InQuire 18.6

InQuire

For Varsity coverage, turn to the back pages

Pictured from top left: Matt Jones (Swimming and Waterpolo), Archer Allert (Men's Basketball), Toni Abiodun (Netball), Lucy Kirk (Pole FItness)

Photograph by Emyr Ben Youssef, Deputy Head of Media and Marketing

Meet the team

News Committee

Rashida Hassan Editor-in-Chief editor@inquiremedia.org

Sam Webb Newspaper Editor newspaper@inquiremedia.org

Gharam Al-Zubi Website Editor website@inquiremedia.org

Ainy Shiyam Head of Media & Marketing media.events@inquiremedia.org

Tom Cooper Head of Technology technology@inquiremedia.org

Emyr Ben Youssef Deputy Head of Media & Marketing photography@inquiremedia.org

Shopitha Sivanathan Director of Design design@inquiremedia.org

Editorial

Nathan Collins-Cope News Editor news@inquiremedia.org

Hestia Linford-Allen Opinion Editor opinion@inquiremedia.org

Priya Hawes Features Editor features@inquiremedia.org

Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor lifestyle@inquiremedia.org

Rhona Longergan Entertainment Editor entertainment@inquiremedia.org

Molly Field Culture Editor culture@inquiremedia.org

Elma Maka Science & Tech Editor science@inquiremedia.org

Kieran Webb Satire Editor satire@inquiremedia.org

Joe Crossley Sport Editor sport@inquiremedia.org

To get involved with InQuire, email the relevant section editor with an article idea, or come to one of our team meetings. We hold weekly meetings above The Venue every Monday from 7pm to discuss, pitch and debate article ideas. Follow us on Instagram for updates!

Kent Union election results night: a recap

By Tom Cooper Head of Technology

The Kent Union election night had many candidates and exciting results.

The night began with the announcement of the student priorities for the upcoming academic year, representing the issues and concerns that are important to the members of Kent Union.

They also announced that for the third time in three years, students voted in favour of staying with the NUS. Ben Bradley was reelected as VP Postgraduate Experience, whilst Toni Abiodun won unopposed the post for VP Student Engagement. In the two closest positions, Thomas Freeston emerged as the winner for the position of VP Welfare and Community officer, and Matthew Benjamin Bangura won the contest for the role of VP Academic Experience. Incumbent President Zaid Mahmood was reelected in a landslide victory in the first round of results.

The student priorities for the upcoming academic year were announced at the beginning of the election night. The Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Welfare section outlined improved mental health support and improved student support services. Representing and Transparency included better transparency and communication, delivering equality, diversity, and inclusion as their focus. Campus Facilities and Community Experience included preparing for life after university and improving learning and social facilities. Cost of Living included lower costs on campus and improved employability prospects and job opportunities. Academic Improvement included improved workload and deadlines and ensuring quality

teaching and course content. The newly elected sabbatical officers will work towards addressing these priorities in the upcoming academic year.

For the third time, Kent Union announced that students voted in favour of staying with the NUS. A total of 756 students voted in favour of the decision, while 239 opposed it, ensuring that Kent Union will remain affiliated with the NUS. Ben won the postgraduate graduate experience election with 1000 votes, surpassing the quota of 587. Toni won the student experience election with an even more impressive 1056 votes, surpassing the quota of 578 with only 118 votes for RON. Thomas emerged as the winner for the position of Welfare and Community officer, eventually securing victory in the second round with 627 votes over Bill Page’s 450. Matthew won the contest for the role of Education Officer in a contested race, receiving 589 votes to Shania's 446 in the final round. Zaid won the election for President with a comfortable lead of 467 votes over second place.

Ben expressed his excitement to have a drink at Woody’s and hoped that everyone would be content with the election's outcome. He was pleased to see the turnout for the NUS referendum and reaffirmed his commitment on preventing yet another referendum on NUS following its results. Toni said she planned to make significant changes and increase the integration of campuses to ensure that everyone has a positive university experience. Thomas emphasized his desire to support sports teams and societies, many of which have welfare officers who lack the necessary resources to support their members effectively. Matthew's priority is to

take stock of the students' opinions to understand what they are thinking and fight for their interests. Zaid's top priority for the upcoming year is to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, as it has been a persistent issue.

In conclusion, the Kent Union election night saw several intriguing results.

The student priorities for the upcoming

academic year were announced, which the newly elected Officers will work towards addressing. Each of the winners expressed their gratitude for their campaign teams, friends, and families and highlighted their eagerness to work towards addressing the issues and concerns that are important to the Kent Union and its members.

Kent students vote to renew NUS affiliation in third referendum

By Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

Kent Union members have again voted in favour of renewing membership with NUS UK.

A combined eligible 995 votes were cast, where over 75% of those voting elected for Kent to continue its affiliation with the campaign group. This follows a similar trend to the NUS referendum in 2020, where 76% of 2540 students voted to remain affiliated.

This was the second referendum on this topic in four months, it was announced on 1 November 2022 that 59% voted the same way. Kent Union had indicated at the time that although this referendum had not met the pre-decided quorum of 600 votes, that the results of this referendum would still be respected.

The most recent referendum was held alongside the Lead Kent sabbatical officer elections in an attempt to encourage a larger number of students to vote on the issue. Voting for both the elections and referendum was open for two days.

The referendum was held on the membership of NUS UK, the campaign branch of the National Union of Students (NUS). Student Unions must pay 2% of their university grant to NUS UK in order to remain a member. Currently 600 universities are affiliated, which is around 95% of all student union’s in the UK.

However, there are several notable universities who are not members of NUS UK. This includes the Student Unions at Newcastle, Loughborough, and Portsmouth, who all disaffiliated in 2016. These disaffiliations followed the election of Malia Bouattia to the role of President, a controversial figure who was subject to allegations of anti-

Corrections

We will report any inaccurate information published as soon as the error is discovered. Editorial corrections, including factual errors, missing photo credits etc., will be printed on this page. For more information, contact Rashida Hassan at editor@ inquiremedia.org

We are unaware of any errors in 18.5.

If you have spotted any inaccuracies in this issue, please contact us at newspaper@inquiremedia.org so that a correction can be issued.

semitism, and was part of the Executive Committee who rejected a motion to condemn the Islamic State militant group.

The NUS has more recently come under fire for more recent allegations of antisemitism. In May 2022, the UK Government severed ties with the NUS for failing to tackle ‘antisemetic rot at its heart’. An independent investigation was conducted by Rebecca Tuck QC into these allegations.

The investigation found that the NUS failed to sufficiently challenge antisemitism and hostility towards Jews in its own structures. It found that Jewish students had been ‘subject to harassment’, and NUS policies had been breached.

Following the publication of the report, the NUS apologised to Jewish students and said that it would implement all recommendations from the report, of which included the recommendation of the ‘revival’ of a committee on anti-racism and anti-fascism.

Three universities disaffiliated in 2022 following the beginning of the investigation, while Warwick University is the most recent university to announce intentions to disaffiliate following a vote in February 2023.

Newly re-elected Kent Union President Zaid Mahmood campaigned to disaffiliate with NUS UK during the November 2022 referendum. In an interview with InQuire following the results he said, ‘I think affiliation with NUS is still something that is important, but some unions have shown that without being affiliated they can still succeed and grow.’

However, he made it clear that his priority was representing the views of students at Kent, and would respect the results of the referendum.

Farmers-led party wins big in Dutch elections

By Ben van Broeckhuijsen News Writer

On 15 March, citizens of the Netherlands went to the ballot boxes for the provincial elections, handing an overwhelming victory to a political newcomer, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), led by Caroline van der Plas.

What is in essence a one-issue party, BBB is staunchly against the government’s agricultural policy. The party was founded in 2019 by a former pig farming lobbyist and a communication agency, and surprised at the previous national election, entering the lower house with one seat. As such, it lobbies extensively for the agricultural industry, which tends to take away from some of its other, more unorthodox, political positions. For example, one of their positions for the national elections in 2021 (since removed from their manifesto) stipulated that all schools of journalism would have to make it compulsory for students to follow subjects on the agricultural and rural sector. BBB has been described by van der Plas as ‘just to the right of centre’, while commentators argue that BBB is a right-wing populist party.

The elections, held every four years, pick representatives in each of the 12 Dutch provinces, forming a provincial parliament. Provincial representatives are responsible for making structural plans concerning spatial and physical planning. Although life in the provincial parliament may sound like a bureaucratic dystopia, it is massively important when it comes to the Dutch strategy to tackle climate change. All plans for new industrial areas, agricultural operations and nature reserves are decided at provincial level, and the provincial parliament functions as a watchdog for compliance with climate laws concerning air, soil, and water quality. Additionally, those elected at provincial level form an electoral college which chooses members of the Senate, which is the upper house of the Dutch ‘States-General’. Before the lower house can pass an act into law, it needs to be voted on in the upper house, and its implementation is contingent on the provincial parliament. Seeing as the BBB will be the biggest party in the Senate (with 17 out of 75 projected seats) and has become the biggest party in each of the 12 provinces, implementing meaningful change in terms of a muchneeded reduction of nitrogen emissions is looking increasingly arduous.

The Netherlands is the world’s second biggest agricultural exporter, Europe’s biggest meat exporter and has the highest density of livestock in the EU, yielding around 100 million chickens, 11 million pigs and 4 million cows a year. Despite being one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, more than half of the surface area of the Netherlands is used for agricultural purposes. After years of postponing,

the current coalition government put forward a set of laws aimed at limiting the emission of nitrogen gas, primarily focused on the buying out of the largest emitters of nitrogen in their area.

The government’s declaration in 2019 of an intention to scale down the agriculture industry was met with fierce protest. Ranging from the occupation of public areas with as many as 2200 tractors, to blockading highways with hay, farmers from around the country voiced their discontent with the policy. Despite farmers’ concerns, the government put out a plan at the end of 2022 to help the biggest emitters of nitrogen gas to reduce their impact on the environment, aiming to halve nitrogen emissions by 2030.

BBB’s stance on the issue is one of opposition, arguing for fewer rules and more input from farmers. One of the more emotive arguments against the policy, often purported in talk shows and on social media, is that in buying out the biggest emitters, the government is expropriating land unfairly, and robbing rural citizens of the opportunity to follow their passion. This opinion is not just held by farmers, as polling has showed that many voters feel the policy is yet another example of big-city politicians not listening to the wants and needs of those outside the ‘Randstad’ (a Western area of the country containing its four biggest cities), and eradicating a traditional way of life.

Farmers’ worries about losing their way of life are understandable, particularly when these measures come after years of Rutte’s government using the issue as a political football. As of 2017, one in five millionaires in the Netherlands was active in the agricultural

sector. Just as is rife in regular society, however, income from agriculture is not distributed evenly. Small-scale farming operations have been systematically bought out by private investors or agricultural conglomerates, limiting the opportunity for farmers to engage in traditional, sustainable farming. A harsh reality for Dutch farmers is the lack of work opportunity and revenue potential they face. The number of farms in the Netherlands has gone down from 145,000 in 1980 to 52,000 in 2021, mainly because of the impracticality of running a small, sustainable farm in today’s profit-hungry agricultural industry. Naturally, a vote for BBB will have seemed like a plea to the government to make farming more lucrative but maintaining the agricul tural status quo in the country is likely to do the opposite.

Between 2000 and 2020, the amount of independent farming businesses in the Netherlands has gone down by 50%, a trend that would continue if the government were to stick to a laissez-faire policy, and not act on nitrogen emissions. While harsh, the government’s policy is aimed at creat ing a more sustainable climate in which farmers can practice their trade for not just this generation, but generations to come.

From data on the election results, about 70% of BBB voters are above 50 years old, and the majority do not hold higher-level education qualifica tions. Those who voted for parties in support of agricultural and envi ronmental reform are whelmingly young and edu cated,

signifying a trend in Dutch public opinion about the way in which the country should deal with climate change. Commentary on why there is such a clear age-based chasm between these voters has touched on the rural-urban divide, ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of globalisation, and religion versus secularism, but it is evident that there is a generational disagreement on how the Dutch view the urgency of environmental action.

In the words of Socialist Party leader Lilian Marijnissen, ‘the Dutch electorate has given a big middle finger to the government’. The crux of the issue is that while a large proportion of the

continuing to build houses’. Van der Plas intends to ‘modify’ the current nitrogen policy, but that is both legally and practically improbable. Although the country does face a housing crisis and needs to work on developing sources of energy that are not connected to Russia, it cannot ignore its climate commitments by continuing to emit at this level.

Whether BBB’s electorate will accept this inability to change the policy is up in the air, but if the protests seen over the past few years are anything to go by, the Dutch government will face immense pressure at both national and provincial level when it comes to implementing crucial laws.

Another winner in this election comes in the form of a collaboration between GreenLeft (GL) and the Labour Party (PvdA), who joined forces for the first time in Dutch political history. With 15 projected seats, they give the coalition government, who lost eight seats in the Senate, a vital option in passing legislation, possibly circumventing the need to make deals with BBB. The Prime Minister’s party (VVD) will be regretting their campaign strategy, having largely ignored BBB in the runup to the election, instead hoping a battle with the ‘leftist cloud’ consisting of GL and PvdA would drown out the noise from van der Plas’ campaign.

Considering that 17% of voters who had voted for VVD in the national elections in 2021 have now moved to BBB, Dutch political commentators are questioning Rutte’s famed ability to win the hearts of the electorate despite being faced with substantial political issues. The politically diverse coalition government is left to lick its wounds, while those who voted for BBB will feel that there is no way around them, whether the newly implemented climate laws allow it or not.

BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, image courtesy of Vysotsky/Wikimedia Commons

A Dutch farmer protesting in The Hague, 2019. Image courtesy of kees torn/Flickr Inset: the logo of the Farmer-Citizen Movement

Survey finds 52% of Kent students are experiencing food insecurity

By Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

Kent Union have released the results of their Cost of Living Survey in collaboration with The Food Foundation. The survey aimed to understand how the cost of living crisis has impacted Kent students and figure out how we can best support you at this time.

Included in its results were that 51.8% of students have experienced food insecurity in the past month, compared to 18.4% UK experiencing food insecurity in September 2022.

70.5% of respondents from Black, African or Caribbean backgrounds experienced food insecurity, compared to 46.7% of respondents from white backgrounds.

The survey also found that 73.9% of Kent students their mental health has been affected by the rising cost of living, while 38.4% felt their physical health has been affected. 88.0% of members

of the LGBTQ+ community said their mental health has been affected, 20% more than heterosexual or straight respondents.

47.1% of respondents said that their income did not cover the cost of materials, equipment and books required for their course. 73.5% said they were cutting back on socialising, while 43.3% said they were having to cut back on course materials.

Kent Union have said that the survey has helped them better understand how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting students at Kent, and help identify vulnerable groups who are most affected. It has said that this will help them to lobby the university for more tailored support.

Already this year, Kent Union has launched several actions to help alleviate students. This includes lobbying the university for £3 meal deals in Rutherford Dining Hall on the Canterbury campus, and in the Hub and Pilkington building on the Medway campus. They

also recently opened the Canvas Brunch Club, where porridge, soup, rice pots, and hot chocolate is served for free from Monday to Wednesday at the Canvas food truck outside The Venue.

Kent Union also relaunched the Food Bank, renaming it as the Campus Pantry, and promoting it to students, as well as making it easier for students to

access short-term support for students in needing supplemental food. The pantry is located in the Mandela building and can be accessed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 12-4pm. There is also a Cost of Living hub on the Kent Union website to help support students.

The Cost of Living Survey was carried

between 14 November to 19 December 2022, and was sent to all students at the University of Kent. The survey received 908 responses (5.0% of the student body), and consisted of 643 (70.1%) undergraduate, 244 (26.9%) postgraduates, and 21 (2.3%) foundation students.

Medway on-campus sports hall showing little sign of reopening following Covid-19 pandemic

By Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor

In the final week of March, The Hub in Medway organised the ‘Game on Medway’, a week-long event consisting of six different games against the four Medway sports teams; Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, and Football.

These teams are mainly a mix of students from the University of Greenwich (UoG) and University of Kent (UoK).

Despite the existence of an on-campus sports hall under UoG, the games were hosted in a sports hall and an outdoor court area owned by a local secondary school, Waterfront UTC, which is a seven-minute walk from the campus.

The Sports Hall on campus was originally closed following the Covid-19 pandemic, then in 2021, turned into a ‘socially-distanced science lab’ which was used by first and second year UoG science students.

According to the receptionist at The Hub’s desk, the sports hall is ‘not fit for purpose at the moment’, when asked if there were plans for its reopening.

‘I think right now, they use it for exams.’

‘It can probably fit two football fields,’ said Adam Diomande, volleyball team member and mechanical engineering student at UoG, also said the sports hall was used as an exam hall and now ‘to store random [stuff]’.

But, current second year Pharmacy student and Biomed student said their exams and practicals are conducted in the Blake and Nelson Buildings, both also owned by Greenwich.

On a sign outside, the sports hall door reads, ‘from April 1 this site will

be closed for Covid-19 testing’, as mentioned by Mr Diomande. It is unclear when this sign was put up.

The Medway Campus is home to around 6,000 students and is a shared campus between University of Greenwich, University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church.

Presently, there are 20 students in the volleyball team and 12 students in basketball. Both groups have been using the sports hall at Waterfront UTC for practice and training, and to host matches against other university teams.

To be a part of the sports teams in Medway, students pay £60 for the whole year. The fees supposedly cover

‘travel coaches for interschool matches and new equipment,’ said student member of the volleyball team.

However, the Badminton society weren’t able to organise a team this year, so joining the weekly Badminton socials hosted on Thursdays (at Waterfront UTC) only cost £20. When asked if the joining fee included the rent of the external sports hall, Badminton Society Treasurer, Jacob Gristock said, ‘I think so’.

Listed on the Waterfront UTC website, the hiring of their facilities; ‘Sports Hall’ and Outdoors ‘Multi-Use Games Area’ each cost £25 and £20 respectively on a weekday.

When compared with options for UoK students on the Canterbury campus, a fully functional and equipped on-campus Sports Centre is an option that costs from £110 for an annual access fee. UoG students on the Avery Hill campus can access an ‘air conditioned [gym] with a range of cardio and resistance machines,’ for £45 every 4 months. Stated on the Annual Campus Report 2018-2019 for Universities at Medway, 67.7% of students surveyed ‘prefer better on campus facilities over subsidised gym membership,’ after securing a partnership with a local gym that offered cheaper membership to students and staff in 2019.

Both universities, Greenwich and Kent, no longer mention the sports hall as an on-campus facility on their websites. Instead, they reference to the public Medway park and its facilities, although excluding that its a 30-minute walk away from campus, and fail to disclose that students utilise Waterfront UTC’s space.

In addition, the Medway Campus map provided by UoG illustrates and labels the Sports Hall as part of the campus. The map was created in 2020 but was ‘last updated on 22 August 2022’. Greenwich Student's Union have been approached for a comment, but have failed to respond.

Graphic courtesy of Kent Union

The unused sports hall on the Medway campus, photo by Laurice Janielle

How Kent Community Oasis Garden promotes sustainability and inclusivity for UKC students

By Rashida Hassan Editor-in-Chief

Kent Community Oasis Garden (COG) was launched in 2018 and has since been run as a collaborative project between the University and East Kent Mind. Located in the heart of Parkwood, since its founding Kent COG has aimed to create a wellbeing and sustainability hub centred around growing food and proving a space for students, staff and members of the community to learn new skills, practice sustainability and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet whilst practicing mindfulness.

The garden is open to all members of the community and is currently maintained by community volunteers, predominantly students, aged 18 to 80. Emily Mason, the sustainability coordinator at Kent COG said ‘it really promotes social cohesion. Some of our older volunteers are retired workers who have been gardening for years and it allows them to be able to teach students how to garden while also giving them something to do in their free time, giving them an opportunity to interact with the community.’ The garden grows all sorts of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers depending on the season, which are free to take home for volunteers, or available by donation for visitors. Kent COG’s fresh produce is also sold to the Gulbenkian Café on campus for their seasonal and specials menu.

‘It’s not just about growing food, we think it is important to give students and members of the community to have

a place to take care of the environment and practice mindfulness,’ Emily says. During InQuire’s visit to the garden, most students we spoke to mentioned how enjoyable it was to have a break from the stress of university related life and assignments, saying it was great for them to engage with passions and interests that are separate from their degree.

Ameera, a self-described ‘veteran’ with Kent COG said she has been volunteering since the start of her degree: ‘I have always loved nature and I love how there is no pressure to get involved, I can take everything at my own pace.

‘It’s good to get out of my head and just focus on doing something with my hands.’

KentCOG runs open sessions every Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm. They also have other activities like their climate café which allows students to have a safe space to speak about climate anxiety, and a plant hospital once a month where visitors can bring in their sick plants to get diagnoses and treatment.

Debi Adams, the Kent COG coordinator spoke to us about the garden’s plans to expand over the coming months to include sensory plants for pollinators such as bees and include an orchard and meadow area to grow fruits and nuts. ‘It’s going to be really lovely over the summer’, she said.

For regular updates and more information about KentCOG, visit their Instagram @kent_community_oasis_ garden or visit the sustainability page on the University of Kent website.

Avian diseases rampant as Big Birdwatch results announced

By James Bontron Climate Correspondent

The Big Garden Birdwatch took place between the 27th and 29th of January. It is a way for citizen scientists to contribute towards avian conservation as it allows relatively little effort (simply watching birds in one’s garden for an hour) for relatively good results.

This year, however, may be more important than ever as bird populations have been ravaged by avian flu and there’s evidence that it may be making the jump across to mammals. The birdwatch is a popular event, with just under 700,000 people taking part across the UK in 2022. Collectively, participants counted 11.5 million birds.

The scheme is run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and has been running since 1979. The most populous bird last year, with a count of 1.7 million, was the house

watchers and nature enthusiasts are keen to help birds in their gardens, mainly by putting up bird feeders, it is important to remember that attracting birds is only part of the way to help their numbers. It is also vital that the feeders are regularly washed. This is because it can spread avian flu both between bird individuals and species and perhaps more worryingly, possibly to humans.

In fact, the Guardian recently reported that over 300 million farmed poultry have been killed or culled between 2005 and 2021 because of influenza. Currently, H5N1 is the strain which most focus has been concentrated on as it has been found in 63 species of wild birds, as well as mammals such as bears and bobcats. This strain was first discovered in a goose farm in China in 1996.

Worryingly, the 1918 flu (which killed 50 million people) is

believed to be linked to avian influenza which originated in birds. Since this strain of influenza can be found in wild birds, caution must be exercised when handling objects touched by birds, such as feeders.

