The Badger Fourth Edition (2/11/2020)

THE

BADGER

COVID-19: PM announces monthlong nationwide lockdown

News

Free school meals & Students launch renters’ union 3

Joshua McLaughlin News Sub-Editor

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Comment

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Social media relationships & Bees & refugees9

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Restrictions

Features

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Pandemic preganancy & Day of the Dead13

Joshua Talbot

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Number 10

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Arts

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Nothing but Theives & The Thing 17

Travel & Culture -

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Karl Jones 22-23

Continued on page 3...

Appropriation or appreciation? & Apple cake 26

Science & Tech

PS5? & Water on the moon 29

Sports

Chiefs do the double &

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Editor-in-Chief Josh Talbot badger@sussexstudent.com Print Production Editor Ellie Doughty Online Production Editor Georgia-May Keetch Print Production Sub-Editor Gurpreet Raulia Online Production Sub-Editor Margaret Arabambi Marketing Managers Alex Norman Sarah Wong The News Team Oliver Mizzi Joshua McLaughlin Sam Kimbley Ewan Vellinga Grace Curtis badger-news@sussexstudent. com The Comment Team Issy Anthony Will Day Libby Mills Joel Renouf-Cooke badger-opinion@sussexstudent. com The Features Team Alana Harris Olly Williams Teddy Parkin Beth Pratt badgerfeatureseditor@gmail. com The Arts Team Jessica Hake Robyn Cowie badger-arts@sussexstudent.com The Books Team Jasmine Smith Eric Barrell thebadger.bookseditor@gmail. com The Music Team Alice Barradale Percy Walker-Smith thebadger.musiceditor@gmail. com The Film & Television Team Yazz James The Theatre Team Elijah Arief Harrison Fitzgerald thebadger-theatre@gmail.com The Artist Focus Team Luisa De La Concha Montes thebadger.street@gmail.com The Travel & Culture Team Hal Keelin Bryony Rule Katya Pristiyani badger.travelculture@gmail.com The Sports Team Charlie Batten Max Killham thebadger.sport@gmail.com The Science & Technology Team Isaac Hallé Eleanor Deane thebadger.science@gmail.com Events and Publicity Jess Dingle Grace Ochieng Proof Readers Yasmine Yaguer Jake Nordland

Editorial Josh Talbot Editor in Chief

Ellie Doughty Print Production Editor

Hi again! Here we are, going into the sixth week of what has been a strange term, kicking it off with a fourth edition of the paper, and wondering just how Lockdown 2.0 will work for us, as we hopelessly try to have something that resembles a university experience.

Saturday’s news of a nationwide lockdown seemed to come out of nowhere for those of us on the paper working on the Covid related content in the paper.

Of course, intervention was to be expected but the abrupt nature of the announcement seemed to perfectly punctuate a milestone in our student lives, as custodians of this brilliant publication and more personally.

It’s November, it’s the sixth week of term, Halloween has been and gone and we are now well and truly immersed in a situation that, a year ago, we could never have foreseen.

It’s a point to be proud of, perhaps to despair about, but ultimately draw optimism from.

Back in August, in my bedroom in Cornwall, when we were given our positions on the paper, I had no idea what the start of the term would look like and yet we have made it to this juncture and I am humbled by the hard work that the team, who I hadn’t met before lockdown, put into every edition that we put out.

Anything is progress- progress towards an end to this next lockdown, towards a return to normality. Whether it’s making a cup of tea, making your bed or going to that one on-campus lecture you have, it is important to celebrate these achievements. We will get there in the end and The Badger team would like to say that the paper is here to voice your concerns and have your opinions heard.

This edition is packed with lots of content from your fellow students taking advantage of just that- read on volved!

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading our newest edition and enjoy!

As usual, if you have any ideas please feel free to let us know, we love inviting others to contribute! This week Travel and Culture have produced some really interestworking abroad during the pandemic summer, to Sussex Ranger’s guide to vegan eats in Brighton, a perspective on cultural appropriation and more. Sport is bringing us some news from the US - aside from the election - with the from closer to home with the Exeter Chiefs, and more. Science and Tech have given us some juicy pieces this week to sink our teeth into - quite literally with a look into ‘hanger’ and how our digestive system affects our emotions. More on space advancements and news from NASA about water on the moon’s surface, and on a slightly lighter note a piece on the Playstation 5.

News this week is of course as eventful as usual, with a look into Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension and some US updates.

Features take a look at Net-

Follow The Badger online @thebadgersussex @thebadgersussex @thebadgerarts @thebadgersussex www.thebadgeronline.com Follow The Badger on Issuu Whilst The Badger waits for a safe time to venture out onto campus, the temporary home of the print form is in editons like this on Issuu.com! Follow us to get email updates on our fortnightly publications.

‘The Social Dilemma’, delves into pandemic pregnancies and Comment has taken the pandemic theme into questioning a circuit breaker lockdown in The Big Debate.

Arts have looked at new music from Nothing But Thieves, and talk about The Brighton Fringe Festival.

In Travel and Culture, we have a look at what’s on our streets, this time focusing on Queens Park. Science and Tech ask whether the PS5 is worth it and look into the potential of living on the moon.

Finally, to close the paper we have Sports looking at the stories of the Exeter Chiefs ‘doing the double’ and Robbie Town.

There’s so much to have a look at- what are you waiting for?

Want to advertise in

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THE

THE

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Do you want your local business or student relevant venture to reach a campus full of students?

Contact us at badgermarketing.sussex@ gmail.com for prices, advert sizes and more info about online and in print adverts

The Badger 2nd November 2020

News

3

... continued from front

and rational to go for the re-

While construction sites and manufacturing can remain open, weddings and civil partnerships will be halted unless ‘exceptional circumstances’ can be proven.

Overnight stays – in either a hotel or second home, will also not be allowed. This pertains to stays both in the UK and abroad, but essential travel for work will be permitted.

In light of these heightened restrictions, the PM said: “We will get through this, but we must act now to contain this autumn surge. We’re not going back to the full-scale lockdown of March and April, but I’m afraid from Thursday the basic message is the same: stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”

course of the pandemic has changed, and it is also right that the government should change and modulate its response in accordance, and I make absolutely no apologies for that.”

On 21 September, the UK gov-

Concerns

group encouraged the implementation of a form of national lockdown in England, as the total number of COVID-19 casualties rose to 29,757 and UK-

“

Following Saturday’s news conference, PM Boris Johnson has faced public backlash following not just the direction of his plans, but also the way in which they were unveiled.

When questioned by BBC’s Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg on why it took him so long to follow the advice of ‘his own scientists’ on implementing national action in wake of the escalating number of cases, he responded: “This is a constant struggle and a balance that any government has to make between lives and livelihoods.

“I do think that it was bright

398,625.

When questioned by BBC’s Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg on why it took him so long to follow the advice of ‘his own scientists’ on implementing national action in wake of the escalating number of cases, he responded: “This is a constant struggle and a balance that any government has to make between lives and livelihoods. came from Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty, key advisors to the Prime Minister, who warned that there could be 200 deaths a day and as many as 50,000 daily infections by November.

As of Sunday 1 November, 23,254 positive cases of COVUnited Kingdom, with 1,034,914

people having now tested positive since the beginning of the outbreak. This makes the UK the ninth country to reach the constone – following the US, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

Speaking about the delivery and timing of Mr Johnson’s announcement, MP and Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC: “The delay now will cost.

The lockdown will be longer, it will be harder, and there is a human cost which will be very, very real.

“Now, there is no denying these measures are necessary, and I’m glad that the governsion that should’ve been taken weeks ago.”

Mr Starmer also concluded that there would be “no effective exit on 2 December unless the government uses this time

unclear how individual universities will respond to the weekend announcement, the Prime Minister emphasised that schools, colleges and universities shall remain open and operational throughout the lockdown.

The recent announcement from Downing Street shadows previous discussions surrounding a proposed nationwide twoweek ‘student lockdown’ on the lead-up to the Christmas holidays.

Reported by The Guardian, Ministers were in the ‘earlyplanning stages’ of enforcing university lockdowns from 8 December to 22 December, urging students to stay on-campus or in their private accommodations while continuing to study and receive teaching online.

“

comment supported by recent reports that the NHS COVID app has failed to record potential exposures to the virus – a settings error that should have recognised people as having been close enough in proximity for viral transmission, but had instead registered that they were too far away for the infection to spread.

How will universities be affected?

While it currently remains

In light of these heightened restrictions, the PM said: “We will get through this, but we must act now to contain this autumn surge. We’re not going back to the full-scale lockdown of March and April, but I’m afraid from Thursday the basic message is the same: stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”

Asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whether the government would rather close schools to end the lockdown on time, or extend the lockdown in order to keep schools running in light of the Prime Minister’s recent

Minister Michael Gove has said that the government “want to keep schools open.”

“I don’t believe it would be that case,” Mr Gove added. “But I do believe that we want to keep schools open and I believe that the measures that we are putting in place will enable us to do so.”

In October, Dr Ellen BrooksPollock, an epidemic modeller at the University of Bristol and member of the government’s group, spoke with the BBC saying: “Our analysis suggests that reducing face-to-face teaching to essential teaching only does have the impact of slowing down the rate of spread and preventing more disseminated outbreaks.

“However, it needs to happen early on in the outbreak, because if infection is already widespread then having this quiet period [a pre-Christmas term is unlikely to prevent outbreaks within halls of residence.”

With the latest COVID-19 reported by the University of Sussex falling from its peak of 112 cases on 26 October to 84 on 29 October (50 students on campus; 33 students off campus; 1 staff member off campus), the effects of another lockdown on the Sussex community, as well as Sussex’s subsequent reaction, remain to be seen.

Jeremy Corbyn susspended after reaction to antisemitism report

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Mirannda Dunne Staff Writer Labour suspends former leader for comments made after the release of critical EHRC report on anti-Semitism within the party.

On Thursday, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party, along with the Parliamentary Labour Party removing the party whip, pending investigation.

This followed a statement Corbyn made describing claims of antisemitism as ‘dramatically overstated’, less than an hour after the release of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) report on antisemitism in the Labour party.

In a subsequent Facebook post announcing he would ‘strongly contest the political intervention’ to suspend him, the MP for Islington North wrote he has ‘made absolutely clear that those who deny there has been an antisemitism problem in the Labour Party are wrong.’

The report found that Labour acted unlawfully over antiSemitism, stating that many of the incidents of anti-Semitism faced by its members constituted ‘unlawful harassment’ under

Socialist Appeal antisemitism as including the ‘use of anti-Semitic tropes’, for example that ‘Jews are part of a wider conspiracy’ and ‘suggesting that complaints of antisemitism are fake or smears.’

In an interview that aired six minutes before his suspension, Corbyn claimed that a poll revealed an incorrect public perception that one third of Labour Party members were ‘under suspicion of anti-semitism.’

He said ‘the reality’ was that ‘0.3% of party members had a case against them.’ A Channel 4 FactCheck suggested he was referring to a poll that had ‘some strengths’, but equally that ‘we shouldn’t place too much weight’

on a single poll. The EHRC report states that the party did not comprehensively record complaints of antisemitism until 2018. This was echoed by former Labour Party General Secretary Jennie Formby in January 2020 who said that a ‘comprehensive central complaints system’ was not in place until 2018.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer made a public statement condemning the ‘breakdown of trust between the labour party, many of its members, and the Jewish community,’ pledging ‘Never again will labour let you down.’ He said that those who claim anti-Semitism is “exaggerated or a factional attack” are “part of the problem.”

Speaking to Radio 4’s World at One, the Labour Party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner described Corbyn as a ‘thoroughly decent man’ but said he has a ‘blind spot and a denial when it comes to some of these issues.’

The grassroots organisation Momentum, founded in 2015 after Corbyn’s successful leadership campaign, called the suspension ‘reckless’ and ‘profoundly unjust’ in a petition to ‘Reinstate Jeremy Corbyn’. They argued that the decision ‘makes a mockery of Keir Starmer’s own pledges to unite the party.’ They claimed that Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights protects Corbyn’s statement. In an email to its members, co-chairs Andrew Scattergood and Gaya Sriskanthan described the suspension as a ‘massive attack on the left.’

The Jewish Labour Movement’s statement in response to the report said it provided its “members with the relief they have been seeking from the Labour Party, but which it The closing of their statement read “We are hopeful that under new leadership, and renewed resolve, the Party will return to its core values of solidarity, tol-

erance and respect. There is still much that needs to be done.”

In an interview that aired six minutes before his suspension, Corbyn claimed that a poll revealed an incorrect public perception that one third of Labour Party members were ‘under suspicion of anti-semitism.’

Panorama reporter John Ware’s accusations of libel against Corbyn saw a surge in donations since the suspension, reaching £367,540 as of Saturday. On Friday, The Times reported that a close ally of Corbyn believed ‘the only route is legal’ in response to the suspension unless Starmer is prepared to draw up a deal.

According to the Guardian, bour leader to be suspended; former Labour leader to be expelled since 1931 when Ramsay MacDonald was cast out for forming a national government with Conservative support in 1931. Corbyn will sit as the independent member of parliament for Islington North unless reinstated to the Labour Party.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

News

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Outcry as MPs reject extending Free School meals over holidays Summer Kelly Staff Writer On 23 October MPs rejected a Labour motion to extend free school meals into the school holidays. The defeat was 322 votes to 261 as the government whipped its MPs to vote against, MPs voting for the plan and one MP - Caroline Ansell, subsequently quitting her role.

During the summer holidays the government bowed down to pressure leading to a U-turn on the decision to stop free school meal vouchers following an open letter written by Marcus Rashford.

Mr. Rashford pleaded for the government to go back on its decision and allow the vouchers to extend throughout the holidays in order to feed nearly 1.3 million children.

The vouchers were to be spent in supermarkets and allowed for around £3 a day to be spent on a child’s meal.

However, the government once again voted to block the extension of free school meal vouchers during the holiday and it appears this time there is no U-turn in sight.

Boris Johnson has said the government did not back the motion as it is supporting families instead with a Universal Credit increase of 20 a week that was introduced in April and has given 63m to local councils.

The decision to stop the vouchers has caused public outrage with many celebrities stepping in, such as comedian Rufus Hound who took to twitter branding the Conservative party “scum” for essentially “keeping hungry children hungry”.

The Child Poverty Action Group has stated that “we have reached a low point”, as the government steers clear of “moral responsibility”. Since the vote more than 2000 paediatricians have signed a letter stating that child hunger should “transcend politics”.

Many Conservative MPs have come out in defence of the vote with MP Brenden Clarke-Smith deeming the support of celebrities to be nothing more than “virtue signalling”, further stating that this was not a vote to “help poor kids - yes or no”, but a “promise to roll out a huge expansion of long-term state dependency to millions”.

The Education Secretary

Gavin Williamson said it was right to help in an “unprecedented and unpredictable period, but we are in a different position now”.

However, with the plight of Covid-19 and the second wave, unemployment has seen its largest increase since 2009 with a 138,000 growth meaning rate of unemployment has jumped from 4.1% to 4.5% according to tics). This is continuing to grow, meaning poverty rates will increase and the need for such facilities as free school meals and food banks will increase with it.

The government has also been criticised for mismanagement as to keep the scheme running throughout the half-term would’ve cost £20 million this has been compared to the £90 million that was spent on one week of the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.

Although there has been a backing from the majority of Tory MPs, one MP for Eastbourne – Caroline Ansell, has quit her role as a private secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Explaining her reasoning, she stated: “we are still living very

much in the shadow of a pandemic, vouchers are a lever not perfect, not sustainable, but one which I thought could be used to reach families in Eastbourne and across the country in the immediate time ahead”.

“

We are still living very much in the shadow of a pandemic, vouchers are a lever not perfect, not sustainable, but one which I thought could be used to reach families in Eastbourne and across the country in the immediate time ahead.

tory MPs that voted to back the Labour motion. Sir Bernard Jenkin, a senior Conservative MP and Conservative chair of the Commons liaison committee recently added: “I think we have to admit that we misunderstood the mood of the country here”.

The chairman of the Education committee, Robert Halfon, has said he is also not supporting the government on this. tives coming out in disapproval of the vote, it is easy to believe there may be another U-turn again this time, the pressure is

certainly on and it is certainly still possible.

With the government standing by its decision, local councils and businesses are providing school meals instead. Over 40 local authorities, the UKs biggest local authority - Birmingham - have stepped in, announcing it will supply vouchers for 61,000 pupils.

Marcus Rashford also shared over 100 cafes and restaurants that are offering to help stating “this is the England I know”, adding that he was “blown away” by the outpour of support for the campaign.

The Labour party have vowed to keep putting the pressure on and challenge the decision to block free school meals further.

Keir Starmer stated that if there is no change before Christmas, Labour will push for another vote.

This comes as a petition against using public money to support MP’s food costs had received 740,000 signatures by the night of 24 October.

People also took to the streets on Saturday 24 October to protest against the decision, with more protests planned to take place across the country.

