University Express Volume 25: Issue 7 by UCCStudentMedia

University Volume 25 | Issue 7 | Tuesday 18th January 2022

Express

UCCExpress.ie

Returning to Campus: All You Need to Know ORLA LEAHY News Editor Semester two officially began yesterday, January 17th, and will run for twelve weeks until Friday, the 8th of April. President of UCC, Professor John O’Halloran, emailed all students on Wednesday, January 5th, announcing the official arrangements in place across campus for the semester. Face-to-face teaching continues, with cohorting again in place where class numbers exceed 80% of the room capacity, or 200 persons in the large lecture theatres. For postgraduate students, onsite research remains in operation. Face masks and sanitizer are available across campus, as in semester one, and the UniCoV study also continues, which offers its participants free antigen testing kits. Students are encouraged to remain vigilant and to download one of the UCC COVID apps, as well as the HSE COVID Tracker app. With regards to student life, there is no impact on the activities of clubs and societies, provided that they meet current Government guidelines. Upcoming events may be found on social media, on the individual society and club socials, or else the UCC Societies and UCC Sport official accounts. Other noteworthy information includes the deadline for Quercus Scholarship applications. Current and prospective students may apply for an Acive Citizenship, Creative and Performing Arts, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, or Sports’ Quercus Scholarship by 16:30 on February 3rd. Further information may be found on the website of the Quercus Talented Students’ Programme. Significant events to consider attending in the first few weeks of the semester are those of the UCC Law Society during Law Week 2022. The events are aimed at students from all disciplines. The 21st Annual UCC Law Society Conference is set to take place on Tuesday, January 25th. Registration is free, and

available via the Law Society’s Linktree on their social media accounts. Attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance. The conference is entitled, ‘The Infodemic: Misinformation, Disinformation, Media and the Law.’ Guest speakers from Twitter, Facebook, Article 19, and University College London are amongst the promising line-up. On January 26th, former President of Ireland, Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice in Trinity College Dublin, and Chair of The Elders, Mary Robinson, will address the Law Society via Zoom Webinar, at 18:30. Interested students may attend via the link which will be in the Law Society’s Linktree, and may register questions for Mrs. Robinson in advance of the webinar, but not during. Mrs. Robinson will primarily discuss climate justice, but will also address a variety of legalbased questions. Other events will be advertised on social media in the build-up to Law Week. The Cork University Business School (CUBS) Week is set to take place during week 7, from the 28th of February to the 4th of March. Meadhbh Kehoe, the College of Business and Law Representative on the Students’ Union, would like to thank all of the societies within CUBS involved, and Sinead Hackett and Mary McCarthy from CUBS Student Engagement. Meadhbh claims that the week, “will be a blend of events ranging from talks from various people in industry, workshops, quizzes and fun society-ran events! I can’t give everything away yet but watch this space!” Finally, the UCC Students’ Union have announced that Raise and Give Week will take place between March 28th and April 1st. Following much deliberation, Sexual Violence Centre Cork, Age Action South, and Cork Missing Persons Search and Recovery have been selected as this year’s Raise and Give Charities. The Students’ Union would like to thank, “all the amazing charities who put themselves forward for Raise and Give.” Further student life updates will be published across the various UCC social media channels over the course of the semester.

EDITORIAL Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief – Imasha Costa (Editor@UCCExpress.ie) News Editor – Orla Leahy (News@UCCExpress.ie) Designer – Aoife E Osborne (Design@UCCExpress.ie) Features Editor – Maeve O’Keeffe (Features@UCCExpress.ie) Sports Editor – Sam Curtin (Sport@UCCExpress.ie) Opinion Editor – Claudia Zedda (Opinion@UCCExpress.ie) Eagarthóir Gaeilge – Caitríona O’Connell (Gaeilge@UCCExpress.ie) Online Editor – Edel Lonergan (Online@UCCExpress.ie) Marketing Executive – Imasha Costa (Marketing@UCCExpress.ie) Photographers – Méabh Lonergan; Jack Murphy (Photographers@uccexpress.ie)

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

WE ASK FOR ONE THING A new year, a fresh beginning, a new chapter, new resolutions, new goals. University Express has decided from this issue onwards that we will be moving onto a more digital platform. We have many plans in the works, and it will all take a bit of time, but we aim to be successful in it. My heart goes out to Aisling Murphy that lost her life on Wednesday afternoon, when she just went for a run in broad daylight. Women have been told to not to go out at night by themselves, and if they do, to carry protection, hold their keys a certain way, to walk in lit roads. We havedone it all. We have tried to protect ourselves in any way possible. But we are asking to not be murdered. We want to feel safe at all times, and have our lives. I am now terrified to walk anywhere by myself, even in broad daylight, hoping that the stranger next to me will not attack me. We at the University Express stand in solidarity with all the women that have been victims to violence. This issue covers a range of topics from an article about testing over-sponsored products by our designer Aoife, to Afrofuturism in our Byline section by Cian. Our Bystander column this week surrounds around testimonials that have been given by students that have completed the Bystander Programme. I would highly recommend reading this one. I still cannot believe that it is my final semester of my degree, and that I am almost done, I am so grateful for all the experiences that I have had so far here in UCC and I cannot wait to see whatthe rest of this semester is going to be like.

Love and Solidarity,

Imasha Costa Editor-In-Chief

editor@uccexpress.ie

Byline Editor – Jack Coleman (Byline@UCCExpress.ie) (Deputy Editor) Food & Health – Nathan Carey (Food@UCCExpress.ie) Arts & Literature Editor – Cian Pierce (Arts@UCCExpress.ie) Gaming Editor – Chloe Barrett (Gaming @UCCExpress.ie) Music Editor – Florrie McCarthy (Music@UCCExpress) Fashion Editor – Claire Watson (fashion@uccexpress.ie) Film & Television Editor – Cormac McCarthy (Screen@UCCExpress.ie) Sexpress Editor – Emily Osborn (Sexpress@uccexpress.ie) Deputy News – Ciara Browne (Deputynews@uccexpress.ie) Deputy Sports - Atakan Uzun (deputysports@uccexpressie) Staff Writer: Billy O’Connor

A SECOND CHANCE AT 2020 Happy new year, readers, and welcome back to UCC! I hope that you enjoy reading our first issue of 2022. In News, we take a look at a diverse range of topics. I consider the return to campus amidst Omicron. Ciara discusses the introduction of domestic abuse leave across Irish universities, and Imasha explores the potential to reduce third-level student fees in Ireland. I thought that I’d focus this editorial on a comment that I’ve heard from several people over the last number of weeks. “Twenty-twenty-two”, a friend said to me a few weeks back. “It’s round two for 2020, 2022 will be 2020 all over again.” I have been surprised by people’s focus on all of 2020’s misfortune, and the apprehension that 2022 will be a similar repeat to 2020, filled with lockdowns and very little positive news. Amidst the current high case numbers, it is very easy to understand the general apprehension for the year ahead. However, I am constantly reminded by Snapchat and other social media flashbacks of the far better place that we are in this year, compared to this time last year. Ireland has one of the highest vaccination rates to begin with, and the vast number of amenities open, as well as the continuation of life on campus, are testament to the better place that we are in, and give us hope that life as we knew it before the pandemic isn’t too far away. So as we head into 2022, I hope that we can remain positive. Rather than repeat 2020, 2022 can be a second chance for us all.

Orla Leahy News Editor

news@uccexpress.ie

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

NEWS

What #F*CKTHEFEES Has Raised Awareness For IMASHA COSTA Editor-In-Chief

Official figures show that it would cost nearly 80 million euros to cut the contribution fee by 1000 euros. However, the cost of abolishing the whole As a new funding package is due to be published in the month of charge together would cost nearly 245 million euros for the government. January, the Government is considering the possibility of the reduction of the 3000 euro student contribution charge that is made by every Irish Ireland saw students take matters into their own hand in the month of national student for third level education. The new funding package is November 2021, when the USI organised a nationwide campaign ‘F*CK also considering a much larger expansion in student grants which would THE FEES’, where protesters were seen chanting ‘Education is a right, this is allow more families to be entitled to free fees and maintenance grants. why we have to fight.’ The USI had called initially for a 1000 euro reduction in the student contribution fee for Budget 2022, but this was not included. With Ireland becoming the country that charges the highest fees for third According to the USI’s website on the campaign, ‘students are suffering level after the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, in poverty and have to choose between food or heating. ‘We’re angry this lean towards the plan is partly due to the report about the future about the cost of student housing, which continues to put higher education funding of third level that is conducted by the European Commission. beyond the means of many in the country. Meanwhile, property developers However, half, and under, undergraduate students do not pay the student repurpose designated student rooms as fancy apartments for the wealthy. contribution charges as they are entitled to the Student Universal ‘We’re angry about the registration fees being the highest in the EU while the Support Ireland (SUSI) grants. This plan to review the contribution government claims there are “free fees”.’ fee also includes reviewing the SUSI scheme, and the possibility of lowering the threshold for income to allow more accessibility to students. The government, in political awareness, is trying to encourage young voters, and hopes that these considerations, which could possibly allow With the rise of living costs that have jumped drastically, students for the changing of the student contribution fees, will raise the chance usually end up paying nearly 14000 euros a year for rent, fees, etc. of young voters voting for the current government instead of Sinn Féin.

Photo Credit: Méabh Lonergan

NEWS Four Irish Universities to Introduce Domestic Leave for Staff

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

CIARA BROWNE Deputy News Editor

This article contains mentions of domestic violence and abuse. If you feel you may be triggered, please skip this article.

A number of third-level institutions have committed to introducing a domestic violence leave policy for staff in 2022. This comes after NUIG announced in May 2021 that all staff members experiencing domestic violence or abuse would be granted 10 working days of paid leave. Trinity College, University College Cork (UCC), University College Dublin (UCD) and Dublin City University (DCU) have all committed to introducing and implementing similar policies for 2022, following a request from Simon Harris, Minister of Further Education. Minister Harris said that, “the introduction of the domestic violence leave policy marks a critical step forward in ensuring that higher education institutions are safe and supportive workplaces” and went on to commend NUIG for initiating the important conversation across third level while adding that he is “pleased to see others following.” The new implementation of paid days leave when in a situation of domestic violence or abuse could be crucial in ensuring that the victims retain their employment and have the economic capacity to escape an abusive relationship. Minister Simon Harris wrote to every college in Ireland in June 2021 urging them to follow suit. In the letter, seen by the PA news agency, he wrote: “The purpose of the policy is to provide for a period of paid time away from work for staff members who have suffered or are suffering from domestic violence or abuse”, and went on to lament how, “our institutions have a duty of care to their staff.” This policy will build on and compliment the work that is ongoing across our higher education system to tackle sexual violence and harassment across Ireland. Domestic violence does not just have a major impact on the victim and their family, it can also have a significant impact on the person’s working life and wellbeing. Harris warned that domestic violence remains “a pervasive problem in our society” and reports have noted that cases have increased rapidly during the global pandemic of COVID19. Figures from 2020 show that Gardaí received 43,000 calls to respond to domestic abuse incidents, a 16% increase on 2019. In recent studies, nearly 15% of women between the ages of 18-74 have experienced physical and sexual violence in their lifetime, and almost 31% have experienced psychological violence. While the risk to women is higher, domestic abuse also affects a significant number of men in Ireland.

Safe Ireland has released many statistics and reports on domestic abuse and violence in Ireland. Domestic abuse is a serious andpervasive problem which has devastating consequences for the victim, family, friends and the wider work community. Almost one third of all women across the world have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. 1 in 3 women in Ireland have experienced psychological violence from a partner or male authoritative figure, and 1 in 8 men have also experienced such violence from a partner. A vast body of research has unequivocally established the impacts of domestic violence and/or abuse on women and men’s physical, and mental health. The physical effects are bruising, lacerations and burns, cuts and broken bones, or, in severe cases, more serious injuries leading to disability. Domestic violence does not have to be physical, it can be a silent killer. It can take many forms including emotional and psychological abuse and the impacts can be as, if not more, severe and long lasting for the victim. Physical health can too be affected by domestic violence/abuse, with the lasting effects of trauma possibly causing physical problems throughout life. Undergoing trauma or witnessing trauma are associated with a risk of: cardio-vascular disease, arteriosclerosis or hypertension, arthritis, obesity, and diabetes. Men and women who have experienced domestic violence/ abuse also report higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, low self-esteem, self-harm and suicide attempts. In severe cases, domestic violence/abuse can lead to poverty and homelessness. Domestic abuse and poverty are intricately interwoven. Costs borne by the victim because of the violence or abuse they experience include health care costs, housing and shelter costs, and legal costs. These can force victims into poverty making it more difficult to heal and to reduce the effects of the abuse/violence. Domestic violence and abuse can directly lead to homelessness too for both men and women, and often children. When the victim decides that the abuse cannot continue, unfortunately, when sufficient services are not available, the victim is forced with the decision to stay in the abusive setting of their home, or leave and be homeless. By implementing the Domestic Leave for Staff, Harris is declaring that this gives the victims a chance to deal with their mental and physical health, while also having a guarantee of being paid for these days to have emergency money to reduce poverty and homelessness amongst victims.

NEWS A New Era for the Irish Language

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

ORLA LEAHY News Editor

to other internships of the institutions as translators, interpreters, proofreaders, linguistic assistants and secretaries are also required to have knowledge of a third official and working language of the EU. Applicants to the roles listed above are welcome from a variety of backgrounds. The new status of the Irish language has created more job opportunities for UCC students and alumni across varying degree programmes, with sufficient knowledge of the Irish language. However, one growing career opportunity is that of lawyer-linguists, who are also required to have a legal qualification. According to the official website of the European Commission, lawyer-linguists are responsible for ensuring, “that a particular linguistic version of a law accurately reflects what was agreed and written in the original version so that an EU law is applied in the same way from one EU Member State to another.” The role of lawyer-linguists provides an expanding career route for law and language graduates of the UCC School of Law, recently ranked by QSI to be within the top 100 law schools in the world. For UCC students who are interested in a career in the EU, and would like to develop their Irish language skills, Ionad na Gaeilge Labhartha, the Centre for Spoken Irish in UCC offers frequent classes for students with varying levels of Irish. The deadline to apply for upcoming spring classes is 5 pm on January 27th. The 1st of January 2022 marked a significant date for the Irish language, as it reached the end of its derogation period to gain full official and working status in the European Union’s institutions. The derogation period had been in place since 2007, when the language was given official and working status, but deprived of full status due to the shortage of translation staff in the EU institutions. The EU is composed of seven institutions, as set out in the Treaties of the EU, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Court of Auditors and the European Ombudsman. Uachtarán na hÉireann, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, has remarked that the new status of Irish as a full official and the working language is a “significant achievement, and it will be gratifying for many people to know that, every day, the Irish language will now be in use in the European Union.” All legislation enacted across the institutions will now be translated into Irish, as is the case with the other 23 official and working languages of the Union. The ending of the derogation period marks an important turning point, not only for the Irish language but also for the career opportunities of UCC students. The EU institutions take on a number of interns and trainees each year, with the Irish Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media spearheading one specific internship scheme to achieve the objectives of the report, 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030. The internship facilitates the placement of ten interns within the EU institutions each October for a ten-month period. Applicants to this specific internship of the Irish government are required to have fluency in both Irish and English, whilst applicants

UCC alumni and current students who would like to seek a job in the new European market for Irish-language staff are encouraged to view @EUJobsIreland on social media, where the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs shares EU career opportunities. Applicants are also advised to register on the official European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), where they can apply to open opportunities with their CV. Further information can be found in the annual Green Book produced by European Movement Ireland.

