But, in light of this news, it appears that the concept of a thinking computer is a lot more grounded in reality than I had initially thought. It’s sometimes very easy to forget just how fast progress is being made. Apple’s A8X processor – first appearing in the iPad Air 2 in 2014 – houses 3 billion transistors, which in terms of raw computing power is on par with
the world’s most powerful supercomputers from 1995. Having personally been born in 1996, it simply blows my mind to think that I’m walking around with a supercomputer. But, is it possible that the same thing will happen again in the next 20 years? According to Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel: most probably.
A FUTURE EVENT KNOWN AS THE SINGULARITY COULD OCCUR AS EARLY AS 2025 In 1965, Moore noticed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits appeared to double roughly every two years. Based on this steadily doubling data, Moore made the prediction that the trend would continue into the future. Over the
past 50 years this prediction, now known as Moore’s Law, has proved surprisingly accurate. According to some specialists there is simply a physical limit which could be reached as early as 2017. On the flipside, if current trends continue, many specialists predict that a future event known as the “singularity” - in which computers become so powerful that they can match the processing power of the human brain - could occur as early as 2025. Ultimately, the potential for disaster comes from just how fast everything is progressing. If you were to take a chessboard and place a grain of rice on the first square, two on the second square, four on the third, and so on and so forth, with each subsequent square having double the number of grains of wheat, then there would be 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 grains
of wheat on the sixty-fourth square. Doubling our computing power every few years may sound exciting, but it’s also very easy for things to get out of hand incredibly quickly.
Wikimedia Commons
BYTE-SIZE blast from the past by Wil Jones
FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 EA Sports Multiplatform
1997 AAAA
Fifa 98 RWC captured the changing face of football in the 90s perfectly. An improved level of immersion meant that it was the first football game that didn’t feel like an arcade only experience. What’s more, many of the tactics and techniques that modern football games are now renownedwere born here. Incredibly, the game featured 172 international teams, and a full qualification mode that led you to the World Cup proper in France. This in itself was exquisite. On top of this, there was five-a-side indoor football mode, commentary from John Motson, and the ability to customise any team or player, to make them as ridiculous, sublime, or mundane (your mates) as you wished. Despite having to anticipate how long the PC monitor would take to cool down after an extensive play session, it was the kind of game to lose countless hours to; legging Peter Schmeichel down the field just never got old.
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EDITORS: Jabez Sherrington and Sam Woolf
07 NOV 2016
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Best in its field Jabez Sherrington, Games + Tech Editor, ships out to review Battlefield 1
BATTLEFIELD 1 OFFERS GREAT MULTIPLAYER Overall, I have no qualms recommending Battlefield 1.. DICE have straddled the line
CROSSWORD # 90
SUDOKU #27 Across 7 Mockery (5) 8 Stay (some wanted to in a certain 11 this summer) (6) 10 Factor (7) 11 Association (one was broken by the vote for something on top) (5) 12/15 Majority call (which means something on top [and bottom?] will happen) (5,8) 14 Without moisture (5-2) 16 Unhappy (7) 18 Sailing vessel (5) 20 Do one (those voting against a certain 11 did for something on top) (5) 22 Cutting tooth (7) 24 Round shape (6) 25 Plant life (5)
Down 1 Upper arm muscle (6) 2 Acting out imaginary parts (8) 3 Jane ____, Charlotte Bronte heroine (4) 4 Adult (film, say) (1-5) 5 Resistance (to a disease, say) (8) 6 Native American tent - IT P.I. (anagram) (4) 9 Simple card game (4) 13 Judiciary (football subs sit on it!) (3,5) 15 See 12 Across 16 Sudden shock (4) 17 Formal dinner (6) 19 Yarn - dearth (anagram) (6) 21 Occupied (2,2) 23 Bistro (4)
STUDY BREAK PUZZLES BY ALFRED
ANSWERS
Across: 7 Irony, 8 Remain, 10 Element, 11 Union,
Despite the vast majority of people purchasing Battlefield 1 for the multiplayer, this single player campaign is worth a playthrough. Split into short mini-campaigns, each set of missions provides an independent story, teaching you about various game mechanics ready for multiplayer – the tank based campaign, for example, shows you the basics of playing a Tanker role. I am glad they have changed into this ‘ex-
12/15 Split decision, 14 Dried-up, 16 Joyless, 18
DICE SEEM TO SIMPLY IGNORE HISTORICAL ACCURACY
Yacht, 20 Leave, 22 Incisor, 24 Circle, 25 Flora.
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ESPITE being a huge moment in history, World War I has had a hard time being represented well in video games. World War II boasts a huge array of titles, but as for the Great War, we only really have some old flight simulators and a handful of forgotten RTSs. So, when EA/DICE announced that the latest instalment of their Battlefield franchise would add a (hopefully) positive addition to the period, fans were both excited, and worried. DICE seem to have been the first developer to just ignore the usual qualms of historical accuracy and make a game about the War anyway – if you go into the game expecting an authentic representation, you’ll find little of that beyond the odd moment in the single player campaign. The game is more Battlefield taking place in WWI, than WWI having a Battlefield game made about it.