Grenfell Tower notebooks “binned”; police now investigating Grace Curtis News Print Sub-Editor

disposal she knew that a public inquiry was “under foot”, she did not believe that she was removing critical evidence.

She told the inquiry: “I would have looked at them and thought ‘there’s nothing here that isn’t in formal evidence’, and so I got rid of them.”

On 19 October, a former project manager on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment admitted that she had “binned” several notebooks that potentially contained important information relating to her work.

Claire Williams, who used to work for Grenfell landlords the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), told a public inquiry into

“

There was nothing underhand about it. I was clearing my desk, I looked and decided that everything that was in there was formally represented in minutes or other paperwork and it was of little value.

thought the information was “documented elsewhere” and not indispensable. inquiry took place in 2018 and focused on the factual narrative of the events on the night of 14 June, 2017.

In October 2019, the inquiry Chairman published a report concluding that it was the cladding put on during a 2016 refurbishment that was to blame for which 72 people died.

The current inquiry is examining how the blaze could have who is responsible. This second phase of investigation is primarily focussed on how the refurbishment of the tower was carried out, taking evidence from

TMO, Kensington and Chelsea Council and the private companies involved in the project.

The second phase of the inquiry began on Monday 6 July, following its suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to advocacy group Justice 4 Grenfell, due to corotime no physical access to proceedings is being given to bereaved survivors and residents.

Earlier in the inquiry proceedings, Peter Maddison, a former colleague of Ms Williams, disclosed several notebooks and

diaries containing “material of the utmost relevance”.

Inquiry lawyer Richard Millet QC said that Mr Maddison is “going to have to give clear and convincing explanations of why these documents were not disclosed to the inquiry and nor, so far as we can tell, to the Metropolitan police until now”.

According to the BBC, the chairman of the inquiry publicly stated that it was hard to understand why Ms Williams had “taken it upon herself” to do such a thing. Ms Williams stated that, although at the time of the

Ms William left her role in May 2018 and revealed to the inquiry that she may have thrown out “two or three notebooks” containing records dating back to 2013, as she “tidied up” her desk.

She told the inquiry: “There was nothing underhand about it.

I was clearing my desk, I looked and decided that everything that was in there was formally represented in minutes or other paperwork and it was of little value.”

Police have previously liam’s previous employer Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO).

emails and meeting minutes.

However, hand-written notes, such as the ones binned by Williams, could potentially reveal crucial details about decisions taken during the fatal refurbishments.

On 20 October, there was an update to the case when the police announced they would be carrying out an investigation into whether a criminal offense took place when the documents were disposed of.

A Metropolitan Police Service spokesperson said that the force was “aware” of evidence presented to the inquiry about the notebooks and was waiting for According to the police, “if relevant documentation has been disposed of or withheld from the criminal investigation, the MPS will seek to establish the facts and assess whether a criminal offence may have been committed”.

Alongside the Government inquiry, The Metropolitan Police is conducting its own concurrent investigation into possible crimes related to the Grenfell negligence manslaughter to health and safety offences.

The inquiry is continuing to hear evidence from Ms Williams.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

News

5

Brexit: December deadline looms over fresh UK-EU trade talks Jake Nordland Staff Writer

Number 10

Amy Holden Staff Writer

“

We’ll always protect people with pre-existing [health conditions]. So I’d like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand-new, beautiful healthcare.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

News

6 #ENDSARS: How a movement to end police brutality in Nigeria has taken over social media.

Daisy Holbrook Staff Writer Over the past weeks, social media sites have been inundated with posts calling for the end of ‘SARS’, with #ENDSARS receiving thousands of tweets daily. Details of protests, police brutality and killings in Nigeria have been circulating online and gaining international attention.

What is SARS? The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was created in 1992 to counter an increase in violent crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery. Since then, it has received a multitude of complaints of human rights violations including illegal arrests, beatings, mental and physical torture, sexual assault and extrajudicial killings.

Between 2015 and 2016, Amnesty International stated that they received ‘58 reports, petitions and complaints about torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in SARS custody’.

Authorities pledged to reform SARS multiple times over the

years following this and antitorture legislation was passed in 2017, despite this, between 2017 and 2019, a further 82 cases of brutality were documented.

Despite evidence of torture continuing after the implementation of the legislation, Nige-

When did protests begin?

Peaceful protests began in 2017 and were sparked by the unlawful killing of a young man Citizens and celebrities alike took to the streets to raise awareness of the violence happening in their communities. In turn, a social media outcry was born as Nigeria’s youth took to different platforms to share details of their own terrifying experiences with SARS. An online petition for the demobilisation of SARS was set up, along with the hashtag #ENDSARS, and both proceeded to circulate the internet.

Why is #ENDSARS trending now?

On 4 October, a video emerged online that showed two SARS a hotel before shooting one of them in the street.

This act reignited outrage amongst citizens, causing protests to break out across major cities in West Africa.

Activists once again began to divulge details of their own experiences on social media platforms, quickly gaining international attention. Shortly after, gan to notice the posts and used their platforms to circulate the information, photos and videos.

Within a matter of days #ENDSARS had gone viral, and on a global scale.

How did the government respond?

As the movement gained traction and became more widespread, thousands of people began to take to the streets in peaceful protest. However, they became increasingly dangerous, with the government alleging and properties were unfolding.

Protestors uploaded footage to

Ewan Vellinga News Online Editor Quebec Premier François Legault has criticised the University of Ottawa following their decision to suspend a professor after she used the N-word in class, saying that it has led to a “slippery slope” concerning academic free-speech.

Professor Verushka Lieutenant-Duval was suspended on 23 September after a student complained about her usage of the term in a class on how marginalised communities have reappropriated words over time.

Legault is quoted by the Montreal Gazette as saying “when you look at what happened exactly, the professor didn’t insult anybody”, arguing that “she just wanted to raise an important subject” and that the reaction titude.”

His comments follow weeks of controversy regarding Lieutenant-Duval’s suspension, during which fellow academics, students and politicians have all voiced their opinions on whethLieutenant-Duval initially apologised following the complaint, and asked her students

social media of unprovoked ofing peaceful protestors. Shortly after, Jimoh Isiaka was allegedly killed by police during protests; causing anger and tension to swell.

Due to the amounting pressure from its citizens, the government announced they were disbanding the SARS unit, and replacing it with another unit – SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics Team). The Inspector General of Police also promised ‘extensive reforms’.

However, these decisions have been met with distrust and scepticism by citizens who do not as the government has assured such reforms four times since 2015. Thus, the protests and unrest continued culminating in the government’s deployment of riot police and a 24-hour curfew being implemented in the state of Lagos.

#LekkiMassacre On the evening of 20 October, news of the alleged shooting of peaceful protesters by the Nigerian Military at the Lekki Toll

“black students especially have been repeatedly victimized and affected by instances of racism on campus.”

His comment refers to a number of recent race-related incidents at the University of Ottawa, including the use of racial slurs by students during a class in the Faculty of Law, and accuused by campus security, with Vice News noting that an inde-

to discuss how the term should be used in their next class. However, the university still decided to temporarily suspend her, and her students were given the option of transferring out of her class once she returned.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) criticised the decision, with Executive Director David Robinson arguing that “an institution of mission if it asserts the power to proscribe ideas, no matter how controversial, expressed in the classroom.”

34 fellow professors also criticised the suspension in a public letter signed on 16 October, arguing that universities should be places in which “to explore the realities of history, notably the

history of ideas, many of which lar opinion.”

However, academics and students have also defended the university, with a contradictory statement, signed by more than 25 faculty and staff, stating that “being prohibited from using racial slurs, even in discussions about racism, is not a violation of academic freedom.”

This mirrored the stance adopted by the University of Ottawa’s Student Union (UOSU), with President Barbacar Faye quoted by Vice News as saying “the word has been used to demean and repress people for centuries. There is no other use of the word.” Faye also pointed out that the incident ignores the context of the school, since

incident at the university to a lack of diversity training.

University President Jacque Frémont tried to accommodate both sides of the debate by arguing that free expression and the right to dignity are not contradictory principles, and that “members of dominant groups simply have no legitimacy to decide what constitutes a microaggression.”

The recent engagement of Legault in the controversy signals an escalation in interest in the debate as a number of politicians from across the political spectrum in both Ontario – the state in which Ottawa lies – and Quebec have voiced their opinions on the matter.

Notably, Paul St-Pierre Plamandon, leader of the Parti Québécois, came out in support of the professor, while

Gate began to surface on social media via the hashtag #LekkiMassacre.

The Washington Post relayed witness testimonies that protestors were peacefully singing the national anthem when Nigerian forces approached and 12 people lost their lives in this brutal attack and hundreds were injured, with the BBC later reporting that a total of 69 people have died in the protests as of 23 October.

News of this violence and bloodshed has furthered the international outcry for change, with the UN and EU both calling for an end to the police brutality.

What’s next for Nigeria?

New waves of protests have been reported as the violence and outrage continue on. It is unclear what will unfold and whether there is any end in sight, but organisations across the world are coming together to aid and support those affected by SARS as they try to put an end to the brutality.

Dominique Anglade, leader of the Quebec Liberals, similarly voiced her support for Lieutenant-Duval, but also called for the acknowledgement of systematic racism, something which CBC News points out Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has refused to do.

Legault also said that he was concerned with the fact that Lieutenant-Duval and a number of other professors were attacked because they are francophone, quoted by the Montreal Gazette as stating that “I think I have a certain responsibility (to speak out on this matter) even if it is happening in Ottawa.”

As such, the debate has taken on new proportions since the incident initially occurred back in September. This was partly the reason for an extended apology by Lieutenant-Duval, as she expressed her pain at having caused offence, and noted that she is worried the resultant controversy has facilitated extreme positions on the issue of academic free-speech.

She also noted that hateful remarks made towards her on social media had been very painful and disturbing, and that the spread of her personal details across the internet made her fear for her public safety.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

News

7 than $ 6 million in charitable

Phoebe Adlard Staff Writer

ICRSC are all involved in the

5 million people have been affected by ‘record high’

worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.

battling theCovid-19 pandemic. are being led by the military and prolonged

period

of

who additionally enable the

heavy prevention promotion.

and

hygiene

than 532,000 people of which at been damaged with over 26,000 high recorded in 1999”.

Tropical Convergence Zone - a weakened.

International

Development

total of $ 200 000 in immediate combination

of

different

Team Sports to Resume at Sussex Lana Hall Staff Writer

October,

after

Megan De Meo a

taken place online.

-

temporary -

different to the one that materi-

at home had they known that

“

Those speaking at the event said they are now experiencing isolation and would have stayed at home had they known that teaching would be online and facilities unavailable.

-

“

-

-

The

open

letter

on

Aidan Evans-Jesra

The morning of the rally students received an email from Kelly Coate that addressed rumours of a rent strike. She stated that this would devasand put jobs at risk.

The SRU are aiming to tackle

the rally.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

News

8

News Where You’re Not

Grace Curtis, News Sub-Editor, reviews some of the big stories from across the country you may have missed this week Cambridge - In it to win it!

man in attic

An anonymous person who spent the night in Cambridge police cells after being arrested has made headlines this week for donating £9 of scratchcard winnings to the police with instructions to buy some decent coffee for future detainees. A “thank you” card and £9 were mailed to a Cambridge Police Station by the former “guest” on 22 October. The writer was critical of the quality of both the food and coffee served during their stay and suggested that

A man wanted by police for two years, for possession of a class B controlled drug with intent to supply, has been arrested after being found hidden in the attic of a south Belfast house. The South Belfast Neighbourhood Policing team searched the house on Donegall Road on the morning of October 23. A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “South Belfast Neighbourhood Policing team carried out a proactive house search in the Donegall Road area this morning.” The team was clearly onto something as a check of the roof space revealed “a male who had been wanted by Police for over two years was located hiding up above.”

Chester - Drive-in movie theatre troubled by illegal lockdown loos

“Dear Police, the coffee and food was ****,” the card said. The prisoner then generously donated their cash towards the sourcing of better-quality coffee in future. Cambridgeshire Police responded on Facebook, writing: “Thank you to the author of this card who took the time to review their recent stay with us at Parkside”.

Belfast

Plans for a drive-in cinema in Chester were halted after the toilets were found to be across the border into Wales and subject to the strict new Welsh Covid-19 lockdown. This means that the bathroom facilities at Chester FC stadium cannot be used as anyone needing the toilet would have to illegally cross the border from England to Wales. Fortunately for North Eastern

hired some portable toilets so customers “could have a wee without breaking the law”. As chief executive Andrew Bentley told the BBC: “The toilets are in the stand - it is all a bit crazy.”

Strangely enough, the Welsh border also runs down the centre of the football club’s pitch which will cause problems for

Coventry - Cat missing for two years found 60 miles from home Chester

Coventry

River Severn, Gloucestershire - New footage of wrecks 60 years after disaster men lost their lives, new drone footage has emerged that provides a close-up view of what remains of the shipwrecked vessels. To this day, the remains of the barges can be seen when the river reaches low tide. The new footage can be found on the BBC News website.

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been reunited with its owner after being found about 60 miles away on an industrial estate in Coventry. A security guard who had been feeding the “stray” for three weeks had it checked by charity Cats Protection, which traced it back to its owner in Bedfordshire.

Jordan Havery was delighted to be reunited with black cat Ruby,

Cambridge River Severn

suspects that Ruby snuck away When found, Ruby was in good condition, so Cats protection staff do not know where she had been since leaving home two-and-a half years ago. Ruby is now happily back home with her owner.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

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THE BIG DEBATE In The Big Debate this week, two writers discussed whether there should have been a circuit-breaker lockdown, before restrictions were annoucnced on Saturday.

Yes

No

Eleanor Deane Science & Tech Editor The decision to go into lockdown is not one that should be taken lightly. Here, I lay out the argument that a circuitbreaker lockdown is a tough, but strareduce future burden on public health and increase the chance of long-term economic stability.

With a current ‘R’ rate of 1.6 across England, a ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown would work to arrest exponentially rising cases. This could work to reduce the death rate and avoid a longer lockdown.

A circuit breaker during half-term, for which Wales has opted, seems like a logical decision. This would lessen the impact on schools and deter travel during the break. Locally and globally, coronavirus has been a disease introduced by those who can afford to travel, with a greater burden on those that can’t. A targeted, short, sharp lockdown would aim to lessen this factor. Circuit-breaking lockdowns are also being implemented by Scotland and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland implemented a four-week circuit breaker which started on 16 October and extended half term by one week.

It transpired on 12 October (although rumours had been circulating prior to this) that a short period of lockdown was for Emergencies (SAGE) as part of a list of recommendations made on 21 September. In this document, SAGE suggests that a circuit-breaker could put the epidemic back approximately 28 days or more. On 11 October, Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development at UCL and a member of SAGE publicly criticised the tier 3 local lockdown restrictions, arguing that if it went ahead we would ‘reach a new state of ‘endemicity’ with repeated surges and falls leading to the virus reaching ‘all exposed and vulnerable people.’

and Tropical Medicine, their mathematical modelling suggests that precautionary breaks could reduce deaths from 29% to 49%.

A circuit-breaker lockdown is a distinct short and sharp. The fact there would be a light at the end of the tunnel this time could help to boost public compliance to down from 23 October to 9 November, universities would continue to provide a combination of online and in-person for this is that the spread of the virus in the student population is taking place outside the teaching and learning enviallows the opening of schools after halfterm. Moreover, if a short, pre-emptive lockdown were to be planned with suftime to prepare and reduce the impact.

A shorter lockdown that takes place for

time to reorganise, regroup, rebalance your resources and protect your healthcare workers’.

Winter brings great uncertainty, with hospitals already operating at full capacity as seen in previous years. In a preprinted journal article by Matt Keeling of Warwick university alongside researchers from the London School of Hygiene

I am going to argue that the Circuit Breaker Lockdown will make little to no difference vs our current tier scheme and that actually it would cause more harm than good. point of view – the concept of regular circuit breaker lockdowns during Uni is really not ideal. The Sussex University isolation guidelines advise that during mandated lockdowns, students cannot areas. In reality this would mean staying days on end. The only real social contact allowed on campus would be phone calls (the uni Wi-Fi not being strong enough for facetime). Speaking on behalf of myself and others in a similar position, this possibility really isn’t attractive at all.

The potential for more circuit breaking lockdowns would also be tough on younger children. The imposition of such a lockdown would most likely come

Should we have a circuit-breaker lockdown? a predetermined length of time may also work to remove a degree of uncertainty that took a huge toll on the mental health In a YouGov poll released on 14 October of 3390 UK adults, 68% of respondents said they strongly supported or somewhat supported a two-week national ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown at the start of the school half term. 20% of respondents strongly opposed or somewhat opposed the ‘circuit-breaker’, with the remaining 12% responding ‘Don’t know’.

