The Badger Second Edition (4/10/2021) by The Badger

BADGER

THE

ASASASAHVVHVHVH Official free fortnightly newspaper and for Sussex students· ·Printed Printed recycled paper · · thebadgeronline.com thebadgeronline.com · · 174September October 2021 Official free fortnightly newspaper byby and for Sussex students onon recycled paper 2021

#RECLAIMTHESTREETS

JUSTICE FOR SABINA NESSA Vanita Nowell Tracey Kidd Nelly Mustafa Zahiba BiJosephine Kaye Shadika Mohsin Patel Maureen Kidd Wendy Morse Nageeba Alariqy Elsie Smith Kelly Stewart Gwendoline Bound Ruth Williams Victoria Woodhall Kelly Fitzgibbons Caroline Walker Katie Walker Zobaidah Salangy Betty Dobbin Sonia Calvi Maryan Ismail Daniella Espirito Santo Ruth Brown Denise Keane-Barnett-SimmonsJ adwiga Szczygielska Emma Jane McParland Louise Aitchison Silke Hartshorne Jones Hyacinthe Morris Louise Smith Claire Perry Aya Hachem Melissa Belshaw Yvonne Lawson McCann Lyndsey Alcock Aneta Zdun Nicoleta Zdun Mandy Houghton Amy Leanne Stringfellow Bibaa Henry Nicole Smallman Dawn Bennett Hemma Marjoram Karolina Zinkeviciene Rosemary Hill Jackie Hoadley Khloemae Loy Kerry Woolley Shelly Clark Bernadette Walker Stella Frew Dawn Fletcher Deborah Jones Patrycja Wyrebek Therasia Gordon Esther Egbon Susan Baird Balvinder Gahir Lynda Cooper Lorraine Cox Suzanne Winnister Maria Howarth Abida Karim Saman Mir Sacharvi Vian Mangrio Poorna Kaameshwari Sivaraj Louise Rump Julie Williams Rhonda Humphreys Nicole McGregor Angela Webber Carole Wright Sarah Smith Ildiko Bettison Kimberley Deakin Marie Gladders Paula Leather Caroline Kayll Lauren Mae Bloomer Hansa Patel Helen Bannister Marta Vento Andreia Rodriguez Guilherme Joanna Borucka Azaria Williams Catherine Granger Eileen Dean Sue Addis Carol Hart Jacqueline Price Mary Wells Tiprat Argatu Christine Frewin Souad Bellaha Ann Turner N’Taya Elliott-Cleverly Rose-Marie Tinton Ranjit Gill Helen Joy Emma Roberston Nicole Anderson Linda Maggs Carol Smith Sophie Moss Christina Rowe Susan Hannaby Michelle Lizanec Wieslawa Mierzejewska Judith Rhead Anna Ovsyannikova Tina Eyre Katie Simpson Bennylyn Burke Samantha Heap Geetika GoyalImogen Bohajczuk Wenjing Xu List

Shone, ble

(2021),

‘List

UK at:

women

killed

men

the

year

ending

march

2021

in the last year read by MP Jess Phillips in Parliament’, The Yorkshire Post, 12 March. Availahttps://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/list-of-uk-women-killed-by-men-in-the-last-year-read-by-mp-jess-phillips-in-parliament-3163774

A Message From the Editor-in-Chief

The Team Editor-In-Chief Georgia Keetch Print Production Editor Jessica Hake Online Production Editor Robyn Cowie News Editor Rebecca Chitolie News Sub-Editor Jasmine Crowhurst News Print Editor Beth Pratt News Online Editor Maisie Levitt Features Print Editor Olly DeHerrera Features Print Sub-Editor Kristy Lai Features Online Editor Grace Dawes The Travel and Culture Print Editor Aishwarya Johnson Jogul The Travel and Culture Food Editor Libby Gissing The Travel and Culture Online Editor Mia Stuckey Arts Print Editor Molly Openshaw

First things first, to all those who find themselves reading The Badger right now- thank you! Our Editorial team works so hard to provide the University a newspaper that reflects the student voice. On a heavier note, you’ve probably already noticed our front cover. We have a duty as a media outlet with a large platform that reaches our entire student body, to bring to your attention issues that ultimately affect students. It is not okay that we find ourselves finding out about women, especially women of an ethnic minority, being murdered through Instagram. It needs to be headline news and it needs far more coverage than it is getting currently in the mainstream news landscape. It’s our job at The Badger to use our platform responsibly and diligently, so this front cover was especially important to us. Including Sabina Nessa, the 118 names of women* who were killed as a result of male violence in the year ending March 2021 need to be acknowledged as well. This stark reality has to be reported and needs to be addressed. Sabina Nessa and the other 118 women deserve more than their deaths to amount to an aesthetic infographic on Instagram. They were real and they were failed; that will never be pretty. Male violence is a systemic issue that we all need to evaluate our role within that. Working at a micro level within the University of Sussex, the results of the recent sexual assault/harassment survey conducted by Sussex Under the Sheets last academic year gave us a reality check. Statistics such as 71% of participating students being subject to a form of sexual harassment or assault; with 74% of these instances being between two Sussex students, highlight that Sussex is not exempt from this upsetting, yet very present, reality. Male Athletic societies such as Rugby, Sussex Snow and Hockey were specifically highlighted in this report. Although these were the most commonly mentioned, this is not a free pass to other societies to not make a conscious effort to hold themselves accountable. What also came to light as a result of this survey is just how little resources surrounding topics such as consent and harassment were made available to students via the University. 81% of students had never received mandatory training or sexual education and a further 87% had never had a university member signpost resources regarding sexual assault policies or education. As a result of this survey, I have made a new rule for The Badger. Sports societies will not be put in this paper unless they can prove that they have conducted consent training and have made a conscious effort to educate their society on these issues. This new rule I have instituted will be reoccurring every year during handover and will never be compromised. Furthermore, once consent training by the SU becomes accessible next semester, all editors will be required to take the class(es) in order to continue working at the paper. Thank you for reading this edition and please take some time to note on the back cover, #reclaim the streets *Shone, E. (2021), ‘List of UK women killed by men in the last year read by MP Jess Phillips in Parliament’, The Yorkshire Post, 12 March. Available at: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/read-this/list-of-uk-women-killed-by-men-in-the-last-year-read-by-mp-jess-phillips-in-parliament-3163774

Society Spotlight

Arts Online Editor Alice Barridale Music Editor Dylan Bryant

This issue we introduce you to Data Science Society, a large society on campus that has a large range of activities to offer returning students and freshers alike!

Film and TV Editor Emma Norris Issy Anthony

Theatre Editor Ali Arief Books Editor Saskia May Artist Focus Editor Éloïse Armary Comment Print Editor Sophie McMahon Comment Online Editor Simon Edwards Science and Technology Editor Rob Barrie Sport Print Editor Charlie Batten Sport Online Editor Ava Steed Sports Sub-Editor Will Vo

ata Science emerged as a discipline in the early 2000s and ever since it has become even more applicable to an increasing number of problems. It thrives on extremely large datasets, gathered even as we speak. As it grew it started to go beyond usual conventions, taking research methods from many different disciplines and emerging as a prime example of an involved interdisciplinary field. This field of research is being defined and shaped by current graduates, and we aim to bring together people that have an interest in Data Science and those who will soon go into this fascinating field of research. The society was started by a core group of the committee that shared a passion for interdisciplinary inquiry into Big Data. Last year was a challenging one and robbed many students of the opportunities you can find on campus. As many of the committee worked hard to find those opportunities, be it a Junior Research Associate or an Internship, we saw it as imperative to help others to find them and even create them if we can. We were officially revealed prior to the Freshers’ Fair. As a new society, we are still in the process of gauging the size of our committed members. We have a considerable number of postgraduate members in comparison to many other societies. The membership is free and gives access to our newsletter and community discord server.

The defining purpose of society is to advertise the opportunities offered by university, and to create our own. Sussex is a great place to find yourself surrounded by people with similar interests, while exposing you to the diverse range of the ideas on the cutting edge of research. Please

introduce

the

society

Data Science Society is an academic society for the interdisciplinary subjects involved within Data Science, such as machine learning, robotics, neuroscience and more. It’s a broad subject and a growing area in every industry, with ever expanding applications. Why should someone join the Data Science Society? Our society is perfect for people considering further study, or those who simply want to get involved in our extracurricular projects. With talks from PhD students, researchers and more you will always find something to inspire your future.

who wishes to gain skills that they can later apply in their own course. More talks from past JRA students, which is particularly interesting to those between year 0 and 2 who will still have the JRA opportunity ahead of them. We will have guest talks from current Sussex PhD students about their work and Q&As about what it entails to be a PhD student, so possible postgraduates can make an informed decision about their future. Students from any background and area of study are welcome to join us at the socials and events. What are some big things to look out for from Data Science Soc this year at Sussex? We plan to do a range of events, from socials and guest talks to a large Data Science event in the second term (this is in a very early planning stage). There are plans for a more immediate intro to robotics workshop, as that JRA project was a resounding success during freshers’. We will also soon reveal an exciting academic partnership! Stay tuned and follow our media for updates.

Tell us more about the students who can get involved, such as events, socials and activities

Facebook: @sussexdds

We plan to run workshops to give students the skills to do their own projects. This is very ideal to a student

Instagram: sussexdds

The Badger 4 October 2021

News

3 Man Charged with murder of London Schoolteacher

Connor Drescher Staff Writer *Trigger warning for male violence, violence against women and death* ributes to Sabina Nessa, a London schoolteacher, have continued to be left at a site in Pegler Square, where a vigil was held on Friday night which was attended by more than 500 people, including Jebina Yasmin Islam, the sister of Sabina. Sabina is believed to have been attacked after leaving her home around 8.30pm on the Friday evening. Her body was discovered in Cator Park in Kidbrooke on Saturday 18th

September by a passer-by. A third man has now been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of Sabina Nessa, the 28-yearold primary school teacher in South London, who was found dead last Saturday. Initially two other men were held on suspicion of murder, but later released under further investigation. Police had appealed for anyone with information about the case to come forward, while an ‘extensive trawl’ of CCTV footage in the area is still being carried out. Koci Selamaj, a 36 year old man, was arrested in Eastbourne following the

police investigation, and has now been charged with Ms. Nessa’s murder. Sabina was on her way to meet a friend at the nearby Depot bar, which police say should have taken ‘just over five minutes’ from her home, when she was attacked. A post-mortem carried out was ‘inconclusive’ according to police, and no further details relating to how she was killed have been made available. This has raised further concerns about the safety of women following the recent tragic killings of Sarah Everard, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, who were all attacked in public places by men they did

not know in recent months. Statistically, these occurrences are exceedingly rare; data from the ONS in 2020 showed that women only account for about a third of all murders, and only 13% of those are killed by a stranger. Research done by the Femicide Census shows that in the decade leading up to 2018, 1425 women were killed by men. This equates to roughly one killing every three days. Additionally, almost 1 in 5 crimes reported between April and September 2020 were domestic violence cases – a significant rise above pre-pandemic levels. Approximately 1.6 million women were

victims of domestic abuse last year, raising questions about the governments ability to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women more generally. Various campaign groups have rightly asserted that solutions which require women to alter their behaviour are not appropriate, nor should they be necessary. Instead they posit that there must be far greater education of young men about consent, female agency and masculinity within these contexts, with a view to addressing these problems at their source. Correct writing

time of (27/09/2021)

Texas Abortion Ban Ruling put to the Test for the First Time Online Production Editor Robyn Cowie brings us information on reproductive rights in America Robyn Cowie Online Production Editor

doctor in Texas has recently admitted to breaking the state’s new and deeply controversial law in regards to abortion and has been sued for it. This lawsuit is crucial in examining how lawful the recent statewide mandate on abortion shall be. Doctor Alan Braid wrote in an article for the Washington Post, published on the 19th of September, that he had carried out a termination on a woman who was in the early stages of her pregnancy but "beyond the state's new limit" of six weeks. The piece went on to allow Braid to explain why he had disobeyed the new law on abortion: “... on the morning of Sept. 6, I provided an abortion to a woman who, though still in her first trimester, was beyond the state’s new limit. I acted because I had a duty of care to this patient, as I do for all patients, and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care”. Former lawyers in Arkansas and Illinois filed lawsuits against him on the 20th of September and Braid can be sued for a minimum of $10,000. Texas’ new abortion law, know as Law S.B. 8, states a ban on all abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy. This is expected to limit about 80% of abortion which would have been performed in the

state. This law came into effect on the 1st of September 2021. Another tangent to this particular law being passed was the fact that it stipulates that any individual - from Texas or elsewhere - has the right to sue doctors who perform an abortion past the six-week point or any other individual who seemingly helps someone access an abortion over time scale. However, it does not allow the women who get the procedure to be sued. Texas’ new law makes no exceptions for rape or incest. Braid further stated, “I fully understood that there could be legal consequences — but I wanted to make sure that Texas didn’t get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested”. The passing of Law S.B. 8 is the latest in a recent trend across various American states over the past few years, which has been slowly chipping away at abortion rights within the country. Both abortion providers and prochoice campaigners alike are concerned that the new law is at odds with the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs Wade. A watershed moment for abortion rights in the United States, Roe vs Wade gave women the right to abort a pregnancy usually between 22 and 24 weeks, which is when the ruling stated a foetus is viable and able to survive outside the womb.

@Flickr @Flickr What makes so many people concerned is the current state of the U.S. Supreme Court and how it would rule on reproductive rights issues. Roe vs Wade was passed nearly half a century ago and the current climate of the court is by far the strongest since its passing, which could potentially revert the ruling. The Texas case was quickly presented to the highest court in the U.S., in the hope that the court would block its passing. However, in an unsigned

ruling backed by a narrow 5-4 majority, the court justices allowed the law to come into effect.The courts actions in regards to this particular case, it signals to many anti-abortion activists the courts supposed supportive position on abortion rights. This suggests that there is a functioning majority within the Supreme Court which, if a suitable case arose, would be able to scrap all the rights which the Roe ruling gave women nearly fifty years ago.

It is not yet known when this legal case against Braid shall be brought to court, but what is crucial about it is not the timescale of the case but how a state judge shall side, as this shall set a precedent for all other rulings with this new law. This particular ruling shall now give other states a clear view on how they too can restrict abortion, but shall also show those across the country and the world where America stands on reproductive rights issues.

The Badger 4 October 2021

News

Numerous hurdles force international students to face a delayed start at university Ritika Srivatsan Staff Writer

he impact of the pandemic on mental health could be fatal and wipe out years of progress if there is not a significant injection of cash, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said. Too many people have experienced loneliness during the multiple lockdowns that have been brought upon the U.K.. There has been a surge in the demand for psychiatrists this summer. The figures for June are the most recently available statistics and show the highest number of people in desperate need of treatment since records began. Approximately 1.5 million people received NHS mental health support in June, but extra funds are now urgently needed to help a further 1.6 million people waiting for mental health treatment after a year of isolation. Referrals for people of all ages have increased by 24%. Estimated life satisfaction among British adults has yet to recover with adults reporting depressive symptoms doubling from 10% to 20% after the start of lock-

down. Sampled anxiety remains above pre-pandemic levels. The government has promised an extra £2.3 billion a year by 2023 in the hopes that this will transform mental health services post-pandemic. However, the Royal College is calling for additional funds as the government is yet to take into consideration other issues such as the poor conditions of treatment buildings. Dr Adrian James, Britain’s most senior psychiatrist, has outlined that new mental health hospitals need to be built, outdated infrastructure needs to be altered and a large number of specialist doctors need to continue to be trained in order to provide high-quality care to support the already stretched services that are struggling to meet demand. A separate report has warned that a generation of children faces years of mental illness due to the Covid-19 pandemic with children from poorer backgrounds being at greater risk. Joseph Howes, the chief executive of the charity Buttle UK, said: “It’s clear that the pandemic has exacerbated some of the very challenging experiences that many children on low incomes were al-

ready facing and with it the level of trauma they are dealing with. The circumstances of the last 18 months are not allowing them to deal with this as they might have done.” In a new analysis, the disturbing toll of the pandemic is revealed as a record number of children and young people are accessing NHS services for their mental health. Nearly 200,000 young people have been referred in the past three months, which is almost

double pre-pandemic levels. Dr Elaine Lockhart, the College’s child and adolescent faculty chair, has said that “the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the nation’s mental health, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that children and young people are suffering terribly.” It has been mentioned that as a way of reducing the pressure on the NHS, schools should have plans in place to respond to students’ mental

health difficulties. But in order to do this, greater investment is needed during the rollout of mental health support teams. Siobhan Bryant, a senior child and adolescent mental health nurse working in the NHS, explained that children “need more than therapy or talking-cure interventions. They need mental health interventions joined with other vital government agencies in order to make effective changes to their lived experience.”

@BONARD

Urgent call to government to tackle mental health backlog Beth Pratt News Print Editor

health treatment after a year of isolation. Referrals for people of all ages have increased by 24%. Estimated life satisfaction among British adults has yet to recover with adults reporting depressive symptoms doubling from 10% to 20% after the start of lockdown. Sampled anxiety remains above pre-pandemic levels. The government has promised an extra £2.3 billion a year by 2023 in the hopes that this will transform mental health services post-pandemic. However, the Royal College is calling for additional funds as the government is yet to take into consideration other issues such as the poor conditions of treatment buildings. Dr Adrian James, Britain’s most senior psychiatrist, has outlined that new mental health hospitals need to be built, outdated infrastructure needs to be altered and a large

number of specialist doctors need to continue to be trained in order to provide high-quality care to support the already stretched services that are struggling to meet demand. A separate report has warned that a generation of children faces years of mental illness due to the Covid-19 pandemic with children from poorer backgrounds being at greater risk. Joseph Howes, the chief executive of the charity Buttle UK, said: “It’s clear that the pandemic has exacerbated some of the very challenging experiences that many children on low incomes were already facing and with it the level of trauma they are dealing with. The circumstances of the last 18 months are not allowing them to deal with this as they might have done.” In a new analysis, the disturbing toll of the pandemic is revealed as a record number

of children and young people are accessing NHS services for their mental health. Nearly 200,000 young people have been referred in the past three months, which is almost double pre-pandemic levels. Dr Elaine Lockhart, the College’s child and adolescent faculty chair, has said that “the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the nation’s mental health, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that children and young people are suffering terribly.” It has been mentioned that as a way of reducing the pressure on the NHS, schools should have plans in place to respond to students’ mental health difficulties. But in order to do this, greater investment is needed during the rollout of mental health support teams. Siobhan Bryant, a senior child and adolescent mental health nurse working in the NHS,

explained that children “need more than therapy or talkingcure interventions. They need mental health interventions joined with other vital government agencies in order to make effective changes to their lived experience.”