It is clear that the Irish language is going from strength to strength in the EU. The new status of the Irish language in the EU comes within a year after the Court of Justice heard it’s very first case conducted entirely in Irish, Case C-64/20. It is clear that the Irish language is going from strength to strength in the EU. In a national context, however, Michael D. Higgins suggested, at the beginning of this month, “that now is the time to make one great effort for the language. Let us go and make a resolution to give it a place in our daily lives at home – i lár an aonaigh, inár ngnáthcaint.”

BYSTANDER FEATURES

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

Bystander Intervention: A Campus Wide New Year’s Resolution MAEVE O’KEEFFE Features Editor

As the new semester begins, you might feel motivated to ‘hit the ground running’ with college work. One new year’s resolution definitely worth your time before your academic timetable gets too hectic is the participation in the Bystander Intervention programme. The time and effort needed to complete bystander intervention training is minimal, but the messages you will learn are invaluable. There are four self-directed workshops that you can complete in your own time, at your own pace, followed by a live workshop to reflect with others on the value and learning outcomes of the programme. Following this, you can complete a reflective response in the form of an essay, or a more creative medium like artwork or poetry. This won’t be graded, it’s just a means to consolidate all that you will have learned through the bystander training, and to show the impact that participation in the programme has had one you personally. You can register on Canvas, and upon completion, you will be awarded a digital badge that won’t look to shabby on your LinkedIn profile, but more importantly, you will be equipped with a set of practical skills to prompt some badly needed cultural changes to create a safer campus and world for everyone. To encourage more students and staff to get involved, I reached out to students and ambassadors who can speak to the value of the Bystander Intervention programme.

Mair Kelly, Societies Executive Vice-President, Imasha Costa, Editor in Chief, responsible for public relations & media: University Express:

Tadgh Connery, Final Year Applied Psychology student and class representative:

“I did Bystander Intervention Programme in my own time during lockdown 1. Although I’ve never been afraid to speak out or stand up, I didn’t really feel like I knew how to properly intervene in some situations or properly prevent them and wanted to ensure that I knew how to best react if and when the need arose. I’ve found the Programme has given me much more confidence in being an active bystander but also what to do if it’s not safe to intervene. It taught me the little things you can say, or actions you can take early on to prevent anything, as well as what steps to take if you see something happening.

“This course has given me the opportunity to become an active Bystander and lead by example for those around me. I felt empowered, even in the minutes following my workshops, to be better than I was before I begun.

What I like about the programme was how it provides not only practical steps and actions, but information and research debunking myths and misconceptions. I’ve found this really useful whether I see something happening in the city, in college or just in challenging people’s language and actions. While the focus is on sexual assault and harassment, the toolkit is applicable to so much, and it’s definitely relevant for everyday life, advocating for change and raising awareness. In an ideal world we wouldn’t have the need for Bystander Intervention Training, because the issue wouldn’t exist. However, it’s still a really big issue in our society, one that doesn’t receive enough support and attention from decision makers. I’d really encourage any person to take a look at the programme, you can do it all at once or one a week. Whether you’re new to the topic or very familiar, you’ll definitely come away learning something beneficial.”

“The Bystander Prevention programme has been one of the best programmes by far, allowing me to realise how, I, like any other person can actively take part in a situation that is not right. Such as racism, hate crime, or calling out someone for their behaviour that could be misogynistic or sexist. Understanding how to intervene is more important than intervening with no supports or a system in place. That’s what this programme has given me, and I encourage you to do it, complete the workshops as it is readily available online. Yes, it did take a while to finish it off, and I ended up doing workshop five when I was back home for the summer, at nine pm due to the time difference. But it was worth it, I was able to understand and most importantly spark up a conversation with others about what it means to be an active bystander, and how to intervene but also when to intervene, and that is when you feel safe enough to do so. Working with Bystander now has allowed me to identify more unacceptable behaviours and know when to call someone out.

I am incredibly proud of myself for having completed this module; I know that I can be a part of the positive change within our university campus. I know that I will continue to promote the legacy of being an Active Bystander throughout all points of my academic journey, into my future career and indeed, my life overall. Reflecting back on the online four modules and the materials available, along with the digital assets and videos, this programme has been really useful for me. Though I was a little nervous about Module 5 being live, I actually found that after the first five minutes I settled in quite well.

This course not only personally helped me, but it gave me the skills to handle certain I am more aware of what constitutes situations safely over Freshers’ and RAG problematic behaviour and how important it Week within the Student Community Support. is to be able to identify it, so that it can be stopped. Everyone needs to learn about this, Recently, I intervened in a situation where a woman so that we can create a more informed and I didn’t know looked like she was being harassed more responsible society that is safer for all.” by a man. She was visibly uncomfortable, so I went over and said, “Hey Rachel, I didn’t know you were out. How are you doing?” She knew what I was doing and thanked me afterwards. It wasn’t anything dramatic or overboard, but it momentarily broke up the situation, and diffused any risk.

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

FEATURES

Why does Ireland keep failing Sinéad O’Connor? BILLY O’CONNOR Staff Writer

Shuhada Sadaqat, better known by her birth and stage name, Sinéad O’Connor rose to prominence in the mid-to-late 1980s as a contemporary, relatively easy listening artist, and achieved global fame with her cover of Prince’s song, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in 1990. Her aesthetic choices had been criticised from the infancy of her career, foreshadowing what would seem to embody her reputation as an artist, as she cultivated an androgynous look comprised of a buzzcut and androgynous clothing. O’Connor shied away from controversy, bolstering her reputation as an outspoken and courageous artist in a musical climate of relative conformity. She discussed that the reason she had kept her hair short throughout her career is because she was getting raped and molested throughout her teen and young adult life and she felt as though an androgynous look would prevent this. At the height of her global fame she had been touted as an Irish icon, despite her controversial nature and use of religious symbolism oftentimes critiqued by traditionalists. However, the world bared witness to arguably the most obvious and large-scale mass cancellation of a musical artist when O’Connor appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1992. In October of 1992, O’Connor was the musical guest for the comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL). After performing a cover of Bob Marley’s song ‘War’, O’Connor proceeded to display and then tear a picture of Pope John Paul II while saying “Fight the real enemy”. The performance concluded in a room of tangible silence and almost immediately news outlets began the demolition of O’Connor’s character. The infamous display of solidarity with victims of abuse at the hands of the Catholic church

was seen the world over and imitated, or rather mocked, by artists like Madonna. To say there was a mixed response to the action would be too generous. Media personalities and news outlets piled on O’Connor with actor Joe Pesci even appearing on SNL the week following the incident, symbolically holding a repaired picture of Pope John Paul that was torn by O’Connor the previous week. Pesci declared, “She’s lucky it wasn’t my show, ‘cause if it was my show, I would’ve given her such a smack…”, followed by subsequent concerning threats of hypothetical abuse. This unchallenged and even applauded display of blatant sexism and physical threats from a man in his 50’s to a woman in her 20’s was likely so easily swallowed by the public due to the abhorrent findings of child sexual abuse made by the Catholic church that had not come to light yet, ultimately proving that O’Connor was, as proven, ahead of her time in many ways. The symbolic solidarity showed in the performance went on to ultimately black ball O’Connor in every major facet of the music industry and impacted her reputation as an artist, ultimately being infamous for her ‘controversies’ rather than her musical ability. Instead of defending and bolstering support for a musical icon, however, the Irish media towed the line of anti-Sinéad O’Connor sentiment and allowed a 24-year old musical artist to be bullied into submission by global media conglomerates. It’s hard to ignore the sexism inherent in the media pile-on experienced by O’Connor and how easy of a target she was in this situation. O’Connor continued to make music and publically show signs of needing mental health assistance through

numerous public cries for help, for lack of a better word, and instead of being met with sympathy and compassion, the media and general public alike continued to berate a woman clearly suffering with substance issues and her own mental health by belabouring how ‘crazy’ and ‘unhinged’ she looked to the public. After O’Connor’s conversion to Islam, the abuse only heightened as we saw media personalities like Piers Morgan use her as a punching bag to be mocked and rebuked on his talk show Good Morning Britain. O’Connor has recently been in the news again, through no action or fault of her own, but due to the tragic death of her son Shane who took his own life last week at the age of 17. Shane was supposed to be under the supervision of Tusla employees but due to major underfunding and staff shortages, which leads to incompetency, Shane was failed by this organization and by our government. Thankfully, O’Connor has been very public with her proactivity in fighting this incompetence in the courts and plans to take legal action to make sure this is not just another child death that we all too easily sweep under the rug in this country. O’Connor is a musical icon and a trailblazer for means of protest and liberal causes and should be treated as such. The media consolidation for retribution for O’Connor has been lackluster at best with performances and interviews on The Late Late Show scarcely doing justice to convey the life’s work of O’Connor. I only hope this is the last tragedy suffered by O’Connor at the hands of Irish institutions and that she receives the praise and solidification in Irish music and culture that she so greatly deserves.

FEATURES I Tested Overly Sponsored Products. Here’s What I Learned.

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

AOIFE E OSBORNE Newspaper Designer

How many times have you seen an ad for a product on your social media account, or before a YouTube video, or even on a website banner? And then it comes back again, and again, and again, like a cold sore that just refuses to heal? How many times have you wondered if those products are any good, or thought about buying them? If you’re anything like me, you’ve done this a lot. You’ve probably even ordered them a few times and have learned the hard way that ordering overly advertised products is a game of Russian roulette. So, with that in mind, I asked my friends for some products they’ve always wondered about and decided to test some of them. First, a few ground rules: one, I was going to prioritise products I was actually curious about or had tried myself. Two, I was not going to try every single product suggested to me, so I put a cap that I would try a maximum of four new goods or services. Three, if I found something really absurd about a product or service I would take it upon myself to honestly explain why it did or did not work. For my reviews of the products and services that I ended up trying, keep reading! Grammarly As an English major, it’s no surprise that I’m a bit of a word nerd. What I struggle with is that I love words so much, I use them too much. Seriously, I am a big fan of long, convoluted sentences. As a result, every essay I’ve had graded since first year has had the same comments on my sentence structure. You may be asking, how accurate is Grammarly? Does it actually work? Well, as an experiment, when I subscribed to Grammarly I asked to evaluate an essay I’d just received back which had been noted as being a bit hard to read (sorry Dr Corcoran!). Amazingly, Grammarly highlighted the same sections that my feedback comments also flagged. I then used Grammarly on my Christmas assignments and, for the first time in my entire university experience, I Snag Tights did not receive any feedback that my essays As a five-foot-two plus size gal, tights are were hard to read – incredible. Money well the bane of my existence. They’re usually spent, and a subscription I will absolutely too tight, don’t stay up on my waist, or tear be renewing as long as I am in education. really easily. However, I also love wearing Recommend: For sure! skirts and dresses and going tightless means that I end up spending two days dousing my legs in aloe vera to combat chafing. Not fun. Noom Snag Tights turned up in my Facebook feed Is it even January if you’re not overloaded during the summer, advertising the Chub with ads on fitness, dieting, gym offers, juice Rub shorts. Now, while I’m not fond of programmes and more? I know so many the name, I absolutely freaking adore these people who’ve thought about apps like shorts. Game-changing. After that, I decided Noom, so I decided to give them both a go. to try their regular tights. I used to twist my head like a confused puppy when my friends What I’m going to say is, I can imagine this would talk about their ‘favourite tights’. Now, app being very, very dangerous – there’s no I get it, because these are just too comfy. actual human support or guidance that I could see, which I can imagine being an issue if My only hang up with these is the price – at you’ve experienced issues with disordered about nine euro a pair, they’re not cheap. For eating or body image. And truthfully, it didn’t reference, a multipack of three pairs of tights in offer anything spectacular. I can’t honestly Penneys is €4.50. Make of that what you will. say I saw anything outstanding with Noom so Recommend: If you can justify the price, then once my free trial ended, I didn’t subscribe. yes. If not, Penney’s now sells actual plus size Recommend: Not for me, and can’t recommend tights. in good conscience.

Estrid Shaving Let me preface this by saying, when it comes to shaving it is completely down to personal preference. For me, there are weeks where I shave once every few days and then weeks on end where I don’t shave at all (don’t at me). Estrid is relatively simple, choose your handle colour and how often you’d like to receive new blades, or you can manually ship your order as you need them. This is a huge plus for me as during the summer, I switched to monthly refills but during winter, I just hit that ‘send me my order now’ button when I felt like I needed them. Before Estrid, I’d stick with the disposable ones from Dealz or EuroGiant, so this is a price jump for me. However, I’ve decided I’m okay with splurging a little on this company. The packaging is paper and shipping is climate-compensated, so combine that with the reusable handle idea and my one-use plastic rate immediately goes right down. Plus, I feel better for spending my money with a brand that doesn’t gender their beauty products, therefore avoiding that cheeky Pink Tax - #winning. Recommend: Yes, if you’re a shaver – if not, no judgement. You do you boo.

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

FEATURES

Wild Deodorant

SugarBear Haircare

Spotlight Dental

Like many students, I’m usually on the run between lectures and buses, usually with a minimum of one bag filled with books, food, my tech gadgets and more. For this, I usually require heavy-duty deodorant. The one other time I tried a natural alternative, I was reapplying it every half hour to top it up.

Okay, when these were suggested to me, I decided to look them up – in case my purple locks don’t give it away, I’m a big fan of colouring and treating my hair and I’m a big believer of treating skin and hair from the inside out so I was intrigued.

So this one was suggested to me and initially I ruled it out as it would have pushed me over the budget I had set for this article. But, when a gift box with Spotlight Dental’s logo ended up under my tree on Christmas morning, who was I to not report back on it?

I found the ingredients, and the recommended dosage. A month’s supply of these will set you back 38USD, and arrive in three to four weeks. Express shipping will cost an extra 7USD and arrive in four to six days. But, here’s where it gets interesting. Several reviews from the UK and EU claim that they’ve been charged customs fees, and have received paperwork stating that the product does not meet EU guidelines. Now, I can’t confirm if this is true or not but I felt I had to mention it – and once I realised, I headed over to Boots.

I’ve never used teeth whitening strips before, but these were super simple to use and they actually did work. I should mention the kit also included the mouthwash, toothpaste and whitening pen, and I used all products in unison and as directed for fourteen days, which is the course of strips. At the Day 3 mark, I saw a difference in my teeth. By day 5, my boyfriend saw a difference and now, at the end of the two-week mark, I’m definitely super pleased with the progress.

Despite my scepticism, Wild actually does work - apply once a day, and that’s it. You’ve probably seen the videos on YouTube but it works exactly like they say – you order a case and get one refill, and then get a monthly subscription with three refills of your choosing. Given that I usually end up buying expensive deo anyway (between €4 or €5) Wild works out at roughly the same price but lasts longer so therefore, is better value. I am much happier with a brand that is environmentally friendly, cruelty free, and smells like a candle instead of the secondary school bathroom. On the subject of scents, I recommend the rhubarb-raspberry, and the mint-eucalyptus. My first order did take ages to arrive, but the customer service team was second-to-none in tracking my package for me and I’ve not had an issue since so I think this was just a once off. I also find the monthly service a bit too much as I tend to get between six and eight weeks out of a refill, even with frequent use, but it’s super easy to change your shipping dates. Recommend? Absolutely!

