Issue 3 - December 2015

WessexScene.co.uk

University of Southampton’s Student Magazine

DECEMEBER 2015

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Christmas

Around The World Page 28

+ Nightmare Before Christmas:

+ flow: the science of peak

+ Sexuality in football: does

Don’t fret: 8 present ideas, ranging in price and effort

The science behind “being in the moment”

Can modern, liberal Football culture bring us all closer together?

Gift Ideas for the Uninspired 09

experience 14

it matter? 31

Welcome

BRIDIE PEARSON-JONES Editor

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached our 5th magazine of the academic year already, and we’re not quite half-way yet!

WESSEX SCENE TEAM Want to write for us?

Get in touch with a section editor.

Editor BRIDIE PEARSON-JONES editor@soton.ac.uk

Deputy Editor MICHAEL OLIVER

deputy-editor@wessexscene.co.uk

Head of Design SEBASTIAN STEELE design@wessexscene.co.uk

HEAD OF IMAGERY JORDAN STEWART image@wessexscene.co.uk

Features ELLIE WERMTER

features@wessexscene.co.uk

Features ALICE HEARING

features@wessexscene.co.uk

Science and Environment TRINA DAVIES science@wessexscene.co.uk

Politics SAMUEL WILLIAMS

politics@wessexscene.co.uk

Opinion FREYA JEFFRIES

opinion@wessexscene.co.uk

2015 has been a great year for Wessex Scene, from hosting the Student Publication Association National Conference in April, to winning ‘Best Media Department’ at the Southampton University Media Awards - we’ve certainly been busy!

2016 is set to be an even more memorable year for Wessex Scene. In February, we’ll be turning 80! After January exams we’ll be launching our throwback series, where you lucky readers will be able to read pieces right back to 1936. We’ve also got some of our most notable Scene alumni coming back to celebrate 80 years of hard-hitting journalism, fantastic features and consistently being the first place in Southampton to break news.

Our gift to you this holiday season is this wonderful magazine, as we’ve got some gems in this issue. If you’ve left Christmas shopping to the last minute, be sure to check out ‘gift ideas for the uninspired’, ‘easy christmas bakes’ and the ‘best Christmas markets’. Or if you’re not keen on celebrating Christmas just yet, we’ve got a preview of EURO 2016s, a piece about men’s feminism and those of you who are already planning summer - a piece about teaching English in China.

Don’t forget, if you like what you read, why not join us in the new year! Get in touch with any of our committee if you’d like to be part of the best student group in Southampton!

Travel NUALA MCBRIDE

travel@wessexscene.co.uk

Lifestyle Laura Cox

lifestyle@wessexscene.co.uk

International CAMERON RIDGWAY

We all hope you enjoy this issue!

Happy holidays from everyone here at Wessex Scene HQ x

international@wessexscene.co.uk

Sport JACK PETHICK

sports@wessexscene.co.uk

Sport SEAN O’BRIEN

sports@wessexscene.co.uk

News REBECCA LAKE

news@wessexscene.co.uk

News TOM MORGAN

news@wessexscene.co.uk

Pause TOM RANDALL

pause@wessexscene.co.uk

MARKETING DAN LINSTEAD

publicity@wessexscene.co.uk

VP DCI KERRY SCLATER vpdci@susu.org

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FRONT COVER IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART WELCOME

INTERNATIONAL 28 Christmas Around the World - Natalia Jopling Tanser. Image by Tara Shore

ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2015

FEATURES

POLITICS

How To avoid a yuletide family domestic

04

The Political Party Leaders’ New Years Resolutions

16

the origins of christmas and all the trimmings

06

12 Days of Political Christmas

18

a modern christmas: what does it mean?

08

Nightmare Before Christmas: Gift 09 Ideas for the Uninspired 10

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

wessexscene.co.uk @wessexscene

Easy Christmas Recipes

22

Britain’s Best Christmas Markets 25 Teaching English in China

corrupted sex: the morality of 12 prostitution flow: the science of peak experience

Charity Shop Shopping Secrets by 20 a Self-Confessed Addict TRAVEL

OPINION

What I Talk About When I Talk About Men’s Feminism

LIFESTYLE

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26

INTERNATIONAL

Christmas Around The World

28

the christmas that shaped the world

29

SPORT

sexuality in football: does it matter?

31

euro 2016: a preview

32

PAUSE

The Christmas Survival Guide

34

fb.com/wscene WELCOME

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Features

How to avoid a Yuletide

Family Domestic WORDS BY ELLIE WERMTER IMAGE BY PAIGE NICHOLAS

Tis’ the season to fight with the family right? For many people, Christmas day is just that. Expectation, alcohol and argumentative family-members have a tendency to come together and erupt on the 25th December- everyone has an opinion on how the sprouts need to be cooked (who likes sprouts anyway?), your uncle Henry drinks to the point of being a little worse for wear and your mum stands and bickers with her sisters in the kitchen. Well, it doesn’t have to be like that anymore. Here are five suggestions on how to avoid a domestic with your family on Christmas day.

1

Whilst you’re at university, you’ll notice that older relations will incessantly ask you how the course is treating you and dun dun dun, ‘what are you hoping to do when you finish?’ to avoid the judgment and lectures from opinionated relations, always have an answer to this question. Even it’s a vague and just leads to some awkward small talk, it’s better than entering into a situation where you’re being lectured on the vital need to have ‘a plan’. It is also important to remember that you don’t have anything to prove to anyone. So what if your cousin Billy is the same age as you but drives a BMW and works for MTV? Sometimes it’s better just to let things slide, and know that the only person worth competing with is yourself.

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All families have secret, simmering tensions, whether that’s because of the age-old sibling rivalry, a dodgy choice of boyfriend or because you missed that wedding back in 2009.

After a few drinks at Christmas dinner it can be very easy to slip back into these arguments. Try to avoid this by focusing on the present as much as possible, ask your relation how their job is treating them, where they are planning on going on holiday that year or how their friends are keeping. This keeps the focus on them and away from your festering rivalry.

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We all know the scene, your little brother is in a strop because he didn’t get the right game he wanted for his Xbox, your mum is losing the plot over the timings over the 4

Christmas dinner, your dad has had a little too much to drink and your cousins are chasing each other around the house with the remains of the wrapping paper. At this point, it would be very easy to run away from it all. But just remember that Christmas lasts for one day. Try to take it in your stride. Help out in the house you’re staying at, maybe stack the dishwasher or take the dog for a walk. By helping out you’re inevitably helping yourself too.

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Beware of the dangerous combination of alcohol consumption and board games. The two should never be found in the same sentence together, let alone with competitive family members on Christmas day. If you’re trying to avoid a family domestic, then try to keep the competitive games to a minimum. Focus instead on toasts at the dinner table where you find something nice to say about the person opposite you, or sit down and watch a family film together.

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And finally, try to remember what it’s all about. Christmas is for family, food and festivities. Take pleasure in the small things and try not too take too much heed of small annoyances throughout the day, instead be grateful for all the blessings you have in your life- a great family, lovely friends and a bright future. Enjoy the company of your family and soak up the festive spirit! After all, it does only come around once a year.

FEATURES

Features

The origins of

Christmas and all the trimmings WORDS BY MICHAEL OLIVER IMAGE BY SAMMIE BURSTOW

So we’re approaching that time of year again. Prices will be marked up, queues will be big and Christmas music will be blaring into every orifice. But hey, it’s all worth it to wake up on that underwhelming Christmas morning to then proceed to eat non-stop and slump in front of the TV. Seriously though, Christmas is great. The tree, the markets, that weird uncle dressed as Santa Claus... we wouldn’t have it any other way. But where did all these traditions come from? How did Christmas end up being what it is today? Here’s a whirlwind tour of the origins of Christmas itself, with all the trimmings.

ChristmaS

We may as well start with the big one. We all know the story right, it’s celebrating when Jesus was born. Wrong! No-one actually knows when Jesus was born. Instead, the origins of Christmas arise from a rather delightful Roman pagan festival called Saturnalia, which was a week-long period of lawlessness in the period December 17 - December 25. The festivities began when an ‘enemy of the people’ was chosen (to represent the ‘Lord of misrule’) who was then ‘invited’ to indulge in a vast array of activities, including forced feeding (this is basically Christmas dinner anyway), being intoxicated often and also sexual proclivity. Then on the big day itself, the ‘enemy’ was brutally murdered, as a way of repelling the forces of darkness.

What a waste of wine.

So when Rome converted to Christianity in the 4th century, they imported the Saturnalia festival as one of their own, hoping to encourage pagans to adopt this new religion - I’m guessing that they succeeded. The problem was though, there was nothing really ‘christmassy’ about this festival. So the authorities decided to make the last day of the festival, December 25th, Jesus’ birthday. Neat.

