THE BIG SQUEEZE by OurMagazine2016

SIMON ARTHURS

EDITOR

ANNA FOLWELL

DEPUTY EDITOR

RUSSEL CLEAR

DEPUTY EDITOR

PAULETTE HOLMES

DEPUTY EDITOR

CHRISTIAN JOHNSON

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

â&#x20AC;?not all those who wonder are lostâ&#x20AC;?

6-7 TITLE

too much trailer AUTHOR

DEAN WHITE

CONTENTS 18-19 TITLE

8-9 TITLE

Where the music takes you AUTHOR

REBEKAH TENNANT

10-1 1 TITLE

The loney: a book review AUTHOR

SIMON ARTHURS

12-13 TITLE

AROUSED? Perform better AUTHOR

ANNIE FOLWELL

14-15 TITLE

future proofing AUTHOR

PAULETTE HOLMES

16-17 TITLE

Liberté Egalité Fr aternité and chaos! AUTHOR

ELOISE BOUTHEAU

hIDING THE HURT AUTHOR

LOUISE HULLAND

20-21 TITLE

tHE PAY GAP: REAL OR FAKE AUTHOR

RUSSELL CLEAR

22-23 TITLE

cAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR REVIEW AUTHOR

CHRISTIAN JOHNSON

24-25 TITLE

hARRY POTTER AND THE HIDDEN VILLAINS AUTHOR

BTISSAM BOUTMOUMA

26-27 TITLE

wRITING UNDER THE INFLUENCE AUTHOR

SOPHIE GRANT

BIO DEAN WHITE Between weekends behind the till and weekdays behind his desk, red-bearded Dean White still manages to find time for walks around his village, and midweek trips to the cinema. A mediocre bookworm, a collector of comic books, and reclusive gamer, he is rarely seen in sunlight for fear he may burn.

TOO MU CH

TR AILER

Advertisement or spoilers? Dean White explores whether trailers have lost their way. Today’s trailers are so long they are eclipsing the experience of the film itself. The internet has plenty of spoiler warnings: so why not before trailers? It’s worse when they’re shown in cinemas - you can’t even switch channels. The best example of showing too much is Terminator Genisys (2016), the most recent film in the Terminator series. The big twist in Genisys is the revelation that John Connor is a robot. Due to the numerous trailers everybody knew what would happen before sitting down. If they had been left to learn the truth about Connor for themselves I’m sure audiences would have enjoyed the movie more. Spoiler-filled trailers aren’t a new trend. The most famous line in Chinatown (1974) lost its power by featuring in the trailer. The memorable ‘Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown’, often parodied, would have packed more punch if it had been left to the movie. Even great films lose some of their effect because of trailers. I remember when the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) came out and I felt shivers run down my spine when Han and Chewie first came onscreen. During the film I never had the same feeling. I put this down to the trailers. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t watched the trailers (repeatedly): maybe I would have enjoyed seeing two of my favourite characters onscreen even more. In Ant Man (2015) one of the best scenes, in both film and trailer, was the shrunken fight on the toy train set. I remember thinking at the time how this was much better in the trailer. The same could be said of Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), a movie that would have been better served with just one trailer. By using multiple extended trailers, and TV spots, the reveal of Harry Osborne becoming Green Goblin and battling with Spiderman was no surprise. If anything, it left the audience looking at their watches waiting for the moment to arrive.

Poor ol’ Spidey didn’t have much luck with trailers. Spiderman 3 (2007) was an embarrassment, with a trailer that left very little to the imagination. Sandman’s transformation and Spiderman’s battle with the Symbiote left little for the actual movie. Let’s hope that Peter gets better luck in the future. On the other hand, trailers have their uses. Take Grimsby (2016) for example. Watching the trailer is all you need. Imagine a final trailer for The Sixth Sense (1999) in which Bruce Willis declares he’s a ghost. The marketing team know the value of leaving that moment alone, and by doing so made one of the most memorable moments in cinema history. Maybe trailer spoilers are no different than watching film adaptations. The ending’s already known, but it’s still nice to see the events unfold. The issue here is what we see in trailers leaves little to the audience’s imagination. In 2014 Netflix carried out a survey to find out if the increasing number of spoilers in trailers would stop audiences watching the film. The results show that the marketers know their audiences better than they know themselves because 94% voted they would still watch it. In the same poll 76% said that spoilers are unavoidable and a part of life. However another poll shows that 80% who saw a film after watching the trailer were left disappointed because all the good parts were shown in the trailer.

. The figures don t lie. We may not like them, but a spoiler-filled trailer helps us make up our minds.