It turns out the ingredients are almost exactly the same between the Boots Hair Skin and Nails supplement, but a one-month supply of those will cost €7.50. Factor in Boots’ three-for-two offer across vitamins and that means you could get six months’ worth of the Boots vitamins for the same price as one month of SugarBear Haircare. Needless to say, I gave this one a skip.

Klarna This is one that I tried exclusively for this article. When it was suggested to me, it was with the question ‘is it just a goldplated one-way ticket to debt?’ After six weeks of using it, I can tell you: yes and no. The idea is when shopping online it creates a temporary card for you, and then breaks the purchase into three separate instalments, and you pay one each month. It really is that simple, and it does cap your spending. What I did notice, however, was after a few purchases that it became easy to say ‘but sure it’s grand, I’ll order it through Klarna and it’s only a third of the price.’ The big problem I foresee with it is that if I did that too many times across multiple purchases, I’ve ended up pulling together much more than I originally intended or hoped to spend and then have to pay that same amount next month, and the month after. I don’t regret using Klarna as it definitely made my Christmas shopping easier, and I did also use it on two big yearly purchases (a website renewal and a Canva subscription) but I can’t see myself sticking with it. Overall, my advice with Klarna is to proceed with an overabundance of caution and if you’re even slightly prone to splurging, steer clear! Recommend: Only if you feel you can control your spending – if not, caveat emptor.

Now, did it work exactly as on the box? No, it honestly didn’t. There is definitely a noticeable difference and I am much happier with how my teeth look but they could definitely stand to be a little brighter before I wholeheartedly recommend. It is worth noting that products such as cigarettes, red wine, tea, coffee and tomato-based products can hinder the process due to staining agents they contain. I’m not a smoker but I am known for my love of coffee, which could explain the fact that the two-week course was not enough for me. At the time of writing, my plan is to continue using the course of whitening toothpaste and mouthwash with the pen, and treat myself to some more strips if I spy them on offer some day. Recommend: Jury’s still out on this one, but due to the cost I think this is a treat-yourself purchase.

FEATURES

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

Re-evaluating January Preoccupations with Health and Fitness - Comments from BodyWhys MAEVE O’KEEFFE Features Editor

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of eating disorders and may be triggering for some readers. If you feel that you will be triggered, please refrain from reading this article. A list of supports is mentioned at the end of this article.

Though I relish cracking open a new diary, its blankness comforting in the promise of possibility that a new year brings, generally speaking, January is my least favourite month of the calendar. Yes, January can signify fresh starts and new beginnings, but so often these can be less about refreshing, and more about reinventing. Many of us will have set new year’s resolutions, renewed with ambition for self-improvement in the new year. Don’t get me wrong, a new year can be an ideal time to try to implement new routines towards selfimprovement. Maybe you’d like to drink more water, read more books, finally stick to a skincare routine, keep your room tidier, or all of the above. These are all things that might enhance your life. However, as my social media pages are flooded with promises of body transformations and exercise regimes, it is worth noting that resolutions should not endorse radical transformations of the self as the “New year, new me,” social media tagline might suggest.

orthorexia, and the complexity of the month of January for individuals in recovery from eating disorders. Orthorexia has yet to be included in the diagnostic manual for mental health conditions, meaning that characterising the condition is challenging, but presently, orthorexia is understood as an obsession or intense preoccupation with the quality of food consumed, with often rigid and compulsive eating patterns. According to Ellen Jennings, communications officer for BodyWhys, orthorexia centres around, ‘compulsive behaviour and/or mental preoccupation with dietary practices believed by the individual to promote optimum health.’ Not following their self-imposed dietary rules can result in significant distress for an individual with orthorexia, with Jennings identifying ‘fear of disease, sense of impurity or negative feelings like anxiety and shame,’ as feelings that may result. When the ‘rules’ of the individual’s diet are broken, or if they make a change to their normal eating patterns, they may feel shame and remorse, often accompanied by anxiety over the perceived unhealthiness or impurity of what they have just consumed. These negative emotions can ‘lead to more stringent diet behaviours,’ Jennings tells me, noting that the condition often involves ‘dietary restrictions escalating over time such as elimination of entire food groups and more severe and frequent rules such as “cleanses” and “fasting.”’ While the emphasis on body transformations in the new year may contribute to a myriad of disordered eating patterns, orthorexia can be even more challenging to detect, as it is frequently overlooked as a ‘healthy’ lifestyle. Instead of understanding the rigidity and compulsiveness of orthorexia, people may applaud what they perceive to be the ‘discipline’ of those who abide by a strictly ‘clean-eating’ diet. The messages we are exposed to around this time of year almost universally promote dieting and exercising, but how can we recognise an excess of these behaviours? According to Jennings, ‘Compulsion is the difference between what we call [subclinical] disordered eating and an eating disorder,’ outlining how, ‘with eating disorders, there is no flexibility in the rules in the person’s mind, they need to follow these rules in order to feel ok in the world.’ There is inflexibility and rigidity that accompanies orthorexia because straying from the rules of their diet is so distressing. ‘Attention to a “pure” diet becomes problematic when it is an obsession that has a significant negative impact on a person’s life. Thinking about food and about how it is prepared becomes a means of coping with the stresses of life and avoiding the experience of negative emotions,’ explains Jennings.

Orthorexia can have serious consequences for the individual, as well as their friends and family. Because of the distress that can accompany straying from the rules of the individual’s diet, ‘efforts spent trying to satisfy the rules may increase and a person may avoid social situations where they are unable to follow their food-related rules,’ says Jennings. There is an inability to deal with spontaneity, and the individual may withdraw from their social circle to avoid lapses in their dietary regime. The often increasingly complex and detailed rules of the individual’s diet, as well as various, cleanses, detoxes or fasts may result in weight change, ‘but the desire to lose weight is hidden in ideation about healthy eating,’ explains Jennings. When an individual with orthorexia excluded food groups from their diet, they also run the risk of malnutrition or other medical complications. Aside from this, Jennings highlights how orthorexia Becoming fixated on healthy eating can itself be viewed as an eating can become clinically impairing for the individual by rendering disorder, which is known as orthorexia. I reached out to BodyWhys, their ‘body image, self-worth, identity and/or satisfaction dependent the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, to learn more about on compliance with self-defined “healthy” eating behaviour.’ The pressure to embark on a diet or fitness ‘journey’ in the new year is ubiquitous. A wander around the Special Buys aisle in the supermarket will assault the senses with newly stocked Nutribullets, yoga mats, and weights. RTE’s Operation Transformation returns to screens, fashion magazines recommend where to get the best gym gear, and social media influencers hail weight-loss teas, restrictive diets, juice cleanses, and twice-daily workouts as the key to achieving their ideal physique. Many gyms and fitness clubs even offer membership discounts in January, anticipating the influx of eager gym bunnies, renewed with ambition after the Christmas season. None of this is necessarily bad. Of course, we should all aspire towards a healthy lifestyle. However, one question that this rush of health and fitness promotion poses is how much is too much?

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

The pressures to restrict one’s diet to ‘healthy’ food only, and to engage in rigorous exercise programmes can allow for debilitating eating disorders to go undetected. As well as this, the incessant emphasis on nutrition and fitness in the new year may be a triggering or conflicting time for individuals suffering or recovering from eating disorders. The lead-up to Christmas is frequently centred around an abundance of food, which in itself may feel intrusive for someone recovering from an eating disorder. But in the aftermath, it is as if self-loathing is normalised, with comments about weight gain not uncommon. Jennings explains how ‘as messages shift towards dieting, appearance and exercise,’ in January, individuals with eating disorders are particularly vulnerable, as their ‘eating disorder will try to take advantage.’ It is worth noting that it is rarely anyone’s intention to be insensitive to an individual with an eating disorder, but even a seemingly benign self-deprecating comment about how your jeans are snugger or comment about how ‘A minute on the lips is a lifetime on the hips,’ can all be unhelpful to individuals recovering from eating disorders, and can reinforce harmful behaviours for those with eating disorders. Regardless of whether you are suffering from a diagnosed eating disorder or not, we need to stop normalising body dissatisfaction, particularly after a Christmas season that might have been stressful and isolated. Try to insulate yourself against the pressures of the January health and fitness craze by showing some self-compassion. In fact, BodyWhys has recently issued a statement about the RTE television series Operation Transformation, calling for a reform of the programme’s approach to dieting and weight loss. Operation Transformation centres around the weight loss of six contestants, with the help of experts in the fields of nutrition, fitness, and psychology. It has been on air every January since 2008 when the RTE Guide described it as a ‘flab to fab’ reality TV show. According to the statement issued by BodyWhys on the 5th of January 2022, ‘Although the show has a positive objective intending to bring focus to health and wellbeing, the considerable emphasis on dieting, body weight and shape and the way these are measured, collectively counted and presented, create a community sanctioned dieting culture that research shows does little to achieve long-lasting weight loss or health promotion.’ Emphasising the significant rise in hospital admissions for young people and adults suffering from eating disorders, BodyWhys implored the national broadcaster to recognise the role of the media in ‘creating normative discontent with how people feel about their body and their relationship with food,’ and instead to ‘promote health and well-being in a way that is inclusive and diverse. ‘It is important for anyone in recovery to recognise that these messages are unhelpful for them, come back to their coping strategies’

FEATURES

and offer themselves self-compassion during this time that can be really challenging,’ Jennings tells me. Though there is often a misconception that individuals with eating disorders are obsessed with thinness because they believe it equates to attractiveness, the reality is a lot more complicated, with many different factors influencing their condition. That said, the focus on diets, exercise, and appearance in the new year can be extremely intrusive, and it is important to develop a heightened sensitivity to the issues of those around us, even if they are not immediately obvious. Rather than striving to transform one’s shape or the number that pops up on the weighing scales, we should promote a transformation in how we talk about health and well-being. Instead of focusing on calories, kilos, and kilometres ran, we can appreciate all that our bodies do to serve us each day, and treat them with the kindness they deserve. If you are concerned about any of the topics raised in this article, the BodyWhys support services are operating as normal.

OPINION

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

“This or That” - Multiculturalism and Biracialism in Ireland Béline Chan Student Contributor

As a multicultural and biracial person, I am more than used to the “this-or-that” attitude from those of one cultural or racial background. Of course, not everyone who doesn’t come from a mixed background has an attitude like this, but nonetheless it is common. I am half Hongkongese and half French, and therefore I’m commonly asked, “do you feel more French or Chinese?”, “do you feel more white or Asian?”, “what do you call yourself?” and the list goes on. The “this-or-that” attitude raises questions to me. Why do we have to choose? Why is one culture or race better than the other? Can’t we embrace both cultures just as much? We are made to think that we must choose one of our cultures and race to identify with, but why can’t we embrace both, if both sides complete us? I’ve always considered biracialism and multiculturalism as a wonderful thing. We get to experience cultures from two or more different countries, and some of us get to grow up with multiple languages. Personally, I would never “choose” one culture or language over the other. I am equally mixed. We don’t choose where we come from, but we embrace our cultures. The this-or-that attitude makes it seem like having multiple backgrounds is “too much”, or that we can only “truly” be part of one culture. I don’t think that there could ever be “too many” cultures, languages, experiences and knowledge on multiple cultures and countries. It’s unfair to make people feel like they should be choosing, or that having multiple backgrounds isn’t valid. The “this-or-that” attitude undermines our identities. We don’t ask people of one background if they wish they came from multiple, so why ask us if we wish we came from only one? Perhaps some of us do feel connected to one culture better than the other, but there are many people who feel equally as connected. It doesn’t matter where the person is living, or the language that they’re currently speaking. The only person who gets to question their own identity, is themselves. So, instead of asking a biracial/ multicultural person if they prefer one side to another, why not show interest in all their cultures and backgrounds? Accept and embrace the person for all of them, not just part of them. This leads into another issue, alienating those who come from a different or multi-cultural background. I feel like there’s a big issue when it comes to the assumption of one’s cultural and native identity. I know that a lot of other people who are mixed, or even from other countries who live and grew up in Ireland, can relate to this. Despite studying and living in Ireland, we are immediately seen as foreigners for “looking different” or for having nonIrish names. Some of us have lived here for nearly all our lives. Some of us are half Irish. Some of us just want to be seen as every other student, but we always “stand out”. revert back, comb back through the memories and find what sticks. Naturally what you like or dislike will shift over time. Yet there are always a few things that take precedence. One’s love of sports and a particular soccer team. Clinging to a particular tv series, it functions almost as a metaphorical comfort blanket. Who you were will level with who you are and who will become. When I was younger I couldn’t wait to be older. I felt, and still do feel, like an old woman trapped inside a young person’s body. Yet I never lost sight of time– how fickle and lucrative it is, and how we all want just a little bitmore. I’ve documented every minor detail from as far back as I can remember, living in fear that one day, inevitably, I’ll forget.

People shouldn’t assume that someone isn’t Irish because of their appearance, or because they have a name they don’t recognise as Irish. Ireland is a diverse country, with many different cultures, and many people have moved here at a young age and consider themselves Irish. My brother and I are half French and half Chinese, no-one in my family is Irish by blood, and all my extended family live abroad in their home countries. I’ve done my schooling here in Ireland, yet people who haven’t met me before, always assume I’m a “foreigner” or “tourist” because of my Asian appearance and non-Irish name. “Where do you come from?” is the most common question one would ask. I say I study in Cork, “but where are you really from?”. I’m sure many of you have experienced this question, “but where are you really from?”. This is the rudeness that mixed people can face every day in Ireland. Why do people feel like they have the right to doubt and question where we are from? If someone identifies as Irish or otherwise, there’s no need to question or dismiss it due to their appearance. “But you look Asian” I’ve been told countless times. Looking Asian doesn’t stop me from saying I’m from Ireland, does it? Don’t assume where people are from. There have been many times where people assumed where I was from, and thought I was from China or Korea. As someone who doesn’t identify as Irish (I usually say I’m Franco-Chinese studying in Cork), I’d rather people ask where I’m from and accept my response, rather than assume I’m only Chinese, or assume that I’m a tourist, or assume I’m Irish-Chinese and question my identity. What you can do to help this situation, is respect someone’s response when you ask them where they are from. Don’t make assumptions about someone’s identity based on superficial things such as appearance. Everyone has their own story.

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

OPINION

Anti-Blackness and Misogyny in the ‘Rager’/ Alternative Rap Community BILLY O’CONNOR Staff Writer

If there is any consistency within every viable industry, mainstream or alternative, it is a contempt for women and a contempt for people of colour. The outright discrimination faced by artists, specifically in the entertainment industry, has been well-documented in the last decade due to an overdue reckoning with the hardships faced by these artists simply because of their skin colour and/or gender. When these factors are exacerbated in the form of female POC performers, the contempt becomes much more blatant and much less reported or protected. A prime example of this comes in the age of alternative rap and ‘rager’ culture and how Playboi Carti fans have reacted to Rico Nasty being affiliated with his current ‘Narcissist/KingVamp Tour’.

alike. The situation has been escalated due to Carti’s lack of a denouncement. It may be the case that many will use the excuse that her music is simply not their taste but I think that argument is invalid when we note the similarities in both of the artists’ music and the extent to which fans have gone to display this ‘dislike’ to her music.