Christmas TreE

People have been bringing bits of tree into their house to celebrate the winter solstice for a long time, however we have the Germans to thank for introducing the Christmas tree 6

tradition as we know it - they just brought bits of wood into the house and started to decorate it. Of course, in Britain, Queen Victoria made the decoration of the tree fashionable over here, as she was sketched standing around her lavishly decorated tree with her family, and as many people love copying the royals (see Kate Middleton) the practice was soon adopted nationwide.

Presents

Obviously the most important bit about Christmas, the origins of this once again come back to the Saturnalia festival. The Roman emperors made the most despised citizens bring gifts to them during this festival, which was then expanded to giving gifts to the general population - that’s a lot of gift wrapping! Christian leaders adopted this practice but gave it a twist: these gifts were instead going to be given by good old (dead) Saint Nick.

Santa Claus

You all know by now that ‘Santa Claus’ is actually St. Nicholas (who, incidentally, was only named a saint in Victorian times). He had a hand in compiling the New Testament at the Council of Nicaea, and was one of the most prominent bishops in the Church. The Santa Claus name derived from ‘Sinterklaas’, which was just a Dutch way of saying Saint Nicholas. In 1087, long after he had died, a couple of Nicholas fanatics moved his bones to Bari, Italy, where his shrine ousted that of a deity called ‘the grandmother’, who used FEATURES

Features

to fill children’s stockings with gifts. Thus a cult developed, and people started exchanging gifts every December 6, the anniversary of his death.

The Saint Nick cult was then adopted by Northern pagans, who gave him a beard and made him wear winter clothing (after their own Norse God). Christians, eager for more converts in the north of Europe, adopted this image and decreed that people should give gifts on the 25th December, instead of the 6th. The author Washington Irving gave Nick his ‘flying horse’, and Clement Moore published a poem in 1822 - which started with the line ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house...’ - where eight reindeer were invented.

In the late nineteenth century, the illustrator Thomas Nast portrayed Nick as living at the North Pole, with elves as his workers, possessing a list of all the good and bad children in the world, and wearing a red suit. Then, of course, Coca Cola came along, who instantly popularised the image of a jolly, red-suited Santa. So he’s really a combination of a Pagan God, a Christian bishop, and and advertisement for Coca Cola.

combination of rampant sex, druid sacrifices and a couple of Nordic gods fighting over a woman.

Food

Again, we have Queen Victoria to thank for the modern Christmas dinner - she was credited with bringing Turkey (duck or rabbit was previously eaten) and roast potatoes to the table. Sprouts, of course, are a long-term tradition, although they are only included as they were easy to grow in the winter. Plus, they are delicious. Mince Pies, on the other hand, are technically illegal to eat on Christmas Day, thanks to Oliver Cromwell.

With it’s origins of actually having mince meat in them, they have long been a terrifying part of the Christmas period to small children.

So when you’re tucking into your turkey on Christmas Day, after opening your presents, and reluctantly giving your (very marry) gran a kiss under the mistletoe, give a thought to the weird an wonderful history that makes up our Christmas traditions! But Santa is still real, right?

Mistletoe

This story’s a good one.

Norse mythology tells us that one God was killed by another God by the means of an arrow of mistletoe whilst fighting for a female. Also, druids used mistletoe to poison their sacrificial victim. The Saturnalia festival, of course, was known for the level of promiscuity it allowed, so therefore the custom of kissing under the mistletoe came about as a FEATURES

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A Modern Christmas: What Does it Mean?

WORDS BY ALICE HEARING

IMAGE BY JESS COX

You know how it goes at Christmas. Christmas light switch ons, Father Christmas outfits, Christmas fairs, Christmas Trees, Presents, the Coca Cola advert and the John Lewis advert. People enjoy Christmas from all walks of life: any age, any culture, and perhaps, it would seem, any kind of religion.

Christmas, as we all know, is a Christian holiday, but many non-Christians celebrate this, what some would call, consumer holiday.

E

ven those who are not particularly religious will celebrate Christmas. I do not attribute myself to any religion in particular, yet since I have grown up celebrating Christmas, it seems to be the usual thing to do. I will even sing religious carols at Christmas, maybe even go to Church. I’m sure many others would say the same. For many, the only time of year when they take part in anything religious will be at Christmas time. Even Atheists will sing along to Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

Even then, the John Lewis advert promotes family and values of kindness. This year, the John Lewis advert promotes awareness for Age UK. It is no longer about the Nativity but about other kinds of stories promoting other kinds of values.

Schools are decreasingly performing the nativity at Christmas; I have seen adaptations of the Jungle Book as the Christmas play. Instead, many school plays will consist of moral stories about kindness, family and love. We don’t need the nativity to understand the importance of these things.

The secular and consumer side of Christmas seems to be much more prominent nowadays. Traditionally, a British Christmas will consist of buying a Christmas Tree (a Pagan tradition), eating turkey on Christmas day, the Queen’s speech etc. Parts of Christmas celebration such as the advent calendar are most often bought not for their religious significance but for the chocolate inside. But, why not treat yourself?

Whether the new meaning of Christmas is a bad or a good thing can be debated. The increase in the consumerism of Christmas is not necessarily a bad thing. Who doesn’t like receiving presents?

People seem to actually enjoy the John Lewis and Coca I will only accept that Cola advert. What’s more, it’s near Christmas when I why should a holiday that see the coca cola advert, promotes basic human kindness be confined to but until then, take your only one group in society. festive spirit elsewhere Why shouldn’t we all be -Josh Carvalho on Twitter able to celebrate?

So lets consider the consumerism of Christmas. The Christmas number 1 will always be of huge significance. Who will hit the top spot? Will it be Adele or Coldplay? All of a sudden it seems to us that Christmas hasn’t started until we see the John Lewis advert or the Coca Cola advert, or until we see bright lights on suburban houses when it gets dark.

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FEATURES

Nightmare Before Christmas: Gift Ideas for the Uninspired WORDS BY JADE BATSTONE Present buying: either a fun-filled experience, or an utter nightmare. From the trials and tribulations of Secret Santa shopping, to finding something, ANYTHING, that your parents haven’t been given before, it can seem like an impossible task. Don’t fret; I’ve put together a list of 8 present ideas, ranging in price and effort, to give you that inspiration that’s been so elusive.

1Voucher for Graze boxes Know a friend or family member who deserves a tasty treat?

Graze boxes are a fun way of eating nutritious snacks, and can even be delivered straight to the workplace. Graze have a voucher for every need, ranging from three boxes for £11.97, to a whopping 50 deliveries for the weighty sum of £199.50 (maybe not the best option for a student budget). With the voucher, your loved one can choose the content themselves, so you don’t even have to worry about that!

2 _______ of the Month Club Having a surprise delivered each month is a Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Although there won’t be anything to unwrap on the big day itself, there’s the knowledge that each month brings something delicious. There are endless possibilities, for example Coffee of the Month, Wine of the Month, and Cake of the Month (all available from www.notonthehighstreet.com).

3 Spa Voucher The ultimate pampering experience, and a fabulous chance to let a friend unwind and indulge. From a historical day at the Roman baths in Bath, to the scented steam rooms at Centerparcs’ Aqua Sana, spa vouchers can vary not only in price but also in content. Why not pay for yourself as well, and accompany them for a spot of indulgence yourself?

each individual bead costing £8.99, but the website does sell gift vouchers of various values, so you could contribute to the beginning of a project.

5 Personalised Home Furnishings www.notonthehighstreet.com is probably already familiar to you, but it’s amazing what you’ll find just scrolling through the different pages. To add a special touch to a simple decoration, personalise it with a name or a collection of your shared memories, and turn something relatively everyday into a treasured possession.

6 Adult Colouring Book A sudden hit with students and people in stressful professions, the phenomenon of colouring books for adults presents (pun intended) an ideal opportunity for gift giving. Johanna Basford has brought out a collection of exquisite designs to colour in (‘Secret Garden’ and ‘Enchanted Forest’ are particularly incredible).

7 Hamper Is your friend obsessed with a particular brand of hot chocolate, or adores a certain beauty product which they don’t normally buy due to expense? You could put together a hamper of all their favourite things, and put them in a cardboard box covered in pretty wrapping paper. This makes a beautiful gift, and shows how much thought and effort you’ve put in.

8 Chocolate

4 El Camino Bracelet

When all else fails. Always a winner with Secret Santa, chocolate embodies Christmas so utterly that it still makes the perfect gift. If you’re looking for something a little fancier, have a gander in Hotel Chocolat, whose mouth-watering fillings will put a smile on anyone’s face (the mulled wine ones are mind-blowing).