BIO REBEKAH TENNANT Horse-rider and budding blogger Rebekah Tennant likes to spend her time behind a camera, shooting everything from nature to vintage cars for her online portfolio, Capsule Photography. She is a lover of music and is infamously known amongst friends for her continuing, unfaltering support for Muse and Radiohead.

Where The Music Ta k e s Yo u ‘Establishing a career in music can be tough,’ says AMC graduate, Bradley Osborne, ‘but a diversion from your set path needn’t be a failure.’ He talks touring, teaching and what to do after university. The Winterkids were better-known than their bare Wikipedia page might suggest. Osborne’s art pop band started as a dream shared with his four university mates – James and Hannah Snider, Tom Downer and Chris Muldoon – and grew into an adventure that took the band across the US, Europe and Japan. ‘When we started, the aim quickly became to achieve a number one album,’ he said. The debut album Memoirs went into the top 20 College Chart (CMJ) in the US, but never got to number one - though that didn’t stop The Winterkids’ success: they were named one of the most promising Brit acts on the horizon by New York Daily Times, and went on to play a sold-out Koko (Camden) before their split in 2010. Osborne told me that though he loved ‘the process of writing, rehearsing, performing and touring’, separating was the right decision. ‘Just because we split up, it doesn’t mean we failed,’ he smiled. ‘We realised that we were growing as a band, but needed more space to develop individually.’ So what next? He took his role as guitarist and lyricist onto solo projects, and hasn’t looked back since. ‘I co-wrote an EP for a band called The Theory of Six Degrees,’ he said, referring to one of the youngest groups ever to play Glastonbury, ‘and they recorded the songs with Nick Southwood, who produced Adam Levine.’ This might sound like a modest success for Osborne, but he has a found a calling to support these small projects. He is now a freelance music teacher who takes students for guitar, drum and piano lessons. ‘I started privately and found my students online,’ he explained, ‘and then, with my music degree, I started approaching schools.’

As well as working at Folkestone School for Girls, he also teaches private lessons from his home studio. ‘And I still get to choose my hours,’ he added. This unrestricted lifestyle allows him to work on his own music. ‘I write constantly – I like to record at home – and I’m still performing too.’ He recently performed a small acoustic set in the Chequers Inn, Maidstone, where he played a ‘mixture of covers and originals’ alongside school friend Kevin Hills. ‘Kev and I are in a band called The Acoustic Tones, and then on my own, I’m called Kingdom Music’. Kingdom Music has a growing internet presence. Osborne is working on building his YouTube channel, and is soon to set up a brand new website. With the help of social networking, he is seeing ‘new faces’ following his work. He told me that although the ‘big plan to tour in a band’ didn’t work out, he is glad to have found a new path. ‘Music is my passion, so working in it is a win in itself - I guess you just have to go where the music takes you.’ When asked what advice he would give to other music graduates, he emphasised the importance of keeping one’s options open.

‘Music isn’t a guaranteed career path, so if you end up straying from the original plan, that’s okay,’ he said. ‘Take every opportunity - not everyone is cut out to be famous.’ He also added that perseverance is key: ‘Keep working on it - do what you are aiming to do today, not tomorrow.’ Check out Bradley Osborne on youtube. com/user/BradOsborne10 or find him on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/bradleyosborne

BIO SIMON ARTHURS Simon Arthurs had two ambitions growing up. Having recently turned fifty, and having retired from the police, he has given up the prospect of flying fast jets. He is now trying to achieve the second and has shown he is serious by converting the broom cupboard into a study. He is a lover of the supernatural but doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hang around graveyards.

The Loney A Book Rev i ew

Christianity Clashes with Paganism, in a Tale of Black Magic, Miracles and Monotony. ‘I wasn’t totally sure what it was,’ said Andrew Hurley. When asked by Guardian interviewer Mark Richards how he would describe his debut novel, The Loney. No, neither was I, Andrew. Set on the isolated North East coast of England in the Seventies, The Loney is supposed to be a contemporary horror – or should I say supernatural, or maybe lit fic. Actually I would say it’s it more like Black Magic. Originally published in October 2014 by Tartarus press, The Loney won the 2015 Costa first novel award. The story concerns a Catholic family making a traditional parish Easter pilgrimage to St Anne’s shrine, ‘second only to Lourdes.’ They stay in a rented house in the Loney, a ‘wild and useless length of English coastline.’ (‘Wild’ and ‘useless’, are two words we’ll come back to.) The narrator’s family are hoping for a miracle to cure his mentally challenged mute brother. The scene is well set by the discovery of a murdered baby, Hurley’s well-crafted and unsettling description of the bleak landscape, the confrontation between the pilgrims and the locals, and the characterisation. The older priest who should have accompanied them has gone off the religious rails. Something happened to him on his last visit to the Loney: It’s all in his diary. A new young priest takes his place. The pilgrims are warned to keep away from the locals and their strange practices. Black magic clashes with Catholicism. I could see it now: murderous mayhem and miracles.