“

Nabarro, the World Health Organisation special envoy for Covid-19. David Nabarro appealed to the Government to ‘stop using lockdowns as a primary means of controlling the virus. Develop better systems for doing it’. This is not necessarily WHO taking a stance against lockdowns as, in an interview with Spectator magazine, David Nabarro also described lock-

Luke Thomson

A circuit-breaker lockdown is a disin that it is short and sharp. The fact there would be a light at the end of the tunnel this time could help to boost public compliance to restrictions.

Of course, during a pandemic, it is dif-

It is impossible to use the gold-standard techniques for example of randomised controlled trials. However, there is good evidence that national lockdowns are effective – although it will always be possible to cherry-pick data to the contrary.

Even if a ‘circuit-breaker’ is implemented it is clear that no single measure is a complete solution and the pandemic must be combatted at many different levels. But the fact that a circuit-breaker has the potential to be planned and targeted makes it a useful tool in the ongoing battle against the virus.

into place during half terms – giving kids very limited opportunities to socialise with friends or partake in general leisure activities outside of the classroom.

Yes, they would have the chance to during schooltime after the lockdowns take place, but most of their time would be spent in the classroom. Is it really fair to treat kids like this? Of course, this could order to save lives which is obviously understandable, but we just don’t know if this will work any better than the situation we have now with social distancing and increased remote learning already becoming part of the schooling experience.

Furthermore, there is the possibility that any further lockdowns may risk worsening the already damaged mental health of younger people.

Now, if the proposed ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown was shown to be fully effective and safe in terms of methodology, I would readily just ignore my own reservations and accept it. But this just isn’t the case yet. The method was introduced in Israel back in September but has shown various levels of success – the number of Coronavirus cases there have continued to rise and show little difference compared with numbers before the new system was implemented. One could point to the success of New Zealand perhaps; their strict four-week lockdown back in March virtually eliminated the virus. Yet I wouldn’t really call this a circuit breaker system; the time period was two times as

long as the one proposed for a true ‘circuit breaker’ and the methods used were essentially no different to the national lockdown imposed in the UK at the end of march. It also helps that they are an island nation which have a relatively low population of around 5 million.

In fairness, there are some statistical signs that potential Covid related deaths could be reduced from 19,900 to 12,100 by the end of the year, according to a survey carried out by The Telegraph. On paper this looks like the ideal outcome, however there’s no way we can realistically guarantee this as a pandemic like this hasn’t occurred in recent memory and there’s no given system we can have that is tried and tested. One thing I can see almost certainly occurring once the three-week period is over is that people will rush back to the pubs and restaurants etc. Unless something within the government’s Covid strategy fundamentally changes, it’s almost certain that cases will return to the levels we are seeing now once the mini lockdowns have

“

The method was introduced in Israel back in September but has shown various levels of success – the number of Coronavirus cases there have continued to rise and show little difference compared with numbers before the new system was implemented.

Furthermore, there are businesses already struggling from lack of footfall over the last 5 months, that would be forced to go bankrupt due to this system. My local hairdresser for instance has told me that any more cancellations to his appointcial damage. How long do we have to go on trying to strictly contain this seemingly inevitable virus? How many businesses will have to liquidate? How many jobs need to be lost before we admit we can’t just keep on implementing lockdown after lockdown, when its becoming more apparent that none of the current strategies will answer our prayers before any vaccine comes. That is not to say we should just let the virus consume us entirely of course, massive crowds and gatherings should still not occur, but the businesses, as well as impacts on mental health caused by lockdowns like the proposed ‘circuit breaker’, does more damage than the virus itself. It seems to me that if the only two realistic options are 1) The current tier system, or 2) a full Circuit breaker lockdown, the former seems much more favourable.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

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10 Project: Bees and Refugees

An unlikely friendship, but one making a world of difference

Libby Mills Comment Online Sub-Editor Before coming to the UK, Ali Alzein lived in Damascus, Syria, where his father ran a knitwear factory and Ali was studying Fashion Design. He describes his life prior to coming to the UK as a ‘nice, normal life’ that was ‘until it changed in 2011’.

Ali and his family were involved in supporting neighboring cities that had been attacked at the beginning of Syria’s civil war, before the government burnt down their home and factories. After being offered a job in Egypt, Ali left ‘carrying my bag and leaving the next day’ where he lived and worked for a year - until he was arrested due to being wanted by the Syrian government where ‘Luckily I was granted asylum in the UK’. Once in the UK Ali went on to work at Harrods, whilst also volunteering in refugee camps.

However ‘Seeing both extreme worlds affected my mental health dramatically - I needed a way out and eventually I found that in beekeeping.’ troduced to beekeeping by his grandfather on his farm, inspiring his grass root initiative: Bees and Refugees ‘I felt that both bees and refugees were under attack.’ The overall idea and aim

@beesandrefugees of the initiative is ‘to provide a safe space for young people to connect with others who have been through the same thing’ explains Leila Seguin, who works for the Red Cross and who have partnered up to help coordinate Bees and Refugees.

The connection made through how bees work and what we can learn from them, is an important observation that can be carried through into our own lives. It was this that also inspired Ali, to go on to offer free beekeeping workshops for refugees ‘We work together, they strive for unity and the way they operate as one is fascinating’. The impact of this small initiative is truly profound. Muhamad, who currently works with Ali beekeep-

ing, explains how ever since he has been in the UK he has felt homesick - but that working with Bees and Refugees has allowed him to really feel happy Ali’s aim for the future of Bees and Refugees is to have ‘a network of trained refugees who are using beekeeping as either therapy or as a source of income.’ Bees and Refugees are also ethical beekeepers, whereby they strive to support bee colonies by only taking their honey when they have enough already. Working in harmony with bees, and creating a safe place for refugees is proving to be vital work, particularly, as Leila explains, that most people they work with are under 18, ar-

rive alone and are suffering from a great deal of trauma - not only from the experiences within their country but the journey made to get to the UK. Writer, silversmith and cofounder of Refugee Media Centre Steve Ali’s recent article for the Evening Standard ‘Refugees like me rarely get to tell our side’ sheds light on the missing narrative of refugees in regards to the ‘refugee crisis’. With refugees making up 0.26% of the UK’s population, Steve gives a powerful reminder that we rarely hear from the individuals whose experiences are so often met with suspicion and interrogation.

The charity IMIX, who aim to change the conversations surrounding migration and refugees, shared an article back in May under their ‘Positive News’ section ‘11 stories of refugees making a difference during the coronavirus outbreak’. The article highlighted stories such as The Syrian Dinner Project, making and donating vegetarian meals to NHS workers to Omar Alshakal, a 26 year old building cabins in refugee camps in Lebos Greece for isolation purposes. In addition, Refugee charity Choose Love have been campaigning for the UK to #LiftTheBan for asylum seeker’s ban on working, with individu-

als having only £5.39 a day to live off. Choose Love have been aiming to bust myths surrounding asylum seekers and work, sharing some powerful statistics including: a potential £97.8 million gain for the UK, 45% of asylum workers and how 94% of people seeking asylum are wanting to work.

Initiatives such as Ali’s Bees and Refugees are what enable their home country, often due to circumstances out of their control such as civil war, an opportunity to live a life that isn’t dictated by misconception and fear.

Choose Love: ‘If you’ve never had to make a journey like this, it’s because of only one thing.

Luck. Anyone who feels that their only option is to cross the sea in a small dinghy is in an unbearably desperate situation.

Beyond the headlines, labels and political posturing, every person making these desperate journeys is a human being who deserves respect, compassion and safety. For those of us who live in places refugees are trying to reach, we should be proud that they’re seen as places of hope.’

To donate: gofundme.com/f/ bees-and-refugees-crisis

The Importance of Black History

Keeping the conversation and education surrounding Black History beyond the month of October Lilah May McKim Staff Writer Black history month is the annual celebration of achievements by Black individuals and a time for recognizing the central role of the important history belonging to the Black community.

Although Black History Month is October, Black history should be recognised all year round. In the hope that, one day we will not need a month dedicated to the celebration Black individuals and their role in history, as this will be appreciated universally.

Whilst there has been progress regarding the equal treatment of Black people and their white counterparts, there is still a lot of headway to be made.

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, millions of people took to the streets globally, in protest against racially charged police brutality. This world-wide protesting brought immense sup-

port for the Black Lives Matter movement and created a strong sense of solidarity for the Black community. This resulted in steps towards justice for Floyd’s, rently facing murder charges in Minnesota.

Further, there has been positive development in the treatment of Indigenous peoples. The Pitts Rivers Museum in Oxford took down it shrunken heads in a of transformation of ‘racist colonial displays’’. This is progressive action towards addressing how the human remains exhibit “reinforced racist of other cultures, portraying them as “savage” or “primitive” stated the museum’s director, Dr Laura Van Broekhoven. This is part of the Museum’s wider project to educate it visitors that many of the museum’s artefacts were unrightfully taken in the age of British colonialism. Museum staff have been contacting the

Indigenous communities included in the display in regards to what should be done with the human remains removed from display and many more in its archives.

Moreover, Kew’s director of Science, Professor Alexandre Antonelli is striving for a decolonialisation of Britain’s botanical gardens to a revise the “imperialist view”. This view appropriates the discovery of plants Indigenous peoples. Presenter of ‘Gardener’s World’ Monty Don argued that “we have to acknowledge it” because even the seemingly innocent practice of gardening is “part of this” issue.

Despite these protests, and the acknowledgement of our colonial past, and ongoing racism in in the global community, there is still much advancement to be made. In the interest of progress, it is important to recognize the fundamental achievements of Black people

and their role in history.

Maya Angelou was an AfricanAmerican civil rights activist.

Writing seven autobiographies, she tells of the many struggles of growing up as a Black woman in South America. Despite her many obstacles, her incredible strength of character; is demonstrated in her own words throughout “And Still I Rise”.

Irene Morgan Kirkaldy, Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks all refused to give up their bus seat for a white person. As a result of Parks’ bus boycott against segregation, judges eventually stated that having separate black and white sections of buses was not allowed.

Nelson Mandela was a SouthAfrican anti-apartheid revolutionary and former President of South Africa.Mandela served 27 years in prison after being arrested for conspiring to overthrow the state. After international pressure, to ‘free Nelson Mandela’, he was released in

1990. The end of apartheid can be credited to the combined efforts of Mandela, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, as well as other South African people, and governments of the world community.

The bravery and strength of these individuals, and their damental to world history, particularly in terms of the ongoing struggle for the equality.

This could be more universally recognised through changes and incorporations within the school curriculum to include more Black voices, experiences and Black history. Education of Black history, our colonial past and racist present, would enable future generations the knowledge, and subsequently power to generate real change. In the effort that one day, in our global community, people “will not be judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character” Martin Luther King.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

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Social Media: Relationship destroyer?

Roxanna Wright As a romantic, I have always dreamt that one day I will have an old-fashioned kind of love. A love like Romeo and Juliet, Bonnie and Clyde, or Noah and Allie.

The love that my grandparents have and have had for the past 50 years of their marriage. But I don’t believe that social media allows that kind of love anymore.

Social media is all about connectivity, and don’t get me wrong it is brilliant being able to connect to your family, friends, and also in terms of business; by workplaces, etc. However, the immense level of connectivity is making us fussy. We are able to talk to anyone and everyone from all over the World.

Only 50 years ago, you only knew people that you had seen and spoken to in person, whether that was at a dance, or work,

or mutual friends. The circle of people you could talk to was so restricted, whereas now, I could be acquainted with someone in Australia if I wanted to. The amount of choice has multiplied by thousands, therefore people have become pickier. Social media has become a dating website in disguise; scrolling through strangers Instagram or Facebook pages and judging them based off of appearance. It is a shallow wormhole where physical appearance is everything.

From the massive importance of appearance lead to many toxic traits, including jealousy and paranoia.

Social media is a massive construct. A false reality where the users pretend to have perfect lives. Each and every photo has been carefully selected by the user to ensure they keep up this façade of beauty and happiness.

Constantly scrolling through social media and seeing happy,

attractive couples can spark jealousy. I am single myself, and Instagram or Tiktok and seeing tens of hundreds of images of relationships and I can’t help but feel jealous. Therefore, I couldn’t imagine how people in relationships feel looking through Instagram and seeing couples that have created this image that they’re so happy when in reality, sometimes it is not all that it seems.

‘The Daily Us’ refers to the ideology that we pick and choose what media we consume; which YouTube videos are recommended, which Twitter feeds we read and who’s images we view. No one will ever have the exact same content, resulting in not knowing what other people are viewing, for example, your partner. Social media is a whole other reality to our world and it can cause a lot of paranoia not

having any idea what your other half is doing on his or her smartphone. In the time before social media, adulterous behaviour would have had to be in per-

person in ten minutes of looking online. What could take weeks

or sexual behaviour with others outside of a relationship is a lot more discreet. Even if partners are honest and trustworthy, social media is a hidden world which can cause a lot of doubt.

In a recent study, the average length of a relationship has fallen to 17 months and I think one of the main reasons of this is there is no more mystery or excitement anymore. 100 years ago, the only means of communication, other than face to face, was through letters or occasionally through the home phone.

Whereas now, young people will message their love interest all day every day. In the past, people would get to know one another

The non-stop communication which comes with social media kills the mystery of getting to know somebody new and can also spark boredom early doors of the relationship. Sometimes I want to know what it feels like to truly miss somebody.

With marriage rates decreasing and divorce rates are increasing (42% of marriages in England and Wales end in divorce) I can’t help but feel saddened by it and I believe it will only get worse as social media websites gain thousands of new users by the day. I wish I could go back to a time where love letters were the means of communication, not a direct message on Instagram.

out so much information on a

person in the 20th century, can only take young people a cou-

Why New Zealand loves Jacinda Ardern ... and why we all should too

Issy Anthony Comment Editor

accountability. Instead of empty words and promises, Jacinda told the country that they need-

Jacinda Ardern, for those who many not know, is the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and earlier this month, she was reelected with a landslide victory.

Minister in 2017, Jacinda was the youngest ever head of government, aged 37. She was also the second women ever to give birth while holding this position, and She’s a trend-setter, a recordbreaker, and a force for good in new Zealand.

In 1996, New Zealand changed to a new representation model -Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) representation, as a result of a 1993 referendum. It was introduced to give more diversity of voices and representation, as the power that New Zealand’s two main parties -Labour and National- held, meant that smaller parties often would have no standing. It did achieve this elected in 2017, the coalition of Labour, Green and New Zealand First had the highest number of female and Maori MPs ever elected. MMP means that voters get not one vote, but two. They vote both for the representative for their constituency, and one for a political party. And because

Hazhk of proportional representation, it has meant that since this model was put into place, the party with the most votes hasn’t had enough to claim a majority, and so has had to settle for a coalition. Jacinda’s landslide victory on 17th October means that the norm of a coalition government has been ended, and with that Labourr won’t be held back from passing law’s, as they were in 2017 with her capital gains tax.

And this is all down to Jacinda.

She’s been beloved ever since she stepped onto the scene in 2008, becoming the youngest ever member of New Zealand’s parliament. Jacinda ran on the

idea of a ‘politics of kindness’, and this was clear to see in her immediate response to the pandemic. In Davos, for a climate sumit, she talked of prioritising the societal well being of New Zealand, and not just the economy, and this clearly rang true with her response to Covid. Borders were closed in mid-March, and New Zealand was sent into full Lockdown. But Jacinda encouraged neighbours and family to support each other, saying ‘call you grandma’. As a result of New Zealanders trusting in her methods, crossed with an effective lockdown and closing of borders, New Zealand had less

than 2000 cases and 25 deaths.

It’s not hard to see a link with her impressive handling of the virus, and her large victory.

My mother left New Zealand when she was only a few years older than me, but I’ve visited multiple times as I have a lot of family there. I was most recently there in March 2019, just a few weeks after the Christchurch shooting at a local mosque. The country was rocked by how such a heinous act of terrorism had been committed in the name of white supremacy. My family attended the vigils, and told me that while there was mourning, there was also a strong sense of

That white supremacy can never be tolerated, and that although he ‘may have chosen us – we utterly reject and condemn you’.

She wore a headscarf to these services to show her respects, and covered the funeral costs of all who has been murdered. She stated, ‘We represent diversity, kindness, compassion…A home for those who share our values.

Refuge for those who need it.

And those values will not and cannot be shaken by this attack.’

Perhaps what was most impressive was what she did to make sure a tragedy like this never happened again. Within 10 days of the act, she announced stricter gun laws, which are now in place, forcing gun owners to update the registry when they buy and sell guns, in an effort to stop the wrong people have access to weaponry.

Jacinda Ardern is the kind of politician we all wish we had in charge. An honest woman, who really cares for the people of her country, not just the money they can bring to it. This empathy enabled her to react excellently to both the Christchurch massacre and the Covid-19 pandemic, and only time will tell what else she is able to handle.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

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BREAK

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Features

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The Social Dilemma Teddy Parkin

Features online sub-editor Teddy Parkin explores the phenomenon of social media.