Down: 1 Biceps, 2 Roleplay, 3 Eyre, 4 X-rated,
aAAAAB
between providing a fun WWI experience, and offering a historical FPS game; real life scenarios are mired with pure fun wackiness, which would be OK if the game did not provide constant historical insights/etc. I hope they go full into the fun side in later expansions, and sacrifice an attempt to provide a game cemented in history – at times it feels like you are playing an alternate-reality WWI, chasing after the next crazy spectacle that is randomly generated by players within the game. These are the best times of the game, and make it worth the high price tag – the worst times, are when the game tries to be serious. Luckily, these are far outweighed by the fantastic fun this title is offering.
5 Immunity, 6 Tipi, 9 Snap, 13 The bench, 16
DICE PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC 2016
an atmospheric chaos that you can only really expect from the Battlefield franchise. Tanks can’t see where they are going, pilots drop their barrages in the wrong places, and troops on the ground are shooting at allies whilst trying to heal foes; these moments of pure chaos are exactly what makes the Battlefield 1 multiplayer a unique experience, with some reassuring familiarity to players of the series. A unique experience is not always a good one, but I am happy to say that Battlefield 1 offers a genuinely great multiplayer. The majority of guns, despite being wildly historically inaccurate, work well with the scenarios portrayed – none really seem that overpowered beyond the end unlockable for the Assault class, and I feel this issue will become more prominent in weeks to come, as players acquire the exp to unlock it. There are a few underpowered guns, and the Support class as a whole boasts the insanely powerful mortar, but has no other real stand-out features. Despite these, the vast majority of the guns/tools are really fun – I would just have loved a few more of them, as most available weapons are just variants of others. Destructible terrain is back in force, with the map looking and playing entirely different by the end of a game. Huge special vehicles change the shape of the map, and the new Operations gamemode is a ton of fun. The progression system is decent, but a bit bare in the middle levels – the medal awards which it is coupled with needs some work, as it sets you rigid goals which tend to make you play a class which isn’t needed in the current scenario, solely to get shiny new player icons/etc.
Jolt, 17 Soirée, 19 Thread, 21 At it, 23 Cafe.
BATTLEFIELD 1
panded tutorial’ approach to single player, as other Battlefield titles have had a completely useless and forgettable campaign experience. Battlefield 1’s campaign is certainly not forgettable – despite running into many clichéd bits of dialogue, and pointless story development, I had fun with the single player content, even if it is a bit short; spectacular set-pieces such as gargantuan airships crashing over London make the sacrifice of historical accuracy almost worth it for the pure thrill. Spanning from the dunes of the Sinai Desert, and into the trenches of Mont Saint-Quentin, the game features quite a few maps in multiplayer, with a lot of different scenery which affects core mechanics such as where to find cover and what terrain is destructible. There is a disappointing lack of trench warfare – not a massive issue, and I can foresee a DLC centred around it in the future. The sound in the game is also a strange topic to determine; whilst the game sounds amazing, with a great score accompanying the grotesque death rattles and artillery bombardments, it can often act to the detriment of the player online – good headphones are overworked, with so much going on it is hard to pinpoint what you are hearing. Simple speaker setups just seem to muddle many of the sounds together. I feel this is an unintentional feature, to try to grasp the sheer absurdity of a battlefield, but it can allow for some simply irritating scenarios, such as you not hearing a cavalier running at you full gallop then running you down unexpectedly. Equally as great, with none of the fall-backs, is the graphical fidelity of the game. Battlefield 1 is simply gorgeous. Some textures might look a bit off if you focus, but playing the game as you would normally is a dream, and blends right into the actual level design: great sandstorms, foggy mornings, and vast swathes of artillery smoke momentarily fill the battlefield, truly creating
Science
07 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
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SCIENCE EDITORS:
Victoria Bos Beth Honey WikiCommons
To infinity and beyond...? .
Ruth Braham examines the possibility of habitable planets within our solar system and details the strict environmental requirements
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ICTURE the scene: populations rising, the destruction of ecosystems and rampant global warming have made the world barren and uninhabitable. It’s the stuff of classic dystopian fiction - but given the state of the world, not outside the realms of possibility. Once this world is used up what happens next? Perhaps we might look to the stars, but which ones? Many worlds and systems have been considered, but what criteria do scientists use to classify habitable planets and what do they look for? Well, it’s all in the water. Liquid water is considered to be a major prerequisite for habitability and in order to have this the planet must lie in the so called “Goldilocks Zone” (yes, that Goldilocks) where the planet’s surface is the right temperature to play host to liquid water without it either evaporating or being frozen. The exact size of this zone depends on the size and nature of the star which the planet orbits. The planet must also be “rocky”, i.e. have a solid surface, as opposed to “gas giants” such as Jupiter. Neptune, a planet somewhere between the two extremes, has a radius of 1.6 times that of the earth, so many astronomers consider that a radius with less than this should be “rocky”. The star the planet orbits should be “spectral”, generally meaning mid–range stars like our own sun, who give off a sufficient amount of ultraviolet energy but have a suitably long lifespan for planets to develop. They
should also show little variability in the amount of energy they give out. Ideal candidates will also have a weight and atmosphere roughly similar to that of the earth. They should also have a small amount of “Axial tilt”, the reason we experience seasons. A stable orbit helps to prevent large temperature fluctuations which may make the planet uninhabitable. Tidal Locked planets (where one side of the planet constantly faces the star) are largely considered uninhabitable as one side is in constant daylight, the other in perpetual night, meaning one side is much hotter than the other.
