Issue 3 - February 2017 by Wessex Scene

WessexScene.co.uk

University of Southampton’s Student Magazine

February 2017

how the world fights back against those

january blues page 26

+ hacks to conquer 2017 - 06

A list of tips to make 2017 one of the best yet!

The extraordinary physics of everyday life -16 ‘Seemingly unrelated phenomena can crop up in the most unexpected places.’

bare-faced beauties - 20 An insight into the #nomakeup movement.

Welcome

ALICE HEARING Editor

WESSEX SCENE TEAM Want to write for us?

Get in touch with a section editor. Editor ALICE HEARING

editor@soton.ac.uk

Deputy Editor NUALA MCBRIDE

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Head of Design MACKENZIE BROWN design@wessexscene.co.uk

HEAD OF IMAGERY BETHANY WESTALL image@wessexscene.co.uk

Features ELLEN JENNE

features@wessexscene.co.uk

Opinion CARLY MAY-KAVANAGH

opinion@wessexscene.co.uk

Politics KIERAN HYLAND

politics@wessexscene.co.uk

Science & Environment SEBASTIAN STEELE science@wessexscene.co.uk

Lifestyle TALLULAH LYONS

lifestyle@wessexscene.co.uk

spring is nearly here! You’ve done it. You’ve actually done it. You’ve got through the blues of January and finally we’re heading towards warmer weather. First years have made it past Christmas, congratulations! Second years, most of you are half way through university now, how crazy is that? And, final years, only a few months left until graduation. It’s gone so quickly. But, there is still so much to look forward to this semester. We’re now into the campaigning period of union elections and Varsity is only next month. Before you know it, Creme Eggs will be gracing the supermarket shelves and Jubilee will be busier than ever (how is that possible?) with people trying to run off Easter chocolate in time for the summer. So, before you look back and think how fast this term has gone, make sure its worth while. If you enjoy reading Wessex Scene or you’ve just happened to pick it up and fancy a go at writing or journalism then give me a bell at editor@soton.ac.uk and you can join our team for free and get your work published in print or on our website. If writing isn’t your scene, there are plenty of other ways to make sure you make the most of the spring term before exams get going again - turn to page 6 for some ways to hack 2017 or go to our website for more great ideas. Good luck! The editor

International CAMERON RIDGWAY

international@wessexscene.co.uk

Travel FREYA MILLARD

travel@wessexscene.co.uk

Sport JAMES MOSELEY

sports@wessexscene.co.uk

Sport TOM MORGAN

sports@wessexscene.co.uk

Pause TOM RANDALL

pause@wessexscene.co.uk

News ZéLIE SEDDON

news@wessexscene.co.uk

News Ela Crapnell

news@wessexscene.co.uk

News SAMUEL TYLER

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INVESTIGATIONS HARRIET MARTIN news@wessexscene.co.uk

MARKETING MOLLY EVANS

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VP DCI Cameron meldrum

vpdci@unionsouthampton.org

FRONT COVER IMAGE BY LUCY WHELLER-PARR WELCOME

OPINION 12 Why Is Body Hair Shamed? By Amy Picknell. Image by Sam Elston.

ISSUE 3 FEBRUARY 2017

FEATURES

INTERNATIONAL

a snapshot in time

who holds power in the gambia?

hacks to conquer 2017

the great british trade off

TRAVEL

10 tips to combat stress OPINION

does ‘tumblr feminism’ damage feminism?

why is body hair shamed?

POLITICS

is the nhs facing a humanitarian crisis?

PSHE: how to deliver the skills education does not teach

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

the extraordinary physics of everyday life

how the world fights back against those january blues

summer opportunities abroad

SPORT

rugby: Are these new ‘health and safety’ rules taken too far?

why physical education is failing our generation

why does no one want the olympics?

PAUSE

the ultimate guide to job hunting

LIFESTYLE

Bare-faced beauties

the power of sisterhood

wessexscene.co.uk @wessexscene fb.com/wscene @officialwessexscene WELCOME

A SNAPSHOT IN TIME WORDS BY NUALA MCBRIDE IMAGE BY EMILY BEASLEY

FEATURES

Features

t was over the Christmas holidays that I was sorting through things from my childhood – a box full of dust and nostalgia. There was an eclectic mix of things, like old pieces of artwork. You know, those ones you made when you were little, and because you made them, your parents treasured them, despite them being not quite art gallery worthy. There were other things inside the box, like old school books and my first pair of shoes. Most of which however I didn’t really hold any recollection. It was a box full of things, that once were prominent memories; but now which had been replaced by more current memories. As I was rummaging through, I came across an old photo, a snapshot in time. The edges of this photo were slightly frayed and it was somewhat faded; but I could just about make out the picture. Yet, I have no recollection of it being taken. I look about 6 or 7 in the photo, so maybe that’s why I can’t remember it. Yet, I remember the house where it was taken vividly. In the photo, I’m standing in front of my parents, outside one of my old houses. It is reminiscent of a family portrait, with my dad’s hand resting protectively on my shoulder and my mom’s arm around him. Which questions who took the photo, was it a friend or neighbour? It portrays a happy family, with everyone smiling; but it has the air of spontaneity around it. Why was it taken? We all look quite smart, in dark colours (except I have this handmade necklace wrapped around my neck – a sign of rebellion, I think). Are we going somewhere special? The reflection in the door, shows bare trees, suggesting it’s winter. But then why are we standing outside? Looking at that picture brought back a flood of memories. Memories of my childhood – my old school, my old house, clothes that I used to wear, even my favourite toy. That one photo open the floodgates like no other piece of art work, school book, yearbook or anything could. It was one little photograph, taken in seconds that held so much sentimental value. I have no idea what happened before the photograph was taken or after it was taken. Or even why the photo was taken. That’s the beauty of a photograph, isn’t it? The photo seemed so random – to suddenly take a family photo outside the house. Who took the photo – a neighbour or a friend? The photo only tells part of the story and leaves so many unanswered questions in its wake.

into my early childhood years – a happy child. The short curly hair, so different to how I look now. I love how it captures that childhood innocence, that with the years passing I’ve lost, like any adult. Looking back, I’m thankful that it was taken, as it’s one of the only ones. How often do you get the family all together and take a photo? And if you do, there’s usually someone missing. Why do we never take the photos of the simple things, that actually mean so much to us? In the past film cameras meant that photos taken really were snapshots in time. You couldn’t see the photo until it was processed, so you just had to hope that everyone was smiling and looking at the camera. Nowadays, this is all being lost with smartphones that allow you to take a million and one photographs, to get that perfect one. So, little attention is given to passing snapshots. We use apps like Snapchat, where the photo that was taken in seconds is lost in an equal amount of time. Or apps like Instagram; but these photographs aren’t snapshots. They’re usually created or posed photos, with filters etc to create that perfect image. There’s so much sentimental value attached to photographs. They are an insight into the past that can’t be found in any other way. Memories are forgotten and replaced by newer ones; but a photograph will always stand its ground. A snapshot in the past, reminding you of that bad haircut, or the favourite top you used to wear. They’re taken in a split second, sometimes catching you unaware and capturing the essence of your character. A snapshot in time, a memory cemented. Looking at this picture now, brings a smile to my face. It’s a snapshot that captures that childhood innocence and reminds me of so many happy memories. I decide to frame the photograph and hold onto it. So many memories will come and go in my life but this is one that I can hold onto. A perfect snapshot in time.

A photograph is taken in seconds. It cements one little memory that could so easily be lost within all the others. Photographs are little snapshots in time. This one is a glimpse FEATURES

Features

HACKS TO CONQUER

2017 WORDS BY ELLEN JENNE IMAGE BY TARA SHORE

Brexit. Trump. Harambe. Dissertation deadline. Words that strike fear into many of our hearts. After many of us differed on our opinion of 2017, with many wishing that New Year’s Eve would come sooner than it did, and projecting our relief that 2016 was finally over. We all hope that this year will be better than the last, hoping that this year will be our year. Instead of making resolutions that the majority have most probably broken within the first few weeks, days, or even hours of the new year, we’re giving you some ideas to work towards- to make sure that you really live life to the fullest in 2017. So you’re in your twenties. The prime of your life. Full of excitement and anticipation, but there’s just something you can’t get the grip of. Or you feel as though you won’t be able to do what you want to do. Whether that may be travel the world, manage to get that dream job of yours once you’re straight out of uni, or do as many things on your bucket list before you feel your time has run out, and you’re strapped into the onset of real life. Yes, you may shudder at the thought. But one day it will come. So in the mean time, we can give you some ideas about what to do now, so you can chill later.