Found at elcaminobracelets.com. This is the perfect gift for someone who loves travelling, as you can mark their accomplished destinations on gorgeous silver beads. Although this has oodles of sentimental value, it can be a tad pricey, with

With any luck, your Christmas shopping will no longer be a case of rushing and stressing, but instead a relatively painfree experience! Happy gift giving, and have a wonderful Christmas.

FEATURES

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What I Talk About When I Talk About Men’s Feminism

Section

WORDS BY XAVIER VOIGT-HILL

IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART

Feminism is contentious. Nary a mention of the word online, let alone any of its associated concepts, can expect to escape thorough scrutiny, intense outrage, or some form of heated ‘discussion’, that results in each party further inflating the volume within their echo chambers to no discernible consequence.

This toxicity can deter many from the label. For some, a feminist stands for equality and the campaign to eradicate gender-based discrimination. For others, however, this word carries connotations to man-hating and denigration of nonwomen.

Equating feminism (the collection of movements that aim to establish equality for women) and misandry (ingrained prejudice against men) is highly damaging, though apparently the norm. A 2013 YouGov survey asked 1,797 people whether they identified themselves as feminists and only 19% said yes.

Yet, when the same survey asked respondents whether they agreed with societal equality for men and women, this figure rose to 81%. The gap is, perhaps unsurprisingly, particularly prevalent among men.

Given that it is, of course, a movement for women’s liberation, I can wholly understand a man feeling uncomfortable in calling himself a feminist. But this persistent fundamental misunderstanding of the principles of feminism itself is perplexing. By definition, feminists yearn for women’s rights in order to bring true equality to the sexes. Inherently, there is no difference between an advocate for equality of the genders and a feminist.

Perhaps worse still is when men fail to recognise why such movements even exist in our zeitgeist. Many fail to appreciate the wider picture, shrugging off conversations about important feminism issues simply because they don’t perceive themselves as part of the problem at hand.

A prime example of this comes in the recent furore surrounding George Lawlor, a Warwick Tab writer who took offence at being invited online to a consent class because he was satisfied with his own knowledge of how not to be a rapist. In the 10

vast majority of humans, I would assume such knowledge exists.

What his standpoint lacks, however, is the grander context.

Not everyone knows the meaning of consent, or has a full understanding of the implications their actions have towards women.

It is estimated by the charity Rape Crisis that 11 adults (including men) are raped in the UK every single hour and 20% of women between the ages of 16 and 59 have experienced sexual violence. If just one person attends a consent class and later does not commit sexual assault as a consequence, surely it is logical to acknowledge that something has clearly worked as intended.

For those who respect the gender-centric problems that permeate our culture, but do not consider themselves a paidup member of the feminist brigade, I have good news. A name exists for you, and that is pro-feminist. If you feel that the Latin roots of the label itself serve as an affront to your masculinity and make your chromosomes tremble with chauvinistic woe, you may be a bit of a lost cause.

When I talk about men’s feminism, I talk about men engaging with the battle for a society that is equal for human beings of all genders, about men standing up against harassment and misogyny and sexism, about men accepting the struggles and threats that women face as genuine issues. To engage with the discourse of feminism or to support its aims and actions does not require you to be a woman, nor does it make you any less of a man.

Gender inequality does no good for our society. If we unite globally against it, beneath the greatest banner that the English language currently possesses, our utopian dream could reach fruition.

OPINION

Opinion

Corrupted Sex

The Morality of Prostitution WORDS BY BRUNO RUSSELL

IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART

Prostitution: the oldest profession. For centuries we have used our bodies as consumer products to gain money, to deliver a service. Many have claimed that such is immoral, it dehumanises the action of sex, and women, in a way that is improper. It is the unspeakable profession. But what really is all that bad about the service? I will argue here that it is a mistake to demean prostitution, and instead we should aim to decriminalise the act.

W

hile unspeakable, it’s certainly not unpopular; figures, published by The Telegraph in 2014 and checked by the National Office of Statistics, show that female prostitution contributed 5.7 billion to the UK economy in 2014, up from 5.3 billion pounds in 2009. This arises from an estimated 61,000 women whose profession is prostitution in the UK, who on average charge £67 a session. This, also, ignores ‘new’ forms of prostitution, such as web-caming or escorting. Equally – and interestingly – male prostitution has also boomed, rapidly contributing to the UK economy; in 12

2014 an estimated 3.3 billion pounds.

There is, however, another interesting statistic. In surveys, only 800,000 men admitted to using prostitutes but studies carried out by the Royal Statistics Society show that this does not add up with the UK income. This shows that many people who have used prostitutes have not admitted such.

Is this because it as seen as this unethical taboo? If such, is this really that accurate? It actually seems not, and both the philosophical and social arguments against decriminalising prostitution are unconvincing.

OPINION

Opinion One fundamental worry is the philosophical issue of what prostitution makes sex. Many have deplored prostitution for reducing the value of sex, seeing it as removing the emotional or unitive elements that should be present during sexual intercourse. But is it really that wrong to reduce sex to a commodity? If we own our bodies then why can we not use them however we see fit. As long as we consent to sexual intercourse, it seems rather bigoted for one to say that another is using their body incorrectly. Just because I have a longterm partner, I have no right to say my sex is of greater value than another’s gained through prostitution. Equally, there seems little difference, in terms of what sex is being classed as, between this and students that sleep around. They are seeing sex purely as an activity, stripped – often – from emotion.

Does that make this ethically wrong too? This argument has to appeal to some sort of transcendental ideal of sex that is achievable but idealistic in terms of an approach where all sex should be like this. After all, is it even true that sex happens in relationships to build emotional bridges? I’ll admit my philosophical view on sex is liberal, but I see no convincing reason to take this transcendental, emotional view of sex as somehow morally superior.

Prostitutes are also fulfilling a sexual desire that pornography cannot fulfil but at the same time ensuring that such men are not led to rape or sexual assault. Professor Kirby R. Cundiff of Northeastern State University led a study called ‘Prostitution and Sex Crimes’ which found that if prostitution were legalized ‘the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year’

“[T]he analysis seems to support the hypothesis that the rape rate could be lowered if prostitution was more readily available. This would be accomplished in most countries by its legalization.”

This shows that social arguments pro-prostitution are effective on a pragmatic level. Also if we decriminalise prostitution we can then regulate it, in a way that protects the women that are involved. Prostitutes currently rely on either pimps or themselves to ensure they are protected, but this is not good enough. Prostitution is not going to end, so we need to actually approach this issue properly. Since 2005, the Royal College of Nurses has petitioned for decriminalisation to ‘protect the health of vulnerable women and men who feel unable to access NHS and social services’. If decriminalised we could provide social care on a broad level, as well as help treat STI’s in a more-effective way, and provide condoms for prostitutes OPINION

specifically. The RCN also note that 95% of street prostitutes have a history of drug abuse and many enter the profession under the age of 18. We can’t do anything about specifically attacking that issue until prostitution is decriminalised and then regulated; leading the RCN to vote 355 to 83 in favour of decriminalisation. If such a professional and significant body are supporting it in this way, should we not listen? The social implications are clear and through decriminalisation we can regulate the service of prostitution in a way that ensures women are properly protected. Until we do so, we are neglecting our general duty of care.

Anti-decriminalisation arguments, however, seem less convincing. Dr Katherine Akim argued in August 2015 that the current de-criminalisation movement just makes women ‘pick up the pieces’ for the fact that male sexual desire ‘is manifested at least twice as often as female desire’, so male’s desire for sex outweighs non-commercial female desire twofold. This, however, is as silly as it is flawed. Firstly, what allows such a crude generalisation? There are many men and women who have equally strong sexual desires; and equal numbers who are asexual in each gender. Dr Daniel Bergner, through a series of sociological experiments, came to the conclusion that women want sex as much as men do. Less women may use prostitutes, but this does not mean they have less sexual desire or – indeed – that there is a deficit apparently negatively filled by prostitution.

Equally, even if you granted Akim’s slimly-supported generalisation, why would it be so wrong for commercial sex to fulfil the deficit? Prostitution is, after all, just an industry like any other. I understand this is a very positive view of the industry (that many oppose) but I mean this in a sense that strips ‘dishonest’ prostitution, i.e. underage or curb-crawling.

But these are reasons for demeaning not related to the act of sex as commodity itself [remember my previous argument for not saying porn is wrong because of negative sections of it, like rape porn, that are wrong for alternative reasons]. Therefore, social arguments against don’t seem to stand up and, in fact, we can provide social benefits by decriminalising.