The Big Birdwatch is crucial to ensuring that an accurate estimate of bird numbers is kept, especially since numbers have been reduced by avian flu. Moreover, gardeners are safe to observe birds and provide food for

Image courtesy of Imran Shah/Wikimedia Commons

Image

Photos by Debi Adams, Kent COG coordinator

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newspaper@inquiremedia.org and be featured in the next InQuire newspaper

Rashida Hassan Editor-in-Chief

Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

You know that trending sound on social media that says, ‘where did the time go?’– that is exactly how I feel now coming to last newspaper of the year. It is such an odd feeling knowing that this might be the last time I write an editorial blabbing on and on about the things I care about, all the work we’ve done and all the friends I made along the way. I joined InQuire at the end of my first year at university and was egged on by the previous Editor-in-Chief to apply for this role, with no knowledge of how to run it and being completely terrified, yet excited about all it had in store. When I Facetimed my mum telling her about how unsure I was

about running (although unopposed) for this position, she told me to follow my heart and that it would lead me to what was meant for me. Who would have known that this role would completely and entirely change my life for the better? I am so proud of the work we have done this year, focusing more on telling stories brimming with issues that are at the heart of the UKC community. I truly believe that this might be one of the best Committee and Editorial teams InQuire has ever had, in my completely biased opinion. This year I’ve focused on truly building relationships with my committee and editorial but also with other societies, Kent Union and the University, cre-

ating a more welcoming environment for prospective members but also emphasising the importance of having FUN together. In almost all of my editorials over the past five InQuire issues I have tried to seduce you all with the sexy sexy thing that is newspaper writing. Now more than ever I can confidently say I would not be the person I am now if it was not for this newspaper and all the wonderful people involved in it. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who contributed to the paper this year, it’s been an honour to be your ever-loving EIC. PS. Thank you Sam, you’ve been the best partner in crime I could’ve asked for.

Gharam Al-Zubi Website Editor

So here we are, with our last InQuire of the year. While at times it has been extremely stressful with balancing workloads and ensuring the paper is completed on time each month, I truly am feeling disappointed that my time as Newspaper Editor is coming to an end. I have been a member of InQuire for three years now, and after being an opinion editor in the previous year, I decided to run for one of the top jobs this year, in order to truly make a bigger mark on the university newspaper. I like to think that with Rashida and the rest of this year’s committee and editorial team, we have managed to progress the paper further, ensuring

to give extensive coverage to stories that matter to the student population. We covered issues such as the seemingly endless number of strikes, two NUS referendums (including in this issue), gave extensive coverage of the Lead Kent elections, and ran a few stories investigating and criticising both Kent Union and the university as a whole. Earlier this year, we were even awarded the SPA award for the best student publication in the South East. I know that as soon as I have finished completing this paper, and have submitted it for print, I will feel an empty hole after I handover my position to someone else for the next academic year. Moving on from InQuire

when I graduate, which has allowed me to meet a great group of people and friends, and leaving university after four years to (hopefully) find a graduate job still doesn’t feel right at this stage, and I am not too keen to let it go so soon. Balancing my InQuire responsibilities, often taking on extra work to help make things easier for section editors, along with a Year in Journalism, studying in Medway, has meant I have had a hugely busy last 12 months, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Good luck to next year's InQuire team- I’m sure I’ll be back around now and then to see how everything is going!

Hi there, as you probably already know, this is the last InQuire issue until next year. I would like to use this section to talk about Ramadan. This month is about putting ourselves in the shoes of the needy. This is a month where donations are a must for Muslims (those who are able to of course). But whether you are Muslim or not, I encourage you to join our Mus-

lim brothers and sisters by giving a hand to the people that need it most. There are plenty of people who wish to be in our position, studying at university, and worrying about deadlines. There are millions of teenagers, like us, who worry about food, having a house to sleep in at night, and whether or not they will survive to the next. There are also children sleeping at borders, homeless

Puzzles

Puzzles compiled by Matthew Sapsed

and malnourished, due to war.Please join me in donating as much as you possibly can to any charity of your choice. Every penny will help. At the end of the day, what are we doing with our lives if we can’t sympathise with people, and help them when we can afford to?

2 Lawyer (8)

3 Head (newspaper) worker (6-2-5) 4 Ship's pole (4)

#LeadKent (to an abysmal turnout?)

By Tom Cooper Head of Technology

Kent Union elections took place last month, held March 8th9th, preceded by a 12-day campaign period. With such a brief period to gain support in, and promote the student leadership elections, it is sadly no surprise the voter turnout can be summarised as lacking, hovering just under 8.5% turnout. We should look back to where the other 91.5% of the electorate went and how Kent Union could appeal for more voters.

Low voter turnout is nothing new at student unions, but if we look back at our own record of voter turnout in 2019 (my first year here) at 12%, we can see that turnout has only decreased in the last four years. Worse yet, if we compare to a similarly sized university, the University of York, with a 17.6% turnout when holding their own elections back in 2022, our meagre turnout appears even more pathetic. The comparison is interesting as both universities are of a similar ability and demographic but recorded wildly different voter turnouts. They even both had the exact same two-week campaign duration. We can break down the potential reasons why Kent Union might not be seeing a larger voter turnout into a few separate talking points: the candidates, the timeline, and the public image of Kent Union.

Looking to the candidates, we can understand why the electorate might not feel the need to vote. Three of the five positions had an incumbent officer running for re-election, which significantly decreases the chance of a newcomer being elected. These well-known incumbents, along with two VP positions running a sole candidate, do not create an inspiring and democratically varied atmosphere

for voters looking for a change in leadership. In the future, it would be beneficial if Kent Union would announce the elections earlier to allow students more opportunity throw their hat in the ring.

Secondly, the timeline for Kent Union’s elections presents another problem- being held over February and March: deadline season for most students. Students are too busy to properly engage with Kent Union elections even if they wanted, and already overworked third year students will not be here the following year to see the benefits that voting for a new officer may bring. It therefore might be beneficial for these elections to happen earlier in the year, allowing for more people to be involved with a more visible and transparent candidacy period. Kent Union’s approach to countering the lack of voters has them offering free slushies and pizza, money from which could have been spent on better organising election coverage and media. Wouldn’t it be more useful for Kent Union to spend the money on publicising candidates than simply boosting election numbers by spending money on pizza?

The public image of Kent Union does not inspire confidence in the union, during the last election two different incumbent candidates running for re-elections and for the presidency after major concerns arose surrounding them lack involvement with the LGBTQIA+ community were displayed during election debates.

The Vice-President for Postgraduate Experience in 2021-2022 had a vote of no-confidence against them following the debates for the Postgrad Experience by-election last year. During the debate the officer was asked how they had been ‘currently and will continue to support the LGBTQIA+ community’. They stated that they could only support the students ‘to a degree’, and proceeded to explain how they do not support abortion nor drinking alcohol drawing a comparison between these and supporting LGBTQIA+ students, a bizarre way to

say they don’t support the community. They then proceeded to out a fellow student as a way of demonstrating that he was not homophobic. Another candidate said that the incumbent officer was ‘using faith as a camouflage to hate people.’ Even after the vote of no confidence was swiftly held to remove them from the role early, this was after months of an unwillingness to support the queer community on campus as detailed in the VP job role. This was just too late for many students who felt that Kent Union was letting the officer off lightly.

In the same year, the incumbent VP for Welfare and Community ran for the role of President, where they were accused by the LGBTQ+ network for ‘ignoring’ the LGBTQ+ community, causing the community to feel ‘isolated all year.’ The officer acknowledged that they could not name anything that they had done for the LGBTQ+ community, and failed to disclose whether they did or did not support LGBTQ+ students. This led to Kent Union releasing a statement following the presidential debate where they said they were ‘aware that some of the answers led to concern from those listening, particularly among our LGBTQ+ community.’ Following the results of the Presidential election, where this officer did not win, they left their role as Welfare Officer early, citing ‘personal reasons.’ Other recent KU scandals/slipups include the 2016 Black History Month disaster, in which photos of Zayn Malik and Sadiq Khan were included in promotional materials.

These incidents may discourage potential candidates from running in future elections and contribute to a lack of trust in the Union's ability to effectively represent and support its members. Is it no surprise that 91.5% of voters were left behind in the creases of a sofa with the tv remote? With multiple incumbent officers staying in their position; uninspiring work being achieved at Kent Union; the whiplash timeline of the election in the first place and a history of Kent Union controversies, students are reluctant to participate in elections. So instead of patting ourselves on the back for the successful demonstration of democracy, we should be ashamed of the 8.5% turnout, and Kent Union must review, improve, and better engage with students in future elections.

Images courtesy of Kent Union

Lineker-gate: is the BBC really that impartial?

By George Sharp Opinion Writer

If you’ve opened Twitter for more than 20 seconds in the past month, then you’ve probably seen Gary Lineker's name appear somewhere on the trending list. He used the platform to share his opinion about the current affairs regarding immigration, specifically, the ‘Stop the Boats’ policy. Lineker is employed by the (state-owned and publicly funded) BBC as a pundit that gives opinions, so when he tweeted an opinion... well... he was suspended.

Before you start shouting at the page, I know it isn’t as simple as that. Lineker is a football pundit, and he gives opinions about the game. I can see where the BBC are coming from: people of influence sharing opinions about matters of political policy can be dangerous. Teachers, for example, should not be sharing political affiliations. Their audience is a group of impressionable children who will believe what the teacher says. For all we know, teachers could then end up spreading some truly harmful things. This extends to people of influence that broadcast news.

Impartiality is important because it allows people to make up their minds themselves. People should be given all the information in their hands so as to come to their own decision- god knows the world is full of people that will try and tell them they are wrong anyway. However, and there is a huge however- caring about the safety of human beings is not a political issue. No matter your political affiliation or about whether you submit to the tribal politics of today and paint yourself red or blue- this isn’t what I would call a political issue.

I disagree with Lineker’s comparison to the Nazi’s because it’s a reach (online Nazi analogies usually are), but in general, I definitely back what he’s saying, as I feel we all can. If Lineker

isn’t allowed to object to human beings drowning, then we have reached HG Wells levels of devolution in mankind. Tweeting about human rights shouldn’t be a political matter. Tory politics has made it a political issue, but in reality, it isn’t polarising at all. This is common decency, regardless of personal politics.

If we allow too much censorship, then we get to a stage where you cannot say anything, and therefore plans, objectives and policies can be put through parliament unattested or challenged. This goes for both the left and the right. With that being said, I can also see that the ‘Stop the Boats’ initiative is a conservative policy, Lineker is weighing in on a political matter, and this breaches his contract for impartiality (though after reviewing his contract there were very blurred lines by the BBC about impartiality, but still...). The BBC had to investigate this because they are state television and are trusted by the public to provide unbiased and balanced coverage.

With all this in mind, I believe that the main issue is social media. Let’s hone in on what we are actually talking about here. We are talking about whether or not we should be making it harder for people fleeing from war zones and corrupt countries to get into this country. So why has my TV, phone screen and newspaper been filled with pictures of an ex-footballers face and other celebrities saying they agree with him? It all has a lot to do with instant news in the age of social media.

The mainstream media rarely get their stories from submissions or field research anymore, instead relying on social media trends and what is popular at the moment (looking at you, the-not-so-Independent). We know this because big named media outlets are slowly but surely shifting to deliver most of their coverage online. It is much more beneficial and much quicker for them to share stories and articles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and it will generally reach a wider audience

than traditional newspaper headlines.

The issue is that online audiences are populated by thirsty, low-attention-span apes on their phones (myself being one of them). Think about it, how much are you reading about the Ukraine conflict anymore? Not as much as we should be. It isn’t trendy enough to stay in the news cycle, despite the fact it’s a large-scale armed conflict. Stories about war crimes and broken-up families are heartbreaking, but not gripping; people just don’t care. There is no point sugar coating it or acting shockedour dwindling attention span has gotten bored.

Social media has moved on, and instead we want to know more about Putin conspiracy theories. A story about ‘Stop the Boats’ will get far more engagement if journalists report on a beloved celebrity with a scandal that nearly gets them fired than they would if they were to slap a photo of Rishi Sunak on the cover and write about the actual policy or the reactions of British people to it.

People get bored. The digi-modern era we live in now demands more attention to pop ular culture and fear than it does to real news. People are more likely to read about Prince Harry losing his virginity and putting cream on his ‘todger’ than news with any real substance.

'We should be ashamed of the 8.5% turnout, and Kent Union must review, improve, and better engage with students in future elections.'

Photo by Wikimedia

Korea and Japan must re-evaluate their relationship to give victims closure Canterbury Calling: podcast setup gives CSR new life

By Hyunseok Ryu Deputy Opinion Editor

The South Korean government has announced plans to resolve its historic disputes with Japan. The plan is to sign an agreement that sets up a new fund dedicated to improving relations and let Korean companies make donations to compensate past victims of forced labour. These disputes are a part of the fallout from the Japanese occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. During this time, over 100,000 Korean men were forcefully conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, and around 200,000 young children were sent to serve as ‘comfort women’- sex slaves for soldiers on the frontlines.

In 1965, the governments of both Japan and Korea came together to establish some basic diplomatic relations. They signed a treaty, which declared Japan would pay Korea $800 million in grants and soft loans in compensation for the colonial period. In turn, Korea promised not to ask for more money, either at a government, or individual level. But the issue of comfort women, initially obscured by trauma and taboos around sexuality, rose to prominence after democratisation in 1987. Throughout the nineties and today, much of the tension has focused on Japan’s refusal to acknowledge and compensate formally enslaved women.

This is where we are today. Essentially, Korean companies that benefitted from Japanese loans in 1965 will be encouraged to donate to a fund that will compensate the victims, which Japanese companies can join on a voluntary basis. This plan is rejected by the surviving victims as the compensation wouldn’t come from directly responsible firms, with one of the victims saying she wouldn’t accept money from any other firm even if she ‘starves to death’.

This sentiment is fair, considering the whole purpose of compensation is to hold the perpetrators responsible, which this deal doesn’t guarantee.

It is clear the South Korean government is desperate to reach a resolution for diplomatic and economic reasons. Pro-Ja

pan sentiments aside, the trade war has bogged down relations and impasses are constant. On the diplomatic level, negotiations never led anywhere as cultural disputes kept bleeding into economic relations, while governments on both sides were constantly pressured by domestic sentiments. It’s likely that the Korean government simply gave up on pressing the historic disputes, to move on from being bogged down; and the Japanese government likely pursued this deal as they don’t wish to aggravate the rightwing members of the ruling party.

Surviving victims don’t want this deal because they weren’t consulted, and even liberal Korean governments couldn’t succeed in fulfilling their demands. It’s also improbable that Japanese companies will admit their guilt, and revisionist nationalism is so deep-rooted in Japanese politics that it’s impossible to end their support for unjust diplomatic policies.

The lack of proper resolution will also do nothing to quell the fervour of hatred and nationalism that both Koreans and Japanese espouse. Disingenuous agreements are only bound to anger those who support the victims and push those who support the past perpetrators to become complacent. It means nefarious Koreans can continue to manipulate growing anti-Japanese sentiment for political gain and at worst exploit the

ing the Japanese. Using anti-Japanese sentiment for electoral purposes will have dangerous consequences; nothing good can come from tying diplomatic efforts up with irrational nationalism. Demands for honesty in education of past war crimes and wrongdoings by the Japanese must also be met by Koreans doing the same for their own country. As much as students are taught about the valiance of independence fighters, they must be taught about the massacres and tortures committed during the era of their own dictatorship, whether domestically, or in Vietnam. A pretentious moral high ground cannot be held if Korea hopes to encourage Japan to enter a more honest stage in the education of its atrocities. The Korean government should also try to be more connected with the people they claim to represent. The victims of Japanese atrocities weren’t consulted when signing agreements to ‘compensate’ them, meaning said agreements were reached without the vital input of those directly affected.

Japan needs to likewise quell or snub the nationalist fervour, and properly reconcile with its past. Glorification of its war criminals will only aggravate tensions and nationalist politicians mustn't be so openly ignorant of the ramifications that their nationalism holds. To understand why Korea holds such intense grievances, the Japanese only need to remind themselves about the reality of the situation: the rape, exploitation, abuse, and torture of the victims is documented, real. Such scars do not disappear, and subsequent lies about a heinous past are not likely to be appreciated. The hate perpetuated by Japanese nationalists and the dangers of subtle, revisionist history must be confronted not just by Koreans but by the Japanese themselves. Frivolous farright, revisionist, and nationalist rhetoric must be rejected by the two.

Reconciliation can only be achieved if both sides enter discussion on genuine grounds of wanting it to be with honesty and understanding. If the governments won’t have it, then the people of both countries must achieve honesty in their conscience. It is possible, and people on both sides have shared values of reconciliation and humanity, beyond hate and nationalism. Included here is Haruki Murakami criticising Japanese ignorance towards its past atrocities, or former comfort women raising money for humanitarian relief for Japan in 2011. People in both nations can show more love than hate, and it can be a truly righteous example of compassion, empathy and humanity, for history and

By Enric Thier CSR Station Manager

For those of you who do not know who I am I wanted to start this article by introducing myself: my name is Enric Thier, I am 22 years old, and I am currently in my final year at CCCU studying Film, Radio and Television. At the age of 16 I moved on my own to a small town near Canterbury to start studying my A levels in Spanish, Theatre and (my favourite one) Media Studies.

Already from quite a young age, I knew that I wanted to become a radio presenter, and after finishing school I decided to go and study in Canterbury. It was at the freshers fair of 2019 that I was introduced to CSRFM (Canterbury Student Radio), and soon after I found myself of not only having my first radio show named Bubble Check, but also having my first committee role as Station Secretary. This gave me the chance to get a first glimpse of what the station did, who the people were and how everything works.

Nevertheless, destiny did not want to make it easy for the station, and we awoke one spring morning to the great surprise that the station was no longer working. The decision had been made to pull the plug. This led us to lose our FM licence, which gave us permission to broadcast, as well as many of our members.

As the next year rolled around, I started as On-Air Manager. This position gave me the chance to get a hand on some important tasks that are key for a station, such as music management, and administrating. It was also around this time that I decided to focus my show Bubble Check on interviewing NGOs and people who want to improve society. This decision would earn me my first recognition, but more on that later.

The third year on the station would arguably become the most important year for my development. Being elected as Head of Social Media gave me the opportunity to build up a strong online portfolio of engaging content with photography and audio clip production. It was also great to document some fun events for the station, like when we chatted with new members.

As I finished my third year though, I attended an event that would change my career.

Back in April of 2022, I went up to the Student Radio Conference, organised by the Student Radio Association (SRA) in

Newcas tle-Up on-Tyne.

At that conference I got to meet professionals from all over the audio industry, and hear about their careers. It was on the way back, after those three fantastic days that I decided to apply for Head of Station as well as Head of the Region for the SRA. I ended up getting both positions, which really fulfilled me and gave me confidence as a leader.

So, you might be wondering why am I writing this whole story?

I think that my story is one of many, that shows how much someone can get out of being part of student media. This year, more than ever, CSRFM is looking for enthusiastic people who want to make an impact on our student radio station.

This year we have successfully established our own podcast recording set-up. With new equipment you’ll be able to not just present shows, but also host your podcast. After reviewing results from a survey at Freshers’ Fair, we noticed that many students were interested in working in radio or creating their own podcast, so we listened and invested in our future. With the increasing popularity of podcasts, it seemed like the right direction for the station. Nevertheless, if you are more of a behind the scenes person you could get involved in editing or perhaps producing a show.

So, did I catch your interest? If so, do get in contact with us. Just drop us a dm via our social media platforms @csrfm

I owe so much to this station since it gave me the opportunity to launch my career as a radio presenter as well as a content producer. The resources are open for all people, regardless of where you come from in the community, or your depth of experience on air!

One final thing I wanted to say is a big thank you. Thank you to all the people I have had the privilege to work together and meet. I most certainly hope to remain a part of the station as long as possible.

' Reconciliation can only be achieved if both sides enter discussion on genuine grounds of wanting it to be with honesty and understanding.'

Comfort women in Myitkyina, August 1944

Photos by US Army/Wikimedia Images courtesy of CSRFM/Wikimedia Commons

Taylor Swift tickets leaving a blank space in fans' wallet

By Louie Goddard Music Correspondent

There are a couple of universal truths on this earth: firstly, Taylor Swift is the music industry, and folklore is one of the great est pop albums of the last decade. Swift’s career, which has seen her navigate country, pop, and indie music spheres has been mon umental, laying the foundation for the breakthrough of artists like Phoebe Bridg ers and Olivia Rodrigo. Swift took the pre dominantly male Nashville music scene by storm as a teenager, before tearing down international barriers to become one of the biggest recording artists of all time. Taylor Swift’s net worth is set to surpass $1 billion after her 52-show Eras Tour in the US this summer. Reports estimate that Swift will rake in over $600 million from US ticket sales alone, with Tick etmaster crashing earlier this year when 3.5 million people logged on to nab a spot on the Eras tour.

Of course, when I talk about Taylor Swift, talking about the image meticulously con structed by a team of marketers and man agers, to give Taylor Allison Swift a 'girl next door’ persona. Apple Music defining folk lore as a 'bedroom pop' album feels wrong when the genre was effectively founded to give recognition to small, self-made artists using platforms like SoundCloud and You Tube to share their art. I’d no longer dub Conan Gray a 'bedroom pop' artist. Proba bly not even Gracie Abrams. Taylor Swift has moved too many albums (ten!) beyond her

Opinion editor's note

By Hestia Linford-Allen Opinion Editor

I didn't have any time to write an article for 18.6, but it's my final year at uni and I'm not leaving without getting the last word in. I've had the time of my life working with the InQuire team for the last two years; making friends, eating endless cups of tomyum and joking around in the Editorial Suite are memories that will hopefully stick around forever. From starting out last year as a humble news writer, to being promoted to Deputy News Editor alongside Nathan, and presenting our (very shortlived) news bulletin on CSR, the experience I've gained has been invaluable. Enric's article on the podcast studio at CSR sheds a bit more light on the station, so give it a read if you haven't already!

Becoming Opinion Editor this year was a whirlwind. Since the start of term, strikes have continued, and have remained a point of contention with KU. Working with writers, and helping them to develop their voice has been truly rewarding. I've had amazing articles from the Kent Marxists, as well as Kent Labour Students, criticising both KU AND university management, which were highlighted in the reasons for InQuire wining Best Publication at the Student Media Awards!