Both Carti and Rico Nasty emerged during the new wave of SoundCloud rappers in the mid to late 2010s. Both have gained millions of fans and listeners through an organic come-up largely supported by music and fashion exemplifying teenage angst and deep-rooted anger and sadness stemming from their circumstances at the time. Many fans found comfort in their music due to their own struggles with depression or anger. In the case of Playboi Carti, however, a large majority of his fanbase is comprised of white teenage boys who largely are unaware of the factor both race and gender play in the social fabric and many display microaggressions and outright racism in videos circulating on TikTok and Twitter and so we can assume that some, not all, are fans of Carti in spite of his race and the influence of race on his music.

Women in hip-hop have long been discredited and disregarded when compared to their male peers. We have seen countless female rap artists face sexism and slut-shaming throughout their careers whether or not they have versatility in their music, it does not seem to matter to many male fans. When we concentrate this disrespect on the female artists residing under the alternative rap genre it seems to come from a more blatant place of misogyny as ‘tone of voice’ and ‘sex-talk’ seem to be two common deterrents discussed by white male fans of this genre. One could relate this rhetoric to theories such as the Madonna-Whore complex but in general I think it’s easier to simply call it what it is, blatant misogyny and anti-blackness. I think race, gender and all the factors white male fans want to ignore in-regards to Carti’s music, suddenly become inescapable when listening to Rico’s music and they are unable to give the same pass they give him when speaking on topics like sex and race as they do with her. Black women are one of the most disrespected and unprotected groups in modern society and have been since the beginning of time.

Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, Trippie Redd and many other alternative rap artists share this fanbase and this unfortunately gives said misogyny and anti-blackness a major platform in this community. This contempt has seemingly come to a head with Carti’s recent tour where Rico Nasty has been opening for him on his North American leg. Many videos have gone viral on apps such as Tik-Tok and Twitter of fans booing, jeering and ignoring Rico’s performance and disrespecting her set. Recent video has been released of bottles being thrown at her on stage and her having to take actions into her own hands due to a lack of regard or respect by both fans and security

It may be easy to brush off these violent and disrespectful antics as ‘trolling’ or simply differing music taste, but when you make connections to social constructs such as race and gender, it is hard to ignore the dangerous path these actions could ultimately lead to. I believe it’s imperative that both Playboi Carti and promoters of the show speak out in defense of Rico Nasty and disavow any disrespect or violence shown toward her or we may see these instances become more violent and ignite situations involving black women that we unfortunately know all too well.

BYLINE VOLUME 7 ISSUE 6

EDITORIAL

Issue seven New year, same good ‘ol reliable University Express. It is my pleasure to welcome you all back to UCC after the holiday period. I hope you had a good time but it’s okay if you didn’t, the holidays can be quite a sad time for many. My message to everyone for 2022 is to continue pursuing your passions and don’t stress too hard about resolutions or changing something all at once, change comes gradually and trying to change your entire routine at once is a good way to burn out quickly. That’s why I’m gradually working towards doing some actual work on my dissertation, baby steps right guys?

My editors have outdone themselves once again with this edition of Byline. It brings me great joy to see eachoneofthemrefiningtheirownstylesissueafterissue.Thisweek,Caitríonashowsyou use more Irish this year, Cian explores the concept of Afrofuturism and Nathan talks about building healthy habits amidst the toxic January health culture. This and so much more is just a page turn away.

Jack Coleman Byline Editor

byline@uccexpress.ie

photography

f*ck the fees protest photos by méabh lonergan

Gaeilge

An tSlí chun níos mó Gaeilge a úsáid in 2022 CAITRÍONA O’CONNELL Eagarthóir Gaeilge

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir!Agus 20 buailte linn, b’fhéidir gur rún na hathbhliana é duitse chun n churarannGaeilgesabhliainnua.Másea,seocúplasmaointíchunníosmóGaeilgeaúsáididoshaoli20!

1. Frásaí simplí a úsáid i gcaitheamh an lae:

5. Éist le podchraoltaí trí mheán na Gaeilge:

Bíonn an t-uafás podchraoltaí ar fáil sa lá atá inniu ann trí Is éasca an rud é dearúd a dhéanamh ar an nGaeilge a úsáid inár na Gaeilge saol laethúil. Níl ag teastáil ach athrú beag bídeach is na focailagus faoin nGaeilge í féin chomh maith, mar shampla Gaelgals, laethúla a athrú ó Ghaeilge go Béarla. Mar shampla, abair “Dia PodBeag,GaeilgeAnois,TaeisPlé,Bladhaire,Motherfocl dhuit” seachas “Hello”, agus is féidir buíochas a gabháil Imperfect le duine Irish, Spreagadh Saoil, Nuacht Mhall, Guthanna nGael tré “Go raibh míle maith agat” a rá in ionad “Thanks,” agus do (Raidió na Life), Bitesize Irish Podcast, StaidAir le Blá Treacy, Gaeilge Bhriste agus Corpoideachas le Mollaí agus Mái bheannacht a chur le duine i dtaobh “Slán” a rá in áit “Goodbye”.

2. Úsáid do chuid Gaeilge le do chuid teicneolaíochta: Is féidir Google a aistriú ó Bhéarla go Gaeilge agus fiú an teanga ar do ghuthán é féin a aistriú chuig an nGaeilge, chun cabhrú leat beagáinín Gaeilge a fheiscint agus a chloisint gach lá.

3. Tabhair aird ar an nGaeilge atá os do chomhair amach: Bíonn an Ghaeilge i gcónaí inár dtimpeall agus is féidir í a chlos go forleathan sa domhan mór. Tabhair aird ar chomharthaí bóthair agus ainmneacha siopaí nó foirgnimh. Is féidir an Ghaeilge a fheiscint ar aon chomharthaí poiblí chomh maith, mar shampla ar chomharthaí páirceála. Ina theannta sin, bíonn ainmneacha na gcontaetha le feiscint as Gaeilge ar phlátaí cláraithe gluaisteáin.

4. Ceannaigh earraí agus an nGaeilge le feiscint orthu: Tá mórán earraí ar fáil agus an Ghaeilge le feiscint orthu. Is féidir t-léinte agus geansaithe ó Beanantees, le mana ar nós “Dia Bitch” agus “Yas Banríon” orthu. Tá hataí, t-léinte agus geansaithe áilne ar fáil ó Gaeilgegheansaí , le frásaí “Ta cúpla focal agam”, “Ní Saoirse go Saoirse na mBan”agus “Tá GaeilgeAgam.” Is féidir réimse earraí ó mhascanna aghaidhe, cártaí Nollag, geansaithe agus t-léinte a fháil ó shuíomh An Spailpín Fánach. Ar shuíomh Betty agus Biddy, faightear seodra álainn óir agus airgid le frásaí agus seanfhocail ar nós “Dá fhad é an lá, tagann an tráthnóna” agus “An té a bhíonn siúlach, bíonn scéalach”. Is féidir cupáin ghleoite a fhail ó Dunnes Stores go rialta le ráitisí comónta as Gaeilge orthu, mar shampla “Is breá liom cupán tae” nó “Go raibh míle maith agat” orthu.

gaeilge

19 6. Labhair Gaeilge le do mhuintir agus le do chuid cairde:

frása a chur isteach i dteideal pictiúir agus cuntaisí a an Ghaeilge chun cinn a leanúint. Is féidir Gaeilgeoirí a th faoi deara ar líne agus suim acu i ngach rud - feirmeoirea cócaireacht, faisean, ealaín, smidiú, spórt agus mórán rudaí

Is féidir do chuid Gaeilge a fheabhsú tré an teanga a labhairt le do mhuintir is do chairde chomh minic agus gur féidir. Fiú más rud é go ndéanann sibh an cinneadh díreach chun an Ghaeilge a labhairt ag am dinnéir, nó nach féidir ach Gaeilge a úsáid sa Ag aon ATM is féidir an Ghaeilge a roghnú mar an teanga ab fhearr ghrúpa WhatsApp, más rud é go gcabhraíonn sibh lena chéile leataúsáidagustúagdéanamhdochuidgnó.Bíonnanroghaseoar beidh gach duine agaibh níos compordaí á húsáid in atmaisféar fáil ag aon mheaisín féinseirbhíse i leabharlanna ar fud na hÉ neamhbhreithiúnach, nuair nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge á húsáid ach chomh maith. chun teangmháil lena chéile go neamhfhoirmeálta. B’fhéidir go ndéanfaidh tú an cinneadh le cara amháin bualadh leo uair sa tseachtain agus nach labhróidh sibh ach Gaeilge lena chéile san am sin; chun cabhrú lena chéile an Ghaeilge a labhairt go rialta. Agus, mar a deir an seanfhocal, “Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste”.

10. Tóg an rogha Gaeilge i gcónaí:

11. Féach ar chláracha teilifíse agus scannáin trí mheán na Gaeilge:

TáfíseáinagusclárachateilifísearfáilarYouTube,Netflix,RTÉ,TG4 agusgoleoráiteannaeile.IsféidirféachaintarangcéadTEDTal mheánnaGaeilgeleBláthnaidNíChofaigharYoutube.Bíonngol cláracha faisnéise ar fáil ar TG4 agus ar sheinnteoir TG4 ar réi leathan ábhar, chomh maith le cláracha agus físeáin atá aist Má thugann tú sprioc bheag duit féin gach lá, mar shampla focal Bhéarla go Gaeilge. Bíonn spórt á léiriú le tráchtaireacht Gh nua a scríobh síos duit féin gach lá, 10 nóiméad a chaitheamh ar Duolingo nó frása nua a fhoghlaim gach lá. Más rud é go TG4chomhmaith,agusisnóscoitiantaégodtaispeántarcluich aratá TG4, mar shampla cluichí ó na clubanna. Is féidir leagan Gaeilg dtugann tú sprioc duit féin nach dtógann mórán ama ach de roinnt cláracha a fháil ar shuíomhanna eile chomh mait éasca le déanamh agus le smaoineamh air, beidh sé i bhfad shampla níos éasca duit an cinneadh nó nós sin a choimeád leat féin anleaganGaeilgedeSpongebobSquarepantsarNetflix ionas go leanfaidh tú ar aghaidh á dhéanamh ar feadh i bhfad.

7. Déan cinneadh go bhfuil tú chun do chuid Gaeilge a fheabhsú:

8. Léigh leabhair trí mheán na Gaeilge: Tá go leor leabhar ar fáil trí mheán na Gaeilge atá ar leibhéal difriúil deacrachta agus téamaí difriúla chomh maith. Ina theannta sin, faighim go bhfuil sé ana-chabhrach roinnt leabhar a léamh atá faoin nGaeilge ach scríofa as Béarla, ionas gur féidir gach rud a thuiscint go héasca agus fós blúire Gaeilge a fhoghlaim chomh maith. Is féidir ficsean nó neamhfhicsean a léamh agus is féidir liom a rá ó mo thaithí féin agus mé ag léamh “Harry Potter agus an Órchloch” faoiláthairgobhfuilan-chuidfoclóralefoghlaimónabheithagléamh as Gaeilge. Agus mé tar éis dhá chaibidil den leabhar a léamh, bhí 80 frása scríofa síos agam nach raibh ar eolas agam roimhe sin.

9. Úsáid an Ghaeilge ar na meáin shóisialta:

12. Bí páirteach i saol na Gaeilge:

Glac páirt in aon chiorcal comhrá atá timpeall ort, sa Cholái dobhaileféin.TéirchuigócáidíinambíonnanGhaeilgemarthean an imeachta féin; mar shampla Oireachtas na Samhna, Spraoi Co Laoi,FleadhCheoilnahÉireannnóFéilenaGealaí.Ispobalfáilte Is rud fíor-éasca é an Ghaeilge a úsáid ar na meáin shóisialta, tré flaithiúil é pobal na Gaeilge agus má bhíonn tú díograiseach ag sheanfhocail a úsáid, d’ainm a aistriú chuig an leagan Gaeilge, cairdiúil éireoidh go hiontach leat!

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20 Entertainment in 2022: A Look Ahead JACK COLEMAN Byline Editor

DespitetheworldstillbeingintheclutchesoftheCOVID-pandemic, 19 Towards the end of the year, we have Starfield, a new IP from the entertainment industry perseveres albeit still not yet in full swing. Bethesda.BethesdadirectorToddHowardhasdescribedSt Rather than starting 2022 with an interview, I thought a preview of “Skyriminspace”whichleadsmetobelieveStarfieldwillbea Bethesda RPG albeit with a di-erent setting than their entertainmentfortheyearaheadwouldbemoreaptforour firstissue of the new year. My passion and knowledge lie in gaming and esports butter franchises, Fallout and the Elder Scrolls. 20 will als as any regular Express reader knows but I’ll try and broaden my usTriangleStrategy,thenexttacticsRPGfromSquareEnix.Eager capitalise horizons for this piece and give you a taste of what is to come in the on the runaway success of OctopathTraveller, Sq other areas of entertainment as well. I hope my Byline Editors Cormac, hoping their newest tactics game will once again deliver for the studio. Inof typical JRPG fashion, Triangle Strategy will take place d Florrie and Chloe will forgive me if I butcher their areas expertise. a war between three factions on the fictional continent That being said, we are starting with my beloved gaming industry. Even though the pandemic moved game development largely online Of course, the games themselves are never the most controversial part of the gaming industry. The polarising non-fungible toke last year, 201 was still a strong year for games. Halo Infinite, trend has begun to infect the gaming industry, with proponents Resident Evil Village and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart were just of this ridiculous movement seeing the gaming industry as the three of the largest releases last year. The industry is not letting up in perfect medium to actually give NFTs some tangible usage. Th 2022 with some highly-anticipated titles set to release during the year. people just can’t quite believe that gamers might not want even The newest instalment of the beloved Pokémon series, Pokémon more monetisation in the industry. Linkin Park rapper Mike Legends: Arceus, is set to release at the end of January. Fans made a tweet about the possibility of using the same recently who have probably just finished playing the newestNFT remakes, as a cosmetic across di-erent video games without of cou Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are being fed once more. taking This into account that developers would never cooperate on instalment will be a prequel to other main series Pokémon games implementing that or that no rational person actually cares about and as the title implies, the plot will revolve around Arceus, a god- owning anything on a blockchain. Ubisoft is insistent on releasing their Quartz program, their attempt at playable NFTs, des like figure of the Pokémon universe. Elden Ring, a collaboration overwhelming between the legendary developer FromSoftware and fantasy backlash from their community. One has to ask how author George R.R. Martin, has gamers salivating. It’s set to NFTs support decentralisation when it’s the same old co that stand to profit from increased monetisation of release at the end of February and FromSoftware has described

it as the culmination of everything they’ve learned so far. Dark Abhorrent behaviour continues to be commonplace in the gaming Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro, now that’s a winning combination. industry.RiotGames,developersofLeagueofLegends,justpaid

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$10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit against them As for by current television in 2022, there are some exciting shows returning and former female employees regarding systemic sexism and sexual to the screen and as always there are also new shows looking to harassment at the company. A lowlight of the exposé published by break into the mainstream consciousness. The Lord of the R news site Kotaku in 2018 was the allegation that a senior coming “Rioter” to Amazon Prime Video in September. Said to be “the most would walk around meetings and fart in people’s faces for funsies. expensive television show of all time”, the show takes place during Activision-Blizzard continues to be under siege by industrythe Second wide Age of Middle-Earth which predates the events outrage following the filing of a sexual harassment lawsuit film trilogy. by the This should allow the showrunners enough free California Department of Fair Employment and Housing last realise year. Itheir own creative vision within Tolkien’s univ would be surprised if CEO Bobby Kotick survives this storm. In 2022, of fantasy, House of the Dragon, set in the A Song of Ice and Fire the industry should continue to expose its toxic culture and maybe this universe, is also set to release this year. The show is set during year there will be actual consequences for the worst o-the enders downfall (as if). of House Targaryen and George R.R Martin is havi a large input on the show’s direction. Other shows to look forward Anyways, with those rants over. We can move on to the film industry to this year are Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+), Ms Marvel (Disney+), in 2022. What is there to look forward to in the new year? Matt The Last of Us (HBO), The Idol (HBO) and Heartstopper (Netflix). Reeves’ The Batman will be coming to the big screen on March 4th Some of the shows returning this year are Peaky Blin 2022. I’m sceptical of Pattinson as Bruce Wayne but the actor is Euphoria, Better Call Saul, Derry Girls, Sex Education and Top B certainly capable of strong performance and it can’t be worse than A-eck, right? Music biopics are still at large in 20, a trendFinally, that’s wehavemusic.Artistsarereluctanttoputdateso been around for decades but became popular once more rightfully in 2015 so, because missed deadlines can be demoralising for fans. with Straight Outta Compton and recently broughtHowever, us Bohemian we do know the dates of certain releases. Mitski Rhapsody (2018), Rocketman (2019) and Respect (201) will be album Laurel Hell will be released on February 4th. The ever cr continuing this year with Elvis. Directed by Baz LuhrmannMitski of Romeo did not disappoint with 2018’s Be The Cowboy album which and Juliet (196) and The Great Gatsby (2013) fame, Austin Butler showed her range so there is every reason to look forward to her next will be playing a young Elvis Presley (surprisingly it’s not release. Leonardo CharliXCXwillbereleasingher“quarantinerecor DiCaprio CGI’d to be the same average age as his girlfriends) feeling now . in March, Frank Turner will have new music in Febru withFTHCandGunsN’RosesarecomingoutwiththeirEPHardSkoo also in February. In addition, there are a lot of unscheduled set to release this year with new music from Kid Cudi, Brockhampton, Rosalía, Camila Cabello and Avenged Sevenfold among othe

Sothereisnoneedtoworry,ourbrainswillcontinuetobest (likely overstimulated) with new media going into 20. Even if this pandemic continues to rage, we’ll be kept well occupied.