Save up

Yes, I know it may be arduous and extremely difficult. Especially since our student loan doesn’t go too far nowadays. But we’re not talking about putting stacks of fifty pound notes to the side, or saving all of your money, and only spending money when you’ve managed to go without a solid meal for three days. Get yourself an empty sweet jar, to fill if you find yourself with spare change. Whether you find your pockets lined with the odd pound coin, or hundreds of pennies, you can put these in the jar. You’ll be surprised about how much you can save.

Boost your work prospects

Because that’s what you’re here for, right? To put your professional development first. And have the occasional drink, yes, we all do it. Find opportunities through your 6

faculty, subject society, and even the Union. Even if you’re not entirely sure about what you want to do, there is no harm in just trying something out.

Travel

As cliché as it sounds at this age, there is no time like the present. Take a long haul trip, take a weekend trip. You don’t have to go far. Southampton is located near both the New Forest and South Downs, if you want a long walk in the crisp country air. You could visit the plethora of surrounding cities. Or if you’re feeling a little bit more adventurous, hop on a plane at Southampton Airport and go across the seas. Or up north, if you really fancy.

Look after yourself

This means your mind and body. And whilst this means you might have to force yourself to eat some vegetables, it won’t be as awful as you may think. Take time to de-stress, whether that means removing yourself for everything around you and having some well-deserved “me time”. You don’t have to spends hundreds on a gym membership, or organic “super-foods”, some of which you can’t even pronounce the name. You could try to give up smoking. Which for some is easier said than done. Take everything in moderation. Have that chocolate if you want to. But don’t bog yourself down. Remember to keep calm over your work, you don’t need to work yourself up. Take your time. Make time for yourself, or just simply take a break.

FEATURES

10 TIPS TO COMBAT STRESS WORDS BY ALICE HEARING IMAGE BY JOANNA PANG The academic year, for many, is fast-paced and stressful. The worry sets in and the stress builds up. It’s a vicious cycle. When you’re stressed, you should relax, right? But, relaxing means that the to-do lists are going to build up and up until you’re even more stressed than you should be. It’s not easy being a student and it’s even less easy trying to juggle being mentally healthy and getting good grades. Here are some long and short-term tips for dealing with stress and maintaining productivity.

Do not underestimate the power of classical music Plug in your headphones and listen to the theme music of Planet Earth or Planet Earth II. If you’re in the library, find a playlist of classical music and listen to it on a low volume whilst you work. Often some background white noise can help. Go to rainymood.com and listen to the soothing sounds of rain. If you need to do some admin, pop on a film and chill on the sofa If admin is causing you anxiety, even if it’s just sending a quick email or checking your bank account, it always feels much better if you put yourself in a relaxing environment instead of sitting at a cold hard desk. Get a blanket and work in bed.

Write down everything you think you need to do Write a little list of every tiny step you think you need to do. I mean don’t just conceptualise and write ‘Essay’. Write down each step you need to take to complete the essay. Once you visualise what you have to do, it might seem less intimidating than it does in your head.

Allow yourself a real break Don’t spend five minutes on your phone every half hour, get up and go outside. Even if you think you need minimal breaks, there’s no point sitting at a desk and staring into the distance. Let your mind rest and it’ll work 10 times faster afterwards.

Cut yourself some slack Even if you don’t think you’re doing enough, you’re probably doing better than you think you are. It’s inhuman to work ridiculous hours of the morning and more than 8 hours solid a day. Allow yourself to be human. Find out how you work best Do you work best at a computer or a laptop? In your room or in the library? On Highfield or on Avenue? With a cup of coffee or a cup of tea?

Clear your space Take the time to blitz your desk and tidy your work area. Get rid of all the pens that don’t work and organise all those pieces of paper lying around into a folder.

Stay hydrated It’s one of those things that you hear all the time but for good reason. It’s miracle juice.

Get enough sleep Force yourself to go to bed early. Don’t work late into the night panicking about how much you have to do. Allow yourself to re-energise.

Shower If you’re feeling any kind of lull in your motivation, have a shower and wash all that stress away.

Opinion

does â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tumblr feminismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

damage feminism? WORDS BY ROSIE QUIRKE IMAGE BY ABIGAIL BARTHEE

umblr is a blogging website which is well known for its memes and its users (which are predominantly young girls) being engaged in social justice. While Tumblr is a great starting point for those who wish to learn about feminism, and the social network itself may not be damaging, it is often riddled with misinformation.

OPINION

Opinion The term ‘Tumblr feminist” is usually aimed at people who enthusiastically engage with feminism; but lack the flexibility/knowledge to be open to other perspectives; a lack of intersectionality, a failure to acknowledge that class, race and gender are not separate entities but rather overlap. “Tumblr feminism” is characterised as angry and static; unmoving in the face of new ideas and seen as a negative portrayal of what feminism really is. This aggressiveness often turns into targeted bullying; but there is a culture of this on most social networks; users will shame anyone who disagrees with them and rather than trying to educate the genuinely ignorant; users will bandwagon together to harass and target one person. Although, one could argue that the idea that for your opinions to be valid you must be calm and composed; that you must treat your oppressors with respect, is shortsighted. No revolution occurred through calmly expressing your feelings, women didn’t get the vote by calmly explaining how unfair it was, they had to protest and fight for even the tiniest bit of equality. There is however, a difference between aiming your anger at your oppressor (the patriarchy) and aiming your anger at someone who merely disagrees with you, especially at someone who is unmalicious in their ignorance. This trait is not unique to ‘Tumblr feminists’, it appears in all movements, even in apolitical ones, as social network enables the easy mass bullying of the ignorant (rightfully or wrongfully). The majority of people who use the term “Tumblr feminism”, use it as a blanket term to belittle and undermine those who care about social issues and want to promote change, regardless of how they interact or go about protesting/spreading awareness. Its negative connotations mean it is a perfect weapon for ‘anti-feminists’, many of these opposers often use the cover of Tumblr feminism’s aggressiveness to spread ridiculous posts of extreme views in order to damage feminism, but again, this is the case in all social movements, people who disagree will try their hardest to sabotage movements, this is not unique to Tumblr. The main target audience of Tumblr is the younger generation. Ultimately, everyone starts learning somewhere, no-one has ‘perfected’ being a feminist, the ability to be called out on your mistakes and accept you are wrong is a valuable skill and is one we aren’t born with, rather we learn it. Many seem to forgot that even as OPINION

feminists, we are continuously learning and adapting to the new challenges that arise. For example, even feminists have used the term ‘Tumblr feminist’ to dismiss, in particular the younger generations engagement and have tried to distant themselves from the term, out of fear of being lumped together in what they view as a ‘negative’ and ‘vapid’ portrayal of feminism. Previous waves of feminism were characterised by anger and unapologetic protests, their main goal was equality. Whereas, feminism in 2016 can often be seen to have a softer tone; even within “Tumblr feminism”, it focuses more on self-care and body positivity; enforcing a sense of community where mental health awareness and battling the narrow beauty ideals are at its forefront. However, this gentler and less in-your-face approach has received a lot of criticism both from feminists themselves and those who fail to grasp feminism completely. While it’s not unfair to question a lack of intersectionality and how many “Tumblr feminists” focus on “white feminist” issues such as body hair and period pain. Rowan Blanchard sums up the political motivations of “Tumblr feminism”, as “make-up, pink, selfies, iPhones; all the things we use to undermine teenage girls and make them feel embarrassed. Girls are saying, ‘Well, if that’s what you’re going to use against me, then I’m going to use them for me.” Just because fourth wave activists priority may not be protesting and screaming their rights. Learning to embrace and shamelessly enjoy the things that the media tells us is characteristically gendered as female, the sense of community and safety derived from these soft approaches should not dismissed as unimportant in the face of feminism. Tumblr is a breeding ground for young feminists. Feminist artists and poets use Tumblr to spread their creativity, meaning that many young girls who start off in Tumblr are more than likely to stumble onto some sort of catalyst for realising that equality for the genders isn’t a dirty thing like the media told them but rather a basic human right. So while ‘Tumblr Feminists’, may be the radical or inexperienced younger ones, they are often the starting point for all Feminists, they shouldn’t be seen as harmful or dismissed, they should be welcomed. 11

Why is body hair shamed?