'Having played a vital role in covering the Kent SU's bid to leave the NUS, UCU strikes and facilitating scrutiny panels, InQuire Media has successfully kept UKC students informed, while still challenging the status quo.' - Student Publication Association

Finally, being nb and trying to be a journalist this year has been so hard. We don't usually get allowed into editorial/journalistic spaces, especially when open about our identity. The most challenging articles I've written for Opinion have been those regarding the conduct of Rosie Duffield, or just the general terf-ery that's taking over our media landscape. It's still heartbreaking that queer young people in Canterbury must be represented by her everyday. But these articles have also been my best-received and most passionate. They've provoked vital conversations about queer represenation, media and authenticity.

I'm not sure how I'm going to take on the Daily Mail or Rupert Murdoch, but I know it won't be singlehandedly. Finding my community, and sharing our stories has been an honour.

thank you, hestia :)

Myspace beginnings to fit the genre, which should be defined by an artist’s independent control over their music and image.

Swift’s music confronts misogynistic double standards in the industry both directly and in essence. Her ground-breaking career, however, must not disguise the singer’s wealth-hoarding. I’m not trying to villainise Taylor Swift; it’s just that no one needs, and no one deserves, to be a billionaire. I’m sure Taylor Swift loves her fans. I would too if they bought five copies of my album, a $75 hoodie, and a $200 back-row tour ticket.

Billionaires are fundamentally the result of capitalism. A worker within this system can and will never single-handedly become a billionaire. It would take a worker earning $100 per hour (far above the UK or US average) almost 5000 years to earn $1 billion. While Taylor Swift isn’t necessarily morally corrupt, she sleeps soundly at night in her $25 million Beverly Hills mansion, or in her $20 million property in New York City. That’s when she’s not staying at her $2 million Nashville starter-home.

In her 2020 documentary Miss Americana, Swift details her ultimate need to be seen as a good person: 'It was all I wrote about, it was all I wanted, it was the complete and total belief system that I subscribed to as a kid'. She demonstrated her social conscience when speaking out publicly against the misogynistic views of Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn in the lead up to the 2018 Senate election in Tennessee. And although it’s rarely spoken about, Swift has extensively contributed to charitable causes, particularly over the last few years. For example, in March 2021, she donated $50,000 to a single mother’s GoFundMe. Prior to this she committed to donating all proceeds from the music video of her 1989 track ‘Wildest Dreams’ to APFA, an American animal welfare charity. She often donates silently to causes close to her heart, but the bottom-line is that she does not donate proportionately with her income. If she did, she would not be months away

waffle>pancakes crepes>pancakes crepes>waffles

'sushi and ramen are too different to compare'

from billionaire status.

But she’s a business professional: one astute enough to maintain a sufficient moral conscience, without sacrific ing her own capitalist opportunities. ‘There’s no such thing as someone who’s bossy, there’s just a boss’, says Swift in her new Netflix documentary. This couldn’t be more true; under capitalism, there are those who are forced to sell their labour by working for a boss, and those who are the bosses, managing and tak ing a surplus from those beneath them. Taylor Swift has replicated this dynamic between her brand, and her fans, who prop her with merchandise sales and extortion ate ticket prices.

It would be unfair to not keep other mainstream artists accountable, as this is a trend in today’s music industry, though Taylor Swift will be the first to use this to reach billionaire status. To quote Miss Amer icana’s promotional single: ‘they aren’t gonna help us, too busy helping themselves’. A person does not become a billionaire unless through exploitation: American society is corrupt enough to create billionaires, and complacent enough for them to be celebrated.

both of these are diabolical options, but pasta salad is so grim I can't believe I go to school with u guys Take

'you can just do more stuff with it [bagels]' -rhona, entertainment editor

Images courtesy of Wikimedia

'in terms of taste and texture, bagel over toast, but realistically crumpet tops all.' - anna, my housemate

Onto the important questions...

Harbour Books: Whitstable's Independent Book Haven

By Natasha Mather Culture Correspondent

On a lightly sunny, slightly windy, Tuesday, InQuire were thrilled to be invited into Whitstable’s only independent bookshop, Harbour Books, for a chat and a browse. Situated on the aptly-named Harbour Street, amongst a colourful array of eclectic shops to spend hours lost in, our team sits down with Clare Connerton, the owner, to discuss bookshop curation, contemporary recommendations, children’s literature, and bookish community.

Clare’s incredible passion for the shop was immediately clear, and incredibly infectious, as she talked with us about Harbour Book’s ethos, values, and contributions to the local community- doing so with wit and charm.

Think Kathleen Kelly from You’ve Got Mail, our very own Shop Around the Corner, half an hour away in seaside Whitstable. We were made to feel warm and welcomed as we chatted away, fresh teas in hand, at our cosy window seats. Periodically, Clare would scan her array of shelves and pick books out as they came up in conversation, even

sitting down to read poetry to us. Inevitably, we left with to-be-read lists doubled in size.

Clare explained that, while the shop can order any book for you and they can usually have it within a day(!), she sees her role as part-bookseller, part-curator; ‘the point of the independent bookshop is to have a point of view’. While catering to a loyal community of customers, and often stocking what’s popular, the shop has a few niche specialities and interests of their own: queer fiction, ‘writing the body’, and witch-lit were named as some of their areas of expertise. Clare recounted a woman coming in one day and timidly asking ‘... where are the lesbian books?’, to which she replied, ‘essentially, it’s the whole shop!’ Queer literature at Harbour Books isn’t designated to one section; books written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community are shelved wherever is most appropriate. Queer history is shelved with the history books, queer poetry is tucked in with the poetry books, and so on. Representation and diversity throughout the whole two-floored shop is of huge impor tance to Clare meaning the shelves are stocked with an incredible and intriguing range of liter ature you might not find elsewhere.

‘A nice book, a cup of tea, and a window seatthat’s the dream’.

Equally, Clare makes a point of not stocking books that go against the

shop’s fundamental valuesparticularly when it comes to children’s literature. On your way into the adorable chil dren’s corner, Clare has very purposefully placed a display of literature centering inclu sivity and diversity in accessi ble ways; literature including Who’s Your Real Mum? by Bernadette Green & Anna Zobel, Namaste is a Greet ing by Suma Subramaniam & Sandhya Prabhat, and Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman. The positive message for any child entering the shop is loud and clear: 'you're welcome here’. Those working at the shop make a huge effort to foster a love of reading in children, even starting their own World Book Day initiative in which students can exchange their tokens for donated books at their shop, as well as at their school fairs. This has evolved into an ongoing open children’s library type project, providing children who wouldn't usually engage with reading for pleasure a safe, comfortable place to explore a huge range of books. We were blown away by how enthusiastic, helpful, and genuinely friendly everyone at Harbour Books was. We were given truly wonderful recommendations based on

our personal tastes and interests, what we'd enjoyed reading in the past, and what we happened to pick up as we were browsing. I, personally, left with Furies, a collection of short stories from famous bestselling female authors, and Hex by Jenni Fagan, while Molly, InQuire’s Culture Editor left with Blue Hunger by Viola Di Grado and Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz. Clare explained that one of her favourite parts of the job is how easily recommending a book can lead to a deeper conversation and meaningful connections. Even for those who have no idea what it is they're looking for or where to even begin, Harbour Books have a way of figuring out and pinpointing books that will make you tick, and we can't recom mend them enough.

'Fisherman’s Friends' Makes a Splash in Canterbury

By Rhona Lonergan Entertainment Editor

If you got swept up in the sea shanty TikTok revolution of 2021, and couldn’t get the voices of several men singing ‘The Wellermen’ in resonant harmony out of your head…. well then honestly you’re just a normal human like the rest of us. But also, Fisherman’s Friends (FF) is the musical for you!

Based on real events, this wacky and surreal story of how a group of singing fishermen found fame in 2010 had already been adapted into a book and film before even one theatre floorboard was stomped or sung on. The story's momentum then continued, with a sequel movie being released in 2022. Even though the story is fairly straightforward, with very predictable twists and turns, it is easy to see that it's the heart and soul behind the story that draws people in. The musical introduces you to the small tight knit community of the seaside town of Port Isaac, constructing it to be so appealing throughout that I was already halfway through planning to uproot my life and move there before I’d even left the theatre!

Even as someone who has never lived in a small town or village, it is refreshing to see a

story that isn’t all about people longing to get away from their small town upbringing. FF doesn’t make fun of small community life or portray it as something you need to escape, although this idea is discussed. Instead, it celebrates the kindness, loyalty and support present in these kinds of communities and shows that wanting to stay true to your roots doesn’t have to be a burden or hold you back.

Fisherman’s Friends makes up for its simplistic story with great music, some surprisingly progressive themes and well-rounded, interesting characters. You can’t help but like these people, even when (or maybe especially when) they’re hazing the snobby London ex-music producer who winds up spending the night in their town. A wide variety of relationships are shown and explored, from father-daughter, fatherson, married couples, female friendships and of course the close bonds and friendships amongst the fishermen themselves. It was so lovely to see this big group of very masculine men, not only singing in beautiful harmony on stage over and over again, but to also be unapologetic in their emotional and physical affection and loyalty

to each other. It is the kind of positive masculine representation that we need to see more in our media. FF definitely provides several great role models for male relationships. Top this off with some surprisingly casual (in the right way) LGBTQIA+ representation and you have a very wholesome night of theatre on your hands.

Lastly but most importantly, the music is great! Being mostly set in a pub and based on a community that treats music and singing as a bonding experience, for most of the performance, Fisherman’s Friends doesn’t really feel like a traditional musical. The characters aren’t randomly bursting into song in the middle of a conversation, each song is a performance or song in the world of the musical as well as out. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big musical fan, but I think this aspect of Fisherman’s Friends perhaps makes it more accessible to people who are pulled out of the narrative by a spontaneous musical outburst.

As expected, the music is mostly focussed on sea shanties, although there is a healthy amount of folk music thrown in as well, with some beautifully emotional songs from the women in the

cast balancing the strong, loud, and at times cheeky sea shanties that come from the men. FF also features one of my favourite growing trends in musicals which is having the musicians on stage, interacting with the cast. After having seen it work so well in the musical Come From Away, I was glad to see the musicians moving around, literally throwing themselves into the music, enjoying themselves and their craft and even having a few lines here and there. It’s something that feels like it goes so naturally with the folk music vibe of a musical (another thing Come From Away shares with Fisherman’s Friends).

If you’re looking for a complicated plot or intensely deep and profound thought then this musical is not for you. However, if you are looking for a night filled with fun, energy, good music and laughs for the whole family, then look no further than Fisherman’s Friends. Catch the Fisherman’s Friends (both the musical and the original group!) on tour at various locations around the UK.

Images courtesy of Harbour Books

Witchy Book Recommendations

By Natasha Mather Culture Correspondent

Double double toil and trouble; witches in literature aren’t just prophecising Macbeth’s downfall or casting ancient curses anymore. They’re sat on kitchen floors with crystals, incense, and bottles of wine, cursing their ex-boyfriends and dyeing each others’ hair. With the cultural rise in new-age spiritualism, 21st Century ‘witch-lit’ is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young women. Experts have proposed several reasons as to why this might be the case–some suggest that as a result of the pandemic, we saw a general rise in the popularity of fantasy genres as people sought an escape from an unstable, turbulent and challenging reality. Others claim that the popularity of witchy, spiritual fantasy particularly is a response to the stripping away of women’s rights, particularly in the US– using feminine magic to represent female power, rebelling against ideas of women as ‘weak’ or secondary to men.

Whatever the reason for the sharp increase in witchy lit, it seems no genre is exempt from permeation by spells and magic– from trashy romances like Rachel Hawkins’ The Ex-Hex (which we highly recommend for fans of The Hating Game, The Love Hypothesis, or other book-tok chick lit), to hilarious comedy reads such as Tracy Whitwell’s The Accidental Medium series. For those looking for something more emotionally complex, Abigail Bergstrom’s What A Shame, while not explicitly fantasy or supernatural, is laced with modern-day spirituality. Protagonist Mathilda seeks solace from her breakup in reiki, yoga, and crystals– an immensely comforting read for anyone going through a rough patch in their own life.

While not necessarily witchy, but definitely spooky and very much magical, Marina Enriquez’s two short story collections– Things We Lost in the Fire and The Dangers of Smoking

'Egyptians' Review

Aplay 2,500 years in the making, Egyptians roared and beat its chest upon the red wine-stained and torch-scorched stage of The Gulbenkian at the end of last month. Based upon ancient Greek tragedian’s lost epic Danaids, Egyptians is the much-anticipated second instalment of a powerful work not

By Molly Field Culture Editor

they demand to marry the 50 daughters of community Danaos. Faced with foreboding omens, grieving widows, and a mysterious priestess, the men square up to their wedding night, leaving the audience to question who will ultimately prevail.

The story is of mass proportion, spanning countries, as is the creative direction- the ensemble hollered, and screamed, and sung, and danced, and chanted across the stage for 90 minutes, with every piece of dialogue set to expertly timed (and expertly played) instrumental. The score was performed by a mixture of professional and local performers, the two groups merging seamlessly; students from University of Kent masterfully grasped their

in Bed– are ripe with fantastic horror, thriller, coming-of-age and even some romance narratives, perfect for lovers of fantasy and witch-

on women’s history and embrace some feminine power, grabbing some witchy fiction is a great excuse to pick up something new for your

rightful places among the talented cast, with Harrison- an MA theatre maker here at Kentstating how the making of the show has been ‘very interesting’, and that ‘the way [the] movements work with the text is very powerful in a lot of ways’.

Furthermore, on the experience, ensemble member Paddy explained how though the group all came from ‘so many different places’ and were ‘such different people’, ‘the entire, lengthy process just brought the chorus together’. Speaking on the future of the project, Paddy notes how they are ‘very excited’ to see what the project forms into next, and hopes to be a part of it.

As the second instalment in the series of

works at The Gulbenkian, Egyptians follows the 2021 premiere of The Suppliant Women, an equally intense tale following the 50 women fleeing the forced marriage of our Egyptians. As the original epic is lost to antiquity, The Danaid Project had just one surviving word to work from: ‘exhaustersi’, meaning ‘flesh-hooks’. This chilling image was the basis of a successive, and in-depth, series of workshops and discussions with leading practitioners and academics across Egypt, Greece, and the UK, ultimately resulting in the monumental work that is Egyptians.

Egyptians is followed in the series by Danaidscurrently in development, the show is likely to premiere at The Gulbenkian between late 2023 and early 2024.

The History of the Colour Pink

By Izzy Logie Culture Writer

erment. Pink is a colour that’s full of contradicting associations and meanings. As it stands, no other colouromatic as pink. Throughout history, it has appeared in mythology, science and erature, but its mostinent role is rootedety. This brief history will give you insight into the complex and rich psychology of pink

and its huge influence. While the colour pink has been found in billion-year-old fossils, making it one of the first organic colours to exist on Earth, the colour itself was not officially recognised until around the 17th Century. Before this, the colour was regarded as simply a lighter shade of red, with Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love and sensuality, donning the colour. Later, as red was considered to be strong and warlike, pink (still regarded as simply a lighter shade of red) was considered to be a masculine colour, designated to male clothing. Since then, although there are mixed accounts, it can be argued that pink developed into a more feminine-regarded colour

in societal consensus in the 19th Century Western World, where companies started to make a firm distinction with baby clothing.

When girls and boys started to be separated more rigidly in society after WW1, baby clothing companies fell in line. Through beginning to assign colours to different clothing, said colours became increasingly gendered, and the classification of pink and blue began. As pink transitioned to a ‘girl colour’, blue was then, by default, seen as a masculine and more dominant colour, despite the long history of pink having taken up this space.

While pink has often been used to classify strict gender ideas, the col-

our has also been used in a liberative sense, often by minority groups. In Nazi Germany, the colour pink was used to label queer prisoners, and has since been co-opted by queer anarchist movements, fighting for the rights of an LGBQTIA+ community in an oppressive society. Furthermore, charities like the ‘Pink Ribbon Foundation’, raising money for breast cancer support, often use pink as a sign of empowerment. As time has developed pink has been used in a huge variety of ways, good and bad, making it so much more than just a colour.

Photo Courtesy of Pedro Lastra/ Unsplash

Photo Courtesy of Tirza van Dijk/ Unsplash

ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART, WAR AND JUSTICE: How the Women of Kent Have Changed Your Life

By Lumière O'Keefe Culture Writer

History is not kind to women. According to English Heritage, only around 0.5% of written historical records relate to women. Canterbury author Martin Latham speaks of the 'patriarchive', where the male heads of historical archives are more likely to value the works and contributions of men and discard the works of women. So, when a woman's story manages to echo through history, to persist despite the challenges it faces, it becomes all the more vital to share it. Kent has been the home of some of the most intelligent and industrious women of all time, and their tales are here to be told.

SAINT

BERTHA: The Christian Queen

In the late 500s AD, Christianity was fast becoming an international religion. It had spread its way from the Middle East all the way through Europe. However, Britain remained a pagan stronghold whereby Christianity struggled to get a foot in the door. Enter Queen Bertha, a devout Christian and the daughter of the King of Paris. In 580 AD, Queen Bertha married the pagan King Æthelberht of Kent. She introduced her husband to Christianity, and whilst he did not convert immediately, he ordered an ancient Roman church to be restored so that she may practice her faith. When Pope Gregory sent his missionary Augustine to convert Britain to Christianity in 597 AD, Bertha was instrumental in ensuring Æthelberht welcomed him, allowing him to found a monastery just outside the city walls. That monastery has since grown to become Canterbury Cathedral. Without Saint Bertha's influence, some of the most beautiful works of Christian architecture, art, and writing may never have been made, and the history of our entire country would have forever been changed. A statue of her can be found in St Martin's, the site of which is built on the Roman church that Æthelberht first restored for his wife.

AUDREY WILLIAMS: Archaeologist Extraordinaire

In 1920, women were granted the opportunity to get university degrees for the first time. In the same year, the Welsh-born Audrey Williams earned a scholarship at Oxford university to study English. After finishing her degree, Williams returned to Wales to work as a teacher, but soon began to take an interest in Archaeology. She rose quickly through the archaeological world, earning curatorial and directorial roles across multiple archaeological societies, eventually becoming the first female president of the Royal Institution of South Wales in 1944. Just one year later, she was appointed Director of Excavations for the Canterbury Excavation Committee, which was created to investigate archaeology that had been uncovered by German bombing raids. She was the lead archaeologist on the project that excavated the Canterbury Roman Museum's mosaic corridor and underfloor heating system. She published

two articles on these excavations and co-wrote almost every other article on the topic. The incredible mosaics she uncovered are viewed by tens of thousands of visitors a year, and her work cemented Canterbury as one of the most historic cities in the UK.

ELEANOR DE MONTFORT: The Unbreakable Countess

The 1260s were tumultuous times for England. Baron Simon De Montfort had won a rebellion against his old friend, King Henry III, but was brutally killed in battle alongside his eldest son by Henry's own son, Edward I. Upon his death, almost all of his allies surrendered and gave their castles to Edward. However, there was one holdout. Eleanor De Montfort, Simon's wife and Edward's aunt, decided she would not give up Dover castle without a fight. When Edward heard of his Aunt's rebellion in July 1265, he sent his army to siege the castle. Eleanor knew she had little time to act, paying off the debt of her youngest son Richard and sending her family to France with 11,000 marks to start a new life. During this, Eleanor's guards betrayed her and released 14 royalist prisoners from the Dover cells. The prisoners boarded themselves up in the Great Tower, costing Eleanor the best defended part of the entire castle. Alongside this, nearby villages began refusing to sell her food for fear of the approaching English army. Despite everything, she struggled on, obtaining her food by strategic raids to buy her family as much time as possible to escape. However, the inevitable finally arrived, and in October 1265 surrendered to the English army. Despite all the trouble she caused, she negotiated a brilliant peace that allowed for all of her men to be pardoned and for her to be peacefully exiled to France, where she could be with her family. She died 10 years later as a nun in Montargis Abbey. Dover Castle is one of Kent's premier historical monuments, and the bravery that Eleanor demonstrated in the Kentish monument is a vital part of its compelling tapestry.

EMILY JUSON KERR: The Militant Magistrate

The suffragette movement involved thousands of women across the UK fighting tooth and nail for their right to vote. Many resorted to law-breaking tactics to simply have their voices heard. However, few went from breaking the law to making it. Emily Juson Kerr was born in 1857, but her first recorded action as a suffragette didn't occur until she was 51 years old, where she was the chair in a peaceful meeting of East Kent suffragettes. One of her first acts of suffrage was winning fishing competitions against men whilst wearing a 'no vote, no tax' badge. Kerr would often speak at auction houses where the property of women who refused to pay taxes was sold off, carrying a

revolver for protection against the rowdy opponents of women's votes that would gather at her speeches. Kerr's small actions quickly escalated, and she was inevitably arrested after a protest outside Downing Street over the treatment of suffragette prisoners. Kerr adamantly refused to cooperate with police, and with nothing more serious to charge her with, she was released after a few hours. The outbreak of the war in 1914 slowed down any more major protests, but Kerr was still an avid political campaigner and opened many social clubs across Kent and London for the wives of servicemen. In 1924, despite her previous law-breaking actions, she was made Justice of the Peace for Deal and set up a Council for Women's Magistrates, as well as a Women's Freedom League, in East Kent. Her work was instrumental in encouraging women in Kent to feel empowered and seek out better prospects in their careers and lives. The Council she established helped countless Kent women get into law and allow for justice to finally be more broadly accessible.

Women are everywhere in Kentish history. Even with the majority of their stories being lost to time, they leave their mark on every corner of Britain. From converting a whole country to fighting until the bitter end simply to save their family, women are an inspiration to us all, and their legacies should never be so easily forgotten.

Photo Courtesy of historyhit.com

Photo Courtesy of The Beaney

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Photo Courtesy of The Vote

The Importance of Creative Networking

By Emyr Ben Youssef Deputy Head of Media & Marketing

For many new and upcoming creatives, there is a constant struggle to find footing in an overly-saturated market; the constant comparison of your own work to others’ will often lead to a heavy dose of impostor syndrome. Though, intrinsically, you know this is your creative calling, you can’t help but feel displaced and isolated. This is exactly how many of the panellists at The Conn3ct event, hosted by SimplestTalks, felt when they first started in the industry. Hosting a panel of creatives, The Conn3ct has given creatives, both new and old, a space to congregate and network. University of Kent students were able to attend this event to create mutually beneficial relationships with other like-minded creatives and visionaries. Networking gives creatives the opportunity to exchange ideas and useful information. Also, in a communal setting, each and every creative person can resonate with one-another’s mentality and spirituality in one way or another. Getting involved with networking events like The Conn3ct enables creatives to out-reach with those in other fields, join a community that you didn’t know even existed, and create relationships that will open endless doors of

list and founder of SimplestTalks, Lucia Aide aims to 'provide and curate safe spaces for creatives, where they feel supported and have a platform to showcase their endless talent.' Being a podcaster, singer, and event organiser, Lucia highlighted that networking is highly important not only for creatives but also in life. Being an event organiser, Lucia has experienced how networking has pushed her into daunting spaces that have ended up being the best experiences in her life, where she has met new people that have continued to support, inspire and push her forward. Lucia highlighted that 'the support and the learning capabilities within community spaces are really important. Ultimately, a community can help and support you in challenges and difficulties.' During the panel, Lucia highlighted the first step to networking is stepping outside of your comfort zone. Some networking strategies that have assisted Lucia’s growth within the creative community vary from social media platforms such as Twitter, TikTok and Instagram; to attending events where she has met various talents and lastly utilising university as a platform to interact with new people daily. After postponing the Conn3ct creative

think any of the performers, Black student voices, or the panellists know how much this means to me’.