@nicepng

The Badger 4 October 2021

News

Climate change generational gap discovered to be a myth Amy Holden Staff Writer

ith over 100 UK cities, towns and villages experiencing school strikes and 18 year old Greta Thunberg becoming the face of the new climate change movement, it was widely-believed that there is a generational divide surrounding beliefs in climate change urgency and the importance of methods to prevent it further.

@flickr

However, a new study by New Scientist magazine and the Policy Institute at King’s College London shows this not to be the case, with the need for action being the majority-view of all age groups. At the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, Thunberg gave an impassioned speech that went viral, saying “You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you.” This speech, alongside the school strikes, empowered young people to stand up against climate change. Furthermore, a 2019 comment by Billie Eilish; “Hopefully the adults and the old people start listening to us [about the climate crisis]”, reinforced the idea that there was a generational divide and became a motivating factor for many young people to partake in protest. The belief in the gap was not only held by young people though, with 50% of all study participants believing that the generations differed in their opinions on the topic.

However, this new study suggests that all age groups are concerned about the future of our climate and all groups are willing to make changes to protect it. The study looked at 4 age-groups: Gen Z (people under 24), Millennials (25-40), Gen X (41-56) and Baby Boomers (57-75) and found that 7 out of 10 people from all the groups, believed that climate change and biodiversity loss justified major lifestyle changes. 74% of Baby Boomers and 71% of Gen Z supported lifestyle changes, with 68% of the former prepared to make said changes and 70% of Gen Z. Potentially more surprising was the result that 44% of Baby Boomers thought that the environment should be prioritised over economic growth, whilst only 24% did not. The survey also looked at boycotts by age group and found that older groups were more likely to have boycotted a product in hope of making positive changes: 31% of Baby Boomers, compared to 12% of Gen Z. Looking to the future however, the younger age

groups were found to be more fatalistic, with 33% of Gen Z thinking that changes would make little difference compared to 19% of Baby Boomers, although both these statistics show that the overwhelming majority believe that it is not too late to help the planet. Professor Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at KCL said “Parents and grandparents care deeply about the legacy they’re leaving for their children and grandchildren” and that the prominence of young people such as Thunberg, has created a

@RebeccaChitolie sense of ageism - that the study contradicts. It is important to note however, that in places such as the US, the generational gap is much larger, suggesting that there is still work to do. Whilst the young may be taking a more prominent stand and being some of the figureheads, the study shows that older generations cannot be discounted. Regardless of age, it is clear that for the vast majority, the threat to the planet is scarily real and something that can only be tackled by all age groups collaborating.

Remains found in search for missing influencer amid hunt for suspect fiancé Connor Drescher Staff Writer *Trigger warning for male violence, violence against women, death* BI forensic investigators announced via Twitter on September 21st that remains found near a mountain campsite in a Wyoming national park belong to missing ‘vanlife’ influencer Gabby Petito. FBI Denver made the statement that “Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito…the manner of death is homicide”. Petito had been travelling the country with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, in their Ford Transit van, and was last heard from on August 27th, in a text her mother called “strange”. On the 1st September, Brian Laundrie then returned home to Florida alone in the couple’s van and refused to speak to investigators or the Petito family, providing no information on the whereabouts of Gabby. Ten days later, Gabby’s

parents reported her missing. Since then, Laundrie’s parents have also reported him missing after he allegedly told them he was going hiking in a large nature preserve near his home in North Port, Florida on the 14th September. Police say that Laundrie’s parents did not report him missing until 3 days after they had last heard from him, prompting further speculation that he had gone into hiding.

“

Amateur detectives [have attempted] their own investigations into the case in the hopes of finding Gabby alive The body of Ms Petito, found near the Spread creek campsite in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, was confirmed as that of Ms Petito by FBI forensic investigators on Sunday, September 19th. The initial findings from the coroner’s report indicate that Petito’s death was indeed

homicide, though no further information regarding her injuries or cause of death have yet been released.

The FBI has now issued a federal warrant for his arrest, citing ‘use of unauthorized d e v i c e s ’

”

This marks a major milestone in the case that captured international attention on social media sites like Tik Tok, Instagram and Twitter, sparking a slew of internet sleuths and amateur detectives to attempt their own investigations into the case in the hopes of finding Gabby alive. Utah Police stated that they had been called on the 12th August to a domestic disturbance involving the couple in Utah after a witness called 911, saying they had seen Petito and Laundrie having a heated argument which led to Petito being locked out of their van after the couple

“

had allegedly become violent towards each other. Police body camera footage reinforce police reports stating that she was extremely distressed, citing mental health concerns and appearing to be deeply upset. Officers separated the couple, recommending they spend the night apart to calm down, but taking no further action as the incident was not deemed serious enough to press charges. Approximately two weeks later in the last contact between Gabby and her mother, Gabby said the couple were leaving Utah to head to the Teton mountain range where her body was later discovered. Laundrie had initially been named by investigators as a person of interest in the case due to presumably being the last person to see Petito alive, but had refused to aid in the investigation before disappearing himself. The FBI has now issued a federal warrant for his arrest, citing ‘use of unauthorized devices’ - referring to Brian Laundrie’s use of debit cards and bank accounts that do

not belong to him between August 30th and September 1st.

Many are speculating that he has gone into hiding in order to avoid being charged with Petito’s murder Many are speculating that he has gone into hiding in order to avoid being charged with Petito’s murder, while the FBI and local investigators are currently focusing their search on the nearly 24,000 acres preserve near to his home. They are also investigating reports of sightings as far away as neighbouring Tennessee, in the hopes of locating and questioning the 23-year-old, who at time of writing has now been missing for nine days. Correct writing

time of (27/09/2021)

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The Badger 4 October 2021

News

6 China’s “Lehman Brother’s moment”? Our Features Editor Olly DeHerrera writes on the current affairs regarding The Evergrande Group

Olly DeHerrera Features Print Editor

ecurity personnel formed a human chain outside the headquarters of China’s Second-Largest property developer, The Evergrande Group, on the morning of Monday 20th enraged investors attempted to gain access to the headquarters to demand a return of their invested money ahead of speculations that the company may soon default on its $300billion debt. The Evergrande Group is the 122nd largest group in the world by revenue, according to the 2021 Fortune Global 500 List. It grew to prestige out of two decades of property market boom in China with real estate sales at 16tn yuan ($2.5tn) in 2019, which is 10% of the country’s entire economic output – according to figures from Statistica. However, increasing governmental restrictions on land ownership and the borrowing of money, as well as a looming housing bubble, has left Evergrande struggling to repay its debts or interest on bonds. In 2020, Beijing brought in new rules to control the amount owed by big real estate developers, this

comes as part of Chinese Communists Party’s aims to tackle monopolies within the market. This mounting market uncertainty has seen Evergrande’s share price tumble by around 80% this year. Marketeers have dubbed the plumet a potential “Lehman Brother’s moment” for China, in reference to the former American Company, Lehman Brother’s holdings, whose downfall was depicted in the Oscar Winning Film, The Big Short. In 2008 the Lehman brother’s investment company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing bank debt of $613 billion and $155 billion in bond debt. The collapse of the company is widely accepted to be a major trigger in the 2008-2009 financial crisis and a global recession. The US government would quickly step in to bail out the company in order to prevent a potential total collapse of the global financial system. Fears were somewhat calmed when a midweek statement filed with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange announced Evergrande had reached an agreement with holders of the onshore bond over the repayment – suggesting that there would be internal efforts to manage the collapse of the company.

Evergrande also issued a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange saying that a significant drop in sales would continue this month, which was likely to further deteriorate its liquidity and cash flow. The company blamed “ongoing negative media reports” for affecting investor confidence, resulting in more decline in sales throughout September. Although many analysts have

refuted the concerns of another global recession, a default could still spell trouble for China’s economy and major trading partners. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Mattie Bekink told the BBC: “If Evergrande defaults, banks and other lenders may be forced to lend less. This could lead to what is known as a credit crunch, when companies struggle to borrow money at affordable rates.”

A credit crunch would be potentially devastating for the world’s second largest economy. When company borrowing is restricted, so is company growth and in some cases companies are unable to continue operating all together. Furthermore, this may also deter foreign investors, a fact that could have serious implications for an emerging global superpower and trade giant.

@FT

Labour Party conference 2021 News Sub-Editor Jasmine Crowhurst relays the annual Labour Party conference that took place over the weekend Jasmine Crowhurst News Sub-Editor

he Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton, which took place from Saturday 25th until Wednesday 29th September, featured

frictions of opinions within the party and controversy over the party’s choice of action. The Labour Party has voted to amend the rules governing how it elects leaders at its 2021 party conference. Disputes over these changes

show that friction continues within the party. Heated debates within the Labour party have continued to make headlines, whilst Sir Keir Starmer hopes to shift Labour's focus onto economic and foreign policies. Internal debates continue

to dominate the media’s coverage of the party, at a time where Starmer’s Labour should be promoting policies. Starmer presented the party’s list of reforms at the conference, the most noteworthy being a change in eligibility to stand for Labour leadership. Candidates standing for leadership must now gain 20% backing from Labour MPs, in a bid to ensure further stability and backing from the Parliamentary Labour Party after years of unrest in cohesion between leaders and the party’s respective Members of Parliament.

“

Sir Keir Starmer hopes to shift Labour's focus onto economic and foreign policies

@Sky

Starmer has previously tried to return to past methods by

attempting to reintroduce an electoral college – a system that had operated until 2014. This separated the proportion of votes cast at leadership elections into thirds, the Labour MP’s, local members and trade unions. However, as the proposals appeared likely to be defeated, Starmer’s supporters bargained for the 20% threshold to act as a gatekeeper for future leadership elections. Starmer commented that the changes were a ‘crucial step forward for the party’. Despite the reform passing, Starmer was met by criticism from the likes of general secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, who called the plans for the move, “unfair, undemocratic and a backward step’. If you have enjoyed this article please like, share and comment online! Or, if you want to get involved with the team come to our writers meetings!

The Badger 4 October 2021

News

FBI accused of failing to investigate Nassar abuse allegations Our News Print Editor Beth Pratt explains the the devastating effect of the FBI’s failure to properly investigate Larry Nassar abuse allegations Beth Pratt News Print Editor

n Tuesday 14th September, a US senate hearing was held, diving deeper into the Larry Nassar abuse scandal that cut through the core of the gymnastics community. The hearing was to highlight the FBI’s failed 2015 investigation into the case. The FBI is accused of failing to properly investigate allegations that Nassar was abusing athletes in his care. “Children suffered needlessly because multiple agents in multiple offices at the FBI neglected to share the Nassar allegations

with their law enforcement counterparts at state and local agencies,” Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said in prepared remarks before the hearing. Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor, is currently serving an effective life sentence after abusing athletes under the guise of medical treatment. A year after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1985, Larry Nassar joined the US national gymnastics team. According to a lawsuit, it was in 1992 when Nassar committed his first recorded assault but it wasn’t until 1997 when the first complaints about Nassar were received.

@CNN

These were then failed to be investigated further. Almost ten years later in August 2016, claims against Larry Nassar went public for the first time. By January 2017 eighteen women had filed a lawsuit against Nassar. Nassar had already admitted to molesting seven girls in his care by November. However, it wasn’t until a year later that Nassar was given a jail term of up to 175 years for sexually abusing athletes in his care. A total of 156 girls and women came forward to speak at the seven-day sentencing hearing in 2018, labelling themselves as no longer victims but survivors. Handing down the sentence, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina glared at Nassar and said: “I just signed your death warrant”. Intertwined within these lawsuits has always been an emphasis not only on the prolific child molester but on the institutions such as USA Gymnastics and the FBI that failed to prevent his behaviour. This summer, the Department of Justice’s Inspector General issued a devastating report that showed how allegations brought forward to the Federal Bureau of Investigation were largely discarded

at first. In the time between the initial complaints and when the FBI finally took action, Nassar sexually abused approximately 70 women and girls. This was most certainly brought to attention at the US senate hearing when gymnaststurned-survivors Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman told the Senate that their experiences had been downplayed. By initially covering up the investigation and failing to properly document evidence of Nassar’s crimes, the FBI committed second, additional harm against Nassar’s victims: “not only were they abused, but they were insulted and disregarded by those who were supposedly there to help them.” Simone Biles began her testimony with a quote from Nelson Mandela that: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”. After brief pauses when overcome with emotion before having to state Nassar’s name, Biles continued to express her concern: “I don’t want another young gymnast, Olympic athlete or any individual to experience the horror that I and hundreds of others have endured.”

“To be clear, I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse,” she said. “USA Gymnastics and the United States, Olympic and Paralympic Committee knew that I was abused by their official team doctor long before I was ever made aware of their knowledge.” McKayla Maroney explained that she told her entire story of abuse to the FBI in the summer of 2015, but it was not reported at the time and later documented inaccurately: “They chose to fabricate. They chose to lie about what I said and protect a serial child molester rather than protect not only me but countless others.” FBI Director Christopher Wray appeared at the hearing and admitted his agency had failed the survivors of Nassar’s abuse. “I want to be crystal clear: The actions and inaction of the FBI employees detailed in this report are totally unacceptable” he said. This systemic failure is not unique. Sexual violence is inadequately investigated all over the world and sex crimes are investigated less thoroughly than other kinds of violence.

Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle News Sub-Editor Jasmine Crowhurst illustrates the reorganisation of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet Jasmine Crowhurst News Sub-Editor

rime Minister Boris Johnson carried out a reshuffle of his Cabinet, firing his Education, Justice and Housing secretaries as he carried out a major reorganisation of his top team. This is the second time Mr Johnson has restructured his cabinet since he became leader of the Conservative party, succeeding as Prime Minister from Theresa May in July 2019. The last one took place in February 2020. Some of the big moves include Liz Truss to Foreign Secretary, the Tories' first woman in that role; Nadhim Zahawi moved from leading the vaccine rollout to Education - at the expense of Gavin Williamson - and Nadine Dorries stepped up from Health Minister to Culture Secretary. The roles of Home Secretary and Chancellor

remain in the same hands. Gavin Williamson, who attracted criticism over the botched grading of exam results and free school meal issues, has been sacked as Education Secretary. Robert Buckland has been sacked as Justice Secretary with Dominic Raab replacing him, having moved from the Foreign Office. Mr Raab faced both criticism and controversy recently, as there were calls for his resignation over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis. For some the changes to Raabs position in cabinet could be considered a demotion from his previous post as Foreign Secretary, yet he has gained 3 New roles as Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice. Liz Truss moves from the Department for International Trade to take the Foreign Secretary position previously held by Raab.

Nadhim Zahawi received a big promotion to Cabinet, replacing Williamson as the Education Secretary. Amanda Milling has been sacked as Conservative Party co-chair, just weeks before the Conservative party gathers for its yearly conference. Stephen Barclay has replaced Michael Gove as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for the Cabinet Office. Mr Barclay previously served as Brexit secretary under Theresa May and Boris Johnson - a position which became defunct when the UK left the EU. Annie Marie Trevelyan, the MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed, has replaced Liz Truss as International Trade Secretary. She returned after losing her place in the Cabinet when the Department for International Development was scrapped. Nadine Dorries, previously a minister for Health and Social Care, has been promoted

to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to replace Oliver Dowden, after she served as Mental Health minister. Oliver Dowden has been appointed Conservative Party co-chairman and will attend Cabinet as Minister. He replaces Amanda Milling and co-chairs the party with businessman Ben Elliot. Robert Jenrick has been

sacked as the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary and replaced by Michael Gove. Nigel Adams becomes Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office, having been Minister for Asia. Simon Clarke has been appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury and will also attend Cabinet.

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The Badger 4 October 2021

News

News Where You’re Not Georgia Keetch, Editor-in-Chief, along with Isaac Hallé, review some of the most interesting stories from across the country There’s nun’ to see here: Hull There are some things you just never expect to see – and one of them is a nun cavorting with a skeleton beside a graveyard. One baffled witness said: ‘Literally, she was stood at the cemetery on Spring Bank West opposite the turn off for Hymers school. She was dancing with a skeleton. Reports from the scene indicate someone was filming the bizarre incident just before 12pm. This could suggest it was part of a stunt or art project, although this remains unknown.

Croc Shock: Yorkshire ‘That looks like my garden,’ Nigel Holroyd thought as he woke to the news that a crocodile was on the run in his Yorkshire hometown…And he was right. His neighbour Sarah Jayne Ellis had gone to the press with a grainy image of the mysterious beast, now Croc’. The nurse took the picture of the 4ft ‘reptile’ in Nigel’s Garden before going to bed, shattered from her late shift at the hospital. But the good people of Castleford can rest easy once again – the mystery has been solved. ‘It’s just a plastic toy crocodile,’ Nigel told Metro.co.uk.

Rooftop Ronnie: Folkstone Ronnie the runaway pet iguana had to be rescued by firefighters after being discovered sunbathing on a pub roof in Kent. Emergency services scaled the heights of the boozer in Folkestone, where Ronnie was just getting settled in for an afternoon of relaxation, seemingly oblivious to his owner’s panic. The great escape to his local – which many humans may sympathise with on a Monday lunchtime – came via a nearby window from his home. The lizard appears to have sailed up the Ship Inn’s walls before finding himself the perfect spot to bask in the September sun

Badger Bonanza: Bighton Our fantastic Online Editor Robyn Cowie celebrated her 23rd birthday this Sunday on the 3rd of October. Filled with lots of friends and fun, this event was one not to be missed! With aesthetics to rival that of this year’s Met (not necessarily that impressive...) the birthday was carried out in true Cowie style, with adherence to maximalism and colour being two of the defining characteristics. Well, that and a lot of incredible fun!