The low atmospheric pressure (less than 1% of the earth’s) means that the presence of water is extremely unlikely So now we know what we’re looking for, what are some potential candidates? We first looked to our neighbour Mars. The red planet has played host to many Sci-Fi populations from HG Wells War of the Worlds to Doctor Who’s villainous Ice Warriors. But what is the likelihood of life surviving on Mars, or of possible colonisation? In reality the low atmospheric pressure (less than 1% of the earth’s) means that the
presence of liquid water is unlikely. However, the two poles appear to be capped with permanant ice which may have large bodies of water trapped underneath them. Photos taken of Mars have shown landscape features, such as valleys and canyons, which strongly suggest there was once liquid water. Many unmanned missions have been sent to Mars and the possibility of a human mission is one which has been discussed, however it is unlikely that this will occur until at least the late 2020s, and the recent failure of the Schiaparelli Lander reminds us of the potential dangers inherent in space travel. Even if we can get people to Mars it will be a struggle to colonise: Mars spends a large amount of its orbit outside of the suns habitable zone and its thin atmosphere leads to continuous bombardment by solar winds Perhaps we might look a little farther afield. Four lightyears from us is our nearest star Proxima Centauri, orbiting which is a little rocky planet called Proxima Centauri b. This planet had previously been discounted as Proxima Centauri is a dwarf star, consequently Proxima b is much closer, experiences strong solar wind pressure and is very likely tidal locked. However, recent data has caused scientist to re-evaluate their assumptions. Data shows that Proxima b has a mass 1.3 times that of the earth and a radius of 0.95 – 1.4 times the earth. Also if (and it’s a big if) there is sufficient atmosphere this may protect
the planet and disperse the uneven heat, negating some of the effects of tidal lock. Given what we know it may just be possible for Proxima b to be habitable, either as a vast ocean or as a dense metal planet surrounded by a silicate mantle (similar to our own mercury) or anywhere inbetween. In any case we still have a lot to discover about our neighbouring star. In particular measuring stellar abundance of heavy metals will allow us to narrow down the possible compositions of Proxima b. It’s still too early to determine if the planet is habitable, however we could very well learn with new search techniques, such as the launch of the James Webb telescope next year. Further afield we turn to NASA’s Kepler mission, a space observatory sent up in 2008 orbiting the sun, searching for exoplanets in the milky way. As of May 2016, Kepler has been responsible for the discovery of 1284 new exoplanets. A 2015 review highlighted the three most likely habitable exoplanets, Kepler 186f, 442b and 62f. Kepler 186f is the closest to the earth, 500 lightyears away. It is likely a rocky planet, with a radius 1.2 times that of the earth. It is located just inside the outer limit of the Goldilocks zone so receives less solar energy than the earth but enough for there to be a possibility of water. Another good candidate may be Kepler 62f. A radius 1.4 times that of the earth puts it at good odds of being rocky and it appears to lie within
the habitable zone. Kepler 442b is probably the best candidate exoplanet, it has a radius 1.3 times that of the earth and lies comfortably within estimated distance of its stars’ habitable zone. However, it is further out, by a whopping 1300 lightyears.
There are a staggeringly large number of exoplanets and we have only scratched the surface of discovery But what does all of this actually mean? There are a staggeringly large number of exoplanets and we have only scratched the surface of discovery; we already have a number of potentially habitable candidates and many more probably wait to be discovered. However even for those we have highlighted we do not know nearly enough to say for certain whether they may be habitable, as we know very little about things like atmospheric composition which is crucial for maintenance of life. Even if these planets did turn out to be habitable, the current realities of space travel make it unlikely that a manned mission will go farther than Mars in our lifetime - meaning the (admittedly intriguing) prospect of starting an earth 2.0 far out in the galaxies is, for now at least, very low.
Biweekly Breakthroughs Asteroid Deflector
Wildlife Woes
NASA has unveiled to the public a new asteroid detection system, known as ‘Scout’, which could help save the Earth by providing experts with warning of an impending collision and allow them to try and deflect it or minimise damage. The system is currently in its testing stages, but is already helping to add to NASA’s catalogue of knowledge, providing more detailed information and predictions than could be put together with even the most advanced telescope.
The Living Planet assessment, carried out by the Zoological Society of London and WWF suggests that if current levels of decline continue we could lose two thirds of vertebrate wildlife by 2020, with an average decline of 2% per year. The report has also stated that wildlife levels as a whole have dropped by 58% since the 1970s. Dr Mike Barrett, head of science and policy at WWF, said: “It’s pretty clear under ‘business as usual’ we will see continued declines in these wildlife populations
SCIENCE
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Beth Hewitt describes the side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives and the importance of identifying those at risk
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STUDY conducted in Denmark has shown a strong correlation between the use of hormonal contraceptives and depression in women. They found a staggering 80 percent increase in the risk of depression in adolescents taking the combined pill, and a greater risk associated with adolescents taking the progestogen-only pill; commonly known as the ‘mini-pill’. One would assume these statistics would send medical professionals into taking drastic action to change how they advise women - instead, there is a lot of hesitancy in the way the scientific world are responding. The NHS reported that they will not add depression as a possible side effect until the link is corroborated further. Arguably, it would be naïve to assume that the tangled web of factors contributing to mental health issues could be accountable to one variable, however, this strong association should be taken seriously. Hormonal contraceptives contain synthetic forms of the reproductive
hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. Administration can vary from an oral pill to an implanted device. When administered the two hormones interact, creating a state of ‘pseudo-pregnancy’ with the body being ‘tricked’ into thinking fertilisation has already occurred.