The Loney is caught in a time warp. I loved the potential of this juxtaposition between the rituals of Catholicism and paganism, and was reminded of the original Wicker man (1973). But then it all fell flat. The miracle is that I finished it. Although the premise is strong, the story telling is as foggy as its setting. I finished the book because I had sacrificed so much time in it. The slow, slow, slow… slow tension building and then, when you finally reach the bit that I won’t mention, in case you’re a masochist, the biggest anti-climax since the Millennium Dome.

I can’t give away the ending because I’m not entirely sure what happened. We do get to find out what made the priest go mad – or do we? I still don’t know. Read ‘The Loney’ yourself and see if you can discover what passed me by. After all the book has had more than its share of praise. ‘Modern classics in this genre are rare, and instant ones even rarer,’ said the Guardian’s Tim Martin. Stephen King loved it too. I had spent many a lonely night reading this Costa winner, hoping to find inspiration, to see how high that horror bar could be set. But when I finished the last sentence, I was wild with rage: ‘Bloody useless,’ I howled, setting off to seek solace in an entirely different type of bar.

BIO ANNIE FOLWELL Anna Folwell likes to be known as Annie Folwell because she believes there are too many

drive theory graph

inverted u theory graph

An increase of arousal levels in athletes improves performance.

The beneficial effects of arousal decline after reaching optimum arousal level.

Annas in the world. She reads everything, and is selectively deaf while her small nose is buried in a book. Due to her love of the Great Outdoors, she hopes to work in, or write about, environmental and wildlife conservation. She is unable to sit still, and burns off the calories through sports, regularly competing in horse riding and ice hockey (badly).

AROUSED?

PERFORM BETTER ALL ROUND Understanding how our arousal system works helps us perform better – and not just in bed. Anna Folwell explains how. We usually understand arousal in relation to sexual excitement. However, it is also one of the main features sports psychologists use to improve athletes’ performance. How? Arousal in sport is different from sexual arousal – it is the excitement and anxiety athletes feel before they compete or perform. This can manifest itself in ways we know well: sweaty palms, increased heart rate, butterflies in the stomach, shaking hands and so on - the feelings we call ‘nerves’. Arousal theories tell us that everyone has an optimum point of arousal and anxiety. When the arousal is at the optimum level, the athlete is motivated, prepared, focused and pumping with adrenaline. One of the main theories is Drive Theory which states, very simply...

...that the more arousal increases, the better the performance. Another arousal theory is called the Inverted U Theory. This takes the idea of arousal and anxiety a little further by saying that, yes, as arousal increases performance improves, but once you reach a certain level of arousal (the optimum), the arousal becomes too much and performance gets worse. This is another situation almost all athletes have been in – when nerves become overwhelming and causing the athlete to freeze, or their hands shake so badly they are unable to do what they need, and they can’t focus on the task ahead. Once an athlete understands what their optimum arousal is, they can tailor their environment on competition day to suit them. Obviously, there are some areas they can’t control, such as how large the audience will be, how well their team is prepared, and so on; but they can, for instance, arrive at the competition venue hours early, or only just in time, depending on their psychology and physiology.

Arousal theories also apply to students in an academic setting. Exams and sporting competitions are comparable in that they are high-stress situations where you have a short amount of time to perform your best. Some people like to cram before an exam, while others follow no particular routine. Often those who have a high optimum arousal level perform better under stress. Those who start revision early, are very organised, and have a very specific routine are likely to have a low optimum arousal level. As athletes know how they perform at their optimum arousal level, so students can tailor their routines to suit them. Having an understanding of arousal theory and optimum arousal therefore can have huge benefits in an academic setting. Are you one of those people who work well under pressure and stress? Do you like the feeling of butterflies in your stomach and the increased beating of your heart? Then you’re likely to work well with high arousal levels, and can probably pull off an all-nighter (although of course, it’s always worth pulling that all-nighter a few days before the deadline!). Or are you one of those people who hate pressure? Do you freeze up when you realise your exam is in two days, or your essay is due in four hours? You should probably get working on revision or essays well in advance! Whichever you are, as the ancient Greeks taught us,

“Know Thyself.”