Neighbour got nerfed: Buckinghamshire A care worker was left stunned after a neighbour called the police over his friendly ‘Nerf gun wars’ - so he bought more just to annoy them. Dan Scott moved into his new home Yorkshire Hull with his girlfriend last November and hi-jinks swiftly ensued with his new neighbours. Within weeks the selfprofessed ‘big kid’ got four other households on his road involved in the Nerf gun wars, where they ambush each other Buckinghamshire with foam darts. But the 25-year-old was stunned to find two police officers on his doorstep last month following reports of a ‘weapon Folkstone being fired’. Dan, from Brighton Winslow, Buckinghamshire, said: “One night one of the neighbours messaged me to say they were round at one of their houses. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “Officers from Thames Valley Police attended an address in Winslow on 14 August following reports of a weapon, believed to be an air rifle, being fired. “This was a routine response and words of advice were given to the individual and no further action was taken as there were no offences reported.” Its nerf or nothing.

The Badger 4 October 2021

Features

Guantanamo Bay: the men who remain Writer, Rhys Mather, reflects on the twenty-year legacy of abuse at Guantanamo Bay

Rhys Mather Writer *This article contains themes of torture*

n the 20 years since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, 779 prisoners have been detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay. Today, the New York Times reports that 39 men are still held there, only 11 of whom have been charged with war crimes. The remaining 28 have spent years, in some cases almost two decades without being told why they are there, what crimes they have committed or how long they will remain. Opened under the Bush administration in 2002 in the aftermath of the september 11th attacks, Guantanamo bay was used to detain “enemy combatants” in order to aid Bush’s war on terror; the bay was chosen because of its legal status as US territory in Cuba, meaning the US doesn’t have to afford detainees the same rights as prisoners detailed in the US. In the following decades the bay became synonymous with torture and human rights abuses. Navy defence lawyer, Charles Swift, calls Guantanamo “the legal equivalent of outer space”. Many Guantanamo detainees share the same stories of illegal imprisonment, torture and humiliation. Whilst detained at Guantanamo Bay in 2005 Mohamedou Ould Salahi wrote a memoir which

detailed his experience. During the early 90’s Salahi fought for the then USbacked Mujahideen group in Afghanistan and trained with al-Qaeda before returning home to Germany. Salahi was living in Mauritania when he came under the suspicion of US authorities, who claimed he had recruited the hijackers responsible for the September 11th attacks – Salahi was detained at Guantanamo Bay, where he eventually confessed to being involved in multiple attacks on US soil, including 9/11. But Salahi was never sent to the US for trial, his confessions were inadmissible, because they were given under torture. He was repeatedly subjected to the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” – he was beaten, waterboarded, deprived of sleep for days, held in stress positions and sexually humiliated. The repeated interrogations took a severe psychological toll on Salahi, The New Yorker published the account of former Guantanamo Guard, Steve Wood: “Wood heard sounds that reminded him of a child having a nightmare. He walked into the sleeping area and found Salahi lying in the fetal position, shaking. No adult in Wood’s life had ever looked so frightened and so vulnerable. He gently held Salahi’s shoulder, and said, “Everything’s O.K.” Salahi shook his head, and clicked his tongue in disagreement, but refused to speak. The next day, Wood

pressed him to talk about the episode, but Salahi wouldn’t elaborate. He just said, “Dude, they fucked me up.” Esquire reports that in 2010 Salahi filed Habeus Corpus proceedings, the right to protest illegal confinement, and the US government retracted all claims made against him. He wasn’t released until 2016, after more than 14 years. He was never charged with a crime. Salahi’s memoir, “Guantanamo diary” was published in 2015 and later adapted into a film called “the Mauritanian”. He now lives in Mauritania with his family. The US government’s justification for treating detainees this way falls under the ongoing ‘war on terror’, a military campaign launched in the wake of 9/11 with the goal of weakening terrorist organizations to prevent further large-scale attacks. The Taliban and al-Qaeda group within Afghanistan were targeted, and when the Taliban refused to extradite Osama bin Laden, the US invaded Afghanistan with the purpose of dismantling al-Qaeda. Many men captured by US forces found themselves in Guantanamo, according to the department of defence over 200 Afghans were detained there, and several remain today. One such was Muhammad Rahim al Afghani who, according to the Miami Herald, has been detained since 2008. Despite over a decade of imprisonment Brigadier General Mark Martins says Rahim being prosecuted for war crimes

@Victoria Pickering - Flickr

@PXHERE is unlikely. Another example is Haroon al Afghani, an Afghan who has been at Guantanamo for over 14 years who has never been charged with a crime. The United States has often been criticised for the treatment of Guantanamo detainees, according to the OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) in January 2021 UN human rights experts had this to say: “Guantánamo is a place of arbitrariness and abuse, a site where torture and illtreatment was rampant and remains institutionalised, where the rule of law is effectively suspended, and where justice is denied ……. The very existence of this facility is a disgrace for the United States and the international community as a whole. Guantánamo should have been closed a long time ago,”. There have been attempts to close Guantanamo Bay, President Obama notably tried to shut down the facility multiple times but was blocked by congress. On the topic, Obama had this to say: “given my administration’s relentless pursuit of al-Qaeda’s leadership there is no justification, beyond politics, for congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened.” With the war in Afghanistan over and Osama bin Laden long dead, calls to close the facility become increasingly notable. Afterall, several of the men in Guantanamo are prisoners from a war that has ended. According to Reuters, earlier this year President Biden launched a review of Guantanamo with aims of closing the bay, on September 23rd,

2021 NPR (National Public Radio) reported that the Biden administration published a contract to build a migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay. Guantanamo is stubborn, refusing to close its doors even after the reason for keeping them open is gone, the name conjures images of systemic abuse and neglect, and in the end, Guantanamo is a largely fruitless endeavour. The CIA admits it’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” produced no actionable intelligence. The Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture states that: “The CIA’s use of its enhanced interrogation techniques was not an effective means of acquiring intelligence or gaining cooperation from detainees.” “The CIA’s justification for the use of its enhanced interrogation techniques rested on inaccurate claims of their effectiveness.” “The interrogations of CIA detainees were brutal and far worse than the CIA represented to policymakers and others.” “The conditions of confinement for CIA detainees were harsher than the CIA had represented to policymakers and others.” The horror of Guantanamo has been widely published and acknowledged by the US government themselves, with Obama callously remarking “we tortured some folks” during a 2014 White House press conference. Its difficult to rationalise and justify the continued existence of Guantanamo Bay, but the US seems to have no plans of closing its doors anytime soon and for the men that remain there, there’s no telling when they will be released.

The Badger 4 October 2021

Features

Don’t Lose Your Way

Writer, Andreas Lange, interviews seasoned rambler, Reuben Hawthorn, on the importance of public access to nature Andreas Lange Writer

he sun peeks in between the green leaves swaying faintly in the warm September breeze, the calm hum of bees working to collect the season’s last remnant of honey is faintly heard in the background as I thread my way between different plants and flowers. For a moment it may seem like I was taking a walk through a lush national park, however, today the garden of Brighton based Reuben Hawthorn, or ‘Bach’ will do just fine. Reuben, a 37 year old Self Employed carpenter who grew up in an environmentally self-sufficient commune in West Wales, spent his upbringing outside, climbing trees, exploring rivers, chopping wood.

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A little more than three years from now, the deadline for registering historic footpaths in England and the UK will run out. As a self employed carpenter, one might say his world hasn’t changed too much when it comes to the woodwork part of his life; and residing in Brighton for the past 20 years, nature hasn’t been unattainable as he is still an eager kayaker, biker of the south downs, and ,like many residents of Brighton & Hove, an avid hiker. In some ways one might even say his life is

quite the same as his upbringing, but nothing lasts forever. In January 2026, a little more than three years from now, the deadline for registering historic footpaths in England and the UK will run out. A deadline that were set out by the British government in the 2000 Countryside and Rights of Way Act. Which means that footpaths and bridleways existing before the 1941 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act came into place and haven’t been put on definitive maps by January 2026, will vanish. When that day comes, the public are in danger of losing access to 49 000 miles of footpaths and bridleways, research from Rambler has found.

“Every bit of nature we have here needs to be protected and looked after.”

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“Losing that would be a tragedy really, as for the routes I take when I’m walking I can guarantee some of them are not registered, but they are quite clearly routes.” Reuben says and continues, “The large problem in Sussex is actually land ownership. You can’t just roam in the same way you can in the hills and the peak district, the lake district or in Wales. Every bit of nature we have here needs to be protected and looked after.” And this is what Rambler, “a charity whose goal is to protect the ability of people to enjoy the sense of freedom and benefits that come

@UN DESA

@AndreasLange

from being outdoors on foot.” is pushing back against. Rambler has set out with their campaign, Don’t lose your way, a project having so far engaged more than 3000 people and more than 96 000 miles have been searched, discovering 49 000 miles of unregistered footpaths and bridleways in Wales and England. But with 2026 fast approaching the likelihood of registering every pathway is growing slimmer. In a world of growing urbanization, Reuben is worried about the possible consequences of less access to nature by effectively having the rights to use unregistered historic public footpaths revoked, should they fail to be registered in time for the 2026 deadline. “As society becomes more and more urbanized I think that the break between nature and society is becoming larger really, we really need to maintain this link I think. If people are going to look after the world, they need to appreciate it and if people only grow up in cities and don’t enjoy nature then the chances are, the future generations are not going to be caring as much.” For now the future increase in urbanization and city living is not about to stop anytime soon, as a 2018 report released by the UN forecasts that 68% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050, a 16% increase from today’s 55%.

And with city living, in some instances, being “associated with higher rates of most mental health problems” according to research done by the Centre For Urban Design and Mental Health, it’s fair to say that access to nature is of paramount importance to human beings,. A 2015 Stanford study found that “people who walked for 90 minutes in a natural area, as opposed to participants who walked in a high-traffic urban setting, showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression.” Something Reuben has similar views on and experience with: “Growing up in a rural area helps but I do think nature is important for people’s mental health in all sorts of ways, the exercise, the calmness. I would be unhappy without it and it’s always been a part of my life.” Reuben points at the importance of maintaining the historic footpaths, which is important from a climate perspective as well.

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For now, Ramblers are in the process of advocating for a postponement of the 2026 deadline “I commute to work offroad, I see more and more people doing that, with an electric mountain

bike.

Bridleways

and footpaths in the country-

side suddenly become totally viable ways of commuting, which is fantastic if you’re on a bike because you’re no longer stuck with all the diesel and petrol fumes and the risk of getting run over when you are out into the countryside. It takes almost the same amount of time for me now to get to Lewis offroad as it does riding along the A27 which is miserable, you know with electric transport i can see the sort of bridleways, there may be a resurgence in use of them, not just for leisure, but for commuting.” For now, Ramblers are in the process of advocating for a postponement of the 2026 deadline under the following reasons - with more details outlined in their online briefing: “Lack of additional resource to assist the voluntary sector” “Delay to commencement the Deregulation Act.” “Lack of time to review and improve processes.” of

“Local authority resource” I have retreated back into the sunny Brighton streets and Reuben is heading off to the open access areas of Western Wales for the weekend. A visit to his place of upbringing and nature freedom, a visit he may have to do more often after January 2026. What the future holds however, is a journey not yet traveled.

The Badger 4 October 2021

Features

Stolen Masterpieces and where to find them Features Print Editor, Olly DeHerrera, explores the stranger-than-fiction world of Art Theft Olly DeHerrera Features Print Editor

rt theft plays a much more prominent role in the making of art history than some security guards may be willing to admit. Publicity around the twoyear hunt for the stolen Mona Lisa helped propel the painting to its modern-day status, whilst many other famous and priceless paintings have had lesser-known eras of missing status. In early 21stC, the American FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) estimated art theft to be worth between $4bn-$6bn a year, making it the third biggest illegal trade behind drugs and arms. INTERPOL’s Cultural Heritage Crimes division hosts a stolen art database compiling police certified information on 52,000 stolen works of art. In 1990, the shocking case of the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum Heist, the most expensive heist in art history, brought the subject of modern art theft to international focus. In the early hours of March 18th 1990, two men posing as police officers gained entry to the New York based museum and took just 81 minutes to loot $500 mil-

lion worth of art. Among the paintings stolen were Rembrandt’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee and ‘The Concert’, one of only 34 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer. Professional and amateur detectives alike have been baffled by several aspects of the case, including the burglars’ choice to leave certain, more valuable, paintings as well as stealing two, rather innocuous, items from the collection- including the bust of an eagle from a Napoleonic flag. None of the art stolen in the heist has yet been recovered. Art theft and the public fascination around it has been the subject of many blockbuster movies, such as 1995’s ‘Night Watch’ starring Pierce Brosnan, and 2014’s, all-star cast, ‘The Monuments Men’. However, the reality of life as a stolen painting is often a lot less glamorous. In the modern era of art and surveillance technology, stealing, or indeed selling, art is a much more difficult game than the popular ‘theft-bycommission’ trope depicted in James Bond’s Dr No. So how does art theft pay? Sometimes it doesn’t. In an interview with The Atlantic, Robert Wittman, founder of

FotoGuy49057 - Flickr

the FBI’s art crime team and author of the memoir Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures, explains the pitfalls of a career in art theft: “criminals who do these jobs, these heists, are good thieves, but they’re terrible businessmen”. He continues, “they read in the newspaper about the growing value of paintings and the new records that are set every year by Cézannes and Picassos, and then they think that they can get a payday by going out and doing a heist”. It is for this reason that many stolen paintings end up sitting in secret locations or being passed around by criminals who feel the heat from police and public investigation. It is within this art theft limbo that many missing masterpieces are thought to be trapped. One such example is the missing Vincent Van Gogh painting, The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen, which was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum near Amsterdam in the early hours of March 30th 2020, whilst the gallery had been closed following Coronavirus restrictions. The thief had been observed via CCTV using a sledgehammer to smash through the front door of the museum before fleeing with two paintings. By strange coincidence, the theft occurred on the wouldbe 167th birthday of Van Gogh; this fact lead museum director, Jan Rudolph de Lorm, to declare to the gathering press that he had been left “incredibly p*ssed off”. According to the Guardian, Dutch art detective Arthur Brand was able to retrieve two “proof of life” photos of the Van Gogh painting. Brand stated at the time that the photographs had been “circulating in mafia circles”. In September 2021, a conviction for the theft was made using DNA trace evidence, however the paintings remain missing. It is also the case that paintings may be stolen for ransom, as in the case of the 2005 theft of Eduado Munch’s ‘The Scream’ from the National Art Museum in Oslo. The thieves initially demanded between £3m and £5m from the Norwegian government, but feeling the pressure said they would settle for £15,000. Soon after, sev-

eral men were arrested, and the painting was recovered. Many works of art have also been stolen to make ideological statements. On August 21st 1961, Francisco Goya’s Portrait of the Duke of Wellington was stolen by a retired bus driver. The painting had been bought by the British Government for £140,000 (equivalent to £3,139,281 in 2019) – in order to keep the painting from being sold to an American collector. The thief then sent a ransom note to Reuters, demanding a donation matching the painting’s cost be made to charities concerning the elderly, with a specific interest in free TV licences. The request was declined, and the painting was voluntarily surrendered 4 years later. Also within the ideological lane, the infamous Arbeit Macht Frei (work sets you free) sign which hangs above the entrance to Auschwitz concentration camp has been the target of theft multiple times, the most recent theft occurring in 2010 by a Swedish Neo-Nazi leader. The sign has since been replaced with a replica for its safety. The period in which the art is missing or unaccounted for creates legal and ethical issues in validating its return. In the same interview with The Atlantic, Wittman acknowledges: “What they [art thieves] don’t understand is that the value of art is dependent on three things: authenticity, provenance -- the history of the art -- and legal title. Those are the things that really do create the value”. Stolen works often change hands several times before resurfacing, leaving subsequent possessors in the dark about their provenance. In November 1998, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum co-hosted the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. Delegators from forty-four governments and thirteen non-governmental organizations participated in the conference. Following the Washington Conference, the Association of Art Museum Directors developed guidelines requiring museums to review the provenance of their art collections, focusing on identifying art stolen by the Nazis. The National Gallery of Art in Washington identified more

than 400 European paintings with gaps in their provenance during World War II era. Between the intrigue of decades-long police investigation and the excitement of Hollywood block-busters, the billion dollar world of art theft can be also strangely underwhelming in many ways. When Maurizio Cattelan’s £4.8m golden toilet, titled “America”, was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019, the artist himself hailed the thieves as “great performers”. Art Detective Christopher Marinello takes a more cynical view of the events, in an interview with The Guardian he notes: “They almost certainly did not steal it for its art value. They stole it for its metal value. That leads me to believe it was just common thugs who knew enough about plumbing to remove it.” Art theft truly challenges the limits of the notion that art is a participatory thing. For some masterpieces, art theft proves truly devastating, for others it is simply part of the complex history of our wonderful fascination with the form. Still missing: Jan and Hubert van Eyck The Just Judges, panel from the altarpiece, St Bavo, Ghent. Stolen 1934 Value: unknown Jan Vermeer The Concert. Stolen March 17 1990 from Isabella Steward Gardner museum, Boston, US Value: priceless Rembrandt van Rijn The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. Stolen March 17 1990 from Isabella Steward Gardner museum, Boston, US Value: priceless Vincent van Gogh Le Saule (The Willow Tree). Stolen May 1999 from a bank in Holland Value: £5m J.M.W. Turner Shade and Darkness - Evening of the Deluge, and Light and Colour - The Morning After the Deluge 1843. Stolen July 28 1994 from an exhibition in Frankfurt Value: £10m Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) Rest on the Flight to Egypt. Stolen January 6 1995 from Marquis of Bath’s estate, Wiltshire Value: £5m

The Badger 4 October 2021

Agony Owl

14 Sobriety and Flatcest

Welcome to this week’s Agony Owl, and oh boy is it a hoot and a half this issue! Dear Agony Owl, since starting Uni, I’ve found it hard to get involved with my friends going out as I don’t drink or do drugs, so I feel awkward. How can I enjoy myself as a sober person without feeling left out. Sara (not real name) It’s not uncommon for people to maintain sobriety in their life, for religious reasons, recovering from addiction, or even just because it doesn’t agree with them. When many around us are using alcohol and drugs, which is definitely often the case at University, especially in first year, it can be hard to feel on the same wavelength or even included with peers but this doesn’t need to be the case necessarily. Often it’s our own beliefs about a situation which limit us. If we think we can’t enjoy the company of others by remaining sober whilst they aren’t, then it’s likely we will reflect that belief in our behaviour. These attitudes can go both ways too, it’s possible that some people may have limiting attitudes to people who don’t drink or do drugs as less fun or with less in common with them. These are assumptions which can be challenged and broken with a little effort.