The sex hormones are the most potent chemical signals affecting the brain Dr Elizabeth Vliet
Even though the hormones act mainly in reproduction, they also have huge impacts on our emotions. Dr Vliet reports that the sex hormones “are the most potent chemical signals affecting the brain”. Both oestrogen and progesterone receptors are found in regions involved in cognitive and emotional regulation and their levels can modulate the systems that determine our mood. These two hormones have opposing ef-
fects: whilst oestrogen stimulates, progesterone calms. Unfortunately, the main player in the aetiology of depression remains unclear. For many it is the synthetic form of progesterone, progestin. In contraceptives, progestin dominates combined oral contraceptives, and is often used on its own in the mini-pill. A study which looked into hormonal therapy found that, whilst oestrogen led to a positive effect on mood, the addition of progestin caused adverse effects. This evidence is further substantiated by the progestogen-only pill showing the highest risk of depression in adolescents. Other studies place emphasis on the role of oestrogen. Even though oestrogen is commonly associated with motivating effects, like all hormones, it relies on a balance. As hormonal contraceptives manipulate natural hormonal cycles, they could be causing antagonistic effects on the delicate scales that control our mood. The need to research the link be-
tween hormonal contraceptives has been made more imperative in recent news, as it has also been seen to affect men testing the male contraceptive injection. Similar to the side effects associated with female contraceptives, males reported acne and depression among other symptoms they experienced after taking the injection. However, instead of being told that the “benefits outweigh the risks”, it seems a greater level of concern was shown towards the men in the study. After 6% of the participants dropped out as a result of the adverse effects, the study was halted. Though these side effects are unpleasant, they are borne by many women who don’t believe a better option exists. By continuing this research we could minimise the load shouldered by women and address the inequality between the sexes when it comes to the responsibility of taking preventative measures. So what are the implications of these studies? Although disconcerting in their nature, they are
important in highlighting the large gaps in our knowledge. We must consolidate the link between depression and hormonal contraceptives so that it can be universally acknowledged as a risk.
Males reported acne and depression among other symptoms after taking the injection Through extensive research, we can identify possible triggers and monitor both women and men who are displaying depressive symptoms before their mental health deteriorates. Considering women are statistically twice as likely to develop depression, and with mental health problems costing the United Kingdom £70-£100 billion each year, the consequences of overlooking the mental health implications of contraceptives are far too severe.
Student thoughts on male contraception “At this stage, I’d be wary of the potential side-effects, especially the risk of depression, but I am definitely interested in the potential” – Male 3rd Year English “It is definitely something that would be worthwhile with great potential, however I personally would prefer to wait until more is known about the potential side effects and whether it is as effective as other methods.” - Male 3rd Year History “Men need to suck up with the side effects and get on with it. Women have been dealing with acne, depression and weight issue for decades. Personally, I’d rather suffer a few issues but have control over if, and when, I will end up with a child or not. Men should feel the same.” – Female 4th Year Law
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Victoria Bos, Science Editor, discusses the potential for a male contraceptive
HE female contraceptive pill has been around for decades, but a new study seems to suggest there is a way for men to share some of the responsibility when trying to prevent pregnancy. A recent study into a possible contraceptive for men found a hormonal injection 96% effective in preventing pregnancies, with the study’s author Richard Anderson hailing it as “far better than the condom” as the result “puts it in the same ballpark as the pill.” However, there have been some nasty side effects, which put some doubt over its viability. The study was carried out in the US involving 350 men between the ages of
18 and 45, all in long term relationships, and relied on the injection of two hormones delivered every two months. The first was a long acting form of progestogen, which is designed to act on the pituitary gland within the brain and ‘switch off ’ sperm production. In the average healthy man there should be between 40 million and 300 million sperm per millilitre. However, following the introduction of the progestogen this was dropped to just 1 million in the majority of the volunteers. Testosterone was also injected in order to offset the drop created by the effect of the progestogen. After an initial period, when couples used both the injec-
tions and other birth control methods, the study entered its “efficacy phase”, in which the men relied on the jabs alone to prevent pregnancies. Only four pregnancies occurred during the trial, indicating a similar efficacy level to the female contraceptive pill and a significant improvement on the protection offered by condoms, which is believed to be 82% effective. However, there have been some significant side effects, which actually lead to programming stopping enrolments onto the study 2011 and then later lead to the trial being ended earlier than planned. 20 men dropped out of the study before it ended, with a number of side effects be-
ing reported including: depression, muscle pain, acne and an increased libido However, 75% of the men who took part in the trial said they were satisfied with the injection and would continue to use it, if it were available.
75% of the men who took part in the trial said they were satisfied with the injection Though these issues are a cause for concern, many believe that this is a breakthrough in regards to equality of
responsibility. Chris Barratt, an expert in contraception and Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Dundee, empathised: “There has been no progress in male contraceptive for 40 years, so this is a very significant and welcome development. Additionally, the fact that the study reports relatively low side-effects and good ease of use are real-world developments.” There are hopes that the results of this study could lead to a more viable male contraceptive option, which will enable men and women to take joint responsibility when engaging in sexual intercourse, levelling out the playing field.