So are we moving in the right direction? It seems so. Liverpool council has proposed a managed zone for prostitutes in an effort to reduce curb while Scottish executives have also started a legal review of the policing, health and social issues raised by prostitution in Scotland. But there is still a long way to go, a big push is still required. And now is that time to make that push. Philosophical, but more crucially social, arguments against decriminalising are un-effective whilst the argument for is strong. It’s time to approach prostitution in the right way.

It’s time to decriminalise it.

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Science & Environment

The science of peak experience WORDS BY MIKE OKEOWO

Y

ou’re singing on stage at a local bar – you have your band (or backing music) behind you and a cluster of friends, family and unknown faces in the audience ahead of you. It’s a new song, one you have practised a couple of times, but not one that you feel that you have mastered; until now. You begin to feel the rhythm of the music, singing perfectly in tune and effortlessly reaching each note. Each moment seamlessly flows into the last and all your senses become more intense; you notice the echo of each sound, your rhythmic breathing and the smile of a friend in the audience. You’re completely immersed in the moment and flowing through the song. Before you know it, the audience is applauding, and you’re backstage; exhilarated, mystified and refreshed by the experience.

This kind of experience isn’t limited to musicians. This complete immersion in an experience could occur while you are dancing, playing a sport, talking with a friend, reading a good book or even writing an essay during an exam. These exceptional moments which we often refer to as “being in the zone” or “being in the moment” are what have been termed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as “flow” experiences.

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Csikszentmihalyi describes a flow experience as:

“Being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

The problem with these peak experiences is that they occur so rarely in our lives; what if we could have more of them?

Csikszentmihalyi claims we can. His research suggests that there are similarities in the structures of flow-inducing activities and so we could organise activities in our life in ways which make them conducive to producing flow.

In the 1970’s, Csikszentmihalyi travelled around the world conducing questionnaires detailing the peak experiences of different types of people. He began with experts: chess players, dancers, surgeons etc. and then moved onto people from all walks of life; Italian farmers, Navaho sheep herders, elderly Korean women, Japanese teenage motorcycle gang members and thousands more. What he found was surprising; everyone that he spoke to, regardless of culture, class, gender, age or level of modernisation, felt and performed their best when experiencing the state he named “flow”. He chose the term “flow” because, during the interviews, “flow” was the SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Science & Environment

“We feel free to act without hesitation, hence creativity becomes more free-flowing and we act spontaneously.”

word that was repeatedly used to describe the experience.

When experiencing flow, every action and every decision led fluidly into the next.

that people who experience a lot of flow in their daily lives also develop other positive traits, such as high concentration, high self-esteem, and greater health.

In conducting his research, he noticed commonalities between the flow-inducing activities people participated in.

He used these commonalities to work out a structure of flow activities, thus allowing us to arrange activities in our lives in a way which promotes flow experiences.

He claims that for a flow state to occur, the activity must be perceived as voluntary, enjoyable for its own sake, it must require skill which challenges us but without being overwhelming and the activity should include clear goals towards success.

Incredibly beneficial to daily life and an exciting area of research, neuroscientists have also taken a keen interest in “flow”. In 2008, neuroscientist Charles Limb used f MRI to examine the brains of improvisational jazz musicians in flow.

He found a curious surprise; the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain best known for self-monitoring, was deactivated. Self-monitoring is the voice in the head; the useless thoughts, the self-doubt and our inner critic. When the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex goes quiet, we’re liberated. We feel free to act without hesitation, hence creativity becomes more free-flowing and we act spontaneously.

In other words, what sometimes prevents us from experiencing flow is perceiving an activity as “work”, something which we must do or something which we are only doing as a means to an end. Also, taking on too much can cause us anxiety and taking too small a challenge creates boredom. Flow occurs when we play, when we are willing participants of the game and when we’re appropriately challenged to our level of ability.

Research into flow is giving us more freedom to determine the quality of our lives. Through the research done by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, we can reconsider how we perceive and how we organise activities in life. Life can become less of a drag and instead flow like music. And if that doesn’t work, we can always just go for a dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lobotomy instead!

In addition, an increasing amount of scientific evidence suggests that flow is highly correlated with happiness, both subjective and psychological well-being. It has been found SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

15

Politics

The Political Party Leaders’ New Years Resolutions WORDS BY JACK DAVIES IMAGE BY ALEXANDER MAVRONICHOLAS

The New Year is a time for all of us to have a long hard look at what we did this year - what went well, what went not so well. The same goes for the leaders of the main UK political parties.

What a shame it is that they are unlikely to come out and actually tell us what their new years resolutions are, but let’s have a look at what each party leader needs to keep to in 2016. So this is directed at them, their ideas, problems and potential successes - what they are going to be thinking on New Year’s eve as the clock ticks round.

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Moving on, Nick Clegg’s successor as leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, has had a decidedly better year (personally, as opposed to how the party fared) than most party leaders. Having increased his majority in Westmorland and Lonsdale, the MP then won the subsequent leadership election against friend and colleague, Norman Lamb MP. An eventful year has seen Farron defend claims he is homophobic, travel to Lesvos to help refugees and call the government out over it’s inequality regarding the rights of transgender people.

Tim Farron’s resolutions are:

’m going to start with the current leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron. The MP for Witney has had a mixed year. In May, he won a majority in the House of Commons but it soon turned sour with former coalition colleagues, the Liberal Democrats, calling Cameron over what was deemed a pitiful response to the refugee crisis and a House of Lords rebellion on cuts to working tax credits. David Cameron must surely be thinking his key resolutions must be: Refrain from calling any group of human beings a “swarm” - it’s bad publicity.

Try not to stick genitals in any cooked animal - it’s bad publicity.

Actually answer the questions asked in PMQs rather than just making jokes about the speaker and their party.

Now that’s the Conservative leader’s resolutions dealt with, let’s move on to the leader (for better or for worse) of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn. The North Islington MP has also had a mixed year. After being nominated for the leadership of the party as a dark horse, and then going on to win a stunning majority of the votes cast, Corbyn has suffered many personal attacks on his character - however true or false they may be.

So Corbyn must have plenty of resolutions to take into next year...

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Keep reminding people that Labour actually is a socialist party.

Stop backtracking on principles - people get confused what side you’re on.

Don’t get mad when MPs rebel - now you know how previous party leaders felt when you did it to them.

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Actually explain how lots of things are regarded as a sin by the Bible and that you really don’t agree with all of them.

Continue writing on important issues like immigration and housing - it gives people a good opportunity to read your views.

Stand up more in Parliament and speak - not easy when you only have 8 MPs.

POLITICS

Politics

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Try not to sound so Australian - with immigration the top issue among Brits according to surveys, Bennett just doesn’t sound the part.

Don’t be so socialist.

Be greener - it was a crying shame that a party that was the party of environmentalism found itself lacking in green policies.

Nicola Sturgeon was the real winner of May’s election. With only a million votes, the SNP gained 56 seats and all but wiped out Labour north of the border. There aren’t many things for Sturgeon to mull over for 2015 but she will certainly have some resolutions she wants to keep.

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Winning the Edingburgh West by-election. Current incumbent, Michelle Thomson MP, won her seat on an SNP ticket in May but has since become embroiled in a scandal involving financial assets and is looking likely to face a jail term - it is vital that Nicola Sturgeon manages to lead the SNP to victory against the closest contenders, the Liberal Democrats.

Getting another referendum - with 56 seats, the SNP just will not let the matter of independence lie. Expect calls for another referendum as soon as things don’t go their way.

Smack down Farage - yet again.

It could be worse for the Liberal Democrats, you could have got 4 million votes but only 1 seat. Let’s introduce leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party and (ironically) Member of the European Parliament, Nigel Farage MEP. Farage has done many, many, many things this year. There have been highs (arguably, the television debates) and lows (arguably, also the television debates) resulting in a failed bid to become an MP in Thanet South. He even un-resigned as leader of the anti-EU party after the election. So here are Nigel Farage’s new year’s resolutions:

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Actually attend votes in the European Parliament, rather than just turning up to say your sound-bite and leave.

Instead of focusing on immigration, focus on genuine issues facing communities in the United Kingdom.

Continue to participate in public debates regarding the future of our relationship with Europe - allow people to challenge your opinion.

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Finally, we have Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru.

The “Party Of Wales” has been in the shadow of it’s more boisterous cousins, the SNP. Leanne Wood’s aims are simple: to stand up for Wales (and socialist values).

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Try not to get forgotten.

Win some more seats in the Welsh Assembly.

Shout “Wales” at the top of your voice in Trafalgar Square - just so those no good MPs remember about you.

So that’s all folks! You never know what the year ahead may hold, not even for these guys!