Maybe you dance like nobody’s watching on a sugar rush? There’s no reason why the social lubricating effects of alcohol and drugs can’t work in the favour of the sober. Engaging conversations and exciting evenings can still take place as a sober person among non-sober friends. If you remain present and involved, matching the energy levels of those around you appropriately, I don’t see why you and your friends can’t have a great time in each other’s company. I’ve personally found clubbing quite challenging if I’m even close to sober. Feeling comfortable enough to dance can be tough and it’s too loud for a chat so for some to soberly enjoy an evening, there is a degree of strategy which must be employed towards knowing what you can and can’t effectively engage in. A pub night may suit you perfectly, maybe you dance like nobody’s watching on a sugar rush, it’s unique to each person and is

learnt through experience. For some sobriety means even being around people using drugs and/or alcohol is a no-go. Fortunately for those in this situation there are various societies and activities at the University which are actively drug/drink free and can be found easily online. Finally it’s worth mentioning that there may be some people who do create barriers to friendship with those who are sober, through their own beliefs and behaviours. If you do find yourself having to choose between sobriety and a relationship, it clearly is not a relationship with enough mutual respect to be worth further pursuing. The same goes for anyone attempting to push you towards drugs or alcohol after your refusal. University is a place where we push our boundaries as individuals however it’s always ultimately your choice not others, to decide where your boundaries lie. Pressuring repeatedly is a red flag in most contexts and having the courage to say no when you feel unsure and backing your own decisions is a real strength and a virtue worth exercising. Dear Agony Owl, I fancy my flatmate! I just moved to campus and I am developing a strong crush. I know everyone says it’s a bad idea but I’m hoping they like me back. Any advise? - G A tale as old as time… The ‘Flatcest’ thing is a cliché for a reason I suppose. We’re only human so it’s natural when mixed up at University, romance will be on the cards for some living together. Part of my concern with this G, is that you say you’re ‘hoping’ they like you back. For me, I feel it’s often not too difficult to discern whether someone you’re talking to is interested. There are exceptions but I think it’s pretty ingrained evolutionarily to sense flirtation/romantic interest. Maybe that will change but there is still the issue of living together.

for all involved. Also, if you end up losing interest maybe you find out they like pineapple on pizzathen no harm done, bullet dodged.

What but love can cause such obsession and heartache? Relationships with people you live with is obviously a risky business. The emotional fallout of a relationship can create real tensions in the case of a breakup. Making anyone in the flat uncomfortable is something best avoided for the sake of peace on planet earth. Do what you want ultimately, I’m just an owl in a newspaper, it’s your life. Some people make it work, I’m sure some people even married their flatmate. But be careful, realistic, and respectful. It’s notoriously a bad idea, probably because 99% of times it ends in problems. Maybe you think you can be friends with benefits however, it’s very difficult to separate sex/romance from emotions. What but love can cause such obsession and heartache? If you can make it work, more power to you but I’m sceptical. There’s plenty more people outside your flat too, trust me. Take the time to understand the situation and your emotions more clearly, get to know your flatmates more as you would normally and broaden your horizons outside the confines of your accommodation. I’m sure in a couple of weeks your perspective will be much clearer. Owl

Joke

the

week

This is probably the best one so I’m sort of robbing my future material here but screw it What is the difference between a sniper with bad eyesight and a constipated owl? One shoots but can’t hit, the other Hoots but can’t shit. ...you’re

MENTAL HEALTH

CONTACTS

MIND 03001233393 WWW.MIND.ORG.UK

SWITCH BOARD

STUDENT LIFE CENTRE 01273876767 WWW.SUSSEX.AC.U K/STUDENTLIFECEN TRE/

welcome.

If you end up losing interest - maybe you find out they like pineapple on pizzathen no harm done

If you have anything going on in your life that you think The Badger’s resident Agony Owl can help you out with feel free to drop us a message on instagram or facebook!

Given that we don’t know whether there is even mutual interest in this situation, I recommend first that you keep this quiet, especially within the flat. This is because if these feelings aren’t mutual, you’ll save the possible awkwardness

Disclaimer: Birds cannot receive professional qualifications so do not treat Agony Owl’s advice as such.

03003300 630 WWW.SWIT CHBOARD. ORG.UK

BEAT 08088010677 WWW.BEATEATI NGDISORDERS. ORG.UK/

SUSSEX GP 01273249049

SAMARITANS 116123 WWW.SAMARIT ANS.ORG

WWW.UNIMED. CO.UK

The Badger 4 October 2021

Travel and Culture

A Quick Guide to International Living in Brighton Tillie Lam Staff Writer

ow that you get your UK telephone number, GP and a UK bank account, you may wonder, “How and where do I get my food for my self-catered accommodation?” If this is your first time living in the UK, and a quarantine has stopped you from learning about the basics of Brighton, we got you covered. T

If you are in a hurry, a train will be the best option for you. With an addition of a 7-minute walk from the Library Square to Falmer Station, in 10 minutes you will find yourself travelling from trees and bushes into the heart of Brighton. Do get yourself a round-trip ticket in Falmer station if you consider buying groceries near the city centre. Not only does it save time but also a bit of your money. If you consider yourself a regular passenger of the train, you may want to get yourself a 16-25 Railcard via the National Rail website. This is going to save you quids if you travel around by train. However, the train does not cover many areas of the city, so buses may be your lifesaver when it comes to getting around Brighton. A single journey on the bus may be pricey for some, so do get the Brighton & Hove Bus mobile app prior to taking the bus. You can buy a bus saver ticket on the app, then travel around Brighton and Hove by bus for as many times as you want in your designated duration. Route 23, 25, 25X, 28, 29 can get you from Falmer Station bus stop to Brighton city centre within 30 minutes, with 25 to Old Stein the most commuted bus route of Sussex students. Riding a bicycle may be good for both your body and

environment, but not so much for the bicycle itself when you have a bulky bag full of groceries with you. Leave cycling with your friends next time when you want some companions to explore the city at your own pace. N e c e s s i t i e s Grocery runs are a must-do when you live in a self-catered accommodation, but some may find it hard to make their choice clear as the UK has many brands of supermarket to offer. Depending on your budget, ASDA, Co-operative Food, Morrison, Tesco and Sainsbury’s should work for most students, whereas Iceland is worth visiting too if you are looking for frozen food or discounted family pack ice cream. If quality of food is a major concern for you, Waitrose and M&S would be feasible choices even if their products are priced slightly higher than their counterparts. Unfortunately if you are tight on budget, no-frills supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl will be your best friends. Quality of products may vary, but they do have attractive deals. Most of these supermarkets have membership or loyalty cards to apply for, you can use them to get discounts or special offers while saving some money for your budget. Do you miss your home cooked dishes, but have no idea where to find the exact ingredients? Try hunting them down in supermarkets with a target ethnicity. Asian supermarkets in Brighton include Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino supermarkets. Turkish, Halal and Polish supermarkets are also available in Brighton and Hove. If you are looking for home supplies like power boards or lightbulb, Poundland and Robert Dyas should do good. As a dollar store, Poundland also has some range of sanitary products, but

@RobBarrie for a more complete collection of items you should go and check Boots and Superdrug. As temperatures are changing with season, you may realise you have not brought enough winter clothes with you to the UK. In this case you may want to go to TK Maxx or Primark to get some affordable winter garments, hoodies or sweatshirts. If none of them fits your taste, do check out small shops throughout the city. W

@RobBarrie

Not much pays attention to this delicate detail, but in fact much of the East and Southern England runs on hard water, and Brighton is no exception. Hard water is high in minerals, specifically in calcium and magnesium. Which means if you boil or drink tap water directly, you will find either unwanted residue in your kettle or a slight metallic taste in your cup of water. Large bottles of distilled or natural mineral water seems like a quick temporary solution, soon you will find yourself wasting money on buying water, tired of dumping plastic bottles into the recycle bin once per few days, or you start to feel

guilty about hurting the Earth with excess plastic products. So in the long term why not invest in a water filter jug? Just pop the water filter cartridge into a specially designed jug, and you get a decent and less odoured supply of water. Be aware that you need to change the filter every month, yet depositing a plastic-made cartridge once per 28 days sounds a tad more environmentally friendly than throwing out a plastic bottle once per 72 hours. If you cannot get them in a major local supermarket, you may want to find them on the internet. British

slang

Have you ever eavesdropped locals on the Brighton streets but had no idea what they were actually talking about? Here are a handful of beginner British slangs and phrases to help you make things easier, especially when you talk to your British counterparts. Mate - Friend, acquaintance Alright? - “How are you?” Give somebody a bell Call somebody on the phone Pint - Informal saying of alcohol or alcoholic drink

Chips French fries Crisps Potato chips Rubbish - Equivalent to garbage and trash in American English That’s rubbish “I don’t believe you!” Quid - A British pound Fiver - A five pound note Tenner - A ten pound note Bloody Very Tad A little bit Dodgy Suspicious, shady, sketchy Bonkers Someone who acts silly or crazily Gutted - Sad, disappointed Pissed Drunk Fancy a cuppa? - “Would you like a cup of tea?” Not my cup of tea - Not of someone’s interest, or something that did not bring pleasure to one Piece of cake - Easy, not a big deal As you get the hang of the Brighton basics, you are encouraged to further explore the city, whether on your own, with friends or family. There might be a coffee shop or art gallery waiting for you to discover them! Whilst at Sussex, may you enjoy and make the most out of the harbour city of Brighton.

The Badger 4 October 2021

Travel and Culture • Food

Welcome to the food section of Travel and Culture in The Badger! This issue Gemma Higgins took over the section and brought us a fanatstic recipie of Fresher-Flu-Curing curry and a saliva inducing pizza review. Enjoy!

A slice of a Italy in the heart of Brighton Gemma Higgins Staff Writer

alling back into university life not only means organising the TV licence, joining societies and counting the number of 9 am lectures you have in the hope there are as few as possible; it also means catching up with friends you haven’t seen since before summer, and what better place to do just that than at Fatto a Mano, an Italian restaurant that specialises in pizza and calzones, nestled in the heart of the North Laines. The restaurant itself is one of three situated in the Brighton and Hove area, the other Brighton restaurant located only a ten-minute walk away from the North Laines on London Road. Fatto a Mano is the perfect stop off for lunch or dinner, situated among the array of independent shops and stalls, as well as being only a stone throw away from the train station, Pavillion and Theatre Royal Brighton, the last of which happened to be our next stop after finishing our pizzas that night. If you’re unable to experience their dine-in option, to which you can sit either inside watching

the chefs prepare your authentic Italian meal, or outside, relaxing and soaking up the hustle and bustle of Brighton, Fatto does also offer a take-away option, ideal for those late-night study sessions or as the perfect hangover cure! Having sat down and handed the menus, we were taken aback by how reasonably priced the food was. With starters ranging from approximately £3 for olives or Campania fries, up to £10.50 for an antipasto platter, perfect for sharing with the entire table, there’s certainly an appetiser suitable for everyone’s student budget. The mains too, were not only generous in their selection, but cheap and cheerful too, commencing at £6.50 for a Margarita pizza and increasing up to £11.50 for the Calzone Piccante which includes spicy minced pork, salami, Neapolitan broccoli, gorgonzola, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. We were also given a special menu that had an array of further meals to choose from; the selection differing on the time and day you wish to visit. As evident from the picture, the Neapolitan pizzas not only looked delicious, but were also

remarkably generous in their size, arriving piping hot and tasting so light but filling - quite simply, they were delicious! I personally chose a classic Margarita, whilst my friend chose the Diavlo (perfect for spice lovers), both of which we highly recommend! Also notable were the alternatives for those with dietary needs, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options all available, ensuring no one in the house misses out! To accompany our meal, we chose a bottle of Rosé. There were a range of soft and alcoholic drinks, all of which were also suitably priced alongside the food, although the cocktail list was slightly disappointing with there only being four to choose from, hence opting for wine as our alternative. The service we received whilst there from beginning to end was so highly commendable. With zero wait time despite Fatto not taking bookings (walk-ins only), to the heart-shaped pizzas we were presented with (see picture), the staff’s attentiveness and friendly personalities only elevated the experience,

making Fatto a Mano a mustvisit restaurant whilst you study here in Brighton. You may not be able to travel to Italy at present, but I can assure you this restaurant is the next best option! Overall, Fatto a Mano is certainly somewhere I, as well as the hundreds of people online, would

recommend visiting, whether that be with course-mates or house-mates for a relaxed, cheap and cheerful evening. Having been listed number 4 out of 33 restaurants in Brighton, the Neapolitan restaurant situated in the heart of Brighton is a slice of Italy you do not want to miss out on!

@Gemma Higgins

Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Lentil Curry Gemma Higgins Staff Writer

easons you’ll love this dish:

•

This recipe is a one pot, quick, easy, filling and nutritious meal perfect for lunch or dinner, able to be created on a student friendly budget. This recipe also happens to be dairy free, gluten free and vegan, so perfect for everyone and their dietary needs within the house. This recipe is able to be batch cooked and frozen, making it an ideal recipe for busy student life and sitdown house group meals.

•

Prep Time: 5 Cook Time: 25 Total Time: 30 Servings: 6 Calories: 341

Pixabay

•

minutes minutes minutes People kcal

I n g r e d i e n t s • 1 Onion Finely chopped • 3 Cloves Garlic Crushed

• • • • • • •

1 inch Ginger Fresh, finely chopped 700 g Butternut Squash (Cubed) 400 g Cauliflower Cut into small chunks 100 g Red lentils Dried 1 tin Chopped Tomatoes approx 397 g 400 ml Coconut Milk Handful 150 g Curry Paste (Approximately half a jar) 1 tsp Salt

Before serving: • 2 tsp Garam Masala • 2 tbsp Mango Chutney • Fresh mint or coriander I n s t r u c t i o n s Firstly chop up and prepare all of the main ingredients (see recipe notes). Secondly, put all the main ingredients together into a large saucepan. Now cook the main ingredients over a medium heat for 25 minutes (or more if you would like it to be more soft in texture), checking on the curry and gently stirring

throughout the given time. Before serving, add the garam masala and mango chutney to the pan. Next, it is suggested alongside the curry, rice and naan bread are also served. Finally, sprinkle a pinch of the finely chopped mint or coriander on top for garnish. Recipe Notes 1. You can use onions, garlic and ginger that are pre-prepared and frozen to make this meal even quicker 2. When preparing the buternut squash slice approximately two centimetres off each end before then peeling it using a vegetable peeler. Stand the squash upright and chop it straight down the middle. Now, using a metal spoon, scrape the seeds and the pulp from the cavity of the butternut squash. Finally, lay each half of the squash down before cutting lengthways and then widthways in order to create cubes.

The Badger 4 October 2021

Arts • Music

Sea Girls perform at CHALK: A review Music Editor Dylan Bryant talks us through his experience seeing the amazing band ‘Sea Girls’ perform live at CHALK earlier this past month Dylan Bryant Music Editor

ince being rescheduled due to the pandemic, the anticipation for this gig was high and my +1 ticket was in demand, making me very popular with friends and fellow editors! After a impressive festival season including sets at TRNSMT, Reading & Leeds and Latitude, Sea Girls headed to Brighton on Tuesday 21st September to perform their set of indie rock bangers. The band opened the night fittingly with ‘Transplant’ - the opening track from their debut album ‘Open Up Your Head’ which charted at Number 3 on the Official Albums Chart and reached Number 1 on the Official Record Store Chart. Singing the lyrics – “the music’s so f*****g loud” set the scene for an energetic night of singalong indie pop anthems. One thing is for sure, Sea Girls know how to write an energetic catchy chorus and the theme of the night was fans belting out the lyrics to every song. Even with the lesser known tracks, by the end of the song, the crowd was word perfect. Fans also clapped along to the drumbeats and many knew the backing vocals and screamed these just as loud as the lyrics themselves. The level of support the band had was extraordinary and it was clear many had been waiting a long time for this night. The energy from the band was

@DylanBryant matched by the atmosphere which filled the room and Rory Young, the lead guitarist danced and jumped his way throughout the evening while producing screaming indie pop solos which the crowd embraced. An impressive moment from the band was when the band played ‘Shake’ from their debut album ‘Open Up Your

@DylanBryant

Head’. Whilst it’s obvious the band are more than capable of writing dance driven indie bops perfect for festival stages such as, ‘All I Want To Hear You Say’ and ‘Violet’; this song showed the bands versatility and room for growth. Opening with a powerful bass line and drum beat, resembling Pixies’ iconic ‘Where Is My Mind?’ the crowd head-banged throughout and enjoyed the slightly heavier sound of this track, which was carried by the addictive grooves of bassist Andrew Dawson and drummer Oli Khan. The band closed the set with a fan favourite ‘Damage Done’. Contrary to the lyrics “I don’t really wanna dance”, the crowd did the opposite and jumped with their hands in the air, giving it everything they had. With the band expecting an encore (which can be seen from the setlist); their fans demanded they return to the stage. This made for a special moment as lead singer Henry Camamile came back with his acoustic guitar to sing a solo of ‘You Over Anyone’. This really showed his talent as a vocalist and the crowd fell silent during the performance and in particular, when he sung the lyrics “I don’t give a sh*t” as a falsetto. A 15-song strong setlist became 16 when the indie rockers decided to play their unreleased track ‘Home’ as a

result of their fans’ support. A truly special ending to the set, with front man Henry Camamile half-joking/half serious asking for fans to put their phones away “so the song doesn’t get leaked”. A perfect example of his casual and relaxed rapport with the crowd. Sea Girls closed the night with ‘Sick’, the leading single from their highly anticipated new album ‘Homesick’ which is being released 14th January

2022. This was a perfect end to the night with its nostalgic driven lyrics and dancy feel. Below is the QR code for the playlist for this issue of The Badger! This is a new venture for The Badger as we see us expand to the brand-new frontier of Spotify. We see, in our first published QR code playlist, a specific focus on our Music Editor’s experience at Boundary; however, like and follow to see what we create next!