Fans of Timotheé Chalamet may be looking forward to Bones & All which is set to release sometime this year. The interesting combination of romance and cannibalism will be present in this adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’ young adult novel of the same name. Italian director Luca Guadagnino will be reunited with Chalamet for Bones & All following their work together on Call Me By Your Name (2017). Jordan Peele’s stock continues to rise and he’s looking to follow up Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) with Nope. Not much is known about the production except that Peele will be reuniting with Daniel Kaluuya, if his recent work is anything to go by then Nope will be delightfully terrifying with some biting social commentary to go with it.

FILM & TV

The Golden Globes Were on Last Weekend. Did you even notice? CORMAC MCCARTHY Film & TV Editor

Picture the scene. You’ve won the Hollywood lottery press after when just the nominations were announced last year. being nominated for a Golden Globe. The critics lauded your Due to the closure of cinemas, the studios chose t performance as an alcoholic ballet instructor who overcomes release those that had a very low budget in order to minimise their demons to teach a group of inner-city children box Swano-Lake. ce losses on the less modestly budgeted fil Touching stu-. Your name is read out from the envelope to the While popularity is no metric for artistic quality, a fil packed theatre of Hollywood starlets and to the millions of people to be appreciated by masses of the general public has to bode watching at home. You’ve done it. You’re now a household name. for something. After all, at the turn of the century, best picture Except that’s not the case. There’s about fifty or so people winners in the included Titanic, Lord of the Rings and Glad room, and the ceremony is not even being televised. Furthermore, All of this comes down to the theme of relevancy. The Golden there’s not half the journalists you were expecting and the Globes and the Oscars have never been just about artistic trophy you’re holding is synonymous with a culture of sexism merit. It is a industry machine that creates promotion and draws and discrimination. Times have changed. But well done on your in an audience and box o-ce revenue for the highest bid performance in the film. We didn’t see it but we heard it was great. Historically, the golden globes were the biggest culprits The pandemic has forced us all to question the status quo of so committee are a collection of journalists whose names are very known many things, from the nature of working life to how we interact to studio executives. The culture of bribery and controll with others. Film and television award ceremonies were not left is an open secret in Hollywood. Thesame goes for the Acade unscathed. While the pandemic certainly catalysed the public’s awards, where academy members are often sent lush hampers dwindling disinterest in these industry awards, their glory and prestige from studios just as a token of their appreciation and nothing more. has certainly been on a downward trajectory for the past few years. These revelations are all the more reasons for the general public’s This has been due to numerous scandals that has dogged its image, lack of interest in such events. Last year’s particularly for the Oscars and the Golden Globes. In 2016, there Oscar ceremony’s viewing figures was the #oscarssowhite controversy. Here, it was revealed that were nearly a third of what they the academy itself was roughly comprised of 92% white voters and were only two years ago. 75% male members. This harsh dominance was reflected in the nominations chosen for that year, where for the second awards season So,what’sthemessagehere? in a row, no actor of colour was nominated for a single acting award. Well, it is simply to watch what you want to watch. With the growth of the #metoo movement, the public were able were able Readreviewsoffilmsfrom to see just how grossly dominated the industry was by a male presence. independent critics that This vastly a-ected the legitimacy of such awards, which claims to you have similar tastes. support diversity in all its forms on screen but balks at the chance of The industry desperately giving those who are underrepresented in the media an actual job. needs these awards to prop up But as you are reading this, sit back and try and name for me their own elitism and to disregard a film that was nominated for best picture Oscar last pop films year or as being low-rent. even name the winner of the golden globe for best film.The If you landscape of cinema is got more than three then you’re either lying or you have no life. changing and the big studios would want to catch up. The lack of awareness for these films was remarked upon by the

FILM & TV

Review of The Lost Daughter and The French Dispatch CORMAC MCCARTHY Film & TV Editor

It is this dual performance of the character of Leda that br into the life into the film and fills it with such raw emot manages to convey the deepest of emotions from just a glance or an uneasy smile at an acquaintance. As the viewer, you want to like Leda for her wit and headstrong independence. Y somewhat mercurial behaviour never allows you to fully warm to her.

The supporting cast includes Paul Mescal, Ed Harris and D Johnson. Each character harbours their own demons, languishing in Greece to get away from the terror of normality. The writing and the performances intertwine perfectly, creating a dry sense of ennui. Each character wants to be vulnerable and to connect with those around them but is not willing to, for fear of being punished in some way for doing so, not daring to reveal too much about themselves. The setting combined with the naturalistic cinematography create the perfect atmosphere for this sense of unease. The landscape is there in its beauty but is not lingered upon, instead choosing to focus on the beauty of humanity and its own eccentricities.

Fromthekitchen-sinknaturalismofTheLostDaughtertothed whimsical mannerisms of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispat

The film truly is Wes Anderson at his most Wes Anderson. Th film drips with every trademark idiosyncrasy that he has known for; from the perfectly symmetrical framing to the impossibly detailed sets and costumes that shine from the screen. Never for one moment, however, do these quirks become tiresome. It enhances the film, never once leaving the viewer feeli

The plot concerns a fictional intellectual magazin closely related in style and substance ot that of the at the end of its publication. At this climax, the writ upon three pieces composed during the span of the magaz publication. It is these three stories that make u

The plot is mostly irrelevant. Instead the film delig own artistic originality and buoyancy. It truly is a celebration of art, journalism and how these two intertwine. While t mostly in black and white, it switches to colour, sometimes in the middle of a shot, when highlighting the beauty within t

The reverence that the film has for this particula journalism is clear to see. Here, the writers are the Often,themostcompellingfilmsarenotthosethatattempt toanswer the story, and their subjects are an extension of the writers the questions of space and time and travel from world to world. personality. Each vignette weaves its own particular Those films that speak to the deepest of human emotionsown are often narrative while still remaining true to the tone those that are self-contained, honest and, most of all, those that illustrate humanity for its true multi-faceted self. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Featuringanallstarcast,includingAndersonregularssuch feature directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, is oneand such film. Brody,overall,thisisafilmthatdemandsrepeat Adrian in order to truly experience the spectacle of it all. I highly recommend. Here,wemeetLeda(OliviaColman)a , professorofItaliantranslation, as she settles down to holiday in the serenity of a Greek seaside village. However, her attempts for a peaceful trip are continuously interrupted. From the bugs that creep into her bedroom at night to a rowdy family from Queens who take an ill will to her after she does not bow to their beck and call. It is when the daughter of Nina (Dakota Johnson), one of the holidaymakers from Queens, goes missing that Leda’s own memories of motherhood are triggered.

The Lost Daughter The French Dispatch

From this point the film bisects between the present day and the flashbacks of a much younger Leda (Jessie Buckley) as she struggles in a palpable desperation to raise her two young daughters.

FOOD & HEALTH

new year, new you? NATHAN CAREY Food and Health Editor

Just before the clock struck twelve on the 31st of December, I was scrolling through Twitter and came across s their year. Unlike Spotify wrapped or Revolut’s year in review, this tweet chronicled the strides the us their health over the previous 365 days. Not only did this inspire me and my personal goals for 20, but it got me thi new year’s resolutions that are sustainable and achievable. Before Christmas time every year, there is a noticeable uptick in advertisements suggesting we indulge ourselves over the festive period, with those same advertisements just weeks later guilting the public into feeling negative about their diet and weight. This cycle fuels fad diets and unrealistic workout regimes that end up causing more harm than good. These programmes often focus solely on weight loss and ignore keeping other processes in our body in check as well as the body-mind connection, which in recent years has been implicated in a host of positive bodily functions. In an attempt to break this vicious cycle, here are points that will help keep both your body and mind in tip-top shape this year.

1. sleep more

3. Eating Well

Thisfirstpointmaysoundcounterintuitive, ThefinalpointI’lltouchonisdiet.Iam but sleep has been proven to be here to preach about some miracle foods paramount in keeping us in a healthy or a one-stop-shop diet that can help you state. In today’s busy world, sleep can reach your goals. Like the previous t be hard to come by with recent studies points, moderation and sustainability are suggesting that over 40% of adults key.Faddietsthathelpyoutolosewe do not reach the recommended 7 to 9 January of each year sees a sharp rapidly over a short period of time are hours of rest required for essential repair spike in gym membership sign-ups as processes to function. Sleep is further not only dangerous but the moment they people clammer to fulfil their new year’s hindered by our growing connection to are broken the body often returns to its resolutions. Many of these resolutions technology. Blue light emitted by most pre-diet state. By making small changes are fuelled by the toxic diet and workout modern screens hinders the production to your diet that you can realistically culture that is prevalent after the holiday of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is period. The sharp decline in memberships keep up, you can fuel your body with responsible for keeping our circadian just one month later is further proof of this the energy it needs. Incorporating more rhythms in check, and overexposure to phenomenon. To really make a healthy wholea foods into your day is a great di-erence, it is important to ease into blue light at night has been linked to a place to start. Adding some fresh fruit new routine. A great way to get started reduction in duration and quality of sleep. and vegetables to your meals will provide is to commit to walking or running a One way to combat this is by reducing couple of kilometres every day. One of essential nutrients and vitamins as well as screen time in the hours before you plan on the things that caught my eye from the helping with digestion. Smoothies, j going to sleep. Most phones also include original year of health in review was and soups are easy ways to incorporate a ‘night mode’ which replaces the harsh that the user had ran over 70km. That blue light emissions with warmer yellow lots of fresh foods into your diet and are number sounds grandiose and hard to tones that are easier on the eyes and do relatively easy to make (keep reading achieve, but by moving about 2km every not hinder the production of melatonin at for a hearty chicken soup recipe!). Mea day it is easily within reach! If cardio the same level. Keeping your circadian isn’t your thing, there are a plethora prepping can also be a handy tool if rhythm in check can also be bolstered of video tutorials online with easy to you have time in your schedule. Making follow routines, many of which only take by getting enough light throughout the around10minutesaday.Whileitisoften some extra batches of food when you’re day. This leads into the next tip which di-culttomusterupthemotivationcooking toget can help relieve pressure during is all about getting your body moving. the week and help you stay on track. I moving, the endorphins released after a workout are unmatched. Endorphins act very rarely meal prep but making just a at opiate receptors in our brains inducing little extra at dinner time and keeping a feelings of pleasure and providing an portion in the fridge helps me to resist analgesic action, dampening our pain orderingthattemptingpizza.Onthat response. The key takeaway is not to eating out or getting a takeaway is not overload yourself with intense workouts the end of the world and sometimes it’s but to incorporate exercise into your everyday routine in a sustainable way. exactly what you need, moderation is key!

2. Get those steps in

Ihopethatthese3keypointscanhelpyoucreatesustainableroutinesandhabitsthisyearand goals. Even if you don’t currently have any goals, the points mentioned can help improve bodily health in general.

FOOD & HEALTH

Loaded Chicken & Ginger Soup

Method: •

First, prepare the homemade broth. To a large pot add the chicken legs, 1 r cut onion, 2 carrots roughly chopped, peeled and smashed garlic cloves, peeled and smashed ginger and somesaltand pepper.Fill thepotwith water until t aresubmerged(about2litres)

•

Bringthepottoaboilandkeepaneyeonitforthefirstminutes. 10 Removeany scum with a slotted spoon. This process seems tedious but will result in a gorgeous crystal clear broth.

•

While the broth is simmering you can prepare the other ingredients. Peel and chop the remainingcarrotandthepotatoesintobitesizepieces.

• Ingredients: 3ChickenLegs 1 Onion 3 Carrots • 8 Cloves Garlic Thumb 2 sizedpiecesofginger Salt&Peppertotaste 2 Potatoes cubed • 10gRedLentils • CorianderThai & chilliestoserve

Once the broth is ready, remove the chicken legs and strain the rest. Place the broth back into the pot and keep it simmering. The chicken should be perfectly cooked so thatyoucaneasilypullito-thebone.Shredintobitesizepieces.

Add the lentils, carrots and potatoes into the broth and cook on med minutes. Add the shredded chicken, roughly chopped coriander and some thinly sliced Thai chillies if you like some heat. Servehotwithsomecrustysourdoughorbrownsodabread. Leftoverscanbekeptinthefridgeforupto5daysorfrozenfor2months.

As always if you make any of the recipes featured in the Express, we would love to see them! You can post a picture on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #ExpressCooks.