The Greens also failed to surpass their record one MP. Their leader, Australian, Natalie Bennett, had a tumultuous 2015 and will be hoping to have a quieter year in 2016. So here’s the Aussie’s resolutions: POLITICS

17

12 Days of Political Christmas WORDS BY TOBY LEVESON

IMAGE BY OWEN WEBB

Between Christmas Day and January 5th people up and down the country, and indeed the world, will be celebrating Christmas. It’s a time that people spend with their families and their friends, and for our politicians it will be no different; so let’s take a look and see what the good and the great of the UK political scene will be doing over the Christmas period.

25th December

Christmas Day Across the country people wake up bright and early to see if Father Christmas has left them any gifts; in 10 and 11 Downing Street it is no different. Behind the scenes, David Cameron and George Osborne had been arguing for months over who could win in a race down the road on a Hoverboard Scooter, and today they could finally test it. They had worn their wives down enough and they had given in, and the look on Cameron’s face was priceless; forget the election win, this was the highlight of 2015.

Across London Jeremy Corbyn takes a short trip to the allotment on his bike, before getting home in time to make a point of staring at a turned off television at 3pm instead of watching the Queen’s Christmas Address, before turning it back on at ten past to watch a repeat of a Wallace and Gromit special in ode to his former leader.

Somewhere deep in Kent, Nigel Farage is rather tipsy, whilst in Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tucks in to her Turkey counting down a week until the big one; Hogmanay. Tim Farron, on the other hand, decides to invite all of his MPs to Christmas dinner, only to remember it would be less of a party and more a gathering of slightly sad middle-aged men.

Up north, it was a pretty horrendous Christmas Day for the Milibands. Reflecting upon the events of the day before on the terraces of Leeds United, Ed Miliband continues to try prove to himself and the nation that he is a man of the people, forgetting that no one cares any more. It had turned sour over dinner with brother David, clearly the wounds of the election battle of 2010 hadn’t healed. David had said he would have won the General Election in May, prompting Ed to sulk and refusing to eat his turkey, and mother Miliband wasn’t happy in the slightest.

27th December

Trip To The Sales Alex Salmond causes trouble in a Scottish shopping centre by using the heavy crowds to make an emotional appeal to the electorate asking them to vote ‘Yes’ in the upcoming referendum. Security take him away, remind him the referendum was a long time ago, and tell him to sober up.

Meanwhile in Westfield, London, Theresa May spots a photographer whilst trying to do some shopping the sales. She panics, and decides it’s best on this occasion to try and buy some trendy clothes to make her seem more electable. Three sparkly crop tops down she begins to regret that decision.

31st December

26th December

Boxing Day The morning after the night before. Nick Clegg regrets his decision to spend Christmas day with Tim Farron and spends most of the day crying and apologising to anyone who will listen, whilst somewhere in a fancy house in a swanky part of London, Boris Johnson fails to remember what happened the previous night.

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New Year’s Eve Cameron is off to Jeremy Clarkson’s for a ‘mad one’, Corbyn decides to have a quieter evening in front of the fire reading a copy of a new book on how to try and overthrow capitalism without anyone noticing. Caroline Lucas is off to the annual Green Party.

POLITICS

Lifestyle

Charity Shop Shopping Secrets by a Self-Confessed Addict

WORDS BY KATIE UNIACKE IMAGE BY OLLIE SILVESTER

Charity-shop-chic is cheap, individual, eco-friendly and pretty fashionable these days, but lots of people don’t seem to know where to start! Well look no further.

I’ve been raised on charity shopping and pride myself on having a pretty much exclusively charity-shop sourced wardrobe. These are the reasons you should be charity shopping, followed by my top tips and trade secrets!

What’s in it for me?

How do I go about it?

It’s cheap

Dedicate time

Obviously. Anything you find in a charity shop is always going to be cheaper than its original high-street price, which is brilliant news for a student budget.

A warm fuzzy feeling

Rather than lining the pockets of some multi-national chain with questionable values that will survive without your custom, you can rest easy knowing your money will do good, and you get something out of it too! Indulging your need for new clothes without a guilty conscience, what more could you want?

You’re recycling

These days we’re all concerned with our impact on the environment, and buying from and donating to charity shops is a brilliantly way of recycling.

It’s different

Don’t you just hate it when someone is wearing the same top/ dress/shirt/anything as you? With a charity shop purchase, you can be pretty sure that will never happen. You can also find some really quirky, distinctive pieces that are much more your style than whatever the current high street fashions are.

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Allocate a few hours for a meander down a street full of charity shops, as this is an exercise that should never be rushed. Take the time to sift through all the sections, as the good stuff is inevitably going to be hiding between the, well, not so good stuff. No pain, no gain, as they say.

Get out of your comfort zone

Try everything and anything on. Something that looks terrible on the hanger might look fabulous on. Don’t be afraid to mix up your style and go a bit brighter and bolder than you normally would. Life is too short to wear boring clothes. Charity shops aren’t the place for playing it safe!

Don’t look for something specific

A broad category, like a cocktail dress or a shirt, is fine, but be open minded when it comes to colour and style. If you have a set idea in your head of exactly what you want, you’ll go home empty handed. Don’t forget to check out the other sections while you’re there as it would be a tragedy if you missed out on a bargain.

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle

Choose the right area

The selection on offer can vary depending on the affluence of the local area. In Southampton, Portswood is surprisingly good, but the gems are well hidden so you have to be determined. Why not make a day trip out of it and go to Winchester, Salisbury, Romsey or Lymington for a charity shop (and perhaps pub) crawl?

Support independent shops

Lots of national chains have put their prices up extortionately in the last couple of years. £7 for a second-hand Primani top?

No thanks. Independent shops or local chains offer amazing value for money and are the charities most in need of support.

Everybody wins!

Take things back

If something doesn’t fit or you decide you don’t like it, don’t be afraid to return it. You’re not a bad person; treat it like any other shop! They’ll either refund you or let you exchange it for something else and they’ll sell it again!

Find cheap Christmas presents

Before you go out and spend stupid amounts on Christmas presents, have a look around and see if anything catches your eye in the charity shops. If you know someone well enough you shouldn’t have a problem finding them the perfect gift.

Cashmere jumpers abound in charity shops and are always a good bet if they’re in good condition! After a novelty tie for your dad? Last year’s cast-off stocking fillers should do wonderfully! Your friends and family will appreciate the extra effort you’ve put in sifting through charity shops and the fact that your money has been put to good use!

And don’t forget to donate clothes too.

Have a clear out to make space for all your new purchases and encourage your friends to do the same. The shops need all the donations they can get!

Look at the fancy dress section Something the staff consider only fit for dressing up might actually be the height of hipster fashion right now. Make sure you don’t let it slip through your fingers!

LIFESTYLE

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Lifestyle

Easy Christmas Recipes!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Fudge

This recipe is perfect for the person in your life with a sweet tooth!

Ingredients

•410g (13 1/2oz) tin evaporated milk •500g (1lb) caster sugar •150g (5oz) butter •2tsp vanilla extract •100g (3½oz) dried sweetened cranberries •300g (10oz) white chocolate, chopped

Method

1

Easy Cupcakes

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•175g caster sugar •175g butter, softened •3 eggs, beaten •175g self raising flour •Approx 2 x 15ml spoons of water

Lightly butter an 18cm square cake tin or line with foil.

Combine the evaporated milk, sugar and butter into a heavy-based saucepan. Heat slowly, and stir constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.

Bring to the boil and boil, Keep stirring for 20 minutes.

The mixture should become thicker, and become a glossy brown colour. Cook until the mixture is golden brown and thickened and then drop a little into a glass of cold water.

You should be able to pick the cooled drop up and roll it between your thumb and forefinger. If it’s still too runny, cook for another five minutes and try again. Allow the mixture to continue to boil for another five to ten minutes, stirring all the time. Then take off the heat and allow the fudge to cool for five minutes.

Using an electric hand-held mixer, if you have one, beat the mixture in the pan until it starts to thicken and loses its gloss. Its texture should change from smooth to slightly gritty. Add the vanilla extract, then add the cranberries and white chocolate and stir in. Pour into the prepared tin and leave to set.

Once the fudge has set, cut it into small squares. You can really be creative with the packaging and presentation of the fudge! Try cellophane bags tied with ribbons for an easy and eye catching gift.

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Adapted from Tesco

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Ingredients

Method

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1.Cream together the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, using a whisk or wooden spoon.

Gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift the flour. Stir in one tablespoon of flour into the butter mixture until mixed in well.

Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until goldenbrown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Once the cakes are cooled, it’s time to decorate! Icing pens are a fabulously easy way to decorate your cakes.

Try drawing stars, snowflakes or even a reindeer!