E

verything is aligned for a productive work session. I’ve chosen my spot at the presuming eds coffee shop on London Road. My f lat white with oat milk has been delivered directly to me.

Laptop open, my various notebooks and pens are arrayed in organised precision across the surface of the table.

With intent to dismantle a chunk of my history reading, I steam on ahead. Motivation on my side, nothing can stop me. 10 minutes in, a niggling thought prompts me to check my phone. I am expecting a reply to a pointless message that I sent to my friend. Nothing.

With a cold whiff of disappointment, I assertively click the button on the side of my phone that turns off the screen. I put my phone down on the table next to the notebook and pens.

I am slightly jarred as I persist in my attempt to absorb the historical academia that dauntingly occupies the façade of my laptop.

Gmail notification. A welcome distraction. My frail attention becomes consumed by an email my mum has sent me. I pursue. The lead disinterests me within 30 seconds. Bringing my awareness back to my reading, the realisation of how little I have absorbed enters my thoughts. More frustration. I reach for my phone again and f leetingly conclude to take a break.

YouTube. Its over.

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The mental effects of being engrossed due to the algorithms are harrowing. Your ability to live a fulfilling life diminishes. The more we are consumed, the less in touch with ourselves and others we become. Exemplified through the enactment in the documentary, the protagonist becomes disillusioned with his family as he is more interested in what he sees on his screen.

integrated into our everyday lives. It is now a relationship of reliance and dependency. A threat true as ever hidden under the veil of normality.

Recently I watched a documentary on Netf lix called ‘The Social Dilemma’ after my friend frantically persisted I do so. It was a truly illuminating experience. The documentary comprehensively reveals and explains the sinister world of social media. Furthermore, how this transcends into real world effects. It explains the incentives, the processes and how profit is made from turning our attention into a product to be sold to the highest bidder. Like my friend to me, I strongly recommend you make this documentary the first choice for your next Netf lix session.

The documentary combines an enactment that dramatizes the decline of an individual’s life due to social media addiction alongside the input of experts and ex Silicon Valley giants. The result is a presentation of the complexities of social media in a concise and effective way.

The way social media works cen-

We are addicted. The vast majority of us are viciously gripped by our phones and the vortex that is social media. The scale of consequence is largely unknown. As well as the dangerous operation of algorithms that have been built by tech corporations in Silicon Valley to sustain our addictions. We are largely unaware as to the ways we are being manipulated and the damage that is being had for society and the individuals within it. This has slipped under our radar and become

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tres around Algorithms that are programmed by the professionals of these companies. They operate by nudging you in directions online that cater to what is predicted will keep you most engaged. The more you use thesePixy platforms the better the algorithm becomes at predicting your desires. It is no mistake how effective they are at doing so. Psychologists are a key part of the design model and have developed the systems to prey on human psychological f laws. As your attention is being captured in this way, adverts are shown to you. This is where they make their money. Essentially your attention becomes a product, that is expertly extracted, and then sold.

The mental effects of being engrossed due to the algorithms are harrowing. Your ability to live a fulfilling life diminishes. The more we are consumed, the less in touch with ourselves and others we become. Exemplified through the enactment in the documentary, the protagonist becomes disillusioned with his family as he is more interested in what he sees

on his screen. His addiction plunders his individuality and sense of community only to be replaced with a false sense of meaning and gratification provided by an electronic device.

Individuals suffering from their attention being monopolised and the effects this dependency has on the state of their mental health does not make for a strong cohesive society. Yet further, the echo chambers that are produced by the algorithms serve to destroy our political discourse. We are streamlined into engaging with only one viewpoint and thus deem any other position as invalid and their ideas untrue. We literally have no compass to understand the other side as we take what we see online as truth and anything that contradicts our perspective as false even absurd. In this way we are unable to communicate effectively in our attempts to solve society’s problems and take humanity forward. We see this phenomenon persist with the extremities of pc culture and the rise of far-right groups across the west.

People do not feel heard and thus resort to extremes in an attempt to get their point across.

“

Pexels

We are largely unaware as to the ways we are being manipulated and the damage that is being had for society and the individuals within it. This has slipped under our radar and become integrated into our everyday lives. It is now a relationship of reliance and dependency. A threat true as ever hidden under the veil of normality.

Social media has become interwoven into the fabric of our society, replacing the bindings that are good for us and facilitate humanity to progress.

This documentary embodies a movement to challenge the status quo of social media. How do we proceed from here? Jaron Lanier author of ‘10 reasons to delete your social media accounts right now’ advocates complete deletion. Tim Kendall, CEO of moment, pushes for a healthier relationship with your phone through enacting certain restrictions to liberate its grip over you. What seems clear is the need to take back control over the powerful devices that we are dependent on and inf luence our lives so negatively. How will you do this?

The Badger 2nd November 2020

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Pandemic Pregnancy Badger Writer Megan De Meo explores the difficulties of giving birth during a global pandemic and what its meant for expecting mothers.

I

n England alone an average of 1,688 babies are born every day. This means that across the UK as a whole, tens of thousands of newborns have come into the world since the start of the pandemic. Parenting a new baby, whilst being a joyful and exciting time, always comes with challenges. The outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent restrictions on day to day life has brought about new difficulties as well as exacerbating those that parents already faced.

A report by the Children’s Commissioner, published at the height of the pandemic, focused on the challenges of new parenthood during the pandemic. It found that children’s groups and playgrounds had been shut down and that, in some instances, police had stopped families playing together outside. This means that parents are unable to depend on their usual support networks and that infants are unable to socialise with their peers.

Whilst many families will be coping, it is increasingly difficult for local health and social services to reach out to those who are not. At the time the Children’s Commissioner’s report was published, the guidance from the government was that new birth visits should take place remotely unless the parents have been identified as vulnerable. Such guidelines were necessary to protect the health of not only families and health workers, but the community at large. But this has come at a cost.

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Whilst many families will be coping, it is increasingly difficult for local health and social services to reach out to those who are not.

THE

Health reviews usually take place every month for the first six months of a baby’s life. For many new parents, these reviews are not only a check up on the health and development of their newborn. They are also an opportunity to have someone to talk to about any worries they are having and to be reassured that they are doing a good job.

For others, it is a link with the outside world during a period when perinatal mental health problems make day to day life with a newborn much harder.

Covid-19, which has led to an increase in joblessness and poverty for many parents, has also exacerbated the current mental health crisis. This means that the necessity of targeting more of the state’s finite resources towards managing the pandemic has resulted in families receiving less support at a time of increased risks.

I spoke to Ashley, a mother of three from Hertfordshire, who is studying for her bachelor’s degree in Psychol

Reproducción Asistida ogy at the Open University.

Ashley is in the last year of her degree and is considering deferring the final semester until a time when she has enough spare time and energy to put enough into it. Studying is always a tough task with a newborn but there are further difficulties to the con straints of life during a pandemic.

Much of the support usually offered to new mums has been cancelled. Activities such as toddler groups provide the opportunity for parents to speak to one another, to swap advice and concerns about childcare, as well as allowing babies to develop socially.

Ashley said she is happy that she had

turbulent time, and expecting families have experienced additional challenges brought about by the pandemic. This has included questions of birth plans, who to bring to scans, grandparents not being able to meet with expecting parents, and access to healthcare.

Throughout this period expecting mothers have not been able to take a partner or friend with them to scans.

Ashley found this difficult, as she was worried that if there were complications she would not have a familiar face to support her. As well as this, scans are an opportunity for fathers and partners to bond with the baby before birth. In light of the impor-

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Vidal Balieo Jr. her newborn when she did (she gave birth to a healthy baby boy in September) as many of these groups have begun to open again. It has meant that she is still able to access her support network as there are less restrictions on visiting friends and family.

Pregnancy is always a worrying and

childbirth has begun. This meant that she was alone when she was induced - which leads to an intense kind of artificial labour. She told me that whilst she understands that such measures need to be taken, the experience was lonely and, at the times, she felt angry.

Once Ashley was home with her newborn she had less visitors than usual, and those that did come were alone. She said that in a way this was a positive thing as it gave her more time to spend alone with her newborn son.

Her experience of lockdown had similar positive aspects as she was able to spend more time with her sons and experience first-hand how they interact with their schoolwork. On the other hand, she was worried about the lack of face to face interaction for everyone as well as her boys and that the repercussions of this would become apparent over time.

At Sussex, the onsite nursery is run

by Co-operative Childcare. Their most recent intake, mainly babies around nine to ten months old, have never experienced life without the restrictions brought about by the pandemic. Despite this, staff have not noticed any particular difficulties for babies of this age attending the service. The member of staff I spoke to said that babies always struggle at first when settling into a new environment, but also that they are very resilient.

tance of this, guidelines for hospitals and maternity to re-introduce access for partners and visitors has recently been published.

Ashley gave birth at Bushey Hospital where she was not allowed a birthing partner until she was four centi-metres dilated, the point at which active

Pregnancy is always a worrying and turbulent time, and expecting families have experienced additional challenges brought about by the pandemic. This has included questions of birth plans, who to bring to scans, grandparents not being able to meet with expecting parents, and access to healthcare.

Parents however have found it harder to adapt to leaving their infants in the childcare facility. Due to the pandemic, parents are no longer allowed inside the building. This means that they cannot see their children playing and settling into the new environment.

Staff have found that the main difference in the current running of the nursery is the need to reassure worried parents. They have also found that because of the move to online teaching that there are less students using the service. Most of the parents now using the facility are university staff rather than students.

Parents of newborns have had to deal with a multitude of changes to the normal experience of bringing a new life into the world. This has incurred both a personal and social cost, the full extent of which is yet to be seen.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Features

15

What’s Bin Going On? Staff Writer Andreas Lange takes a deep dive into the recycling situation in Brighton and Hove

O

ver the past years, Brighton & Hove City Council has been heavily critiqued for its recycling scheme and its way of handling recycling.

Brighton’s reported recycling rates averaged around 30% in 2019, it’s easy to point fingers at each other. Some point fingers at the council and their recycling scheme and others point at Brighton’s citizens and their habits of recycling.

So let’s hear from environmentalist Melanie Rees who has spent the past 14 years in the field, helping a large portion of Brighton’s citizens with recycling through her volunteer organization, The Green Center. She explains that most of the questions she has received over the years, could be answered by reading the annual leaf let that is sent out by the Brighton & Hove City Council between March and April.

Melanie tells us that “People would not take the initiative, to phone up the council and ask for one (the leaflet about recycling). They would just complain that they didn’t have one.

Some people would, but I just noticed a lot of people didn’t.” Melanie says, without judging some citizen’s lack of awareness: “I know that it will take a long time for some people to learn this information and that’s absolutely fine because I understand that people learn at their own pace and that there are so many factors that affect that pace.

That the best, one can do, is to accept it. Knowing that you can’t change that, but you can keep giving them the information until one day the penny will drop and then it will all click.”

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I think the only people who really know where you can recycle everything in this city, are people who have either lived here for many years… or they have gone out of their way to the research into how it all works But do the citizens need to be better at recycling, or could the Council do more to encourage the residents to recycle? We turn to university student Sophie Atkinson, current President at Leave No Trace society: “People do have a responsibility to make sure they are doing the right thing, I do believe that, I just also believe that people won’t.” She adds “I think that the Council could be doing more to provide the information to people that perhaps aren’t going to go look for it.”

Communications Officer at The Brighton & Hove City Council, Brendan Murphy provided the following statement on email about their communication methods on recycling: “We carry out wider ranging communications and behaviour change campaigns with residents and businesses through media, social media, residents’ e-news

Alan Levine letters, signage, leaf lets and other communications.”

At first glance the Council seemingly has a solid online presence on Twitter and Facebook with a combined follower count of more than 78 000. These accounts are used to inform Brighton & Hove citizens about events, health & safety, city development and so forth.

Listed on the Council’s website you’ll also find social media links to their initiative “Brighton & Hove Recycling & Refuse”, which is “the official Facebook page for Cityclean, Brighton & Hove City Council’s recycling, refuse and street cleaning department.” according to the description on these social media accounts.

Unfortunately when accessing these accounts, you’ll find the following message in their last social media post from late 2018: “This account is temporarily suspended and not being monitored, this is due to staff shortages which we’re working to resolve”. and in a follow up post stated that: “we’re sorry for the inconvenience and will look to relaunch soon.” But nearly two years later, these social media accounts have yet to be relaunched, despite still sporting over 6000 followers combined, followers that presumably are still awaiting the initiative’s return to social media.

Sophie told us more about how she feels about the Councils marketing of their recycling scheme: “So Brighton & Hove City Council are not very good at marketing awareness to their citizens, I think the only people who really know where you can recycle everything in this city, are people who have either lived here for many years… or they have gone out of their way to the research into how it all works...”.

She also adds that ”...students who are only here for 1 or 2 years or 3 years, are probably never gonna know all the ins and outs of it.”

Sophie is certain that there are

countries with better schemes and explains that “in Sweden they do the thing where, when you give cans back you can get money from it and you get a monetary reward. So it doesn’t have to be forced in a horrible way, but there can be schemes that encourage it.”

With some countries providing extensive recycling schemes like this, we also see the rise of privately owned businesses popping up around the world, like LoopStore. Which is run and operated by the international recycling firm TerraCycle, to offer possibly an alternative to publicly funded recycling schemes around the world, and most recently in the UK. Tesco partnered with Loop on 15th of July this year and the products that Tesco sells are to be delivered in refillable containers that will be picked up and delivered to households across the UK through a subscription service.

But should solutions like this replace current recycling schemes and some people’s habits of dealing with them?

We’ve asked TerraCycles’, Public Relations Executive, Sam Angel, about how they see their own existence in this regard:

recycling is certainly part of the solution and making all product packaging widely recyclable would be a huge step in the right direction, it will not tackle the issue of waste at its root cause.

This is why TerraCycle developed the Loop reusable packaging model, in an attempt to move away from disposable towards durable, long-lasting and refillable packaging.”

With the increased consumption and then production of waste, these organisations can only do so much.

As Loop acknowledged, recycling isn’t necessarily the solution, and Green Center founder, Melanie Rees, can vouch for that: “The key thing we need to remember in all of this, is recycling is at the very very bottom of the waste hierarchy.

There is only one thing below it and that’s cut energy recovery and that’s essentially incineration. Above it is: refuse, reduce, reuse and that’s where we need to be focusing our attention.”

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If the authorities took more of a stance in terms of sustainability and enforced these kinds of measures instead of private companies having to come up with their own sustainable ideas, then a lot more would change a lot faster.

“TerraCycle’s mission is to try and teach the world that waste can be viewed as a resource rather than a disposable commodity, however we hope that one day single-use materials can be eliminated and that there will be no need for TerraCycle to exist. While

Everyone must play their part in keeping the city clean and tidy – that includes the council, residents, businesses, students, landlords and visitors. People should do their very best to recycle properly, bin their rubbish correctly and not fly-tip. The council must do its bit by ensuring collections take place when they’re supposed to, introduce more technology and continue educating everyone as much as possible Sophie Atkinson adds that “If the authorities took more of a stance in terms of sustainability and enforced these kinds of measures instead of private companies having to come up with their own sustainable ideas, then a lot more would change a lot faster.”

Communications Officer, Brendan Murphy, offers the following statement in regards to who could do more to handle recycling in the city of Brighton: “Everyone must play their part in keeping the city clean and tidy – that includes the council, residents, businesses, students, landlords and visitors. People should do their very best to recycle properly, bin their rubbish correctly and not f ly-tip. The council must do its bit by ensuring collections take place when they’re supposed to, introduce more technology and continue educating everyone as much as possible.”

So.. where should we actually focus our attention?

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Features

16

Embracing the dead to inspire the living Olly De Herrera Features Sub-editor

What does an ancient festival tell us about being a modern Latin Amercian?

In memory of Benjamin David De Herrera

T

he miles of chthonic steel struts that form the border wall are merely a geographical line between Mexico and the United States.

The concentration gradient of culture between the two nations is not the one-way stream of immigration and diaspora that is popularised by White Nationalist; in fact, both nations have both a historic and modern inheritability that transcends modern geopolitics. South of the border, Mexicans work in huge factories, outsourced by American corporations to take advantage of the ‘developing world’s’ laxer labour laws.

North of the border, Americans wake up in cities called Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and El Paso.

Further into the tropics, at least 3 states within Latin America can plaque their statehood to a series of bloody American backed political revolutions concerned primarily with securing the monopoly on selling bananas.

Latin America is the world’s unofficial content. Officially, it does not exist: North America ends at the southern border of Mexico with Guatemala and Belize; South America starts at the border of Panama with Colombia, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

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Out of the 68 languages recognised by the Mexican Government, 63 are Indigenous dialects.

This is ample evidence within itself that borders are more often geo-political than cultural or containing any emotional sentiment. The term Latin America primarily refers to the Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries in the Americas, of which share cultural as well as ethnic similarities.

Most nearly everyone reading this will have heard of the Olmec, Maya, Muisca, Inca or Aztecs societies.