The Badger 4 October 2021

Arts • Music

18 Boundary Festival Review Brighton’s biggest festival is back and better than ever

Dylan Bryant Music Editor

fter a year off due to the pandemic; Boundary Festival returned on Saturday 25th September for, (as promised) the biggest 2021 party in Brighton and the anticipation for the fifth edition of the oneday festival was palpable. Stanmer Park was home to multiple stages and hightech sound systems, lighting displays and an impressive line-up featuring the likes of SHY FX, Wilkinson, Sonny Fodera and Andy C. With the music heavily based around the House and Drum & Bass genres, I could hear the shaking and reverberations of heavy bass lines and big drum beats as I approached the arena, before becoming part of the predominantly student crowd; who were heading for the various stages. The first act that I watched was Wilkinson. Having cemented himself as one of the biggest and most successful acts in dance music, with massive hits such as ‘Afterglow’ and with over half a billion streams, this wasn’t a set

to be missed and the crowd were full of energy as he made his way through his set of massive club anthems. The mixing and production were flawless, and the atmosphere was electric. In high spirits, I made my way over to the House Tent for Purple Disco Machine. With his impressive catalogue of feel good club hits such as ‘Hypnotize’ and ‘Fireworks’ the crowd were jumping and dancing about, clearly enjoying being back. Mixing upbeat grooves and poppy bass lines, the reception was incredible. A highlight was when he played a remix of Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams’ which the crowd adored and then Earth, Wind & Fire’s iconic song ‘September’. After a long, unrecognisable introduction, the anticipation was high and when the audience finally got it, Contrary to the disappointing weather forecast, the sun came out, which made me one of the smug ones, as I had remembered my sunglasses, which came in handy as I finally queued for a beer – finally because the card machines were faulty earlier in the day. Beer in hand, sun shining and overall a great festival

vibe, it was time for some sing along bangers. Hardy Caprio was the act who provided exactly this. Flying the flag high for Croydon and establishing himself in the Grime, Rap and Garage scene with big hits such as ‘Best Life’, ‘See Nobody’ and ‘Unsigned’, the crowd welcomed his ‘Special Guest’ set.

“

There were cheers of appreciation filling the tent The

energy

carried

throughout the remainder of the festival with huge sets spread across the 4 stages, with SHY FX being a personal favourite. Armed with hits such as ‘Gold Dust’ and ‘Roll The Dice’, the crowd were up and jumping throughout his set and a special moment was when he played ‘Call Me,’ which with its slow and soulful introduction, inspired the crowd to light up the tent with their phones which looked pretty special from side stage. With the festival coming to an end, fans made their way to their choice of either Sonny Fodera

or Andy C. A hard decision but nonetheless, a perfect ending to a festival season that just a few months ago, no one was sure was even going to happen.

I could hear the shaking and reverberations of heavy bass lines and big drum beats

”

A massive thank you to Boundary Festival 2021 for an amazing day of music. and an immense line up.

@Dylan Bryant

She’s ‘One In A Million’: The Return of The RnB Princess Emily Hyatt Staff Writer

n August 5th, 2021, Blackground Records announced that Aaliyah Haughton’s complete discography would be available for streaming. After twenty plus years of agony, fans will be able to indulge in Aaliyah’s albums. Whether it’s on Spotify, iTunes or on vinyl, her fans will be able to appreciate Aaliyah’s full discography. Aaliyah Haughton, also known as Aaliyah, is an iconic figure from the 90s and early 2000s music and film scene. At the age of 15, Aaliyah rose to fame after the release of her first album, ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number’. The album was a monumentary RnB piece as it intersected the silky, soul symphonies with the bassy bounce of Hip Hop. Additionally, the album gained controversy as it was produced by and featured R. Kelly. Fortunately, Aaliyah parted ways with R. Kelly and was later produced

by Timbaland and Missy Elliott. These collaborations developed Aaliyah as an artist. They illustrated the versatility of her voice and the work she contributed as well. Aaliyah also had a successful career in film. In 2001, her life ended abruptly, due to a plane explosion in the Bahamas. At the time, she was only 22. Prior to the re-release, fans only had a handful of songs to appreciate, with the majority being from her first album. In order to obtain her newer hits, Aaliyah’s popular singles were imputed on Film Soundtracks and Playlists. Thus, music lovers were able to appreciate singles such as ‘More Than a Woman’, ‘Are you That Somebody?’ And ‘Try Again’, at the cost of the wacky album covers of ‘IT’, ‘Next Friday’ and ‘Dr. Doolittle’. Unofficially, fans would post Aaliyah’s unreleased albums on YouTube. This meant that fans could only cherish the albums at the expense of other organisations profiting from the Ad revenue and the views from the music videos.

Along with the release of Aaliyah’s albums, ‘One In A Million’ and ‘Aaliyah’, Blackground Records opted to distribute the soundtrack of ‘Romeo Must Die’ onto all streaming services. ‘Romeo Must Die’ is a modern-day, Hip Hop version of Romeo and Juliet. Not only does it star Aaliyah, but she massively contributes to the film’s soundtrack. The soundtrack features artists such as Destiny’s Child, Ginuwine, Joe and DMX, who also feature in the film. Even though this film has mixed reviews, the soundtrack is highly anticipated as it highlights the mixture of subgenres in hip hop as well as showing the smooth transitions of RnB into Hip Hop. Even though Aaliyah is dubbed as a Soul, RnB singer, her songs such as ‘Come Back in One Piece’ and ‘Are You Feelin’ Me’ have an underground Hip Hop flare to them. This establishes Aaliyah as an artist who can’t be put into a box. The versatility of Aaliyah has allowed her to massively shape the current RnB scene.

From her classic crop top and baggy pants look to her sultry makeup looks, Aaliyah’s style is still admired and replicated by artists like SZA, Kehlani, Rihanna and Normani. In particular, Normani has massively been inspired by Aaliyah. Normani’s performances heavily mirror Aaliyah’s highly choreographed music videos. Especially Normani’s recent VMA’s

performance of her new single, ‘Wild Side’. Not only is the song produced by Timbaland but it samples Aaliyah’s track, ‘One In A Million’. Aaliyah i s a massive inspiration to artists and has impacted the way that artists perform, sing and look. After twenty years, her albums are still charting and her legacy lives on forever.

@WikipediaCommons

The Badger 4th October 2021

Arts • Film and Television

Candyman (2021) review Be His Victim...again! Georgia Keetch Editor-in-Chief *Spoilers for both the 1992 & 2021 Candyman films* ith an incredible screenplay and elegant Cinematography, the recent Candyman film is an excellent addition to the Franchise. Alongside horror genre heavyweight Jordan Peele, Nia DaCosta is at the helm of this supernatural slasher which explores themes such as gentrification & race. The film is a faithful modernisation of the cult horror classic of the 1992 “Candyman”; which served as both a springboard and inspiration to DaCosta. DaCosta earnestly re-defines and develops Candyman as an expression of fury against systemic racism in the era of #BlackLivesMatter. The scene is set in modern-day Chicago where artist Antony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) lives with his girlfriend and art Gallery Director Brianna (Teyonah Parris). Whilst living in an apartment built upon the site of the old Cabrini-Green Neighbourhood, which has been mostly torn down, Antony takes a look around to get out of a self-confessed creative rut after Brianna’s brother Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) mentions the urban legend. During

a research photoshoot in the derelict neighbourhood, Antony meets local worker William Burke (Colman Domingo) and is given more context about the urban legend that at this point in the film is becoming increasingly terrifying. Fascinated by the tale, Anthony decides to create an art exhibit around Candyman. Per the official premise, Anthony is “unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.” Anyone who has seen the original film will likely guess Anthony’s connection to it. The performances are terrific across the board, and DaCosta strikes a nice balance when it comes to the requisite gore by using it sparingly. Just as often, the violence occurs off-screen, at a distance, or in the reflection of a mirror, thereby avoiding the blood-soaked monotony of your average slasher film. Above all, DaCosta and Peele have created a compelling story that explores how urban legends rise out of traumatic injustices; how those traumas continue to haunt communities over generations; and how the victims of those injustices can be turned into monsters by

the stories we choose to tell. As Helen Lyle posited decades before, creating the narrative of Candyman was how the residents of Cabrini-Green tried to make sense of the senseless. It’s not a coincidence that, in DaCosta’s film, Helen has attained her own local lore: the cautionary tale of a white woman who went insane,

committed several murders, and kidnapped a baby before burning to death in a bonfire. Verdict- (in bold) This modern-day telling brings the slash-a-thon into a more progressive era. The first hour of Candyman does a bang-up job of mixing such audience-teasing popcorn thrills with trenchant, if

sometimes too flatly stated, social critique. But by the last half-hour, there are so many themes, plotlines, and flashbacks in play that the movie’s message becomes muddled, and the forward momentum slows. This film illustrates that DaCosta is a young filmmaker that shows incredible flair and has undeniable potential.

@Indiewire

The ultimate comfort shows for surviving uni Emma Norris and Staff Writers TV and Film Editor

hree of our staff writers share with you the show that helped them to survive their first years of university; the comedies that are truly binge-worthy, chick-flicks that will make you cringe but offer you a strange sense of comfort and dramas that will serve as the ultimate escapism from the stress of university. Staff Writer Maycee Rogers: The Gilmore Girls is the ultimate comfort tv show. Between its nostalgic trends of the early ’00s and the autumnal aesthetic, this show feels like a warm hug and cup of coffee being passed through a screen, and it is pure escapism from the real world. I first discovered the Gilmore Girls during my second year, and it was the best discovery I made that year. It was the perfect show for the days when

I just wanted to curl up under a blanket with a cup of tea and forget all about the stress and awkwardness of online lectures and seminars. It’s fuelled with witty, fast-paced dialogue, quirky characters, and thousands of pop-cultural references that will have you laughing and cringing all at the same time. As with every early coming of age show, there is, of course, the relatable nerdy heroine, love interests and heartache - and with Rory, we go through the lot! This show ended up becoming my comfort blanket. With its binge-worthy seven seasons, it kept me company throughout a rather strange and unpredictable year. And for that reason, the Gilmore Girls will always hold a special place in my heart! Staff Writer Bonnie Price: Although perhaps a controversial choice, the show that pulled me through my first years of university was most

definitely Lena Dunham’s Girls. Girls is an American comedydrama series set in New York City which focuses on the lives of four cisgender white girls in their mid-twenties. I mention these particular features about the four women because I do not intend to brush over the fact that Dunham’s show predominantly focuses on a group of girls who are characterised by their entitlement and inherent egotism. Am I convincing you to give it a try yet? If someone asked me to briefly describe Girls, I would probably pitch it as having a dysfunctional Sex and the City kind of vibe; but to me, this is what makes it so watchable. During the show’s pilot, Hannah, the main ‘protagonist’, begins by telling her parents “I think I might be the voice of my generation.” Whilst this statement is inevitably inspired by the opioids in Hannah’s system, the seriousness in which Dunham

delivers this sentence makes you want to simultaneously laugh and cry in embarrassment. One of the reasons as to why the show appeals to me so much is due to its exploration of failure. Dunham manages to create an array of characters who are incredibly easy to hate due to all of the foolish actions they make, yet overtime I found myself somewhat rooting for them as they navigate through life and try to at least be better than before. During my first year, I think this acknowledgement and acceptance of failure was what I needed to make me feel more hopeful about my own little life that I was starting at University. Staff Writer Emily Hyatt: It’s hard to have a comfort TV show when all you do is Netflix binge. But, Some Girls would have to be it. Some Girls is a British comedy about four girls in Sixth Form: Viva (Adelayo Adedayo), Amber (Alice Felgate),

Saz (Mandeep Dhillon) and Holly (Natasha Jonas). The comedy revolves around how the four best friends tackle their messy social lives and is my comfort show because of how easy it is to binge; each episode is only 30 minutes long, making it perfect to watch on study breaks! I grew up watching Some Girls and so watching the show now makes me feel very nostalgic, especially as the show features songs such as “Not Fair” by Lily Allen and “Earthquake” by Labrinth, a fun throwback to the early 2000s. Generally, all my friends can agree that Some Girls is the ultimate comfort show as it’s effortlessly funny. It’s one of those classic shows that everyone wishes never ended. From Saz’s sarcasm to Holly’s violent outbursts, everyone can relate to the main characters. If we’re not laughing at the characters, then we’re drooling over Viva’s sexy boyfriend, Rocky.

The Badger 4th October 2021

Arts • Theatre

SUDS: Getting Involved, Auditions, And Excitement What’s Going on with Sussex University’s Drama Society Ali Arief Theatre Editor

ussex University’s well known, well-loved and highly popular Drama Society (SUDS) is reopening with a bang and I am so excited to announce that they will be opening auditions for their current Autumn productions on the 30th September to the 1st of October. Many societies throughout the pandemic have been the target of having to adapt and overcome the restrictions put in place for public health, and being a Drama Society, it should come as no surprise to hear that the society would’ve taken a hit during one of the most hard-hitting years for the Arts sector. That didn’t stop the society from theatre making however, with many creators putting their

own work online for the student body to access and enjoy. After joining The Badger as Theatre Editor back in 2020, I spent many hours watching live streams to review and report on the latest Theatre and Drama news from my bedroom desk. Seeing live Theatre was impossible, and I was so unbelievably excited to get back into Theatres to see productions once more. It truly was an experience I took for granted. Supporting our student run Theatre company is a cause which I believe all of us at Sussex should follow, and I cannot wait to see what this society puts on for us all this year. Throughout the course of this year, I am pledging to keep up to date and to see every production that SUDS puts on this year, and I will do my utmost best to report each one. I would encourage anyone who is inter-

ested in the Arts to try to see as many SUDS productions as you can, as I’m sure there is going to be plenty to watch this year. I would highly recommend checking out their Facebook page for more information on how to join, and the society is available on Instagram and Twitter as well. SUDS will be putting on plays and productions as well as putting on a whole host of workshops to get you trained up in Theatre and Drama,

mornings so there is something for everyone to get involved

with. All of this is accessible via the society’s Facebook page.

“

if you’re looking to get started with acting, directing or becoming a technician. There will be no lack of opportunities to meet other Theatre lovers too, SUDS will be hosting a whole range of socials including nights out and coffee

Why We Don’t Need a Princess Diana Musical Ali Arief Theatre Editor

n the 1st of October, an absolute lesson in complete distaste is going to hit your Netflix account overnight. Unless you’ve been living underneath a royalty free rock for the past two years, you will know Princess Diana, the memory, not the person, is back into the media zeitgeist with a zeal. It first started when Netflix released their cinematic masterpiece ‘The Crown’, with up-and-coming Emma Corrin starring as Diana. The Crown’s portrayal of the deceased former Princess of Wales felt refreshingly realistic. We saw a portrayal of Diana that was empathetic, yet critical. In essence, we saw Diana as a human being rather than a heretic traitor, or an angelic martyr. After the release of The Crown, it seems as if Diana mania is back from the 90s. Kristen Stewart will be playing Diana in the up-and-coming movie ‘Spencer’ which shall be released in UK & Irish Cinemas on the 5th of November, and in the interim, there will be a Princess Diana musical released on Netflix titled ‘Diana’ which will also have its own Broadway run to go with it. Forgive me for being crass, but I absolutely despise the idea of this. It’s not because

I’m not a musical person, admittedly I am, however this musical is leaving a funny taste in my mouth. Whilst I’m aware that musicals can be made from anything these days (See ‘NHS, The Musical’ and ‘Human Centipede: The Musical') I feel as if there has to be a limit somewhere. I believe depictions of Diana’s life are extremely necessary. For those unaware, Diana Spencer married into the British Royal Family when she was only nineteen, and from that point on was attacked, stalked and hounded by the press until she was killed in a car accident whilst driving away from paparazzi. The tragedy is a horrific reminder of how incessantly evil the British tabloids can be, and I truly believe that the more people hear of her story, the better. Hence why the portrayal of Diana in The Crown was so effective, a lot of the episodes where focused on her struggle with the press and how she navigated her public life being the wife of a future King, whilst also wanting and striving for her own sense of individuality. Whilst ‘The Crown’ was focused on some areas of her personal life, we also were given an extremely accurate portrayal of she dealt with being constantly in the public eye. I’m hoping the film ‘Spencer’ will do the same. This musical seems to be

doing the exact opposite. Intent on retelling the scandalous infidelity of her marriage with Prince Charles, the musical seems to be relying on camp theatrics, ballads and shocking scenes revealing Diana’s battles and struggles with self-harm, suicidal thoughts and bulimia. Of course, musicals can appropriately deal with these themes, Spring Awakening comes to mind. However, with the extremely cheesy Broadway bells and whistles, I can’t help thinking that this musical is going to be everything that Diana was trying to get away from. Broadway seems to be following on a certain trend, with movie genre releases such as Frozen and Moulin Rouge! Getting their own stage adaptions, it seems as if the current flavour is nostalgia. I am concerned that this level of nostalgia would be like reliving a collective trauma and is only exploiting her story not celebrating her life. Even though I am extremely critical of this musical I do intend to watch it when it has its Netflix release. I fully intend to watch it and give it a review just to see how tasteless and tone-deaf Broadway can be, or perhaps I will be surprised at how they handle this extremely delicate subject matter. Whilst we do not need this musical, I do believe that it serves as a direct example

of how not to portray her story and the tragedy that befell her. The memory of Diana’s

personal life needs to be laid to rest. It’s time we focus on what was a leading factor in her death.