MUSIC

New Music for a New Year FLORRIE MCCARTHY Music Editor

We, after recovering from wearisome, torturous academic the habit of istening to the same songs over and over aga burnout with the mushy, disassociative mess of subsistance hard to figure out exacty what’s wrong when you can’t see t that is the Christmas/New Year’s hoiday period(none of those trees fromtheforest,butookingbacknowonearySummer201 mean to sound ike negative terms; quite the opposite, inshow fact)that , woud these periods, for me, aign with genera rut we find ourseves returning to UCC for the second semester not feeing so great, or feeing ost or overwhemed. As that ve in this new year of 20. hope you enjoyed your seasona sentence resonates fee the pieces of the reason for t hoidays! didn’t finish the Christmas song meantso to or obviousy bare – when you’re so used to your favourite mu practice trumpet ike meant to and oved every second of it. giving you that sensory kick and your brain thrashes this music Goas have for 20 incude writing, recording, producingso tighty to the ecstasy you’ve known from it before, the subconscious associationhasyourefexiveyputtingitoni and reeasing ONE song – that’s it, just the one. have tried so periods, when it’s hard to get that dopamine esewhere. fin many times before to get started on the whoe music production dangerous for two reasons – one, it means need to ook aft ark, with the acceerated rise in so-caed “bedroom producers” showing more and more how we can artistic journeys into our mysef more carefuy, and two, might end up ruining the songs! own hands, but every time it has reay fet ike the opposite of t doesn’t aways have to go this deep, of course – but do find intuitive; ike a painfu obstace course of frustrating new things tocarefu with certain, in norma times aso, ony mysef being very have to understand. This year, however, sets out to be the year feeding them to mysef occasionay to preserve their ma that squash each of these eements to reach the end goa of Then, a finished, if imperfect, song. That wi aso invove finishing an whenthepressureisontomoveoutsidethiscomfort it becomes impossibe to know where to start. Recenty ’ve acousticsong,whichgeneraytendstobeanodysseyofits own. a note in my phone of the music intend to isten to, becaus Oneofmyargerbackgroundjourneysforthisyear,though,if aotnot begin to guess how ong the ist of abums that have coud essconcreteandmorevague,wibefindinganewwaytoapproach been recommended, intended to isten to and prompty fo thedauntingmonumentthatistheconceptofistening to–prepare about. A the niche abums that my friends ove from a not-so yoursef – new music. ’m not taking about newy reeased music mainstreamgenrethey’reintowherewanttoappreciatet now,meanmusicyouhaven’tistenedtobefore.know,know; things that bring them so much joy or, even more burdensome, terrifying.understandthatthismightbeasomewhatrareconcept, those egendary abums which are widey renowned, yet they ar but if you’ aow me to rant for a bit hope someone wi reate. so good they have acted as seemingy persona escapes for s have, in the past, found mysef in a musica rut, where get into many. These iconic abums or recordings that seem to ominou

MUSIC

demand attention, bringing me more and more guilt each time they be very satisfied to discover. The worst of these moods, t are repeated to me by various friends. I feel more and more shame would say is where the weight of these predictions is almost I still haven’t dug into this gold and validated myself by reaching it completely shifted towards old reliable music and where I am andsu-cientlybeinga-ectedbyittothestandard,average extent. and short-sighted to remember the value new too pessimistic Or with all the magic that seems to lie under genres previously music can have, after just a little push of open-minded neutrality. unexplored, it somehow feels wrong to simply google the best way I understand a lot of this might be very strange to read, seeming to get started. (Perhaps this just stems from an aversion I have overly serious, murky and ruminant. This can be attributed to a crippling reliance that I have on google, but I’ll still hold it.) partly to how I tend to overthink a lot of things generally and I know I’m not the first person for whom music takes a while alsoto how seriously I take music. However, I’d be writing one grow on, but it took me a while to realise this. It’s a classic trick of white lie if I didn’t mention that a lot of the ‘pressure’ I talked radioDJs,orchestratedbythemusiclabels,toplaysongs enough about earlier with regard to putting feelers into the most genres until people like them and they start to listen to them independently. possible to be musically better-read or to give the greats the You surely, then, will relate when I talk about intending tothey listen attention deserve is, I suppose, an element of being a to an album and finding it a chore. Many times I have gone“music into person”(specifically the “music person” at this new an album grumpy, feeling obliged to go through it, ready to coldly and not being able to ignore the nagging inadequacy of meeting calculate how much a song is worth my enjoyment or respect and another “music person” who is more versed in jazz icon feel exhausted by the end of it. I wonder, sometimes, how many has more developed opinions on niche hip-hop artists, or has potential hideaways, how many fresh combinations of deep, their ear right to the ground with regard to the shifting popularity complex feelings and how many near-religious experiences (as levels of all di-erent types of genres every next s we know music can be) I have let go as part of this mindset. One can’t help but wonder if they would have come to fruition sooner But I have to look at the facts: none of this has any poin with a gentler approach, as I might hope to implement this year. beneficialinanyway.IknowthatIpersonallywillonlybelis to music for me. After all, that is why we do it. If you discover There is a number of albums that I have intended to listen to and new music this year, it could be great. Maybe go into a new then into which I have forgone putting any time at all, based on this artist. Assemble five albums to go through from top to bo same premise. This is, I think, the crux of this troubled paradigm There are loads out there to love. Just make sure you do it for that I sometimes take to new music, as it is directly linked to yourself, and remember how much you might end up loving it. my earlier concept of comfort music. Why listen to a new album when the thought of it makes me so grumpy right now, and when Or don’t, at all! If you’re perfectly happy having your I could just listen to the comfort music and get guaranteed happy favourite old bangers on repeat, you keep doing that. We out of it? I might describe the changing of moods this way as a are all completely unique in the ways we engage with and balance of the value and joy that I predict will come from music, interpret music and absolutely nobody will have a complete and whether it is old music I can rely on or new music I might overlap of yours, even if some of them are very similar.

GAMING

The Brilliance of Undertale CHLOE BARRETT Gaming Editor

You probably know of Undertale. The game was a massive For the price that the game retails at, (which is u success and simply everyone on the internet was playing less than 10 euros) you will get hours of countless it at some stage. It is an extremely popular game that Toby Fox, the mastermind behind the game, has also I must say, deserved all of the hype that it received. released a sequel of sorts, which is Deltarune. It fe

The talented writing is reason enough to delve into this some new and recurring characters, along with an world. People do not play this game purely for the graphics amazing adventure and brand new storyline. Curr alone, they immerse themselves in the characters, who it is being released in separate parts. Part one and part are all full of so much life. The length of the game is short two are available to play right now, for the amazing enough, allowing you to possibly complete it in less than of FREE. So really, what do you have to lose? If you five hours, but almost everyone I know who has played cannot a-ord to purchase Undertale but still wa it has gone back to replay, again and again. Depending on the elaborate world a try, Deltarune is definitel the way you play, you can unlock di-erent gamemodes, choice. But be warned, once you start playing, they are character interactions, and lots more (no spoilers! noteasy). gamestoforget.Happygaming,-nyehhehheh.

GAMING

It’s Dangerous To Go Alone, Take One Of These Companions! CHLOE BARRETT Gaming Editor

I am of the opinion that most games are made better by having a trusty animal by your side. No challenges are too hard when an adorable companion is trotting your characters’ morale. Thank you, game developers. One of my favourite companions happens to be larger than life. Trico from The Last Guardian is a sight to behold. Appearance-wise, Trico looks like many animals mashed together. A bit cat-like ish head. Throughout the game, you are given the kind opportunity to bond with Trico and become best buddies. If that does not sound appealing and dreamy to you, I am concerned. Playing as the Boy, you must care for Trico, feeding and nourishing them whenever needed. In return, Trico will assist you in upon the majestic creature’s back at times. Can you ask for anything more? A fair warning though, half of your gameplay time will be you just watching Trico adoringly, waiting to see what precious animation the beast displays next (and there are many). For a creature that is a bit more realistic, Dogmeat could meet your standards. The loyal German Shepherd exists in the world of Fallout 4 and is delighted to accompany you on any adventures. The without hesitation. Even though he is ownerless, he will not object to the player dressing him up with accessories and making him look like a pretty boy. Unfortunately, the dog who Dogmeat was modelled after, River, passed away last year. River used to attend team meetings and bring a smile to everyone’s face, and will continue to do so in the virtual world. Far Cry 6 has no shortage of animal companions. The game has Fangs For Hire/Amigos, which are animals that assist you in combat and generally keep you company. There is a wide variety to choose from and certain creatures have their own special is a crocodile and will respond to any commands when you whistle for him. How awesome is that? Chicharrón is a rooster with a cool punk look about him and is not to be underestimated by enemies. Rescued before he could compete in the game’s

SEXPRESS

Modern sexwork EMILY OSBORN Sexpress Editor

Sex work has evolved massively through the ages. Where weAs once mentioned above, Pornhub and many other major porn sites had women in rouge on the docks as we sew in Les Mis, we now gained quite a reputation for themselves in recent years, with have thousands of women who are accessing sex work easier than celebrities such as Billie Eilish recently saying “As ever on platforms like OnlyFans. In addition to all of this, I think women porn is a disgrace,”. While I think many of us can echo the now more than ever are chastised for working in the sex industry, sentiment of having unrealistic body standards because of the porn with some so-called ‘feminists’ suggesting that sex work is inherently industry, and understand that the portrayal of sex in por anti-women, and to be a sex worker in any way means submitting for substandard sex education, is poor at the best of times, it is both to the patriarchy and a life of victimhood. However, sex unfair workand forunnecessary to blame the faults of the porn industry on the many women is empowering, fun, and above all, just another sex workers that work to make pornography. Many famous pornstars job. So, let’s look at some of the ways modern sex work operates have condemned the porn industry in recent years while maintaining in the digital age we’re currently in, and how the pandemic has that they will continue to do porn because it’s their job. Billie’s a-ected the livelihood and businesses of sex workerscomments in Ireland. about the porn industry have been seen by many as unfair, and coming from a place of major privilege, as Billie is a woman who At the start of 2020, sex work become more digital than ever before. has never worked in porn or had to rely on money made from sex OnlyFans, a website created to be similar to Patreon in its content, work. The porn industry, however flawed, is still alive and we became a household name of the porn industry, even more so than Pornhub Insights reporting more views than ever before the likes of Pornhub, who themselves caused some controversy in recent years for their use of third-party porn videos, and their Interestingly, people’s interests in pornography seem to be moving lacklustre policing of revenge porn and videos of underaged girls. away from the rougher, BDSM style porn that dominated in ye OnlyFans,incomparison,seemedlikeafinealternative,with previous, content with 201’s second most popular search term bei created and dictated by users, for other users. The site quickly ‘Romance’. This shift in interest not only represents Pornhub’s skyrocketed to popularity with the start of the worlds’ lockdowns, viewer base, but also the content created by workers on the site, as many sex workers who would’ve previously operated in person with more ‘romantic’ and ‘passionate’ porn videos being made were forced to move to selling online content in order to comply than ever before. This could mark a new age of porn, where with public health measures. We saw very quickly how much money sex workers and pornstars on the site are committed to making could be made by stars on this platform, with a large number of Irish more videos of this kind, rather than other genres that could be students reporting to have created an account on the site in order potentially harmful to viewers and workers alike. Pornhub is also to help them pay for college fees, accommodation, and daily life. now more accessible for new users who want to create pornography, Unfortunately, we also saw very quickly where the platform failed in with uploading to Pornhub as easy as uploading to You terms of protecting its users. In mid-2020, it came out that workers on the site were very easily having their pictures and videos stolen and sold elsewhere or used to promote scams and bot accounts. Outraged, users turned to the platform seeking advice on what they could do to prevent this from happening again. OnlyFans didn’t do much in compensating or helping these users through these situations, but rather, in 201, made a move towards banning adult content from their site entirely. This seemed like an insult to many of the sex workers who had dedicated so much time into building an online following on the site, and to many, it felt like OnlyFans had used online sex workers in order to make a name for themselves, before banning the same sex workers o- the platform entirely. It only seemed shadier, when several months after this announcement, the platform retracted their previous statement and decided that they would not be banning adult content at all.This flipflopping of statements left a lasting impression on many OnlyFans users, with many leaving for other similar sites such as Fansly. Another popular modern form of sex work is becoming a sugar baby. While being a sugar baby doesn’t necessarily involve having sex, oftentimes a sexual relationship is seen as part and parcel of the sugaring relationship. Many people suggest that sugaring is largely just providing company, and going on dates with men for cash, with others saying that for a sugar baby to provide the authentic girlfriend/boyfriend experience to their sugar partner, that sex must be a large part of the equation. Often in the media, being a sugar baby is portrayed as leading a lavish lifestyle, all funded through sugaring- when in reality, many sugaring relationships don’t provide as large of an income as that, unless you’re in a very lucky minority.

SEXPRESS

The boom of the online sex work industry also raised questions in in their fight for workers’ rights, safe working environme many peoples’ minds about the legality of young women choosing to policies and laws in place on a national level to protect all kinds of enter sex work on these sites. There were many stories and articles in sex workers. While these resources can be flawed at times, it the early days of Onlyfans, suggesting that girls were merely waiting step in the right direction to ensure that health, safety, and dignity at work is maintained by all sex workers and sex work industries. until their 18th birthday to sign up to be a creator on the platform. These articles, on the surface, seemed to be identical to the usual There’s no denying that sex work is at the front of peoples’ cultural scaremongering surrounding sex work as a job. However,consciousness there for the last couple of years. With the sex work was some truth to these stories, with Onlyfans and its competitors industry online being more accessible and less physically dangerous becoming such cultural juggernauts, that many young women saw it to engage in than traditional forms of sex work, many people are simply as an ‘easy way to make money’, a belief evolved from the turning to the sex industry to pay the bills, often without realising the societal ideal that sex work is work that is inherently unskilled and implications the industry may have on them, and their consumers. requires little to no investment of time or resources. This obviously More resources need to be o-ered to sex workers in the fut untrue belief likely led many young women into trying online sex ensure that mental and physical health is considered in their unique work, before calling it quits after realising that sex work, like any working environment, and the public at large need to be educated on job, requires a lot more e-ort than society leads us to believe. Inwork the actually is: a valid job that requires, time a what sex last couple of years, society has learned a lot about the sex work andnotatallsimilartothecaricaturesthatweoftense industry, and what it means to be a sex worker. While sex work is vilifiedversionofthesexworkerthatSWERFs(sexworkexclusio still a largely taboo profession in many social circles, it’s no longer a radical feminists) seem to believe exists. Sex work, like an shock that many of us have at least one friend who is a sex worker. work, is valid, skilled, and valued labour and sex workers deserve There are now resources, however limited, to assist sex workers the same workers’ rights a-orded to the rest of the labo

FASHION

Fashion: Unhinged CLAIRE WATSON Fashion Editor

The Trend Cycle We are at an age of connectivity. A quick google search can bring up centuries of history to explore. A little photo on Instagram, or a tweet you definitely should not have tweeted, can reach an audience of thousands- even millions. Cultures are brought together into one, global scene. With all these resources dancing on our fingertips, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. When we turn to our wardrobes, browse sites like Pinterest for inspiration, or observe street fashion, it’s hard to imagine what might come next. Where do we go from here? There’s no fashion oracle to consult in this matter. These days it seems as though every big trend is just the past reused and recycled, reducing any new fashion innovations. It can feel as though with every new craze, the fashion world takes a few steps back. While the industry tries its best to hide it, that’s exactly what’s happening. There are five stages to each fashion trend. You have its beginning, its rise in popularity, its ultimate peak, then you have the decline until it eventually loses all relevancy and becomes “outdated.” It’s inevitable that trends will be repeated, and this isn’t a bad thing. But with clothes being produced cheaply, and quickly (and unethically) on such a huge scale, we enter the problem of the trend cycle. What the trend cycle does, it takes an “outdated” fashion trend and revives it through mass production and marketing. Then, when this trend peaks the cycle takes another past trend and launches it into the mainstream, until it peaks, and is replaced by another, and so and so forth. This is happening at such a huge scale that ordinary consumers cannot afford to keep up. This in turn strengthens a divide between different classes. And so, with every trend being repeated, it can feel as though innovation is dead, that there is no future in fashion. Sure, there is digital fashion, but unless Zuckerberg decides to wire our consciousness into the metaverse, it’s relatively useless in the offline world. Maybe, it isn’t down to a change in materials, or colours, or silhouettes. I think that we’re

at the very beginning of a new era of fashion. As consumers are becoming more aware of this vicious trend cycle, and of the unethical practices of fast fashion, we are finding ways we can dress without corporations deciding our every move. Perhaps, this new era of fashion will rely solely on the individual, and how they view themselves, rather than how they are viewed by the world. Dressing without with chaos. Now, a new era, by eccentric women

rules means dressing we are being led into the most wonderfully you will ever meet.