These were the people who inhabited the region of Latin America before the arrival of Spanish and Portuguese colonialist in the 17th Century.

The remanence of these advanced and captivating societies is not only visible in the great temple structures that adorn every travel brochure, but also in the people and the collective awareness that binds together Latin America.

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 25.7 million persons, that is 21.5% of the population, self-identify as Indigenous. 12 million inhabitants (10.1% of the population) indicate that they live in Indigenous households.

Out of the 68 languages recognised by the Mexican Government, 63 are

Wikimedia Commons Indigenous dialects, (two of which are indigenous sign languages), as ancient as the land itself.

The iconic Día de los Muertos (or as it is more authentically called in Mexico, Día de Muertos), or ‘The Day of the Dead’ is a spectacle of mesoamericanism. It holds a special wonder in its ability to not only connect Latin Americans to our own ancestors but to a history and identity that truly epitomises ‘heritage’.

Día de Muertos is a two-day festival that takes place every November 1 and 2. Although most strongly identified with Mexico, Día de Muertos is celebrated throughout Latin America and everywhere with a Latino population, notably California, London and at least one house in Kemptown, Brighton.

It’s an ode to the afterlife and a reminder that death is nothing to be afraid of.

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Muertos” is also commonly used to denote the entire three-day fete.

Though the specific traditions and rituals involved with the Day of the Dead vary from region to region, the celebration generally revolves around the creation of an altar, which participants fill with stylized skeletons, food, and other offerings. These alters are dedicated to deceased loved ones and are created to aid them in the afterlife—a concept that has always been central to the holiday.

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Día de Muertos recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience, a continuum with birth, childhood, and growing up to become a contributing member of the community.

Día de Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life as they are allowed to return to earth be among us.

Día de Muertos recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience, a continuum with birth, childhood, and growing up to become a contributing member of the community.

Specifically, the term Día de los Muertos traditionally refers to November 2, when deceased adults are commemorated. November 1—a day known as Día de los Inocentes (“Day of the Innocents”) or Día de los Angelitos (“Day of the Little Angels”)—is reserved for infants and children who have passed away, while October 31 is a day of preparation. However, “Día de

a path for the living to walk the complex interwoven history of Mexico.

Any elements of a culture that have survived colonial genocide are itself a miracle. But Día de Muertos is a rare serene ref lection of old and new in Mexico.

The festivals original date is thought to be near the end of August but has since moved to the end of October to coincide with Catholic ‘All Saints Day’ which has created the misnomer that It is ‘Mexican Halloween’.

Whilst the festival is contemporary to the Aztecs- crucifixes and prayers are now integral features of the festival.

Even coated with Colonial Catholicism, the ancestral customs prevail across Mexico and resonate across Latin America.

Día de Muertos creates not only a bridge to the modern day to be walked by the dead, but also a path for the living The macabre beauty of the festival has brought worldwide fascination with the celebration, especially since its featuring in James Bond Spectre (2016), albeit with that strange warm hue filter that seems to appear in every cinematic representation of Mexico.

Pixabay The history and nuances of the festival vary in practice and interpretation across Latin America and the world. In many ways, this festival has become symbolic of itself. Día de Muertos creates not only a bridge to the modern day to be walked by the dead, but also

This article was supposed to end here and ideally it would.

This article was supposed to end here and ideally it would. However, on Friday evening, US President Donald Trump declared that the 1st of November would be “a day of remembrance for Americans killed by illegal aliens [immigrants]”.

“On this National Day of Remembrance, we pay tribute to the enduring memory of every American killed by an illegal alien,” he said. “They will never be forgotten, and we will stand by their families and fight for a future where every American is safe.”

The proclamation makes Nov. 1, 2020, the “National Day of Remembrance for Americans Killed by Illegal Aliens” and calls on Americans to “observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

It is unclear whether the President intentionally placed this monumental anti-immigrant sentiment or a day so sacred and iconic in Latin American culture, or if his use of the word “angel families” was any reference to the Día de los Angelitos (“Day of the Little Angels”) that falls on the same day.

This was a stark reminder that Mexico’s cultural battles are as much in its present as in its past. Whilst I wanted this article to be free from discussions of racism, the border wall and this new ‘Day of Remembrance’ are sentiments of anti-Hispanic bigotry that seem only to be growing. A sentiment ignorant of the cultural depth and history both side of the border.

It is a reminder that indigenous, and indeed ‘non-western’, identities take strength, and harnessing them is not without risk of adversity. For these reasons we continue to celebrate that which is undefeated, our culture which ties us to the world, our past, our present and ourselves.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Arts • Books

17

Review: Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis Adam Kerry Staff Writer Yanis Varoufakis is a man of many careers. Since graduating with a degree in Mathematics he has dabbled in philosophy, economics, and politics, with his most notable achievement his appointment as Greek Finance Minister in 2015. Varoufakis is an ardent believer in the idea that if you cannot explain economics to young people in language they understand, then you yourself are clueless.

This mentality has led him to write such books as, The Global Minotaur, explaining the origins 2008 with the analogy of the United States as the mythic creature; and Talking to My Daughter About the Economy, a history of capitalism through an imagined conversation with his young daughter.

Varoufakis’ latest work is his Another Now details an alternate world identical to ours up to 2008, where the paths of the two worlds diverged after the events of the global recession. Varoufakis presents a society where we made a different decision: no more greedy banks, no more exploitation of workers, no more climate change. In essence the book is a thought experiment for the author, presenting his ideas for what we as a planet could have done differently after the crash.

In the opening pages we are introduced to our narrator, the appropriately named Yango

and outs of the Other Now. Iris is sceptical that a world where Thatcherism has been crushed could ever exist, whereas Eve refuses to acknowledge a world where capitalism does not rule all. Meanwhile, Costa is the proverbial child in the sweet shop, simply rejoiced to see technology put to democratic use.

The book checks in at just over 200 pages and Varoufakis never once patronises us in his short narrative, always maintaining his central tenet of never overcomplicating economics when explaining to the masses.

Varo, in the year 2036. Writing about a secluded friend, we learn on her deathbed she bestowed him her journal, with the purpose ‘to open people’s eyes to possibilities they are incapable of imagining unaided’.

Yango takes it upon himself to delve into her diary entries, through which he develops a narrative of what he calls ‘a past from which I was mostly absent’.

This late friend, Iris, is a former political activist, consigned Thatcher election win in the 1980s (mirroring Varoufakis’ own immigration from the UK after this event). Yango reaches back to the events of 2025, a pivotal year for Iris and her two fundamental opposite, with the two drawn together by mutual defeats; and Costa, a gifted technologist alienated by his capitalist bosses’ pursuit of Yango and his friends do not live in Varoufakis’ idealised world, to reach this we delve opens a tiny wormhole to what he dubs the ‘Other Now’, and on the other side is a version of himself, identical in all ways up to the year 2008. Varoufakis uses the dispatches between the two characters to craft his vision, breaking down this new world with the fundamental changes made after the global crash. Such changes like the universal bank account PerCap, that ensures every child starts adulthood with $100,000, regardless of their upbringing. And ‘one share, one vote’, the democratisation

of the workplace that allows employees to have a say in every decision their company makes. The world Varoufakis creates is a fair one, free of debt and the pressures of rent, one

where people are free to pursue whatever career they desire.

While the world he creates may seem like a utopia, Yango’s group of friends are presented as an avenue of criticism for the ins

of 2008 as the turning point of society, the fork in the roads where we had the chance for a societal reset. However, Iris has a bone to pick with this saying, ‘Every single day we fail to take advantage of opportunities to change the course of history’.

The author implores us that it is never too late for change to happen, we just need to stand up for ourselves and initiate it, or run the risk of dwelling on these pivotal moments for the rest of our lives.

At its core, Another Now is a searing criticism of capitalism and the injustice it brings to the world, and this text is Varoufakis’ blueprint for an alternative.

I found this book a breath of fresh air in a time of political and economic uncertainty, and it reminded me that there’s never harm in dreaming a little.

If Talking to my Daughter is the starter, this is the main course. capitalist mantra.

Review: Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee Liam Harper Staff Writer We’ve all been there – at the off, becoming abstruse. The ensuing blankness, on the page, like the white decline of a chalk cliff, elicits very particular feelings. It’s a great novel, to be sure; but it just didn’t do anything for us.

Perhaps, we think, we lack context – some kind of prerequisite experience needed to take in the full breadth of the novel’s undertaking. Maybe we missed something that tied everything together – a theme, moral, innovation of the medium. Or maybe it just wasn’t “for us”. If we’re less generous, we consider the possibility that everyone else is wrong – and the critics especially, with their serious degrees and toolbelt of wrong. But I think we’re right to give novels – novelists – the

The story follows David Lurie, a professor of Romantic poetry at the Technical University of Cape Town. Lurie resigns himself to disgrace after his sexual exploits with a student become public. In

goes for virtually all art.) And if our effort rewards us, and a novel strikes us as exceptional, as important, a thought may ring: what can I do with this?

Seldom is the answer very clear.

J.M. Coetzee’s 1999 novel Disgrace, set against the importance in capital letters – ‘WINNER OF…’ – on its front cover. Obviously, this is not strange. What sells sells, and good novels should be read.

Coetzee won the Booker Prize in 1983, and again in 1999, for Life & Times of Michael K and Disgrace respectively, and in 2003, his body of work earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature. For these reasons, it feels almost pointless to write about Disgrace positively – as though real value can only be extracted through harsh and pedantic critique.

In 220 pages, Disgrace is

we’re made intimate with Lurie – at times uncomfortably so.

Events unfold after he travels to the Eastern Cape to stay with his daughter, Lucy, on her farm – a

sharp, ambitious, and grounded of South Africa. But Coetzee’s narrative is a mosaic of moral and political themes that resonates far further than the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

the land and labour with another man, Petrus. There Lurie works on an opera inspired by Byron’s time in Italy and keeps distance from his past. It’s no secret to readers that, for Lurie, to accept the full effects of his actions, face tribunal, and take things as they stand thereafter, is to submit both to hollow systems of justice, as well as his own shame.

Coetzee’s narrative is grey, and lends itself, as all great novels do, to be read in more than one

way. Whether his novels make us angry, upset or indifferent, Coetzee handles moral themes with fair ambiguity, but entreats us to – with our own judgement – face them anyway. Sexism, homosexuality, race, reparations and animal rights, to name a few, are among the composite of issues confronted in Disgrace. directed by Steve Jacobs is good enough but doesn’t add much to the project. Starring as David Lurie, John Malkovich delivers an impressively close performance; his ability to assume the tone of the alienated South African intellectual goes lengths to compensate for the necessary distance that the screen creates between character and viewer.

We may be loath to admit it, but Disgrace is compulsively readable – and while it’s not always enjoyable, it certainly is a page turner.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Arts • Film & Television

18 What’s on

Waad Al-Kateab on For Sama Rob Salusbury

Saint Maud dir. Rose Glass

Rob Salusbury attends a virtual behind

the

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Oscar-winning scene in which an ash-covered

when the baby cries out and

vout nurse who is obsessed with American Utopia dir. Spike Lee David Byrne returns to the stage -

distribution channels to bring

and record the events that were the 2011 Syrian Revolution led

ever at the BAFTA awards and

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Nomadland dir. Chloé Zhao

her country as the revolution

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At a recent Q&A session held

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which were better than all the activists trying to tell the whole Truth Seekers

bring to light the events that

declaration that asserts the vital The Rap Game

Horror Breakdown: The Thing being reduced to a disgust-

Luke Thomson -

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ing within our very own crew is -

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Sorry to Bother You dir. Boots Riley

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guise into an absolutely hide-

who realises his best way to -

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but the rebellious MacReady is -

The Crown -

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The Badger 2nd November 2020

Arts • Music

19 Nothing But Thieves: Moral Panic The album to accompany the trainwreck that is 2020.

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Alice Barradale Music Editor

ti-immigration and nationalism.

Question: Did I really stay up from 1am to listen to Nothing But Thieves’ complete new album front to back possibly 4 or 5 times? I sure did, and it was everything I could’ve asked for.

Moral Panic, the third album released by the Essex-based rock band, perfectly summarises the chaotic, heart-breaking and complete whirlwind 2020 has become. Although written during 2019, Nothing But Thieves have created a beautifully shape-shifting prediction of the world’s current climate from toilet roll rationing to public outcry for political change.

Everybody Going Crazy?’, released back in March, was initially written about the previous year’s lunacy, howsumption within the traumatising month of March and onwards, ironically being released two days after the UK was placed into lockdown.

The track “Real Love Song” also holds similar themes of heartbreak and loss. We instantly notice the contradictory anti-romance melody that is paired with the title of the song, slowly building and revealing the realities of love and the inevitable pain that follows.

However, the repetition of “got a thing about you and it

“Oh, you’re a walking contradiction in a MAGA-hat It’s where I wanna be, God bless the land of the free So who are you to tell us where we do and don’t belong?

And who are you to tell us who to love and who to not?”

Memelord38 won’t go away” perfectly symbolises the gruelling acceptance that love comes with pain, and we cannot allow this fear to disregard love in its entirety.

This is portrayed through the beautifully shot music video which follows the heartbreak of a couple and the progression of new love towards the end, representing the timeline of heartbreak and its recovery.

The most touching song (and my personal favourite track), around that injects hope and relief into the album. Connor explains “the song is that levity on the record, that release from tension” - a rare spectaThieves album, where darker themes usually take the stage.

This song emphasises how hope can be found even in the darkest

of times and is thus an anthem of why we should never give up.

Throughout the 11 tracks on the album, it has become evident that the band have produced a record that perfectly demonstrates their range whilst pushing to the extremes - especially with their “Can You Afford to Be an Individual?” track, which is undeniably the band’s most political track to date. The unbelievably powerful third verse alone covers issues surrounding Donald Trump, his supporters, and the state of America today through r eferAmerica Great Again’ campaign: therefore is America’s demise; exacerbating the mainstreaming of far-right ideals which are seeping into public discourse, such as issues surrounding an-

which Joe LangridgeBrown (Guitarist) explains: “To end an album called Moral Panic, where it’s about being quite damaged by your outside experience, and then to grow old,’ and that being the last thing you hear, I thought it was very poignant”.

– via Apple Music The poignant chorus is

ance that love comes with pain, and we cannot allow this fear to disregard love in its entirety.

This is portrayed through the beautifully shot music video which follows the heartbreak of a couple and the progression of new love towards the end, representing the timeline of heartbreak and its recovery.

However, the most touching song (and my personal favourite turn-around that injects hope and relief into the album. Connor explains “the song is that levity on the record, that release from tension” - a rare spectaThieves album, where darker themes usually take the stage.

This song emphasises how hope can be found even in the darkest of times and is thus an anthem of why we should never give up.

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agony of lost love, a recurring theme within the album...

The track “Real Love Song” also holds similar themes of heartbreak and loss. We instantly notice the contradictory anti-romance melody that is paired with the title of the song, slowly building and revealing the realities of love and the inevitable pain that follows.

However, the repetition of “got a thing about you and it won’t go away” perfectly symbolises the gruelling accept-

Nothing But Thieves have once again undeniably created another mind-blowing gritty rock album that demonstrates the powerful range and abilities within the group, cementing themselves as one of the best current rock bands in the UK. Panic’ is the perfect representation of our ever-changing world and its current climate.

Great music comes from great struggle: a forecast of Jack Grant Staff Writer There is no doubt that these are uncertain times for the landscape of British music – the effects of the coronavirus pandemic has tarnished the arts into a completely unrecognisable state, with the industry on the brink of collapse.

There is no doubt that these are uncertain times for the landscape of British music – the effects of the coronavirus pandemic has tarnished the arts into a completely unrecognisable state, with the industry on the brink of collapse.

Venues and nightclubs have been unable to operate normally since the initial lockdown in March. Indeed, sectors to close down and will most likely be one of the last to reopen. Consequently, a new report published by Media

Insight Consulting estimates that almost two-thirds of the music industry will be out of work by Christmas – leaving 170,000 jobless. Furthermore, it was only earlier this month that Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak made the suggestion that artists affected by the pandemic should consider abandoning their Attempts to get the industry back on its feet have been made – live entertainment events have been slowly allowed to run again, under strict guidelines.

However, this has come at the cost of losing the vibrant heart and soul of the musical experience … the crowd. The atmosphere has simply not been the same; never before have gigs been silent and socially distant – where punters are seated and forbidden to even sing.

Indeed, it would seem that the future of music as we know

and love it in this country is doomed. However, history may tell us otherwise. Some of the most important musical scenes, subcultures and movements were born out of situations of immense hardship. It may be impossible to predict the musical outcome of this pandemic, but we can certainly be inspired by moments of the past as a starting point – shining even the dimmest of light at a seemingly endless tunnel.

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Some of music’s greatest genres, scenes and subcultures have emerged from times of immense hardship. Could history repeat itself for a postpandemic Britain?