Devine, also known as DJ Vine, is a producer, DJ and sound engineer, working at various events like NXT at The Venue. Devine said, 'there’s no downside to networking, it is like an escalator. You start at the bottom and the only way is up.' When he first started, Devine utilised the knowledge of fellow creatives within the industry to learn and grow; his community, friends and fellow creatives have supported him through tough times and have kept him going, and ultimately has enabled him to be the success he is today. Being a part of the Conn3ct panel, Devine said 'This event has taught me things I didn’t know about myself and it is comfortable to know that other creatives have endured the same struggles as I have. I think events like this should happen more often!'. 19-year-old Hameed runs multiple media brand businesses alongside his own soft drink company, Clavishdrinks. Being a photographer and videographer, Hameed believes that 'networking is one of the most important things for a creative. Being able to get to know new peo-

The Battle of the Hardbacks and Softbacks

Hard or soft? Be honest, does it really matter? When, after months of anticipation, you finally hold it in your hand, feeling its tough and rigid shape fill your grip. You can’t help but feel a little excited to use it, right? On the other hand, holding it for the first time only to discover it is all limp and soft, flopping about? Well, it's understandable to feel a sense of dejection and disappointment. This isn’t what you signed up for at all. So, let’s all be honest, shall we? All of us would rather have a big, tough, rugged… hardback book. There, I said it. Now, let me be explicitly clear off the bat– I do not condone any hatred towards those that prefer a softer, more delicate encasing for their book. Some of my best friends have softbacks! If they can’t handle the grown-up reality of a hard-

By George Sharp Culture Writer

back book, that's their choice, and I support them regardless. Despite this, I cannot continue to tolerate these floppy excuses for books any longer for myself.

I enjoy taking my books into the bath. Say I take my beloved copy of 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (and Other Useful Guides) for a dip with me, and say I should drop said book in the bath, the pathetic softback would allow my book to congeal into a sloppy illegible mess of colour, before I am even close to understanding exactly why someone would write a book about the five very good reasons we should be punching dolphins in the mouth. At least with a hardback, the crucial information within the pages is partially protected by a hard, semi-impenetrable layer of paperboard and cloth. w

Sitting down for a serious conversation with my partner, I ask her quietly to ‘tell me the truth’. Sighing, shakily, she admits that she feels ‘softback books are for silly gooses, and hardback books are for people that skip steps when they walk up the stairs’. I never should have doubted her. So, when it comes to hardbacks vs soft backs, you need to ask yourself one sim ple question. With silly gooses reading softbacks and step-skippers reading hardbacks, who would you rather be?

Hameed is part of the African & Caribbean society, where he feels supported. Being a part of the commu nity broadens the awareness of his identity and brand.

Content creator and media personality Benzo has utilised the technological capabilities and reach of TikTok, where he has found his niche and identity. Benzo said, 'I don’t really like to talk to people and networking events are outside of my comfort zone, but I know that it will benefit me, especially as these events open up doors and many other avenues'. Being one of his first networking events, Benzo highlighted that networking allows you to talk to people, be inspired, collaborate and feel a sense of belonging.

Lastly, upcoming photographer Chidera said that 'networking is one of the most important things for a creative as you never know who you will meet, what opportunities you will find. And most importantly feel a sense of belonging…' Pursuing photography since sixth form, Chidera has now built a large clientele which has predominantly been due to networking, outreach, social media and connecting with new people. Most of her success has come from people referring her to new clients allowing her to now be as she says, 'Booked n’ busy!'

Photo Courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez/ Unsplash

By Katherine Wiley Writer

THE AGE-LONG PURSUIT OF THE UNKNOWN: FINDING ORIGINALITY IN SEEKING DISCOMFORT, A DISCUSSION ON THEATRICS AND MINIMALISM

In conversation with Katherine Wiley and Amin Houta

What follows is a sit-down interview with Amin Houta, the director of T24’s upcoming adaptation of HP Lovecraft’s ‘At the Mountains of Madness’, a novella that follows the tale of Professor William Dyer’s journey to the Antarctic, and his harrowing discovery of the secrets concealed in the world’s desolate snowscape. It is, by no means, a play that is expected to entice many, but herewith comes the argument for originality. Much has been seen, much has been done. In the oft overlooked realm of science fiction, the element of the esoteric has been reduced to a gimmick of explosions and technological warfare. Amateur drama is also tendentially shelved as a recreational pastime. Here, we bring to you a combination of both forms: an amateur adaptation of a science fiction novella. We aim to disturb, and we aim to entertain, and perhaps revolutionise the stage with tales of old in a way that is new. We invite to partake in this journey on Saturday, April 1st and Sunday, April 2nd, at Missing Link, by Darwin College.

Of all the Lovecraftian pieces, what struck you with ‘Mountains of Madness’?

The setting. It is a setting that isn’t explored in theatre. You have stuff like, for example, Lovecraft’s ‘The Shunned House’, which is just a haunted, creepy mansion, or ‘Shadow Over Innsmouth’, a relatively abandoned and creepy village. While Lovecraft’s method of writing is generally different from a lot of other horror writers, especially at the time, ‘At the Mountains of Madness’ is the piece that stood out. The idea of this Arctic expedition, this whole underlying feeling of chill, the desolation of mountaineering; I think the setting is just fascinating. The glacial realm of ice and death.

And how do you see yourself projecting this glacial realm of ice and death? Presenting an Antarctic environment is a little bit of a challenge.

This is what I knew I was going to do, from the moment I decided to do the whole Arctic thing. I want incredible minimalism.

Minimalism?

Just to push forward the idea that there is nothing that exists here. This is a dead space, driving home that theory of isolation. All eyes are on you, as you’re surrounded by nothing but whiteness. Especially because, in amateur drama, we have to look for a place that gives us a blank slate. Ultimately, lots happens in the Antarctic; its storms, its winds, its everything.

It's the perpetual veiled threat of death, as well.

Exactly. So, you have to use some level of subtlety. It can’t be this massive set-piece that’s looming over the audience. The constant whistling of the wind that’ll just be there throughout, which you’ll just relate to the whispering of the chanting. This is all a constant thing, which is at the back of your head. And you know that it’s there. You know that, if you don’t steal yourself, there’s a chance you might die.

So, I would assume that this is a rather more dialogue and charac-

ter-driven play, given the minimalism of the atmosphere?

Oh, yes, immensely. Yes.

How are you going about that? With theatre, the expectation is usually eccentric characters, excessiveness in movement and direction and sets. So, when you’re toning everything down, that goes against everything that amateur theatre is presumed to be.

thing that many audiences are familiar with.

To an extent. You want to give them an understanding the expedition itself, what it constitutes, how exactly it would go right, and how exactly it would go wrong. The idea of splitting up the expedition might not seem grandiose, but if you consider all the aspects of the Antarctic, which are relayed to the audience, they can understand exactly how that would be a bad idea. In terms of the actual threat, because it can be so personal, especially to each of the characters, I feel like you just need to give the audience the bare minimum they need to understand.

the whole concept of mystery is just thrown out the window.

In adapting a classic, what I have personally observed is a shift toward the colloquial and the modern, and, in a sense, universal. What do you make of this?

People’s understandings and appreciations of literature as a whole will usually change over time. Yes, we are moving towards a more dialogue or event-heavy type of writing, as opposed to the more prosaic, where you basically just explain all the setting, the feelings, the emotions, everything. ‘At the Mountains of Madness’ is a novella. It is a short book, barely more than 100 pages. It is difficult to get through for many people because the language is very heavy. As I mentioned, Lovecraft will occasionally go on tangents, purely in a prosaic way. By making it move more towards dialogue and events, you make it more accessible for modern audiences to appreciate, whilst still retaining a level of respect and homage to the original text. I like to say that I took a similarly prosaic approach, in regard to William Dyer’s monologues. However, it’s taken a more dialogue/ character-driven nuance, as opposed to the more detached original text.

Do you have any writers in particular that have inspired your style, given that this is your own interpretation of a classic novella.

See, that’s the thing. I do agree that’s the general perception of theatre. It’s exactly what I was taught when I was coming into theatre. You have to have this overarching level of every single movement having to be exaggerated, every expression having to be exaggerated. I fundamentally disagree with that. I think it may work for a lot of shows– if you have a melodrama, if you have a comedy, if you have something which is very ‘out there’– but, if you want to focus a lot on the characters, by bringing in a sense of naturalism and toning down expressions, you can relate more to the audience, or the audience can relate more to the characters.

So, it’s a conversation with the audience?

It very much is, yes.

With this interaction in mind, do you feel a certain responsibility to your audience to write in much exposition – concerning ‘Mountains of Madness’, specifically, given that it’s such an esoteric piece? Antarctic exploration and mountaineering, it’s not some-

I was, obviously, referring more so to the scientific jargon that’s used in yours and Lovecraft’s writing. These are biologists, geologists and engineers, so it does require a level of sophistication in your audience. Or rather, not. There’s also a sort of sous-entendu, a set of conditions that you, a viewer, accept upon attending a play such as this. What would you say?

This is something I noticed when I was rewriting Lovecraft. Lovecraft likes to go on tangents. He explains rocks for a good three pages, in this novella. It’s fascinating, but, at the same time, it’s boring. You don’t need to understand everything about rocks. Again, if you grant them the basics, they need to understand the dangers of going to the Antarctic, which will come from a scientific perspective– because, again, this is science fiction– they will have what they need to grasp the terror that can arise from within it. There does, however, have to be a disagreement. No, I will not explain everything, because it might take this play into 3-4 hours, which you don’t want to sit through. Alternatively, if I explain too much, then

In terms of the style, it is purely a modern conversational style. I’d like to say that I took inspiration from certain different writers, like Mary Shelley, and took some level of inspiration from Macbeth, in regard to the development of characters. The idea of a character who has this sort of fall, in a way, that was abetted by supernatural means. Macbeth is something that would usually be related a more medieval setting. These everlasting themes of the self and personal downfall will nevertheless translate incredibly well into science fiction. Despite my lesser love for Shakespeare, I can appreciate some of his works, which is why Macbeth was a source of inspiration whilst writing ‘At the Mountains of Madness’. I took a more realistic approach. I looked at real people, real psychology, and science.

‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace day by day until the last syllable of recorded time’ springs to mind.

Congratulations, you can quote more Macbeth than I can.

Speaking of themes, what would you perceive to be the most relevant themes in your adaptation of Lovecraftian lore?

You have a couple. One of the ones that I’d like to push is something that’s very prevalent in a lot of science fiction– the ultimate insignificance of man. It’s a fascinating thing. You’re surrounded by humans, and you’re surrounded by people who somewhat have mastered control over the Earth. However, we are insignificant, for we are in a solar system, which is in a galaxy, which is in a galactic cluster, which is in a universe, which is in a multiverse, and so on and so forth.

That, in itself, can be the horror: the unknown.

It is, indeed. ‘At the Mountains of Madness’, you have this horrific and disgusting creature called the Shoggoth, or the Elder Things… These things are terrifying. These are aliens from beyond Earth. They are more intelligent than humanity could ever be. The Shoggoths are these massive, bubbling masses of flesh, which will destroy anything that comes into their wake. These creatures, in comparison to the rest of Lovecraftian lore, are petty things. One of the most famous Lovecraftian creatures, Cthulhu, is tiny, in comparison; a three– or six– story-high creature from the depths. This is nothing for Lovecraft. He has created creatures which will, quite literally, span the heavens. You have things like the Great Dreamers, things that will, ultimately, be large enough to encapsulate a universe. ‘At the Mountains of Madness’ is a more toneddown version of Lovecraftian lore, which is why I felt that it was one of the better ones to introduce to the stage.

A demon spanning the entirety of the universe is a little heavyhanded on an unsophisticated audience.

Just a tad. Lovecraft always loved to bring in the ultimate insignificance of man, hence anyone who ever sees a Lovecraftian creature, his mind is broken for the rest of eternity. Dyer is one of the only protagonists in all of Lovecraft’s works who is still sane enough to go on another adventure. I guess, in opposition to that, is the pursuit of the unknown. Again,something that’s very prevalent in science fiction, in which humanity will want to exert control over that which they do not understand and will pursue the unknown. There is a direct dichotomy between the two [themes], which is seen in two of the characters, Dyer and Lake. One of them, Dyer, resolves himself to absolute nihilism, whilst Lake goes, ‘We will go forth into greater unknowns.’

‘The age-long pursuit of the unknown.’ Would you equate the

pursuit of the unknown with the pursuit of happiness, a theme found in literature dating back to its conception as a craft.

In regard to something like horror, I guess it’s more of a promise of a pursuit of happiness. It is a distorted view. This is purely the way horror, as a story, develops, in which you’ll have a promise, you will have a hope, you will have something that you want to achieve. Here, we have a group of young explorers who want to look for the unknown, and who think that, in this pursuit, they are doing something that will offer them happiness, before that eventually results in them finding quite the opposite – whether that’s their downfall, their death, or unleashing something even worse on the world. When you go home to think about it, you’ll ask yourself: ‘Was it worth pursuing this happiness?’

Would you say that the pursuit of the unknown, often key to most science fiction plots metaphorizes discussions of self-discovery and identity?

Yes. It’s something that I’ve also found to exist primarily in cyberpunk. Cosmic horror is still coming into popularity. Cyberpunk is much more prevalent; the understanding of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human. In ‘At the Mountains of Madness’, the pursuit of the unknown results in lots of people understanding: ‘Me, as a person, I am insignificant.’ Ultimately, the question is, what do you take from that? In most pieces of media, especially in theatre, the characters will have to find something that will be reflective of themselves. You will have to have this connection to the character for a naturalist play to occur.

Would you say that these pretty universal themes are often overlooked in science fiction because of the specifics and particularities of the subject matter? Cyberpunk, or, here, cosmic horror – these are very particular subjects and very information-dense. People tend to shy away from science fiction because they think they won’t be touched by the subject matter itself.

I disagree. I think that science fiction, in terms of most genres of fiction, is one of the most character-driven genres. I agree that science fiction is not a common genre in theatre, because it’s quite difficult to do science fiction onstage without a lot of budget. If we’re looking at a more cinematic aspect, I still believe that science fiction is one of the more prevalent genres in terms of character depth. Like I mentioned, you have the idea of AI, what it means to be human. You have stuff like Blade Runner, which can be summarised as: ‘Are you human? Am I human? What the fuck is going on?’

Ultimately, what does it mean to be human? You have all these ideas of class, gender, sexuality; all these things are very, very relevant to science fiction. Science fiction is, indeed, overlooked, and, in recent years, has been reduced to explosions, explosions, gunshots, special effects. But the core of science fiction is character-driven. I’ve seen adaptations of

Dante’s Inferno made through a cyberpunk lens, descending through cyberspace as you see the different deadly sins. Sci-fi is a very character-driven genre, and it's heavily laced in common themes. And, I agree, recently, it’s become a more bastardised version of itself, which people are not really appreciating. So, is that what you hope to do with ‘The Mountains of Madness’: re-instil, re-inculcate an appreciation for a genre that, in film, was one of the first to emerge – perhaps not in theatre.

‘At the Mountains of Madness’, I guess, is not as heavy in science fiction. Ultimately, it’s laced with naturalism and the introductory elements of cosmic horror. I’m mainly doing it less so as an introduction to science fiction, and more so an introduction to the themes in an oft forgotten subgenre. Obviously, the 1930s is a little bit far.

It’s not that far.

It’s about 90 or so years. It is closer to our present. It’s something we can relate to more than 3000 years in the future, which is the proposed digital age.

What works would you cite in relation to this play for an audience that isn’t familiar of Lovecraft? Something they may have heard of that would relate to this play?

What works are actually popular now?

What would you personally cite?

Mary Shelley is definitely one of the more prevalent ones. Because this play is more character-driven, something like Macbeth or Hamlet. Edgar Allan Poe is also someone who has heavily inspired Lovecraft. This overarching existential dread is very

"I don’t necessarily give them a message. really wants to and learn something. say that a lot of been uncomfortable right reasons, coming the play, then I’ve well."

Pictures courtesy of Katherine Wiley

relevant to Poe’s work. You have other works like Robert W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow. Can’t say I’ve heard of it.

Oh, it’s fascinating. It’s a play from the late19th century. It’s a very good play. Another one that I was considering adapting. The whole concept of dread seems to have fallen out of grace, in more recent times. You can see this in the way that horror films have developed over the years. We have moved towards a more slasher-heavy genre, which is very much based in blood and gore, quite popular in H. P. Lovecraft. But it takes a little more out of the existential sense of dread. Ultimately, that’s what Lovecraft is. Lovecraft uses as much as he can. In his case, it is an existential sense of dread that breaks the minds of its victims, whilst retaining its disgusting visage.

coming to watch the play, then I’ve done my job well. Lovecraft is very critically acclaimed, especially in his time, regardless of his beliefs. He was a relatively decent writer. He had his own ideas. I have my personal thoughts on his writing style, being someone who’s had to adapt it.

Would you care to share?

I mean, I mentioned it briefly. He likes going on tangents. While the prosaic aspect is done very well, it maintains a sense of disconnection from the characters. The only characters you only ever interact with are Dyer and Dyer’s accountant, Danforth.

So, you’ve sought to personify the other characters and give them stories.

Combining characters and establishing others was something I got to do. The idea of reimaging old and forgotten works to given to a modern audience is, in my opinion, one of the better ways to go about seeking originality, as opposed to attempting something entirely original.

In keeping with criticisms of Lovecraft, what is your approach to the separation of art and the artist, being an Egyptian director adapting a novella by an author known for his literary racism.

A play on the senses, would you say?

Yes. Ultimately, there’s only so much you can do with the senses in theatre. That’s the budget. Sound is something that I am focusing a lot more heavily on. Audiences in theatre, especially in amateur drama, will rely on what they see. Very rarely is sound playing at the back of your mind, which relates to this all-round setting and this sense of dread. Going back to the Antarctic setting, the scene of the overarching plot – storms, wind, whisperings of an unknown demon; focusing on sound and playing on the senses is something that I really want to push to other people, because there is so much you can do.

With that in mind, what would you want the audience to walk away with from your play?

I don’t necessarily want to give them a message. No one really wants to go to a theatre and learn something. If I can say that a lot of people have been uncomfortable for the right reasons,

This is something I said when I pitched it. Lovecraft would not like this. I am a coloured man who is adapting one of his final novels, in a production led by a coloured woman, my production manager, who is Kashmiri. The nice thing about public domain is that it gives you creative freedom. This play moves away from Lovecraft. It’s still Lovecraft’s work, but it’s our play. It’s not his play, it’s ours. It is based on his work. Any ideas of racism that may have existed as a theme have been taken out or completely altered. For example, he brought into discussion the writer of the fictional Necronomicon, Abdul Alhazred. The name is not even Arabic. It is a play on an English phrase, ‘has read’. It is a very white, supremacist concept. ‘At the Mountains of Madness’ is not one of his whiter, supremacist works. As far as Lovecraft goes, this is very tame. If you draw away focus from that and create a work separate from Lovecraft, whilst still appreciating his literary prowess, you can create something that will be enjoyed by everyone. Lovecraft is not benefitting from this. Ultimately, he is dead in the ground.

So, in wrapping this up, what would you say has been your favourite part of the adaptation and staging of this novella?

In an amateur and character-led production, the actors have opened up new possibilities for the original characters. The person who is playing the lead role of Professor William Dyer brought a completely different sense to the character than what I had originally conceived. Whilst it wasn’t a complete polarisation, he fleshed out even more of the character’s decline. The character I had origi-

nally written was a protagonist. He was trying to protect those he was responsible for, whilst still facing his own challenges. Shea Desmond, the actor playing Dyer, has taken it further. Whilst he tries to see himself as a protagonist, the overarching concept, drawing back to Macbeth, sees his character go through a much more solid decline whether through his own flaws, or the effects of the Eldritch horrors. And whilst it’s not purely a tragedy of ‘my own demise’, in the end, he is… not a good person. The entirety of the other characters’ mental state, by the end, he could very well be held responsible for. Whether or not that was pushed by the Eldritch horrors or his own hubris, that is unclear. Ultimately, it’s an amateur production. It’s not just my production, it is all of ours. We are very much enjoying this, and we all want to put on a good show for people.

In making this play, have there been any marking moments that have affected or changed you as a creator?

In amateur theatre, whilst you are in charge of a large group of people – well, in this case, not so large, because it is a small cast – you have to take on a large level of responsibility, which, while terrifying, is also very satisfying. It is quite cathartic. You see these people developing their characters and having a connection to their characters, making jokes. Seeing these people enjoy themselves, whilst still wanting to put on a show for others, has really changed me. This is not my first time directing, as I mentioned. My first time directing was a very difficult experience. But something like this, it is proof that I can do it, but it is not just me. As much as we can talk about wanting to put out sci-fi/horror to terrify people, to leave people disturbed, originality, etc., this is very much something for ourselves. We are enjoying our time.

Would you tackle such an endeavour again?

Yes. I’m not sure when, I’m not sure how. I would like to see how far science fiction can go in theatre.

necessarily want to message. No one go to a theatre something. If I can of people have uncomfortable for the coming to watch

I’ve done my job well."

Causing a buzz: First ever insect vaccine to be used to save bees

By Lumière O’Keefe Science and Tech Correspondent

In 2007, the strange and terrifying syndrome of beehives suddenly being abandoned by their workers received an official name: Colony Collapse Disorder. Although it had been observed as early as 1998, the issue spread rapidly across Europe and the United States, with affected beekeepers losing between 30 and 90 percent of their hives. However, in January of this year, the United States approved a new weapon in the fight against Colony Collapse: bee vaccines. These vaccines differ significantly from human vaccines, so don’t start imagining a colony of bees lining up to be injected with a tiny syringe. Whilst insects do have a primitive form of immune system, they do not produce antibodies, so it was long thought that vaccines wouldn’t work.

pathogen.