@WikipediaCommons

The Badger 4th October 2021

Arts • Books

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Review Saskia May Books Editor

ublished as a ‘biomythography’, Zami (1982) is Audre Lorde’s only novel. Loosely based on her childhood in New York in the 1930s and 40s, and her experiences as a Black lesbian in America in the 1950s, this is a book that seamlessly combines myth, biography, and history, to tell a tale like no other. Whilst Lorde, selfdescribed as a “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior poet” is better known as a poet, activist, and essayist as opposed to a prose writer, with prose so beautiful and expressive, it is hard not to fall in love with this novel. ‘I was gay and Black’, Lorde writes in Zami, a novel which is, above all else, an ode to intersectionality. The term intersectionality was coined by professor Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, in her legal article, ‘Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics’. For Crenshaw, intersectionality is about how multiple identities – race, sex, gender, class, disability, sexual orientations – overlap - in addition to the ways these identities relate to systems of privilege and oppression. Black women, such as Lorde, often ‘experience double-discrimination, the combined effects of practices which discriminate on the basis of race,

and on the basis of sex’. ‘The intersectional experience’, Crenshaw argues, ‘is greater than the sum of racism and sexism, and any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner in which Black women are subordinated.’ Recalling how impossible it is ‘to be liked, to be loved, to be approved’, when as a ‘black fat girl, born almost blind and ambidextrous, gay’, Lorde notes that ‘the question of acceptance held a different weight for me’. Lorde is astute in capturing her experience as a Black, queer woman, ‘If nobody’s going to dig you too tough anyway, it really doesn’t matter so much what you dare to explore’. Articulating the intersections she exists between, Lorde writes, ‘when the Black sisters on the job think you’re crazy and collect money between themselves to buy you a hot comb’, when ‘your Black brother calls you a ball buster… want to break you open to see what works inside’, and the ‘white girls look at you like some exotic morsel’ and ‘the white boys all talk either revolution or money’. With a fellow Black, lesbian friend, Lorde recognises that they shared ‘both a battle and a strength that was unavailable to our other friends’. From friendships, self-introspection, and falling in and out of love, Zami’s depiction of the struggles of heartache, poverty, and academic pressure, are

@Wikipedia Commons

@BraveandKindBooks nothing short of brilliant. Growing up in 1930s Harlem with poor eyesight, which greatly affected her ability to read and learn, Lorde articulates how it feels to be left behind, to be looking in, ‘my heart ached and ached for something I could not name’. We feel Lorde’s loneliness when she trudges the streets of New York City, heartbroken one New Year’s Eve. We mourn her losses, her struggle to be accepted at school, despite being ‘the smartest girl in class’. ‘American racism, a new and crushing reality’ is one that Lorde endures even when she does not always recognise it, such as when, as a young child, she is barred from eating ice-cream at a parlour with her family, or when she asks her family to eat in the dining car but her mother tells her that it is too expensive, not that it was illegal for Black people to eat in dining cars in trains heading South in 1947. ‘Since the only place I couldn’t see clearly was behind my own eyes’, Lorde writes, ‘obviously the trouble was with me. I had no words for racism’. Zami is not just a tragedy though, for whilst there is much grief and despair, there is also much to celebrate. When Lorde travels to Mexico City on a journey of intense self-discovery, she is enraptured by its beauty, ‘filled with the excitement of curiosity’, we cannot help but see her poetic love for vitality, for light and ‘dazzling colour’. Em-

barking on her first sexual, lesbian relationship, Lorde’s rush of young love makes for wonderful reading, ‘coming home to a joy I was meant for’, ‘I wondered, silently, how I had not always known it would be so’. The depiction of sex in Zami is pure art, for it is erotic, immersive, and deeply sensual. Lorde makes us feel her pleasure and satisfaction, ‘my mouth finally against hers, quick breathed, fragrant, searching, her hand entwined with my hair’. Evocative, exquisite use of imagery flows throughout Zami. Writing in the first chapter how her mother ‘knew green things were precious, and the peaceful, healing qualities of water’, Lorde’s novel is an homage to the beauty and captivating magic found in the everyday.

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A rapturous love letter to female relationships

From drinking foamy café con leche at an open air café in Mexico City, to the ‘brilliant jacaranda trees dripping their flowers over the walls’, Lorde is exact and tantalising in depicting her scenes. Yet Lorde’s writing truly shines through when it comes to metaphors. Take for example, when the young Lorde first starts her period, ‘I had become a woman…I realised with a shock of pleasure and surprise that I was almost

as tall as my mother’. Whilst left alone in the kitchen, away from the eyes of her ever-present mother, Lorde crushes garlic, onion leaves and celery with a pestle and mortar, the grinding of the herbs awakening her to her own sexuality, ‘in my mother’s kitchen there was only one right way to do anything. Perhaps my life had not become simple, after all’. Lorde’s complex and ambivalent relationship with her mother is returned to throughout the book, a relationship which continues to perplex both Lorde and her readers. It is only when Lorde begins to fully see her mothers pain, her blindness and her strength, that she begins to see her as separate from herself, and to feel freedom in acknowledging that. A rapturous love letter to female relationships, for ‘every woman I have ever loved has left her print on me’, Lorde consistently touches upon facets of vulnerability, grief, and desire in her prose. By exploring universal issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality through a deeply personal, intimate lens, Zami continues to be a powerful and enduring read, for we are still yet to fully learn and consider what intersectionality means. As Crenshaw notes, there is all too often a ‘tendency to treat race and gender as mutually exclusive categories of experience and analysis’.

Artist Focus: Dara Brennan Dara Brennan is an artist from Ireland, she studied English at Brighton University for two years and is now back in her hometown, Roscommon. In May, she created a pink character aptly named “Squiggly Man”. Her art is playful, happy and mellow yet was created as a result of mental health struggles and a global pandemic. How did you create Squiggly? “I was painting with some friends’, one of them said something really funny about squiggling up and down stairs or something, and I drew the staircase - it had no background, it wasn’t anywhere. There was just this little character going down like ‘woooo’. All the stick figures were black. Then I did a serial box. It was cool, I really liked it, it was the first time Squiggly Man was pink and had a face. I decided I didn’t really care about the dark stick figures, I really liked when he was pink and happy!”

What does Squiggly Man mean to you? “I struggle a lot with my mental health, Squiggly was just a way for me to express that, but because he is so pastel and pink and palatable really, nobody could be upset by looking at Squiggly Man. I can still share how I feel but without people worrying about me or thinking it’s too scary. I don’t feel like I’m hiding anything. It just means that I can share that part but without giving too much away. I can lie in bed for three weeks and I don’t do anything but sometimes I pick up a paintbrush and it kind of helps. It’s not a cure but anything is better than nothing.” What would you like to do next with Squiggly Man? “I just started getting into sculpture, so I’d like to do more of that. I use Femo. The colours are great and you can get it so smooth, which is what I love about Squiggly: really smooth, really flat. I enjoy that. I had a bit of a break from painting, because all of my painting stuff was in Brighton for ages. I want to go back to painting all the time and do more sculpture and keep enjoying it!”

The Badger 4 October 2021

Have you found that living and studying in Brighton has impacted your work? Yeah it definitely had a positive impact on my work. Brighton is a pretty exciting place to move to if you come from a very rural area.There’s art on the streets, live music, Brighton is full of crazy people doing their own thing and I love that. I feel like anything goes, and that’s a great environment to be creative in. It’s close to the sea and the South Downs, so you can take inspiration from nature and it’s so easy to get to London to visit galleries and stuff there.” Do you have any artists that inspire you in your work? “I don’t really know any artist that has that same ‘cartoon ridiculous style’, but I love Cézanne and I love Matisse, they are my two favourites. And also my friends! When I moved to Brighton, my housemates were all artists. Just being around them all the time, I was getting itchy to make something.... They inspire me more than Cézanne and Matisse! (laughs)” Do you have any advice to anyone who wants to be creative?

“Just f*cking do it! I know everyone says that, just do it.You have to start somewhere. When I started back, I was worried - it’s not going to be good, everyone is going to think it’s ridiculous and bad. But it’s such a good feeling to get it out on paper and see it happen.You don’t have to be Rambrandt to enjoy art! To do it feels good. And if it feels good to you and if you have something to say, other people pick up on that, no matter what the skill level is. That’s the first thing I found: it takes almost no skill to make Squiggly Man, he’s just flat, basic pastel colours. But people really liked it, they knew he had something to say for me and for them. How cool is that!” don’t know about you, but I am very excited to see more of Squiggly Man and what Dara will create next; as she has many things to say and found such a delightful creative way to share them. Be plenty to follow her Instagram @squiggly.man and who knows, maybe one day she will make prints again! Instagram: @squiggly.man Words by Éloïse Armary

The Badger 4 October 2021

Arts • In Review

The Contemporary Feminist Alice Stevens Arts Online Editor

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ext me when you get home x. ” This common procedure carried out by many women reflects a darker truth within our society - women are made responsible for avoiding their own harassment, assault, and death. The reaction to the rape and murder of Sarah Everard back in March 2020 shone a spotlight on violence against women and girls, where her story provoked an outpouring of women reflecting on their own experiences of sexual harassment. Yet six months on, it appears nothing has changed. Sabina Nessa was a 28-year-old teacher from South London who was murdered on the five-minute walk to her local pub. Statistics show that in the UK, two women are killed every week as a result of domestic violence and 71% of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. Violence against women by men is not rare - and yes - not all men are rapists and murderers, however, 93% of killers in England and Wales alone are men. Violence against women is a men’s issue, and unfortunately, not enough men are standing up and speaking out. Violence against women does not happen because of the clothes we wear, how much we drink, or if we’re alone - it happens because someone decides to use violence against us. Telling women there is something we can do to protect ourselves from our own murder is the heart of the problem. As children, we are taught to protect ourselves from our own attacks, and if we don’t take all the precautions and something occurs, it is thus our fault. The combination of how we speak about gendered violence, weak legislation, and a lack of education surrounding consent and gender, contributes to the ubiquity of gender violence. The attitude that women’s safety is not important is deeply rooted in our society and is itself a global epidemic with severe consequences. Whilst gender violence of course affects the victim, it has also been found that such violence threatens our economy. According to The World Bank, it has been estimated that gender violence costs a country up to 3.7 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Thus, to tackle gender inequality, we must change the narrative. The acceptance of ‘locker talk’ and catcalling creates a climate where predatory behaviour is tolerated and thus becomes a gateway to violence. Therefore, it’s crucial that we stop managing the problem, and instead focus on prevention. It is important to mention that this is an issue that disproportionately affects oppressed groups with intersecting identities of race, class, gender, sexuality, disabilities etc. Systemic racism and the oppression of women of colour impacts their health and

safety. For instance, women of colour are often excluded by classical feminist theory, health professionals, and the justice system due to racist biases. “Violence against women of colour is affected by the intersection of racism and sexism and the failures of both the feminist and antiracist movements to seriously address this issue.” Crenshaw (1994) To challenge gender violence and inequalities, it is vital that we begin to examine the existence of toxic masculinity and structural failures that have produced this epidemic. Toxic masculinity impacts essentially everybody and contributes to many societal problems, such as gender-based violence, sexual assault, homophobia, and men’s mental health. Thus, tackling these issues is a win-win for all - and this is where literature and theory become essential tools. If you would like to delve further into this topic, I have selected a few recommended readings that you will be able to find on YouTube or in the Library! Violence against women - it’s a men’s issue, a Ted Talk by Jackson Katz Women, Race & ClassBook by Angela Y. Davis Everyday Sexism: The Project that Inspired a Worldwide

@PenguinBooks

Surveillence Depictions Molly Openshaw Arts Print Editor

ver the past few weeks, I have been watching BBC’s new Vigil, made by the same creators at Line of Duty. This television show follows DSI Silva in a murder investigation upon HMS Vigil, a nuclear powered submarine with ballistic missiles on board. This six part drama discusses the role of the government and army in matters of state, as well as the influence of foreign relations in the safety of a small town in Scotland. Depicting themes of loss, sexuality and trust, this show ultimately highlights how humans respond to stress. While watching this show I think one of the most significant motifs is this idea of surveillance and the idea of feeling watched or observed. Throughout the programme there are references to CCTV, social media and observation. The protagonist, Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva, has been placed on Vigil to observe the crew and to discover the murder suspect. There is this eerie cast throughout the programme, it feels uncomfortable and suspenseful, as though the watcher themselves is feeling observed and tested. I think part of this comes from the duality of the show, primarily taking part in two main places: aboard Vigil and back in scotland. Between these two locations there is no contact meaning there is this sense of dramatic irony as the viewer observes both of these locations and feels almost omniscient in comparison to the guesswork and investigations taking part on both ends. This theme of surveillance is reinforced by the role of mistrust and corruption seen throughout as the crew face murders, drug overdoses, security breaches and miscommunication.

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There is an ever present feeling of being observed and the inability to relax

Throughout the arts we can see this theme of surveillance from Orwell’s 1984 to Poe’s The Raven. After watching Vigil, this idea of surveillance was at the forefront of my mind and I seemed

to recognise how prevalent it is in arts and culture from the beginning of the press and the development of technology. Looking at Orwell’s 1984, written in 1949, we can see parallels in how surveillance is represented. There is this mistrust in a wider organisation, issues in communication and routine and scapegoating. As well as this, there is an ever present feeling of being observed and the inability to relax that you feel engaging with both. Another great example of this is Moving Wall’s 22nd installation titled ‘Watching you, watching me’, exploring the role of photography in surveillance culture. In this exhibition they explore the role of new technologies such as drones and satellites in observation and art. Here we can see how throughout the 20th and 21st centuries there has been a growing role of surveillance in art and culture, a movement that I think has grown even bigger since the Covid 19 pandemic struck last March. During the pandemic and isolation periods, there has been a huge increase in monitoring with the introduction of the NHS track and trace app as well as many concerns surrounding vaccinations.

Observation is a huge part of art and will continue to be

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The pandemic itself has prompted a lot of the arts to embrace technology and go online, with gallery Hauser and Wirth introducing ArtLab. This project was initially started in 2019 but was accelerated because of the pandemic. ArtLab is a VR exhibition model, allowing people all over the world to experience a gallery based in LA. Here we can see how Covid has impacted the arts and redefined surveillance culture. I don’t think that surveillance being represented in the arts is an inherently bad thing, purely a response to increased technology and fear as we have faced issues as a society. Even before the role of social media and television, this idea of being watched was discussed, for example the eyes of T.J. Ecclesburg in The Great Gatsby. Observation is a huge part of art and will continue to be.

Etymology of the edition: Surveillence

@simonandschuster

A noun. Coming from the french surveillance meaning ‘supervision’ or ‘watching’ in 1802. This has come from sur- meaning ‘over’ and veiller meaning ‘to watch’ which came from the latin vigilare from vigil meaning ‘watchful’. This word seems to have come over to the English language in the 18th century after the terror in France

when surveillance committees were formed in 1793 to monitor the actions of the public. The French Revolution was influential in language change and development. Here we can see how Vigil as a BBC drama is very much influenced by this culture of surveillence and this history of terror and observation in the development of the word.

The Badger 4th October 2021

Comment • The Big Debate

THE BIG DEBATE

In The Big Debate this week, two writers from the Debate Society are arguing whether or not Shamima Begum should be able to return to the UK

Yes Miles Ratcliffe Debating Society

0 years on from the attacks of September 11th 2001, the discourse surrounding terror and Islamic fundamentalism has changed markedly since. Recently, The West has seen a time of reflection in which many recognise the toxic and harmful rhetoric that followed against muslims. For many, this rhetoric would brand Shamima Begum as a traitor to her country - or perhaps as a terrorist - or maybe a threat to national security. While there are serious discussions to be had on national security and terrorism, it is not ridiculous to say she should not be part of these larger exchanges. Instead, she should be seen as an individual within the context of this discourse and its time of reflection. Her case is one that brings up other societal issues- grooming, nationalism and extremist to be exact. It must be pointed out to start that this analysis does not seek to argue that she should be pardoned of all crimes. Rather, she should allowed to be returned and re-naturalised as a British citizen. For many, Begum has become the face of global terror and the ISIS terrorist organisation that she left the UK to join in 2015. This position becomes less tenable when its brought to attention that she was groomed online to become one of 6,600 foreign minors recorded to be in ISIS (a number large enough to suggest that her situation is not unique). Perhaps it is better to view Begum as a victim of a series of systemic issues rather than what many seem to view her: an adult making a conscious decision to join a brutal and vicious regime.

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For many, Begum has become the face of global terror and the ISIS terrorist organisation The unfortunate reality is, that on paper the idea of willingly joining one of the most brutal forces of evil in the world is something objectively unforgivable. We too often forget however, that Begum was 15 at the time, an age in which someone can be vulnerable, influenced and introduced to dangerous ideas- a problem not totally uncommon. The very Home Office that took the action to remove Begum of her citizenship - rendering her stateless - explicitly describes young people in the face of radicalisation as vulnerable: emphasising need of protection and safeguarding. Why have the organs of the British government failed to do this?

Instead, we see a 22 year old appearing on GMB who has experienced the trauma of losing 3 children, the imprisonment of an organisation that manipulated her into its ranks and now stands with no country to return to- let alone a home. In this light she does she really seem like a national threat or a dangerous terrorist? On the contrary. She is the victim of a series of systemic failings: the first, being the alienation she and many in her community face from wider society (it is worth noting that the NSPCC ranks isolation as one of the primary sources of radicalisation).

Jack Weinstein Debating Society

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She is the victim of a series of systemic failings

The second failing is that of society’s slow response - or lack thereof - to online grooming and preventing individuals from falling into dangerous ideas. It seems all too often in the news now that young people and adults alike are committing heinous acts at the behest or inspiration of online ideologies. You only have to look as far back as August this year to see the terrible

hamima Begum should not be allowed to return to the United Kingdom. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (UKSC) unanimously voted against Begum’s return for good reason. Begum left the United Kingdom (UK) to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) along with some of her friends. Her purpose in leaving was to integrate herself into the Daesh and subject herself to the barbaric practices of ISIL. If Begum’s actions were to only have impacted herself, that’s one thing, but, she ruined the lives of countless other individuals and continues to support these practices. The acceptance and grant of Begum’s citizenship would only bring about risk to our modern society due to the threat that Begam previously and continues to poseBegum had the reputation of a strict enforcer in the ISIL Police where she would stitch

Should Shamima Begum be able to return to the UK? shooting in Plymouth that took place due to the proliferation of far right and “Incel” ideas online. It is without a doubt that this sick attack was spurred on by radical forces on the internet and shows clearly the failings of governments around the world to regulate and react to online radicalisation. The third and most poignant failure has been in the reaction of government to the situation that has presented itself. When all of the preventative infrastructure failed, the government took action that was based on outrage rather than following international law. The aforementioned discourse on international terror and islamic fundamentalism is evident here: the government allowed themselves to get caught up in a public furore and made an irrational decision. It is hoped that with these three particular failures in mind, we can be more swayed to use Begum’s situation to inspire public debate on how we take preventative measures to tackle extremism and online grooming. Regarding her return to the UK, it is evident from these discussed issues that she has been the victim of a series of systemic failings and while there is a burden of personal responsibility on her, the removal of citizenship was an irrational decision that should be reversed.

explosive vests on suicide bombers in an effort to ensure they could not be removed without detonating.