WORDS BY AMY PICKNELL

axing, shaving, plucking, lasering, however you like to do it; men and women have been doing gymnastics in the bathroom and gazing inches away from a mirror trying to eradicate every last hair from their bodies since (almost) the dawn of time. Although made popular by modern culture, hair removal is not a new trend – we’ve been doing it for approximately two million years…But why? It is believed that our hairy ancestors began removing their body hair for survival purposes. It was no longer needed for warmth in the ever increasing climate, it was more beneficial to have less hair for agility in hunting and was considered more hygienic as no bacteria or dirt could get caught in it. A bit further down the line, hair removal was for more aesthetic and fashionable reasons. Ancient Egyptians, Greece and Middle Eastern countries were big on hair removal and their methods of hair removal developed greatly from scraping it with sharp rocks or flint like the cavemen (Ouch!). Egyptians used an early form of waxing, often using bees wax or other sweet, sticky substances to lather onto their skin, pressing a muslin cloth onto the area and ripping it off. Being hairy was seen as uncivilised for both men and women and was often an indication of a lower societal class. American and European women, however, still valued their hairy bodies, and the now popular culture of hair removal in the Western world only really started in the last hundred years or so. But let’s be honest, hair removal is a real hassle. It costs us thousands of pounds in beauty products and in 2013 Remington, a popular hair care and grooming company, revealed that around 88% of women will spend four months of their entire lives removing unwanted body hair. So why do we do it? The ugly truth is that in today’s society, body hair, specifically on women, is relentlessly shamed. Women are generally expected to be hairless, smooth babies 100% of the time and God forbid one unsightly hair is seen on the 12

IMAGE BY SAM ELSTON female form, it tarnishes your ‘feminine beauty’. Yet images of men in the media are totally the opposite? Beards and long hair on men are glorified and seen as the most attractive and masculine; a symbol of the rugged and sexy alpha male. Social media was over run recently with Instagram pictures of hairy men captioned #beardgang, #beardgamestrong etc. Why is there such a double standard when it comes to body hair? The answer? Patriarchy. At risk of sounding like an angry feminist, I hate to admit that it’s the truth. Beauty standards and gender stereotypes are heavily dictated by the media which is overrun with patriarchal views, with pornography having a huge role to play in the representation of the female body. However, this unjust social construct that oppresses both men and women to act and look a certain way that is often unachievable, can be overcome by exposing it and slowly deconstructing and changing attitudes. An excellent example of this is the recent and growing trend (excuse the pun) of women growing out their armpit hair and posting pictures on social media to try and break the stigma surrounding female body hair and encourage social acceptance and self-love. Some have even taken to dying their body hair crazy colours! Attitudes towards female body hair is changing and has already come a long way from the Hollywood, bikini wax and hairless era of the nineties and noughties. More and more women are choosing to grow out their body hair without fear of being shamed for it, more women and men are becoming more accepting of body hair, and I love it! However, women that love feeling like a hairless smooth goddess all the time and prefer to remove their body hair are absolutely awesome too! At the end of the day, no one should be shamed for their own personal grooming choices… whether you want to let it grow or let it go. Whatever makes you feel the most beautiful is definitely the best option. Let 2017 be the year for extreme self-love, appreciation and acceptance.

OPINION

is the nhs facing a humanitarian crisis? WORDS BY JAMES EDWARDS In 2009 there were only 0.41 doctors for every 1000 people. In 2014 less than 1% of the GDP went to the NHS. In 2015 over 16,000 people died of a preventable disease every day. Finally, in 2016 there were over 160 million people not covered by healthcare. The NHS is in a humanitarian crisis. With such staggering statistics, it is undeniable that the NHS is currently embroiled in the worst humanitarian crisis of the last half century. There’s only one problem with all of that; none of the above statistics relate to the United Kingdom. Rather they relate to Nigeria, where the term humanitarian crisis is a drastic understatement. The UK’s statistics are far less dramatic comparatively, but a small matter like facts and statistics shouldn’t get in the way of showing support for the Red Cross’s recent statement that our NHS is facing a similar humanitarian crisis. Before I go any further let me clarify something, this is neither an attack nor a criticism of the NHS, not even the well-meaning Red Cross. This is an unapologetic attack on the culture of hyperbole that seems to now be synonymous with the western world. Whether it’s in the rhetoric underpinning the rise of President Trump, Brexit or in this case the NHS, there is the constant distracting presence of magnification of any event, until it signals apocalyptic connotations. The danger of such a culture of hyperbole is that it distracts from the real issues. Since the Red Cross’s statement on the NHS, the debate has not centred on how to improve the NHS, nor has it touched on how to fund the NHS efficiently given high levels of debt. Instead the debate has focused on those two words, ‘Humanitarian crisis’. However, it is not the Red Cross who are to blame for this narrative, it is the media, the politicians and we the public who allow these terms to be bandied about recklessly and without fair context. POLITICS

IMAGE BY ABBIE RUNCIE This culture of hyperbole has not just a domestic impact but also an international one, and serves as a dangerous distraction. To return to Nigeria, these initial statistics are reflective of a humanitarian crisis, in even the most hyperbolic comprehension of the words. By exaggerating our domestic situation, it increases the public pressure to cut development aid and cuts funding to overseas nations which need this money the most. Imagine a society where death from tetanus, measles, and pneumonia was still a tragic reality. In too many nations in the world today this is not consigned to imagination, rather it is a nightmare they have spent a hundred years trying to awaken from. Some will say our NHS is indeed at a tipping point on the very edge of a humanitarian crisis and that we need to keep our focus domestic. Others say the plummet has already begun. Regardless, for the U.K. there is hope and the ability to solve this “crisis” on its own, while for too much of the world this is not the case. With the temptation of falling back into a splendid isolation is so great, we must now struggle to maintain the strength of our convictions and our morality. We have an obligation ingrained in our very humanity that no man, woman, or child across the globe should be denied every chance at life no matter where they may dwell. The era of exaggeration is the era of negligence, as global duty is drowned out in favour of internal politics. For the sake of the millions denied a chance at a long life this cannot be allowed to continue any longer. They cannot wait any longer.

Politics

PSHE: HOW TO DELIVER THE SKILLS

EDUCATION DOES NOT TEACH WORDS BY MATTHEW COWLEY IMAGE BY HEATHER RANKINE

POLITICS

Politics We all remember PSHE. That lesson no one really cared about; where you learned “important” things like how far a paper aeroplane made out of a leaflet about drugs could fly, how to put a condom on various items of fruit, and, most crucially, that some girl with appalling acting skills was crying in a petrol station café because they had done x thing that you were being advised against (and yes, it was always the same video). Did anyone ever learn anything useful in PSHE? Anything that helped with life in the real world? Most people did not.

you wanted to learn about the topic that was on offer that week then you would be able to go, if you didn’t feel like that was something important to you, then you would not have to. It would be an environment conducive to learning, to trying new things, and to delivering the crucial skills that all young people should have when they leave school. Workshops where, rather than one of your teachers issuing a boring diatribe about how important something is, passionate, enthusiastic volunteers and experts would give real, practical, hands-on tips, advice and guidance.

PSHE is an awkward, cumbersome mixture of a group of students who don’t care, a teacher who (for the most part) does not want to be there, and a series of embarrassing topics that most teenagers think they already know everything about. The topics covered in PSHE are the sort of stuff that schools should be teaching, but if we really care about our young people then we need to accept that there are more pieces of information they need than can be taught in that environment.