@tinyjewishgirl Tik Tok user @Kyledoesntexist writes: “calling something eclectic doesn’t automatically make it fashionable,” @Sallyschneider26 says: “putting random patterns and pieces together isn’t a style,” When Clara, @Tinyjewishgirl on Tik Tok, first started popping up on my for you page, I too was confused by her approach to fashion. Her comments were full of people hating her style, generally noting how otherworldly it is, and how untrendy she looks. To those that write off her fashion sense, Clara simply asks “who are you to try to stand in the way of me being happy,” Clara is known for eclectic, and often controversial fits. But what she brings to the table is truly fascinating, and I think she is one of the leaders of the new fashion era. To come up with an outfit, she zeroes in on herself. She says “all my pieces are different facets of my personality that come together to form a whole that is me,” By bypassing the trends, she demonstrates how we can dress for ourselves. Her looks are untouched by the trend cycle, and each outfit is timeless. Many people when seeing her outfits for the first time, write her off as just mashing random articles together. But in a pinned video Clara explains how she emphasizes contrast, in creating a look. She looks for how colours and materials can clash, and puts them together. For example, a fur coat and a sequined skirt. Then, she looks for the harmonious elements, the

FASHION

33 little details that bring the whole outfit together. Every time androgyny becomes popular in mainstream fashion, it’s only ever to put I may never have the gift of vision that women in suits, a stereotypically masculine she has, but she has definitely become one article. In the mainstream, presenting as of, if not my biggest fashion inspiration. androgynous is accepted as presenting as One thing I noticed from looking at her the “opposite” of what gender you were page, is how often she re-wears the same assigned at birth. For example, cis women wearing suits, and cis men wearing dresses. articles. This is an amazing way of fighting back against the trend cycle and fast fashion. The realm of the unhinged has no time for such Instead of buying new clothes, we can learn binary rules. By contrasting shapes, colours, how to style different articles so that they and materials, people are deconstructing look entirely different. Clara can turn a binaries that are tied to different things. Nothing is “too feminine,” or “too masculine.” “baby Obama t-shirt” into formal wear, and A skirt is merely a long piece of fabric, pinks vintage, designer blouses into streetwear. and blues are just colours. The layering of

trying to promote this downright messed up idea that thinness equates to beauty. I would seriously recommend hopping over to Instagram and having a look at Sara Brown (@sarabrowndesign)’s work. Her styling is proof that unhinged fashion is for everyone.

A SEAMLESS VENTURE?

Unhinged fashion shifts a power dynamic that we don’t realise is there. It’s wearing clothes instead of being worn by manufacturing companies and big-name brands. At another level, it becomes wearing yourself, instead of wearing items. Being true to who you are, is one thing. Wearing who you are is another. Unhinged fashion celebrates the you in this big, scary, colourful world.

Oftentimes her clothes are vintage or thrifted. While she does have many ones of a kind pieces, the use of second-hand clothing can make any outfit stand out as incredibly unique, as often what we find in charity shops simply aren’t being produced anymore. She shows us how thrifted pieces can come together and inspire not just a new outfit, but a new wave of fashion.

I think what’s so spectacular about “unhinged fashion,” as I’m going to call it, is how far it sidesteps the male gaze. Not only is it confronting the dominance male values have on the fashion world, but it does so in a way that isn’t simply “opposite” (and therefore still contributing to the idea of a male gaze), rather it denotes any gaze.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Unhinged fashion is quite different from those sleek, stainless, and weirdly white, ideas previous generations had about the fashion of the 21st century. I don’t think they quite foresaw millennials and gen-z’s love for campiness.

Where will we go from here? Who’s to say? clothes and accessories creates new silhouettes Really I think what will become most that cannot be read as typically masculine important is bridging the wealth gap in or feminine and leaves viewers guessing. the fashion industry until there’s no gap to At the very end of it all, this chaotic bridge. Capital, as always, is behind every approach to dressing erases all the structures problem. It’s hard to look at fashion without established by a masculine gaze, that consumerism, but with the rise in thrifting, is supporting a made-up gender binary. through vintage collecting, depop, kilograms, There is of course the critique that these I think we are slowly beginning to realise unhinged outfits only look good because the there is more to fashion than just money. wearer is thin. Briefly, I want to touch on this, but if the discussion of weight makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph. Outright I will say no. This style is for everyone, it has no rules after all, only that individuals dress for themselves. However, I think the problem, and it is a problem with social media in general, is that often in fashion, thin bodies are put to the foreground. The world of fashion is still

arts & literature

cork’s newest bookshop!

Cian Pierce Arts & Literature Editor DubrayBooksrecentlyopenedupaCorkbranch,curiousastowhat madethemchoosetoaddanewshoplocation,Ireached out!Here ishowtheconversationwent: What made you want to add a new location? We have been looking for the ‘ideal’ location in Cork for a number ofyearsandwhenthisiconicbuildingonStPatrick’sStreetbecame available, we knew that it was a perfect location for us. Even though we haven’t had a presence in Munster until now, we have a very loyal Munster customer base on our website and this was very apparent during lockdown, when people returned to reading for some escapism and wanted to support an Irish company too. What makes Dubray Books stand out among the other bookstores in Cork? I think we stand out because our booksellers are passionate about books and reading and providing excellent customer service. We really want to get the right book for you or for the person you are gifting it to. I have spent a number of weeks in Cork pre and post store opening and am very impressed with the calibre of sta- in our shop, and how warmly we have been received in Cork by our customers and local businesses.

Leaving Kinsale by Cormac Donovan O’Neill

Cork is a city of artists, will Dubray Books work to uplift the local community?

Red sails round the corner, Clearing the water Even prior to opening the Cork branch, we were inundated with requests from local authors to stock their books, which we are For the advent of popular music. very happy to facilitate. Having started life in a small community You’re still That One Pool, I’ll concede, bookshop in Bray ourselves, Dubray has always tried toBut support now time to be Irish, or at least, to be elsewhere local authors and actively engage with local schools and community groups as much as possible. There is a very positive creative energy in Cork and we hope to be involved in that as or time to find a book that says much as possible in the future. We have a lovely open space o“Whatever you want yourself, the shop floor that we hope to hold book launches and other That’s alright with me,” artistic events in, once the pandemic has finally run its course.

And ars where angels don their cotton crowns And time to feign the eloquence To write a common love song. The harmonic oscillations of harbour and tide Still rock to the rhythms of an Aegean port And the rows of artisan bakeries call gulls in wider belts above their aureoles entrancing that magnificent moon above the chip shop. I stop to venerate the Spanish ships, leaving Bins to spill in silence.

arts & literature

How Afrofuturism Can Help Us Move Forward Cian Pierce Arts & Literature Editor

Acomet strikes New York City, killing almost everyone. Jimright Davis, to be a person and the pursuit of equality, the Afrofuturist can see a black man, searches among the rubble for survivors eventually parts of the past and future that our status quo may turn a blind eye to. finding a white woman named Julia. Their post-apocalyptic When asked what the importance of Afrofuturism is, Dr Mir circumstances force Julia to rethink her pre-comet racist views: Corcoran of the UCC Department of English said the foll “How foolish our human distinctions seem—now.” And the two “[The] overt engagement with science is a very importan develop a close bond. This does not last however, as soon as Afrofuturism. There is a long tradition in Western (i.e. European, the two find a group of white survivors, including Julia’s fiancé, American) thought whereby people of colour have either she relapses into her pre-comet mentality. She is indi-erent excluded from discourses of science and progress or treated as as others hurl racial slurs at Jim, and she never looks back. objects of scientific inquiry. Ideologies constructed to

This is the end of “The Comet”, a short story by W. E. B. DuBois. perpetuate colonialism and/or chattel slavery frequently relied upon scientific racism to legitimise these practices. Scient His foray into fantasy in the 1920s is among the most ruthless dominant in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries claimed that stances on the inevitability of racism. Most influential though, the smaller crania possessed by people of colour indicated that they “The Comet” helped lay the foundations for Afrofuturism. were less intelligent than their white counterparts and thus unsuited When we think of the science fiction genre, we tend to picture to freedom/self-governance. A popular school of thought called highly futuristic and technologically advanced sets as shown polygenismwasbasedonthebeliefthatdi-erentraceswere in franchises like ‘Star Wars’, some settings may be utopian di-erent species. During the period of antebellum slave while others may be desolate apocalyptic hellscapes; but of African descent were viewed as natural machines, biologically they all o-er an imaginative insight into a possible suitedfuture. to physical labour and enslavement. In the twentieth century, Afrofuturism provides a more Afro-centric perspective to the Tuskegee Study and forced sterilisation saw people these futuristic landscapes. Afrofuturism doesn’t just mean used as unwitting or unwilling objects of scientific st “Science Fiction + Africa” however, it is more nuanced than that. scientific discourses and practices have so often bee reinforce white supremacy and racist social hierarchies, Afrofuturism Afrofuturism addresses the issues and cultural concerns of the is hugely important because it allows people of colour to function as African diaspora, certainly through technoculture and science active scientific subjects (as opposed to passive objec fiction, but not exclusively in this way. Afrofuturism-like rap, blues, authors, artists, musicians, and filmmakers to consider reggae, jazz, and all other types of music that have come from the the racisthistoriesembeddedinourdominantnarrati black experience all deal with themes of creating art out of pain, loss progress. It also enables creators of colour to reappropriate science and successes.Afrofuturism is rooted firmly in having been denied and technology, areas from which POC have often been excluded history and looking to the future to correct that. In the realm of as a result of educational, economic, and social inequality. Another science fiction, as technology is a cultural instrument,hugely Afrofuturistic important aspect of Afrofuturism is that it allows people ideas involve imaginations and ideas of how technology intersects of colour to stake a claim on what Mark Dery calls the “ with Black aesthetics or politics. Afrofuturists live in the present, estate” of the future. So many of our visions of the future but they point to the past to guide their way into the future. TV, advertising, etc.) are either overwhelmingly white naively colourblind. Afrofuturism opens up a vision of the future The most mainstream invocation of Afrofuturism today is without in which Black culture not only survives but thrives and is valued. a doubt the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Wakanda, an African country hiding advanced technology from the rest of the world. In If one were to turn to Afrofuturism for guidance, renowned Wakanda, Afrofuturism manifests itself in its award-winning fashion, sociologist Alondra Nelson tells us “Dystopia can be an design and architecture, an enthralling blend of traditional African state for Black communities, but that utopia is also always being dress and art, space opera and cyberpunk. In 2018, the movie imagined, embodied, dreamed, and constituted in everyday actsofof thriving.” Afrofuturists cannot predict the trajectory of “Black Panther” became the highest-grossing domestic film the a pandemic, the future of policing or societal unrest; but it year. Through Black Panther, Afrofuturism took the world by storm. can say that that, no matter what, a better world is possible. But why should we care about Afrofuturism today? What would it For anybody interested in Afrofuturist media, the have to say about our current times? Because the Black experience following the are a few recommendations of where to start: worldwide is defined by the historical struggle for existence,

Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Kindred by Octavia E Butler

Art Piece by Osborne Macharia Black Panther The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda by Ta-Nehisi Coates

SPORTS

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

Australian Open: All eyes on Novak but is tennis paying the price? SAM CURTIN Sports Editor

The last ten days or so have been quite extraordinary to say the least. Novak Djokovic has been at the centre of it all due to his plight in getting into Australia on a medical exemption. Novak’s trials and tribulations have been well documented at this stage so there is no need to re-open his stance on vaccines and his super spreader event in Serbia last year. What is important to say is that regardless of one’s stance of vaccines, we are all human and deserve to be treated as such. Something which has been echoed by the likes of Andy Murray and Nick Kygrios who you know something is up when he defends Novak who famously called a “bonehead” last year. Having said this, Melbourne was the most locked down city in the world last year with citizens spending more than 240 days at home while players not short on cash are able to fly in and play. It is only right that players respect the rules of the country they are playing in and so the anger amongst Australians towards the Serbian is understandable. As Rafael Nadal said last week in his press conference “ I think if he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem ... He made his own decisions, and everybody is free to take their own decisions, but then there are some consequences.” Later on in the week he went onto label the situation as a “circus”. That leads us on to the actual tournament itself. This “circus” hasn’t done anything for the sport but to further iterate that tennis is a sport for the rich and middle class, one rule for them and one for everybody else. It’s a sport which struggles to attract the limelight outside of Wimbledon and when the big three of Rafa, Novak and Federer retire, this will become even more difficult. As someone who has played tennis competitively for thirteen years and an integral part of my daily week, this is difficult to stomach. This year will be different however where all eyes will be on Melbourne Park for all the wrong reasons, regardless of whether Djokovic will compete or not. The circus has rolled into town and too much water has gone under the bridge for it to be swept under the carpet. It’s a real shame for tennis purists as the last thing which is needed is a witchunt especially when relations between the players and the media is already at a low from the Naomi Osaka debacle where she refused to talk to the media at the French Open citing mental health issues.

What appears to be forgotten is that the Japanese player is the defending champion coming into this year’s competition. The draw has not been kind to her however as she could face home favourite and World Number One Ash Barty in the 4th round. This along with no form to speak of and the mountain gets a little steeper. It would be quite the achievement if she manages to pull it off. That is not the only interesting narrative on the women’s side however. Emma Raducanu will look to build on her historic US Open victory last autumn but has it all to do in order to overcome former US open winner Sloane Stephens in the first round. The women’s side has been a bookies dream the last few years with 30+ players all having a chance of winning if they can put together a run over a fortnight. As for the men’s side, the elephant in the room has already been addressed and a tenth title for the Serb looks likely if he can make onto court (and indeed off it) alive. Outside of this, Danil Medvedev will look to win his second consecutive major and accelerate the passing of the torch to the younger generation. The old guard are hanging on however as Rafael Nadal will aim for an historic 21st grand slam although his preparation has gone under the radar due to a knee injury which forced him to cut short his 2021 season. Perhaps the most intriguing returning veteran is Andy Murray however who has improved incrementally since Wimbledon last year. He pushed Stefanos Tsistipas all the way at the US Open and has racked up a number of wins against top 20 players since. If he can make through the opening rounds unscathed then a run into the second week isn’t out of the question. As for the home favourites? Nick Kygrios whether you love him or hate him is absolutely box office and its sad to see his type of talent going to waste. He gave us the best moments of the tournament last year in his matches with Humbert and Dominic Thiem with the best atmosphere I’ve witnessed at a tennis match in a long time. The Aussie has hinted he may not have long left in the game and the sport will be worse off for it. With all that in mind, this year’s tournament promises to be one of the most watched editions in a long, long time. It’s just a pity it won’t be watched for the tennis. ‘Any publicity is good publicity, as the saying goes. We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s true. Enjoy the tennis.