Living the dream D
SCIENCE
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Source: https://vikasacharya.wordpress.com
Tash Ebbutt, Arts & Lit Editor, discusses the new technology claiming to facilitate lucid dreaming
REAMS are odd. They can be things of complete and utter joy or frightening nightmares where you just want to wake up. Would our dreams be different if we had the power to control them? This is where lucid dreaming comes into play. This is a type of dreaming where you, the dreamer are aware that you are in the dream therefore granting you a new level of control over what happens within said dream. The term was first coined by Frederik van Eeden, a Dutch author and psychiatrist in 1913 and from this point on lucid dreaming became a great topic of scientific research. Decades later and lucid dreaming is said to help improve creativity, problem solving and language skills as well as aid those suffering with phobias and anxiety. It is the new found control within the dreamscape which allows such improvement to occur. Lucid Dreaming takes practice however with veterans of the technique highlighting the length of time it took them to master.
This is where the iBand+ comes into play. A device designed by Arenar in Amsterdam, consisting of a headband, pillow speakers and smartphone app. Its USP, it boasts the ability to induce lucid dreaming amongst other more sleep enhancing qualities. In keeping with the primary topic, the device stimulates lucid dreaming through audio visual cues. The headband detects brainwaves, monitoring them in addition to the stages of sleep the body experiences. Once the REM stage of sleep is reached, the device plays calming sounds from the pillow speakers which intelligently adjust to the natural sleep cycle whilst light patterns are emitted through the RGB LEDs set into the headset. REM sleep has been connected to lucid dreaming since the proposal of such from Celia Green in 1968. Such an association was proven by Stephen LaBerge through the use of Electroencephalography (EEG). This combination of audio visual effects is intended to awaken your awareness within your dream world
without actually waking you up. The system uses the aforementioned EEG within its technological composition allowing the sensing of electrical activ-
ity to occur. But the iBand+ is not just for the induction of lucid dreaming, its creators have promoted that their device can help you both dream and sleep. The
biometric sensors within the device can track body movement, heart rate and body temperature. These integrated sensors can additionally monitor your fitness levels despite the lack of physical activity. All these observations by the device can offer an indication of the users mental and physical state which could determine potential sleep issues. And where would a new technological gadget be if it didn’t have a funky app to accompany it. The app allows you to monitor what your body is getting up to during the night, the quality of your sleep and how you can change your sleep pattern to maximise the positive effect on your body. The app offers easily accessible, interpretable graphs and ratings to help you understand where you’re going wrong at night. The device is so concerned with sleep improvement that it even offers you the chance to awaken feeling refreshed rather than the typical groggy feeling many of us feel. This glorious
awakening is caused by the device knowing when you should awaken through its inspection of your sleep cycle; once this information is known, the system will imitate daylight through simulated sunlight and sound during the optimum stage of your sleep cycle.
It boasts the ability to induce lucid dreaming amogst other sleep enhancing qualities. The creator Samir Raut has stated that the company “truly believe that iBand+ will enhance people’s quality of life” and from the aforementioned features its easy to see why. The idea is definitely proving popular as the company’s kickstarter page asked for €50,000 and as of now the company has been sponsored an amazing €644,249! People want to experience the ultimate virtual reality, or maybe just want a good night’s sleep. Luckily this quirky device offers users both.
Come fly with me
Alex Gewanter provides an overview of the newly confirmed third runway at Heathrow, talking emissions and ethics
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HE romantic nature of flight was best encapsulated by Frank Sinatra in the 1957 classic ‘Come Fly With Me’. It makes reference to the “exotic booze” in Bombay or floating down to Peru. Any debate on air travel is often influenced by personal memories of trips taken alone, with friends and with family. This article is not launching an attack on flight, but will rather seek to highlight the damaging effects of aviation from the pro-
Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commmons
posed third runway at Heathrow airport. Whether the increase in deleterious effects outweighs the benefits is a matter of subjective taste, though in my opinion it does. What’s the big fuss? At present, it is estimated by the Committee on Climate Change that 6% of the UK’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are from the aviation industry. Duncan Clark, a visiting researcher at the UCL Energy Institute, estimates that the actual figure is around
15%. This is due to factors such as ancillary emissions related indirectly to flying. As noted by the now defunct Department of Energy & Climate Change, between 2013 and 2014, of all sectors producing CO2 emissions (such as energy, residential and business) only emissions from the transport sector increased. To avoid bringing up painful memories of GCSE Geography for those reading this, I will keep my description of climate change brief. CO2 and other “greenhouse gasses” make it harder for radiation to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. Some of this is welcome, but too much affects the climate negatively. In addition to this, there are other pollutants released by aviation. Others include ‘black carbon’, a particulate that is linked to early human fatalities and sulphur dioxide, a compound that causes respiratory problems, premature births and premature deaths, or acid rain when dissolved in water. A cursory glance at the impact of the third runway gets straight to the heart of the issue. More planes will create more emissions. The levels around Heathrow are already in violation of the European Union’s Directive on Air Pollution. I am
unable to share the views of many on my end of the political spectrum that intangible benefits to the economy are worth a very real and much more easily quantifiable scientific danger to health.