There are a vast array of subjects that could be covered. Everything from everyday skills like cooking, cleaning, managing your money, to bigger civic issues like learning about politics and how to impact the society around you. It simply isn’t the case that young people are disinterested in learning about life skills, but the fact of the matter is that we, as a society, are failing the next generation by providing them with an education system that sees them leave school without the skills they need to take on life’s realities. Life skills workshops would offer a solution to remedy that problem – delivering skills in voluntary, informal, useful sessions that most young people might actually want to attend.

Life skills education is sorely lacking in our schools. Yes, you may be able to write a perfect Shakespearian sonnet. Yes, you may know all of the stages of a star’s life. Yes, you may be able to differentiate in a million-and-one different ways. But can you do the important things? Did school ever teach you the best way to do an interview? Did it ever teach you how to balance a budget, or even make a budget for that matter? What about signing up for a local doctor, or registering to vote, or renting a house? Our schools fail to deliver life skills because they can’t deliver them. If PSHE taught us one thing, it’s that skills need to be delivered in a way that is fun and interactive and innovative, and not through meaningless embarrassing role plays that will be forgotten the instant they are over. It also taught us that learning about life skills issues shouldn’t be compulsory, because the thing that derailed the lessons for those who were interested in learning was the behaviour of those who weren’t. So, if schools don’t deliver these skills, and if it’s not as simple as just adding extra topics into PSHE, what is the solution?

The problem may lie in our education system, but the solution lies adjacent to it; bringing workshops that make a real difference and deliver real skills to schools, in such a format that every child who wants to participate can, and those who do not want to can choose not to attend. This is a solution that could work nationally, but we can make it work in Southampton first. Delivering these workshops successfully on a local level would be a great first step towards getting them delivered nationally, so that every child, in every town, city, and country of the United Kingdom can have the opportunity to learn skills that will make a real difference to them. We, as a generation who didn’t benefit from receiving this kind of workshop, owe it to the next generation to make that happen. Let’s not let any more groups of young people enter the real world with only the life skills delivered in PSHE. Together, we can deliver the skills education does not teach.

In short, the solution is to provide those skills in a noncompulsory, informal session: life skills workshops. Imagine an after-school club which delivered life skills – if POLITICS

Science & Technology

The Extraordinary Physics of Everyday Life WORDS BY SEB STEELE

IMAGE BY BETHANY WESTALL

Science can often seem far-fetched and out of touch with the world, studying minute details of ever-more intangible and abstract phenomena. The truth, however, is that in science and mathematics, seemingly unrelated phenomena can explain wide ranges of behaviour and crop up in the most unexpected places. What may have seemed a mere mathematical curiosity may end up describing the rhythms and palpitations of the heart in stunning detail, and what was thought to describe only the most extreme conditions in the universe may end up having a crucial influence in the way our modern technology operates. Here are some fascinating examples… Quantum Tunnelling in The Body Relativity and GPS One of the weirdest phenomena of the quantum world is tunnelling: the possibility of any particle to instantly teleport to a different location, usually a position of lower energy, like a ball teleporting through a hill to reach a lower valley. It turns out that respiration, which powers the energy production of all living things and without which we would die in minutes, relies on the flow of electrons (the tiny charged particles that whizz around the outside of atoms and also flow as electricity) down a chain of proteins that are separated by gaps of less than ten ångströms – about ten times the size of a single hydrogen atom, the smallest atom in the periodic table.

The electrons teleport across these gaps in a rate determined by, amongst other things, the size of the gap. Amazingly, if the gap is made one ångström wider, the rate of electron flow is decreased by ten times! This turns out to be one of the main causes of mitochondrial diseases – if the DNA encoding this structure results in the shape being even the tiniest bit different, it can be catastrophic to how much energy is produced by that organism, indeed, that person. What’s more is that the DNA which describes this structure is split between the cell nucleus and the mitochondria itself – a bizarre and wholly impractical outcome of the blind process of evolution. This is the reason that scientists are now able to replace the mitochondrial DNA of a woman’s egg cell, allowing mothers who carry mutations which alter that gap width to give birth to children free from life-threatening mitochondrial diseases, but who are still genetically descended from them. Research of this controversial “three-parent” mitochondrial gene transfer procedure was legalised in the UK before anywhere else in the world in 2015. 16

GPS is based on a constellation of 32 satellites orbiting the Earth, each carrying a precise atomic clock. A GPS receiver on Earth detects the radio signals from overhead satellites to determine its position to the nearest five metres. These satellites are orbiting the Earth at 14,000 km/hr, circling the globe twice per day. Despite the fact that this speed is just 0.001% of the speed of light, it is enough for relativity to become important. Einstein’s theory of special relativity tells us that for an object travelling at high speed, time runs more slowly. The GPS satellites are also orbiting 20,000 km above the Earth, where they experience gravity four times weaker. General relativity states that gravity curves space and time, causing the satellites’ clocks to run slightly faster. Overall, a GPS satellite clock runs fast by about 38 millionths of a second per day. This may not sound like much, but for a system which depends on timing the time for radio waves (travelling at the speed of light) to reach a receiver to the nearest 15 nanoseconds – 15 billionths of a second, and the time taken for light to move five metres – it is. Ignoring those 38 microseconds per day would result in navigational errors accumulating faster than 10 km every day. GPS would fail to measure your position to five metres of accuracy after just over a minute. Fortunately, the same theories which can be used to predict the existence of black holes can be used to keep GPS in check with our clocks on Earth – pretty cool.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Chaos Theory and The Weather In the 1600s, scientists such as Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer who described the orbits of the planets, began to build up revolutionary deterministic models of how the world works. Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation are still the foundation of most modern science, and they can be used to make accurate predictions about objects far in the future. For instance, you could calculate the position of the planets in one hundred years’ time as long as you know their initial conditions – the parameters of the system right now. Scientists like Laplace began to postulate that if one could measure the present state of the entire universe, the future would be entirely predictable. All of this assumes that if you can exactly replicate the initial conditions of a system – say, a snooker shot – then the outcome will be exactly the same. In a situation like this, if the shot is taken at 1/100th of a degree to the side you can still expect it to end up in more or less the same place. This is not so with chaotic or non-linear systems. In 1961, a meteorologist working at MIT named Edward Lorenz was working with a state-of-the-art supercomputer to predict the weather. One day, wanting to recalculate a peculiar result, he restarted a simulation but accidentally entered a variable as 0.506 instead of 0.506127. In a chaotic system such as weather, this tiny discrepancy is enough to throw the result off completely. Indeed, he found that his answers would vary wildly with even the slightest change to the initial conditions. This lead to the coining of the Butterfly Effect, from his SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

conference presentation title Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?. Distilling this idea, Lorenz tried to simulate a small section of weather defined by three simple-to-solve equations, with only three variables. When he ran the calculations, however, they never settled into an equilibrium and, in fact, kept looping around forever, as seen in the picture. It never retraces or intersects a single line, yet shows a strange kind of order and structure emerging out of the chaos. Astonishingly, it turns out that many everyday systems end up being almost totally unpredictable in their behaviour yet display these emergent properties. For instance, fractals (described by chaotic equations) can be found everywhere in nature. Another example is the heartbeat, which turns out to be extremely sensitive to initial conditions. It can slip into an arrhythmic pattern in a way that can be predicted by a chaos equation, and can be “kicked” back into regular rhythm by a strong pulse like a defibrillator. Even things as simple as the irregular drips from a tap and the rise and fall of populations are now known to be described more easily with non-linear maths than standard Newtonian maths – a breakthrough in our understanding of the world. If these didn’t whet your appetite, have a read about quantum theory in semiconductors and electronics, nuclear magnetic resonance and MRI scanners or particle accelerators in cancer treatments and drugs testing.