1970s as an underground movement – its very identity rooted as a response to the

heavily impoverished and post-industrial scenes of the South Bronx. A frustrated generation of black and latino youths came together to express themselves in a way that represented their feelings of neglect, voicelessness and marginalisation amidst their urban reality. Using the very limited means they had around them, they combined disc-jockeying, emceeing and breakdancing to create something of their own – something that spoke a language distinct to them. the media, the art form would snowball and break into the mainstream. All of a sudden hip-hop had become a means to lift countless young people out of poverty and become a source of inspiration for generations of disenfranchised youths to come.

However, it was the explosion of rave culture in the late-80s

and early-90s that had the power to temporarily shift the country’s depressed psyche into that of togetherness and unity.

For an exhausted generation brought up under Margaret Thatcher’s rule, a sense of frustration and built-up tension lingered as a result of mass unemployment. The arrival of Chicago’s new electronic genre shores at the perfect time; it became the soundtrack for the country – a chance for the youth to vent their discontent.

In our current times, it may seem that the state of the music industry is incredibly distant from the mentioned examples above – but we should be inspired to persevere nevertheless, and perhaps, at the end of it all, we will come out of this pandemic stronger than ever before.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Arts • Theatre

20

Against All Odds: Brighton Fringe 2020 Elijah Arief Theatre Co-Editor

face (unless you’re sipping your drink of choosing of course).

During this Fringe we only had

I remember being in my student house during the announcement of the lockdown, and watching Boris Johnsons speech with panic in my heart, clutching my boyfriends’ hand and one of my best mates pouring us all very strong drinks. I cried later the damage and the effects this would have on the plans that we had all made this year.

Naively, I thought we would be out of it by May, and that I would be able to work for Brighton & Edinburgh Fringe as I do every year. May passed, and I started to become aware of just how poorly the government where treating those who work within the Arts, from the terrible SEISS grants (self-employed support scheme) to telling those who work within the Arts industry to retrain and look for other work. I interviewed many people within the theatre industry, from technicians, to venue owners and company managers. Each one of them seemed optimistic for the future, but where quick to express their disappointment and anxiety about what the future of the theatre industry holds.

It was becoming clearer to me as time went forward just how everybody refused to believe that this was the end, despite venues closing and theatres vacating. As heart-breaking and as devastating as its been, both

room, and each seat is spaced away from each other to ensure physical distancing. We are using e-tickets too instead of physical paper in order to keep track of everybody’s bubbles. It is imperative that you stay within your bubble as Front of House seats you, as this is key to keeping everyone in that room safe.

Normal theatre etiquette also applies here, please remember to go to bathroom before the show begins as not only can this disrupt performances, but also prevents the spread.

@gabemaggy another human being on a deep emotional level.

The Arts is something we all connect with every single day of our lives; it is integral to our human emotional development.

Within Art in any medium, we learn how to emote and feel empathy for our fellow human being. It helps us to philosophize, to experience grief and to develop a sense of humour. We use the Arts as a deep catharsis.

In times of great trauma and unfortunate circumstance, the stage needs to exist for people to cope emotionally.

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innovation and adaptability that I’ve witnessed this year has been phenomenal and I truly feel inspired and honoured to have taken part in Brighton Fringe this year.

It seems like Brighton Fringe is achieving the impossible, with many theatres closing with no idea of when they will be opening their House again, the idea of theatre stopping altogether didn’t seem preposterous. The future of Fringe Theatre seemed especially dark and murky, I myself struggled to conceive a world in which Fringe and COVID-19 can coexist. When experiences, they’ve all revolved around lots of people, lots of drinking and having many a performer screaming in my face. Tightly packed venues followed by tightly packed bars and pubs and not getting to bed till four in the morning has made up most of my Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe adventures. This is now a thing of the past, and it is now time for reinvention. Livestreams and Zoom performances do have their place in this new era, but there is nothing like live theatre and connecting face to face with

We have many different rules

The current Conservative government has taken a rather puritanical and hard-line approach to theatre and those who work within the Arts, with very little funding being in place and encouraging thespians to The big money theatre’s such as the west end and projects

by Lloyd-Webber will see the on ahead, and whilst the big names do need your support, I believe that is vital that we direct our energy in supporting Fringe Theatre and local theatre venues and groups. It is key to remember that without your support, theatre struggles to survive, and if support does dwindle, we could be looking at a future where theatre cannot There is only one registered indoor theatre venue that are opening their doors this October, that venue being Sweet Venues which is tucked away down at Café Werks in Middle

Street. Sweet Venues is an independent, family feel theatre venue which prides itself on making sure theatre is accessible to absolutely everybody. Their venue spaces are intimate and provide an excellent space for artistic work that isn’t pretentious or too intimidating.

I’ve had the enormous pleasure to have been working for this venue for around three years now, and with one Brighton and two Edinburgh Fringes under my belt I was hesitant but eager to participate in setting the template for the future to come.

Though we have been extraordinarily busy, some of the staff have been able give me some of their time to talk to me about what we’ve been doing this month. I spoke to Kato Thomas, Operations Manager for Sweet Venues about Brighton Fringe 2020.

What is your role at this venue?

I was originally Front of House, but after working a year at Sweet Operations Manager position, which entails timetabling staff, making sure people are where they are, introducing myself to performers and making them feel comfortable also just general upkeep. I make sure everything goes smoothly and I help when needed.

Do you think the government live theatre right now?

Yes and I think that it is a grey area. To the untrained eye, live performance is not something people think can happen.

We’ve proven them wrong this month of Fringe. It takes a lot of thinking and organisation, but it is doable. And at the beginning of lockdown, the government made the decision to put out a statement which

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put the decision to the venues to decide to shut down. This put venues and performers in a state of limbo, as they weren’t being supported but they also could not do their job safely. They shut the venues by law, we had to think of other alternatives on how we could keep theatre alive.

Streaming was a big thing. But now we are in a place where we can put on live performances, we are treating this as safely as possible. We have many different rules in place to keep audience, performers and staff safe. Which proves to both the government and people that you can still put on performances even in the middle of a pandemic.

Do you think Brighton Fringe in 2021 will look similar to this month?

meetings and talks with Brighton Fringe, we are the only venue doing a full festival indoors this month. Which means we are setting the paving stones to what theatre will look like. I think that we are doing it in a very safe and moderated way, and I think a lot of venues can learn a lot of the practices that we’ve been trying out here. We’ve been really on it with health and safety, sanitisation and track and trace.

Live performance is happening and continuing.

Just what this template will look like is still be worked on and is still in a very rough development stage, but it seems as if we are on the right track. When you enter and move around in the venue, it is mandatory to wear a mask, and this will be reinforced by a member of the front of house team as they lead you to be seated for your show.

The performers and venue technicians will report back to the staff afterwards about which audience members did not comply with this very strict and needed rule, so please ensure

government

has

taken

a

and those who work within the Arts, with very little

Anti-bacterial hand gel is available all throughout the venue too, and each chair and table get thoroughly wiped down after usage. It is different and it is certainly strange, it’s not the full-on in your face Fringe experience I am used to. But if live theatre is going to continue and thrive, these safety measures need to be in place and dealing with audience members who refuse to comply has honestly been the most stressful part of this experience. But thankfully that has been very few. Again, I must say that this is only a template for what the future of live theatre could look like, at any point the current situation revolving around the Arts and COVID-19 could change. But for now, at least, it feels like a revival and a rebirth.

Against all odds live theatre continues. Despite all anxieties, gain this industry refuses to be left to rot. Your support is more important than ever. If you feel comfortable enough, please go support the live theatre that is happening in your area. Tell your friends, write about it and let the performers and directors know how much the show meant to you. This industry cannot go on without its audience, and it seems like the government is doing all it can to prevent indoor theatre from going ahead. I know the saying is cliché at this point, but the Arts need saving.

And you can be a part of that. here: www.sweetvenues.com Gabriel Magill. @gabemaggy

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Arts • Editors’ Choice

21 Editors’ Choice

Editors’ choice is a new column in which the Arts Editors have both the platform and opportunity to share what we are engaging with from the world of the arts. We wanted to create this section so that we are not only being the Arts Editors this year but also have the chance to write as well. We hope you shall discover some up and coming events, ideas, artists, productions, musicians and texts which may peak your interest, as we share what has caught our eye as well as getting us thinking about the events, new releases and ongoalbums, magazines, social media accounts and our cultural highlights, as a way to establish this new column and also share the types of artistic media we consume and enjoy.

Robyn Cowie Arts Co-Editor In the lead up to the US Election, taking place on the 3rd of November 2020, I have taken the executive decision to distract myself from the harsh realities of the state of US politics and instead to look at the occurrences of the White house through the rose tinted glasses that is The West Wing. The popular TV show, created

by Aaron Sorkin, explores the two term Jed Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen. The political drama takes you into the heart of the White House during these two terms and is a stark contrast to the most recent

manises a political system which in recent years has been anything but. Along with this there is also romance, drama, lighthearted humour. But the most important, and also consistent, message that is carried through all 156 episodes of the show is simply how something such as an ideology and a desire to truly do something good for a nation can unite a team of people in an attempt to evoke real change.

This is not to say that we must completely lose sight of the ongoings of the real White House, as The West Wing, especially in comparison to what American politics have looked like this year alone, now seems a total fantasy. The show is one of a centerist’s political dreams, as it examines many different policy issues and offers up a similar ethos to those of both the Clinton and Obama years, and potentially thst of the Biden Campaign. the cast of the West Wing reunited for a re-staging of a much beloved episode of the show, with the full original cast com-

Channel 4 The show allows us to understand the ongoings within the whole of The West Wing of the White house and all of those who work so tirelessly, to make policy and all whilst holding the utmost belief that the political decisions they are making truly do make a difference for the American people.

The West Wing is everything I currently wish US politics was but also what it could have been for the last two decades. The show aired during the Bush administration, as a stark contrast to the issues and events which American faced at the time of airing. This is not to say the show does not have high stakes and plenty of dramatic moments; for terrorist attacks, in-

organisation When We All Vote. Guests of this one off episode include Michelle Obama, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Clinton and Lin Manuel Miranda. But it is simply the reunion of the cast themselves as their beloved characters, which makes this one off so special. The whole purpose of the re-staging as to remind American voters of the hope which the show was able to give to so many in regards to American politics, but in particular the hope which resented and why in the coming election people need to be reminded of that and what it could mean if it were to occur in real life.

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getting policy agendas done, the show has many ups and downs. But the overall feel is the often greatly romanticised apall its traditions, patriotism and splendor which we are led to believe US politics can 1999, American politics have been a never ending pager turner of events. From the debacle of the 2000 election, to the 2016 election, where although losing the popular vote, Events such as these show how and why we need a show like The West Wing, for when the American political system is seemingly failing and this timeless television drama, with its phenomenal cast and plethora of awards, The West Wing hu-

The West Wing is everything I currently wish US politics was but also what it could have been for the last two decades. The show aired during the Bush administration, as a stark contrast to the issues and events which American faced at the time of airing.

Sorkin himself recently decreed that the West Wing, which is now twenty one years old, was “a valentine to public service and to American institutions and democracy”. Currently I cannot face the potential outcome on November 3rd and am also not yet comfortable that it is a clear win for Biden himself, therefore I fully inpolitical system, that is the Bartlett era of the White House and recommend that you do too.

All episodes available on All 4.

Jessica Hake Arts Co-Editor One of my favourite things about art is the sheer range of creativity that can be explored. There’s pottery, dance, the spoken word, theatre, installation and so much more, one article would never be able to cover it all.

Recently, one of the most prominent art I have found is the art of protest. It is a movement, a collaboration and a form of expression usually exploding out of a political thought/injustice. I say this; however, all protests I have experienced in this past year don’t seem as they should tion of Black peoples and their freedom to not merely exist, yet thrive in a society where institutions made to protect them stated as an excuse to justify brutality of innocents.

The reason protest is so powerful, and a right that is protected under UK legislation despite contention, is because it harnesses the power of the people against the people in power, using a medium rooted in unity and movement. The link to art is easy to identify. If we stop considering the movement of people as one, likened to that of a chorus, then let us stop and think about what happens after the marching stops.

What happens?

who during the Brighton BLM march used the spoken word to poetically articulate her thoughts and experience. What she said during the protest is a caption under one of their Instagram posts and even without hearing her voice, the power and emotion can be felt by the reader. Coupled with her, Khanyisa Joy also spoke at the Brighton BLM protest, using their own identity and the meaning of home as inspiration for their speech.

The second BLM protest in Lincoln, when I was lucky enough to interview the organisers Leonard Chatonzwa and Josh Browne, involved one singer-songwriter performing a song on their guitar outside the Cathedral about BLM and what it meant to them. The image created by Sarah Medlock to accompany my Lincolnshire BLM article also shows another form of art, this one visual instead of focusing on the auditory sense, to provoke emotions and also provide a visual aid to accompany the political thought in one’s min The idea of ‘protest’ itself can often be hijacked by all aspects of the political spectrum, citing violence and looting as

Sarah Medlock the only actions undertook by those in volved. Despite this being a very distorted view of protest, and not the reason people are involved in politically active movements, it works to remind us that protests are the choice of peaceful ways to communicate despite the deep-rooted anger that has driven them to this action.

It makes people angry that they can be denied freedoms and liberties that their counterparts, who are of different races/ religions/ ethnicities/ genders /sexualities/ classes, take for granted. From this pain, which is not remotely hyperbolic that art would emerge. In times of peace and calm, it is rare art is made. Art comes from a thought, a struggle and is used to convey that of which the artist believed needs to be communicated. Van Gogh is a perfect example of this, only an artist in turmoil would cut off their own ear. The difference between Gogh and art deriving from protests, is that the latter is not singular and is working to convey the feelings of a movement, not a moment.

Art in all forms is something I love to be surrounded by whether it be buskers, installations or the National Gallery in London. However, the art made by recent movements feels particularly special, as I become conscious of the weight of each piece and the effect it will have on the masses.

dominicspics

ARTIST FOCUS T H E A RT I ST S O F B R I G H TO N

Artist Focus: Karl Jones For this week’s feature, I talked to Karl Jones, a third-year Illustration student from the University of Brighton. His style, which makes use of and mesmerising natural scenes, is infused with feelings of solitude and self-acceptance. Throughout our conversation, we discussed his developed his own style.

Tell me a bit about your personal background.

I’m from a working-class family in Southampton. Being the third of four male children meant that growing up was a very loud experience, which led me to look for various forms of escapism such as

when I was doing it, which is why I decided to pursue this further in education.

What’s the process like when you’re working on a new piece?

I generally have an initial idea, then I do some preliminary sketches

In terms of technique, what tools do you normally work with and why?

drawings?

Do you have a favourite piece? If so, what made it your favourite?

Your artwork is quite minimalistic in terms of colour and style, why is that?

I’ve noticed that a few of your pieces depict scenes from

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To see more of Karl’s work…

Website: https://karlpdjones.myportfolio.com/ Instagram: @karl.p.d.jones Words by Luisa De la Concha Montes

The Badger 16th March 2020

Puzzles

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The Badger 2nd November 2020

Travel & Culture

25

Appropriation or appreciation: Where’s the line?

Bryony Rule T&C Online Sub-Editor Cultural appropriation is a term which has been subject to intense debate and controversy in recent times. The concept is widely open to both interpretation and misinterpretation, and those claiming instances of cultural appropriation are often accused of being ‘overly sensitive’ or exemplifying ‘political correctness gone mad’. But it is not the decision of anyone else besides the claimant whether a situation constitutes cultural appropriation. If an individual or group feels that their culture is being appropriated, we must listen and understand, rather than dismiss and scorn.

Appropriation involves taking something for one’s own use. In terms of culture, we see this enacted through the appropriation of fashion, hair styles, cultural or spiritual practices and traditions, ways of speaking, and other components of culture. Cultural appropriation is a question of privilege, power and exclusivity. It may seem harmless or even complimentary, but it is imperative to interrogate the deeper structural history and power dynamics at play.

To defend against accusations of cultural appropriation, arguments are frequently made that it is not a case of appropriation, but appreciation.

Pointing at our ever-increasingly interconnected world and the consequential cultural exchange, many argue that the opportunity to learn from other cultures and appreciate what they offer is a great feature of our modern world. This belief is widely held by many; that taking an element from another culture and using it for oneself is an ode to that culture, a display of admiration.

Many do not understand how this could be seen as harmful or offensive, and intentions are often well-meaning. However, this involves an ignorance on the part of the individual appropriating; they often don’t understand the element they have taken, leading to a blurring of the line between appropriation and appreciation.