Over the next seven years, rigorous testing took place in an attempt to get bees to resist a deadly bacterial infection known as ‘American foulbrood’ (AFB). AFB is so severe that if a beekeeper discovers it in any of their hives, they must burn and bury the entire hive and any equipment they used on it. As if that wasn’t enough, beekeepers then must administer antibiotics to their other hives to prevent any potential spread.

Unfortunately, AFB is growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics, with a study in Japan revealing over 94% of AFB has developed partial resistance to conventional antibiotics, and other studies suggesting around 30% of AFB worldwide has developed complete immunity. The beekeeping world has been in dire need of a solution, and the vaccine promises to be its saviour. However, getting the vaccine into bees is a surprisingly convoluted process.

worker bees and the pathogen, which was dyed with fluorescent material so the scientists could track its journey, became present in the jelly secreted by the workers. When the queen ate the jelly, the inactive bacteria entered her system and was broken down by phagocytes of her immune system.

‘Signature molecules’ from the broken-down bacteria are then released from the phagocytes and become bound to vitellogenin, a protein found in egg yolk. Next, the vitellogenin travelled through the queen’s ovaries and into her eggs.

After being exposed to the bacteria’s signature molecules, the eggs became ‘primed’, and subsequent larvae that hatched from them had these signature molecules present in their own vitellogenin. The signature molecules

able once used in the field, including physical problems and changes in behaviour.

Alongside this, Dalan Animal Health Operations Manager Nicole Hoffman told InQuire in an interview that “The immune priming effect lasts for as long as there is a storage of the elici-

However, in the late 2000s multiple studies revealed that insect immune systems were passed from parent to child. The breakthrough came in 2015 when Finnish scientists discovered that dead pathogens eaten by a queen bee are transferred into her ovaries, which then ‘primes’ the immune system of the larvae that hatch from her eggs, giving them a resistance to the live

All bees are fed a substance known as ‘royal jelly’ when they are larvae, as well as a mix of pollen and nectar. However, a queen bee is exclusively fed royal jelly, and unlike other bees will continue to be fed royal jelly throughout her life. Royal jelly is excreted from the heads of worker bees. Worker bees produce this jelly naturally, but to vaccinate the queen scientists needed to get the worker bees to secrete royal jelly that contained an inactive (essentially dead) form of the AFB-causing bacteria. To achieve this, the worker bees were fed ‘royal candy’, an irresistible mix of corn syrup and powdered sugar. However, this candy contained a secret ingredient: AFB bacteria which had been heat-treated to render it inactive.

The candy was gobbled up by the

acted as an alert to the bees’ immune systems, causing them to develop a 30-50% resistance to the disease. Whilst this sounds like a comically high amount of effort for a relatively low amount of resistance, it is important to note that these resistance numbers were calculated in laboratory conditions where bees were exposed to over 1000 times the amount of AFB bacteria that they would normally be exposed to, so the vaccine is expected to be much more effective when used in natural circumstances.

Although the vaccine has been approved, only large-scale beekeeping operations will be allowed to use it, and only after applying for a one-year licence from the US Department of Agriculture that is subject to review and revocation at any time. These strict guidelines are to ensure that the vaccine has no adverse side effects which only become notice-

tors in the queens ovaries. Once it is empty, it would need to be refilled (i.e. revaccinated)”.

Even with such limited release, beekeepers across the US are tentatively optimistic, and for good reason. Over 130 types of fruit, nut, and vegetable rely on bee pollination to produce a harvestable crop. These crops, including apples, pears, almonds, and blueberries account for one-third of all US-grown crops, generating $15 billion a year for American farmers. Whilst not a cure-all for hive collapse, vaccines could be a vital lifeline for both the farmers that grow these pollinating crops and the apiaries that supply the farmers with bees. Trevor Tauzer, owner of a 30,000-hive apiary in California, told the Smithsonian: ‘This is an exciting step forward’. He believes that the reduced cost and ability to ‘focus our efforts on other elements of keeping bees healthy’ would make American beekeeping much easier.

Hoffman informed us that the ovaries empty of elicitors once a season in the northern hemisphere. At minimum, beekeepers need two doses to keep the bees vaccinated during the spring and summer pollinating season, when the bees have the highest chance of catching the disease. Beekeepers that want to keep their bees vaccinated yearround will need to purchase four doses per queen per year, incurring a heavy cost.

Dalan Animal Health, producer of the vaccine, are hopeful that once this year’s trials are over, they will be able to sell the vaccine under a full commercial licence. Smaller beekeepers and even hive hobbyists would be able to purchase the vaccine directly, or buy a pre-vaccinated queen from a bee genetics company (although being a commercial product, only beekeepers who are more financially advantaged will be able to purchase the vaccine). The company also hopes to expand the variety of vaccines available, with vaccines against European foulbrood and the fungal infection Chalkbrood already in the making. Dalial Freitak, CSO of Dalan Animal Health, told the University of Helsinki: ‘The plan is to be able to vaccinate against any microbe.’ The implications also go far beyond bees, as every egg-laying organism passes vitellogenin from mother to offspring. Similar vaccines could be used on a huge range of animals, including bees, chickens, crocodiles, platypuses, and millions of others. The possibilities for this technology have barely begun to be investigated and could help thousands of endangered species become more resistant to common infections. Non-human vaccinations are entering a new era, and the upcoming science will be a marvel to behold.

Image depicting bee alongside a flower, image courtesy of Demetrios Giannitsios Photography

The possibilities for this technology have barely begun to be investigated and could help thousands of endangered species become more resistant to common infections.

“Unfortunately, AFB is growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics, with a study in Japan revealing over 94% of AFB has developed partial resistance to conventional antibiotics.”

“Over 130 types of fruit, nut, and vegetable rely on bee pollination to produce a harvestable crop.”

Two larval cells from honeycomb removed from the main hive, image courtesy of Wikipedia user Waugsberg

Climate training: For one and all

By Chandra Pasquill Science Writer

Learning about the climate crisis is no longer limited to environmental students. In the first year of being run, the University of Kent offered a day-long workshop in Carbon Literacy Training this month. Teaming up with Manchester Metropolitan University and the Carbon Literacy Trust, the University’s Sustainability team is excited to provide a new course to students and staff which grants an external certification upon successful completion.

With about an hour of self-pre-study and an interactive face-to-face session, this workshop is worth attending not just for the certification. This is because all parts of society are under pressure to understand the impacts of climate change to prepare for the future.

University of Kent Sustainability Manager Catherine Morris created this workshop as she focused on ways

to ‘embed sustainability in every aspect of the university’, not just on waste reduction but in the curriculum, research, and partnerships. Considering climate change as one of the biggest issues that’s impacting the workforce, Ms Morris hopes to equip graduates with the necessary skills to enter the job market. She said: ‘I wanted to make sure we had something that was available

for all students to just get that basic understanding of climate change, regardless of what subject they are doing’.

When asked about the overall aim of the workshop, Ms Morris explained: ‘It’s about understanding where you can influence. I think, the one thing

Puzzle Solutions

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I’m seeing a lot is what I will talk about in the training which is this kind of triangle of inaction whereby businesses aren’t doing anything because the consumer isn’t asking for it, or the governments aren’t enabling it through taxes. And you just get this whole sort of feedback loop where no one is doing anything because no one else is.

‘And I think it’s about understanding, for each individual, what is within your capacity to change directly and what can you influence. And once people understand where they have power, where they have agency, they can really start to change things and see where they fit in to this kind of global transition.’

With the first staff cohort receiving training in February and their first

student group in March, the Sustainability group is excited to offer this training to the University. Combining individual impacts with larger social issues, the new workshop is worth attending regardless of your home subject, and at the endyou will get a certification to boost your CV.

Morris wants to instill faith for the future, recalling: ‘I very vividly remember the fear around the ozone layer and what the hole was going to do and I remember being really scared by that.But we did see these massive shifts particularly in terms of policies that were brought into place to ban CFCs and that, for me, was a really story of hope, that we can make these changes.’

“I wanted to make sure we had something that was available for all students to just get that basic understanding of climate change, regardless of what subject they are doing.”

Logo of the Carbon Literacy Project, image courtesy of The Carbon literacy Project

“University of Kent Sustainability Manager Catherine Morris created this workshop to ‘embed sustainability in every aspect of the university’, not just on waste reduction...”

Everything Everywhere All at Once dominates at the Oscars

By Rhona Lonergan

Entertainment Editor

Once more it was that time of year that brings courageous (but often unwise) fashion, interesting celebrity pairings and slightly awkward jokes. Awards season has come and gone for yet another year as the 95th Academy Awards finished off Hollywood’s glitziest season. Awards season, and the Oscars in particular, never fail to entertain with speculation and rumours even before the night itself starts!

This year was no exception as Andrea Riseborough’s surprise Best Actress nomination for To Leslie (a movie almost no one saw or had heard of, which made less than $70,000 worldwide) caused controversy. This was partially due to the ‘grassroots’ campaign, which was essentially a word of mouth campaign between celebrities, run entirely on social media, skirting some of the Academy’s campaigning rules and procedures. Riseborough’s nomination meant either Viola Davis (Woman King) or Danielle Deadwyler (Till) were neglected. This means the bending of the rules helped underpin a bias present in the academy, as it kept two deserving POC actresses out for great movies that people had actually seen. The Academy has said they are looking at implementing new rules to address these kinds of tactics in the future.

Hollywood has long been obsessed with Ireland, often times with frustrating inaccuracy. However, real Irish stories made by Irish people have been

moving to the forefront as we saw with Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast last year. As an Irish person, it felt like that movement might finally reach fruition as Irish actors, movies and stories received record numbers of nominations throughout the award season, winning many awards and dominating at the BAFTAs. It seemed unstoppable as this success continued into the Oscars nomination announcements.

ern Ireland. This beautiful film is well worth checking out and aptly named because, as all Irish people know but contrary to popular belief and Google, an Irish goodbye is not one where you leave without saying goodbye, it’s one where you never leave at all.

If there is one thing the Academy loves, it’s a good narrative behind a nomination/win and this year the comeback narrative was a strong draw in both male acting categories with Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan winning. Both had returned from long breaks from acting after becoming disenfranchised with Hollywood. Fortunately both actors were extremely deserving of their awards, so I’m sure we Irish won’t hold a grudge for too long.

meant that when Yeoh won, the only two women of colour to every win this award were on stage together. It’s somehow both a heart-warming moment of women of colour supporting each other and simultaneously depressing as you remember how far we still have to go.

The Banshees of Inisherin was our most obvious prospective for success with nine nominations, all for major awards including four acting nominations (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon), Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and the big one, Best Picture. There was a long time when a Best Picture seemed like a real possibility although it was always neck and neck with other favourites Tár, The Whale, The Fabelmans, and the eventually winner Everything Everywhere All at Once (EEAO). Add to this Paul Mescal’s Best Actor nomination for Aftersun and a Best International Film nomination for (The Quiet Girl), the first film in Irish to ever be nominated, and it seemed like there was a very real chance that it was going to be a night of Irish domination.

Unfortunately, this was not to be the case with Banshees and our other prospects missing out on every award. It wasn’t a total loss however, as An Irish Goodbye won Best Live Action Short Film with the heart-warming tale of two brothers reconnecting in rural North-

The lifetime achievement narrative is another one of the Academy’s favourite narrative, where they reward actors who have been around a long time and done a lot of good work, but never before received an Oscar, or were previously ‘wrongly’ snubbed with a close Oscar loss. Famous examples include Leonardo Di Caprio winning for The Revenant instead of The Wolf of Wall Street or Jessica Chastain winning for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. This narrative was clear in the female acting categories this year as long-time actors Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Yeoh’s win is undeniable as her incredible performance in EEAO had her as a front runner from the beginning, with her long too often overlooked career only adding to her case. The legacy narrative is particularly clear when looking at Curtis’ win over fellow EEAO cast mate Stephanie Hsu who arguably had a much bigger, more important role in the movie and a better, much more complex performance. My only solace is that Hsu has plenty more time to secure the Oscar that she so patently deserves.

Yeoh’s win also led to one of my favourite moments of the night. Usually the Best Actor winner from the previous year presents this year’s award for Best Actress, however due to Will Smith’s ban from the Academy, former winners of the award Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry took on this duty instead. This

My other favourite event of the night was Sarah Polley’s Best Adapted Screenplay win for the movie Women Talking

A weirdly uplifting movie based on the true story of the women of a Mennonite colony who grapple with what to do in the aftermath of years of drugging and assault. It is what it says on the tin, it’s a bunch of women, talking, but it’s also so much more. Although one Oscar win may not seem like much, for a movie like this it is a very big deal and while it was a bit of a surprise, it was a lovely moment of recognition for such an important and well-made film.

Despite a brief stint when All Quiet on the Western Front was surprisingly winning a lot of technical categories in a row, as the night progressed, it was hard not to feel like Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Best Picture win was inevitable. If you had told me this was our future almost exactly a year previously when the movie was first released, there is absolutely no way I would have believed you. As much as I knew it was an incredible movie (and immediately one of my all time favour ites), it felt like it would be a miracle if EEAO

received even one Oscar nomination. It was a wild, chaotic sci-fi movie with wild stunts and wacky humour and even though it has a deeply complex emotional core, I thought there was no way the snobby Academy would be able to look past its hotdog fingered shell. Cut back to 2023 and the world watched wide eyed with joy as EEAO’s team swept up Best Editing, Best Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels) and Best Actress in quick succession. Add their earlier wins of Best Supporting Actress/ Actor and Best Original Screenplay, and suddenly they had successfully cleaned up in every major category they were nominated in (having no nomination in Best Actor). The unbelievable was coming true. An exciting awards season has come to a close and although there was some drama and surprises along the way, this is one year that feels like, Irish bias aside, the right people were rewarded. It’s hard not to feel like this may be a turning point for the Academy, with their willingness to reward things that are slightly more off the beaten track, but only time will tell.

Review: A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou

By James Lapping Entertainment Writer

Jamie Demetriou is one of the many new faces of British comedy. You may have already seen his renowned Channel 4 series, Stath Lets Flats, or even seen his sister and frequent collaborator Natasia Demetriou, also in Stath Lets Flats, in her own recent BBC sketch show Ellie & Natasia, or as hilarious vampire Nadja in the hit FX series, What We Do in the Shadows. All these are both watching in their own right, but today we are discussing Jamie’s new one-hour Netflix special – A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou

The special takes the classic format of a sketch show, with Demetriou playing a variety of new and previously unseen

characters. It is formatted into three acts: Youth, Adulthood, and Golden Years. Apparently, the special was originally pitched as series, which is abundantly clear on first viewing. Each act could easily be made into a full 20–30 minute episode, and each sketch/character could easily be fleshed out for further laughs.

The special begins with the narrator talking to an unborn foetus in the womb, discussing its life ahead. The foetus is of course played by an adult sized Demetriou, instantly introducing the audience to the absurdity of Demetriou’s comedy. The opening sketch sees Demetriou’s character get water thrown on his trousers by a school bully, with the justification that he wants everyone to think he’s done a watery shit. Following sketches include a standout

performance by Katy Wix playing various spectators being interviewed in the crowd at a royal wedding, with Demetriou doing his best Alan Partridge/ Brass Eye impression. Another standout sketch follows a father who keeps trying to strangle his dinner guests at a garden party. The guests think this is merely a mild annoyance and he’s simply accused of ‘bad dadding’. This spirals into a horrifically funny song that uses a very long downward scale as the main hook, amplifying the characters (and the viewers) descent into insanity. Some inspirations for the special are quite apparent, and I am not the first person to compare this special to Tim Robinson’s Netflix series, I Think You Should Leave. There is also obvious inspiration from other British comics, such as Steve Coogan, Chris Morris,

Armando Iannucci, and Limmy. Demetriou is unique too though, with his penchant for fumbling words, deliber ately bad songs, and unique style of physical comedy.

A Whole Lifetime seems to be merely scratching the surface of Demetriou’s comedic potential. It is just a shame it wasn’t commissioned as a complete series. However, it bodes well for the future of the uniquely British style of absurdist humour!

Watch A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou now on Netflix.

Image courtesy of Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Sarah Polley on set of Women Talking: Image courtesy of Michael Gibson/Orion

Image courtesy of ABC

Image courtesy of ABC

Cocaine Bear: An unbearably funny take on an apex-predators drug- fuelled rampage

By Alice Stone Entertainment Writer

Yes, exactly. WTF. Those were my first thoughts too, closely followed by, I need to see this immediately

Cocaine Bear is a film that does exactly what it says on the tin - and more. Director Elizabeth Banks’ third directorial attempt does not disappoint, serving up a laugh-outloud horror thriller based around the premise of a bear on cocaine that you certainly won’t forget anytime soon.

In the immortal words of the late Rick James: ‘Cocaine is a hell of a drug’.

Inspired by the true story of a black bear, in 1985, who ate 34 kilos of cocaine dropped by smuggler Andrew Thornton, Cocaine Bear follows the rampage of a 500 pound bear on the natural reserve surrounding the aptly named Blood Mountain in Tennes see, US, and the subsequent fates of those that get in the way of mama bear’s next fix.

Whilst the real black bear died after consuming the narcotics (now a taxidermied attraction in a mall in Kentucky with the affectionate name of ‘Pablo Escobear’), this black bear does everything to defy the bear sur vival rhyme ‘If it's black, fight back, if it’s brown, lie down’.

Debauchery ensues, with the opening scene showing smuggler Andrew Thornton (Matthew Rhys) ready to parachute drop his $40 million dollars of cocaine, only to then unceremoniously knock him self out and fall to his death. The accompanying 80’s bop ‘Jane’ by Jefferson Starship really set ting the tone for the rest of the film. Our introduction to the cocaine-fuelled protagonist (or antagonist rather) with

Review: The White Lotus Seasons 1 & 2

By James Lapping Entertainment Writer

the devouring of a female hiker who had just minutes before been praising her and her partners “good luck in nature”, also seals the deal.

We are introduced to a variety of characters, the star studded cast adding to the absurdity of the movie.

On the hunt for the lost stash are Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr) and his heartbroken partner Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich), the son of a prolific drug kingpin. This kingpin is played by the legendary late Ray Liotta, who is trying to get his son back into the family business (and tired of being treated as free childcare). The film is dedicated to Liotta, who passed away last May, making Cocaine Bear one of his last feature films.

Also in the frame are a dog-loving

policeman (Isiah Whitlock Jr) hot on their trail, a park ranger (Margo Martindale) unsatisfied with her station and love life, and a single mum (Keri Russel) on the hunt for her daughter Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) and her school friend Henry (Christian Convey) after they bunked off school on possibly the unluckiest day to do it, ever.

The film leans into the gnarly side of gore with an element of slapstick, showcasing its influences of Jurassic Park, Evil Dead and Cohen brothers proudly. The high quality CGI of the bear really shows how serious they are about their stupid concept, its dedication to not only giving you a good scare but also sequences of gore that are laugh-out-loud funny, making it so the joke doesn't feel too stretched thin.

exactly what the film is all about would definitely be the duo of unsuspecting medics (played by Scott Seiss and Kahyun Kim) being chased down the road as they attempt to get the park ranger to a hospital. The sequence is a perfect blend of chaos, suspense and comedy. Depeche Mode’s 80’s synth-bop “Just Can’t Get Enough” along with the occasional lines asking “What the fuck is wrong with that bear?!” having most of the theatre either in stitches or horrified as the bear leaps into the back of the ambulance with the ease you would expect of an apex predator on 34 kilos of gear.

Safe to say, a happy ending is unlikely.

Whilst these scenes are very much invested in, there was a feeling that these sequences were often undermined by the film's need for an overriding message of family love.

Although the performances from Liotta and Ehrenreich attempting to fix a broken father-son bond in the midst of a scramble for the stash and Russels’ heroic arc of striving to save her daughter from being the bears next victim add a charming human element to the creature-feature, it seemed to overshadow the reason people were in the theatre in the first place- to see a bear on cocaine. Having said that, this film gives you exactly what you wanted for the most part, and it certainly didn’t leave me or anyone in my theatre disappointed. If you’re looking for something crazed and chaotic to watch, this B(ear)-movie should be at the top of your list.

Watch Cocaine Bear in cinemas now.

In recent months, The White Lotus has been taking the internet by storm, and rightfully so. The HBO comedy-drama series that aired its first season in 2021 has captivated audiences globally. Created by Mike White, the show combines sun, sex, and sinister goings on. What more could you want?

Each season is set at a fictional hotel chain, The White Lotus, an exclusive holiday resort for wealthy families and individuals. Season 1 is set in Hawaii, whilst season 2 is based in Sicily. The show follows the trials and tribulations of both the guests and staff of the hotel. Throughout the episodes, there is always a sense that things aren’t as they seem, or that something is about to go horribly wrong, which it will…eventually. This is indicated by both seasons flashing forward in their opening scenes to foreshadow death, all of which adds to the nail-biting intensity whilst you wait for the inevitable. Although The White Lotus is not an outright horror, it certainly flirts with the genre.

The soundtrack also plays a crucial role in creating this suspense, which is as compelling as the show itself. Chilean-Canadian composer, Cristobal Tapia De Veer, has scored all the music for both seasons thus far. The theme tune in the opening credits really sets the tone with its eerie, tremolo vocalisations and syncopated rhythms that invoke mystery and intrigue.

The White Lotus boasts a delightful cast, with an array of seasoned veterans and new upcoming talent. However, the standout performance certainly goes to Jennifer Coolidge, particularly with her character being the only constant thread through both of the seasons. Playing the role of a naïve, troubled, wealthy woman, the first season sees her dealing with the death of her abusive mother, and season 2 rounds off her story in the most shocking fashion. Aubrey Plaza also deserves plenty of credit for her role in season 2, playing the honest and open, yet rightfully cynical wife of a newly minted tech businessman who isn’t sexually attracted to her.

With the constant suspense and the escalating conflicts between characters, each episode leaves you with the craving to find out what happens next. Season 3 was renewed in late-2022 so keep an eye out for that!

Watch The White Lotus now on NOW TV.

Skyrim’s most prominent race revealed

By Kieran Webb Satire Editor

In addition to its breath-taking locations and epic dragon battles, Skyrim is known for its varied roster of playable races. Someone has taken to time to answer that most important question that is central to the game and has bothered fans for years, which race is most prominent?

Ok, maybe I slightly overstated the importance of the question but with many fans still desperately waiting for more sneak peeks at The Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda's 2011 epic fantasy RPG continues to hold the attention and adoration of millions of fans. There is such an enormous amount to do and see in Skyrim that it's possible for some players to encounter something that they, or any other players, hadn't known about for years. In this case Imgur user OccupyTamriel managed to work out how disproportionately the diverse population of the Skyrim is divided up.