The levels around Heathrow are already in violation of the European Union’s Directive on Air Pollution Can technology redeem flights? This seems to be an attractive solution especially in the light of developments in the automotive industry. One has only to go to Darts Farm in Topsham to find two Tesla recharging stations. The sad truth is that there is no parallel that can be applied to the aviation industry. Electrical motors currently cannot produce enough power to lift the aeroplane into the air. British Airways, by contrast, have committed themselves to developing biofuels, but with global food shortages likely to be an issue in the next few decades, replacing farm land with crops to
fly with is not a sensible solution. I have no desire to shame anyone for flying in this article; I would be a hypocrite, with some of my best memories being from trips abroad. The task for you approaching this debate is to balance the competing interests between the benefits of flight and the harm it causes. It is my opinion that increasing capacity through a third runway is disproportionate and should be opposed. I welcome the cross-party support for stopping the expansion at Heathrow, including most notably by Zac Goldsmith MP recently triggering a by-election. The European Commission in 2006 found that 28% of people affected by aircraft noise in Europe lived under Heathrow flight paths and with a third runway this will rise to 35%. What alternative is there? HACAN noted that 20% of Heathrow’s flights are domestic and of the remaining 80%, 45% are under 500km in distance. With the train being between a factor of five to ten times more environmentally friendly (depending on length of journey), is it not worth considering the Eurostar on your next jaunt to Europe?
SPORT
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'S IN A ER PT N A R C O C
Boxing Varsity
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Lara Hopkins, Sport Editor, catches up with Amateur Boxing captain Cat Holst
EAVING, ducking, blocking, punching; the sport of boxing is both incredibly difficult and exciting. With their boxing Varsity coming up on Tuesday 15 November, we chatted to Cat Holst, Club Captain of Exeter’s Amateur Boxing Club. Cat begins by explaining how she got involved with the boxing club at Exeter, having had no experience prior to university. “I started in my first year, just for fun really, and then I got a bit more into it so now I’m competing. I wanted to do something
sporty and I met boxing on Forum Hill in Fresher’s Week.” Boxing definitely spiralled for Cat. After gaining experience in first year she became social secretary in second year and also competed at BUCS, successfully winning BUCS gold in the women’s 69-75kg novice section. She’s hoping to be successful again this year. With how BUCS works there really is an opportunity for people new to the sport that isn’t offered anywhere else. Novice women are those who have participated in five fights or fewer, and novice men are those who have fought between two and ten times. This really gives new-
bies the chance to reach the pinnacle of BUCS. However, despite the number of women in the club, it appears difficult to actually get them to fight. “When I joined the squad there were two girls. It’s been either two or three in the squad. We’re now at four, which is more than last year so it’s getting bigger,” she laughs. “It’s getting better.”
Girls have seen Victoria's Secret models use boxing for fitness, and it's great for that Cat really thinks there is a big opportunity for girls to step up and do more than fitness. “There are fewer girls doing it so there is less competition to get into the squad. We really want girls to do the sport. For guys, you can’t have 30 people in the squad
so you can only pick a few and there’s a lot more competition to get in.” Cat also attributes the rise in the number of girls joining to added publicity in the media. “Girls have seen Victoria's Secret models use boxing for fitness and it’s great for that," she says. "A lot of people join the club for just that reason.” This is demonstrated in the club’s training sessions. With two sessions a week for beginners and another two for intermediates, all organised and lead by club members, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. For those with the basics, Cat explains, “we also have a partnership with a local club so those who want to take it a bit more seriously should come to those sessions, because then we have an experienced coach who’s really good. You learn from there.” Club members who attend those sessions will be the ones fighting at Varsity. Unlike in BUCS where the
weights go up in 5kg increments, fighters at varsity are matched within 2kgs so there isn’t such a big gap. Does this pressure on weight mean boxers have to watch what they eat? “Now that varsity is so close everyone should be at their right weights, but the more you weigh, especially for the guys, the stronger and bigger your opponent so some would maybe quite like to drop a weight category before BUCS.” Due to this careful weight matching, Varsity opponents will come from Bristol, Cardiff, and Portsmouth. At present there on ten fights confirmed, with many of the fighters making their debuts.
Boxing Varsity 2016 Tuesday 15 November The Lemon Grove Tickets: £10 (advance) £12 (on the door)
2nd Year Law Weight: 82kg Fights: None Fun Fact: I shop at Baby Gap
2nd Year Business Management Weight: 63.5kg Fights: None Fun Fact: I ain't funny
1st Year Mathematics Weight: 71kg Fights: 3 (Won 2) Fun Fact: Savoury over sweet
3rd Year Economics with Philosophy Weight: 68kg Fights: 2 (Won 1) Fun Fact: Sweet over savoury
CAI PARRY-JONES 3rd Year Economics Weight: 74kg Fights: None Fun Fact: My first language is Welsh
ALEX GALE
1st Year Politics and IR Weight: 68kg Fights: 2 (Won 0) Fun Fact: I've had pizza for my last five meals
LEO NG
3rd Year Politics and IR Weight: 73kg Fights: 2 (Won 2) Fun Fact: I love nuts
SAM MOORE
CAT HOLST
SAM TAYLOR 3rd Year History Weight: 72kg Fights: None Fun Fact: I had a poster of Pitbull. It was inspirational.
RICHIE HIEW
Zein jallad
3rd Year Business & Economics Weight: 84kg Fights: None Fun Fact: I can eat an apple in two bites
RAFAEL SAMANO
BEN GALAZKA
Meet the team...