Lifestyle

BARE-FACED

BEAUTIES In May 2016, Alicia Keys decided to take a stand against “the constant judgement of women” by starting the #nomakeup movement. She wanted to remind the world, especially women, that “You don’t have to be what people tell you to be.” The impact of this simple act has caused other female celebrities, such as Mila Kunis and Adele, to follow her lead. Alicia Keys is a fifteen time Grammy award winner, actress, New York Times bestselling author and entrepreneur. Throughout our lives, we have been told what beauty is, and what a successful, famous woman should look like. Therefore, it was a shock to many when Keys initiated the #nomakeup movement as it showed us a rare, bare faced, successful woman. Many others have followed this movement to simply wear makeup whenever they want to. Keys made an inspiring guest appearance on TODAY, an American morning talk show, which led to one female and two male anchors removing their makeup live. She goes on to explain that she is not opposing makeup itself, in fact she loves it:”I’m not a slave to makeup. I’m not a slave to not wearing makeup either.” She simply wants to remind people to be themselves and to stop being so “obsessed with the standard of beauty”. The #nomakeup movement stems from an experience during a photoshoot for Keys’ new album, HERE. She arrived after going to the gym with a scarf and baseball hat on and the photographer, Paola Kudacki, claimed that she had to shoot her now: “The music is raw and real, and these photos have to be too!” Keys explained that she wanted the photos to be real, but not that real! However, upon seeing the exposed photos, she said it was the “most empowered and free I had ever felt”. The chorus of , ‘Girl Can’t Be Herself ’, a song on the album, exemplifies her feelings towards female empowerment: “Who says I must conceal what I’m made of.When a girl can’t be herself no more, I just wanna cry for the world. ” In May, Keys wrote an article for Lena Dunham’s newsletter LENNY entitled ‘Time to Uncover’ explaining the decision. 20

“I started, more than ever, to become a chameleon.” It has been argued that when people wear makeup, they lose an element of their true selves. However, makeup also has the power to reveal a concealed element of your personality through the form of a bold lip or, in my case, bucket loads of highlighter. As Keys explains “Makeup can be self expression.” Whether that’s choosing to wear makeup or wearing none at all, they are equal forms: “Whatever mode of expression that empowers you, that’s what you should do.” In a BBC interview, Keys reiterates that she is not against makeup in any way. She just wants everyone, especially her two sons, to “see a variety of what people, particularly women, look like”. She hopes to encourage women to explore different ways to feel comfortable, be that with and without makeup. Keys’ empowering movement has caused other big name celebrities to follow her as she explains “I am all about a woman’s right to choose”. On the cover of Glamour’s August issue, Mila Kunis sported a bare-faced look. She explained that she doesn’t usually wear makeup and does not wash her hair everyday so felt that this was a more honest depiction of herself. Kunis also expressed her hatred for Photoshop: “You wanted my name, and then you wanted the version of me that I’m not. I absolutely hate it.” Brie Larson has also shown support for the movement by Instagramming a photo of her attending the Maui Film Festival in 2013 without makeup. She wasn’t a big enough name to qualify for a ‘glam squad’ so wore her own dress and put on a bit of mascara. In the caption, she explains that when she sees the photo now, she admires and loves this form of herself: “She is honest and beautiful and committed to showing up for this life.” She goes on to reiterate LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle WORDS BY JULIA BEAZLEY IMAGE BY SOPHIE WILLIAMS

Keys’ sentiments about self-love: “There is no need to waste your time working to be anything other than you.” Other female celebrities, like Adele, have also uploaded photos of themselves without makeup to Instagram. However, Adele does not explain her lack of makeup or address Keys’ #nomakeup movement in her captions. In a way, I find this to be just as powerful as Keys going without makeup to red carpet events. Adele is showing her bare face to over 23 million of her followers and does not have a ’cause’ to justify it. As much as I applaud Keys for wearing no makeup, she is a naturally beautiful woman so the removal could, arguably, be easier for her than it is for extremely insecure others. It makes me sad to know that not wearing makeup has such a significant impact. Why is it such a ‘brave’ action to go makeup free? Keys was initiating the #nomakeup movement when she went bare faced. However, do I have to be making a statement if I go out for dinner without makeup on? Surely, I can just be LIFESTYLE

a makeup free me for now and wear makeup when I feel like it. Regarding #nomakeup, Keys said, and I agree: “I hope to God its a revolution.”

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There is no need to waste your time working to be anything other than you.

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Lifestyle

THE POWER OF SISTERHOOD

WORDS BY TALLULAH LYONS IMAGE BY HEATHER RANKINE

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle Mention the phrase ‘squad goals’and you are inevitably met with the general response of eye rolls, perhaps even a condescending tut. This is a phrase that was introduced in 2015 thanks to the likes of celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss and has grown in popularity over the last two years. A quick Instagram search brings up thousands of pictures captioned with the infamous #squadgoals. This has inevitably led to wide spread criticism of what the phrase stands for, with critics citing it as an excuse to create a clique of attractive, long legged, genetically gifted female celebrities, drawing upon the flaws of other women to hide their own imperfections. But what happens if #squadgoals meant something different? What would happen if the phrase was used to describe genuine female friendships, and promote widespread support amongst womankind? In this day and age, there is a constant pressure to document the best parts of your life on social media, there is a pressure to look good 24/7, and the beauty regimes that girls are almost expected to undertake are rigorous, not to mention extremely time consuming. This constant expectation of what girls are ‘supposed to look like’ can cause high levels of insecurity, with the growing temptation to compare yourself to others. It is easy to reflect your ‘flaws’ and your insecurities onto women that surround you. You’re not happy because you don’t have the ‘desired’ thigh gap, but it’s okay though because Susan has a bigger waist than you. Plus, did you see the way her thighs wiggled when she ran on the treadmill? But, why does it matter what she looks like in comparison to you, concentrate on your own happiness and health and let others do the same. You should be congratulating her on her decision to be proactive and make the changes that she wants to make to her body, rather than pointing out what she probably already feels insecure about. View her as an inspiration rather than the competition. I’ve never understood why there is the constant need to tear women down, instead of building them up. There is strength in numbers, and there is an even greater strength in women supporting each other. So it’s about time that #squadgoals took on a new meaning. It should be a term used to describe the genuine bonds of the female friendship, rather than shiny Instagram pictures that are heavily manipulated and quite often staged. It is the friendships that aren’t shouted about on social media, those 3am phone calls and knowing that you have someone to call on when LIFESTYLE

you need them most, or coming home and knowing that a cup of tea or a biscuit will be waiting for you after a long and tiring day at uni, or even those moments of lounging around in the kitchen catching up on life. Personally, having a group of girl friends that you’re close to and knowing that they have your back and support you through the good and bad times, is the real definition of #squadgoals. They’re the friends you’ve known since you were 10, the ones you met at school/college/uni – regardless of where you met them, knowing that they are there, and you’d do the same for them is the most important. In this day and age, women are still facing the same struggles: the unequal pay gap, gender discrimination – the list goes on. There is no need to make life any harder by creating divisions amongst groups of women, if everyone was nicer to each other, and women stopped seeing other women as the ultimate competition, then think of how much we could collectively accomplish. If you’re at the gym, feeling slightly self conscious about yourself, and you see a girl that has chosen underwear that can clearly be seen through her leggings, don’t laugh and stare and tell your friend. Think maybe she has 9-5 every day at uni, this is her only time to visit the gym and she got ready in a rush this morning so overlooked what clothes she was putting on – everyone has been there, everyone knows the struggle. She’s probably feeling as self conscious as you are, and doesn’t need to be made aware of it from another girl. So next time you want to use #squadgoals, think about the alternative meaning behind it. The one which supports and includes women of all shapes, sizes, race, and social circles – the one that doesn’t judge women based purely on appearances. Think of #squadgoals as representing the magic behind true female friendships, the less glamorous ones that can’t be filtered and plastered all over social media. It’s challenging enough as it is being a woman in the 21st Century, we can at least try and make it that much easier by supporting each other along the way.