Future proofing

Paulette Holmes asks, ‘Is a futureproof society possible?’

About one in nine people: 795 million people do not have enough food. The majority of the world’s hungry people live in developing countries. World Hunger facts

BIO PAULETTE HOLMES Launching into a 3rd career as a creative writer with ambitions to create exciting stories for children of all ages. She lives in the countryside (no cats) amid mountains of novels and cookbooks, good wine, varied music and visiting friends. She runs, sings with 2 choirs and plans to return to dance soon – Scottish dancing and Jive, for starters.

‘We must…look ahead and promote clean, alternative, renewable sources,’ says Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. This is a fitting definition of Futureproofing: www.cseindia.org/userfiles/futureisclean.pdf All futures are shaped by the evolution of key factors such as Population, Environment, Science and Technology. The sustainable success of every society depends on how well prepared and how agile its individuals and governments are. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) provides 20m school meals every year. ‘Meals include a carton of milk or juice, locally-baked snacks and a piece of fruit… Currently WFP assists 600,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees, across Lebanon, through electronic food vouchers so they can purchase their food from local markets.’ (WFP) This operation is not sustainable.

More people die from excessive consumption than from being underweight. In 2014, more than 1.9bn adults (39%) were overweight; of these over 600m (13%) were obese. In 2013, forty two million children under 5 were overweight or obese. Forecasts for 2050 expect up to 2bn new mouths to feed. These unsustainable scenarios are avoidable.

uglylooking yet nutritional sludge

In developed countries, systemic food and water shortages could mean future breakfasts will be an ugly-looking yet nutritional sludge, and energy concerns might mean dinner will come out of a 3D printer. Oh, and ice-cream could be insect-flavoured. This scenario is more sustainable but the hungry still need sustenance.

Could the advent of 3D printing help solve hunger and excess eating issues? Michael Petch, successful Finance and Economics analyst and author of Future Food: How Cutting Edge Technology & 3D Printing Will Change the Way You Eat, and 3D Printing for Future Food Security, believes 3D is a serious contender that can address the four pillars of food security: Availability, Access, Utilization and Stability.

Anjun Contractor, the engineer behind NASA’s printed pizza, mediates in saying, ‘Current food systems can’t supply 12 billion people sufficiently ... so we eventually have to change our perception of what we see as food.’ Would Anjun have been equally happy to send the steak shake, modelled here, into space? Is this last concept more palatable? LED-lit shelving units filled with microgreens, salads and herbs, grown in water that is pumped through tanks of tilapia fish. And a custom-built greenhouse on top with space maximising zip towers, exposure to light and with an automated mechanism, lifting up the roof for air-flow. This two year old aquaponics farm avoids chemical fertilisers. Financially stable too, at 100% capacity, 6000sqm - ten times its footprint, the farm could produce 20 tonnes of greens and 4 tonnes of fish annually. It already sells to high end small restaurants and retailers. Look out for 3D printed food at a restaurant near you, topped, maybe, with urban farm green goodness.

Are you future-ready?

Petch is in excellent company. In a 1931 essay Fifty Years Hence, for Strand Magazine, Winston Churchill predicted a future where scientists exploited microbes to produce lab-grown meat just as bakers use yeast to make bread. Senior Policy Officer Amy Leech for the Soil Association wants to avoid ‘the depressing prospect of food ink sandwiches and *lab-grown meat,’ and asks “how can we feed the world healthily and sustainably?’ * ‘In vitro meat’, cells grown in a laboratory: a sustainable and animal-friendly alternative.

BIO ELOISE BOUTHEAU EloĂŻse is an oversensitive French student who keeps herself informed about the political and fashion news every day. She likes spending hours watching TV-series and crying in front of movies. When she has dried her tears, she helps her friends with advice she would never be able to follow herself. She loves animals, and her dream is to work in a zoo or for a fashion magazine. Well, she is a bit lost.

Liberté Egalité Fraternité

a n d c h ao s ! Every day there is another French protest in the media. Why? French student Eloïse Boutheau explains why the British walk peacefully with placards while the French burn tyres and fight with the police.