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She [should receive] adequate medical treatment and repent for her crimes in prison Furthermore, as a member of the Morality Police, she would recruit young women and subject them to Jihad extremists where they would be put in the same situation as Begum. For those who are unfamiliar, Begum was married at 15 and had three children all before the age of 19. Most importantly, her children did not have access to the medical assistance they needed and as a result, they all died. Begum experienced the horrific loss of her children and continued to support this lifestyle and coerced other young women into this lifestyle. Only after the loss of two of her three children did she decided she wanted to leave but stated that she did not regret her decision in joining ISIL. In an interview in 2019, Begum stated that she believed she only shared some values with the UK and still supported the ISIL lifestyle. How can we support and integrate a proud member of a

terrorist group that subjects individuals to such barbaric practices? How can we support an individual who wants to come back not for the purpose of supporting our great nation, but for her own selfish wants and needs? ISIL’s mannerisms led to Begum, a UK born and educated individual feeling unfazed at the beheading of “enemies of Islam”.

Being inspired by watching beheading videos is not what one would call manipulation but rather pure cognitive illness

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As a civilised society that thrives on equality and is composed of countless cultures and identities, we cannot subject ourselves to individuals who suffer from extreme forms of mental corruption and bigotry. Begum seeks to receive a form of special treatment regarding the law where we should all forget and move past her crimes. The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years of age. Not only was Begum old enough to satisfy criminal liability, but she was nearly old enough to drive, give medical consent, give sexual consent, and drink alcohol with a meal in a pub. Begum was merely months away from becoming a functioning adult in our society which implies that pleading ignorance to the law and claiming external influence is nonsense. Being inspired by watching beheading videos is not what one would call manipulation but rather pure cognitive illness. Begum’s largest issue pertains to becoming a stateless individual which is contrary to the British Nationality Act 1981. Section 40(2) of the Act states that citizenship status may be revoked if the Secretary of State is satisfied that said deprivation would be advantageous for the public good. An individual that supports the murder of journalists, corruption and mistreatment of women, and destruction of the Western world can by no means benefit our society. We must ask ourselves; do we have a duty to rehabilitate Begum seeing as she was a UK born citizen, corrupted by Jihad extremists? If we do have such a duty, she should only be allowed to return to the UK on the condition that she receives adequate medical treatment and repents for her crimes in prison. However, if all this were to occur, would you, a tax-paying individual, feel anything other than resent knowing your hard-earned cash is supporting the life of a terrorist? Most certainly not. Since Shamima Begum does not provide any benefit and cannot be trusted fully to integrate into our society, it is in the best interest of the public for her to never be allowed to return.

The Badger 4th October 2021

Comment

A Neurotypical View: Identity vs Person First Language ‘Autistic Person’, ‘Person with autism’, ‘Person who has autism’, which is the correct phrase to use? Sophie McMahon Comment Print Editor

‘A

utistic Person’, ‘Person with autism’, ‘Person who has autism’, which is the correct phrase to use? I am neurotypical and relatively new to autism advocacy, so I was surprised by my passion for the Identity vs. Person First Language debate. Being a respectful ally to a marginalised community requires being educated on a myriad of different things, including the identifying language used to refer to the group. Let me give you some background. Person First Language (PFL) means saying, ‘person with autism’. Those who use this term do not see autism as part of their or someone else’s identity and prefer to see the humanity of a person before using an identifier. Looking at autism as part of an individual’s identity, hence the name, Identity First Language (IFL) affirms the value and worth of an autistic person. It accepts that autism is something that cannot be separated from an individual and who they identify as, just the same as someone who is a Christian or a Muslim. The sources which I regard

as having the highest priority, those written by autistic individuals themselves, tend to prefer IFL because it celebrates and accepts that they are different from neurotypical people and that is okay. It acknowledges that autism does define a person, in that it influences every aspect of how someone sees, understands, and interprets the world, which confers its own benefits. Person First Language is favoured by those closest to autistic people, like their parents or carers. However, it car-

ries an attitudinal nuance because it suggests that an autistic person can be separated from their autism; something that is simply not true. It has been described by autistic individuals as ‘patronising and dehumanising’ because it is as though they must remind others that they are in fact, people. When neurotypicals write on the topic, like parents and carers they adopt PFL by default, even if they know Identity First is preferred. For example, in an article by Roger Collier, he talks

about Jim Sinclair, an autistic man who advocates the use of IFL, but then describes him as an ‘adult with autism’. Demanding that a community should refer to themselves in a specific way, is ableist. Yet there have been countless cases of neurotypicals writing using IFL and their work being turned away by publishers. It seems that academia is lagging behind culture yet again. Yo Samdy Sam, an autistic YouTuber who is vocal on issues relating to autism, says: “I’m not gonna get annoyed @SophieMcMahon

if someone says it (PFL) in casual conversation. This isn’t about grammar policing. It’s more about the people who correct other people and insist on people using their first language in every case. “Talking round the word you really want to use in such an obvious way, makes it sound like it’s an insult, a slur, or otherwise something to be ashamed of… it is not more polite to avoid calling me what I actually am.” To some this might seem like a topic of little relevance, given that the two phrases hold the same literal meaning. But language and how we say things, can hold certain connotations which are powerful in developing attitudes. It is about offering the same humility to autistic individuals that you would offer to someone who, say, prefers the term ‘African-American’ to ‘Black’ or ‘Latino/a’ to ‘Hispanic’. Although I have voiced that from research, Identity First Language is generally preferred by most of the autistic community. I employ you to accept that the preference of an autistic individuals trumps everything, regardless of your own opinions. It is about time that we listened, learnt, and accepted that there are other lenses to the world that are not neurotypical.

The English Apology Jess Hake Print Production Editor

he motivator for my learning of Italian should be the deep joy of language, the drive to diverge from the painfully accurate ‘British mono-lingual ignorance’. It should not, arguably, to provide coherent apologises to your Italian colleagues. Apologies, may I add, that are riddled with grammatical mistakes and punctuated with horrific pronunciation. I work in a lovely Indian restaurant situated near Brighton seafront that is populated with a front of house staff that are nearly all from Italy. As a result, I have started to learn - painfully slowly and with horrific pronunciation - some Italian. With my year abroad fast approaching and having a keen interest to master a language beyond the embarrassing GCSE German

years, this sounded like the perfect plan. However, the Italian I have been learning, swear words and insulting phrases aside, has definitely been some of the most British Italian that can be learnt, the ‘sorry’. If anything, it is the most British way to begin a venture into language acquisition, only second to colonialism. The apology. Apologising when a mistake is made, apologising when someone walks into you, apologising when apologising it’s the British way. I have run into issues with the apology at work. This is partially due to the presumed ingenue and superficial nature of the excessive ‘I’m sorry’. Numerous times ‘star mentendo’ has been the response, where I then had to clarify that no, I actually felt genuinely sorry for the very minor inconvenience

I contributed to. However, the superficiality was not the sole issue. Coupled with the apologetic tautology being perceived as ingenuous, it was not functional. “Jess, if you say ‘I’m sorry’ one more time…. Oh Santa pazienza, say ‘thank you for the feedback” Delivered in an incredibly soothing Neapolitan accent, with the tone conveyed through a series of accompanying hand gestures and my manager had a point. What is the function of the apology? Is it to diffuse situations and appease the British craving for politeness too, ultimately, gradually normalise failure, rejection and mistakes. The caveats akin to ‘oh don’t worry if not’ or ‘was just thought’ all work to reject the speaker (or often the typer) before anyone else can. Therefore,

suggesting that the British world of apologetic tourrettes and caveats is a world where rejection is such an intense fear, that the inhabitants of this small island have internalised the worry so much that they have adopted a form of self-rejection as a sort of coping mechanism.

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Would we rather settle for fake intimacy with no fear, then risk some small rejection for genuine connection? Or, even wore, potentially to use as a long term self-harm. Another issue of superficial British culture that was brought to my attention whilst working in an Indian restaurant with nearly all Italian front of house staff, is the issue of hugs. Or, more specifically, fake hugs. For a society that is stereotyped as

being horrifically physically repressed - the average British hug does nothing to counter this notion. Considered in conjunction with the overuse of ‘I’m sorry’ and panic reflex rejection of self, this led me to wonder - do we not commit to a hug, or any form of physical expression, because we fear rejection? Would we rather settle for fake intimacy with no fear, then risk some small rejection for genuine connection? Ultimately, through an attempted learning of a forge in language, I ended up learning an awful lot more about British language and culture then, I would argue, Italian. So, all in all, to my Spanish ex, French friends and British pals I’m truly sorry, but it is safe to say that it’s the Italians that give the best hugs. Mi dispiace. Big shout-out to Georgie, Fernando, Mattia and Fran your patience knows no bounds.

The Badger 4th October 2021

Comment

Post-Pill Amenorrhea and My Experience Arts Editor Molly Openshaw talks about her experience pn, and coming off, the pill Molly Openshaw Arts Print Editor

, like many other women, had quite severe acne at the age of thirteen. Being worried about it I went to my local GP to see my options; I tried some creams and some antibiotics but after a long few months of nothing working, I was told that the contraceptive pill would help. At this age, I had barely started menstruating and was nowhere near establishing a sense of normality. Of course I took my doctor’s advice and swiftly started taking the contraceptive pill. I remember it not being much of a big deal,it just seemed like another medication to help my acne situation.

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E v e r y t h i n g seemed under control and I felt assured that I was doing what my doctor recommended Once again it feels as though the needs of women are being ignored and reduced as less. So many women are taking the contraceptive pill everyday, and I am not saying that I don’t think there are benefits, but surely there

should be more information available and a more thorough process of discussing the pill. That was until I started having excruciating pain and heavier bleeds that I was used to. Again, I consulted my doctor and was told to take the pill for three months at a time and then have a week-long break. This helped. Fast forward to six years later where my skin has cleared up and I have been in a long term relationship, I am still taking the pill.

Why have I had to use the internet as a resource to substitute for my doctors?

”

Whilst taking the pill I had faced no complications, been the perfect patient taking it at the same time everyday and attending my monthly appointments to check my blood pressure. Everything seemed under control and I felt assured that I was doing what my doctor recommended. During these six years of taking the pill, I developed IBS and had multiple examinations, doctors trips and internet searches to try and figure out what was wrong. After trying the low FODMAP diet, many medi-

@Pxfuel catications and lots of lifestyle changes, I decided that maybe coming off of the contraceptive pill was a good idea. I was in a long term relationship, almost twenty years old and felt as though I had been on the pill long enough. Coming off the pill surprisingly made most of my IBS symptoms stop, I still have the odd flare up but the symptoms drastically increased. This was last September. I have still not had another period and have been trawling the internet for an explanation. In this internet search I have come across the term post-pill amen-

orrhea. This is the term used for the time it takes for your body to regain normality after coming off of the contraceptive pill where your body has been prevented from producing the hormones required for ovulation.

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I was in a long term relationship, almost twenty years old and felt as though I had been on the pill long enough After all of this, I have been

left wondering where this information was when I first consulted my doctor. Where was the guidance on the longer term impacts? Why have I had to use the internet as a resource to substitute for my doctors? Once again it feels as though the needs of women are being ignored and reduced as less. So many women are taking the contraceptive pill everyday, and I am not saying that I don’t think there are benefits, but surely there should be more information available and a more thorough process of discussing the pill.

Going for gold and ganja Charlie Batten Sports Print Editor

n the aftermath of Sha’carri Richardson being banned from the Olympics after testing positive for having a chemical found in marijuana, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) are now set to review the drugs inclusion on the banned substance list for athletes. In my lifetime weed has often been viewed in this weird middle ground when looking at drugs, it is illegal yet most people I know have either smoked it or at least tried it once. I don’t know whether that’s from growing up in a part of London where you could smell weed on the way to school or now living in Brighton where you pretty much smoke anywhere and no one minds. It’s also a drug that a lot of people don’t particularly view as a bad or dangerous drug as the side effects are

pretty tame and nothing compared to other substances that are criminalised. It’s reasons like that which is why some countries and US states are beginning to make it legal to sell and consume weed which begs the question, why can’t athletes have it?

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Weed has often been viewed in this weird middle ground when looking at drug If you actually look at what marijuana does to an athlete’s body it’s all things that help them recover. It can ease pain and soreness as well as reducing inflammation which means it can help injured athletes recover quicker and get them back to competing sooner. You could argue that that gives an unfair advantage to one person that uses weed compared to one that doesn’t

but all athletes are given a variety of pills and supplements when they're injured anyway. Former American footballer Eugene Monroe said that using cannabis meant he went from “scheduling X amount of pills a day to eliminating all of them” which meant his recovery process was a lot simpler and ran a lot smoother. Weed is also known for its usefulness in treating mental health problems, so why shouldn’t athletes have access to these benefits? Sports people are often placed on a pedestal that suggests they themselves are above mental health problems as they are perfect and focus solely on their sport. This of course is not accurate for athletes as they are human too and many suffer from depression and anxiety. Notably basketball players DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love have spoken up about their personal struggles

and tennis player Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 Australian Open due to mental health struggles. Sha’carri Richardson herself said “don’t judge me, because I am human” after her ban was instated and added “I apologise for the fact that I didn’t even know how to control my emotions”. When you look at the fact that marijuana has these benefits

that can help athletes mentally and physically, it seems like a no-brainer that it should be removed from the banned substances list by WADA. The global climate is moving towards allowing weed to become a legal and normal part of society so the question we now have to ask is how long is sport going to take to catch up with them?

@Pxfuel

The Badger 4th October 2021

Science and Technology

Top tech to get you through first year Here at The Badger we’ve put togther an exhuastive list that will undoubtably help any First Year out... Rob Barrie Science & Technology Editor

niversity is an extremely rewarding experience but parts of it can be challenging. For many, it involves living away from home for the first time. Without home commodities, going about daily activities may seem tougher than usual. That’s why The Badger team have come together to recommend a page of tech to make your first year at Sussex University easier, comfier and safer. (Except for a few instances, we haven’t detailed specific brands as everyone’s budget is different, and for a lot of technology there’s a wide variety of options including secondhand or refurbished goods!) Portable Bluetooth Speaker For flat parties, relaxing on the beach or simply singing your heart out to your favourite artist in the shower – there are few pieces of tech more integral for music lovers at university. For peace of mind, a waterproof speaker is recommended for your clumsy friends when drinks are present. Mindfulness Apps Apps such as Headspace or Calm are great for bringing tranquillity to a hectic day. As our days become busier and our weeks quicker, mindfulness apps allow you to take a step back, breathe and reconnect with yourself. What3Words With a new university comes new surroundings. Even the most navigationally gifted students will find themselves

lost from time to time. What3Words is an app that gives very precise geographical locations. The app is even recommended by police for safer journeys to and from home, as you can be pinpointed quickly by emergency services if necessary. Blender Only 27% of adults are reported to reach the five fruit and veg a day recommendation. A blender makes achieving a healthy lifestyle a lot easier – smoothies, milkshakes or any other creation can be served up in minutes. Add ice for hot summer days!

can rustle delicious drink

Too Good To Go We’re all familiar with the mainstream food delivery apps, but Too Good To Go really is unique. Customers of the service can receive surplus still-in-date food from stores. Not only is this cheaper, but you’re helping the environment by minimising waste. The company has saved nearly 93 million meals from being wasted since 2016! Citation

Bluetooth Headphones Even for non-music junkies, these can be extremely helpful when studying. If the only seat left in the library is next to a particularly raucous bunch of second years, a good set of headphones to listen to some study beats can help a lot. Defrost Tray We’ve all rushed out in the morning and forgot to defrost those chicken nuggets for later. These trays use the natural conductivity of aluminium to thaw your food without the need for any heat or electrical supply. Some companies boast of defrosting times as little as 20 mins, much better than the usual 2-3 hours! Speechify Spechify is an app available on mobiles and computers whereby a computer-generated voice can read out any segment of text. It offers great accessibility for those with dyslexia, ADHD, impaired vision or other reading difficulties.

machines up a pronto!

@Pixabay Slow Cooker An item often overlooked in student kitchen surroundings, but I am still yet to find someone who regrets buying one. Drop some raw meat in and anything else you want with it, and let the machine do the rest. Tender meat awaits you at the end of the day. Top tip: any leftover vegetables or meat at the end of the week can be added in with some water and stock to make a lovely stew. Study Apps No specific one here, there’s a plethora of apps available depending on your favourite method of revising – flashcards, mind maps, diagram drawing. There are also ones where you can create a revision

@Medium.com

timetable for when exams come around. Very helpful for students who prefer to organise revision notes on their phone. Lumi Sunrise Clock There are few things more important to students than good quality sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major factor in the physical and mental well-being of young adults, especially. The Lumi alarm clock is a wonderful piece of tech that wakes you up with a gradual sunrise and accompanying ambient sound. No more harsh and jolting alarms – with a sunrise you’ll wake up calm and ready for the day ahead. Coffee Machine Simply, for the caffeine lovers. It doesn’t have to be one of the expensive ones, there are plenty of choices. Instant coffee does the job for many, but for those with palettes that enjoy the finer coffee bean quality, these

EPOSGEAR Personal Alarm A very useful device which can help protect yourself and others from dangerous situations. It features a 140-decibel siren and also a torch, and its small dimensions mean it can fit in your pocket or on your keyring. Moreover, this specific model is police approved as it meets security approved requirements. Podcasts The preinstalled podcast apps on phones often go under the radar. Within is a treasure trove of interviews, features and discussions on any topic imaginable. Whether it’s to broaden your syllabus knowledge or even learn about the Sino-Indian War in 1962 – there really is something for everyone. Final Thoughts This list is, of course, not exhaustive but it’s aim is to give some recommendations to help with your first year at university – making it easier, comfier and safer. It is worth noting, however, that as we become a more technology dependent society with every passing decade, it is healthy to put phones and gadgets aside from time to time. As Nobel Peace Prize Winner Christian Lange aptly said: “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.”