International

Who Holds Power in The Gambia? WORDS BY CAMERON RIDGWAY

IMAGE BY BETHANY WESTALL

In modern democracy, it is somewhat rare for a country to have two presidents. In The Gambia, however, it was the case for over a month after the December 1st election. After a hotly contested vote, President Yayah Jammeh (who led the country for 22 years after seizing power as a 29 year old lieutenant in a 1994 military coup) initially accepted his defeat to opposition leader Adama Barrow, yet when the time came to hand over power he refused to leave and remained ensconced in the country’s State House while military forces from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) massed on the country’s borders. Jammeh eventually agreed to step down and leave the country on 21st January, paving the way for Barrow to return to the country and assume office – a moment that marked The Gambia’s first ever democratic transition of power. The road to the transition was a long and complex one – Jammeh declared a state of national emergency in an attempt to hold onto power and consistently refused to give in to mounting international pressure to leave. Even when he finally agreed to go, Gambians who continued to support his presidency flocked to the airport to see him leave, entering the plane taking him to exile in Equatorial Guinea in a manner more befitting a film star or celebrity. A former military officer, Jammeh retained a large support base among army members – Gambian army chief General Ousman Badjie, perhaps the last public remaining pillar of support for Mr Jammeh, eventually relented and said that he would “welcome” the military forces intended to enforce the transition of power.

Jammeh had been accused of human rights abuses by the international monitoring organisation Human Rights Watch including torture, forced disappearances and detention of any dissenting voices. Visiting the country for the first time in 2014, two UN Special Rapporteurs concluded that torture was a ‘consistent practice’ and that ordinary Gambians regularly had to avoid arrest. Jammeh intensified his crackdown on dissent in an attempt to cling onto power after the December election, arresting many army officers and those sympathetic to the opposition he considered disloyal and closing down a number of independent radio stations. Barrow has pledged to turn a new page on the issue of human rights for Gambia by releasing political prisoners and ending Jammeh’s plan to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. The #GambiaHasDecided movement, a Twitter campaign formed of Barrow supporters and proponents of a peaceful transition of power, has moved from the internet onto the streets as the fear of being censored by the Jammeh government has disappeared and now supporters wearing the slogan on t-shirts have become visible, both in the streets and in interviews with many news organisations. Although the signs for the future of Gambia are promising, questions still remain about Jammeh’s departure and how Barrow will improve the welfare of the country’s nearly 1.9 million inhabitants. In economic terms, The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of $488.57. Jammeh has also been accused of taking around £8.8m of public money with him when leaving for exile in Equatorial Guinea, allegations which have not been proven and are currently being investigated. INTERNATIONAL

International crusade’, making informal overtures across the globe, but who are going to be Britain’s new global trade allies if UK PLC. leaves the European market behind? Obvious trade allies come from the Anglosphere, most notably the United States. President Trump has committed to getting a trade deal with the UK done quickly, but his own Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross emphasised re-working the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as the administration’s key priority. Given that re-negotiating NAFTA would be more aligned with President Trump’s promises on returning jobs to the US, those in Camp Brexit should not rely too much on the erratic new Commander-inChief.

the great british trade off WORDS BY FRAZER LOVEMAN IMAGE BY BETHANY WESTALL

Davos is now a town which, in political circles, is synonymous with the World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of the global political elites for a series of discussions and panels about the future of the global economy. This year’s summit saw plenty of speculation over the shape of a Trump Presidency in economic terms, and a staunch defence of globalisation by Chinese President Xi Jinping, but there can be little doubt that Theresa May was Belle of the ball. Coming to Davos fresh off announcing Britain’s EU exit plan, May was a headliner, and of particular interest given she essentially admitted that if the UK doesn’t get a deal it likes from the EU it will walk away and, presumably, out into the world. The UK’s International Trade Secretary, the formerly disgraced Dr Liam Fox, has already boasted of a ‘trade INTERNATIONAL

A NAFTA re-negotiation would also mean that Canada, another potential new trade partner, may be otherwise engaged. Bill Morneau, the Canadian Finance Minister, has also suggested that the UK will get a trade deal, but comes behind the US, China and the EU in Ottawa’s priorities. More open to quick cooperation with the UK are Australia and New Zealand, both nations renowned globally for their open attitudes to free trade. Australian Finance Minister, Senator Mathias Cormann, has indicated that a deal could be done ‘very quickly’, while New Zealand PM Bill English’s remarks while in London indicate that the nation of the silver fern could be the first nation Britain secures a trade deal with. Away from English speaking nations, the Cameron government had worked to foster relations with Beijing, but Chinese protectionism may foreclose Britain getting an exceptional deal. However, since July both May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have visited China’s regional economic rival India in a bid to secure their support. The issue here, and with any Free Trade negotiation, is that Dehli is angry at new British restrictions on Indian visas, and any free trade deal would likely have to include increased access to migration for Indians. This migration issue could become a real burden for May’s government. Having ended free movement for EU citizens, there may now have to be an increase in arrivals from further afield to compensate for Britain’s new nimble trading economy. Those who voted Leave in protest at the number of migrants from the continent might be in for a nasty shock if Westminster prioritises economy over immigration.

Travel

how the world fights back against those

january blues WORDS BY MARGARET ALLAN IMAGE BY LUCY WHELLER-PARR

With Christmas and New Year over, January can seem like quite a dull and dreary month. It’s getting colder, exams are piling up and there’s not always too much excitement. However, if we take a look at other countries’ traditions, we might find a little inspiration with how to make January a little better, and even adopt a few new traditions when trying to combat those January blues.

Galette des Rois 6th January

Just over the Channel, in France, we can find the joys of beautifully scrumptious almond, buttery cakes. These almond cakes are called “galette des rois” (cake of the kings) because they celebrate the 3 wise men visiting Bethlehem. Hidden inside the cake though, is a little porcelain figure (known as ”a fève”). The cake is cut up into slices and whoever gets the fève in their slice becomes “the king” and is honoured with a paper crown. Although it’s typical done on the 6th, it usually carries on throughout January. So plenty of time to indulge!

Russian Christmas 7th January Russia celebrate Christmas a bit later than us. Christmas is usually a very religious occasion in Russia. They honour it with a wonderful 12 course meal on Christmas day! This mainly consists of variations of pork accompanied by a porridge type dish. Then of course followed by dessert which is cakes, berries and biscuits. So Christmas really can come around twice a year, and it’s nice to see how other cultures differ in their Christmas traditions.

Robert Burns Night 25th January Robert Burns was a very well-renowned Scottish playwright and poet, who is still greatly revered in Scotland today. This is done with a delicious feast accompanied by highland festivities. The meal usually consists of haggis and neeps and tatties (a mashed swede and potato medley). However you can make variations to the feast, as I did by preparing a highland beef pie for my flat for this celebration last year. Throw in a few attempts of Highland dancing, bagpipe music and readings of Burns’ poetry and it should prove to be a lovely evening. It shows you don’t have to go too far to find new traditions either. TRAVEL

St. Dwynwen’s Day 25th January Another relatively local tradition. St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of love in Wales. St Dwynwen was unlucky in love, as she was not able to marry her true love. So she became a nun and has prayed for the luck of future lovers ever since. The Welsh tend to celebrate this very similarly to the traditional Valentine’s Day. However finding another reason to share the love in the bleakness of January, is hardly a bad thing.

Chinese New Year 28th January We’ve all undoubtedly heard of Chinese New Year. However I doubt many actually know its numerous ins and outs (I certainly didn’t). Chinese New Year is typically celebrated to wish good fortune for the upcoming year (previously for farming purposes but now for business). The days leading up to it include cleaning the house and buying decorations to adorn your abode for New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve (27th of January), they put up the decorations and have a family reunion dinner, which, depending on which region people are from, could consist of dumplings or a type of sticky rice cake. On New Year’s Day they put on new clothes and fireworks light up the sky to scare away bad spirits. Huge parades are also held, including a huge one in London that may be more convenient. Either way you won’t be short of options to bring in the Chinese new year if you want to get involved.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD January is that time of the year where for most, there’s little excitement. Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are over, the weather is cold and miserable, and exams and deadlines have actually come around. So, why not give yourself something to look forward to in the summer? Most students are lucky to have around three or four months off each year, this being the perfect time to gain incredible experiences abroad. Being a modern languages student, I have been involved in various experiences overseas during the summer, and there is no reason why any other student couldn’t do the same.