SPORTS

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

What Can Be Done To Eliminate All Forms Of Discrimination In Soccer? ATAKAN UZUN Deputy Sports Editor

As an avid soccer fan, on Saturday, the 8th of January, as I watched Crystal Palace players being booed for taking the knee against racism and all forms of discrimination in the FA Cup third round match, between Millwall FC and Crystal Palace FC, and further, when Crystal Palace winger, Michael Olise had a bottle thrown at him by a Millwall FC fan, I wondered to myself, why does such hatred exist and what can be done to eliminate such racial hatred and end other forms of discrimination? These same thoughts came into my mind during the aftermath of a thrilling Euro 2020 tournament in the summer of 2021, when England players, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho, suffered racial abuse, from some England fans, after missing their respective penalties in the final against Italy. Indeed, these thoughts have come into my head, on a number of occasions, watching some form of sport. These racial incidents were further compounded by the hypocrisy of British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who sent out her solidarity to these England players who suffered racial abuse, despite initially calling out the decision of the England players to kneel against racism and all forms of discrimination, before each of their Euro 2020 matches, and failed to condemn fans who booed the players, taking the knee. These incidents are not isolated and are unfortunately, the reality of everyday sport, which cannot continue to be normalised. Homophobia is unfortunately existent in sport too, with such incidents involving the homophobic abuse of Chelsea loan-player, Billy Gilmour, who is on loan with Norwich FC, against Liverpool FC, in August 2021, and homophobic chanting by Tottenham FC fans in a recent match against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. This is also present with openly gay, Adelaide United player, Josh Cavallo, who is currently the only active football player that is currently playing in the game to be openly gay. So, the real question is: what can be done to eliminate racism, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination in sport, especially soccer? Some practical solutions are possible. One may argue that stricter punishments must be issued to fans/supporters of a particular football team in soccer. A zero-tolerance approach must be adopted to all forms of racism and discrimination. Such punishments should involve stadium bans of between 4-5 years at a minimum. Before a fan who is guilty of racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination, is allowed back into a stadium, and possibly on the third year of their ban, they should be conditioned to attend and undertake an anti-racism and/or LGBTQ+ education programme for 6-12 months, depending on what the perpetrator is guilty of. While it may not eliminate racism, completely, it will help to educate those who are guilty of racism. Because education is an important solution to forms of discrimination, as declared by many, this will play a part in fighting against racism and discrimination. However, potential problems which may exist with this solution is that this education programme may end up becoming a ‘tick-the-box’ exercise and will largely be forgotten about, once completed. Another potential solution is for greater reporting mechanisms to be in place in stadiums or areas where racism takes place in a sporting occasion. A fan, who is the victim of racism or any form of discrimination, from another fan or a group of fans, should have the ability to report such an incident. Those guilty of such behaviour should be immediately removed from the stadium and charged, immediately. This will involve a greater role for stewards and the police, who likewise, should have mandatory antiracism and LGBTQ+ training, which must be put in place by governments throughout the world. The latter is often accused of not appropriately dealing with racism/homophobia and other forms of verbal hate crime, seriously, as a criminal offence. This will involve multi-faceted change with a role for governments to play. Governments, throughout the world, must come up with hate-crime legislation which outlaw racism, homophobia, and all forms of discrimination, and makes these respective offences, a criminal offence. While opponents of such legislation, argue that it would restrict a person’s freedom of speech, I would argue that these forms of discrimination are not a person’s freedom of speech. Such forms of discrimination are a prominent part of hate speech and inflict pain on people who are on the receiving end of these forms of discrimination. Social media companies also have a

key role to play in the fight against discrimination. The approach in which they adopt to the illegal use of copyright material could be replicated. As well as that, posts which contain any message of some form of discrimination should automatically be prevented from going public on social media platforms. However, historically, social media companies have been accused of not doing enough to combat discrimination. Meanwhile, a player, who feels, they have suffered racism or other forms of discrimination, from a fan or a certain section of fans, should be able to report this incident to a referee. At the first point of access, they should seek help from their club captain. All club captains of football clubs should have mandatory anti-racism and LGBTQ+ training to have the understanding and knowledge in place to deal with racial and/or homophobic incidents, maturely. A good example of a club captain who has supported the anti-racist message, is Liverpool FC captain, Jordan Henderson, who has expressed his support for the LGBTQ+ community and has been awarded for his public support and allyship. Further, players, who suffer racism, should be encouraged to walk off the field and their club captain should lead their team-mate off the field, to show a united message against racism and discrimination. All football players and referees should have mandatory anti-racism/LGBTQ+ training across all major leagues to have the training in place to deal with incidents of racism and/or homophobia. Regarding the latter, referees should maturely deal with incidents of discrimination and when present, should suspend the game, while they should all be opposed to all forms of discrimination, regardless of their private political views. For example, a Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir, was suspended in 2020, because a match official, was reported to have used a racial slur towards a coaching staff member of Istanbul Basaksehir. Anti-racism training would teach these referees, regardless of their culture, about prejudiced views, entail and what is right and wrong. Meanwhile, months after arriving in the Premier League, with Manchester United, striker, Edinson Cavani was forced to apologise after using the n-word, and claimed it was an ‘affectionate greeting to a friend’. Such anti-racism/LGBTQ+ training for players arriving in leagues such as the Premier League, which have a different understanding of racism, would eliminate such misunderstandings, culture shocks, and incidents of racism such as this incident. This will eliminate any misunderstandings or cultural differences, especially for the former. These solutions can play a prominent role in reducing all forms of racism and discrimination. However, there is no magic solution and unfortunately, racism will continue to plague the game. But it is in the interests of everyone for racism and all forms of discrimination to be ended. It will end discrimination and prejudiced views against people of colour, ethnic minorities, gay people, transgender people, to name a few, while it will make for a more inclusive society, where mutual respect and understanding is championed. It will be a society where unity and co-operation are championed. Being anti-racist and an ally of the LGBTQ+ community is not political, it is the hallmark of being a decent human-being. It is the hallmark of championing equality, where no one is left behind and never walks alone.

Issue 7 | TUESDAY 18TH jANUARY 2022 | University Express

SPORTS

Was Shane Lowry Right Not To Speak Out Human Rights Issues In Saudi Arabia? ATAKAN UZUN Deputy Sports Editor

or what they’re saying about us going to play, but at the end of the day for me, I’m not a politician, I’m a professional golfer.

Golf is a sport that is growing in Saudi Arabia. For the 2022 tournament, the Public Investment Fund has become the title sponsor of the event, and is notably, the sovereign wealth fund of the Saudi state. With the upcoming tournament taking place from the 3rd-6th February, and is attracting big names such as Shane Lowry, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson, as part of an Asian tour event, it is beginning to become an established event on the golf radar. However, this has not been without its controversy. When the tournament was first hosted as a European tour event, British golf star, Paul Casey, made his feelings known. He refused to participate in this European tour event, citing human rights concerns with the Saudi regime. In March 2019, he said, ‘it just didn’t sit well with me. I’ve not talked too much about it and I’m not sure I want to, but certainly signing a deal and being paid to be down there … I would be a hypocrite if I did that. Anybody who says sport isn’t political, that’s rubbish. Sport is very political. I’m glad I took a stance, more so if it highlights the issues within the region, especially next door in Yemen. I’ve seen the numbers. In Yemen, 22 million people are facing starvation, 11.5 million of them kids. I didn’t want anything I do to get in the way of a great organization like UNICEF’. However, in November 2020, Mr. Casey appeared to change his mind and confirmed his participation for the 2021 event. He then said, ‘This is not a decision I’ve taken lightly. I wasn’t comfortable going in the past, but I have always been open-minded and willing to learn. I believe sport has the power to affect change. I’ve listened to the Saudi’s commitment to this and their vision for the future. They have successfully hosted two professional ladies’ tournaments, which shows that Golf Saudi have big plans not only for professional golf, but more so for grassroots and the next generation’. Since then, no such prominent golf player has spoken out about human rights issues in the Saudi state. Domestically, in Ireland, in the past few days, major winner, Shane Lowry has attracted attention for refusing to comment on human rights issues in Saudi Arabia and is unconcerned, ahead of his participation in the event in February. Mr Lowry said, ‘Look, obviously there’s no hiding from the people writing about this tournament

I earn a living for myself and my family and try and take care of those, and this is just a part of that, and I need to go there. Yeah, obviously it’s not a European Tour event now, it’s an Asian Tour event, but I’ve got a contract to play, and I don’t see any reason why or I doubt I wouldn’t have been given my release or wouldn’t be allowed to go and play. I’m happy that I’m able to go and play’, said Lowry, who must receive releases from the DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR to play at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in February, as the upcoming event clashes with both tournaments on both circuits. Further, he said, ‘I think for me as a golfer, I’m not a politician, I’ll let everyone else take care of that, and I’ll go and do my job’. Was Shane Lowry right to refuse to speak about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, and leave those issues to the politicians? While Lowry wants to focus on golf, and winning another event, his refusal to speak out about human rights issue in the Saudi regime, resonates with those in the sport, who argue that sport and politics should not interfere with one another, or whether politics should be part of sport. This is not the reality of the world. Sport, in its very essence, is political and has the power to be a voice for change for those who are oppressed. As acknowledged by Paul Casey, sport is political and thus, one should expect questions on human rights issues in a country, which is associated with various human rights abuses, notably, the torturing of women, capital punishment of homosexual people, and those who have the audacity to speak out against the Saudi regime of Mohammed bin-Salman. Sports personalities should be encouraged to speak out about human rights issues in countries, where participating events take place. Leaving these issues to the politicians has, to date, not worked. Most Western states and politicians are silent about the human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Silence will never prevail. If sports stars such as Shane Lowry continue to pass the bucket of human rights issues onto politicians, by refusing to speak about such issues, because those on the receiving end, may be offended, or it may be perceived as interfering in political issues, silence will continue to prevail.

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Volume 25 | Issue 6 | Tuesday 18th January 2022

2022 Sporting Crystal Ball

SAM CURTIN Sports Editor Football

ATAKAN UZUN Deputy Sports Editor

Back for another year, due to popular demand (or because of the same editor returning for another stint), the University Express sports team is back to call 2022 by delving into the Crystal Ball.

Premier League SC: Arguably the easiest prediction to make considering the current standings. Man City are simply built to win league titles with the squad depth that they have. It’ll be another romp home to the title, something which is becoming all too frequent. AU: Presently, Manchester City appear to be the strongest contender to retain their Premier League title. Despite challenging them closely, in previous months, Liverpool and Chelsea’s challenge has slowly slipped away in recent weeks. Injuries and Covid-19 have affected both teams and as acknowledged by Virgil Van Dijk, Man City were lucky in December, in that they did not suffer many injuries or Covid-19 cases. However, I believe, it will come down to the wire, as a resurgent Liverpool team will improve their form and become the chasers, as opposed to the chased, as they were in previous years. Champions League SC: From the easiest to the most difficult one to call in my view. It really is anyone’s to win. For all the flak the competition gets for having the same teams being in contention year on year, we rarely see a team retain with Real Madrid being the only exception. I like Bayern Munich however and with Lewandowski having a point to prove after his Ballon D’or snub, I’m backing him to lead the Bavarians to a 7th European title. AU: Currently, based on the results in the group stages, the teams, which look in the strongest form are Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Depending on the title race, with Liverpool slightly trailing Man City, with a game in hand, Liverpool may prioritise, winning the Champions League and re-establish their invincible form that was present during the group stage matches, where they failed to lose any of their group games. Bayern Munich, likewise, appeared invincible, they will make it all the way, to the final, if they regain their impressive form in the group stages. World Cup SC: This prediction is made all the more challenging with the competition not being held to next winter, but that’s what the crystal ball is all about I guess. If England had a braver manager I would fancy them to finally ‘come home’ but it’ll be another fruitless endeavour for the Three Lions. A case could be made for any of the top teams but I’m going to tentatively say France if their big players turn up. AU: Right now, my bold prediction is a Brazil versus Denmark final in the 2022 World Cup, with Brazil, coming out as winners for the first time since 2002.

Presently, I believe that Brazil may spring a surprise in the World Cup and could go, all the way, to the final. Out of the nations, from the South American segment of the qualifiers, they are the most likely to the fare, the strongest, in the World Cup.

GAA All-Ireland Football Championship

SC: In my view it’s a three horse between, Kerry, Dublin and Tyrone who surprised us all by capturing a 5th Sam Maguire. A deserved win with an exciting group of players whom I’d give every chance of Will the Irish women’s football team qualify for the retaining. I’m going to go with Kerry however and Jack O’Connor to perform a one and done and World Cup? sail off into the sunset with another All-Ireland SC: While there’s no doubt Vera Pauw’s side have before leaving the inter-county game behind him. made progress over the past couple of years, I don’t see them making their maiden tournament bow in AU:Dublin Australia and New Zealand. This is mainly due to All-Ireland Hurling Championship the inconsistency in their performances and their over reliance on the likes of Katie McCabe and SC: Limerick, simple as really. I predicted last Denise O’Sullivan. You can’t trust them to grind year that Cork would be real dark horses which out results yet and so it is the play-offs at best for was proven to be correct, and I think they will the Girls in Green. Their day will come though. get closer to the Treaty men this year. Limerick have a perfect age profile however and are in their AU: I believe that the Irish women’s football team prime. Three in a row? Yes. Five? Who knows. face a strong chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Currently, in second place, in Group A, to AU: Cork qualify for the World Cup, with 7 points, and 8 points, behind the strong Sweden team, with a game more to play, they are in a decent position Golf to finish the group in second place. they have Will there be any Irish major winner? impressive players with many credible and quality sides in the Women’s Super League, notably, Katie SC: No is the short answer. Leona Maguire McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan, there is no reason appears to be our best bet and I believe that why the team cannot continue their impressive she will win one within two years. I just don’t form. Let’s hope they continue to build upon the think she’s quite at that level yet. I don’t foundation of their recent 11-0 win and qualify for share that hope for anyone else however. the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. AU: Presently, it is unlikely that there will be an Irish major winner. However, the most likely, may be Shane Lowry, who was in decent performance, Rugby in 2021, including a solid performance in his debut Ryder Cup appearance. Rory McIlroy will be hoping Six Nations for a better year, and to win his first major tournament SC: Without a doubt the tournament I’m most excited since 2014 and to build upon the form that he for this year with three genuinely world class teams showed, in segments in 2021. In other news, based along with the defending champions about to clash. on current form, I believe that Jon Rahm and Collin This along with a resurgent Scotland who can beat Morikawa will dominate the major tournaments, anyone on their day and this has the makings of an including the Masters, Open, US Open, etc. historic Six Nations. France to break their twelve year hoodoo with a top three finish for Ireland. Poor Italy. Formula One AU: Wales SC: I’m no expert on F1 and Netflix phenomenon ‘Drive to Survive’ did nothing for me to be SC: The past decade has tended to have teams who honest. I have no shame in saying Lewis go through a cycle of winning or at least being in Hamilton will regain his crown, however. Don’t the last four a la Saracens and Leinster. Toulouse worry, I won’t take any credit when I’m right. are going through that period now and have one of the great half-back pairings in Antoine Duponte AU: I have a number of bold predictions. and Romain Ntmack although Cheslin Kolbe’s First, Red Bull will struggle to replicate the departure to Toulon will be a big loss. Despite this, form that they showed in the 2021 season. the French team are going through a period of real They may fall short of winning the overall dominance and I expect that to continue this year. championship. Second bold prediction is that Ferrari will be the lead team in the pecking order, AU: Racing 92 and Charles Leclerc is F1’s newest champion. European Champions Cup