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LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle WORDS BY LAURA COX IMAGES BY BETHANY WESTALL

Gingerbread

A Christmas classic, this gingerbread recipe is perfect for getting you into a festive mood.

Ingredients

•350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out •1 tsp bicarbonate of soda •2 tsp ground ginger •1 tsp ground cinnamon •125g/4½oz butter •175g/6oz light soft brown sugar •1 free-range egg •4 tbsp golden syrup

To decorate: •Writing icing •Cake decorations

Method

1

Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar.

Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfilm and leave to cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them. You can also try making gingerbread stars or Christmas trees!

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown.

Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled, decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.

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Adapted from the BBC

LIFESTYLE

23

Britain’s Best Christmas Markets WORDS BY MOLLY EVANS

Wondering where to go to get your fill of mulled wine and festive spirit? Look no further as here’s some of the best Christmas markets in Britain.

Winchester

19th November - 22nd December 2015 Winchester’s Christmas market consists of a cute collection of wooden chalets situated in the Cathedral’s historic and close and surrounding an open-air real ice rink. There’s a wealth of traders, all of whom have been hand-picked for their interesting, high quality and unique products - many of which can’t be bought on the high street. Winchester Christmas market offers a great selection of festive food such as bratwurst, mince pies and stollen, but most importantly there is the omnipresent mulled wine.

Exeter

19th November - 19th December 2015 Exeter Christmas market is situated in the old heart of the city, in the grounds of the cathedral, a setting which makes it really special. It offers the usual mulled wine and mulled cider, as well as warming winter food such as hog roasts and bratwurst, and sweet treats such as mince pies, stollen and baklava. The market also offer a selection of locally made bespoke gifts which showcase some truly special craft talent - making for memorable festive gifts.

Bath

26th November - 13th December 2015 Bath’s award winning Christmas market is located in the streets surrounding the Roman baths and Bath Abbey. The market boasts 170 chalets, all stocked with crafts and gifts making it a great place for Christmas shopping. It also offers a Victorian carousel, Santa’s Grotto and ice rink, as well as a pop-up Après Ski Bar. If all that doesn’t get you in the festive spirit then you can pop into Bath Abbey for a Christmas carol service.

Birmingham

Frankfurt Christmas Market & Craft Fair 12th November - 22nd December 2015 Hailed as the largest authentic German market outside Germany or Austria, Birmingham’s market has over 180 stalls selling gifts, jewellery, decorations, handmade toys, delicious German fare and of course the ever popular mulled wine! There’s lots of food on offer, including bratwurst, TRAVEL

IMAGE BY ALEX WILLETS

pretzels, crepes and German beer. You can even sing along with the singing moose if that’s what it takes to get you into the yuletide spirit!

Adjacent to the Frankfurt Christmas Market, the Christmas Craft Fair extends into Chamberlain Square where Birmingham’s own traders offer their own selection of beautifully hand-crafted items, created by local artisans.

Canterbury

28th November - 25th December 2015 The historic city of Canterbury has one of the quaintest Christmas markets on offer. Located in the intimate setting of Whitefriars Square, the market has over 40 traditional wooden sheds showcasing the bespoke products crafted by local, national and international traders. The market has it all with shopping and festive gifts, amazing gourmet foods and a sparkly new Father Christmas’s Grotto. There’s also pop-up entertainment throughout the market each week such as choirs, live bands, dancers and face-painting. Festive food is on offer too, and of course - you may be sensing a theme here - the all-important mulled wine.

Swansea

Christmas Market and Waterfront Winterland 25th November – 22nd December 2015 Swansea’s Christmas Market takes place on Oxford Street and offers arts, crafts, handmade gifts, fine foods, speciality products, unique Christmas decorations and festive essentials. Food wise there is a hearty hog roast, delicious crepes and hot turkey rolls. Mulled wine of course helps exarcebate the festive cheer, but just in case that doesn’t work there is also entertainment scheduled for the duration of the market so expect Christmas carols on a loop that would warm the heart of even the coldest Scrooge.

Leeds

Christkindelmarkt 13th November - 20th December 2015 Leeds’ authentic German Christmas market is set up in the heart of the city, in Millennium Square. You can get fully into the German festive spirit with the popular Frankfurter Scheune, Kuh Stall and Alp Chalet Bavarian eatery providing visitors with a warm and cosy retreat in which to sample the very best in authentic German food & drink. These include various German delicacies such as Bratwurst sausages, goulash and schnitzels, and sweet delicacies like candied fruit, stollen and mince pies. There is also music from a live Bavarian band, a carousel and, of course, mulled wine!

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Travel

Teaching English in China WORDS BY EMMA SIMPSON IMAGES BY SAM PENNY

Over Summer I spent 6 wonderful weeks in central China teaching English. In classic Humanities student style, I have no idea what I intend on doing once I finish my degree. This dilemma, mixed with my desire to explore a new place for the duration of my summer led me to consider something to which I had never given any previous thought – teaching.

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s an English student, it is common for people to assume that I want to become a teacher, and this is something which I grew to resent, as teaching was never a career path I saw myself following.

However, teaching English abroad is an incredible opportunity to earn some money whilst really integrating yourself into another culture. I applied through the university’s AIESEC organisation, and before I knew it, I had boarded my third flight after travelling for 20 hours and arriving in Wuhan; the city where I stayed and worked during my trip, which has a population of over 8 million people. It is also known as being one of the hottest cities in the country, so a few days were definitely required after I had arrived to adjust to the change in climate, food and culture.

I was working in a summer camp for teenagers who wanted to improve their English skills. I was one of two foreign teachers working at the camp, the rest of the workers where all locals, and so inevitably we were kind of a big deal. Six weeks of selfies, autographs and compliments certainly can have an impact on your ego. I am really grateful that I had the opportunity to engage not only with local students, but also the staff at the camp, as these relationships played a huge part 26

in my experience in China. It allowed me to not feel quite so daunted being inundated in a totally foreign environment, and so I was able to enjoy all of the new experiences that were being constantly thrown at me so much more.

Walking into the classroom for the first time without any previous English teaching experience can be nerve-wracking, but the excitement on all of the students’ faces and the round of applause upon your entrance make things a lot less intimidating. I was teaching students around the age of 15/16, who had a few years of English learning under their belt, so my focus during class was building up their spoken confidence, as well as cultural education. All of the students I taught aspired to travel to the UK or America, but most of them had never been outside of China before and knew little about life outside of it. I found it such a privilege to be able to introduce to them aspects of Western culture, and fascinating finding out that more people had heard of the Backstreet Boys than Beyoncé.

Teaching was challenging, but it was awesome being able to develop relationships with the students who were all initially too shy to put up their hand. It’s definitely a really rewarding experience to have in a country so different to where I am from.

TRAVEL

Travel

China was the most bizarre place I could have imagined in the best way possible. Everyone was so excited by the presence of a Westerner, while also a little reserved and unsure how to approach us at first. After 6 weeks together, however, I built incredibly close relationships with my colleagues and this allowed me to experience this new country in such a way that would be impossible as a tourist. One day at lunch, a local restaurant, which was a favourite of one of my fellow camp workers, opened especially for us foreign teachers because our friend was determined to have us dine there. And yes, the food was unreal.

of my trip however was without a doubt the Great Wall. No picture or video can ever do it justice – it is 5,500 miles of unbelievable and absolutely breathtaking surroundings. China was never on my bucket list of places to go, but I am so glad that I made the decision to visit. Despite being such a growing global presence, China is an extremely closed country and this opportunity over summer allowed me to find out so much about this whole other world that exists pretty much separately from the rest of the globe. Teaching English there was a truly unique experience, and one that has inspired my travel plans for the future!

Despite being stationed in Wuhan, the high-speed railway system makes travelling around the country very easy. I would highly recommend not going on an overnight train, as that was one of the most uncomfortable 12 hours of my life. You can buy standing tickets, so not only is every seat taken, every bit of space on the train is taken. It is, however, a funny memory in hindsight. The high-speed train meant that I was also able to travel to places like Xi’an and Beijing - two of my favourite cities that I have ever visited. Xi’an is utterly beautiful and the hospitality of the locals there consistently blew me away.

Don’t know where the bus stop is? No problem; someone will stop what they are doing to show you the way. A highlight

“Walking into the classroom for the first time without any previous English teaching experience can be nerve-wracking, but the excitement on all of the students’ faces and the round of applause upon your entrance make things a lot less intimidating.”

TRAVEL

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Christmas Around The World WORDS BY NATALIA JOPLING TANSER

IMAGE BY TARA SHORE

Obviously we all know what Christmas is like in good old England, but what’s it like in other places? If you haven’t been to a different country for Christmas and had the privilege of experiencing a vastly different set of seasonal traditions, look no further.