WORK ABROAD

For those who want to spend their summer earning, working as a seasonal worker is a very popular option. This summer, I spent two months working for the camping holiday company Al Fresco, on the Costa Brava. I was accompanied by my boyfriend and we were responsible for the company’s mobile homes. Advantages included constant sun, the beach being a five-minute cycle away, having a great social life and being able to work together. Yet, cleaning and maintaining mobile homes was not so enjoyable in 30-degree heat, which is a big disadvantage to be considered. For more information on this kind of opportunity, research Holiday Rep positions with Al Fresco, Eurocamp, Canvas or Lifestyle (to name just a few!). Alternatively, you could consider flying across the pond with Camp America, who employ over 7000 people to work on the hundreds of camps across the States each year. Endless energy, positivity and desire to be with people (whatever age) is said to be a necessity for this job. Mainly because the role involves working with children and in a team. Just go onto the www. campamerica.co.uk website or attend various recruitment fairs across the country to sign up. Au-pairing is another popular option; this involves looking after and talking English to the children in a family for a few hours a week. In exchange for this you are given accommodation, food, some “pocket money” and a true cultural experience in a entirely new and exciting country. Luck is a prime factor with this route however; I have one friend who was aupairing in Italy and had to quit because the children bit and hit her and then another in France who was simply used to distract the child from her parents’ messy divorce. These are only the minority though since most people come back with many memories and friends for life and can’t recommend the experience enough. To look more into this opportunity, the British Au Pairs Agencies Association has a list of reputable companies, and www.aupairworld.com is a popular platform used to find families. 28

INTERN ABROAD

Some students need to prioritise using their summers to gain experience in their future career field to fill space on their CV. Of course, the jobs already discussed will set you up with transferable skills for life but a career-specific internship abroad may be of more value to some, and their future. It can be very difficult to find exactly what you want; competition from all around the globe can be fierce, especially with the big companies such as Deloitte, L’Oreal, H&M and Goldman Sachs that offer advertising intern opportunities abroad. The selection process can be long-winded but, for those who believe they have a chance, it would definitely be worth researching these opportunities. It is usually even harder to find an opportunity that is well-paid, so living costs also need to be fully considered. In the summer of 2015, I was lucky to intern for six weeks with ClubMed Business in Geneva. Working 45 hour weeks in an office with people of different nationalities and languages was hard work, and extremely tiring, but the skills that I gained made it worthwhile. A family friend and employee of the company helped me get this opportunity, and provided me with accommodation. Therefore, my top tip for finding the ideal internship would be to consider who you already know: have you got any connections to the country you want to spend your summer in already? If not, research is key. You need to fully research different countries and the areas of work that interest you, and give any trustworthy opportunity a shot. This can take a long time but consider websites such as www.gooverseas.com and www. studentlanguagebureau.com to help. Also, don’t forget that the university may be able to give you advice: ask lecturers, ask classmates or those in higher years and maybe even read those emails from the Careers and Employability Service…

TRAVEL

WORDS BY CHLOE CONNOLLY IMAGE BY CHARLOTTE MIELLE

VOLUNTEER ABROAD

Finally, volunteering abroad is another very popular option; we all know that person who spent their summer in a developing country helping in an orphanage or trying to prevent the extinction of some endangered animal, while feeling guilty that we were at home doing nothing of the sort. Of course, there is no reason why you can’t, it’s just important to highlight that this kind of thing also needs intensive research. Volunteer tourism is often becoming something that creates more harm than help nowadays, therefore multiple things should be considered.

Firstly, your reasons: are you volunteering because you actually care about the cause or because you want to look like a caring person to others? Also, will your skills be a true

help to the cause? Secondly, money: obviously you won’t be paid so living costs need to be counted for, as well as possible payments for volunteering for a short time period. With ethical volunteering in mind, a few recommended websites to get the research started would be www. podvolunteer.org, www.vsointernational.org/volunteering/ ICS-youth-volunteering and www.questoverseas.com/. Before signing up to anything at all, it is important to meet or speak to the organisers, asking specific questions about your role and where your donations are going. Also helpful is finding reviews from past volunteers because they are less likely to not sugar coat the experience.

Of course, there are still many other ways to spend your summer abroad: summer schools, language academies, inter-railing, teaching English through TEFL and other schemes, the list goes on. I just hope the opportunities I’ve discussed are a good starting point for your ideas, since they are undeniably a fantastic way to boost your CV and life experiences – there really is no downside to doing something productive in a new country! TRAVEL

Sport

Rugby:

Are These New “Health and Safety” Rules Taken Too Far? WORDS BY JAMES MOSELEY IMAGE BY CLAIRE PAPA ADAMS

Player safety is something that has always had to be at the forefront of what the International Rugby Union (IRU) is considering, for obvious reasons. However, the new set of rules brought into action to kick off 2017 has come under attack. First of all, what are the new rules and why were they deemed necessary? The new rules state that when there is a dubious tackle, the referee must ask himself these three questions: 1. Was the contact high? 2. What was the force of the contact? 3. Was the hit malicious? If the tackle meets any of these criteria then the offender could easily face a red card. The law also includes a line stating that a player going into a tackle knowing that there is a chance of making contact with the head carries a minimum sanction of a yellow, regardless of intent. It’s clear to see the aim of these new rules- protecting the players. The IRU found that 73% of head injury assessments came from contact in the tackle which was the root reason that the law was changed. However, do these rules go too far? On the 7th January, Saracens hosted Exeter in one of the first games since the rule change. During the first half, Brad Barrit and Richard Barrington made a joint high tackle (although there was no malicious intent), that saw Barrington receive a red card. Arguably, there should have been a red for Barrit as well as he was more at fault then Barrington. The referee was reluctant to deliver such sanctions, but following the letter of the law he had no choice. This is just one example of the referee’s hand being forced to dish out punishments that hurt the enjoyment of the game. Nobody wants to watch a team reduced to 13 men and get pummelled by their opponent.

They are forcing the resurgence of the old school technique, cheek to (bum) cheek, which is how many young players are taught to tackle. If people start reverting to this method rather than the higher “bear hug” tackles that have started to gain popularity, the game could really open up. It means that the ball carrier will have their arms free to be able to make an offload with a lot more ease than before. One only has to imagine what a team such as New Zealand who already excel at getting the ball away in the tackle will be able to do with so much more to work with. Regardless of whether these new rules will open the game up or not, many consider the wording to be too vague and open to abuse. If a ball carrier goes into a tackle, dipping their shoulder so that only their head is presented to the opposition, the tackler will have no option but to make contact with the head – or not make the tackle at all. On top of that, even if the ball carrier doesn’t dip their shoulder, the tackler’s head is far more likely to make contact with the opposing player’s elbows/hips/knees. This would merely transfer the risk of head injuries to the tackler rather than the ball carrier. Only time will tell what the ultimate result will be of these new rules. There certainly will be interesting times ahead, as we see how teams and players try to change and adapt to this new style of play.

But is this just all growing pains? Some people have argued it is, citing that these new rules force tacklers to go much lower. 30

SPORT

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why physical education is failing our generation WORDS BY LUCY MORRIS IMAGE BY HEATHER RANKINE It’s a Thursday and the weather outside is pretty bad. There are a group of forty children in gym shorts, black plimsolls and fluorescent yellow polo shirts. Most of the children look excited except for one short, brown-haired, bespectacled girl right at the back. You guessed it. Me. I can honestly say that PE was a mixture of intense fear and humiliation, but mostly humiliation. There’s nothing quite like being called to the front of the class on your first day of secondary school and forced to star jump in front of a group of people. It was captured in my Year 7 report, ‘though Lucy has no natural elegance or grace, she tries her best at sports to varying degrees of success.’ (No, I’m not kidding, that was actually what my teacher wrote). I found out later that I wasn’t the only person who hated school sports, or ‘games’, a rather misleading term my secondary school liked to use. According to Ofsted in 2013, Physical Education is rated to be one of the biggest failing subjects, the gifted children ‘aren’t being pushed enough’ while the ‘overweight children’ are also not being helped. I have to say that this Ofsted report made me laugh. To separate children so crudely into ‘gifted’ and ‘overweight’ is absurd. What about the vast majority of children, what about the mediocre, or the average child? Our school sports system should be an environment in which, yes all children are pushed but it should also be an environment where all achievement, however small, is valued, a place where people look forwards to having fun and playing sports together.