Cultural appropriation is described as a form of modern colonialism. Characteristic of a colonial dynamic, it involves powerful groups in society taking from a marginalised or non-dominant culture. And this, argues author and activist Layla Saad, is precisely why cultural appropriation cannot occur in

This selective appropriation of black culture is ignorant and harmful. The identity of a culture or chance to dress up for people in positions of privilege. We don’t just see this with black hairstyles; there are a deluge of other examples, such as the wearing of a bindi or Native American headdress to a festival, or the recent trend

history and multifaceted identity imbued within it. So, when someone argues that ‘it’s just hair’, remember that in actuality, it is about far more than ‘just hair’.

as a physical activity, whilst spiritual practices were forced into private, in order to appease colonists. By recognising that you are practicing just the physical exercises originating from the much broader spiritual practice that is yoga, you are helping to prevent the perpetuation of the system of white supremacy which constructed yoga as an exclusively physical practice.

Yoga is also an example of how the concept of cultural appropriation is linked to commercialisation and capitalism. In western countries, the dominant image of yoga is in discordance with its original context. Often associated with the image of slim, white, middle-class women, this audience has become targeted by a deluge of marketing, for yoga leggings, hot yoga classes and Instagram challenges. The culture which is associated with and viewed as the proponents of yoga has been transformed,

The identity of a culture is

westernisation. In the process, the

or chance to dress up for people in positions of privilege.

of yoga is often stripped away, losing the essence of the true meaning of yoga. Turning BIPOC culture into a trend to be enjoyed

black features, for instance through excessively using fake

PickPik

reverse – Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) do not hold a collective power and privilege over white people in our society. So before calling out BIPOC for ‘appropriating’ white culture when they choose to wear western clothing or enjoy a Sunday dinner, it is important to realise that in this scenario, the power dynamics involved in appropriation are absent.

So why is cultural appropriation a problem?

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As Chanté Joseph points out, “Black culture is gawked at, dismissed and ridiculed, before it’s studied, mimicked and regurgitated.”

Firstly, it’s a prime example of white privilege in action. As Chanté Joseph points out, “Black culture is gawked at, dismissed and ridiculed, before it’s studied, mimicked and regurgitated.”

BIPOC have continually suffered marginalisation and discrimination for elements of their culture. For example, the stigmatisation of black hairstyles such as afros and dreadlocks has led to countless cases of children being excluded from school, such as Ruby Williams who emerged from a three-year legal battle with her school in Hackney, who regarded her natural afro hair as violating uniform policy. There are also cases of discrimination in employment, such as when Londoner Simone Powderly received a job offer conditional on taking out her braids, and a black woman was told to chemically straighten her hair when applying for a job at Harrods. Discrimination and bias against natural black hairstyles clearly generates very

real and tangible structural barriers for these individuals.

They are also subjected to passiveaggressive comments, unwanted invasions of personal space by people demanding to touch their hair, or deemed unprofessional or unhygienic simply for wearing their hair naturally. Many cite feelings of marginalisation, their self-esteem resulting from the stigma surrounding their hair from a young age.

So, imagine the feelings incited when white people take and wear these hairstyles and suffer none of the negative consequences faced by black people. Worse still, when white people wear their hair in cornrows or dreadlocks, the very same styles which black people are demonised for, it’s often lauded as cool or high fashion.

This phenomenon has become widespread in the last decade.

From white musicians including Katy Perry and RiFF RAFF, to the Kardashians, to Marc Jacobs sending white models sporting hand-dyed wool dreadlocks down the runway in his 2017 Spring show, white people are appropriating black culture and as a result of their white privilege, are in their kudos and how they’re viewed in popular culture. These examples demonstrate how white people selectively utilise elements of black culture for their own gain, whilst failing to acknowledge the wider struggles encountered by the identities linked to these hairstyles. In a video entitled ‘Don’t Cash Crop On My Cornrows’, Amanda Stenberg poses a salient question: “What […] if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?”.

highlights why it’s problematic to characterise it as purely physical.

Promoting spiritual yoga teachings during Britain’s colonisation of India frequently had violent and suppressive repercussions.

Combined with coercion towards western ideas of athleticism led

gain followers and attention) on social media. While these people selectively apply the aspects of a culture that they decide to, BIPOC can’t just turn their culture and identity on and off when it pleases them, as white people do when culturally appropriating. BIPOC are subject to all that comes with their identity, including racism, stereotyping and discrimination.

Meanwhile, cultural appropriation acts as a form of erasure, adopting and capitalising from elements of a marginalised culture, whilst

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Another, arguably more subtle, yet hugely pervasive form of cultural appropriation is yoga.

People practice yoga for a range of reasons, often related to wellness; thus, the idea that it could be harmful is likely puzzling.

Performing yoga does not in itself amount to cultural appropriation.

Where it does become problematic, is the fact that it has largely become detached from its roots. As the practice has become increasingly mainstream and its the globe (which many will agree is a great thing), the cultural and often forgotten or left out within the western setting.

Yoga is a tradition that stems back thousands of years in a South emphasis on its spiritual and medicinal meanings, over its physical component. However, yoga today is frequently treated as a solely physical activity or form of exercise. At face value, this may not seem like an issue – people are entitled to focus on their physical health. However, unpicking the historical trajectory which led to this re-orientation of yoga

culture is a prime example of cultural appropriation, and is clearly highly problematic.

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As white people, when choosing to take something from another culture, we need to be hyperaware of our privilege and the wider context of our choice.

Are we amplifying, supporting, crediting and respecting this culture? Or, are we exploiting marginalised cultures for our The line between appropriation and

cultural cultural

toe. Many of us have likely been guilty of appropriation in the past, often due to ignorance. As white people, when choosing to take something from another culture, we need to be hyper-aware of our privilege and the wider context of our choice. Are we amplifying, supporting, crediting and respecting this culture? Or, are we exploiting marginalised cultures

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Travel & Culture

26

What’s on our streets: Queens Park(s) and Recreation Hal Keelin Travel & Culture Editor

When we visit parks or see them on our way to somewhere else, most of us don’t think of them as not always being there. This is the same with roads and buildings too. When we look at structures in the city and take them in -unless we have an architect’s or engineer’s or city planners’ brain- we assume they’ve always been there: in to imagine the time before.

This week, I’ve decided to detail the history and tell the story of a park, rather than a building, because they too I am realising were imagined, planned and laid out. They are a counterpoint to urban civilisation. They are aesthetic constructions, designed to induce a memorable experience. The idea of a park you must admit is quite a lovely one. I like how people thought about their city, how to improve it, and thought: “You know what we need, we need a big green space where people can visit, within the city, and possibly we will put a big body of water in the middle with a fountain so families can come and enjoy from all around.” These humble origins, these simple ideas that have

become features of an urban area, are good ones. Yes, they may be fenced off and tamed and arranged for a function – the cynic might even say built only as an aesthetic object so that we forget the grime and headiness of the urban environment. We could as a city, but I prefer to think of them as organic constructions.

With time parks and cities grow in myriad ways, they grow out of their initial use or purpose. Brighton is no longer a bustling urban metropolis famed for its relaxed, quirky, liberal constitution. Queens park has too changed: initially it was to be a private park for the inhabitants of detached manor houses and villas.

Now it’s a residential playpark, a hive of activity for the surrounding area.

People interpret the space for themselves, they use it and it gives back.

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“You know what we need, we need a big green space where people can visit, within the city, and possibly we will put a big body of water in the middle with a fountain so families can come and enjoy from all around.”

As I said above, we forget often

Paul Gillett

that they were conceived at all. This, I think, is a credit to the architects and designers of such spaces, but also to the communities around them.

The place of retreat into nature is so well done that it is hardly noticed, meaning that the journey from concrete to park is a smooth one: experience.

To borrow an idea from Yulia Leonava, in a recent paper on the phenomenology of parks, we could say that parks are also artistic utopias, designed “spaces of transparency, purity, freedom and openness”.

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Brighton is no longer the small urban metropolis famed for its relaxed, quirky, liberal constitution.

dotted around.

Thankfully this grand scheme never saw the light of day, the detached villas were never built, and instead more affordable residential terrace housing was constructed in their stead. The grounds were bought by The Race Stand Trustees in 1890 and lovingly donated to the public, along with the peculiar Pepper Pot water pump to the west.

Fortunately, a rumour that the lake was created by a crashed plane during World War One is unfounded, but Air Marshall Phillip Austin did crash his plane into the park in 1923 and miraculously survived.

At present it is one of Brighton’s most loved green spaces.

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Parks are also artistic utopias, of humanity- “spaces of transparency, purity, freedom and openness”.

At present it’s full of dog walkers and mushy autumn leaves with their earthy hues; in summer it’s home to frisbee, and a great deal of small children’s birthday parties. The lawns slope down on all sides to meet a lake that houses ducks and is frequented regularly by seagulls and geese, while the “wild area” and lakeside path is deliberately left untended to encourage wildlife. Of course, these spaces should be open to the public, and long may it continue.

Sadly, when Queens park was

Claire Cunningham

the above attributes of the space should not be open to the public. Thomas Atree, the wealthy property developer who bought the land for the future park enjoyed by thousands today, was an admirer of Regents Park, London, and commissioned Charles Galloway to essentially revamp the existing Brighton Park into a spitting image of the Capital’s world renowned green space with its mansions

Royal Pavillion and Museums

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Travel & Culture

27

Working abroad through a global pandemic Rosie Graham, Staff writer

tourism and prove detrimental to the already struggling economy.

The Greek guidelines were confusing and continued to evolve as the situation progressed. We heard stories of bars in the city

Let’s be honest, summer 2020 wasn’t exactly one for the books.

Staycations, zoom quizzes and socially-distanced picnics came to embody the pandemic summer. For seasonal workers, however, the virus introduced a whole new set of challenges. A group of Sussex students, including myself, struggled with the uncertainty of our jobs abroad at a members’ club on the Greek island of Zakynthos, and witnessed the virus’ impact upon the tourThe traditional Greek summer season begins mid-May, as temperatures rise to a steady 25 degrees and higher. The clear blue waters, beautiful weather, dramatic scenery and plush greenery usually draw half a million Brits to the island each year.

The tourism industry, therefore, is central to the economy of the Ionian islands, accounting for up to 10% of employment. Many mainland Greeks living in the bigger cities head to the islands for from reliable income. Similarly, British seasonal workers (or ‘seasonnaires’) head out to the islands to join the tourism community, usually working for British-based tour operators such as TUI or Thomas Cook.

This May, however, the UK was barely emerging from a heavy lockdown, and chances of getintense travel restrictions. The soared, airports turned into ghost towns, and the future of travel looked weary. Even if, at some point in the distant future, travel restrictions did permit holidaymaking, would anybody risk it?

Would there be any need for my job? I buckled up for a long summer living with my parents and applied to literally any supermarket hiring, giving up hope of another Mamma Mia summer.

Being UK-based themselves, our employers were as unsure and hesitant as everyone else.

They assured us that our summer would be going ahead, albeit with a dramatically reinvented programme to adhere to both Greek and British guidelines and delayed start dates, and that they had considerable interest from customers. As the UK began to open up restaurants, bars and non-essential shops, there was a glimmer of hope. I turned on all my local Manchester airport, anything under £100, and hoped for

time.” Landing back in Heathrow this September after two months abroad, with such short notice, the most phenomenal summer regardless of everything going on around us.”

“

stood at the bar, or venues shut down for inadequate regulations.

For Will, a student at Nottingham University, “the most challenging part was the uncertainty of what was happening with local governments in the region. With the club having to abide by both UK and Greek law, it all became a bit of a mess.”

As the world anticipated a ‘second wave’ as summer came to a close, ever changing regulations left us paranoid and anxious. The “mess” that Will’s referring to came all too soon as Boris Johnson implemented a two week quarantine upon return from several Greek islands, including Zakynthos. I started my shift at 4pm, and by 10pm had a last-minute

the best. Tilly, an American Studies student at Sussex, comments “my biggest worry was job security, because every week or so we’d have a new update and more speculation, and never clear enough guidance to indicate what was actual going to happen or how our jobs would be affected by the progression of the pandemic.”

After an eternity of waiting, pushed back start dates, cancelled quickly. We were told the club was to open July 4th, with staff being sent out in batches throughout the month. I received a phone call ternoon and was shipped out to Greece within 12 hours.

From the moment I landed I knew it was going to be a radically different summer than the ones I had enjoyed so enthusiastically in previous years. What would normally be a heaving airport, buzzing with excited tourists, was replaced with only a small crowd and a solemn queue for a randomised COVID test. Just as I was starting to feel anxious, I was met with a Greek doctor brimming with cheeky humour and a friendly nature – just what I had remembered. saw few guests. With a capacity of around 400 guests and 120 staff, we had 50 guests and around 60 staff – a considerable difference.

We wore masks 24/7, sanitised our hands between every interaction and temperature checked all people coming in and out of the club. With such little staff, the

work was hard. Long hours in extreme heat is taxing, regardless of intense safety procedures. Whilst I thought these measures would be destructive to our peaceful, relaxing holiday environment, guests seemed so thrilled to be abroad that they didn’t mind and were happy to cooperate. Initially, guests were from Europe or the US, but as the UK introduced the air bridges initiative, business boomed. We went from 70 guests week 2 to 380 on week 3. Being that the club is mostly outside, and naturally socially distanced, it was an opportune place to visit in a pandemic.

The rural location of the club was vital in creating a COVID-safe bubble for staff and guests. The small port of Agios Nikolaos on the north coast of the island contains around four family-run restaurants and two small convenience stores, thus little opportunity for the spread of COVID – the antithesis of the British experience.

Often, when visiting these local restaurants and bars I would ask owners how their season had been with COVID. Every time, without fail, I was met with sad smiles, “not good” they said. The impact of the pandemic upon the island’s tourism was obvious. Even our small local port, that barely saw guests external to the club, was tainted with an undertone of worry and hesitancy. Greek police were committed to monitoring COVID measures in hospitality, all too aware that one small slip up could introduce an outbreak that would in turn shut the island to

order to make it back to the UK in time for the start of the university term. Pip, a masters student who did her undergrad at Sussex, said her biggest stress was “getting stuck out in Greece and not being able to return home for uni in

From the moment I landed I knew it was going to be a radically different summer than the ones I had enjoyed so enthusiastically in previous years. What would normally be a heaving airport, buzzing with excited tourists, was replaced with only a small crowd and a solemn queue for a randomised COVID test.

Enveloped in anxiety, stress and ambiguity, our summer of 2020 was, surprisingly, unforgettable.

There’s no denying that whilst the regulations and measures surrounding the pandemic made secure, but considering the summer I could’ve had at home, I’m so grateful I was able to return to Greece. After all, a pandemic doesn’t look so bad with an Aperol Spritz in hand.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Travel & Culture

28

Sussex Ranger’s guide Brighton’s Vegan Food

Cultural Bite

to

East Sussex Apple Cake

Rory Hinshelwood

Perfect for a rainy day and a cup of tea, this apple cake is a perfect

What you will need: 225g caster sugar 225g Butter(unfridged) 3 eggs

Vegan Noms

1tsp demerara sugar

The Roundhill

Method

Really Happy Chicken

Clean Kitchen

and stir

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Science & Technology

29

NASA’s lunar discovery One step closer to living on the moon Eva Wallis The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently made a number of big announcements about the Moon. One of the most significant of these announcements has come from the Astrophysics Division Director for NASA, Dr Paul Hertz, who revealed on Monday (26 October) the breakthrough discovery that water molecules have been detected for the first time on a sunlit surface in the Clavius crater of the moon.

Water was previously only thought to be present within deep craters and areas that never receive sunlight, however the Clavius crater is one of the biggest craters on the lunar surface which does receive sunlight. This is particularly exciting as it creates a possibility of water being more accessible to humans when on the moon, rather than in the depths of a crater. Being able to utilise the Moon’s resources during a mission would bring humans closer to long-term survival on the Moon than ever before, however methods of harvesting this water are yet to be developed.

The water was detected by

Kimmo Kulovesi the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) which was able to detect the unique chemical fingerprint of a water molecule using an infrared spectrometer. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft which usually observes the infrared universe. This new research marks SOFIA’s first time observing the Moon and was initially only intended as a test, however since yielding such a

huge discovery, it has created a basis for further research into this field.

Finding water on sunlit lunar surfaces raises the question on how water is created and persists in such a harsh environment as the moon, which has no atmosphere. Casey Honniball, lead author of the paper reporting the discovery, has theorised that individual water molecules are trapped in glass beads within

the lunar soil, which protect the molecules from the harsh environment and from being lost into space. These beads are thought to have been created upon the impact of micrometeorites on the lunar surface and are the size of the tip of a pencil.

Honniball emphasises that, at this point, it is only a small concentration of water that has been detected – “the equivalent of a 12 oz bottle of water [355ml] in one cubic meter of lunar soil”. It is also important to realise that, due to this low concentration, the water molecules are so sparse that neither puddles nor ice form on the lunar surface, it is merely single molecules within these glass beads. It is hoped that further research will reveal more information behind the mechanism of water storage on the lunar surface.

This discovery follows NASA’s announcement to install a wireless 4G network on the moon in partnership with NOKIA. The technology has been described by a NOKIA spokesperson as “ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened” which will allow “vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation

and streaming of high definition video”.