Since March 31st 2016 there has been a new protest movement in France. It’s called Nuit Debout (Standing Night). At first, people met to contest the new labour reform, but it soon became a protest against everything (sexism, speciesism, agriculture politics…). Over the past months the strikes have spread to more than thirty French cities such as Paris, Nantes, Lyon, and Caen. But why? Why are we so willing to go on strike? A survey showed the French were the European champions of demonstrations: 171 days on strike per 1000 employees per year, against 24 for the UK. French people easily take to the streets because, believe it or not, negotiations with employers start only when they do so. In other European countries, strikes tended to end negotiations. We are exercising our democratic rights when we go on strike. If the way our politicians run our country dissatisfies us, we let them know. Nuit Debout expresses a national despair. The general consensus is that if we gather, we are stronger. It comes from Jean Jacques Rousseau’s theory of the General Will: ‘Perhaps a particular will could agree on some point with the general will, but at least it’s impossible for such an agreement to be lasting and constant. Why? Because it’s of the very nature of a particular will to tend towards favouritism, be partial, whereas the general will tends towards equality.’ The Social Contract II, 1.

That’s what Nuit Debout fights for: equality.

However, being on strike for a third of a year is not the real issue. It is the violence which often emerges during French strikes. In France, protest soon gets fierce, whereas in England, people tend to demonstrate peacefully. Back home being on strike is the only way to be heard. My father is a farmer: do you think he would block the streets with manure or his tractor just for pleasure? No, trust me he has better things to do, but farmers need to do that to get media coverage. It lends more weight to their little voices. Surprisingly, perhaps, the majority of French do not support violence. A few violent strikers (casseurs: breakers) make a mess and fight with police. Just three days ago, for example, some of them set fire to a metro entrance in Paris. To be honest, I don’t understand these people. Their reasons might lie in our history: 1789 was not that long ago. In the United Kingdom, strike violence last erupted in 1984-85 with the miner’s strike under Margaret Thatcher. Those brutal protests were unprecedented. But today, if we look at the junior doctor strikes, there is no misbehaviour. Maybe you have learnt from your history – but we haven’t. Are we too demanding wanting political evolution without changing ourselves? I think so. Public opinion is very different in Britain and France. The French are more likely to support strikers. The English, on the other hand, usually berate demonstrators because of the delays they cause.

For once (and only once!), we French should follow your example, and grow up a bit. After all, only fools never change their minds.

BIO LOUISE HULLAND Louise is an aspiring writer who enjoys reading everything, listening to rock music and scribbling on anything from post-it notes to receipts. She tops up her purse as a worker bee at Sports Direct, and does yoga and TaeKwonDo in her spare time. She also wishes to give a loving home to as many animals as possible from RSPCA shelters.

H i di ng

the hurt Student journalist Louise Hulland takes an in-depth look at anorexia nervosa and how those affected can be helped. ‘Every time I looked in the mirror I saw a blob I couldn’t get rid of,’ says nineteen year old Nina Trent as we have a coffee in Starbucks. ‘I was affected from age 13 to 17.’

and hate their reflection; they think they’re wrong when others don’t. Psychiatrists say causes are difficult to pinpoint because there are so many. Anything can start it.

Nina suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterised by starving the body, distorted self-views and fear of weight gain.

‘Therapy helped, but I had to do it alone,’ Nina admits. ‘Family and friends were my support because I trusted them more than the NHS.’ Those affected feel intimidated by therapists and can’t open up, which makes recovery processes long-winded and difficult.

It affects 5% of girls in the UK and 1 in 1000 boys. It’s crept into society, gripping teenagers, many affected by OCD and bullying. Anorexia nervosa causes depression or non-suicidal self-injury. 25% need hospital treatment. 10% die. Thankfully, Nina didn’t. ‘Life was difficult. I used to cut places I hated most: often my stomach and thighs. I was fat.’ Many others do the same. Around 50% are depressed and 72% engage in non-suicidal self-injury. People who suffer aren’t comfortable getting help, despite wide-spread news coverage. But it can be treated. Food diaries, group therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to change thoughts about nutrition are great ways of spurring recovery. I went to group therapy sessions with Nina; it helped me understand how she felt and how I could assist her transition to a healthy weight and mind. ‘My weight hit a dangerous five stone four. I was scared to go to school or be with friends in case I wasn’t good enough.’

The UK spends £1.26 billion a year on hospitalisation for eating disorders. However, in January 2014 the number of anorexic hospital patients rose by 8%. The 2010 Liberal Democrat manifesto suggested £500 million a year to transform mental health and the present government is finally proposing more support and funds for mental health. 60% now recover from the disorder. ‘People think mental health can be cured forever, but it can’t. They don’t have voices in their heads saying they aren’t good enough. I still struggle; I exercise too much and count calories,’ Nina says. ‘But I’m happier because I’ve overcome it. There’s hope for everyone affected - go against your own mind and it can be done.’