Russia

As the majority of Russian Christians belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, which still uses the Julian Calendar, Christmas celebrations in Russia are a whooping 13 days behind ours. So for Russians, Christmas day is actually on the 7th of January. If you go to Russia and find yourself wondering where ‘Santa Claus’ is, it turns out he has a Russian alias, so instead be on the look out for a man in a troika, with a staff and wearing felt boots, called ‘Ded Moroz’.

Australia

This isn’t so much a Christmas tradition, as the fact that Australia’s seasons are the opposite of ours. So while Britons are inside eating roast dinner, most Australians will opt for outdoor activities, such as surfing if you’re fortunate enough to live by the coast, followed by a good old fashioned ‘barbie’.

Catalonia,

Spain‘Tió de Nadal’, a hollow log with stick legs, a goofy face and a red hat, is a tradition, which not many may have heard of, but it’s one that nonetheless needs a mention. On December 8th, children are given a Tió de Nadal, and for the next 16 days are given the task of providing him with offerings of dried fruit, nuts, water and ensuring he stays warm.

On Christmas Eve all the children take out their rage on the log they have been given the responsibility of looking after by battering him with sticks. The log then rewards them with candy and sweets. Also, stepping away from the traditional nativity scene appears to be Catalonia’s specialty. Many

nativity scenes in this Spanish region include a figure known as the ‘Caganer’. If you would like to know more about this, just Google it.

Here are a few more unique cultural traditions embraced in the festive season:

Norway

For those of you who get stuck doing the housework, celebrating Christmas the Norwegian way might appeal to you. In this Scandinavian country, all brooms remain tightly locked away in cleaning cupboard, just in case an evil spirit decides that’s what they want for Christmas.

Zimbabwean Christmas cuisine is a tad different from British Turkey and stuffing, here, it’s customary to tuck into jam and goat meat.

The majority of the residents in this Catholic South American country go to Mass on Christmas Eve, but residents of Caracas (the capital city) travel to Mass in style, by choosing to roller skate there.

If you’re a self-confessed foodie and love trying new things, South Africa’s traditions may be the ones for you. A South African delicacy eaten on Christmas day is deep-fried caterpillar.

Zimbabwe Venezuela

South Africa

Happy Christmas and enjoy your celebrations, wherever you may be!

The Christmas That

Shaped The World WORDS BY CONOR KAVANAGH IMAGE BY CHESTER FRAMPTON

Christmas Day, 1979. Families across the globe were celebrating Christmas with the usual routine of giving presents and visiting loved ones. In the U.S.A. people might have been watching Christmas specials like Dean Martin’s Christmas in California or John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together Again. In the U.K., families may have been tuning into the Queen’s Christmas Broadcast addressing the Cambodian refugee crisis.

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n the early hours of Christmas morning in Afghanistan, people would watch as 30,000 Soviet troops invaded their country to prop up the Marxist government. Though that Christmas Day wasn’t of particular significance to most of the Afghans or the Soviets, this particular Christmas is now one of the most significant in recent memory in its shaping of our world today.

The immediate impact the invasion had was reigniting the Cold War. The period of Détente, which had existed since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, was over. The staunch anti-communist, Ronald Reagan, soared to a presidential victory. He immediately set up plans to escalate the conflict with Russia; pouring trillions of dollars into weapons and armaments. The Cold war resumed in earnest. Part of Reagan’s policy was also to arm and aid any anti-communist forces and the C.I.A. provided the latest military technology to the Mujahedeen fighters in Afghanistan.

While this may seem like just another episode of the Cold War which eventually ended, its consequences were far reaching.

An invasion by atheist foreign forces in an Islamic country caused a huge stir in the Sunni Islamic world. They felt their entire religion was threatened by the Soviets. One of these men was Osama Bin Laden, son of a wealthy Saudi businessman with ties to the royal family. Bin Laden and his ally Adbdullah INTERNATIONAL

Azzam set up the ‘Makatab al-Khidmat’ or ‘MAK’ to transport foreign fighters and secure global finances.

The MAK and Mujahedeen inflicted heavy casualties on the Soviet forces and in 1989 the U.S.S.R. withdrew from Afghanistan. One of the Mujahedeen groups, backed by Pakistan, renamed themselves the Taliban and defeated the other cells to become the government of Afghanistan. The ‘MAK’ became al-Qaeda and, under Bin Laden’s direction, the group promoted global jihad; in particular to kill ‘America and its allies’. The grateful Taliban gave Al-Qaeda a country to operate in freely, where they partly formulated and rehearsed the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. responded by invading Afghanistan and later Iraq. The aftermath of a decade of fighting has left a tumultuous situation which allowed the Islamic State to rise to power in 2014.

The Soviet invasion opened a Pandora’s Box that the West has not been able to close. Al-Qaeda’s rise and the actions of NATO have led to a seemingly unending war between Islamic fundamentalists and their enemies. Europe has suffered many terrorist attacks - you cannot have missed the recent ones in Paris - and is gripped by constant fear another could take place in any moment. The threat that Islamic Extremism has today is largely a result of that fateful Christmas Day in 1979.

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Sport

Sexuality in Football Does it matter?

WORDS BY RHYS JACKSON IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART

Cast your minds back to the end of October, where the front page of the Daily Mirror boldly read: ‘2 Prem Stars: We Are Ready To Come Out As Gay’. The pair have said that they will likely reveal themselves at the start of the 2016/17 season, with the newspaper having described them as ‘brave’. But it’s a paradoxical issue – homosexuality in sport is progressing in becoming accepted this century and people argue that this should be downplayed or kept private so as not to sensationalise it. Yet this news is a major step in the change in attitudes for the sport and therefore should be publicised positively and encouragingly.

But of course this begs the question - does sexuality in football matter?

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he profile of the players who are coming out, where one is believed to have played for England at international level, suggests this could be ground-breaking. But it is definitely not the first case in English footballing history - former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger revealed his sexuality but only after retiring in 2013. But perhaps the most memorable example is Justin Fashanu, the former Norwich and Nottingham Forrest player who also became the first black footballer to be purchased for a sum of £1 million. He publically came out a quarter of a century ago in 1990, but it was saddening to find out that at the time The Sun bought exclusive rights to the story and then published titillating stories that Fashanu claimed were untrue. He was ridiculed in the stands as fans would maliciously chant, and he committed suicide aged 37 in 1998. It’s a haunting precedent for current footballers who think coming out will be met with public backlash.

The chairman for the FA organisation ‘Homophobia in Football’ suggested that clubs stop players from ‘coming out’ as it may damage both their public role and ‘commercial value’.

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It’s no secret that football is predominantly an androcentric culture and has had many historical accounts of homophobia from the stadium stands. But as a devoted fan to the game I believe that these attitudes have since been eroded as more liberal values are shown in the modern game. Football is not just a sport - for some it’s an integral part of their identity. It has produced some beautiful moments in the face of societal injustices such as racism and xenophobia in recent times - take Dani Alves as an example. In a match against Villarreal last year a fan tossed a banana at his feet before he took a corner. As cool as you like, he picked it up, took a bite, tossed it away and then whipped in a cross. The response from players and fans all over the world was momentous. World-class footballers of different nationalities and clubs took to social media in a moment where the sport united as one to create awareness of the issue and remind us that football can bring people together for a common cause. This is what football is capable of, I think it fitting that we do this in the face of homophobia too.

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Sport

Euro 2016 A Preview WORDS BY RHYS JACKSON IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART

The next instalment of international football is only around the corner, with only six months to wait for the next chapter of the UEFA Euros competition. Hosted by France in June, who boast a good history lifting the trophy, stadia locations will include Paris, Bordeaux and Lille as the nation prepares itself for the quadrennial competition. This will, for the first time in its history, involve 24 European competitors, building up from the previous number of 16 – meaning more matches and unpredictability.

How does the new 24-team system work?

The competing national teams across 9 qualifying groups had to either win or runner-up their group to progress. Seeded into a pot draw, the group winners and runners-up have guaranteed their place for next year, along with the ‘best third-placed team’ which is yet to be determined. With France automatically qualifying as hosts, this leaves 4 seeds left, decided by a play-off round between the remaining 8 thirdplace teams. Essentially, what has been created is another layer for the knockout stages.

What happened last time out?

Cast your mind back to 2012 and it was an invincible Spain side who dominated every game to retain their grip of the trophy which they also lifted in 2008. Italy were humbly defeated 4-0 against an eye-watering teamsheet that bragged the likes of Iniesta, Xavi and Fernando Torres - who won the Golden Boot award with 3 goals. The Netherlands infamously lost all three of their group stage matches which left pundits across the globe scratching their heads. England’s promising 32

progression was stumped in the quarter-finals after a goalless draw with Italy resulted in the next penalty shootout episode of the Three Lions’ endemically woeful series.