For newcomers to the game, customising a character and picking their race is the first step in your journey, which can be a difficult decision as there are so many options. Along with the other entries in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim has plenty of unique races to choose from, with choices depending largely on what sort of build the player is going for. Given the number of NPCs

(Non Player Characters) in the game, the world is populated with characters from many different backgrounds and regions, with an incredible amount of rich lore thrown in, and so one person wanted to know exactly which race is the most prominent.

In a recent post on Reddit, the pie chart answering exactly that question has resurfaced, revealing the population breakdown of Skyrim. What is most striking about the image is how the Nords are shown as the dominant people, making up 42% of the game's inhabitants. Second are the Imperials, making up 13%, while Bretons account for 12% of the pie. Some of the more

unique races, such as the humanoid cat-like Khajit and reptilian Argonians only made up a combined 5% of the population, most likely due to the xenophobic public image most of the inhabitants of Skyrim seem to have towards the ‘beast-races’.

Anyone who has played the game, won’t be too surprised to see that the Nords make up the majority of the population despite the fact that Snow Elves (or Falmer) were the advanced indigenous race of Skyrim before they were displaced by the Scandinavian-style accented Nords. Sound vaguely familiar anyone? One of the Nords unique traits is an incredible resistance to the cold, so it makes sense that they would be able to settle in such a chilly place as Skyrim. If you want a little more diversity in your game, there are mods you can download designed exactly for that purpose, if you want a little less Nord in your life.

With Skyrim fans still intensely discussing their most hated NPCs, where the best city to live is, and how the

game's economy manages to stay afloat, it's refreshing to see so many still getting involved in heated debates and keeping the community alive - even twelve years after the game initially released. There's no way to know

whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will have anywhere near as much longevity or replay value. It's certainly going to take an incredible game to live up to and to leave behind a legacy as big as Skyrim's.

Image courtesy of Universal Studios

Image courtesy of OccupyTamriel/Imgur

Movies about movies: Why have they been popping up so much recently?

By Gareth Griffiths Deputy Entertainment Editor

What defines a movie about movies? They remind us of the beauty of film, the appeal of the cinematic world, and the reason we go to see them on a big screen. A lot of movies reference movie-making in some way, but that doesn’t mean they are about movies. For example, King Kong is about a group of explorers who travel to Skull Island to document its inhabitants on film, but that isn’t what the film is about. The film is about adventure into the unknown, and the misunderstood creature that is Kong. I wouldn’t even describe a film like La La Land as a movie about movies. Whilst it is set in Hollywood and one of its main characters is an aspiring actress, it is not about filmmaking specifically.

Movies about movies weave films and filmmaking into their central themes. They remind audiences of the joy of going to the cinema, and the complex-

ity of the filmmaking process itself. A quintessential example of this is Sam Mendes’s recent film, Empire of Light Centred around a cinema in Margate, it follows cinema workers Hilary (Olivia Colman) and Stephen (Micheal Ward) navigating the turbulent times of 1980s England as romance blossoms between them. The film integrates themes of racism, mental health and class, but to its core, it is about how film can bring people together. As Stephen so eloquently puts it to Hilary in one scene; ‘That beam of light, it’s an escape.’ Sam Mendes has himself stated it is based on his early experiences of going to the cinema, and many have regarded the film as his ‘love letter’ to cinema.

Other quintessential examples of movies about movies are La La Land director Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, and Stephen Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, both of which have hit UK cinemas in the past few months and were nominated for an Oscar. Babylon is an outrageous, lavish, 3-hour picture about the transition of silent to sound films in the late 1920s. It stars Margot Robbie as aspiring actress Nellie LaRoy, Brad Pitt as declining actor Jack Conrad, and Diego Calva as Manny Torres –an up and coming filmmaker and Nellie’s love interest.

The core of the film

is about these characters navigating the 1920s-film scene, depicted through various sequences of film productions and showing how hilariously gruelling they could be. The ending encapsulates how far cinema has come, as Manny sits in a cinema in the early 1950s and reflects upon his life and how much of an impact film has had on it. Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, however, is quite the opposite of Babylon. It is a tender, heart-warming, coming-of-age semi autobiographical story of aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman and how films provide the vehicle for him to navigate his dysfunctional family life. Not only did the film garner critical acclaim, but was also nominated for over 100 awards, winning 23. Three films released in UK cinemas in 2023;which all illustrate how films play an integral role in the development and story of the lead characters.

This trend even extends back to previous years, with films like 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and 2021’s Belfast reminding its audiences of the joy of filmmaking and going to the cinema. Unbearable Weight is effectively Nicholas Cage’s hilariously self-aware tribute to cinema, as he plays a fictionalised version of himself and pokes fun at his own career. Belfast meanwhile was Kenneth Branagh’s sleeper hit about a boy brought up during the political turmoil of Northern Ireland in 1969. As with Empire of Light and The Fabelmans, the film revolves around its central character navigating troubling times with a love for films presented as a hopeful escape. Even Ti West’s recent 2022 horrors X,

and Pearl, both starring Mia Goth, can be regarded as tributes to early and late 20th century cinema and what made it so special.

Whilst there have always been movies about movies, there has rarely been so many within such a short space of time. In the past, movies with movies woven so centrally into their plots have come much more infrequently, with releases like The Player (1992), Adaption (2002), The Artist (2011), and The Disaster Artist (2017) only appearing every few years. Considering the movies previously discussed have mostly been released in 2022 and 2023, it is reasonable to assume it has partly been due to filmmakers getting back on track in a post-COVID world. Considering the detrimental impact the pandemic had on filmmaking and cinemas, perhaps filmmakers are choosing to remind people how valuable the cinematic experience is, caus-

streaming, people are seemingly less inclined to travel to cinemas. A 2020 survey by Variety even found 70% of people would rather watch movies at home than go to the cinema. So, perhaps filmmakers are attempting to remind audiences through the craft of visual storytelling that watching a film in the cinema is one of the most encapsulating experiences you can have. Even Tarantino has recently announced that he has completed the script for his next and final film, The Movie Critic, which will be set in the 1970s and presumably deal with the unique dynamic present between entertainment critics and those who create. It would be interesting to discuss with mainstream directors such as Tarantino and Spielberg whether their mind-sets have been influenced by the effect the pandemic and streaming has had on cinemas. For now though, as an avid movie-goer, I couldn’t be happier about film-

Lana Del Rey’s ninth album is a masterpiece

By Louie Goddard Music Correspondent

Lana Del Rey’s highly anticipated new album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, was released in March. Since the release of Blue Bannisters in 2021, Del Rey has lent her voice to the TV show Euphoria (‘Watercolor Eyes’), as well as collaborations with the likes of Taylor Swift (‘Snow On The Beach’) and Father John Misty (‘Buddy’s Rendezvous’). The artist’s ninth album sees her venture back into trip-hop, comparable to her earlier works Born to Die and Lust for Life.

The album opens with ‘The Grants’, a deeply personal track preluded by a gospel verse, performed by Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard and Shikena Jones. The piece harmoniously dissolves into Del Rey’s signature melancholic voice. The song’s title refers to Lana Del Rey’s family name, and throughout the track Del Rey ponders life and platonic love and everything that ties the two together. It feels like this track would fit comfortably on her 2014 album Ultraviolence

“My pastor told me // When you leave, all you take // Is your memories // And I wanna take mine of you with me”

The next track, the album’s namesake, was released in December to much critical acclaim. The song showcases Del Rey’s signature raw lyricism, narrating her fear of fate, and her fear of being forgotten. It appears that Lana Del Rey is in a state of longing for love glorious enough to make her love herself. “Mosaic ceilings, painted tiles on the wall // I can’t help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul // Handmade beauty, sealed up by two manmade walls” Del Rey goes on to explain, in reference to the Jergins Tunnel in California, still perfectly preserved, but boarded up. This song takes much more than a hopeless romantics perspective: she approaches complexion with poise when considering the transience of relationships, using Jergins Tunnel as a commanding metaphor.

Lana Del Rey depicts herself as the other woman in ‘A&W’. “Did you know a singer can still be looking like a sidepiece at thirty-three?”, Del Rey sings, to a psychedelic-folk melody, which builds into a heavy, more up-tempo trap beat. Her distorted vocals make this track unlike anything from her discography to-date. For seven minutes Lana Del Rey abandons convention as the music industry knows it, in a track wholly worthy of acclaim.

‘Kintsugi’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The title is in reference

to the Japanese art of putting broken pottery back together with gold, leaving it more beautiful than before, thanks to its imperfections. “There’s a certain point the body can’t come back from // In one year, we’ve learned the word of the mouth // The depth that the chest cavity takes”, Del Rey illustrates, depicting the hole left in her heart in an appropriately baroque manner.

‘Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing’ puts even the album’s lengthy title to shame. Del Rey samples RIOPY’s 2019 track ‘Flo’, taking the hypnotically graceful piano composition, and adding breath-taking lyrical accompaniment. Del Rey seems to challenge criticism that her once-frequent reinvention – from her Lizzy Grant roots, before being known as Lana Del Ray, then settling on Lana Del Rey –takes away from her legitimacy as an artist. “I know they think it took thousands of people // To put me together again like an experiment // Some big men behind the scenes // Sewing Frankenstein black dreams into my songs // But they’re wrong”, Del Rey explains.

“God, if you’re near me, send me three white butterflies // Or an owl to know you’re listening, sitting while I’m drinking”

‘Margaret’ was written about producer Jack Antonoff’s fiancée, Margaret Qualley. The track features Antonoff’s band, Bleachers, and sees Lana Del Rey venture into dream-pop territory (think Suki Waterhouse’s Valentine). “When you know, you know”, Del Rey repeats throughout the song, which feels like an elegant Gen-Z wedding song, in the greatest way possible.

‘Peppers’ is to this album as ‘Doin’ Time’ is to Norman Rockwell!, Lana Del Rey samples Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis’ 2015 track ‘Angelina’ in a song that feels somewhat disparate from the rest of the record, but I’m here for it. Towards the end of the 77-minute album, Del Rey abandons dreampop for an indie, surf rock piece, with undertones of psychedelic rock. The track is similar to what you’d hear on her 2012 album Born to Die, though confronting masochism through a shrewder lens.

Despite her widespread musical influence across the

pop, rock, and indie music spheres over the last decade, Lana Del Rey’s latest record is nothing short of unique. She continues to disregard convention, in an album that is emotionally palpable yet sonically multifaceted.

If you like Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, you might also enjoy Soft Sounds from Another Planet by Japanese Breakfast, Krystal by Matt Maltese, and boygenius.

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Image courtesy

What's On...

Film:

Creed III

Tue 11 April 2023

ROH: Cinderella (Live)

Wed 12 April 2023

In the Court of the Crimson King

Thu 13 April 2023

Allelujah

Fri 14 - Mon 17 April 2023

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Sun 16 April 2023

2FT: Scream VI

Tue 18 April 2023

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

Wed 19 April 2023

NT Live: GOOD (Recorded)

Thu 20 April 2023

Rye Lane

Fri 21 - Wed 26 April 2023

Mummies

Sun 23 April 2023

Winners

Sun 23 April 2023

The Beasts

Mon 24 April 2023

2FT: Pearl

Tue 25 April 2023

ROH: The Marriage of Figaro (Live)

Thu 27 April 2023

John Wick: Chapter 4

Fri 28 April - Tue 2 May 2023

Gulbenkian Open Air Film Festival

11 May - 8 June 2023

Live Events:

Canterbury Shakespeare Festival -

The King's Head

Wed 12 - Sat 15 April 2023

Salome String Quartet

Sun 16 April 2023

The Smeds and the Smoos

Mon 17 - Tue 18 April 2023

Plastic Paradiso

Sat 22 April 2023

Tony Law: A Now Begin In Again

Sun 23 April 2023

CHSS Annual Lecture: 75 years on - can the NHS deliver or is it in terminal decline?

Wed 26 April 2023

Babatunde Aléshé: Babahood

Thu 27 April 2023

Gulbenkian

Teleman Al Murray: Gig For Victory Professor David Wilson

Fri 21 Apr 2023, 8:00pm

Radio 6 favourites and indie-pop pioneers Teleman bring their electro-pop sound on tour to the Colyer-Fergusson Hall! Good Time / Hard Time is their most dancefloorfriendly record to date. You can expect early house music and 80s vibes - all the while doused in Teleman's trademark blend of uplifting melancholy.

Wed 3 May 2023, 6pm, 9pm

As the dust settles and we emerge blinking into the dawn of a new year, the men and women of this great country will need answers. Answers that they know they need, answers to questions they never knew existed. And when that moment comes, who better to show the way, to provide those answers, than the people’s man of the people, the Pub Landlord?

Gulbenkian Picks: School of Arts

Gulbenkian Picks showcases three productions selected from the Drama at Kent summer festival of student work comprising first year and finalist performances.

Wed 19 Apr 2023, 7:30pm

In a career spanning 40 years David has met all sorts of killers: hitmen, mass, spree and serial killers. Now you have the opportunity to hear David’s story from idealistic prison governor to expert criminologist and emeritus professor. With experiences unlike any other, David will discuss his fascinating and compelling study of human nature, in an attempt to make sense out of the senseless.

Funny Rabbit Comedy Club: Danny Posthill and Joe Sutherland

Gulbenkian's monthly comedy club – radical and exciting, but also warm and snuggly as a bunny rabbit. A special edition show in the Gulbenkian Theatre with comedians Danny Posthill and Joe Sutherland.

The Bauhaus Band and Singers with Marc Almond and John Harle

Sun 28 May 2023, 7:00pm

The Bauhaus was one of the most potent forces that shaped the cultural world as we now experience it. We can renew our sense of experimentation, artistic process and creativity in 2023 by reinterpreting the cultural landscapes that formed the Weimar Renaissance and The Bauhaus.

Journey to the Realm of Bad News: The Lunch Lord Returns

By Justin Thyme Casual Lunch Enjoyer

Once upon a time, there was a great and powerful Lunch Lord who ruled over the realm of tasty meals and satisfying snacks. The Lunch Lord was loved by all who knew him. The Lunch Lord was known throughout the land for his delicious lunches, his generous spirit, and unshakeable faith in the power of Lunch– the greatest of all meals.

One day, the Lunch Lord received some bad news. It seemed that the neighbouring Realm of Bad News had been struck by a terrible curse. The people there were starving and could not find any food to eat. The Lunch Lord knew he had to help, and so he set out on a journey to the cursed land.

As he travelled through the dark and dangerous forests that surrounded the Realm of Bad News, the Lunch Lord encountered many strange and terrifying creatures. But he was not afraid, for he knew that his culinary skills and faith in the greatest meal of all would be enough to defeat any foe.

Finally, after many long and difficult days of travel, the Lunch Lord arrived at the edge of the cursed land. He could see that the people there were suffering greatly, and he knew he had to act fast.

The Lunch Lord rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He cooked up a giant pot of lunchtime soup that was so delicious it could bring a smile to the face of even the saddest citizen. He also made sandwiches and wraps, packed with all the ingredients the people of the Realm of Bad News needed to

survive and thrive. As he worked, the Lunch Lord could feel the curse lifting. The people of the Realm of Bad News were slowly beginning to regain their strength, and their spirits were lifted by the delicious smells emanating from his cooking.

As the Lunch Lord fed the hungry locals, he soon discovered that an evil sorcerer named Zoltar was responsible for the curse that had befallen the realm. Zoltar was a powerful and malevolent wizard who had been banished from his own realm for his dark deeds. He had come to the Realm of Bad News seeking revenge, and he had unleashed his dark magic upon

the people, causing them to suffer and starve.

Zoltar was a cunning and dangerous opponent. He had an army of twisted creatures at his command, and he wielded dark magic that made him nearly invincible. He also had a personal grudge against the Lunch Lord, whom he saw as a threat to his plans.

The Lunch Lord knew he had to stop Zoltar if he was to save the realm and its people. He gathered a group of allies, including the brave fighter Matthew D. Ahlen, the wise sorcerer Sodie Joe, and Clint Eastwood. Together they formed the Lunchtime Crusaders and set out to defeat the evil wizard.

Over the course of several battles and challenges, the Lunch Lord and his allies faced off against Zoltar and his minions. They fought their way through dark forests, haunted ruins, and treacherous swamps, facing deadly traps and ambushes at every turn. Despite the odds against them, the Lunch Lord and his allies persisted. They studied Zoltar's weaknesses, and they worked together to devise a plan to defeat him. In the final battle, the Lunch Lord used his culinary skills to create a magical feast that weakened Zoltar's hold on the realm. The knight and sorcerer then

SATIRE SHORTIES

launched a coordinated attack, using their weapons and spells to overpower Zoltar and banish him from the realm.

With Zoltar defeated, the curse on the realm of Bad News was lifted. The people were once again able to thrive, and they celebrated the Lunch Lord and his allies as heroes. The Lunch Lord knew that he had done something truly special, and he was glad that he had been able to use his skills for the greater good.

Finally, after several days of cooking and feeding the people of Bad News, one of the locals came up to the Lunch Lord. She said: ‘What is your name, brave hero?’

The Lunch Lord chuckled, and with a smile he proudly said: ‘I am Ben Hefner, the Lunch Lord!’ and with the power of Lunch he launched himself from the ground into the sky with great might.

The Lunch Lord returned to his own realm, where he was greeted as a hero. His people were proud of him and grateful for his bravery and generosity.

Ben Hefner knew that he had done something truly special, and he was glad that he had been able to use his skills for good. From that day forward, he continued to use his talents to help those in need, and he was loved and admired throughout the land.

The moral of the story? Always help those in need because it is the right thing to do. And lunch.

By Kieran Webb Satire Editor

Welcome back loyal readers! This issue marks the end of the Satire section of InQuire as you know it. We've laughed, played rock-paper-scissors, and appreciated lunch together. I hope you never forget the special memories we created together. The lessons of the Lunch Lord will be with you forever. Without further ado here are the final Satire Shortie jokes to keep you laughing. Enjoy!

EGYPTIAN RULER FOUND EMBALMED IN CHOCOLATE

The lead archaeologist on the discovery believes they have found the remains of Pharaoh Rocher.

WOMAN QUITS JOB AT LOCAL CAT SHELTER AMIDST COST OF LIVING

She told InQuire: ‘They reduced meowers’.

SOCK PUPPETS STOLEN FROM LOCAL SCHOOL

Police say: ‘It’s getting out of hand’.

MAN TURNS COCA-COLA AND PEPSI INTO A BIRD

When asked why this doesn’t look like a bird, Sodie Joe told InQuire: ‘It’s a Two-can’.

BANANA PEEL TAKES THE STAND IN LANDMARK COURT CASE

Unfortunately it slipped up in its testimony .

ROCK STAR JON BON JOVI STARTS STRICT DIET

His wife told InQuire: ‘He’s been living on a pear’.

UKC VICE-CHANCELLOR KAREN COX OFF WORK BECAUSE HER PET COW IS SICK

One student told InQuire: ‘I think she’s milking it’.

Ben "Rock Your World" Hefner

Vice-Chancellor Karen Cox via University of Kent

Lunchtime Crusaders via Pixabay and David Productions

By Chris P. Ratt Voice of Garfield

Why do video game movies always suck? According to Mario Movie directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, it's because they aren’t enough like video games! Movies simply don’t have the interactivity, the amount of fun, or the scummy business practices that video games have become loved for.

In light of this, Horvath and Jelenic announced that The Super Mario Bros. Movie would have pre-order bonuses. If you buy movie tickets before the day the movie releases in cinema, you can get access to wonderful goodies, including one free un-popped popcorn kernel, an ASMR tape of Chris Pratt whispering slurs into your ears, and an actual hallucinogenic mushroom!

You will also get access to a remote

By Would-I-Was Shook-Speared Ex-Playwright

In a surprising turn of events, a group of monkeys has been spotted using typewriters to produce the complete works of William Shakespeare.

According to eyewitnesses, the monkeys had somehow managed to obtain access to a collection of vintage typewriters and were busily tapping away at the keys with their tiny fingers. At first, onlookers thought it was just a random act of mischief, but as they looked closer, they were amazed to see that the monkeys were actually producing coherent sentences. This event has seemingly proven the infinite monkey theorem which states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type any given text, such as the complete

that will allow you to skip the movie, which has caused great controversy in the speed running community who have accused the preorder of being ‘pay-to-win’. Alongside this wonderful package, the directors have also announced the first of 18 DLCs.

For the low low price of exactly how much your movie ticket costs, you get an extra 15 minutes of footage. But don’t worry, these 15 minutes rewrite three major plot points, add an unnecessary and frankly uncomfortable romance between two side characters, and ends with a death that will be entirely reversed by the sequel.

When asked about why they decided to make so much additional content, Horvath stated ‘I really want moviegoers to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when they give us more money’, whilst Jelenic started foaming at the mouth and muttering something about ‘collecting coins’ to pay his debt to the ‘Koopa King’.

Movie critics have called this new business model

IT'S A ME, RAMPANT CAPITALIST GREED!

Mario movie announces pre-order bonuses and DLCs

works of William Shakespeare. In fact, the monkey would almost certainly type every possible finite text an infinite number of times in the process. However, the probability that monkeys spanning the entire observable universe would type a single complete work, such as Shakespeare's Hamlet, is so tiny that the chance of it occurring during a period hundreds of thousands times longer than the age of the universe is extremely low (but technically never zero). The monkeys act as a metaphor to state that any sequence of

‘the most terrible thing to happen to the movie industry since the birth of Michael Bay’, with one commentator

saying ‘I wish Mario would stomp on my head like a Goomba so I wouldn’t have to see this movie’

certainly eventually occur, given enough time. Word of the monkeys' literary prowess quickly spread, and soon a crowd had gathered around them, watching in awe as they churned out page after page of Shakespearean prose. Some even claimed to have witnessed the monkeys re-enacting scenes from famous plays, including Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Experts were initially sceptical of the reports, but upon closer inspection, they were forced to admit that the monkeys' output was indeed genuine. In fact, they had managed to produce an astonishingly accurate version of Romeo and Juliet, complete with all the original dialogue and stage directions. The implications of this discovery are far-reaching. For one thing, it raises new

questions about the nature of creativity and intelligence. Some experts have speculated that the monkeys may be tapping into some kind of collective consciousness, enabling them to produce works of art that are far beyond their individual abilities.

Others have suggested that the monkeys' achievement could have practical applications in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. If we can figure out how the monkeys are able to produce such complex and nuanced language, we could apply their techniques to the development of new computer programs.

Nevertheless, the monkeys' achievement is a remarkable one, and it is sure to spark new debates and discussions in the world of science and art.

Perhaps William Shakespeare

MISSING: 182 SODA CANS

If found contact Sodie Joe (518)-3164-6545

The Super Mario Bros. Movie releases in UK cinemas April 7th, make sure to get those pre-orders in!

himself would have approved

of his works being reborn in to the world by nature's forces. Who knows what other exciting secrets and surprises the animal kingdom has in store for us?