This technology is essential for the first stages of NASA’s Artemis programme which initially aims to send the first woman and the next man to the moon by 2024. This programme hopes to provide research into the utilisation of the moon’s resources which will allow a sustained human presence on the moon by 2030. The research carried out during the Artemis programme will eventually be applied to sending humans to Mars.

“

Being able to utilise the Moon’s resources during a mission would bring humans closer to long-term survival on the Moon than ever before With the first Artemis deadline fast approaching and the recent news that NASA will be distributing $370million to 14 companies, such as NOKIA, who will supply cutting edge technologies to allow for the success of the Artemis programme, it is likely we should expect further exciting announcements from NASA in the not-too-distant future.

Feeling hangry?

How our digestive system effects our emotions Eva Wallis We all know that familiar feeling you get when you take your seat in the exam hall and have an endless wait before being told you can begin that churning in your stomach that can only be described as ‘butterf lies’.

Most of us have had firsthand experience of how our emotions, good or bad, can affect our digestive system, but what you may not realise is that this road is a two-way street.

Your digestive system can just as much affect your emotions. According to Professor Calvin Coffey and his colleagues at the University of Limerick, they have speculated that this digestive systememotional connection could be largely due to an organ

you’ve probably never heard of before – the mesentery.

For a long time, the roles of the mesentery had been speculated with little progress to actually proving anything.

Even Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings depicted it as a continuous structure in the 1400’s, however this wasn’t a widely accepted depiction until many years later. It is now widely accepted that the mesentery is, in fact, a continuous structure that all abdominal digestive organs originate from in a developing embryo.

In adulthood the mesentery becomes these organs’ primary connection to the rest of the human body. Despite these rather important roles, the mesentery was only reclassified as an organ in its own right in 2017, making it

the 79th organ of the human body.

Recent studies have shown that the mesentery and the vagus nerve (the nerve that sends signals between the digestive system and the brain and spinal cord) share an intricate connection.

Coffey speculates that this, coupled with the fact that the mesentery links so many parts of the digestive system together, means that the mesentery and vagus nerve together allow nerve signals to be sent from different digestive organs simultaneously to the brain, which could create an emotional response.

So, this gives us an explanation of how our digestive system can affect our emotions, but how can we tell whether our emotions are what’s making our stomachs growl (nor-

mally at the moment everyone in the room goes silent), or whether that growl is causing our emotions?

“

The mesentery and vagus nerve together allow nerve signals to be sent from different digestive organs simultaneously to the brain, which could create an emotional response.

The best place to start is to ask yourself ‘Am I hungry?’.

We’ve all had a few ‘hangry’ moments in our life where perhaps we’ve been waiting for our pasta to boil and snapped at our housemates just because the pasta isn’t ready the instant the water starts boiling.

In those moments, you’ll often find that as soon as you eat the red mist quickly clears

and you realise it was your digestive system causing those emotions all along.

If, however, you still don’t feel 100% after a quick bite to eat it’s worth asking yourself if you’re anxious or nervous about anything, even if it may seem like a really small thing.

This is an example of your digestive system listening to your emotions, and even what may seem like the smallest of feelings can knock it out of kilter.

So, the next time you’re not feeling yourself and you’re not sure why, remember it could be your digestive system trying to tell you something.

Grab a chocolate bar (or an apple if you’re feeling healthy) and, you never know, those unexplainable emotions may begin to fade away.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Science & Technology

30

Fixing our genes A look at the current status of gene therapy and where it may take us next Becky Sainty If you’re new to genetics, DNA acts like an instruction manual, giving our cells the information to make proteins; which genes are read determines how a cell will specialise. Every individual’s genome contains millions of mutations, but sometimes these mutations affect DNA’s instructions and can be linked to disease. Some diseases can be linked to a single gene but most are affected by many different genes.

The principle behind gene therapy is that we can change this DNA inside our cells and cure the disease. Gene therapy has been around for a while, with claims of success as far back as 1980. Thousands of trials were conducted before the FDA approved its first two gene therapies in 2017, for a rare inherited eye disease and a leukaemia treatment, and to date only five have been approved.

A commonly used method

is to package correct DNA inside a virus and put it into a patient. In theory, this enters their cells and the correct protein can be expressed, curing the disease. One problem with this method is that DNA does not fully integrate into the genome, so it degrades and the effects are short lived.

The invention of CRISPRCas9 has allowed advances in gene therapy such as inserting DNA directly into the genome, or even making specified mutations to correct patients’ own DNA. Unfortunately, CRISPR can also cause mutations elsewhere in the genome leading to unintended side effects. Despite this, the first trial using CRISPR is underway and this year reported that two people with betathalassaemia and one with sickle cell anaemia no longer need treatment. These are both well understood single gene blood disorders, so good candidates for gene therapy.

In this trial, the patients’ own

cells were extracted, edited and injected back. This means scientists can check the editing has worked before putting cells into the body, and the hope it that as the gene has been integrated, the effects will be permanent.

“

Should we target genes that have small effects, such as increasing the risk of breast cancer even though this may never have manifested?

Many cases have demonstrated that gene therapy can work, but current trials are still experiencing serious side effects, from immune responses to renal failure. A promising trial this year for X-linked myotubular myopathy, which causes severe muscle weakness, has delayed its plans to file for approval following three deaths. Our understanding of genetics is far from complete, and in this trial and others the reasons for success or failure are not

yet understood.

Another key concern around current gene therapies is the price. One of the first treatments to be approved comes at a cost of $850,000 per treatment and others are similar. It is still taking a long time to develop and trial these therapies. This makes it unlikely the cost is going to drop significantly any time soon, and so gene therapy may remain limited to those who can afford it or are able to be included in a trial.

Due to the current risks, trials have so far focused on diseases with a known genetic cause and with no current alternative. And as the technology improves however, our options increase. It is possible to start treating developmental diseases earlier and earlier to limit their effects. Many diseases can already be diagnosed in the womb, so could we start gene therapy before birth?

Most of our traits have at least partially been linked

to genes, so what we should consider ethical to ‘fix’ once we can? Should we target genes that have small effects, such as increasing the risk of breast cancer even though this may never have manifested? Could we improve any feature we disliked? There have been concerns raised already about athletes using ‘gene doping’ to improve their performance. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency banned it in 2018, it may not be easy to detect.

Gene therapy is an exciting and now realistic prospect for curing many serious diseases.

As the technology improves, many people’s lives could be improved. However, cost and availability are likely to continue limiting who can access treatment. In the future, it is unclear what the consequences of gene editing technology could be, and it will be important to monitor how and why it is being used.

Will the Playstation 5 be worth it?

Rob Barrie In the United Kingdom, November 19 shall see the release of Sony’s most recent iteration of one of their most successful products and indeed one of the most successful electrical products in the world. The Playstation 5 (PS5) will boast incredible next-generation graphics and will have such high processing power that the need for loading screens will be no more.

The Japanese company are releasing two versions: a conventional one with a disc drive (for £449.99) and one, in a world which is becoming ever more dominated by streaming, a digital version (with no disc drive that will retail at £359.99). When preordering went live, many of the sites crashed under the traffic of eager gamers ready to experience the future of gaming.

Outperforming the console it’s tasked with replacing is no mean feat. The Playstation 4 (PS4) has, worldwide, sold just over 100 million units. This is 60 million more than its competitor, the Xbox One, and led

to the PS4 having a 52% market share.

It was, and still is, a hugely successful console. Even in 2019, six years after its initial release, the PS4 outsold the Xbox One 3-to-1 worldwide.

Some experts predict, though, that the PS5 will outsell the Xbox Series X, Microsoft’s latest console, even more than its predecessor and, with this, corner even more of the gaming market than the PS4 held.

A pressing question, though, is will the PS5 be worth buying on release day itself? In truth, it’s a difficult one to answer.

Many game companies have already announced titles that will be available on release day for the PS5. Horizon Forbidden West (the follow up to the critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn) and SpiderMan Miles Morales (a spin-off from the marvellously majestic 2018 game Spider-Man) are just two games that will be available to play come November 19. There are plenty of other games from smaller indie developers too.

With the PS5’s eight core AMD Zen 2 (a hugely powerful processor), the PS5 will

altrairayon run these games effortlessly and they will, without question, look stunning. And with the most developed controller to date including haptic feedback and dynamic adaptive triggers, the playability will be more immersive than ever before.

The only hiccup is that some developers have made the decision to release their games on the PS4 too, alongside the PS5 copies. The decision to release the game on both consoles has split the fanbase.

Indeed, it has made buying the PS5 on release day slightly more redundant. There was the promise of PS5 exclusivity for these games for those who have pre-ordered the new console. They, however,

shall be playing games that will be available to PS4 owners anyway.

The latter group of people who kept their wallets stowed away have rejoiced, whilst the former, who bit the bullet and pre-ordered the console, have called out Sony for releasing a console that will have very few exclusive, console-specific games. This is in contrast to Microsoft who have supplied the Xbox Series X with a plethora of exclusive games.

Moreover, it is well known in the gaming community that it takes developers a few years after a console has been released to design their games that maximally utilise the console’s hardware. The

games in 2018, for example, on the PS4 were, graphically, head and shoulders above the ones designed in 2013 – despite the console itself being unchanged. It is fair to assume the same will apply to the PS5.

By releasing two versions, the games are being designed for two consoles with developers’ resources split between the two, as opposed to being optimised for the PS5. In this vein, the games released later this year and next - although looking better than their PS4 counterparts will look archaic when compared to the games of 2022 and beyond where developers will be designing games with eyes only for the PS5.

So, will the PS5 be better than the PS4 in November? Of course - great graphics and hardly any loading times. Is it better to the tune of nearly £500? Probably not. Thus, the safest choice, if you are still deliberating, is to probably wait a year or two until game developers have really understood what the PS5 is capable of. It is then that we shall truly see next-gen gaming.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Sport

31 Chiefs do the Double any shine being taken off.”

Just last year, the Chiefs had narrowly lost to Saracens in the

Max Kilham Sports Print Editor Director of Rugby Rob Baxter expressed his ‘relief’ as his Exeter Chiefs beat Wasps 19-13 to lift the Gallagher Premiership Trophy for the second time in ble.

a row against Saracens in a Pretheir recompense.

In a season blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been tough on all associated with rugby across the country.

Months of uncertainty has far from helped any of the teams across this league season. Ex-

Slade, along with four penalty kicks from Joe Simmonds saw Wasps side, who were coming off the back of a tough week in regards to COVID-19.

Considering Exeter were only 2010, their rapid rise has been remarkable. prising as it seems. The SouthWest is rugby mad. It is one of the few sections of the country where rugby may be more popular than football.

Considering this, maybe the surprise at their ascent is unwarranted.

The man who has masterminde d this transformation is none other than Rob Baxter.

During his playing days, Baxter played for the chiefs for 14 years at lock. For 10 of those years he was club captain.

In March 2009 he returned to the club and led them to promotion the following season.

Since that moment, the Chiefs -

to burst through this period of Sam Dredge

further success in the near future.

ers for major honours. They

-

mirable statistic.

On Saturday, it looked at times ous challenge to Exeter’s domisuperior ability this season.

As per BBC Sport, Baxter expressed his relief at full-time: “The biggest emotion right here and now is one of relief. I know that sounds strange when you win a competition, but I think last week plays a huge part in that.

“What I’m really pleased with more than anything else is that

trophies in the changing rooms because we need them both there because we can now celebrate last week as well as this week.

-

en the shine off that a little bit.

“What this allows us to do is to genuinely stop and pause and low us to actually now spend important the work these guys capable now of really enjoying

power winning has on future Sides that consistently reach the latter stages of their rewell-run organisations that can maintain their status at the top for extended periods. Take, for triots or the San Antonio Spurs.

This Chiefs team is now set up for sustained future success in the near future. With Saracent memory, being relegated to points deduction, future triumphs seem almost certain.

As for Wasps, they can hold their heads high despite their second loss to Exeter in a Pre-

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett was understandably disappointed at the outcome. As per Sky Sports he had this to say: “It’s pretty gutting. It’s a tough one because we’re gutted but at the same time we’re proud of the game.

“Things didn’t go our way at times, but our character and against a team who we know are so good close to the line.

I’m really proud of our character and right to defend our an opportunity with a couple of minutes to go but, unfortunately, we didn’t take it.”

Wasps were arguably the most dominant English team during the ‘noughties’, winning 4 Premiership Championships, including three in a row between 2003 and 2005 and This result will be a bitter pill to swallow, but things are pointing to a return to former success.

Meanwhile, the future is bright for the Chiefs. It’s hard to see who will stand in their way in both the Premiership and across Their bogey team, Saracens, will undoubtedly be back, but it remains to be seen if anyone else their perch.

Lakers and Lebron Make History Sacha Thomas

Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident that also took the life of 8 others, including his daughter Gianna. The Black Mamba was a

“…And I want my damn respect, too.” These were the words Lebron James uttered as he held his fourth Finals MVP trophy,

“

played his entire career with the organisation. Winning the Finals this year for Kobe was

Championship and Finals MVP with three separate teams.

Lakers, a lasting testament to his memory.

back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 winning

his

third

with

his

who surpassed all expectations as they made their way to

he has led the Los Angeles Lakers to glory after a decadelong drought after they beat the 17 th championship.

But Lebron wasn’t the only one to make history this year. After winning their 17 th championship, the Los Angeles Lakers matched long-time most successful franchise in throughout the playoffs and

this year, with Jimmy Buckets leading the charge, and with some great young talent such as

Alexandra Walt

defeated both the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks, led by

with the Lakers AD has already cemented himself as a legend of the organisation.

of the Finals was the Miami

the Finals this year, from January onwards it seemed as though it was destiny for the Lakers to take home the championship.

of Game 5. Butler was only the second player to lead in his team in points, assists, rebounds,

to the tragic death of Kobe

few years.

Lebron James has been scrutinised ever since he entered the league primarily due to the hype surrounding him; Sports Illustrated referred to him as “The Chosen One” when he was a 17 year old high school kid who hadn’t even stepped onto an NBA court.

So why does one of the most successful and decorated to demand his respect? Well, because Lebron James is

against a barrier exhausted,

Finals, after Lebron James in

smallest of reasons to discredit

balanced out by the annoying hailing him as the GOAT since Lebron

James

has

been

entered the league primarily due to the hype surrounding him; Sports Illustrated referred to him as “The Chosen One” when he was a 17 year old high Lebron

James

is

not

the

going to go down as the most complete basketball player of all time, being able to play from centre. Lebron James is not Michael Jordan. And that’s something this year that no other player has come close to, with multiple franchises. So Lebron diehards, remember, he’s still got what amounts to him and MJ. Lebron haters, show this king his damn respect.

The Badger 2nd November 2020

Sport

32 Jones vs Adesanya

Will Vo Deceased mothers, steroids and hit and runs aren’t the archetypal subjects of trash talk

distinct possibility.

the feud between undefeated

has out

blasted out Whittaker, pointed Romero and

team can come up with a plan to take away Adesanya’s distance

his peak and Adesanya is at punches when he attempted to

takedowns.

permeated into their discourse. that has worked well for him

often left him off balance. Whilst both men, it is important to

Adesanya, it is impossible to look

Costa and karate blackbelt Robert Whittaker, as well as his

with no where near the calibre of opposition or dominance of Adesanya.

Another factor has to be form. We don’t know when the it is impossible to accurately predict how both men will look competition between the two in

As

his

career

use his entry into the clinch as knees, and we can couple this

states that in matchups between

point in 2021, possibly 2022,

come to the conclusion that the

race into an early lead, possibly

safely than perhaps he felt he

his career, used his upper body

and that is a lot of miles on the clock in this sport, in terms of

by the naturally smaller man, contrary to popular belief. This

than Adesanya, and thus one

in insults between two elite athletes, no one can deny the unbeaten modern

opponents, approaches

known to

the

the most important aspect for

“

would equally not be surprised at a situation where Adesanya’s

Adesanya,

more risks in order to close distance.

picks

apart

stems from its unpredictability,

him impossible to rule out in

winner.

Firstly, his ability to adapt

to

Sports Print Editor

who

rebrand

the

club

into

usher in a fresh start for the new

trouble club. football and frankly all of football

on another helpless club.

in a lot sooner in the cases of their radar. for all this time speaks to the passion of the players, staff, and

Gareth Lyons money then he had to in order

2018, Alkadhi made no additional

owner Amar Alkadhi who frankly had no interest in the club and

and were accused of purposely club since Queen Victoria was

liquidation after the EFL found

liquidated as their owners simply

a bet they’d made back in Asia.

seemed lost, a hero came in and

one fan said, “he acted like it wasn’t his problem”.

On the 12 th of October,

till the last minute and then act

has put a bd in for the club but

that the clubs are more than just money machines, they are

Last year they were kicked out

of people in these towns, the

to be sealed as the National his hands.

This follows a pattern of his carelessness with the club as

as head of football in the hopes and staff were made redundant.

away a part of these people who held accountable for.