2nd Year History and IR Weight: 69kg Fights: None Fun Fact: I once rode a horse upside down *Squad correct at time of going to print
Netball
Netball 1s leave it late
Exeter 1s....................................53 UWE 1s......................................41 Owain Evans Sport Editor
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n the back of a thrilling final quarter, EUNC 1s stormed to an exciting 5341 home win over UWE. Exeter have started this season in the Western 1A Division well, with wins against Bristol and Bournemouth already picked up. This confidence put the side in good stead, as they came up against a struggling UWE side that had lost two of their first three matches. Maddie Heywood got the game underway and it wasn't long before Kate Arthur found the first goal of the match. The hosts struggled to build on this though. Despite generally dominating play with a slow build-up and good passing, they were lacking in end product, squandering chances and failing to build up a significant early lead. Perhaps this was due to nerves though, as the end of the quarter saw more success in attack for Exeter, and after 15 minutes
the score was 11-9 in the hosts favour. With the second quarter underway, a significant change ensued. Gone was the play that defined Exeter's start to the match, and instead it was UWE who came to the fore and took control of the match. Despite them exercising a newfound control over the game, they could only build up a three goal lead, and it was a slim enough margin that a spurt of brilliance from the hosts was able to draw them level at 21-21 as the sides went in to the half-time break. The third quarter started much the same as the second had, and UWE again took control of the game. Yet, once again, they failed to capitalise on their dominance of the game. By this time, it was clear that there was a pattern developing: UWE, despite quite clearly outplaying their opponents at times, were never truly capable of going in for the
kill. The side could succeed only in building a slim lead, and very quickly found that their attacking prowess stalled out, undermined by a stellar defensive effort. At this stage, both teams traded blows equally, with neither side truly gaining nor losing ground, whilst a late surge from Exeter would draw them back to level pegging. Four successive goals at the end of the third quarter saw Exeter do just that, and with the game approaching its final period of play, the scores were
even at 35-35.
UWE were never truly capable of going in for the kill Where UWE had failed in the second and third quarters, Exeter were certain to show that they could succeed. The final 15 minutes began with Exeter playing superbly, and they quickly found themselves back in the lead - a position they hadn't been in since early in the second quarter. Unlike their visitors from up the M5, they showed their ability to rack up the goals and increase their lead to new heights. Halfway through the quarter, with Exeter clearly in the ascendancy and holding by far the largest lead of the match to that point, it was clear that the downbeat, lacklustre UWE side would be incapable of a fighting their way back into the match. With a final score of 53-41, Exeter had outscored their opponents by 18 goals to six in the final 15 minutes, a spell of dominance that sealed an important victory as they continue to sit atop their division and seek promotion at the first time of asking.
EUWRFC in big win CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE Once again, after the kick-off Bristol mounted a challenge to the defence, but Exeter were resolute, pushing them backwards and forcing a turnover. A series of scrums in the middle of park ensued, but after good hands from the backs, Jenna Claridge burst free providing hope of another score before half-time. Sadly the offload was to a maroon shirt, but the ball was stolen swiftly back by Exeter who were clearly feeling confident. A fumble from flyhalf McNaney could have spelled the end of the attack, but quick thinking and good skills with the boot enabled her to find John with a kick out wide, putting her over for her first of three. A conversion in off the post put a dominant Exeter side ahead 22-0 as they headed into the break. The second half began with a similar pattern to the first, with poor fielding from Bristol at the restart handing Exeter possession. However a crunching tackle, one
of many from an intensely physical Bristol pack, caused a knock on which returned the ball to the away side. From this moment Bristol were very much on the ascendancy, with excellent link-up play between fly-half and outside centre causing trouble. Hooker Jas Donovan broke free to send those in maroon into the 22 and a few phases later Lucy Attwood, Bristol's standout performer, exploited gaps in the defence to put them on the scoresheet. 22-7 with ten minutes payed in the second.
Exeter were playing inventive and clinical rugby It took only five minutes for the girls in green to respond and to effectively decide Bristol's fate as McNaney ripped to ball out of a tackle and sent Rowena Squires belting down her wing. A smart kick through and the subsequent collection by Squires
increased the home side's lead and added the bonus point. Exeter were playing inventive and clinical rugby and were once again dominating. Throughout much of the second half Bristol seemed to possess an overlap, but they were never able to fully capitalise on it, partly through errors and partyl due to the sterling work of Exeter's backs. John's second try came about midway through the second half, after a pressured Bristol number 8 attempted a clearance that landed directly into the hands of the winger, who easily ran in wide and added the points after to make the score to 36-7. Let it be said here that nothing good ever came of forward clearing the ball. By now both sides were beginning to tire, but Exeter's substitutions, in particular Sabine Trant, proved valuable by providing excellent counter rucking and suring up an already strong defence. Sluggish play from Bristol kept them around the half-way mark until a turnover suddenly saw Exeter's full back Kirsten Chesterman embark on a
darting run that scythed through the Bristol defence. Stepping left and right she completed her magnificent break and put the greens even further ahead. 43-7 the score. Bristol salvaged some pride late in the game with a weaving run by Fawcett from a stolen lineout placing the points at 43-14. Yet the misery wasn't over for the away team as substitute Matilda Delfour failed to touch down a bumbling ball over her own try line. Nikita John rounded off her remarkable performance and hat-trick by pouncing on this chance, and having converted the try, the game stood at 50-14. That was the score at which it finished, and although the numbers might reflect unfairly on a stubborn Bristol side, EUWRFC 1s can rightly be very proud of their effort in securing seven tries and thus the bonus point. The girls will hope that they can continue this excellent form as they travel up to Oxford next week and if they attack as skillfully and defend as robustly then you wouldn't dare bet against them.