Typewriting monkeys produce Shakespeare copy

The Super Mario Bros. Movie via Universal Pictures

Lifestyle

By Elyna Mohd-Faizal and Alhanouf Al Dosari Lifestyle Writers

For one month every year, Muslims all around the world fast from sunrise to sunset. This entails the absence of food, water, sexual desires and any ill-intentions. Muslims celebrate Ramadan in remembrance of the Qur’an (the Islamic holy book) as it was revealed to their Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during this month of Ramadan. However, even though Ramadan occurs every year, the date of its start varies. This is because of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon. The uncer tainty of Ramadan originates from the moon as it only begins when the cycle of a new moon emerges, and finishes as the moon wanes to the other side, with a full moon indicat ing the middle of Ramadan. Based on this, Ramadan tends to begin 10 to 12 days earlier each year. For instance, Ramadan was marked from the 1st of April in 2022, but this year, it started on 23 March.

during university has been.

Alhanouf: What does Ramadan mean to you and why do you fast?

it has been stuck in me that once every year for a month, I will fast. It’s good for your health too.

Danish is a second year student studyin Architecture

Elyna: Is it difficult to fast in the UK and to break fast due to scarcity of halal food?

Because of my gastric problems, I was scared of my stomach grumbling in class, but I don’t get easily jealso it wasn’t that difficult. In fact, it was quite fun but I was homesick a lot. I couldn’t go to the mosque anymore after

RAMADAN

AND FASTING

Although Ramadan is widely known to be a month for Muslims to fast, it is also a month that teaches many Mus lims to be patient, kind, selfless and helps enlighten them on the issues regarding poverty and starvation. In fact, the act of fasting has positive psychological and health benefits. During Ramadan, Muslims must sustain themselves from acting on their desires. Thus, they must learn to become patient and build resistance against societal norms. This action of holding one back from their desires reveals the flaws of their daily life and may build an uncanny emotion. For example, holding oneself back from using profanities may prove to be challenging. Nonetheless, during Ramadan the use of profanities may disrupt your fasting and may even cause you to break your fast. Muslims are also meant to donate during Ramadan and help the needy. Many Muslims choose to cook food in a great quantity to give to the poor. This builds a strong community as it shows how the poor and the wealthy are all equal in the eyes of God (SWT) and must all fast equally.

While Ramadan teaches equality, it also benefits one’s health. Fasting lowers cholesterol, improves blood sugar level, improves the digestive system and it has been shown to reduce the risk of catching chronic diseases. Fasting also improves one’s psychological health as during the month, Muslims are focusing on strengthening their bond with God (SWT). The focus on achieving the goals set for Ramadan helps create a sense of successfulness that does not correlate to society, but instead to the person’s belief. Therefore, Ramadan is an essential time in Islam. As stated in the Qur’an, 'O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you. so that you may learn self-restraint' (Qur’an 2:183).

To get the perspective of a Muslim’s day in UKC, we interviewed a few students on campus and recorded how their own experience with Ramadan

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE MUSLIM STUDENTS OF UKC?

grounds me in terms of reminding me of the best parts of Islam and how it’s meant to be practised. I fast because that is how I have been raised, and I have been raised that when it is Ramadan, it is time to fast- and it is not only ‘oh its Ramadan so it’s time to fast’. It’s more of a spiritual connection because the whole point of fasting is to be more empathetic with the needy, so because you are more empathetic with the needy you experience what they go through on a daily basis.

‘Fay’ has requested to stay anonymous

Maryam: I love the vibes of Ramadan and how we can survive with no food or drinks for eight hours. I also become more religious and strengthen my bond with God. I mainly fast because it’s a must for Muslims and it is what defines me as a Muslim. I would feel guilty if I didn’t fast (laughs) and I don’t know how anyone could not fast during Ramadan if they’re not, like, sick.

Maryam is a second year student studying Accounting and Finance

Danish: Ramadan has always been an exciting month for me. I look forward to Ramadan every year, most probably because of my culture. There’s so many things going on in Ramadan that doesn’t happen every day. I fast because it’s written and a must. I fast to fulfil my job as a Muslim. Also, probably because I’ve been trained that way since young and

I think it is really difficult to fast in the UK, although in London it is easier because there is a larger Muslim population so you are more likely to find halal food, whereas in Canterbury, there really is such a limit of options where you can find halal food and halal grocery stores. I think it is really difficult especially when Ramadan comes around because the days are usually longer. My first year of Ramadan was 16 hours of the day, so you would start fasting at 5am and break your fast at 10pm.

Danish: As of now, I feel like it’s not going to be much of a problem. I did look at the schedule and it’s probably going to be tough at the end of Ramadan because it’s going to be is going to be at 8pm. In terms of halal food, it’s not that hard. You can pretty much get halal food anywhere in Canterbury and if there aren’t halal options, there’s always vegan options.

Did you join any Muslim community or have Muslim friends to offer you support as you fast?

I have Muslim friends that offer me support, there is definitely a large community of Muslims. The ones I know are honestly from back home or ones I have met along uni so we have really similar culture and how we practise and how we are used to things, but I am not really involved in any Islamic societies.

Maryam: I had Muslim housemates last year so we prayed together and ate together. So I wasn’t that alone and it helped with my homesickness.

Danish: I did not join any Muslim community but I have quite a number of Muslim friends with me and my flatmates are Muslims too. Two of them are Muslims and we are planning to support one another and get food together for iftar and suhoor.

Ramadan is a special month for Muslims as many consider it to be unique. It is a month where many Muslims feel obligated to fast because they were brought up to do so. Still, while many agree it is an obligation, the act of fasting also brings excitement to Muslims as the month is considered to be rewarding in the afterlife. Plus, many Muslims who are far from home are seen fasting willingly even while they do not have their parents’ supervision. That only reinforces their love and dedication for Islam and reveals how Islam is a bond tied between the believer and God (SWT).

Five ways to save yourself from burnout

urnout has become an evermore prevalent issue in the last decade, and it's not hard to figure out why. With the lines between work and home blurred by technology and an increase in working from home, gone are the days when generations before would clock out and be unavailable from 5pm onwards. Now you can get an email or a text anytime, from anywhere asking ‘have you done this yet?’.

By Alice Stone Lifestyle Writer

BSo what can we do about it and how do we save ourselves from burning out?

Here are five ways to help relieve the stressand the effects of burnout:

3) Be Realistic

In younger people, burnout seems to be more prevalent than ever. Increased inflation, financial instability, and an uncertain future contribute to high stress and anxiety, driving burnout amongst Gen Z. A 2023 worldwide study on wellbeing by Cigna International Health found that 91% of workers 18-24 years old are impacted heavily by stress levels, compared to an 84% average.

What is burnout?

In 2019, The World Health Organisation fully recognised burnout as an official mental health issue, labeling it an ‘occupational phenomenon’. It defines burnout as ‘a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’, listing the main symptoms as being feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficiency.

However, it is clear that burnout is not just a workplace problem. University students are also facing heavy levels of stress, unprecedented compared to those before them. A study done by Research.com this month found that, in the UK, eight out of ten university students reported feelings of stress and anxiety in school, with 45% of students reporting their primary cause of stress being their classes and assignments.

With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of a pandemic, it is no wonder Gen Z are struggling to keep up with workloads and expectations. It can often seem impossible to keep your head above water.

1) Give Yourself a Break

There are only so many hours in a day- and not all of them should be spent working. While it might be tempting to keep going when you have a heavy workload, a busy schedule, and a million other things to do, if you don’t allow yourself a break during your study sessions, it usually won’t end well. Even if it's just taking five minutes to go outside and remember what the sun looks like or going to get a coffee, a refresher is always a good way to refocus your brain and it can mean you work more efficiently than before.

2) Stop the Comparisons

Theodore Roosevelt is quoted as saying that ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’ and when thinking about stress and burnout, that could not ring more true. If you’re constantly comparing how much work you’ve done with others, you are guaranteed to always feel behind. Instead of letting other people's higher grades or better anti-procrastination skills make you feel lesser, try and channel all that energy to only focus on your own progress. There will always be someone better or someone worse, you’ve got your own path and you're going to ace it your own way!

HOW YOU CAN BE MORE CLIMATE-FRIENDLY AND STAY IN-BUDGET

By James Bonthron Climate Correspondent

We all know that climate change is happening and we need to do something about it. Climate change is not only happening now, but the effects are likely accelerating in the damage they are doing to the planet. At university, it’s easy to feel detached from the problems and effects of climate change or the problem can feel too much too large to sort out on an individual level. As students, it’s understandable that we also need to save money, so here are a few tips to help you do both!

Eat seasonally

The banana is the most popular fruit in the world. Despite its relatively cheap price, it’s actually damaging to the climate since it has to be shipped between huge distances. Even then, there’s a reason that some non-democratic countries are called ‘banana republics’, and it’s not because they're fun places to live..

If you’re broke and looking to be healthy, consider eating more vegetables like carrots and broccoli. Yes, they’re hardly as cool as

My dad used to say to me ‘There's no point trying to climb a mountain when you only have the kit for a hill’. You will do yourself no favours by setting yourself impossibly ambitious tasks and then getting discouraged when you can’t finish all of them. Try to bite off what you can actually chew and do a little bit of a project, essay, or research piece day by day, instead of trying to do it all at once or impossibly fast. Even if you let everything pile up, set yourself work task by task and break it down in the time frame you do have left. You can only do your best after all.

4) Track Your Progress

Even if it doesn’t come naturally, keeping track of what you’ve done or have yet to do will help you keep things in perspective. Whether a physical or digital diary and calendar work better for you, it is a good idea to keep note of tasks you have to do day by day, just to keep the ball rolling. It is also important to note your successes and what you have submitted so it doesn't feel like it's all for nothing and that you are making steady progress. Remember, you will get there in the end!

5) Reward Yourself

There is no reason you should deny yourself rewards for studying and working so hard, as otherwise you will do yourself more harm. It can be easy to isolate yourself from social hangouts and ignore the need for a little treat when you're deep in the cesspit of the grind, but it is important to give yourself some kind of reward respite from it. If all you do is work, it will begin to feel like you are punishing yourself and that is not good for your head or your academic success. So go on, have a little treat!

First and foremost, remember to look after yourself. There will always be a solution and you’re already doing great, so don’t be too hard on yourself!

Why are women less likely to visit the gym than men?

By Shumaya Begum Lifestyle Writer

In recent years, there has been a rise of pursuing a healthy lifestyle, especially when it comes to healthy eating habits, regular exercising, and a positive, clear mindset. This lifestyle has been heavily promoted since the Covid-19 pandemic, where people became more aware of the implications of uncleanliness. However, it is more difficult for women to develop regular exercise schedules and to become consistent gym visitors because of the social stigmas against women’s fitness. These stigmas can prevent women from not only training a healthy body to last a lifetime, but can also increase the chances of women developing irreversible diseases when they are older.

A Male-Dominated Place

The uncomfortable feeling that women get when visiting the gym starts from the moment they pass the door. I have personally started visiting the gym regularly, and when I first started, was overwhelmed with how many men there were compared to women. No matter what time of day I went or what section of the gym I was in, it didn’t change the fact that the gym was a male-dominated place, and instead, reinforced my feelings of being unwelcomed.

The actual design of most gyms and the social attitudes they enforce can deter women from exploring all the features that are offered. If you close your eyes and think of a gym, the image that usually comes to mind is vividly gendered as the picture is dominated by sweaty men lifting weights whilst women are either cramped in the stretching area or near cardio machines. Women tend to go to areas where they see other women working out as it makes them feel safer and more comfortable. This is why classes are very popular amongst women, who are likely to go with friends or family members.

Society Pressures On Female Appearances

bananas, but they’ll save you money and cut your carbon footprint.

Use less plastic

No one likes recycling and it’s mostly just a way for companies to blame consumers for the mess the companies produce. The best way to avoid having to recycle (the ethical way, of course) is to buy loose fruit and veg. This could also save you money since you’ll be picking each thing you buy. Farmers’ markets are a climate and budget-friendly alternative to your usual food shop at a large corporate grocery chain!

Use reusable coffee cups

It’s true that it’s a bit of a pain to have to wash and bring cups to each place on campus and ask for them to be refilled, but it’s not only great for the environment, but you also get a discount in campus outlets (such as Mungo’s or The Sports Cafe) on whichever hot drink you choose to indulge in. Plus, it’ll bring more of your personal style to any drab lecture/ seminar you may have!

Get things repaired

Modern life is all about what you can buy and throw away. However, you can save the planet (and your nice things) by getting your stuff repaired. What’s even better is that it’s cheap or free in some cases. In fact, if you’re on or near the Canterbury campus, there’s

the Canterbury Repair Cafe, a handy volunteer group that runs a regular repair café. So, maybe think again next time you’re tempted to throw out a pair of shoes or a coat.

Learn about the climate

Being a university student, it’s likely that you’re somewhat informed about the climate. That’s a great start, but you can always learn more. It’s essential that everyone really understands climate change and what it is already doing to the planet. It’s true that courses can be expensive, however, there are a great number of free sources online and they aren’t just all academic sources or people screaming about sea level rises.

It’s not on any students, InQuire readers included, to have to change their habits drastically and go completely broke to save Earth. The suggestions above are deliberately small and easy to achieve for many students. Arguably, it’s up to the companies and larger groups to also care as they have a huge impact on what happens on national and international stages (compared to what we as individuals can do). They, as well as we, have a moral imperative to do some- thing.

What you can do, nonetheless, is to try out some of the things above as they don’t ask the world but could help the planet.

Society bulldozes into women that their actions, appearances, and goals in life should be curated to fit the ideologies that men have of them. This is why when women visit the gym, they are anxious about how others, especially men, perceive them. There is a social stigma against women being muscular and that they should only focus on being feminine and skinny. As a result, women tend to use less strength training equipment, such as weightlifting, and are more drawn towards cardio-focused machinery, like treadmills. Many people don’t know this, but women are at a greater risk of younger onset of bone loss and developing musculoskeletal conditions, like arthritis, compared to men because of the hormonal changes that women go through. Strength training can help decrease musculoskeletal conditions as it increases bone mineral density. However, society expectations scare women away from even trying out simple strength-training exercises with the fear of looking masculine or ‘bulky’, which is difficult to achieve as the person needs to be dedicated to weightlifting religiously and needs to change their diet.

Education About The Female Body

There are aspects of the female body that are still a mystery to scientists and medical experts today. Even the knowledge surrounding menstrual cycles, one of the most important and complex systems in the human body, advances on a regular basis. It can be difficult for women to become consistent gym goers due to the inconvenience that the menstrual cycle and periods can bring them. Online information about when women should and shouldn’t exercise depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle is difficult to interpret because various sources relay different information. This can not only confuse women on how they should structure their gym visits and activities, but it also adds another burden to their fitness journey and pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

TOP 10

CITIES IN EUROPE TO VISIT THIS SUMMER

ince I graduated from an American high school back in 2021 and started uni a year later, I had an entire year to do whatever I wanted. So, I saved up and spent three months going around Europe by myself. I spent it exploring and making friends in pretty much every city I went to. I visited over 60 cities in 14 different countries and travelled over 9000 kilometres, and because of that, I would love to call myself now somewhat a master at travelling Europe. For everyone planning a summer holiday, I’ve ranked the best 10 locations to go to based on affordability, attractions, the people, its summer vibes and my own personal experience there. Remember: everyone’s experience can vary drastically, and what someone may love, someone else will hate.

By Brendan Papp Sports Writer

S7. Cinque Terre, Italy

The Cinque Terre is the coastal region in Italy situated between the two Italian cities of Genoa and La Spezia. It has gorgeous architecture, landscapes, and beaches. Also, of course, it has Italian food, which includes really good beachy dishes, a combination I wish I had learned sooner.

Affordability - 1.5, Attractions - 2, Experience - 5, People - 4.5, Summer vibes - 5

6. Sarajevo/Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

If you’re up to doing a lot of travelling during your holiday, this might be your best choice. Fly to Zagreb (Croatia) and take the bus to Sarajevo; this bus ride is remarkable, and there are fantastic views of the mountains. Bosnia and Herzegovina were war-torn in the ’90s, and its intense history is very evident. The Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide is the best museum I have ever been to. You would then take a train to Mostar, which feels like a beach town, but there is no beach. While you are there you must try rakia, which is a Balkan spirit.

5. Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana is the Slovenian capital city, and it is absolutely gorgeous. With beautiful churches and a massive fort at the top of the city, there is tons to do in the city. However, its real charm is Lake Bled. There are plenty of summer activities here, and it’s very easy to meet new friends there as well!

4. Split, Croatia

Another Balkan city, Split, is my second favourite city in the world. It’s an old Roman city too, and with many Roman attractions and exciting nightlife, it is the perfect place to go on a summer holiday! There are beautiful beaches and a great place next to the city to go hiking. This city is so much fun, and I cannot recommend it enough. There is no other hospitality like Balkan hospitality. The people there are all so amazing and know how to run a hostel better than anyone.

Attractions - 3.5

Experience - 5

People - 3.75

Summer vibes - 5

10. Amsterdam, Netherlands

There are tons to see, and it has one of the best nightlifes in Europe. The red light district is full of energy and will be sure to give you a good culture shock as well! I highly recommend staying in a hostel in the red-light district. Amsterdam is a phenomenal and very interesting place for obvious reasons.

Affordability - 2, Attractions - 3.5, Experience - 4.5, People - 2.5, Summer vibes - 2.5

9. Malaga, Spain

Malaga constantly screams summer; with persistent, intense sun, parties on the beach, and a castle on the hill, it's hard to beat for a summer holiday. Drinking sangria and eating paella every day is certainly something that will never get old. There is also the possibility of going on a new excursion to one of Andalucía’s many cities and towns, including Sevilla, Cádiz, Gibraltar, and my favourite town in the world, Nerja.

Affordability - 2.5, Attractions2.5, Experience - 4, People - 3.5, Summer vibes - 5

Affordability - 5

- 3 Experience - 3.5

8. Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is one of my favourite European cities. Not only does it have absinthe everywhere, but it also has very cool bars. I highly recommend the Black Angel bar right off the main square. Prague has a great combination of weather, places to see and explore, and nightlife. This combination is harder to find than you would think, especially at its low prices.

Affordability - 4.5, Attractions - 4.5, Experience - 4.5, People - 2.5, Summer vibes - 2

1.Barcelona, Spain

- 4 Attractions - 3 Experience - 4 People - 4 Summer vibes - 4.5

3. Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon has the funnest people! They know how to throw a party and put a smile on people’s faces. I love the Portuguese, and anothercity, Porto, is also a great city to visit. I can’t talk too much about this city because it has been a while since I have been, but when I was there, I did love it, and I am itching to go back.

Affordability - 2.5, Attractions - 3.5

Experience - 4, People - 5, Summer vibes - 5

Barcelona is my favourite city in the world. It is the perfect and ideal summer city as well, where beaches and mountains collide. The nightlife is never ending and so much fun! You can easily explore the hundreds of attractions Barcelona offers and it is definitely the most open-minded city I’ve been to. Montserrat is around 30 minutes outside the city and it really is a must-go. It’s my num ber 1 excursion on this list. Words cannot describe its beauty and phenom. There are also cities like Tarragona and Girona are quite close and they are definitely worth going to. There are no cons to going to Barcelona this summer, whether with your friends or by yourself!

2. Budapest, Hungary

Photos Taken By Brendan Papp

Affordability - 4

Attractions - 5

Experience - 4.5

People - 3.5

I am very biased towards Budapest; I spent two weeks here in Hungary because my card details were scanned in London, so I was stranded here without any money. My uncle lives 45 minutes away from Budapest, so luckily, I got the ‘VIP’ experience in Hungary. Plus, there are a lot of places to go outside of Budapest, like Szentendre and the Baloton, which are both very summer-y places. But Budapest can easily hold its own; the MargaretSziget is a very fun traditional Hungarian island inside the city, and its capitol build- ing is the third largest in the world It really is a must-visit, and spent there still may not have long enough. Additionally, I highly recommend if you’re travelling by yourself or with one or two friends, you stay in hostels! It is such a great way to meet people and find more unknown places to go! I have met people like Jason Sudeikis the actor of the main character in Ted Lasso, the inventor of blockchain, and college football players all because of hostels. If travelling in a group, Airbnb is your best choice!

Summer vibes - 3.5

Pole Fitness in Varsity: a 'nonjudgemental' space for sport j

By Laurice Janielle Lifestyle Editor

Pole Fitness is a combination of dance and acrobatics that's focused on a vertical pole. Although a lot of people would associate the sport with sensual dancing in nightclubs, in history we can trace it back to acrobatic activities in China, an opportunity to showcase gymnastic strength in India, and is now internationally recognized as a competitive sport. It requires a lot of endurance, strength, and flexibility. Dancers depend on their core strength and grace to be able to glide on a pole and perform as they do.

On Tuesday 28 March, Kent Pole Fitness and C4 Pole Fitness went against each other in three categories: beginners, intermediate, and advanced.

Lucy Kirk of UKC Pole Fitness opened as the first act for the Beginners level category. She started pole a year and six months ago and is currently the Vice President/Captain of Kent Pole Fitness.

When asked about the importance of women-dominated spaces in sports, Lucy said ‘When I see a large group of body-positive women in all shapes and sizes embracing themselves for the sport, it helps with my confidence,’ which she said was ‘much needed for Varsity’.

‘I love it because it shows me how strong my body can be, which in such a supportive environment was very empowering. It’s like if someone makes a mistake or falls out of a move everyone starts clapping.’

She performed to SZA’s viral song Kill Bill, which set an electrifying energy to the crowds cheering.

Canterbury Christ Church’s Alessia performed after and won Best Choreography. Phoebe from C4 pole fitness, wearing a cat mask opened the intermediate category, while the level’s winner, Amber Hayward (Kent),

in her hand-crafted leafy green twopiece also won Best Costume. She was mainly inspired by the album cover of the song she performed to, Homegrown by Haux, but the idea of ‘forests and nature’ was stuck in Amber’s head after a comment about ‘forest vibes,’ from Kiara (Team Captain) during rehearsals. A combination of these along with Amber’s love for comic books, specifically Poison Ivy, won her the title.

‘For me, clothing for pole has always been for functionality over beauty, as you have to have so much skin showing for gripping in certain moves and

so that you don't overheat. Although we might make it look easy, it's very strenuous exercise.’

Before university, Amber used to perform as a part of pantomimes, dance competitions, and a few carnivals and parades, so she’s aware of how costume contributes to performance. However, she did add that ‘costuming can elevate a performance, although it is not essential for a performance to be good.’