of doing team sports. One of the problems with our school system is that the quality of physical education received is largely a postcode lottery. The government spent huge amounts of money as part of the 2012 Olympic legacy on the school sports system, as they wanted to leave a new culture in schools where a large variety of sports were offered and one in which sport was cherished. For example the government scraped School Sports partnerships (SSPs) in 2011. The SSP was a clever system that helped schools organise PE lessons, fund PE teachers for two days a week and helped schools to more easily compete with other schools in friendly matches. The decision to scrap the SSP by Gove was met with outrage by many within the teaching community. Whilst this may not sound like a very big loss, the scrapping of SSPs has meant that schools are often left to develop school sports programmes organically. This has very bad consequences as it means that teachers who teach other subjects are being drafted in to teach PE even though it is not the discipline they are trained in. Therefore, is it any wonder that people like me had such bad sports experiences? We were taught by teachers who had received no training, who received no extra pay for longer hours and a group of children ranging in ability and then were expected to craft lessons catered to all. Whilst I retain that I had the worst sports teacher in Britain and cannot excuse him for his instance to complete the bleep test in the rain I can pity poor Mr S., a maths teacher who probably didn’t want to be teaching us sport anyway.

Being dyspraxic, I was what my sports teacher termed, charmingly, ‘one of the special ones.’ (Again, no kidding he actually said this). And, I’ve got to tell you that description didn’t make me feel particularly excited about the concept SPORT

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why DOES no one want the olympics? WORDS BY JAMES MOSELEY IMAGE BY ROBERT LEWIS

The Olympics. The greatest sporting show on the earth. For the host city, it’s a chance to be in the centre of the world’s spotlight, as the globe takes two weeks to stop and admire athletes at their peak competing in this historic event. However, there is an increasing sentiment that hosting the games isn’t worth the effort, the drama it can bring, or the money that is costs. The average Olympic Games costs in the ball park of $5 billion, not including the money invested into the infrastructure surrounding the games itself. So why are countries willing to pay so much to begin with? The obvious increase in visitors to the city, which in turn boosts the local economy is an obvious one, but studies have shown that this can be a rather short-lived effect at best. Another is the political bragging rights it gives you as a nation, as well as the legacy and infrastructure that is created because of all of the investment. Many Brits look back on the Golden Summer of 2012 with fond memories as London became the only city to host the Olympic games a grand total of three times. The gold medals flowed in for the UK, but many didn’t realise that the money was flowing out. Around $15 billion was spent: 76% over the budget set forth in 2005 when the bid was secured. This has become a common problem of the games; each one has to be bigger and better than the last and so the cost is rising and rising. The 2008 Beijing Olympics came in at an estimated cost of $44 billion, but even that hefty price tag was eclipsed by the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The final tally topped $51 billion. These mounting costs certainly are beginning to outweigh the benefits that the games can bring.

“developing nations” a chance to make a successful bid. Rio 2016 is a perfect example of this, but this opens a whole new can of worms. The Rio games were surrounded by concerns of the ongoing Zika outbreak during the games, as well as inefficient sewage treatment and high crime rates within the city. There were also concerns about whether the infrastructure would even be in place to host all of the athletes. With all of these problems, many countries are seeing that they can gain global respect simply from doing well at the games, rather than hosting the games themselves. The USA have been doing this for some time now, and the UK and China are starting to catch on as well. The ultimate outcome is that fewer and fewer cities are putting forward a bid. The 2020 bidding process consisted of a final three cities of Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul. One can only imagine what an Olympics hosted in Madrid or Istanbul would be like, given their economic and political problems respectively. This decline in interest to host is even more evident with the Winter Olympics. Pyeongchang proved that if at first you don’t succeed, try again until there are no other options, hence the Winter Olympics will be headed to South Korea next year. The 2022 games are even more laughable, with only two real contenders: Beijing which isn’t exactly known for its snow, and Almaty in Kazakhstan, which is perhaps not the first city that comes to mind when considering winter sports.

With the increasing costs, fewer and fewer of the “developed nations” are taking an interest in hosting the games, giving 32

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

JOB HUNTING WORDS BY TOM RANDALL IMAGE BY ROBERT LEWIS

All third years will be breaking out into cold sweats, palpitations and panic attacks at the prospect of graduating in five short months. Real World Soc is like no society you might know at university, membership is compulsory, the socials are crap and you can never leave. However, this sorry state of affairs is a natural process in your life and we at Pause hope to try and help you make sense of things. After all, had you been born 100 years previously, the chaps reading this would have left school at 14 for a poorlypaid and dangerous job, before getting killed in a war. Ladies, you would have been married off at the earliest opportunity and had no real choices in life after this. So donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fret too much. 34

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Pause Britain as a nation no longer makes things. Our national wealth is seemingly suspended in the air with elaborate wires, comprising upscale coffee shops, dodgy accountants and kitschy pop-culture. There is no point fighting this fact of the modern world, which makes looking for a graduate job both easier and harder. Easier in that you are unlikely to encounter genuine responsibility over the lives of others or the success of a business, making winging it as you have winged it for the last 2.5 years of university a legitimate and good strategy in professional life. Harder in that when your mates at home ask you what you’re up to, you are thoroughly aware that working in sales or PR won’t impress anybody and may meet snorts of derision from some circles. What degree did you do? Only the happy few who studied Medicine or managed to do an Engineering degree and still be able to pass a DBS check, on account of their profound sexual perversions (the average engineering student’s internet history is the reason Theresa May wants blocks on our internet) and vices not coming to light at any point miraculously, are really exempt from what follows. It doesn’t really matter, you aren’t getting a job in your field if you did an academic subject. Nobody with a chance of getting PhD funding wastes their time reading unfunny articles like this, so we can make this assumption early on. It’s the same old business fodder for everyone else, after a few years watching The Office will no longer be a cutting edge comedy and more a sick joke. But if we’re talking about business and finance, surely The Wolf of Wall Street is more pertinent? Yes, if you are called Tarquin, went to a private school and your dad knows someone willing to give you an unpaid placement you can then fund yourself through. For us mortals, forget it. The comeuppance comes in 15 years’ time when he’s being arrested for insider trading. Or he might be Chancellor. Bit of a dicey one here.

But are there jobs outside business or media in our country? Of course there are many worthy jobs in public service, they merely require that mix of masochism and self-righteousness that defines our great nation. Being a teacher or a nurse requires surprisingly little, bar the requirement to tell literally everyone you meet what you do for a living and how hard it is. Great, so you have probably decided what job you want now. But where do you want to work? Most graduates do one of three things. Move to London, go back home or stay in their university town. We shall briefly run through these options. Moving to London is a popular option, but invariably ends up with paying roughly the national debt of Venezuela a month to live above a chicken shop that has been closed down 7 times by the public health officer. Some argue this concrete hell of noise, pollution and Boris Johnson is okay because you get food and fashion trends slightly faster than the rest of the country. Up to you though. Moving home is comfy, being near the family and old friends. However, your old mates will remind you constantly how much debt you racked up to essentially get the same job as them. Finally, perhaps the saddest option. Staying in your university town for a year or two is okay, but after a while it dries up and you are left desperately trying to relive the Good Old Days, to the extent of having works drinks in the Hobbit. Pause hopes this guide was as informative as the average careers officer, our standards are not generally as high this late in the magazine.

Many students of the ‘writing’ subjects fancy themselves as journalists or authors. These sorry people write for their student magazine, wholly unpaid, in the hope of building up a portfolio. Some of the saddest cases write the joke articles in the hope of landing a contract with Private Eye, Viz or the South Nottinghamshire Advertiser. Some of the more serious types imagine that there are not enough writers telling the world about how the most marginalised group in the world is chronically underpaid media types living in Central London. The heart bleeds for these dishevelled people, most of whom are probably cousins with Tarquin, who eke out a living sat in coffee shops ignoring the screaming children and writing opinion pieces for the Huffington Post, Guardian or Independent.

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