BUCS Roundup: Wednesday 2 November Men's Badminton 1s..............4 Cardiff 1s...............................4
Women's Football 1s..............2 UWE 1s...................................1
Men's Lacrosse 1s...............14 Oxford 1s...............................1
Cardiff 2s...............................6 Men's Table Tennis 1s.........11
Men's Basketball 1s.............79 Cardiff 1s.............................60
Men's Hockey 1s....................6 Cardiff Met 1s........................0
Women's Lacrosse 1s..........19 Imperial 1s.............................3
Women's Table Tennis 1s......4 Cardiff 2s...............................1
Men's Football1s....................2 Cardiff Met 2s........................3
Women's Hockey 1s...............4 Cambridge 1s.........................0
Leeds Beckett 1s..................10 Men's Rugby Union 1s.........27
Men's Tennis 1s...................10 Bath 1s...................................2
SPORT
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Three out of four for Golf Harry Judd Sport Contributor
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UGC 1s followed up a strong start to the season with a 6-0 whitewash of Surrey to climb to the top of the Southern Premier League. The beautiful conditions matched the standard of play from every single player, with all matches being won by comfortable margins. Star performer and Australian Erasmus student Fritz Arnold took apart his opponent with a thumping 7&6 win, amassing a fine -3 total through 12 holes. The 1s now look forward to the challenge of a tough stretch of away fixtures; where they will hope to keep the green flag flying at the top. Meanwhile, EUGC 2s arrived at Dudsbury Golf Club ready for their toughest match of the season: the Bournemouth 2s away. The weather was lovely and the course was in perfect shape promising both sides a great day of golf. Second year Geography student Harrie Llewellyn was the 2s’ MVP, thrashing her opponent 6&5 in a very consistent round of golf. The side claimed a 3.5-2.5 victory, which makes it two wins in two for the 2s as they seek to reclaim their Western 1A title.
Star performer Fritz Arnold took apart his opponent with a 7&6 win Adding to the day's success, EUGC 3s made home advantage count to clinch their first win of the season by thrashing the Plymouth 1s 5-1. The weather at Dawlish Warren was perfect for this Devon derby and the 3s capitalised on the fabulous conditions. Erasmus student Jacobo Lazat was the star performer, winning his match on the 15th hole in a 4&3 win and general commanding performance. After a stuttering start to the season, with only 1 point from 3 matches, the 3s will look to build on this convincing victory. Unfortunately, not everyone could be a winner as the 4s’ title hopes suffered a huge dent this week. Despite recent performances, the side were defeated by UWE 1s away 3.5-2.5. This surprise defeat leaves the 4s with just 6 points from a possible 12 as they seek to defend their Western 2A title. The 4s will take heart in some of their individual performances, in particular team captain James Scott who won 7&6 negotiating the tricky layout at The Bristol Golf Club. The team will seek to right their wrongs away at Southampton next week.
Sport
7 NOV 2016 | EXEPOSÉ
EUABC’s Cat Holst chats Boxing Varsity, and we check out the night’s fighters
EUNC 1s take the win in a thrilling fourth quarter against UWE
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SPORT EDITORS:
Owain Evans Lara Hopkins
EUWRFC destroy Bristol
Photo: James Angove
Women’s Rugby Union Exeter 1s....................................50 Bristol 1s....................................14 James Angove Online Sport Editor
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HE nights may be drawing in but the margins of victory are certainly not. “Fortress Topsham” once again witnessed a stunning performance by EUWRFC 1s who scored half a century of points on their way to a 50-14 victory over an error-prone but resolute Bristol side. Undoubtedly buoyed by their 92-0 demolition of Cambridge 1s last week,
the girls started as they meant to go on, and from kick-off consistently got over the game line to gain some precious metres and the psychological advantage. An offside from Bristol’s Ellie Leopold granted Exeter a penalty, which Nikita John used to push the home side deep into Bristol’s half with an excellent kick for touch. The subsequent line-out driving maul made good distance but didn’t quite make it to the try line. Exeter then spread it wide, but Bristol’s defence were up quickly and snuffed out any potential attacks Exeter might have had. Bristol turned the ball over and tried to break from deep, but were met with equal staunch de-
fensive efforts, with particularly strong counter-rucking from flanker Clara Nielson.
Fortress Topsham once again witnessed a stunning performance A passage of open play and turnovers ensued, and it took until a quarter of an hour into the game for the first points to be scored. A penalty in front of the posts, gladly taken by winger John, took the game to 3-0 as the sun burst through the clouds at Topsham.
The game kicked off again but sloppy play from Bristol concluded in a penalty for Exeter after Clea Fawcett failed to release the tackled player. A penalty kick to touch later and Exeter were once again within 10m of the try line. This time they made it count, with smart play creating the overlap, sending fly-half Cat McNaney storming over for the first of Exeter’s seven tries, sending the scoreline to 8-0. After the restart came Bristol’s strongest period of play as an unforced knock-on from Exeter handed the away side position and possession. Wave after wave of attack came from the girls in maroon but last ditch de-
fending from Exeter managed to keep the opposition at bay. Even when it looked certain that Bristol had been put ahead by their fly-half, the referee called a penalty for double movement and Bristol’s chance to get back in the game slipped away from them. Just minutes later Exeter were knocking on the door once more, and unlike Bristol, converted their chance. A driving maul from a lineout five metres out seeing Kayleigh Armstrong go over, and the subsequent conversion set the score at 15-0 with ten minutes to go in the half.
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