Fact File –

Anorexia Nervosa

Symptoms include over exercising, self-obsession and isolation. Even baggy clothes and diet pills are a sign, but most symptoms are easily overlooked. I didn’t know Nina suffered until she told me - it doesn’t affect one person, but their friends and families too. I’m her closest friend but she was too embarrassed to mention it.

• 90% of young people diagnosed are female

‘Some friends joked about my height. I knew they weren’t intentionally mean, so I compensated by being skinnier and prettier,’ Nina says. ‘I hated myself.’ Anorexia nervosa spirals out of control fast and takes over your life. People look in mirrors

• The number affected has increased by 15% since 2000

• In 2007, the NHS showed 6.4% of adults display signs of eating disorders, 25% were male • 10% die and 20% die after 20+ years

• 1/10 receive no treatment at all

THe

PAY

Gap

real

fake? BIO RUSSELL CLEAR When 19-year-old Russell Clear isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t chained to his keyboard, he can be found in a shed with his bandmates in Fish Head, jamming into the night. That or being stuck inside a train. Almost every day. Trying to get from Paddock Wood to Canterbury.

AS THE DEBATE ON EQUAL PAY BATTLES ON, RUSSELL CLEAR ASKS:

IS THE GENDER GAP EVEN REAL? Scarcely a day goes by when the media isn’t rabbiting on about pay inequality. Politicians and campaigners use it to silence their opponents. Women are told they make around 20% of what their male counterparts do. At first glance, this is a gross injustice, but under the bonnet, something is amiss. So what is wrong? The numbers are missing a few major details. Numerous key elements in the lives of men and women are left out of studies, leading to the pay gap between them becoming one of the great myths of the modern world. Women are more likely than men to move between companies and jobs. This is great because it allows them to build a strong C.V. and gain experience. But they may not climb the corporate ladder as quickly as men, and they will miss out on annual salary increase schemes. This means the number that comes out of the statistical machines is not accurate - it is misleading. Another key factor is the difference between full time and part time work. 8.4 million women are in full time work, compared with 14.36 million men. 6.13 million women are in part-time work, compared with 2.14 million for men. Women are perceptively paid less than men, a juicy headline, but it’s not the pay that’s the difference, it’s the hours. Another major factor creating the pay gap myth is the types of jobs men and women do. A good example is in the medical field. Women study and enter for careers in lower paid areas like general practitioning and nursing. Men, however, study for longer and enter higher paid fields like neurosurgery. On the surface, it would look like men are being more favourably treated, but all it shows is men and women choose different career paths. In western culture, women are expected to take time off - an average of six months - to have a child. They are paid 10% less in the first six weeks of their maternity absence. After that women may shift to part-time work to look after their child. All of this happens while they are employed, leading to the pay reports appearing to be unequal. It is also common in couples - where if the man in the relationship has enough income, for women to quit and become full-time mothers. Another point, if the pay gap was real, what would happen? Strangely enough, it is illegal, so employers would be taken to court and given a fine of £5000 per person effected. Secondly, women would be the most employable group in society. Companies are always looking for ways to save spending, as cheaper labour will always be more attractive. All this may change men and women are breaking into jobs dominated by one gender. Fathers are taking time off to look after their children, women are spending longer in education than ever before. So ladies, now is the time to stand up and escape the fate you’re convinced you have.

BIO CHRISTIAN JOHNSON Hailing from an island that nobody seems to know, Christian is a gamer at heart and writer of fantasy and science fiction. When heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not obsessing over superheroes, Star Wars or Game of Thrones, he can be found comfortably lying in bed, watching the likes of Community or Rick and Morty â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sipping a cup of tea.

captain america: civil war A review A better Avengers film than the Avengers

Captain America: Civil War is the culmination of eight years of character building. As expected – it pays off. With a current Metacritic score of 78 and a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Civil War is set to continue Marvels box office dominance. Director duo, Joe and Anthony Russo "The Winter Soldier" return for their second instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with spectacular fashion. Civil War acts as a sequel to The Winter Soldier (2014) and last years Age of Ultron (AoU). S.H.I.E.L.D has disbanded and Captain America’s (Chris Evans) long-time friend turned assassin Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), fled after regaining his memory. At the end of AoU, the nation of Sokovia is lifted into the sky and prepped to become the source of a cataclysmic event. This is the driving force behind the conflict between Stark and Cap that creates the Civil War. If you were hoping for a direct adaptation of the comic book, then you are going to be disappointed. However, the central theme is intact. A mission to track down Caps nemesis, Crossbones (Frank Grillo), ends with the death of civilians at the fault of Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olson). Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability to govern the Avengers – the Sokovia Accords.