Can England win it this time?

Maybe. Our media are notoriously guilty of over-hyping our players before a major tournament, so having said that, there are a selection to keep a careful eye on in the run up to the competition. The retirements of veterans Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry has left an evident hole in the England side, marking the end of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s ‘golden generation’. But in its place is born some excitable young prospects - Everton’s Ross Barkley, Harry Kane at Tottenham (pronounced ‘Hurricane’ in case you didn’t know already) and the most expensive British footballer in history, Raheem Sterling. Can he justify the £49 million price tag? In the run up to the next World Cup, the Euros provide a great platform for young players to adapt both their individual and collective playing styles together at international level.

But it’s not just the youngsters who are showing glimpses of potential. Take Jamie Vardy as an example, who at the start of the season netted consecutively in eight Premier League SPORT

Sport

matches - perhaps a new finisher for England. Inevitably, every team is in need of an anchoring, experienced player, which we have... albeit in the form of a 34-year old Michael Carrick. Not the strongest of teams we’ve fielded this century, but Roy Hodgson’s men are in a period of transition - in 2 years aforementioned players may blossom.

But not all of the British focus is on the Three Lions - both Northern Ireland and Wales secured their first Euros qualification. ‘The Dragons’ are currently sitting at a commendable eighth position in the FIFA World Rankings table - that’s higher than Italy, Uruguay, England and Chile.

The optimistic manager Chris Coleman and the talismanic Gareth Bale are definitely to be applauded.

and Diego Costa may have more involvement in the striker position with Torres out of the picture. As the old cliché goes: ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’; can Spain scribe their credentials onto the trophy for a record fourth time since its introduction in 1960?

With guaranteed uncertainty, ups, downs, and goals galore, this year’s Euros are shaping up to be one of the most promising yet, and all the action can be watched live between the BBC and ITV as part of the television rights. For those of you thinking of watching the real thing, tickets are in

Who are the favourites?

The 24-team system makes it harder to predict a winner.

But if most were to bet on it, Germany are looking almost unstoppable off the back of the 2014 World Cup win - need the historic thrashing of hosts Brazil be mentioned? The Germans do look the favourites, with individuals who have dominated club level football in England. However, this is far from a onehorse race...

Belgium are arguably the dark horses of the competition.

Ranking third in FIFA’s list, the squad has some world-class individuals - with Eden Hazard pulling the strings, confident hands in Thibaut Courtois in between the sticks and playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, they may cause a few upsets.

France also look quietly confident and are almost spoilt for choice on the offensive, with plenty of attacking options in the squad: Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Lacazette, Antoine Griezmann and Loic Remy. Defensively strong, but the central partnership of Paul Pogba and the in-form West Ham man, Dimitri Payet, could prove lethal.

Spain, whose number one position was unquestionable four years ago could be on the road to revival. Having lost their opening two games in the previous World Cup finals to the amazement of the footballing world, ‘La Furia Roja’ would relish the chance to find the chemistry that has priorly worked so well for them. There are some new faces, too. David De Gea has taken the exigent challenge to fill Iker Casillas’ gloves, SPORT

huge demand with UEFA reporting ticket requests from 209 territories, highlighting the global appeal for the biggest continental tournament. There are many ways to get involved, such as fantasy football teams or sweepstakes with mates, whichever country you are rooting for.

In the wise words of Roy Hodgson... ‘bring on the Euros!’

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Pause

The Christmas Survival Guide WORDS BY TOM RANDALL IMAGE BY CHARLOTTE RICHARDS

Every year for a period of three-to-four days, you and your family must spend time in close confines with no escape. Much like being stuck in a Siberian labour camp or a Marxist Society seminar, the only way to survive is to be prepared for what is coming and to focus your mind on it. Fortunately for us all, most family Christmases everywhere follow more or less the same format. From the weeks of anticipation to your hurried departure for New Years, we have produced a guide to what will happen during your Christmas break.

Stage I:

The Anticipation For many weeks before hand, you would be surprised at how excited some people get at this annual fest of passiveaggressive resentment and spoiling younger cousins rotten.

Some people take present-buying, the annual tokens of peace given to extended relations, very seriously. Not long after the decorations are pulled down on the 6th of January are these militantly organised sorts planning the sales of the year and what to get for whom. Your dad probably went to town on the 23rd at the earliest to do as best he can. Follow his example, nothing will make you despise humanity and consumerism quite like shopping two days before the big day. Putting up decorations is best left to younger siblings and cousins, their Year One syllabus for the autumn term at school being essentially making Christmas decorations in scenes resembling a sweatshop but with more spilt glitter and sandthrowing.

Stage II:

Coming Home and Christmas Eve So, you’ve got off the train and been bundled into Daddy’s car (or your own if you’re a Law student). You can almost feel the excitement in the car, or is that just that the boot is weighed down with a good 25 bottles of prosecco for your alcoholic relations? In any case, you arrive at the family nest to see things in full swing. Forget the fact that your catholic GreatAunt wants you to go to Midnight Mass with her, because you’ve got a far more important task ahead. Having spent a term surviving on dodgy late-night kebabs, the prospect of a 34

fridge filled with food that was the stuff of dreams not so long ago is too much. It’s time for the mother of all sandwiches. If it can be consumed, it is eaten.

Stage III:

The Morning As all students know, anything earlier than 10am is an early start. Try telling this to your younger relations who will insist on dragging you out of bed at 6am so they can see what Father Christmas got them this year in the hope of appeasing their wild spirits. Bleary-eyed, you go downstairs where all hell is breaking loose and you discover that your uncle has found the keys to the drinks cabinet, by means of him spilling a bottle of a somewhat suspicious beverage brought back from the family holiday in Greece down his tacky Christmas jumper. After this frenzy of surprisingly destructive children’s toys comes your turn to find your offerings from the rest of the family. Oh look, the crockery and the crate of drink that you asked for - looks like adulthood has well and truly hit home. At this point comes the family walk up on the moor/dale/hill. Unless you live in London. If any Londoners do go on walks from their house on Christmas or any other day, please email in to let us know. Be sure to include your full name and bank account details.

Stage IV:

Dinner This where things get dodgy. After allowing the children to viciously attack the parcels under the tree and subsequently destroy the living room, plus the relatively peaceful walk outside (aside from when one cousin ‘accidentally’ tripped PAUSE

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another up), things start to get more serious, especially so when the fancy cutlery and crockery comes out of the cabinet for their annual use.

As you are slowly filled up on food and drink from the Waitrose that has opened since you left home, you notice the end of the Christmas Truce. In 1914 the warring British and German soldiers were able to keep a truce for the whole day. Your family managed until about 2:10pm. Well done. Your little sister is Instagramming everything and doing her quarterhourly check of Facebook, Twitter, Tinder and anything else that the young people use these days. Your parents are bickering about the state of the bread sauce and the roast turkey (which is basically a drier, more expensive version of chicken, but no matter), but that’s not so bad. In ten minutes all will be united by trying to put Granddad to sleep after he’s had a little too much to drink and has begun a semi-incoherent rant calling for the restoration of hanging, national service and the workhouses.

Stage V:

Evening Your uncle has managed to get through no less than 5 bottles of dodgy Greek holiday drink and is now sound asleep in front of the Queen’s speech, with granddad also sleeping off the drink while muttering something about the gays under his PAUSE

breath. For those still awake it’s time to watch some old James Bond film on BBC2, complete with Connery’s mild speech impediment and casual snobbery. It having been years since the BBC commissioned anything funny on TV, let alone over the holiday, best to stick to the classics. Make sure that you don’t forget to watch some dodgy ‘acting’ and the casual death on Eastenders for that dose of Christmas cheer (or if you like all that, but with a Northern accent, stick to Corrie).

Stage VI:

Boxing Day You and your extended family wake up to the anti-climactic but rewarding Boxing Day, with a mother-and-father of a hangover. You were looking forward to a day of munching leftovers and Netflix but your aunts have other ideas. The Boxing Day Sales beckon. As you see the literal human misery of grown adults fighting over overpriced gadgets (or a dfs sofa) you begin to wonder if the Church has a point regarding Sunday and holiday trading. No matter, because tomorrow you can leave for some New Year’s bash somewhere. Or not.

Maybe you’ll spend your time pretending to revise for exams and watching Netflix.

Term comes around all too quickly and so ends the Christmas torture for another year. Although it’s not long until it’s time for the family to start planning it all over again.

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