@Wikimedia.Commons

The Badger 4th October 2021

Science and Technology

The hearing loss endemic amongst students The lack of regulations on nightclub noise level means hearing in young adults is being irreversibly damaged Rob Barrie Science & Technology Editor

esearch suggests that prolonged exposure to noise levels over 70 decibels (dB) can damage hearing – 70 dB is the equivalent of using a garden leaf blower for a few hours without headphones. The level of noise people are exposed to at nightclubs is far more worrying. There is neither a law nor regulations on the maximum noise level venues can reach. A study by the RNID, the largest charity representing the approximately nine million deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United Kingdom, found that many nightclubs within the UK reach levels of 110 dB. This is the equivalent of an aircraft taking off. Whilst there has not been a nationwide study in the UK, the United States of America reports that 17% of teens suffer from noise-induced hearing loss. During fresher’s week especially, where nightclubs are

attended on consecutive days, many students wake up with ringing in the ears. For some it’s whooshing or a buzzing, but all these irritating symptoms are called ‘tinnitus’ – derived from the Latin word ‘tinnire’ – to ring. Tinnitus is a manifestation of hearing damage. Humans hear by decoding incoming sound to the ear. Within the ear are tiny hair cells that vibrate depending on different frequencies – listening to a friend, piano or birds chirping, will all produce unique frequencies. The movement of the hair cells produces a code that travels to the brain as an electrical signal, where your auditory cortex interprets it. It’s a beautifully sophisticated system that has, unfortunately, not evolved to cope with unnaturally loud noises. Most noise levels in nightclubs break, or completely destroy, these hair cells. The result is broken, constant electrical signals that the brain interprets as ringing. Whether tinnitus is permanent or not is dependent on

the amount of exposure, the exact noise level and also the subjective response of the individual’s ear. Unfortunately, hair cells are unable to regenerate or grow back. Thus, after repeated episodes of tinnitus, there will likely be some resultant hearing damage. Moreover, there are no cures or drugs that can help alleviate tinnitus. The sophistication of the hearing system we are all born with means that medical intervention is hard to achieve. Thus, prevention is the only way to avoid noise induced hearing loss. Opinions differ on how to achieve this. There is a call on nightclubs to lower the volume of music emitted from the speakers to a safer level – although this will of course be hard to regulate. Others have called for more clubs to install ‘relax rooms’, where nightclubbers can take a break from the music. Arguably, the best course of action is to educate those going to the clubs. Many falsely be-

lieve that noise levels in clubs and music gigs are regulated, and so will attend without a second thought to the consequences on their hearing. It would be advisable for clubs to put signs up stating that

their noise level is far above that necessary for safe hearing, and that earplugs are recommended. They may not look that cool; however, earplugs can save generations of nightclubbers from hearing loss.

@PixaHive

Civilians launched into Space

An insight into the crew of the world’s first all-civilian space mission Eva Wallis Staff Writer

he ‘Inspiration4’ mission aboard spacecraft ‘Resilience’ has become the first ever crewed space flight without professional astronauts on board. Launching from the Kennedy Space Centre on the 15th of September 2021, the four civilians undertook a three-

day mission orbiting the Earth, before splashing back down in the Atlantic Ocean on the 18th of September. The mission took place on one of SpaceX’s ‘Crew Dragon’ spacecraft, which already made history in 2012 for being the first privately owned spacecraft to reach the International Space Station. The purpose of Inspiration4 was to raise awareness and

funds for the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, and it achieved exactly that by raising more than $200 million which will go towards expanding St Jude’s childhood cancer research. The mission got its namesake from the 4 pillars of support used by St Jude’s; leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity. While orbiting the Earth, the

@Wikimedia Commons

crew took the opportunity to perform medical experiments on themselves in order to better understand how microgravity affects a human body. Commander of the mission and the man behind the idea to raise money for St Jude’s was billionaire CEO of Shift4 Payments: Jared Isaacman. This is just his latest effort to raise money for charity having previously raised money for the Make-a-Wish foundation by doing a speedaround-the-world flight, which also happened to get him a world record. Isaacman also regularly flies with the Black Diamond Jet Team, with each flight dedicated to raising awareness of a charity. The first crew mate announced to be joining Isaacman was medical officer Hayley Arceneaux, who was chosen by St Jude’s. When Arceneaux was a child she was treated for bone cancer at St Jude’s and later went on to become a physician associate at the same hospital. Arceneaux herself is making history as the youngest American to go to space and the first person with a prosthetic body part to go into

space as during her treatment some of the bones in her leg were replaced with metal rods. Chris Sembroski served as mission specialist during Inspiration4. He got his seat on resilience through a fundraiser for St Jude’s and, although he did enter the competition himself, it was actually an anonymous friend of his that won and donated the seat to him. His friend is said to have recalled Sembroski’s keen interest in space and his time as a counsellor at Huntsville Space Camp when deciding to offer the seat to him. Last but not least was the pilot, Sian Proctor, who won her space on the craft via Shift4’s competition and was arguably the most experienced of the crew. Originally a geology and planetary science professor, she had already taken part in four analogue space missions, including a NASA funded four-month mars mission before finally making it to space for Inspiration4. The success of this private space mission has been said to mark the beginning of "a new era for human spaceflight and exploration".

The Badger 4th October 2021

Sport

30 A Bi-annual World Cup: Who and Why?

Esteban Ramirez Staff Writer

ince its conception in 1930, the FIFA World Cup has been held every 4 years, a 90-yearold tradition that FIFA might soon break. At the most recent annual FIFA congress on June 13th, it was pitched by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation that this tradition be broken, to be replaced by the World Cup being held every bi-annually. The proposal was supported by 166 nations, with only 22 opposing. This result clearly demonstrates a majority view amongst the member associates of FIFA, which begs the question of why they would want to change the structure of the biggest competition in international football. Out of 211 possible nations, only 17 have ever hosted the World Cup. Many of them are not only current football behemoths, such as France, Italy and Germany, but developed first-world countries. Contrastingly, the competition has only been held in Africa once and in Asia a handful of times. With more frequent World Cups, the hope is that more nations will be given the chance to host the prestigious

tournament. The global attention of these could be great for those with lesser power and influence in the footballworld. Furthermore, although hosting the World Cup is a very expensive endeavour, rarely paying for itself let alone making profit, the reach and attraction of the event is unquestionable. According to FIFA, a combined 3.572 billion people watched the 2018 World Cup (roughly half the world’s population). Therefore, the argument could be made that the resulting global status and infrastructure left behind from a World Cup can benefit poorer nations by giving them an outlet to generate wealth and boost their global image. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has backed this view, saying, “we want the rest of the world, and the rest of Europe which is not part of the elite, to grow as well, and at a much higher pace”. However, it is difficult to see how a poor country, that has barely enough to support crucial infrastructure like education and healthcare, can have money set aside to build extravagant stadiums and transport necessary to get to them. Although this raises questions over why so many African

and Asian nations supported to proposition, it does lead to an interesting point about why Saudi Arabia in particular was the nation to make the proposition. As mentioned, the idea was pitched by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, a nation belonging to the Gulf states that have seen huge increases in footballing influence with ownership of two of the richest clubs in football: Manchester

City and Paris Saint-Germain. This regional increase in footballing interest may be a clue towards the reasoning, although there may be more to this than meets the eye. It is easy to see why a wealthy, rapidly developing region would want to attract the eyes of the rest of the world. Perhaps this newly-garnered attention on middle-eastern football, along with lasting infrastructural development from the event,

could lead to economic benefits such as relieving the Gulf states’ dependency on oil. This would follow recent trends in Gulf states using football as a way of generating income to support their regimes. A bi-annual World Cup would thus be a huge milestone in the narrative of uber-rich owners and vast amounts of money influencing the highest levels of football.

@Pixabay

Raducanu’s US Romp Max Kilham Sports Abroad

rom Bromley to the brightest lights. 18-yearold Emma Raducanu has made history, becoming the first qualifier in men’s or women’s tennis, to win a Grand Slam. Her 6-4 6-3 victory over Leylah Fernandez, sealed by an ace, secured sporting history for the teenager. Raducanu immediately dropped to her knees, unable to hide her disbelief. Not only had the teenager achieved

the unthinkable, she had pocketed a whopping £1.8 million for her troubles. The teenager’s triumph at the US Open will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest sporting achievements by any British athlete, ever. Flushing Meadows may well be remembered as the birthplace of a remarkable career. The manner of the achievement was convincing to say the least. Not one single set was dropped by the young superstar. This included the

@Wikimedia Commons

three extra matches during her qualifying campaign. After her victory over Fernandez, American tennis icon Billie Jean King presented the trophy. Raducanu, in awe of her circumstances, thanked the New York crowd for their support throughout her time at Flushing Meadows. As per Sky News, Raducanu expressed her gratitude: “Thank you to everyone here in New York - thank you all for making me feel so at home from my first qualifying match all the way to the final. “I’ve loved playing in front of you and you’ve really spurred me on in some difficult moments.” Raducanu also paid tribute to those within British tennis, like Tim Henman, who have supported her journey: “Just to have such British legends and icons for me to follow in their footsteps, it definitely helps and gave me the belief that I could actually do it.” Raducanu, who was competing in only her second ever Grand Slam after her appearance in the fourth round at Wimbledon,

had an impressive list of names on her journey to the final. These names included 11th seed Belinda Bencic and the in-form seventeenth seed, Maria Sakkari.

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The teenager’s triumph at the US Open will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest sporting achievements by any British athlete Her opponent in the final, Canadian 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez, had an impressive run also. Her scalps included: number two seed Aryna Sabalenka, number 5 seed Elina Svitolina and the previous reigning champion Naomi Osaka. Raducanu began life on another continent, having been born in Toronto, Canada in 2002. Her international roots extend to her parents’ international background. Her mother, Renee, is from China, whilst her dad, Ian,

hails from Romania. Her tennis idols also hail from these two countries: Li Na from China and Simona Halep from Romania. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Emma’s parents were unable to witness her triumph in person. However, the teenager was under no illusions regarding her parents’ positive influence on her tennis career. As per the Daily Mirror, Raducanu conveyed her admiration for her parents: “I would have loved them to be here and we can all celebrate together, or they could be with me and experience the same things but you know, they’re watching from home very proud. “My dad said to me ‘you’re even better than your dad thought’ so that was reassuring. My dad’s definitely very tough to please but I managed to today.” It remains to be seen as to whether Emma will use this achievement as a platform for further success. Regardless of her future within the sport, she has cemented her place within both tennis and British sporting excellency.

The Badger 4th October 2021

Sport

31 The Fall of Arsenal

Max Cowie Staff Writer

he Gunners are shooting themselves in the foot and there seems to be no end in sight for the fans. Arsenal have had a great struggle with the opening of this season, opening with losses in their first three outings to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City respectively left them 20th in the league. And, despite winning their following two games, over Norwich and Burnley, who are now placed 19th and 20th within the league, neither of these win’s were comfortable. With Arsenal just squeezing by with one nil victories in statistically close games. Whilst these victories have been celebrated by the fanbase many still have questions over the current state of the club led by Mikel Arteta. As someone who has grown up in North London, Arsenal is everywhere and means so much to so many within the community that raised me. Throughout my childhood, Arsenal were flying high. I moved to London just as Arsenal were about to embark on their Unbeatables Season 03-04, this momentum that they had gathered during their prime continued throughout

my childhood. Which is why it is so agonising to witness their downfall now. Whether it was friends at school, the pub culture of Islington or the many community outreach programmes which were available to me thanks to Arsenal’s sporting and financial success. The club greatly affected the local area and all who relished in their glory. Which is why it is now so disheartening that the club grew up with, seems almost unrecognisable to what has been occurring these past few seasons. While I can see disappointment from those who are still hoping for a miracle this current season that I know personally, others can see it through the always popular AFTV (Arsenal Fan TV)

Youtube channel. Where after each mediocre match, there are countless videos capturing the many different but quite bleak reactions of beloved Gunners fans and characters. One turning point for the Youtube channel and capturing the reactions of the fanbase, that even die hard fans aren’t shocked anymore. Gone are the days of the channel capturing screaming fans, overreacting to a loss. This has instead been replaced with disheartened sighs and head in hands responses. The mutual feeling is simply that the club is falling short. Arsenal despite their limp results haven’t lacked support however receiving one of the highest cash totals within the most recent transfer window of 142 million pounds.

@Flickr

Reminding us all of the powerful and lucrative choices the club still can make, despite its catastrophic past few seasons. This current, dreary season for the club, is one which many shall be able to relive time and time again, thanks to Amazon Prime selecting Arsenal as their focal point team for their documentary series, where a leading club is selected and then captured from all angles. The irony of ‘All of Nothing: Arsenal’ being currently in production is the fact that it is looking remarkable like nothing. Some have even gone so far as to hack Amazon Prime and changed the film genre from a documentary to a comedy. Which says it all really. The most recent North London derby shall be one to watch, not to see two leading clubs fight it out as bitter rivals. But rather, to see how badly Arsenal shall do when facing Tottenham, or if they may survive with a draw at best. I personally feel hopeless for whatever the result of it shall be. Despite all of this, I still hold Arsenal close to my heart, hoping once again they may rise to the occasion and return to being one of the leading clubs in global football. Whether this is something that will occur in the near future is yet to be seen.

Size, Spirit and Usyc: The Power of Technical Prowess Will Vo Sport Sub-Editor

f there is one thing that can be learned from Oleksandr Usyk’s battle with Anthony Joshua, it is that size isn’t everything in sports. If there are two things that can be learned, it would not be amiss to add the importance of lead foot control to the list. Breaking down an all-time great performance like the one put on by the mesmerising Ukrainian truly tests the limits of any superlatives, but to say it was the best away performance on British soil in many years

would not be an unwarranted exaggeration. The consensus top 3 Cruiserweight to have ever lived entered the land of the giants, gave away 3 inches in height, 4 in reach, and over a stone in weight, and still emerged victorious, with the scorecards reading 115-113, 117112 and 116-112, all in his favour. So, how exactly did the fight go down, and what did Usyk do in order to make sure it played out as it did? To start with, the aforementioned control and pressure that the Ukrainian Southpaw exerted with his lead (right) hand and lead (right)

@CBSnews

foot. Throughout the first 4 rounds, Usyk had his right foot placed firmly on the outside of Anthony Joshua’s lead (left) foot. The relevance of this is two-fold; firstly it gave Usyk an easy escape, in the form of a pivot, should Anthony Joshua ever threaten Usyk. Secondly, and more subtly, it meant that Joshua had to worry about multiple angles of attack coming from Usyk, whereas Usyk only had to worry about one. The lead foot here served as both a trapping mechanism and an escape mechanism; both to brilliant effect. This was augmented by Usyk’s feinting and moving of his lead hand, forcing AJ to either react by biting on the feint, or eat a welltimed left hand if he focused too much on the right, mentally and physically draining Joshua. In round 5, ‘AJ’ adjusted to this in a way similar to that of Teofimo Lopez in his coming out party against long-time friend of Usyk Vasily Lomachenko. Joshua tried to cut off Usyk’s angle of escape with his left hand, using it both as a barrier and a battering ram; throwing

it out straight to prevent Usyk from moving round, and also looping it as a hook to try to intercept him. This allowed Joshua to pick up a couple of the middle rounds, as Usyk was forced to adjust. This also meant that Usyk was having to fully commit to his own jabs, as he no longer had the space to flick and swerve out, and AJ caught him with lead rights a few times during this period of the fight. Usyk’s status as an elite boxing mind was never in doubt, and he proved why in the adjustments he made following success from Anthony Joshua. He started picking up the volume, as a tiring, mentally exhausted AJ couldn’t close distance, culminating in a twelfth round that was more akin to a onesided beat down than a world championship boxing match. As the scorecards were read out, a dejected AJ knew what was coming, and tears pricked the eyes of the previously stoic Ukrainian. On September 25th, 2021, Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that true power does indeed come from spirit, and not size.

What’s on 6th October Italy V Spain

7th October Belgium V France

9th October Andorra V England

10th October Turkish Grand Prix

12th October Hungary V England

15th October Sale Sharks V Harlequins (rugby union)

16th October Leicester V Manchester United

17th October Newcastle V Tottenham

BADGER

ASASASAHVVHVHVH Official free fortnightly newspaper by and for Sussex students · Printed on recycled paper · thebadgeronline.com · 17 September 2021

Mention sexual

THE

T/W: and

97% of women (UN WOMEN UK, 2021) In the year (bbc, 2021)

ending

the

march

2020

have

98.5%

rape assault

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rapists

sexual

were

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men

24% OF Adolescent girls FROM 15-19 have experienced violence from an intimate partner (CSEW, 2021) A Third of people believe women who flirt are partially responsible for being raped (Amnesty, 2005) WOMEN ARE (CSEW, 2020)

1 in (un, 2019)

49% OF WOMEN (CSEW, 2021)

LIKELY

women who

HAVE

KNOW

THEIR

experience BEEN

RAPED

HAVE

perpetrator

THEN

physical,

sexual

BEEN

RAPED

MEN abuse

THAN

ONCE

55% of domestic abuse perpetrators were drinking at the time of committing abuse (WHO, 2006) 1 in 3 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner (The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2010) for the year to 74 (CSEW, 2020)

ending

March years

2020,

an estimated experienced

1 in 3 men would rape a woman if they (Sarah R. Edwards, Kathryn A. Bradshaw, and Verlin B. Hinsz, 2014)

1.6

million women domestic

could

get

away

aged 16 abuse with