WATCH OUT FOR ANT MAN (PAUL RUDD) WHO RE-JOINS THE SCENE IN A BIG WAY. One character stands out. When a bombing linked to Bucky kills his father, T’challa (Chadwick Boseman) makes his debut as the Black Panther. His motivations for choosing a side are different from all the others and his story arc is one of the best elements of the film. Spiderman is the ace up Marvel’s sleeve. Tom Holland’s debut performance as the web-head is amazing. In a film already crowded with big heroes, it was easy to worry about how the character would be handled. Relax! Holland is young, nerdy and full of wit, almost as if ripped straight from the comics. He is without a doubt the best interpretation of the character yet. The second act culminates in a battle between the two teams that will marvel you beyond thought. I haven’t even mentioned the villain. The MCU villains have been the weak links, with the exception of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Ultron (James Spader). Villains like Malacath, Darren Cross and Ronan were one-dimensional with little to make you care about their master plan. But Civil War is different. Zemo (Daniel Brühl), is not a god or an alien, and he doesn’t have an awesome battle suit. He is just a man out for vengeance. We always expect the hero to come out on top – that is not the case in this film.

Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is pro-registration and believes the team should be given limits; Steve believes they should be free to operate as before – “I know we’re not perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

Marvel is still superior to DC when it comes to movies. Warner Brothers latest blockbuster, Batman v Superman met with negative reviews and its fan base split down the middle. It currently scores 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Most of your favourite heroes are here, from Scarlett Johansson’s illusive Black Widow to Don Cheadle’s charming War Machine. Scarlet Witch returns alongside AoU’s Paul Bettany as Vison. The intimate interaction between them begs the question whether they will follow their comic book romance.

Whether you are supporter of team Iron Man or Captain America, it is clear to see the real winners are Marvel.

BIO BTISSAM BOUTMOUMA Dreamer, smiley and avid tea-drinker, Btissam is a 21-yearold student who comes from a small town on the West coast of France. She has studied in Christ Church University since January to finish her English Literature and History degree and become an English teacher. When not studying (most of the time), she spends much of her time listening to music and watching American series. She also loves meeting her friends, eating chocolate crĂŞpes and partying ALL NIGHT LONG.

harry potter AND THE HIDDEN VILLAINS

So many people know the Harry Potter series that there’s no point in going over old ground. It includes many characters we love (like Draco Malfoy) and others that we don’t. But those we like, aren’t they actually little (or big for Hagrid) bastards? Have you really thought about what they do? Because with some of them, it isn’t nice… AT ALL! So let me open your eyes, folks. Many of the much-liked Harry Potter characters have more villainous tendencies than first meet the eye. Let’s start with Seamus Finnigan (the pyrotechnic guy who makes everybody laugh). Okay, he is funny, but what a moron! He gangs up on Harry, who is accused of lying, and then comes back to lick his boots when he realises Harry was right (as usual). Next time, think before you act, idiot! Speaking of idiots, there’s Dobby. You see, that hypocritical elf does everything to prevent Harry from going back to Hogwarts. Is that being a friend? What about Cedric Diggory? You might say ‘Oh Cedric is so hot and strong.’ Maybe, but what you might have forgotten is that this bastard stole Harry’s short-lived infatuation, Cho Chang. And then, turning all smiles, that hypocrite gives Harry the clue which allows him to survive. ‘AVADA KEDAVRA!’ Serves you right, Ken! Go back to sucking haemoglobins in your rubbish vampire saga! And finally, I will add Ginny Weasley (even if she does nothing to harm Harry) because I always claim she’s nothing but a Harry Potter fangirl (that’s a polite way of saying she’s useless). I hate her face, her hair and her childish crush on MY Harry (#jealousy).