When asked about how she feels after receiving the title, she admitted that her main reason for participating in Varsity was to ‘show off [her] pro-

gress’, ‘indulge in [her] newfound passion for pole’, and winning was just a bonus.

During the advanced category, Lucie Fayoux of Kent went against Mag nus Hayze from CCCU. He won the level category and later was awarded with the Best ‘wow’ moment award.

Magnus credits his win to the Iguana deadlift he did at the start of his rou tine, a move that begins with pulling your body vertically below and lifting your legs from a flexed position into an extension.

‘I was terrified going up there, espe cially being the last competitor to perform,’ Magnus confesses. ‘I was shaking so much, but now having won it, I want to do it again.’

‘Just having everyone screaming and cheering for you feels so good after putting in so much work.’ Magnus only had two weeks to create his entire routine and said it was straining his wrists.

Three local pole professionals judged the performers based on the following criteria:

Difficulty (within the level category), Creativity, Execution (impressiveness and safety), Transitions (movement between the poles), Tricks, and Over all Performance.

Interestingly, judges were also able to give deductions for moves that were above the level the person was com peting at. Kiara Shardow, who started Pole back during her placement year in September 2021, is currently the Team Captain and Assistant Choreog rapher of Kent Pole Fitness. She told us that ‘allowed moves for each level were agreed upon by the captains beforehand.’

C4 Pole Fitness won the competition overall and Virginia Sala, Captain of C4 Pole Fitness, thanks the healthy

and non-judgmental environment the sport creates.

‘I used to be a part of athletic com-

CCCU fight back to win men's volleyball while Kent women dominate in Patacconi's last game

By Brendan Papp Sport Writer

Kent men’s volleyball team were left brokenhearted after CCCU came back from a two-set lead deficit to win as 3-2 winners on 24 March at CCCU Sports Centre.

The games played out 25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 13-25, and 9-15, with Christ Church winning the final three games after a Kent collapse.

CCCU are a very good team, having won the Division Three title this year, beating our our University of Kent friends in Medway. Playing against CCCU looked like playing a brick wall despite a strong effort from Kent's offence. Meanwhile, Kent’s defense

was equally as impressive. Every point played to a rally, and the gym was electric with energy for the entirety of the match.

Kent’s standout player was Enea Shehaj, who scored 12 points but, more importantly, never gave up on a single ball, once running across the gym into the stands to help win the point.

The setter Fabrizio Cottarelli was amazing as well; he has perfected the art of the set.

Hugo Du Buisson P, who scored seven points, and Bryce Mendoza also deserve an honorable shoutout for their impressive performances on Saturday afternoon.

In the women's match, Kent displayed a dominant away performance

over Canterbury Christ Church University on the same day.

Kent won all three games 25-10, 25-13, and 25-12, in a dominant win.

They were led by Viola Patacconi, who put in a captain’s performance, winning eight points for her side. A leader on and off the court, the allrounder had phenomenal sets, hits, and digs.

A visibly happy Patacconi commented on her last game.

Patacconi said: ‘I felt amazing; it was four years I have been playing.’

Avery Hodgson was another standout player who had very powerful hits and scored nine points in the victory.

As a long-serving veteran of eight years, Hodgson says there was no

excuse not to have a perfect game.

Kent displayed great defence during the match, with both the liberos playing exceptionally well. The team's passing skills versus CCCU did not see a mistake once.

Kiara Shardow, Kent Team Captain and Assistant Choreographer performing a guest performance Image courtesy of @kentpolefitness

Photo by Emyr Ben Youssef

Kent Union hold 'SquidGames'

By Joe Crossley Sport Editor

After eight days of intense sporting competition Kent Union capitalised on the buzz around the University of Kent campus with their Squid Games-styled event at the Kent Sports Centre.

The event was made up of multiple challenges that the 40 participants from both CCCU and UKC had to overcome to win a £100 prize as well as two points for their respective Universities.

Contestants were given two ‘lives’ which were lost if they failed one of the challenges that were based on the Netflix show ‘Squid Game’ and were shot by Nerf-gun wielding guards who were donned in the classic red boiler suits.

Those who had survived the first three trials were given tags that dangled from their waists and were contained in a small box with the final challenger winning the whole event if they managed to stop the other contestants taking their tag.

In the final event, it came down to two participants who tried to strike a deal to split the prize money. This proposal was scuppered when the guards told them that there could only be one winner, resulting in a swift battle for the tags in which CCCU rugby player Joe Marsden ultimately won.

After winning the event Mr Marsden said the money was going into the rugby club fund that would pay for plenty of drinks for the men’s rugby team.

Mr Marsden said: ‘Me and some of the boys from Rugby wanted to come down and have a good laugh as it’s the last day of Varsity.

‘100 quid is not bad, it’s good for the Varsity night out tonight.’

Kent Union’s Vice-President for Student Engagement Caroline Van Eldik said that the event was a way of getting students who were not part of sports societies involved in Varsity competitions.

Ms Van Eldik said: ‘Every year for Varsity, we look to do something that's not necessarily super sports specific because the buzz on campus is so great and we want to make sure that as many people as possible can get involved.'

CCCU win in controversial trampoline contest

By Sam Webb Newspaper Editor

After a delayed start to the = lasted around an hour, Canterbury Christ Church were victorious over the University of Kent in the trampolining competition at Varsity.

After fraught rule changes apparent right up to the start of the competition in attempts to ‘level the field’, judges decided that the five highest scoring competitors from both UKC and CCCU would count towards the final score.

But after just under 45 minutes of extensive and impressive routines from both university teams, Canterbury Christ Church University were crowned Varsity Champions for 2023.

The highest scorers from UKC were Amy Powell, Sophie Eastall, Lexie Bushnell, Jade Bradford, and Louis Davison.

The final count was especially close, with a margin of only four marks separating the final scores of the two universities.

Kent Hockey enjoy backto-back wins over CCCU

Continued from back page.

Hartsdown

Margate to provide playing ground for homeless Canterbury City FC

Continued from back page.

'With Margate it is 20 to 25 minutes from Canterbury, so we are hoping we get larger attendances at games.

‘We did want to get back into the Canterbury district but unfortunately, those options weren't open to us.’

In the deal for Canterbury City to play at the Hartsdown next season, Margate FC academy players will be able to turn out for City, and vice versa, something that Director of Communications at Margate FC, Ryan Day, believes will benefit both clubs.

Mr Day said: ‘first and foremost, it was about helping Canterbury and making sure that they still exist, and they have somewhere to play their games no matter what league they're in.

‘We have a youth section full of talent at Margate that can get them some

experience at men's football a little bit lower down the pyramid.

‘Canterbury are not going to be forced to use our players but if they want to use them, then we'll be more than willing for that to happen.’

Margate FC know the feeling of being a homeless club as they played their football away from Margate from 20022005, playing in Dover and Ashford before finally returning to Hartsdown Park for 2005/2006 season.

Being without a permanent home has meant that Canterbury City FC misses out on crucial match-day revenue and sponsorship deals as well as the identity of the club suffering on and off the field. There is some light at the tunnel for Canterbury City FC with Council plans for a Sports Hub that will include updated rugby club facilities and new football stadia to be built alongside 13,000 new homes across the Canterbury district.

For the next 20 minutes, it’s back and forth again, with none of Kent’s shots resulting in a goal and every CCCU shot rattling the on-looking fans' nerves. With 10 minutes left on the clock UKC get a short. Normally a strong point of Kent’s game, but today they have missed many shorts and the pressure is on to make this one count.

The injector fires the ball, the receiver passes it to our shooter Jorja Jones who strikes clean. The metal clang of the ball hitting the backboard of the goal causes an eruption of cheers.

UKC had finally clawed back the lead and were adamant that they would not lose it now.

CCCU makes a few more extremely close shots on UKC’s goal, but Kent’s players were determined not to let this chance slip away.

After what seems like an eternity, the umpire blows his whistle, and the final score is 2-1 to the University of Kent.

Kent has dominated CCCU in the four Hockey games, earning Kent a precious ten points on the Varsity table.

Soon after the First team of UKC Men's Hockey won their clash with CCCU 3-1.

The pre-game talk is clean and simple; keep focused, stay relaxed, make sure we make space, and keep passing. With that, the game begins. The first five minutes were spent on CCCU’s half of the field. Passes are wide and patient, waiting for an opportunity to move into the shooting zone. In the sixth minute, UKC

Kent Swim dive to victory in 12-4 win

are awarded a short penalty. The injector fires in, and Richard Koester sinks it, putting Kent’s first point on the board. However CCCU are no rollovers, and start to wear down Kent’s midfield. Substitutions are rapidly made as UKC players struggle to keep up. The changes had their desired effect and in the 27th minute, two shots on goal from Kent were deflected by the CCCU keeper. Three minutes before halftime, another short penalty is awarded to Kent. History repeats itself as Koester lands another precise shot, bumping the score up to 2-0.

Halftime is called and manager Chris Pearce gives the team a talk, telling his players to stop letting CCCU control the midfield and start pushing deeper into their zone. Pearce also warns the players of the opposition captain who has been the CCCU player causing Kent to lose possession. With that advice, Kent went into the second half.

The next twenty minutes are a game of brutal tug of war, with skilful plays being unrewarded and neither side making progress. Finally, in the 60th minute, a short penalty is awarded to Kent. However, the short is missed. A CCCU foul gives UKC a second chance and this time Luke Kennedy fires it into the back, making the score 3-0; all but guaranteeing a Kent victory. CCCU don't go down without a fight. The visitors claim a dignity goal with a cross in front of the goal which is finished off to score their sole point of the game. The whistle blows for full time, and whilst Kent missed out on the clean sheet, they stand proud as the men’s Varsity winners.

By Emyr Ben Youssef Deputy Head of Media & Marketing

UKC Swim maintained their annual reign over CCCU for the 13th year running as they won Varsity by a score of 12-4.

Early Sunday morning on 26 March the Swim teams from UKC and CCCU travelled to Dover to compete head-tohead for Varsity.

UKC took an early lead with Men’s Captain Matt Jones storming ahead in the 100m Individual Medley which Women’s Captain, Emily Malanga followed suit with, effortlessly sailing ahead as well.

Tensions rose during the 50m butterfly event, where men’s water polo captain Annam Sourjah maintained his lead, winning by just 0.7 seconds.

Protégé and next year’s water polo captain Lucy-Mai Helliwell similarly won her event by five metres.

Throughout the event, the UKC team remained strong, composed, and focused, exhilarated by the mere sight of the Varsity sign in the corner of the stands. After the individual events, UKC was comfortably in the lead 7-3.

Nevertheless, it the relay events that would decide who this year's Varsity winner would be.

Ending Varsity on a high, UKC’s relay team of Emily Malanga, Gareth Rees, Kiara Adrian, Emyr Ben Youssef, Erika Loustric and Rafael Santana took the lead, lapping CCCU and finishing nearly 50 seconds ahead.

Upon finishing the final event, the swimmers gathered around in realisation that the team had maintained their endless annual streak in Varsity. Being handed the Varsity Winner’s sign, all swimmers latched on and raised it in the air, full of pride. Let’s hope that next year’s swim team wins for the 14th time, alongside the debut of Kent's first water polo team.

Kent swimmer prepares to dive:

Photo by Emyr Ben Youssef

Park will see plenty of action in the 2023/2024 season: Image courtesy of Margate FC

Team Kent's Womens' team smash CCCU Kent Basketball find redemption in hard-earned 55-63 victory

Continued from back page.

Ms Wood was a constant headache for the CCCU full back who was unable to cope with her electric pace on the wing and was unable to stop Ms Wood's constant goal threat.

Ms Wood was ecstatic after receiving player of the match. She said: ‘I am beyond happy, this is a great achievement’.

CCCU were unable to muster a single shot on goal during the game thanks to a dominating Kent midfield. The excellent work of centre-defensive midfielder Lucy Dante allowed for Kent’s free-flowing football in their first-half raid on the CCCU goal.

Their number 6 showcased her fantastic skill set with a range of passing as well as putting in important tackles to break up CCCU’s play.

Dante’s positioning and communication made it impossible for CCCU to breach the middle of the field, as well as her no-nonsense defensive work which saw her receive a long talking to from the referee, after two-footing a CCCU player during open play.

An injury forced Dante off in the second half, and her absence was evident.

Dante said, ‘We started very strong, with a goal early on, but it dropped a bit in the middle, but we definitely picked it back up for the Varsity win.’

Fellow midfielder Mary Selig also chipped in with two goals, one of which was a beautiful shot from the edge of the box, curling into the net's upper left. Selig’s presence in the second half secured the clean sheet for Kent with her continued midfield control as well as her vision to deliver beautiful passes into the final third.

Kent goalkeeper Lola Durojaiye was very impressed with her team's defensive performance.

Durojaiye said after the game: ‘Performance was solid. We were just doing a bit of tiki-taka around them.

‘Our defence was pretty solid today and the midfield carried all the way to the front.’

Kent Falcons defeat C4 Chargers in 28-0 victory

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...but Christ Church recovered the ball successfully and were rewarded with a short field. A few short plays took them slightly further for a field goal attempt which was once again blocked.

Kent now had a short field to try and further their advantage but an interception in the red zone killed the drive. However, the Chargers’ offence still couldn’t get a foothold in the matchup and were forced once again to punt, ending the third quarter.

Kent made it down to the CCCU’s red zone to start the fourth. A catch on the one-yard and a couple of broken-up

Kent FC lose on penalties

By Gabriel Higgins Sport Writer

Kent FC 1’s were defeated on pens in this year's Varsity clash against CCCU at the Sports Pavilion on 27 March.

In a tight game that saw many crunching tackles, Kent 1’s battled until the end, taking the game to penalties despite going a goal behind late into the first half.

Having conceded in the 43rd minute, Kent came out after the half-time break firing; becoming more direct and placing pressure on the Christ Church defence.

Kent were rewarded for their improved second half performance when they received a penalty just before the hour mark, which was comfortably put away by Simba Kudyiwa in the 60th minute, making it 1-1.

Despite the equaliser Kent were unable to find a second to win the game, leading to a tense penalty shoot-out.

The Christ Church goalkeeper made two great saves, meaning CCCU would win 3-1 on penalties.

The Kent FC players were visibly upset with the result having pushed right until the end; working as a unit to starve the opposition of any real chances on goal.

For some it will be their last time representing Kent on the pitch, adding to the frustration.

Kents striker, Igli Metalia spoke of his disappointment after the game stating, ‘It was a game of two halves, a very tough and challenging game.

‘The players were working hard but at the end of the day penalties is about chance, and we got unlucky.’

By Emyr Ben Youssef Deputy Head of Media & Marketing

After last year’s loss, UKC’s Men’s Basketball returned this year with a vengeance that saw them win the Varsity clash in a 55-63 victory.

Despite getting off to a slow start, CCCU led the first quarter by three points (14-11). Utilising their homecourt advantage, CCCU hammered through UKC’s defensive lines shooting basket after basket. Towards the end of the second quarter, guard Karol Filip tore his third-grade medial collateral ligament that saw him helped off the court, as the entire crowd applauded our fallen soldier. With morale at a low

passes forced Kent to run the ball on third down. This proved to be a good choice though as the Falcons punched in their second score of the game. The two-point attempt failed, leaving the Falcons up 14 to nil.

The Chargers offensive woes continued when they fumbled the ball and surrendered a return inside their 10-yard line.

This allowed another rushing TD for Kent followed by a successful two-point conversion which upped the Falcons’ lead to 0-22.

An interception of a looping pass in the dying moments of the game which was returned for a touchdown made the final score 0-28 in a dominant shutout victory for the Falcons.

Kent Union announced the Falcons’ win on Instagram: ‘The Kent Falcons absolutely smash it and take the win.

‘We’re only just getting started!’

The Falcons echoed this belief, saying: ‘One of many dubs for Kent Union in the upcoming 2023 Varsity!’

UKC struggled to follow through with their counterattacks. CCCU closed the first half with a five-point lead over UKC (20-15).

Stepping back onto the court the team returned with a newly found attitude, focus, determination, and spirit. Tensions rose as UKC began to close the gap, fighting for each dead ball and scoring nearly every free throw. By the end of the third quarter, CCCU had pulled in front to lead 29-32. The final quarter was one for the Varsity history books. Both teams left nothing on the field as they made shot after shot. Passionate and spirited from beginning to end, Kent captain Gbemiro Omotayo was sent off after committing two technical fouls. However, Panos

Skaltsas made an immense impact after being sent onto the court, scoring nine points in mere minutes, taking UKC into the lead with a one-legged threepointer. With only 0.7 seconds left on the clock, Tudor Criveanu scored a 3-pointer, taking the game into overtime.

Going into overtime on a level playing field with 52 points apiece, UKC began to gain a rapid lead with their president, Archer Allert, breaking their lines to make the game in favour of Kent.

As the clock counted down to zero the visiting crowd stormed past the barriers and ran towards the players. With many of the players graduating, winning Varsity 55-63 was a tremendous way to finish the season.

UKC''s Falcons bask in opening day glory as they set the tone for Team Kent: Image courtesy of James Piper

'LET'S GO!' UKC Basketball pose after over time victory away at CCCU: Photo by Emyr Ben Youssef

Image courtesy of Ainy Shiyam

Wood scores four in 7-0 win

By Brendan Papp Sport Writer

UKC Women’s football team defeated CCCU 7-0 with a dominant victory at the Sports Pavilion on the final day of Varsity events.

In a rampant first half, Kent netted six goals in a free-flowing and creative performance.

The front three pulled apart the CCCU defence who simply could not cope with the clever movement of Jess Wood, Scarlet Cohen, and Darcey Hobbs.

Wood received player-of-thematch after her stunning performance included four goals and whose hard work in pressing suffocated CCCU’s defence...

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Team Kent Hockey dominate CCCU

By Lumiere O'Keefe Sport Writer

It’s the last match of the day, 6pm and the sun is low in the sky. Kent has decisively won the other three games that day, but there's a sense that if Kent are to lose today, it will be here. The players huddle around for a pre-match talk. Don’t let the crowd get to you, keep the space, and make good marks on high. With that, the game begins with the ball in our possKeession. Kent started strong, creating two shots on goal in the first minute which were blocked by the CCCU keeper. After that it’s all back and forth, both teams building up to the shooting zone before

Canterbury City

FC finds new home

By Joe Crossley Sport Editor

Canterbury City FC will be playing their football in the 2023/2024 season at the home of Margate FC at Hartsdown Park.

After being based at Sittingbourne FC’s home ground at the Woodstock during the 2022/2023 season, City has decided to move and ground share with Margate FC, which will bring closer collaboration between the two clubs, including dual registration for players. The club has been without a permanent home in Canterbury itself since 2001 when it was evicted from Kingsmead stadium, but it is hoped the partnership with Margate will provide stability for the club as it faces relegation from the Southern Counties East Football League this season.

Club Chairman Trevor James believes that fans will find it easier to get to games by moving to Hartsdown Park, which he hopes will boost attendance

at games.

Mr. James said: ‘We have found that through the beginning of this season, our gates are running at about 45% of what they were the season before.

‘Sittingbourne’s ground is very awkward to get to for non-car driving fans as it’s a 2.4-mile walk from the station through the suburbs of Sittingbourne, then out into the countryside which lacks pavement and Street lights.’

Long-serving Canterbury City fan of 12 years Kerry Harris who also fulfils the role of kit man at the club thinks the move to Margate will improve the fan experience despite this being a stop-gap in finally returning home to the Canterbury district area.

Mr Harris said: ‘If you wanted to have a beer and watch the game you couldn’t at Sittingbourne because there is no straight way because of getting there.

Continued on page 30.

losing possession. Finally, in the 15th minute, Pip Tombs sinks a shot into the back of the CCCU goal. A sigh of relief is breathed: Kent are now on the board and just need to solidify the lead.

The goal has given the UKC players some new confidence, as in the 20th minute another shot from Kent just barely sails past the post. In the 21st minute, a scoop from a short penalty is barely bashed away by the CCCU keeper. UKC seems to have all the momentum, but the 27th-minute disaster strikes.

CCCU are awarded a short penalty, and whilst their first attempt is deflected, a foul is called and CCCU are awarded another short.

It was a clean goal from CCCU’s Tara Bossano-Anes, equalising the score and sending a wave of pained groans through the Kent dugout. UKC gets two more short attempts before half time, but both fail to land a goal.

There is a heavy air as the team comes together for the half time talk. The confidence from the early lead has been sullied by the CCCU

comeback. Coach Marshall Puzey, noticing this, makes his speech.

Puzey said: ‘They’ve come off with their heads held high and we’ve come off with ours hanging low.

‘But we’ve made way more shots!’

He tells the team to remember that on a technique and skill level; bad luck is just part and parcel of hockey. With a few more pointers on positioning and planning, the team is sent on for a fight in the second half.

It becomes apparent that UKC aren’t close to regaining their original footing in the game. CCCU get a short almost instantly, whilst Kent’s Tilly Tillings manages to snatch possession and run the ball to the CCCU goal, her devastating three shots on goal in a row are all deflected by either CCCU players or their wall of a

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Kent Falcons fly

By Reuben Flewitt Sport Writer

The University of Kent was victorious over Canterbury Christ Church University in their American Football game, the first event of Varsity 2023.

The Chargers visited the Falcons at The Pavilion in Park Wood on 19 March in the first of a long line-up of this year’s spectacle of inter-university sports events.

This spectacle was certainly displayed in the American Football. Despite a scoreless first half, the Falcons put up four touchdowns in the second to earn UKC the victory in this year’s first event. The game opened with Kent receiving the ball but a sack-fumble on the second play gave the Chargers a very short field to try and put up some early points off the turnover. A third-down sack forced a field goal attempt which was blocked.

Kent continued to be plagued by an aggressive CCCU defence, suffering three more sacks in the half, one of

which forced Kent’s quarterback to fumble for a second time. Christ Church failed to capitalise on their defence’s hard work, however, missing their second field goal attempt wide right.

A few punts and a missed field goal by the Falcons rounded out a sluggish first half for both teams’ offences.

Whether inspired by the halftime performance put on by the Kent Crystals Cheer team or a rousing speech on the sidelines, the Falcons came out hot in the second half.

After a three and out for the Chargers, Kent gained good momentum from stringing together a few pass completions which culminated in a touchdown on a slant route which took him into the receiver into the endzone untouched. This was followed by a two-point conversion. Kent attempted an onside kick to retain momentum and possession...

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Kent Women's FC's MC Selig (left) and Anna Marfaud (Right) celebrate 7-0 win : Image courtesy of James Piper

The view that Canterbury City fans will be enjoying next season. Image courtesy of Margate FC

Image courtesy of James Piper