Now let’s talk about grown-ups (yes, not all older people are a good example of wisdom). Horace Slughorn is a former Potions Master who gives the idea of the Horcruxes to Tom Riddle (AKA Voldemort). Just for that, he should be shot. He seems cute, though, with his rounded face and his kind, grandpa attitude, but you couldn’t find a greater snob. You’ll never be allowed on the podium and you’ll never be invited to his free-buffet parties. And that’s so unfair! Not even Albus Dumbledore escapes my wrath. This old hayseed (who really needs to go to the Barber) knows Harry has to die but doesn’t say a word. He keeps as quiet as the grave for the whole time; and when they are both in a heaven of sorts (I agree, the story gets weird), he lets Harry realise he has to kill himself for his friends’ survival. Where’s the spirit of fair play? And still, who gives points to those fools of Gryffindor when we all know Slytherin is clearly the best House ever? Although arguably a baddie, Draco Malfoy is loved by many readers. He’s sexy, a badass and also a victim of life – and that’s surely why we all like him (at least I do). However, even if he is manipulated by his villain father, he does many silly things and is actually nothing but a snitch. And a wimp. So, do you still see those characters , , the same way? I m sure you don t, and , thanks to me, you won t keep your head buried in the sand anymore. I suggest you watch the Harry Potter series again because that’s what huge fans like me) do.

BIO SOPHIE GRANT Forthright and outspoken, Sophie (24) has two dreams. The first to own as many dogs as it is humanly possible and the second to publish her first novel. She has returned from working in France and Italy to pursue these dreams. The money from one will help her achieve the other.

Wr i t i ng under the i nfluence Sophie G ponders the link between gin and genius As I sit at my desk, second rum and coke in hand, I feel the sentences I’ve been fumbling over all day finally start to flow. As the drinks pour, so do my words. When I told a colleague what I was going to write about, their response was: ‘Of course you are, Soph.’ Drinkaware.co.uk lists signs of alcohol dependency as : (a) Suffering from physical withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, nausea and shaking. (b) Finding you have a compulsive need to drink (c) Waking up and drinking straight away. Fortunately, I’m not at that stage. Yet. Everyone knows after noon is acceptable. So does alcohol stimulate the creative mind? Is there scientific proof? We’re all aware alcohol disinhibits us – it gives us courage to do something we normally wouldn’t. The drinker has a disregard for social conventions and impulsivity which, as I’m sure we all know from personal experience, loosens the tongue. Thoughts that otherwise would have been subconsciously ignored before written on paper are given the chance to flourish. And research has actually shown that a little alcohol is better for the health than none. A study published in Consciousness and Cognition compared 2 groups of people. One group were completely sober and the other were just below the legal limit of 0.08. The 2 groups had to use their creative minds to figure out some puzzles. The tipsy group won. Of course.

CASE CLOSED? Despite such concrete proof, some creative minds still disbelieve. Playwright Paul Skinner said, ‘there is evidence to suggest that being intoxicated helps – but eventually it will destroy your creativity.’ He goes on to say that writing is an art and to ‘imagine a sculptor pissed.’ He tells me to look at Jack Kerouac.

Born in 1922, the novelist Jack Kerouac died just 47 years later due to internal bleeding from long-term alcohol abuse. Famous for his novel On The Road, Kerouac drank himself into an early grave. Winston Churchill managed his liquor much better. He was both bottle-lover and successful writer. When sent out to cover the Boer War for the Morning Post in 1899, he brought along with him 36 bottles of wine, 18 bottles of scotch and 6 bottles of brandy. His daily routine included drinking at every meal – including breakfast. After eight hours of drinking and entertaining, he would retire to his study to work for 1-2 hours every evening. So booze clearly worked for Churchill! Stephen King is a self-confessed recovering alcoholic and drug-taker and is now vehemently against the substances. In his memoir On Writing, he actually admits that he was so drunk and high in the 80s he barely remembers writing Cujo. He writes a letter to his 16-year-old self to ‘stay away from recreational drugs’ and that he is a ‘junkie waiting to happen’. So although King was a successful writer when he was going through his ‘crazy phase’, in retrospect he seriously regrets his past behaviour. King has now written over 20 books sober, all of them as good as the ones he wrote under the influence. So has alcohol affected his writing ability? Perhaps he was always skilled, and drinking unlocked this talent. If King didn’t use alcohol and drugs at the start of his career, would he have had the confidence to write the books he did? So although it’s been proven that alcohol helps creativity, there needs to be a safe balance.

A gin and tonic as you write is okay, and might help that idea come unstuck. So as you sit down tonight to write, have a little tipple to help inspire that great story inside you.

Di scl a i mer This magazine was written by undergraduates for education purposes only, as part of BA in Creative and Professional Writing. This information contained therein is for information purposes only. Nothing herein has, intentionally or unintentionally, any commercial purpose or function. While the authors have sought to ensure that information is up to date and correct, they make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Every effort has been made to obtain such permissions as are required for the reproduction of copyright images, etc., and the authors apologise if they have inadvertently omitted to obtain any such permission. All Views and opinions herein are strictly those of the writers, not of Canterbury Christ Church University or any other of its members.